#Ashoka Tano critical

[imfromthemiddlekingdom]

Felony saying that everyone in the universe can access the force if they tried hard enough makes me want to deck him in his fugly face

He’s ruining all established canon in real time. Speed running the absolute destruction of continuity of the SW universe and people are still rooting for him and his blorbo self inserts like there’s no tomorrow. Literally the whole reason I no longer engage in Ashoka content is because he massacred my girl and made her so one dimensional that my Mary Sue self insert fanfics OCs I wrote when I was 14 looks well developed compared to the absolute bland “girlboss kick ass take names” personality Ashoka has right now.

There were so many opportunities for him to explore the absolute potential of angst and conflict within Ashoka in this new series, to give her character a believable story of grief loss and growth yet he threw it all away because he wanted his OC to be the specialist girl that ever lived. This series could’ve been used to explore Ashokas conflicting feelings regarding the Anakin that taught her and was a mentor to her whilst trying to connect it to the monster that killed her family and hunted her culture into almost extinction and tried to kill her, a person he confessed to love as a sister, on Malachor. It could’ve been a good send off to a great character, to have her face that the Skyguy she put on a pedestal in her mind was in actuality the worst sort of scum and have her try to come to terms that just because she can forgive him for being the genocidal maniac he was and still hold love in her heart for who he used to be and also understand why the Jedi, her family, wasn’t the reason for their own downfall.

But alas. We got another series of “the Jedi caused their own downfall!!! Anakin did nothing wrong ever and him killing all my family and everyone I’ve ever known is so not his fault!!! It’s definitely the fault of the unbending stuck in the past council!!!”. Instead of a series that could’ve made Ashoka’s “departure” (literally never going to happen with felony at the helm, he’s going to find a way to make her immortal and then show up 200 years in the future to be the protagonist of another light v dark fight since she’s his special SI) from the series tie in nicely thematically and canonically with every other Star Wars media we have, he decided that the best way to have this series go down is 1) everyone is force sensitive if they tried hard enough ig and 2) the Jedi were bad!!! Their protocols don’t work! They were mean to my little meow meow Anakin Skywalker the greatest Jedi of all times™️ therefore he got to kill them all!!!!

Got a bit off topic but I’m still so mad that he had this chance to make Ashoka truly experience growth like the first 5 seasons of TCW yet he decided maintaining the badass rebel without a cause aesthetics for her was more important then good story telling.

Honestly though, my main problem with this series is that he decided that apparently everyone in the universe can be force sensitive if they “just tried hard enough”. Like your Midichlorian Count no longer matters since even if you were Force-Null you can still be special!!!!

This takes away any and all urgency in the Jedi Fallen Order games. It makes Cals journey absolutely redundant. It throws away all the tragedy contained in having inquisitors being force sensitive kids kidnapped from their parents and tortured till they give into the dark side. If all beings are able to use the force in his universe then there are no consequences to the inquisitors not finding the Holocron that holds the names to all force sensitive children in the universe. There would be no need to them to chase Cal and the Mantis Crew throughout the universe to obtain what they have. They could’ve just went down to any random level in Coruscant and take homeless Force-Null kids and train them.

Even better! It makes the entirety of the KOTOR games redundant!!!! Oh and I guess the hidden path is also redundant since everyone can be force sensitive and no one truly needs more saving from the empire over others :/ totally not like these kids that were saved by the path would’ve been taken and tortured into inquisitors, definitely not since EVERYONE is force sensitive nowadays or is it just the ones Ashoka trains herself because she’s the “living embodiment of the daughter uwu she’s so special and unique look how well she can train a non force sensitive to be force sensitive!!!”

Everyone in the Star Wars universe has Midichlorian’s in their blood. That is a fact. It is also an established fact that the amount each person has is different and is not determined nor dependent on lineage. Force-Nulls typically range in the 1000-3000 count and you need 7000 to be force sensitive and higher to be accepted into the order. (The order isn’t the end all be all of force cultures, Rouge One shows that Jedha’s force culture isn’t restricted to only force sensitives as the Guardian’s were never specified to be only a religious order of force sensitives. And high canon doesn’t depict many other force cultures but we know that there are many force cultures in the universe that co-exist with the Jedi with which the Jedi weren’t in opposition towards; literally not even the witches of Dathomir were oppositions anywhere outside of the battle fields.) You don’t need to be force sensitive to be part of a force culture (Jedha literally has pilgrims who come far and wide to make a pilgrimage to the holy site and not all of them were force sensitive), Sabine could’ve very easily been taught the tenets of the Jedi without retconning her to be force sensitive or making everyone in the universe force sensitive.

No where in either the EU or High Canon did anyone ever say that you have to be force sensitive to be a badass or to make a difference. Hera did not hold the title of the best pilot in the universe just for some rat of a man to come and say that Anakin was the best because *muh force sensitivity!!!!* Some of the most heroic and most influential (good or bad) people in the franchise are Force-Null! And that’s great! It means that the force doesn’t make anyone better than anyone else! It’s a quirk of the universe! To retcon that everyone can and is force sensitive if they tried hard enough is literally cheapening everything the franchise stands for. Andor did not literally give us an entire story about how Force-Nulls in the Galaxy makes just as much of a difference as force sensitives for felony to come out and say that “you know what??? Midichlorian’s are a scam! You get a force sensitivity! You get a force sensitivity! Everyone gets a force sensitivity!!!!”

Sabine was great as she was in rebels, why cheapen it with “oh she’s actually force sensitive all this time!!!” When we could’ve stuck with badass Force-Null Mandalorian can kick your ass five ways to Sunday with her paint bombs and blasters you force wielding asshole!!! Like why even do that felony. Do you want people to hate her??? Nvm ofc you do, you need Ashoka to be the best in every way possible even if it means ruining every other beloved character in this franchise👍

[dinlukewarrior]

Anakin is a Shit Jedi Master

aka, I finally watched Tales of the Jedi and I CANNOT get over how terrible of a master Anakin is

(disclaimer: I have not seen tcw so you know. feel free to come to my house and kill me or whatever)

so first off he's late to this extremely important test/showcase (padawan final exam?) for Ashoka

(the Jedi Masters that bothered to attend--Yoda and Obi-Wan--are already there. so he's late for his padawan in front of his master AND boss which is crazy. Anakin stays not giving a fuck about anyone)

2. he doesn't seem to regret or be bothered by being late at ALL and THEN IN THE SAME sentence admits that "he really wouldn't know" if Ashoka is a fast learner / how she's doing as a padawan

(hands off is one thing, this mf has his left foot out too ! )

then, when Ashoka aces this test with flying colors (wowing the younglings who are watching her) does Anakin say "hi Ashoka. so sorry I was late to your extremely important Jedi Test. You did amazing. I'm so proud of you" ? NO

3. he jumps right into "actually the test sucked. you have no skills"

which, okay, he COULD HAVE said "omg snips! great job. however, I noticed some weaknesses in the training droids. I think you can do even better. we need to step it up."

he did not do that. 0 points for emotional intelligence.

4. THEN THERE'S THIS SADISTIC TEST HE DEVISES

a/n: ok, yes. I know the entire point of this episode is to show how Anakin actually did train Ashoka perfectly to defend herself from a clone army (aka Order 66) and saved her life. THAT'S NOT THE POINT. it's the way he did it

the first time Ashoka gets knocked out, she's out FOR AN HOUR. AN HOUR. at this point, we know the clones themselves are starting to get worried bc Anakin says "Don't worry, she'll wake up."

when she DOES blink into consciousness, does Anakin re-assure her? does he have a juice box for her? does he give her some pointers before they re-set? NO! THIS MAN JUST THROWS HER BACK IN

It's genuinely cruel.

If this wasn't a TV show, if she was anyone other than Ashoka, she would get both extremely sick and frustrated/humiliated. Ofc Ashoka pushes through bc that's the plot but I could not believe how obviously fucked up she is during the episode.

Anakin doesn't even attempt to break her fall when she conks her head (approx. 3457 times) on the durasteel floor

under no stretch of the imagination is this an effective teaching method. Ashoka just 'happens' to get it bc...she's that bitch idk what to tell you.

so, Anakin's approach to being a "Jedi Master" is to 1) be almost totally absent, 2) care 0% about his padawan's physical and emotional health, and 3) take her into battle as a child soldier and do war crimes for enrichment

IN SUM: obviously, Ashoka needs to be tested and pushed--like all Jedi padawan--to be sharp and extremely skilled. but the way Anakin treats her shows a complete lack of compassion or even basic human decency.

[thereifling]

Pt. 1 color palette challenge

Og palettes from @drawthatshitt

[valorums]

@timeguardians     sent      …      🚩🚩🚩

╰► SOURCE: send me a 🚩 and i'll share my unpopular rpc opinions and hot takes.

🚩:     It is INFURIATING that the roleplay community STILL holds female original characters to an outrageously high standard in contrast with male original characters or canon characters. STOP underestimating and dismissing and writing off female muse writers before you’ve even given their characters a chance — not all of our characters are “mary sues”, caricatures of popular typecasts or tropes, or (gOd fOrBiD /sarcasm) romantic ship-hungry.

🚩:    In that same topical vein — “Mary Sues” aren’t necessarily a bad thing. They get criticized all the time for being “cringey” or “underdeveloped”, but in reality, the so-called “Mary Sue” or “Gary Stu” is the basic blueprint for what will one day become a completely fleshed out muse. MANY of my original characters started out as archetypes that fall under this umbrella; they just needed time and experience to blossom into multi-dimensional beings. Also, cringe culture in general needs to die a slow and painful death.

🚩:    Remember, folks: EVERY SINGLE ONE OF YOUR FAVORITE CANON CHARACTERS WERE ONCE OC’S. Anakin Skywalker was once an OC. Every single one of the prequel era Jedi were once OC’s. Padmè Amidala was once an OC. ASHOKA TANO IS DAVE FILONI’S OC, WHO HE HAS NOW MADE CANON. In conclusion, respect OC’s since canons are OC’s too.

[rpersearch]

Hi all! I’m over 18 and ask that any of my partners are too! Anyway, I’m looking for some new roleplay partners. I consider myself a literate writer, and my only real requirements are that we write in third person and themes are kept SFW. I welcome a variety of fandoms and different types of relations, with a * next to romantic dynamics. Any pair without a * can strictly be considered friendly/familial/antagonistic. Doubling is also welcome, as well as original characters! The characters I prefer to play myself are on the left.

