Woke up to Owen Lars thoughts. Specifically re: C-3PO.

Our guy Owen has avoided owning a droid for 20+ years because they remind him of Shmi. He’s had to deal with the Jawas the whole time and knows it would go a hell of a lot better with a translator, but every time he thinks about getting a protocol droid he thinks about Shmi. About how she doted on that insufferably annoying droid because it was her last connection to her son. And he decides he can go another year relying on gestures and paying more than the parts he’s getting are worth.

But now he only has Luke’s help for one more harvest and he’s not getting any younger - his joints ache more and more with each sandstorm - and he decides it’s time to face his ghosts. He can’t avoid reminders of the past forever. He sends Luke for some droids.

And the boy comes back with C3P0

The droid doesn’t look the same - he’s been treated to some upgrades over the years and some fancy gold plating they couldn’t have afforded to give him - but he gives his designation and it’s not just a similar robotic voice dragging up memories that both haunt Owen and remind him of better times. But it’s him, without a doubt. C-3PO human cyborg relations. Shmi’s most prized possession. Returned back to her home and final resting place, back to the last piece of her son.

To Luke.

And when the stormtroopers break down the door and pour in, he has a moment of pure relief that Luke isn’t home. That this time it won’t be a Skywalker’s body found broken in the desert.

He should have known. An R2 unit had rolled up and interrupted Shmi’s humble funeral and Anakin had swept away to whatever dangers waited for him in the stars. He’d brought the two droids with him and the Lars were left to mourn and heal and carry on under the harsh suns. They looked after themselves and weathered the heat and the sand like everything else that was born, and fated to die, in the desert.

But not Luke. Luke wasn’t born on Tatooine, even though the boy has the desert in his blood. Owen sees the same relief written in Beru’s eyes as he takes her hand. Luke isn’t going to die here.

He has the stars in his blood too.

Owen just hopes the boy will meet a better end than his father. That his story won’t end so soon.

BONNIE PIESSE as BERU WHITESUN LARS

Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones (2002)

Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith (2005)

Obi-Wan Kenobi (2022)

Also, let’s give it up for BERU WHITESUN LARS, that woman was ready to call her husband out for driving away Obi-Wan who could have helped them when they were in danger, who had weapons hidden in the house because she has lived on Tatooine all her life too, and who was 100% ready to fucking go, the minute shit started going down.  Beru Whitesun Lars is the woman who wove kindness into every one of Luke Skywalker’s bones, who knew he had a destiny beyond them when it was his time and was willing to let him go, but also was ready to shoot a bitch in the face the minute her son was in danger.  BERU WHITESUN LARS DESERVES A STANDING OVATION.

Whitesun by Ryah_Ignis

This is my second time binding Whitesun by Ryah_Ignis. I’m so glad I chose to remake it, because it came out so much cleaner this time, and the endpapers are much prettier.

This also means I have my own copy at home, which I get to reread. It’s a really cool story! Love Auntie Beru. And I now wish the original Star Wars trilogy played out exactly like this book, cuz who doesn’t wish Leia could have done some actual Jedi training with Luke? Just me?

This book was gifted to @starblightbindery for the @renegadeguild 2024 California Mini Exchange. It was a pleasure to read this story and also bind it. The cover is wooqu bookcloth, and it takes to inkjet printing really well.

Story can be found here on Ao3.

Avarage day in the Whitesun-Larses move to Mandalore AU:

Poor Beru has to constantly deal with hoards of mandolorians who want to court Luke.

But it's not like her and Owen don't also have their share of admirers 👀

Isn't it funny how pretty much everyone who knew and cared about Anakin ends up worse off for having known him? That pretty much everyone in Anakin's life would have been better off if they'd never even met him?

Femslash February 2024 (@starwarssapphicweek)

004. Home - Handmaiden Sabé/Beru Whitesun - https://archiveofourown.org/works/53526079

there is no doubt in my mind that Owen and Beru’s dogged and determined and fierce protection of Luke despite facing down a way more powerful force user like herself was a crucial part of what convinced Reva to make that choice to change her mind

beyond just Luke reminding her of herself, she saw people willing to fight to the death to protect a force sensitive child that technically wasn’t theirs, she saw and felt the determination of that love and goodness — all Reva wanted as a kid was for someone to have protected and fought for her the way Owen and Beru were doing for Luke — she literally says it as much in her first meeting with Owen:

“You protect your family. I like that, Owen. It’s important.”

her “family”, the Jedi, could not protect her, in fact she felt betrayed and abandoned by that family, but much like Luke brought hope to the galaxy, Owen and Beru brought hope to Reva, reminded her again of what was really important that I think in her heart Reva always knew

families do protect each other, and love is more powerful than hate

After watching Obi-Wan Kenobi, this is canon to me. 😂

How about Beru Lars as a lady rebel? Didn't she help Sabé free slaves on Tattooine?