Star Wars:

Leia Organa (Han Solo*, Luke Skywalker, Padmé Amidala, Ashoka Tano, Ben Kenobi, Anakin Skywalker, and essentially all of her children)

Padmé Amidala (Anakin Skywalker*, Sabé, Ben Kenobi, Luke Skywalker, Leia Organa)

House of the Dragon:

Helaena Targaryen (Aegon Targaryen*, Aemond Targaryen*, Jacaerys Velaryon, Lucerys Velaryon, Rhaenyra Targaryen, Alicent Hightower)

Game of Thrones:

Lyanna Stark (genuinely anyone!)

Five Nights at Freddy’s:

Elizabeth Afton (William Afton, Michael Afton, Evan Afton, Clara Afton)

Charlotte Emily (Michael Afton*, William Afton, Evan Afton, Elizabeth Afton, Henry Emily)

Clara Afton (William Afton*, Michael Afton, Elizabeth Afton, Evan Afton)

Critical Role:

Vex’ahlia (Percival de Rolo*, any member of vox machina, any of her children)

Jester Lavorre (Fjord*, Caleb Widogast*, any member of the mighty nein, Marion Lavorre)

Marion Lavorre (Jester Lavorre, the Gentleman*, any member of the mighty nein)

A couple medieval/fantasy archetypes I’d love to try out are: warlock

noble thief

bard

cleric

cultist

-

[gch1995]

"how much of a sellout George Lucas is" I mean me personally, I do find it weird how the fandom has done a total 180 in their attitude towards him and generally treat him like a saint, but what do you mean by sellout?

I mean, the Disney Star Wars sequels are the biggest insult to the lessons of the first generation into the second generation of the Skywalkers. The Republic and the Jedi Council started off as a corrupt system. They had good intentions, but they enabled slavery in impoverished communities. They treated their Jedi soldiers like emotionally repressed cult members who were allowed no personal lives or close connections outside of their organization. They took in infants they started training at 4 as recruits in the Jedi. They had the shady Emperor Palpatine under their nose for 14 years as a politician and suspected nothing when fully experienced masters who’d been with the Jedi for a long time turned to the dark side, like Count Dooku. The Jedi Council had no idea how to raise these children to be emotionally/psychologically healthy functioning adults at all, and they weren’t trying to. They were grooming them to be compliant soldiers to their Order.

While all of the members in the Jedi were mistreated by the elders in the Council because of Yoda’s system, they particularly emotionally/psychologically abused and neglected Anakin Skywalker because he was older than their other recruits when they took him in at 9 years old. He came from a traumatic background of slavery and oppression, they treated him like the black sheep of their cult, he got the brunt of the council’s abuse because he was ambitious and emotional, and they didn’t do anything to help free his his mother and the other people in his home planet from slavery. This gave him completely valid feelings of anger and fear that they kept telling him to just get over because they made him “dangerous” for having, rather than encouraging him to talk about before handing him a lightsaber. They allowed Palpatine access to Anakin Skywalker alone from the age of 12 for “political reasons,” giving him opportunity to groom this kid for the dark side from right under their noses. This all culminated in Anakin Skywalker finally losing his shit at 23 years old by turning to the dark side and pledging himself to Sidious in his desperate fear over losing his wife.

Was Anakin a very selfish man in his fear who holds a level of responsibility for the terrible choices he made as an adult in his intense desperation to avoid potential abandonment? Absolutely. Did he become an addict who gave up fighting when offered the chance for redemption by Padme in his fear of abandonment and blind anger at a misperceived sense of betrayal when he saw Obi Wan walk out of that ship with a look on his face that made him sense he was ready to kill him? Absolutely. He may had untreated trauma, mental illness, and it is understandable why he got addicted to the high of the new dark power. However, that still doesn’t make it okay to murder children, destroy the majority of the Order/Republic, or to recklessly force choke Padme in a blind rage and frantic effort to avoid abandonment. That is still not an excuse to not even try to take the risk to stand up for himself and make the right choice out of fear and uncertainty of unknown from the beginning of ROTS when faced with the choice between Mace and Palpatine, though. I understand why he felt like he had little to no better choice in his desperation when his support system and options for escape from such a toxic environment were pretty limited to nonexistent, but he still ultimately realized that choosing Palpatine over Mace was a bad idea.

That being said, I also can’t completely hold all accountability on Anakin for his fall to the dark side because the level of privileges he held to escape out of the Republic safely were so limited to nonexistent since he had no fortune, family, friends, or connections outside of the Republic and the Jedi Order. He came from slavery and poverty. His wife had a job as a Senator in the Republic. The Jedi Council were shitty parents/guardians and shitty at their job as “space therapists.” Yes, absolutely meditation can be helpful as therapy for BPD and C-PTSD sufferers, which are the mental illnesses that Anakin Skywalker has the most symptoms of, but you also need to know that it’s okay to talk about those negative feelings without being judged. You need to know that people will allow you catharsis to deal with those feelings. You need to know that you have a shoulder to cry on and a sympathetic ear to listen if you open up. You need to know that your negative feelings are going to be heard without being told you’re “evil” or “dangerous” for having them.

Anakin really only got that from Padme in the prequel movies. At least, somewhat. She was willing to give up that life to run away with him because she loved him. However, she was also a senator of the Republic, who never really tried to do much to help the poor, or understood just how rough it was for Anakin to constantly feel terrified about being forced into poverty and slavery again.

Obi Wan tried better than most of the Council, particularly in Revenge of the Sith, but he still victim blamed him for Palpatine grooming him, even though he was the adult with primary care of Anakin who allowed for them to speak alone as a child in the first place. He usually just blew off Anakin’s fears as insignificant when he tried to open up to him about them. He was still a member of an emotionally/psychologically abusive, oppressive, and repressive cult who had been indoctrinated into it from birth. Obi-Wan wanted to let Anakin know he cared, but he was way too dedicated to the Order. He saw this boy as a little brother, rather than the father figure Anakin expected him to be. In AOTC, Anakin tells Obi Wan how he’s the closest thing to a father he’s ever had and he loves him, but Obi Wan says nothing in return. Then in ROTS, Obi Wan tells Anakin “You were my brother Anakin. I loved you.”

Padme was too dedicated to the Republic, and rather naive.

Obi Wan Kenobi and Padme were the only two somewhat healthy emotional support systems that Anakin had in the prequel movies and their roles were still both planted in the broken and toxic system of the Republic, so they couldn’t really be healthy and objective enough for Anakin.

The Republic and Jedi System were overall abusive, classist, corrupt, and hypocritical systems, in spite of its good intentions, that prophetically needed to fail Anakin Skywalker, so he would feel influenced to turn on them to become Palpatine’s accomplice and help him destroy it as Darth Vader because he had this really cataclysmic strength in his power with the force. Did all those innocent people actually deserve to die? No, of course, not. It should have gone far better than the near-extinction of the old Jedi and Republic. Everyone should have been less afraid to speak up for what was right, rather than enabling and perpetuating the wrong things for “the greater good” out of a fear of losing security. However, this kid growing up to help the Sith destroy the Jedi Order was the only thing that finally made most people realize that they fucked up in their negligence and complacency with a system that was messed up, in spite of its good intentions.

So for the next two decades, the Empire terrorize the galaxy with Darth Sidious using Darth Vader as his killing machine. We meet Luke Skywalker, and he’s the neutral good hero everyone needed to save the galaxy all along. Unlike his father before him, he had a good childhood, he had a healthy support system that’s fostered a strong sense of faith in his moral compass, so he is not afraid to stand up for what he believes in and fight for what he knows is right in regards to other people, no matter how much Obi Wan Kenobi, Yoda, his father, and Darth Sidious all try to convince him otherwise. He’s willing to murder a lot of people in self-defense. Luke’s biological father kills his aunt and uncle in cold blood, he hurts him, his friends, stalks him, kidnaps him, cuts off his hand when he refuses to join the dark side recklessly, and offers Luke up to Sidious to kill when he continues to keep refusing to join the dark side. Luke would have absolutely every reason to despise his father Anakin Skywalker, and want to kill him in vengeance or self-defense.

However, much like his father before him, Luke does really value close attachments, family, and friends so much so that he is willing to believe there is good in them and sacrifice his life for them, so when he has a force vision that Han Solo and Leia are in danger he lets Obi Wan and Yoda know that he’s leaving training to go save them. When Darth Vader tells him that he is his estranged biological father Anakin Skywalker, he’s rightfully angry, in denial, and terrified at first. Then, he confronts Yoda and Obi Wan about not telling him that Vader is his father Anakin Skywalker, and refuses to kill him. He can now recognize in that moment in ESB when Vader kidnapped him, told Luke that he was his father, and asked him to join him so they could kill the Emperor and rule the galaxy together, that in his own broken, dark, and twisted, way the good man that Anakin Skywalker was beneath the mask of Darth Vader was trying to reach out for his son’s love and companionship for help because he was tired of being Sidious’ slave to darkness after so many years. He only wanted power to rule the universe if he had someone from his family he felt he could love and trust to do it with him because he was afraid of being abandoned and lonely.

This is what gives Luke the empathy and strength to keep insisting that he knows the good man Anakin Skywalker is still under the dark shell of Vader in there in ROTJ, even after every awful thing that Anakin has done to him, his guardians, and his friends. He doesn’t have to feel afraid anymore, and he can make the choice he knows is right by just being true to what he believes to be right as Anakin Skywalker, not a Jedi, not a Sith, just the man who loves his family enough to turn back to the light to free himself from all the darkness, fear, anger, and self-hated consuming him, so he can save them instead. Thus, Anakin finally does find this inspiration to do so through Luke’s compassion and empathy for him by sacrificing his life to save him from Sidious after offering him up to him at the end of ROTJ because he realizes he’s tired of living in constant fear, anger, and self-loathing.

However, while Anakin Skywalker finally dies happily at peace with himself after years of being a slave to someone else with authority over him in his fear, the legacy of Vader lives on for pretty much everyone else, but Luke who knows that his father died by turning back to the light to save him because he offered him compassion and understanding when Anakin was lost in the darkness, rather than killing him, or turning against him in hatred.

Thus, the cycle of abuse and corruption in the galaxy is finally broken after two decades of the Empire ruling through Luke Skywalker convincing his father Anakin Skywalker to turn back to the light and kill Sidious by pretty much doing what he knows is right, rather than deferring to anyone else who tries to make him compromise his morality.

We didn’t need more of a story to tell after the OT and PT movies. We really didn’t. Yeah, there were certainly parts of the PT movies that could have been a bit more fleshed out, such as Anakin’s and Padme’s romance, Anakin’s childhood of slavery, and Anakin’s days in the temple as a Jedi padawan. However, I don’t think we needed to spend seven seasons focused on the Clone Wars with Anakin. I really don’t. Then, there’s also the fact that Anakin, Padme, and Obi Wan aren’t even the same characters anymore. Anakin’s more endearingly awkward, boyish, conflicted, emotionally unstable, and traumatized side have been undercut. He seems to act more like a man in his 30s. His, cocky and possessive side have been flanderdized. He doesn’t strike me as much as that emotionally vulnerable and sincere 19-22 year old young man he was in the prequel movies, which makes him less sympathetic. Padme is a snarky two-faced bitch, rather than kindhearted and loving. Obi Wan is too much of a hypocrite. Ashoka makes no sense as Anakin’s padawan when taken in with his reaction to the Council rejecting him the position of master as a knight after four years on it in the context of ROTS.

He’s not nearly as intelligent, nor does he look or feel sincere anymore when he says anything, whereas with Hayden Christensen’s Anakin I did get a sense that he still expressed his feelings and reacted genuinely. Those occasional outbursts he had before going to the dark side sincerely felt like someone who was slowly breaking from the inside out after being told over and over again to get over it every time he had valid feelings of anger and fear that he never got encouraged or taught how to release healthily.

While not an excuse for his crimes at all, part of what made Hayden Christenen’s version of Anakin (you know, the one that George Lucas originally envisioned) so tragic was that this young man still felt like a boy who was way out of his depth and trying his best to stay afloat for 14 years with the limited resources he had to survive in such a toxic environment. Then, he finally went haywire when he realized how easily this new power could be used as a release for all those pent up negative emotions of anger and fear recklessly in the heat of the moment because he couldn’t handle dealing with the guilt and shame of the horrible choices he had just made to try to learn that new power to save his wife. We know that Anakin has always been triggered by fears of abandonment.

After cutting off Mace Windu’s hand in a selfish impulse to learn this new dark power that Palpatine who has groomed from the age of 12 says can be used to save his wife, he’s like “What have I done?” He looks fucking exhausted! He looks broken. He looks physically ill in his submission towards Palpatine now that he realizes this guy is a Sith Lord, but he’s willing to sell his soul to him because the odds are against him trying to do the right thing anyway. He is afraid, he is tired of trying to fight to be good in an order that has always treated him like a black sheep of their cult since day one and offers little to no emotional support when he tries to reach out most of the time, anyway. His impulse control over his emotions had been weakening since slaughtering the Tuskens in AOTC for killing his mother, and after getting this new dark power he gets high on the feelings of false invincibility it gives him, and snaps.

Anakin came on rather awkward and too strong with Padme at first in AOTC, but it didn’t seem like he was intentionally trying to be cringey or too forward. It’s just that he lived in a cult with emotionally repressed monks who never let him talk to form relationships with other people outside of the temple. He was socially less mature for his age as a result. He still allowed for Padme to make her own choices, though. I do not understand how people don’t have the ability to get this.

TCW’s and Disney’s version of Anakin Skywalker and Darth Vader were written to appease the venomous and entitled fanboy bullies in the fanbase who could never accept the fact that this character got written to be emotional, relatable, and sympathetic. They are the same ones who constantly bitched about Luke Skywalker being too much of a soft, emotional, and moody teenager, unlike the gruff, rugged, and emotionally reserved swashbuckling Han Solo action hero type. Sure, Luke and Anakin had angsty teen moments, though I’d argue that Anakin had more valid reasons to complain about life sucking than his son when he was growing up because his life genuinely was a constant tragedy with little to no relief in between, but their relatability and strengths were in how emotionally driven these characters were. They were led by their emotions of compassion, anger, love, naïveté, deference, and fear, for better or worse, and fanboys can’t stand that in action heroes. They weren’t driven by rationality, duty, or a desire to push away love.

These were the types of male lead characters that George Lucas originally envisioned for Luke and Anakin to be, but he sold them out to appease the entitled fanboys who kept bitching that Darth Vader needed to be this entity of pure evil who was completely responsible for his fall to the dark side, was always destined to be that way because he wanted to be, and keeps choosing to reject redemption for twenty three years every time a retconned survivor of Order 66 shows up who offers him compassion after recognizing him, he confirms he’s Anakin, has a brief flash of humanity, and then mercilessly slaughters them because he likes being evil, enjoys staying with his abuser as his killing machine. The strength of Luke’s character in his father’s redemption arc now has been undermined in Disney canon and TCW since he’s no longer one of the few people out there to recognize that Darth Vader was a shell of a monster that everyone else saw to cover up the deeply broken and twisted man Anakin Skywalker underneath it all.

My point is that if George Lucas really had any integrity at all, he wouldn’t have signed over his franchise to writers who he knew wanted for Anakin, Luke, Leia, and all these other characters to be more one-dimensional tropes. He wouldn’t have caved in to the bullying of the whiny fanboys in the fandom who kept insisting these characters had to be generic action movie heroes and villains by letting them be rewritten.

[johnnyclash87]

The more I think about it, they pretty much infantskized Rex and used him as a prop for Ashoka. Don’t get me wrong, I think Ashoka was one of the more interesting and compelling characters of Star Wars. But they kinda did Rex wrong.

First there’s Ashokas return. After leaving the order she comes back and it’s as if everything is fine, Rex and the other Clones even make it a point to show her respect and admiration. Anakin tells her “loyalty means everything to the Clones and they didn’t forget what you did for them”. But what exactly did she do for them? And is it really “loyalty” or is it years of conditioning? I’ll get back to this in a moment.

So anyway then there’s the conversation on the ship about the validity of the war and how Rex and Ashoka both pretty much grew up in conflict. Rex says it’s all he’s known and while some Clones disagree with the war, they also recognize that without it, they wouldn’t exist. Ashoka assures him that’s a good thing because “the Republic couldn’t ask for better soldiers, nor I a better friend”. So they share in a moment of Mutual respect and understanding and shared experiences.. Except there’s a key difference, Rex is nowhere near the same social status and privilege that Ashoka holds. Remember her dessertion and return? Yea Rex nor any Clone could never do that. He could never just walk away, literally. And if somehow he did leave, and then returned, would he get the same welcome and treatment? Absolutely not. As much as they try and make it seem like Ashoka understands the Clones and shares their pain, she really doesn’t. She still has value and purpose outside of the war. If she wasn’t a good Jedi, they would find a place for her. If a Clone can’t fight, they’ll be lucky if they’re put on sanitation. Rex isn’t valuable to the Republic except as a soldier. Now that the war is over, what will happen to him now?

Finally there’s the moment when they look out on the hanger and see every Clone including Jesse. Sideous has just isssued Order 66 and every single Clone has had their mind altered to execute every Jedi. Since having his chip removed Rex has been somewhat flippant and cold about the idea of killing the Clones where as Ashoka has encouraged restraint and mercy. She tells him to set his guns to stun. Then above the hangar Rex starts to break down and Ashoka consoles him as if he’s a child. Ok so let’s really think about what Rex is going through right now. His purpose as a soldier of the Republic? Yea that was a lie. His purpose was never to defend the Republic or befriend the Jedi, it was to destroy both. Everything he and the Clones suffered was for lie. Remember way back when he tod Cut that he was apart of something important? That if they lose it would unleash an unimaginable evil on the Galaxy? All null and void. They were a part of that “unimaginable evil.” This is more traumatic than Luke finding out his father is one of the most hated people in the Galaxy. But instead of exploring that, Rex pain is used to make Ashoka look good. It’s a chance for her to say “I’m a good and kind person. I’m not like everyone else”. Is Ashoka a good person? Yes. But this moment should have been more about Rex and less about showing what a good and compassionate person Ashoka is.

All I’m saying is Rex and every Clone deserved so much better.

[gch1995]

Yeah, Anakin already came in emotionally/psychologically damaged from his life of slavery for the first 9 years of his life, and never got the opportunity to heal from it. The separation from his mother, her death, Obi Wan, the Jedi Council, and Palpatine made it worse by emotionally/psychologically abusing, grooming, oppressing, and neglecting him in the 14 years he was with them, and eventually Anakin snapped under the pressure. No, that doesn’t mean he was entirely innocent or that anyone deserved to die, but the adults who raised him badly in the 14 years he was with them had a hand in turning this boy into a monster by creating that emotional/mental instability and desperation in him, even if that wasn’t their intent.

I agree, though, under better circumstances and making better choices, rather than bad ones in fear and desperation that didn’t end with him being Darth Vader, Anakin Skywalker would have likely become the hero for the Jedi that his son was. He definitely was a better guardian figure to Ashoka than Obi Wan ever was to him.

Opinion: Anakin was a better Master to Ahsoka than Obi-Wan was to him

strongly agree | agree | neutral | disagree | strongly disagree 

What is the purpose of being a mentor, or Master if you will? It’s to provide the student with the skills, confidence, and support for that student to thrive once their apprenticeship is complete. Ideally, lessons should be targeted towards the needs of the student. The relationship should be built on mutual respect and trust.

Obi-Wan was not a particularly good mentor. He started off their relationship back in TPM talking loudly about how Anakin was too dangerous to be trained and the relationship never really recovered from there mostly because Obi-Wan never seemed to lose this view of Anakin. All through AotC, he keeps trying to contain Anakin and mold him into a proper Jedi. He talks with Yoda and Mace about how troubled he is by Anakin’s power and perceived arrogance. In nearly every one of their interactions, he puts Anakin down. It’s obvious based on Anakin’s performance that Obi-Wan did an excellent job imparting skills, but he fell down hard when it came to offering support or building confidence.

Anakin and Ahsoka also got off to a bit of a rocky start where he rejected her because he wasn’t ready, but then they actually talked about it and moved past it. Throughout the Clone Wars, we see him teach her useful skills, offer her praise for her work, and provide emotional support. He’s not perfect by any means (his own emotional issues often get in the way of helping her through hers), but Ahsoka comes out of her apprenticeship a successful, functional adult, which is more than you can say for Anakin after ten years with Obi-Wan.

Ask my opinion on stuff

[where-fantasy-meets-reality]

“We’re Not Promised Tomorrow.” Chapter 14 “Confessions”

(CAN WE TALK ABOUT THIS AMAZING GIF! It was made specifically for this chapter by my wonderful, amazing, and incredibly talented friend, @transcending-time! She always comes through the most fantastic art and GIFS! A huge shout out to her and her awesomeness.) 