Thank you for pointing that out! Yes Beru Whitesun Lars absolutely counts as a rebel and she has been added to our Rebel Women list!

owen lars, beru whitesun lars, bail organa, breha organa, incredible people the lot of them

You know what I’m looking forward to?  Owen Lars being an absolutely fascinating character, because he loves Luke so much and has every reason to be afraid of him becoming a Jedi, because the galaxy wasn’t kind to Jedi before and it’s a hundred times worse now that the Empire has declared them treasonous just to exist. He’s not wrong that Obi-Wan will bring trouble, he’s hitting hard with that line about “Like you trained his father?” because Owen Lars is terrified that something will happen, Luke is already a bright and curious child, we know he grows up fascinating with his father, that he longs for adventure, that he has his eyes on the horizon, that he’s restless, of course Owen sees that in him, probably even as a child.  That’s what he’s afraid of, especially when Luke is so young. Obi-Wan Kenobi is a Jedi Master, who could tell Luke all these incredible exciting stories about his father, Obi-Wan could so easily lure that child’s heart away, to Owen’s mind.  It doesn’t matter that Obi-Wan does his best to respect Owen’s wishes and keep at a distance, just Obi-Wan’s existence on Tatooine is enough to make Owen terrified. But it also doesn’t come without what we know of A New Hope or how Star Wars works--you can’t deny people their fate.  Luke Skywalker is fated to be a Jedi and we know Owen will tighten his grip on Luke enough that he chafes at it, enough that Luke was argues with him about going to the Imperial Academy instead of being forced to stay on Tatooine for another year.  It’s Beru who has to gentle things and remind Owen, “Luke’s just not a farmer.”  Owen says he’ll make it up to him next year, rather than admit to what Beru says is true. He never gets a chance to really let go--though, I think he eventually would have--to let Luke make his own choices and find the path he’s meant to be on, but also Luke will always carry the people who raised him in his heart.  I maintain that Beru Whitesun Lars is the one who truly wove kindness into Luke Skywalker’s bones, but that Owen Lars gave that kid safety and warmth and love. Owen struggled with his attachment to Luke, the fear of living without this kid he so loved, his desire to force his own life onto Luke, but you could see that Owen Lars was a good man.  His fear is understandable and I don’t think there’s a compassionate person in the galaxy who wouldn’t understand where it was coming from and that it was out of love, even if sometimes it was a little too much fear. The Jedi Order loved their children as well, but in a galaxy that had genocided them nearly out of existence, they couldn’t offer safety and community in the same way they used to.  Obi-Wan just being on the same planet was a risk, even if it wound up saving Luke’s life multiple times and was the Force trying to help bring the light of the Jedi back to the galaxy. So, Owen Lars and Beru Whitesun Lars were the people who were able to provide that safety and love that Luke needed, because the Empire wasn’t looking for them and because they loved that kid with their whole heart and they raised a sweet, kind boy. And all of it is going to make me absolutely bawl about it.

I just realised, Owen and Beru didn’t know the real reason why Obi-Wan left Tatooine - but Beru insinuated that they thought it was because of what Owen said, which is hilarious. They genuinely believed Owen sassed that old Jedi so hard he straight up left the planet.

Okay, I know I'm getting chocolate in my peanut butter again, but here's a short story I just finished about Aunt Beru that I had to share. I dig her an unhealthy amount, and this is my head-cannon on her awesome life. Enjoy!

Owen would always refer to Luke as 'his/our boy'. He wanted to say son, but he couldn't. He didn't know why he'd decided on being Uncle Owen, instead of dad - perhapse he'd been scared.

He was scared now.

He looked up at the blank plasticy visor of the troopers standing above him. Beru was beside him.

At least their son was safe.