Masterlist     Chapter 13

Pairing: Obi-Wan Kenobi x Fem OC

W/C: 7.8

Warning: EXPLICIT! Smut ending. read at your own risk and minors do not engage. 

A/N: So....this chapter drops a lot on how our two protagonists. A lot of emotional angst, revelations (more than one kind), and decorations. Arguably one of the most important chapters in this very slow burn. With that being said, if the smut at the end makes you feel uncomfortable, you can skip it as it doesn’t really add much world-building to the story other than the obvious. With that being said, this was a great chapter to write and I hope you all enjoy it. Comment your thoughts and as always thank you for all the support. 

————————-

The ship docked at the Jedi Temple. From the bridge, Obi-Wan could see Master Yoda and Master Windu awaiting them.

The troopers, The Jedi, and the droid disembarked the ship and greeted the Jedi Masters.

“Master Marblu, welcome back. We are glad to see you in one piece.” Master Windu smiled and gave a short bow to her.

He was smiling for once, he never showed anything other than a stoic expression, and it didn’t go unnoticed by the other Jedi present on the platform.

“All thanks to this fantastic team.” Emily gestured to the group around her.

“Yes indeed. Well, we will be consulting the Medical Droids report from the ship’s med-bay, when they looked you over, and we will determine the extent of your injuries. In the morning we will be updating you on the Council’s decision considering the duration of your medical leave. Please return to your quarters and rest in the meantime.”

Turning to Anakin, the stoic Jedi Master continued. “General Skywalker, your presence is requested for a full mission briefing. We are launching an investigation as to how Maul knew where to find a Republic ship and why he attacked it.”

Sensing Anakin’s emotions, Master Yoda tapped his gimmer stick.  

“Much to say have you, General Skywalker? Feel it in the Force I do.”

Anakin rubbed the back of his neck contemplating how much of Savage’s death he was or was not going to include. He knew this moment was coming and had prepared for it…but…still, he and Obi-Wan’s conversation on the ship had left him feeling guilty and self-critical of his actions.

“Yes, I have a full mission briefing ready for the Council at their earliest convenience.”.

“Then that would be now. Padawan Tano, please accompany General Skywalker to the council chamber. Master Kenobi, you and Master Marblu are dismissed.”

Before the two Jedi Masters could leave, Emily, who had been leaning on Obi-Wan for support, practically leaped forward to get their attention.

“Masters, are General Xira and Master Sorv alright?” Emily asked quickly before they could leave.

Despite the desperation for her answer, there was a good part of her that was fearful of their answer.

The two Jedi Masters shared a short glance with one another.

“They are both recovering in the Medical Bay and will be accepting visitors in the morning. You may visit them then. But for now, they need rest and still need to be interviewed by the Council as part of the investigation. Until then, no one is allowed to see them….Oh, and Master Marblu when you pay them a visit, check in with a Temple Healer so we have your recovery progress on record.” Master Windu instructed.

“Of course Masters.” Emily bowed her head slightly.

The two Jedi Masters then turned and left, signaling for  Anakin and Ashoka to join them.

Emily punched in the code to her apartment on the keypad and the door opened.

Obi-Wan helped her inside as the door slid closed behind them.

Hobbling together, they stood in the mouth of the short hallway that was the apartment entryway, as Emily took in her home. It was as if she was looking at it for the first time in a thousand years.

Obi-Wan noticed how her eyes were wide and glassy.

“I honestly never thought I would see this place again.” She whispered to the empty room.

“Does it feel any different than it did before?”

“Homier. Safer. And a lot cleaner than where I was.” She turned to him and laughed slightly, relying on humor to lighten the mood.

She felt that if she didn’t find something to laugh at that she would break down and cry for the next week.

All the people who had lost their lives aboard her star cruiser, the torture that she had endured, the danger she felt responsible for putting her Jedi friends in, the battle and rescue mission that Anakin and his team had endured….for the worry and fear that Obi-Wan had experienced; it had all taken its emotional toll on her.

Emily slowly walked over and sat down on her couch with Obi-Wan’s help, sinking into its softness.

Obi-Wan desperately wanted to stay. In fact, he never wanted to leave her side ever again if he could.

But what if she wanted to be alone? After the ordeal that she had been through, he would perfectly understand if she needed to be alone. The amount of pain and emotional strife she had endured recently would be enough for anyone, let alone a Jedi with heightened connectivity to the Force.

The last thing he wanted to do was overstep his boundaries with her and force her into anything or make her feel uncomfortable. Clearing his throat with a nervous cough, he tilted his head toward the door.

“...Well, if that's all, I’ll ju…”  

Emily’s attention shot to Obi-Wan. Her wide brown eyes were glassy, full of shock at what he was about to say… and puppy-dog-like, something he was not prepared for. Her reaction derailed him. She sat upright and leaned out toward him.

“You're not leaving are you?” She straightened her position as she asked him.

“Well…..do you want me to stay?” He asked, nervously talking with his hands as hope spiked

throughout him, hopeful that she would say yes.

Emily leaned back into the plush sofa and gave him a small, half smile.

“I’m surprised you even have to ask.” She indicated to the spot next to her on the couch as she spoke.

He took her invitation.

An awkward silence hung in the air, neither of the Jedi knew what to say to each other.

Sitting down, he was now aware of how close he was to her on the couch. Granted, they had just rested in each other's arms on the ship, but this was different, the moment was different. She was being different then. On the ship, she had seemed frightened and broken. His reaction to cradle her was instinctual. Now, he was aware of every thought and emotion he had about being this close to her.

Wasn't it the other morning that they had breakfast together that he told himself he was going to stop seeing her because he couldn’t handle the emotions of wanting more anymore?

“But that was before everything happened. As much as I know that backing away is the right thing to do, I don’t think I could go through with that now.” He realized.

He looked at her. Her body was angled towards him, but her feet were tucked under herself, and her face was looking out the window.

“What are you thinking?” His voice was low, barely above a whisper, for he felt like if he talked any louder that he would be too aggressive and ruin the moment. He could only imagine what was running through her mind.

“Honestly…..I’m thinking of so much. I’m thinking about how in a matter of 2 days I went from being on a standard mission, a mundane everyday thing that we do. Next, I was fearing for my life, while watching my worst nightmare before my eyes endlessly. Only for it to end by being rescued by the one person that I have always been able to rely on.” She let her words hang between them as she continued to look out the window and not at him.

She started speaking again, “When he wasn’t torturing me, the very little time I had time to think and actually use my mind, you know what I thought about?” She asked him, finally turning to look at him.

He shook his head back and forth.

She spoke solemnly, giving him her answer.

“Regret. Regret at not doing the things that made me happy. Saying things I should have said; have always wanted to say. Using my emotions for good. Being a Jedi is the only thing I have ever known in life. I didn’t ask for this, technically none of us did. I was chosen, like all of us were, because I have a unique set of gifts, like every other Jedi. We're raised here in isolation and their ideas are drilled into us until we do not know any other way of life. We are expected to pick training, duty, and tradition every time no matter what the odds or consequences are.”

She paused thoughtfully.

“There haven't been many regrets that I’ve had in my life. I do love being a Jedi, despite not choosing it. I love healing, helping, and defending people. We get to do more than most beings do with their lives. But there are regrets I have. I don’t remember my parents or my family. I don’t even know what planet I’m from. I can’t even decide what I want to do on any random given day of my life, it is just wherever I get sent to by the Council or whatever order is given to me. If I don’t agree with the council’s verdict and I want to fight it, I’m automatically wrong and they're right. It’s the little things like that.”

Obi-Wan’s eyebrows shot to his forward. He didn’t consider any of those things she said “little”...and he knew that she didn’t either…however he wasn’t going to argue with her sarcasm, not today.

She continued.

“However, the biggest regret of all that I have surrounds you.”

She turned to face him fully now, her confession out there in the open.

He titled his head in thought. He was shocked and his eyes narrowed at her in confusion.  

What regret could she have surrounding him?

“Me?.... I’m sorry if I have ever done anything to you to make you regret something.” He said earnestly.

She looked at him for a long time, blankly, not allowing her emotions to paint expressions on her face.

The silence in the room was deafening and suffocating. Obi-Wan squirmed slightly as he wanted to do something, anything to break the growing tension… especially since he had absolutely no idea what he had done.

“You really have no clue do you?” She asked him quietly.

“Have a clue about what?” He was still confused and scared at her answer.

All those years of saying nothing to him, of biting her tongue and choosing duty were about to come crashing down.

She thought she would die alone and helpless in that dungeon when Maul captured her, and she regretted never telling him that she loved him. That was her biggest regret. All the unspoken words of love, encouragement, and want. All the missed opportunities to steal a kiss, to hold his hand, or even to just tell him how she felt about him. To be there for him when he needed someone, to laugh and joke, to argue and fight for one another…not just as Jedi or even friends….but as more….

Instead of answering him with words, she decided to put her thoughts into action.

She leaned forward and rested her bandaged hand on his chest and gently pulled him to her by the collar of his clone armor.

He didn’t resist her. The look of confusion on his face was wiped away to shock when she kissed him.

She kissed him deeply. She poured her soul into that kiss. Her lips molded tightly to hers and when her tongue ran across his bottom lip, he didn’t refuse her. He relaxed and willingly succumbed to her advances. All the repressed emotions that Emily had felt in that dungeon, since forever really, were finally free.

She let him go and broke away. She sat back down on her feet again, recreating the space that was originally between them.

Obi-Wan still sat there, frozen and stunned. His eyes were still closed, as it was stuck on the kiss. His mind was moving at a billion times the speed it normally did.

She had kissed him. He had imagined on so many occasions what that would feel like. And yet, it was a thousand times better than anything he had conjured up in his mind. Her lips were soft and full. She was sweet and exciting at the same time. He felt like he couldn’t breathe as so many different emotions and thoughts clouded and raced through his mind.

What did this mean going forward? He knew what it meant and it made his stomach tighten…with want and dread.

He cleared his throat and opened his eyes to look at her. “Emily …..”

He paused to find his words but Emily took it as an invitation to say something.

Taking a deep breath, she bared her soul to him.

“Obi-Wan….I’m in love with you. I have been in love with you since before we were Padawans….. That was my biggest regret. Not loving you, no, I could never regret that. That has been one of the few things that have made my life worth living…… My regret was that I thought I was going to die and that you would have never known how I felt, that I would never get to express those feelings, to make them real. You would have never known that you weren’t just a “friend” to me. You haven't been for a long time. You were always the brightest spot in my life. When you're around everything feels natural and easy; you complete me Obi-Wan.”

He closed his eyes and swallowed hard. He had to be dreaming. He had dreamed this exact scenario a hundred times, where they said those words to each other, knowing full well that he would never have the courage to say them because it went against everything he thought to be true, that she didn’t love him and it was all just him; that and everything he had ever been taught by the code.

“Jedi did not have attachments”, was a phrase that played over in his mind like a broken, blinking neon sign.

This couldn’t be real.

“Emily…..you’ve been through a lot in the past two days. I was the one who rescued you, it’s natural to place those feelings on me. They will pass in time.”

He was looking out the window. He wanted nothing more than to tell her he returned her feelings and more. But she wasn’t in the right state of mind; he would be taking advantage of her. She had been traumatized and her reaction was natural; textbook. She was clearly in shock.

She huffed irritatedly.

“I know you don’t return my feelings Obi-Wan and that’s okay, I never expected you to…. but don’t dismiss me. I’ve known that I loved you for a long time. The fact that you saved me from Maul only reaffirms the things that I do love about you.” She spoke in a whispered tone.

His head whirled around to face hers, his eyes the size of the dual Tatooine suns. “You think I don’t return your feelings?”

Emily waved at him dismissively.

“You just dismissed me and said it was natural given everything that happened, that this is some physiological textbook incident. I wouldn’t call that type of response words of affirmation or encouragement.” She spoke more pointedly this time.

Squeezing his eyes shut, he worked up his courage and his nerve. If Emily could be brave and forthright, then he could too.

He took her hands gently into his, mindful of her wounds. He rubbed his thumbs over hers soothingly.

He swallowed the lump in his throat that he was sure was actually his stomach and forced himself to look into her eyes, finding the courage he desperately needed. It was his Emily he was speaking to after all. The one who he had lovingly watched from afar his whole life. Who he was with every night in his dreams, where they were free from the constraints of their life.  

“Emily, earlier this week I told you I used to hound you or show off for you every chance I got. That I force jumped over half the training Arena just to show off in front of you….”   - He chuckled - “....Emily…..I did those things because I was desperate for your attention…I thought you were the most amazing, beautiful thing I had ever seen. I used to seek you out every chance I had, even as a Padawan, because I was enchanted by you, and I still am. You are the piece I always felt was missing in my life and every time I‘m around you I am reminded of these feelings…..” He held her hands more firmly.”... You are my home, you're my center.…...I…...I love you too…”

By the time he finished his sentence they were both smiling, their hands still clasped and when their eyes met; both were full of hope and revelation.

But Obi-Wan was a realist. He knew this moment couldn’t last forever, as beautiful as it was. That outside of this apartment, a war waged on; and they had their role in it.

Letting go of her hands, he sighed. “We can’t do anything about it though. We can’t go down that path.” As he stood, he hung his head.

She stood up to follow him as he walked toward the window.

“What!? Why not?” She shot her words at him.

Opening and closing his mouth several times, and waving his hands like he was trying to grab the words out of the air, he eventually got them out.

“You were just kidnapped by Darth Maul because he knew we were friends; you can't convince me otherwise. He targeted you on purpose because of me….. But that is not the point right now. The point is, that we can’t act on these impulses. We’re at war. We are supposed to lead armies into battle every day. We are negotiators and peacekeepers.”  

Tilting his head remorsefully, he echoed the words that she had said to him when they first arrived in the apartment.   “... We don’t even get to dictate our own lives, you said so yourself. More importantly, we are Jedi, we can’t have attachments. Our dedication is to something bigger than ourselves; to the Republic and democracy. Always. That has to win above all else, every day.” He looked at her shaking his head, hands on his hips.

As remorseful as he was, Obi-Wan was calm and quiet. Emily on the other hand huffed loudly and held a raging storm in her eyes.

“EXACTLY! THAT’S THE PROBLEM OBI-WAN! The Republic always wins, and you know what?! The Republic didn’t care that I was being held captive by a mentally unbalanced monster, being tortured within an inch of my sanity. But you know who did, YOU! You did! You came and got me because you’re always there for me. I bet the council even gave you a hard time about coming for me, didn't they? They probably had diplomatic protocol crap…” She said, folding her arms.

He looked away from her, hating that she was right. “Anakin technically led that mission. He picked me to join him because he knew I wouldn't just sit around waiting for them to get back, that I’d probably end up following them or doing something crazy on my own…. The Council did tell me that I couldn’t go and get you, yes, you're right about that. If he hadn’t chosen me to go, I would have been stuck here, helpless.” That thought angered him.

Before Emily could fire back an answer that was something along the lines of “I told you so” Another thought occurred to him.

“That’s another thing, Emily. What if our relationship attracts unwanted attention? What if this happens again and it’s worse? What if something happens to you and I’m not here? The council won’t inform me, no one will or would even think to do so, Jedi get captured, injured, or into binds every day and sometimes we do not find out till weeks later because as Jedi, we’re not attached…If a comrade falls in the field, they did their duty….. If I hadn’t known you had left on a standard day mission that morning, I would have never suspected something was wrong. The only reason I was informed was that Maul left that message for me. What if next time the message has nothing to do with me; or what if there isn’t even a message at all and you're just captured because of me or something else happens? It’s like painting a big red target on our backs. I can't…..can’t put you in that kind of danger.”

Squinting her eyes at him, she stood her ground.

“Obi-Wan, what if it's me that has to rescue you, Mr. macho Jedi?...... Yes, a relationship as Jedi would be difficult. We would have to work together and be patient with one another to make it work. But wouldn’t it make some portion of this life worth it?”

She moved closer to him.  “We didn’t choose to be Jedi, but clearly we chose each other, even if we didn’t know it. Our people are out there, dying every day because of this war; life is short….. When we were younglings, did you ever hear of someone killing a Jedi? ….Now we die senselessly because of battle droids and sneak attacks from Separatists Generals. We could both die tomorrow on separate missions. Wouldn’t you want to know you chose something in your life?.....”

Hanging her head, she whispered. “...I was prepared to die in that dungeon, that changes you; it's different than running into battle head on, thinking you're going to die fighting. I was helpless in there, truly helpless. IF that’s how it has to go for me,...I’d rather die helpless and alone knowing that I had given you everything and had chosen you every day that I could have than to die alone full of regret because it’s what “The Republic'' expects….Because that's what the Jedi want…”     She spoke to him with conviction and truth.

Obi-Wan looked at her. He exhaled slowly, a breath he hadn’t realized he was holding back. He wanted to smile and let out a soft chuckle, years of knowing Emily told him that if she was fighting this hard for something, then she must have wanted it. Beyond that, he was never going to convince her otherwise, she was as stubborn as he could be….possibly even more….

Flattered didn’t begin to cover it. The woman whom he had spent years pinning over had declared her love for him…and here he was, finding reasons to invalidate her….

“What am I thinking?!” He screamed at himself internally.

“I want to say yes and never look back, I really do Emily…. But I can’t do that to you….I just can’t….Emotions cloud one’s judgment, and there are already so many emotions flowing between us, especially today. ….I could have gotten so many people killed today had I failed. Because they all care too much about me, their emotions clouded their judgment and they followed me into battle because of it, and that battle was a firefight. There’s so much that had the potential to go wrong…. What if our emotions cloud our own judgment in the future, and we make mistakes? I'm frightened of what could happen.”

His eyes grew dark, a stormy blue, and his lip, to Emily’s surprise…it quivered slightly.

“I almost lost you today darling. I’ve never felt so cold, alone, and full of despair at the thought of my world without you in it. Yes, once again you’re right; I did have regrets of my own…regret that if you had died that you would have never known how much I loved you….Yet with that declaration, comes so much more from me….Knowing that I can’t be there to protect you every day bothers me, even on a good day when I haven’t seen you in months when we were friends, I worried about your safety and wellbeing….never mind if we started dating each other and something happens.”

She softened her stance and smiled as she walked toward him, his revelation moving her, she had expected that from him.

For the first time in her life, she didn’t hold back an instinctive reaction when she had the urge. She hugged him, wrapping her arms around him and snuggling her face into his chest.

Obi-Wan initially stiffened at her hug; not used to receiving physical affection. However, as she nestled into him, he softened and wrapped his arms around her and held her tightly. He rested his lips against her forehead and left tiny kisses there.

“Obi-Wan...if this is wrong, then I don’t want to do the right thing. The Jedi may claim to follow the will of the Force but lately, all it seems is that they follow the will of the Senate and the Chancellor…. You have never felt wrong to me. If anything, I have always felt like the Force was pulling me to you like we’re magnets. No matter how far we stray from each other, we’ve always been pulled back together again.”

Looking up into his sky-colored eyes, she pleaded with him. “Make your decision based on that. If you can honestly tell me you disagree with me because you do not feel it in the Force that there is something between us…that we are meant to be together…then I will accept your answer, no questions asked, because then it means it’s not real for you. However, if your answer is based on the ideals and values of the Jedi, your inability to protect me, or some random fear of what could happen, then I am begging you to reconsider and look within.”  

He rested his forehead against hers, closing his eyes and allowing himself to indulge in her physical touch. “Emily….I have felt drawn to you from the first time you looked at me…..I’ve already looked with the Force and I know what is there….it’s you, it will always be you. I feel like I’ve died a little every day that I didn’t tell you I loved you.”

His forehead was still resting against hers. Their noses were touching breath mingling.

“Then jump, Obi-Wan, jump with me.” She pleaded with him.

He conceited defeat as he closed his eyes and breathed out. He knew he had spent years wanting this more than he wanted to breathe. Maybe she was right….maybe it was the will of the living force….as well as the will of his own heart.

“If we do this, we can never go back. No matter what happens. I could never go back to being just your friend or just some person that you see maybe twice a year….. I won’t be able to walk away and forget about you if this doesn’t work out…..It could get messy….”

Emily knew him enough to know that was his way of telling her that he was scared….well not scared, worried….and that he was leaning more towards yes. But unlike him, she wasn’t worried about the what if’s…like the ‘what if” this doesn’t work, because to her that wasn’t a reality. This wasn’t just some relationship, this would be a new lifestyle. It was this or nothing.

“I’ve got a revelation for you, Mister, if you think I can go back to being just your friend after this conversation, then you're mad; knowing that you feel the same way that I do, that our feelings are mutual…. No, never, I’m not going anywhere. My feelings are too strong for you and now they’ve come unhinged, there’s no closing this box.” She looked into his pale blue eyes as she spoke.

He once told himself he would be whatever she needed him to be. At one time he thought that meant being a lifelong guardian and a friend.

Now she was asking him to be her lover, something he truthfully already wanted to be and was….even if it was just he was in his mind and had kept that opinion to himself. That’s what she needed him to be now, what she was asking for.

Bringing his arms around her again, he rested his chin on top of her head. “We’re going to have to establish some rules and guidelines. We can’t be as open about this as we’d like to be.”

He lifted his head and smiled down at her.

A surge of excitement shot through her. Her eyebrows shot to her hairline as she gave him a wide smile.

Thousands of butterflies erupted in her stomach and in her veins She felt lighter than air. She threw her arms around his neck, stood on her tippy toes, and kissed him without care.

He smiled into her kiss. Placing his arms firmly around her waist, he held her tightly as he picked her up and spun her around, and returned her kiss, unlike the first time on the couch when she caught him by surprise.

While their kisses were clumsy, as neither of them had much practice, they were full of love. The emotions that they had kept bottled up for so long now flowed through them freely and into each other, the Force carrying everything as if they were connected by a conscious stream of emotions. They held onto each other as if they would disappear if one let go of the other.

Eventually, Emily started pulling him backward, toward her bedroom, as they were kissing.

“What are you doing?” He asked, breathing heavily and breaking the kiss.

“After everything, I just went through, including the revealing of these emotions….if you think, that after all that, I’m stopping at just kissing you, then you have another thing coming.” She said seductively, pulling him toward her room.

He started to protest, planting his feet firmly on the ground where he stood.

Everything was happening so much for him. He just professed feelings he had harbored for roughly 16, 17-ish years….He had agreed to go against the Jedi Code, even though it was for love….now…this was about to happen.

It was too much, too soon.

Sensing his hesitance, she stopped pulling him toward the bedroom. She turned to face him and despite their slight height difference, she looked at him, bearing her soul to his eyes.

“Do you love me? Truthfully?” She questioned him seriously.

His ocean-colored eyes met her chocolate-colored ones. He always found so much comfort and trust in her eyes, for years they had been his guiding light and refuge. He found anything he needed to in her eyes; like how in this moment he found the courage to tell her the truth.

He exhaled, breathing a deep breath and placing his hands on her arms.

“More than anything….I love you more than anything.”

His voice was low and serious….but when the sound met her ears it was the most beautiful sound she had ever heard as if a 1000 luminescent heavily beings had sung her the words.

Reaching up, she placed her arms around his neck, “Then don’t be afraid. Because I love you just as much, and I want to know you in the ways a lover knows their partner…..This is a step that we have held on taking for a long time….please, let's take it together…”

Reaching down, she slowly and seductively removed his clone armor that protected his shoulders and his upper body. Next, undid his belt and held his lightsaber in her hands.

As sultry as she could, knowing that he would know that she was teasing him, she walked to her bedroom, swaying her hips back and forth as she walked.

He groaned and threw his head back as he sighed, watching her walk away. How could he deny her anything? He looked at her lovingly…..and with a growing hint of lust.  \She looked so confident and beautiful. The look she had in her eyes that she had given him did things to him that he didn’t want to ignore any longer.

Walking forward, in one swift motion, he scooped up as she was about to cross the threshold of her room, and carried a giggling Emily bridal style, over to her bed.

Placing her gently on her feet, he rested his hands gently on her injured ones. Looking into her warm eyes, he kissed her tenderly.

Still kissing, he started to undress her. Attempting to help him, she felt him place her hands softly at her sides. “No…don’t your injured, allow me, sweetheart…”  His hands slowly and gingerly undressed her. Mindful of her bruises and injuries, he only used the most delicate touch when handling her.

As he removed her tunic, she bent down to unbuckle her belt and unzip her boots. Kneeling in front of her, he leaned forward and kissed the smooth and firm skin of her belly.

His lips carried the heat of a billion suns, and his beard offered the gentle scratch that she dreamed it always would. She ran one of her bandaged hands through his hair gently as she hummed.

Looking up at her through his eyelashes, his eyes sparkled like stars. “Beautiful” he whispered to her.

When he finished undressing her, he made quick work of his clothes.

As they stood in front of eachother with nothing to hide them, Emily couldn’t help but giggle, “and you called me beautiful…”

Smiling, he hugged her to him,  feeling the softness of her skin against his. She sighed into his bare, board chest, and lightly ran her fingertips over his muscular arms.

He scooped her into his arms once again and carried her to the bed, delicately laying her down on it.

Allowing her time to adjust and get comfortable, he patiently waited. Once she was comfortable, he used his arms to support himself, hovering over her small body.

Leaning down, he placed kisses all along her jaw and moved slowly down her neck. His beard tickled her skin as he moved. He elicited sounds from her that filled him with a sensation of pride. Her hands were running through his hair, one of her obsessions, as she let his lips glide over her skin.

He continued to pepper kisses along her collarbone.

He stopped and looked at her shoulder. There was a pinkish spot where the skin had been burned.

He lightly brushed his fingers over it, looking pensively at the scar. A sudden wave of protectiveness flowed through him.

The sensation of her legs wrapping around his waist and her hands gently guiding his face back to her brought him back to the moment.

“Battle droid.” She huffed. Reaching up she kissed his cheek.

Breaking out of her hold easily, he placed a sensual kiss over the scar causing a reaction from her. She arched her shoulder into his kiss as she gasped. He moved his lips up to her temple and whispered into her ear.

“If I could kiss away every bruise and scar on your body, I would.” He kissed the side of her head.

“I wish you could too, I’d enjoy that.” She said playfully as wrapped her bandaged hands around his neck and pulled him down to her, kissing him again.

“Easy, easy…. you wrists are still damaged!” He tried to break out of her hold but she pulled him back into her kiss.

A low rumble that passed for a chuckle came from within him as he succumbed to her.

Emily would never change. There was that fierceness and spunkiness in her that he always loved. Graceful and spunky were just what she was. He couldn’t treat her like a china doll even if he wanted to, she would never allow it.

He started leisurely kissing his way down her body once again, stopping at her breasts.

Before he continued, he lifted his eyes to hers, silently seeking permission. Those beautiful, ocean-colored eyes of his made her shudder with anticipation of what was to come. She could see his question in his eyes and she nodded her assurance.

He used his mouth and his hands to pleasure her there. His tongue lapped at the subtle skin and tested her pert nipples as his hands groped and massaged them.

Years of training with a lightsaber had left his hands worn and calloused; and she secretly loved it, the way it felt on her sensitive skin.

She was lost in him. How many times had she wondered what this would feel like? How she had imagined this at times when she was alone.

He was everything that she thought he would be. Gentle, loving, caring. His kisses left a trail of fire wherever he placed them. His body was strong and warm as it hovered over hers. He used his mouth and hands to pleasure her plump breasts in the most sensual ways.

Moving down her body lower, he gently parted her legs.

Emily’s breath hitched in her throat as she felt his strong hands hold her thighs open with the slightest of pressure.

Concern eyes shot to hers. “...I can stop if you want.”

Sitting up, she took his face in her hands and kissed him, her tongue seeking immediate entrance into him. She looked into his eyes and communicated her want and confidence. “I am yours….please….”

He whined as he delicately kissed her perfect lips.

As Emily laid back down again Obi-Wan placed himself between her legs, kissing his way down her thigh as he came to the center.

Obi-Wan gently lapped at her core. Emily through her head back on the pillow as she let out a wanton sigh, her hands shooting to his hair and as she rhythmically thrust her hips to his sensations.

He was better and more gentle than anything she had conjured up in her room on those lonely nights when she envisioned this very scenario.

She whispered his names, words of praise falling loudly from her pretty lips, as he interested a finger inside of her.

She gasped at the pressure and the sensation, calling out his name, begging him not to stop. Putting everything he had into pleasuring her, Obi-Wan lapped at her core to the rhythm of his thrusting and soon enough, she was spilling herself all over his palm. His hums of approval sending aftershocks of pleasure against her sensitive core.

When he was done, after he let her ride out her high, he rose up and kissed her. She could tasteherlf on his lips and she didn’t disapprove.

After he allowed her a few moments,  he realigned himself with her, placing his hips at her entrance. He had very limited knowledge about how this process went, but he knew enough.

Freezing, as if ice was shot through his veins, his eyes snapped to hers. “...I don’t have protection….”

Her expression softened. “It’s okay….I took the shot and I’m up to date.…”

Obi-Wan's eyes grew as his eyebrows shot to his hairline. “...Excuse me?” He smirked.

Emily’s cheeks flushed red, contrasting with the soft gray of her bed sheet. “...Calm down cowboy, it's not what you thin,,..”

Arching an eyebrow playfully, he smirked. “Then enlighten me.”

Her eyes darted away from his. “...Well…you never know when an undercover mission might require something…or if I something should happen to me if I get captured….Always good to have a failsafe….”

Shaking his head back and forth, but with a good-natured smile, he leaned closer to her ear. “...My little minx always was a smart girl…”

Taking himself in his hand, he asked her permission one final time. “Are you ready?”

Reaching out for his free hand, she took it and gave it a firm squeeze. “For anything so long as it's with you.”

His eyes snapped shut….he didn’t know if he would ever get used to how much he loved her.

Her breath stilled as she closed her eyes. He radiated love and gentility. She had never felt so safe in all her life and she was more vulnerable now than she had ever been before.

He kissed her passionately as he wrapped his arm around her. He then rested his forehead against hers, eyes closed, as he whispered to her. “I love you so much. I always have.”

“I love you too. Obi-Wan, you are the only thing I have chosen every day; even if I never told you, and you’re the only thing I want to keep choosing every day from now on.”

He was overwhelmed with emotion; for once, he didn’t care. This beautiful woman whom he had known since he was a child had secretly always and truly returned his love. He had never known, all those years he spent pining over her, that she was feeling the same way.

Now it was as if every dream he had ever had was coming true.

He leaned in and whispered to her, “Are you sure you want to do this?  We don’t have to go any further if you aren’t up for it. There is no pressure, I can stop right here.” He ran his hand through her hair, looking at her lovingly.

Oh, this man was going to be the death of her. He was always such a gentleman and naturally had to triple-check everything, making sure her utmost comfort and assurance was his before he proceeded. She knew that if she had made the slightest protest he would have thought nothing of stopping then and there, and she would have never heard a word about it against her.

She wrapped her legs around his hips, drawing him tightly to her. “Yes, I’m sure.”

Obi-Wan had to close his eyes to steady himself. The sensations were threatening to overwhelm him.

Inserting the tip of his member into her entrance, he pressed himself into her gently, slowly.

All at once, the Force exploded around them like a sonic shock wave, It was as if they became part of each other.

They could feel their minds being invaded by one another without either of their doings.

Emily cried out and pressed her head into the pillow.  

Obi-Wan froze, terrified he had done something to hurt her in addition to the new sensations they were feeling.

Sensing his fear more strongly than had experienced his other emotions, she rested a hand on his cheek. “It’s the Force, remember…”

He huffed as he nodded his head vigorously.

“ - It's like an amplifier for you.” He grunted, finishing her sentence.

If this was how he was feeling, what was she going through?

Emily looked like she was being pinned down by pain as if the Force would overpower her.

He focused, sending out his Signature to surround her and create a protective barrier around her.

She was suddenly overwhelmed by him in the most positive way. She had another direct link to him. His scent, his emotions, his presence, and the feeling of his body against her, it centered her; he wrapped his sapphire-colored Force Signature around her like a blanket and basked it in it.

Obi-Wan would always find the empathetic like connection that healers had to Force both daunting and fascinating. However, to Emily, she knew no other way of life, the Force was always this looming presence that she had to learn to tame and work with. Once she did, the living force itself was like an extension of her persona and power.

Due to his caring actions, everything became bearable for her, as he was pulling the energy off of her, making it so that they shared the sensations equally rather than everything being forced on her.

She sighed contentedly.

“You have no idea how much I love it when you do that. It truly is the best feeling in the world. I feel like I’m invincible and truly safe when I am wrapped in you.”

He had never known. All the times he had done it, he had done so because he thought it was just easier for her to cope with things. Any pain or burden he could make easier for her, he would do so.

Knowing now what it meant to her and how she felt, it changed everything.

Obi-Wan smiled as he nuzzled her. He sent another loving surge around her, kissed her softly, and gently pressed forward into her all the way.

He kept his movements soft and gentle, cradling her against him as he made love to her.

It was all about her experience for him; everything was always about her. He could feel the mix of pain and pleasure that she was feeling as he moved. He continued to keep his actions soft and sensual until he could feel her pleasure start to increase.

Wrapped in his Force Signature and lost in his sensations, she became able to find his rhythm and matched it to her own.

Obi-Wan would always recall the sounds she made from his movements with fondness. She was so soft, so delicate; but passionate and strong. His heart exploded with love for her. He knew he would never have the words for it; he wasn’t good with words in an emotional sense even on his best day. But if he could show her through his actions how much he loved her, he would do anything for that opportunity.

Emily would always remember how gentle and full of love he was. This man who was a General and an expert swordsman treated her like she was a delicate flower; like a rose. He was a no-nonsense man whose presence commanded respect, and yet, he kissed her like he could breathe life into her. He made love to her as if he worshipped her. She gave herself over to him fully.

Time stopped moving for them, neither had any concept of reality. They could only feel each other as they both climbed higher and higher, chasing their pleasure.

They moved as one, mentally and physically.

Feeling her walls tightening around him and her release approaching, Obi-Wan cupped her face, cradling her while his other slipped between her legs to increase her pleasure.

“....My darling….my sweet girl….whenever you are ready….”

With the precise movements of his fingers and the strokes of his hips, they reached their finish together.

When they were done, he held her tightly in his arms. He whispered words of love to her and dusted her glowing skin with soft kisses.

She grabbed his face, searching for a more passionate release, and kissed him tenderly.

She eventually snuggled into him and he pulled the covers up around them both.

As they drifted off to sleep in each other's arms, each knew that for the first time in their lives that they had made a choice for themselves, not one based on what was expected of them.

They had chosen love.

They had chosen each other.

For once their dreams wouldn’t be better than reality.

@nanagoswife @transcending-time @sillynilly27 @kirstenvldfan21 @the-clones-and-me @thewhitedannimal​ @tamnight​ @arrthurpendragon​ @lucyysthings​ @naughtyry​

[imfromthemiddlekingdom]

I am going to refuse to engage in any content felony makes. I am not going to engage in media that makes me angry. I am not going to punch him in his stupid fugly face if I ever meet him irl because that will be assult and I do not want to go to jail. He deserves it but I will not jeopardize my own freedom to take him down a peg. Fucker needs to wake up and read the source material. The universe is not your sandbox to play with Dave. Write fanfics like the rest of us if you want an ultra op girlboss that will willingly ignore the atrocities her master committed because she is too busy blaming the council for her own actions during the wrong jedi arc.

[dramaqueen243]

Sith Ashoka Tano

Constructive criticism welcome

[king-of-the-dots]

🌝💖🤔

🌝 Who is one character you haven’t yet written for that you would like to?

Gonna put my clown wig on for this one, but Ashoka Tano from SW 👀👀

She's just always been a really compelling character to me. I tried to write a fic about her daughter in HS, and i think i even posted part of it, but it was just never really satisfied with it. I think i would need to write something about HER and not just her legacy. But that's w project for another day.

💖 What do you like most about your own writing?

See, asking me to compliment myself is like asking me to drink vinegar. Why would you do that.

If i had to pin down something, i like how I kinda flow from prose to poetry and back again. I really love poetry and all the different ways you can say something without saying it, so i think that shows a little in my writing. I hope.

It probably only makes sense to me and nobody else 😅 but at least I'm having fun.

🤔 What is the hardest part of writing fic?

ACTUALLY POSTING IT

My god I've written dozens of fics that i care about too much to ever post. The only ones up on my AO3 are fics i was either really excited about (Things We Lost in the Fire) or things that i didn't care about at all and thus didn't care about being criticized.

I should probably scrub those off my AO3 and... Actually post something i care about. Maybe. Jury's out.

[missshezz]

The Ballad of Omega Sue

So, just to prove to the Prodigies on Tumblr how I am an equal opportunity asshole when it comes to frustrations I have with shows...

...the Bad Batch dropped episode one at midnight on May the Fourth and I have some definite issues with the first episode.

I stayed up as @caerulea-divilu watched the episode last night. I am not easily spoiled so it didn’t bother me hearing what was going on. I also am a graduate from the Thought Criminal Academy. So, I watched the episode this morning and developed my own opinions based on what I saw.

In total: I loved the episode despite some glaring plot holes (Rebels stuff was pushed a bit too quickly) and timeline issues (why does Tarkin look decades older despite only months passing in the show really?) I can forgive those because all writers can make those mistakes (I have).

See, I had high hopes when Bad Batch was announced. I was just starting to watch the Clone Wars and caught some YouTube clips of Wrecker doing what he does best while surfing for Cody and Rex content (yanno, two of the most popular clones next to Fives, Echo, Wolffe...)

My anticipation soured when a character called Omega was revealed. I smelled the poodoo a mile away but tried to remain positive. Filoni, despite a number of critical writing mistakes in Clone Wars wouldn’t let us down. This was going to be about the Bad Batch and not some new female character.

Boy, was I wrong.

I know this opinion won’t be popular with the Tumblr crowd, but well, I’m not here to be popular: Omega is the worst part of Bad Batch.

She’s what us old school fan fiction writers like to call a Mary Sue (or Omega Sue as I am going to call her).

What do I mean?

Well, let’s see, she insinuates herself into the BB despite being told to go away repeatedly. She’s Nala Se’s “assistant” despite being a child (who nobody saw before this because plot convenience) and having no other training (despite being enhanced), is clearly psychic because she knows what Crosshair is thinking and tells him not to do it, everyone (with the exception of a few clones and Tarkin who hate her cause she’s “different”) loves her, she can take out Crosshairs weapon without ever shooting a blaster, she is given the Ashoka Tano in the Citadel arc treatment by being written in as to how the Bad Batch escape their holding cell (she’s also the plot reason for why they return to Kamino in the first place), she tells Hunter about not trusting Tarkin (something Echo could easily have done) and what he has planned (because Tech couldn’t find out on his own here with his own skills or Hunter not put together the plot based on that training scenario), even Lama Su and Nala Se love “her” so much they allow “her” to escape (more on this in a bit) and decide to keep it silent.

In short, Omega Sue has plot armor so thick even Palps can’t hit her with force lightning. She’s Filoni’s new love child (Ashoka being his first) and it shows.

Writing tip 101: if a character does not significantly improve or advance your plot?

They don’t belong in the story.

Omega Sue can literally be written out of every scene and the scene does not change. In fact, in some cases, it makes those scenes and the story better.

Example: the food fight scene. They could have written it as the regs ragging on the Bad Batch, showcasing the discrimination (which is honestly terrible given how they were named for 99, who died honorably in service and was regarded as a brother by Hevy, Fives, Jesse, Rex and Cody) among the regs. It could have helped developed the “hierarchy” and how these new clone batches are not like the originals. Wrecker has enough when they start in on Echo and tosses his tray, starting the brawl. Same scene, better focused because it is about THEM. Not some little Sue who has needlessly inserted herself into their group.

The mission to Onderon. Could easily have gone with Tarkin sending out a special regiment to takeout the Bad Batch should they not fulfill their objective. Crosshair could have turned on them then and there and led a fight to bring them down with the Bad Batch team managing to survive and escape. Again showing THEM and THEIR abilities and why they were only FIVE people. This could still have led back to Kamino with Tarkin praising Crosshair, ordering his enhancements and tasking him with hunting down his former teammates. Stronger, allows the team to shine and sets up the rest of the season as Bad Batch versus Crosshair and his new team.

The cell escape (if we wanted to include it). Hunter, Tech and Echo could have fit in that hole. Tech could have figured out another option. They could have fooled the guards into shutting the grid and let Wrecker do what he does best. In short, the scene was written simply to have her in it. Also, the reasoning for imprisoning her? Plot convenience.

The whole show is about her. Filoni and others have said so.

And that’s just fucking terrible.

Her having a father-daughter relationship or brothers-sister relationship with the BB is rehashed Mandalorian and Anakin-Rex-Ashoka. It’s boring. It’s lazy. And it’s taking away from what could be a solid show. I also groaned at her mimicking Hunter and the others. It wasn’t adorable. It was obnoxiously shoving in our faces how stupendously awesome she is and how much she belongs with the BB.

She doesn’t.

She neither compliments them nor adds anything significant to them.

Now, back to Nala Se and Lama Su.

Remember this scene from season 6 of Clone Wars:

https://youtu.be/xHumVdESjgg

Yeah, seems rather funny how Nala Se and Lama Su were all over killing Tup and Fives because they were proving problematic but have grown an attachment to this little Godling (who was ALIVE at the time). Nala Se even helped the little cherub escape before Crosshair could kill her (because she’d let him kill the Bad Batch mark my words). Seems rather unusual for characters who criticized the Jedi for their feelings and archaic thoughts about the clones (who surreptitiously reprogram or decommission at will) to suddenly have such an attachment to one of their creations. It’s OOC, folks. Straight up. They changed their attitudes simply for HER.

Omega is a Sue.

Plain and simple.

If you think I am being too harsh about Omega, that’s fine. If you like Omega, that’s also fine. We can like what we like. I like the show outside of her character. I will continue to watch it. Just not for her. I want Clone content. Real clones. Not some conveniently created one that has been given the Rey development. I want Echo, Rex (nerfed in Clone Wars), Cody (who was screwed in Clone Wars), Wrecker, Wolffe, Gregor, Tech, Hunter, Kix, even Fox. I want to see what happens with them in this new world.

Omega Sue can kriff off.

[gch1995]

^ Yep! In spite of their overall good intentions, the Jedi Council of elders, particularly in the PT era, are still very much a cult with some very emotionally abusive and neglectful conditioning and training tactics in their attempts to make their padawans slaves to their order. It’d especially be damaging on their psyches if you took them in as an infant or child, and cut them off from their families and friends.

This doesn’t mean that they deserved what Anakin did to them. He’s still got responsibility for his own choices as an adult, but to insist that it was just easy for him to leave, or that the PT! Jedi Council didn’t seriously isolate, emotionally abuse, and traumatize him and like every other main character under their care with their practices in one way or another, which contributed to the fall of their own Republic, is just crazy to me…

SWTOR: On the Jedi and "just leaving"

If you're in the rah rah Republic - Jedi can do no wrong - "I don't understand that criticizing the Jedi does not imply blanket endorsement of the Empire/Sith" - "OMG YOU CRITICIZED THE JEDI YOU ARE EVIL" camps, please do me a favor in advance and go away from this post. 

FWIW...Luke Skywalker's New Jedi Order FIXED a lot of this complete bullshit I'm about to discuss. Hmmm, both he and Leia were trained in the Force AND kept up their family and friend attachments AND got married AND had several kids who went on to do awesome things. But we can't have that can we Disney? 

So I've seen that the usual defense to "the Jedi take away people's children, and are legally empowered to do so by the Republic," is "they can leave at any time." 

Really? 

Let's parse that out. 

The Jedi take babies. Little children. That's deliberate. Anakin Skywalker at age 9 is considered too old. Doesn't he need to learn to control his Force powers too? Some of the masters don't care too much about that. They take these children away from their families and by many canon accounts the families are no longer in touch with them. It's not like they live at home and go to Jedi Day School. And even in circumstances where Jedi have children (see: Satele Shan) they seem to send them away for their training instead of keeping them close. 

So you have children raised in a monastic, communal environment. They don't have families. They don't have possessions. They don't have money. They have no community ties in general.

Given all that, how easy is it, exactly, for a Jedi to "just leave" when they have literally nothing to fall back on, no identity outside the Jedi, no money, no idea sometimes where their families even are anymore? 

If we were talking about people growing up in a real-world cloistered religious group under the same exact circumstances (minus perhaps the telekinesis and glowy swords) would you think they could "just leave" without substantial help?

We're also told that ex-Jedis had their minds wiped on Dantooine. Gnost-Dural's Task Force Nova plans to track down Jedi across the galaxy and bring them back to fight for the Republic. We're also told that he's at least considering taking Jedi who explicitly do NOT want to fight, and Jedi who have been librarians for decades, and sending them into battle too.

So how "voluntary" is leaving, again, and even if the Jedi are willing to let someone walk away, is it all that easy or something the average Jedi would have the means to do? Not so much.

[filmviewerme]

The Mandalorian: Just fan service?

Right now, the Star wars fanbase seems to be the most positive it has been in years. With differing opinions and heated debates online regarding the most recent instalments of the episodic films, it’s nice to see positivity from most fans once again. Of course, there are some criticisms, perhaps you believe them to be valid, or unfair. Personally, I mostly find them strange. 

The Mandalorian has been accused of relying too heavily on fan service, and not providing anything new, while just reskinning aspects of the pre-existing universe fans love. With Mando (Din) only being created to evoke feelings related to Boba Fett as a cheap dose of nostalgia for fans to be inclined to like the show, the same being said of Grogu with Yoda. And other such instances in the show. The inclusion of pre existing characters has also faced similar opinions, only being used to please the fans (Not to serve the story).  

While of course there is some truth to this, I argue that these characters have been selected to tell the story the creators want to tell. 

The Mandalorian at it’s core, is the story of Din. Discovering something worth caring for other than the Mandalorian creed he has been taught. It’s a very personal story of growth, in a way that challenges his current world view. And it absolutely works. Din has gone from what seems like an emotionless, bad ass bounty hunter, to having a deep connection with his adoptive son. 

By season 2, their relationship has been solidified. They’re now on a quest to reunite Grogu with his people, the space wizards known as Jedi. Believed to be stories of myth and legends in most of the Galaxy.  

By having Din be a Mandalorian of a new sect we haven’t seen before, this left room to adapt his beliefs. A warrior sect who don’t remove their helmets makes for an interesting character, growing up in a society in which no ones face can be seen would surely effect the foundation of someone's core personality and how they interact with others. Alongside this, Din is also a foundling, a child adopted into the culture as one of their own, who was orphaned from the attacks of Separatists by their favourite tools, droids. Leaving Din with a great distrust of them. 

Two characters introduced to challenge these core beliefs and ideas, are IG-11 and Bo-katan (Bo from previous SW animation). Both were essential in being direct opposition of his character. IG-11 showing not all droids to be evil, and Bo-katan introduces Din to another meaning of what it means to be Mandalorian. Both advanced the story in a meaningful way. Sure, fans recognised the design and the character but that’s not why people love the show. The character helped the growth of our protagonist, and introduces potential future story lines connecting to the wider star wars universe. 

The same can be said of Ashoka Tano, a beloved character from  the Clone Wars Animation. Her live action debut furthered Dins quest, leading them to the Jedi they were seeking. It was not a forced introduction and fit naturally into the shows narrative, while furthering the continuation of her own story. Of course, it may be said this is complete fan service, but it allows her story to be told in another format, while impacting the current star wars fans are getting. If introducing her character leads to further interesting and impactful stories, you can’t argue against it. 

Now for the final episode. Something every fan loved. The reintroduction of Luke Skywalker, as the legendary Jedi stories have told of. It’s something fans have wanted for years.  His reintroduction made complete sense, at this time in the universe Luke is seeking trying to rebuild the Jedi, and for that he needs force sensitive students. And as the most well-known Jedi in that timeframe, it almost wouldnt make sense for him not to take notice of Grogu. 

While many fans loved the appearance, I being one of them, I truly believe it didn’t overshadow the core of the show, the relationship of Din and Grogu.

Sure, Lukes appearance was an amazing moment. We got to see, from the characters point of view the myth of the Jedi come to life. And as fans, something that has been clearly waned for years. However, it did not overshadow the personal, intimate goodbye of the two central characters. Because at that moment in time, the emotional centre did not relate to Luke, but the characters we have spent the past 2 seasons with. 

In my opinion, the decision of Din to remove his helmet, going against his own culture and ideals of what it means to be Mandalorian, his very way of life, so that his adoptive son could see his face is much stronger than a cool action sequence. 

Fan service can work well, and when used right doesn’t overshadow the story being told. With the right decisions, emotional moments will always be more impactful than action, no matter how much a fan would want it. 

If the characters Luke had saved weren’t characters we had watched grow together, the impact would not have been as well deserved, and certainly have not have had the same impact. While it is fan service, it is fan service that serves the story, and both elevate each other. In a way that couldn’t be achieved except in this context of a beloved star wars icon.

My last argument is this. To say that including a character is bad solely because fans love them is an odd criticism. Especially one such as Luke Skywalker, who is the embodiment of the Star wars franchise and what it means to its audiences. 

[supernova1us]

My Funko POP collection thus far

Don’t know why (boredom) but decided to take stock of all the pops I have collected(im honestly not a huge collector of them, just what catches my interest). Current POP count is 85.

Star Wars: rey(episode 8), rey skywalker(episode 9), supreme leader kylo ren, all 6 knights of ren, sidon ithano, ashoka tano(duel lightsabers), the mandolorean(newer armor), the child, the armorer, covert mandalorean, heavy artillery mandalorean, boba fett(mandalorean), L3-37, darth revan

Disney: steamboat mickey, maleficent(with throne), aurora(with forest base), Hyacinth Hippo(Fantasia), soldier Mulan, Lexington(gargoyles), all of the sinclair family(Dinosaurs), Rex playing Buzz lightyear game, Taran and horned king.

Marvel: endgame nebula, rogue, Soldier supreme, iron hammer, weapon hex, arachknight, ghost panther, diamond claws, madame hel, thor(jane foster), king tchalla & monster hunter(marvel vs capcom), Ironheart.

The Dark Crystal: jen, kira, mira, deet, the heretic, the wanderer, the chamberlain, the hunter

Ready Player One: perzival, artimis, aech, daito, sho, sorento, Irok

Critical Role: pike, grog, scanlan, vax, vex, percy, keyleth, trinket

Misc: mewtwo, raichu, spyro the dragon, gnasty gnorc, she-ra, raditz, brigitte lindholm, mei(overwatch), T.O.M., bran stark, megatron, soundwave, drift(AOE), the Lich king, Sauron, slifer the sky dragon(giant), illidan, korra, sukki, tumblebee(wetmore forest), magnus twistknot(wetmore forest), rita repulsa(film), green ranger rita repulsa.

Soon to be added(hopfully): the witch king of angmar, rita repulsa, deathwing, grumble(wetmore forest), scream(marvel), Cheshire Cat(Tim burton), general grevious(both versions), starscream, dinopool, Venomized Ironheart, captain America Sam wilson, squirrel girl, ultron(what if? version), psyduck, mew, Tiamat, teen Titans go(the “night begins to shine” set), Killer mother(teen titans), infinity stones snap ironman(endgame), gimli, master chief, grunt(halo), smaug, thorin oakenshield, the rest of the gargoyles series, twilight ringwraith(LOTR), dino ultrazord, mojo jojo, anything from the myths series, anything Winnie the Pooh. 

Suuuuuuper hard to get but I aint giving up: Stinkor, Hordak, Obelisk the tormenter, Orge(gummie bears).