#Luke and Leia surprised me I think as characters

[thenecropolix]

I've started watching the orginal Star Wars Trilogy for the very first time with my mom

We watched A New Hope on Wednesday, and today we just finished The Empire Strikes Back

My thoughts so far can be summed up as the following in no particular order:

C-3P0 is hilarious

The special effects truly are impressive for a product of its time

The planet and creature design are cool

Luke why

[gffa]

With the confirmation of The Acolyte not getting a second season, I can't say I'm surprised, the numbers for that show were really bad given what its budgets was, like I kept an eye on The Acolyte's numbers and they were really, really down across the board (Ahsoka's numbers aren't super great either but that's getting its second season because it's Filoni's pet show, I suspect), like set aside all the other complicated stuff, whether it was good or bad, how much of the fandom's reaction was pretty heinous and racist, it just was not getting the numbers it needed and it's making me wonder about how all of these shows are not doing well. Mando is doing all right, OWK did all right, Andor's doing okay, but none of these shows are setting anything on fire anymore (ratings-wise, that is), what would it take to create something that takes off again?

I strongly suspect that The Mandalorian only took off because of Favreau, who really does know how to make something really good and fun in the beginning. Filoni gets a lot of credit for that show, but I'd be willing to put ten dollars on the table that Favreau was driving the vast majority of the success of that series. And that makes me wonder about the future of these shows, because I don't think Filoni is strong enough to really carry a show on his own, most of his best work is when he has a strong partner actively working with him or when he was working under Lucas.

And the creators they bring in to create these shows aren't setting anything on fire, either. Yeah, the sequels made a billion dollars for each movie, but I think it's pretty telling that we're not getting comics or books or games about those characters anymore, the way we did for the prequels characters for more than a decade after they came out. Yeah, Tony Gilroy and Deborah Chow had shows that did solidly well, but they're not anything that Star Wars can build future content off of, they're already backstories for other movies themselves. And I don't think Skeleton Crew is going to light anything on fire, either.

Lucasfilm just doesn't seem to know what to do with Star Wars TV and movies. They had some really good early success with their projects, but almost everything ultimately fizzled out after a few years or ended really badly, and it feels like the only thing that's really hitting with audiences are more Clone Wars-era content and The High Republic novels and maybe still The Mandalorian.

Honestly, if I were Lucasfilm, I'd cut out the live action shows and go back to animation and think long and hard about setting up a new movie series. I think, with the right creative team (and not just who they think is a big name to write/direct), they could have a great trilogy with The Old Republic era stuff, because they have got to expand beyond the PT/OT and the Skywalkers, especially since the sequels put a bad taste in a lot of people's mouths about how Luke, Leia, and Han's stories ended.

(I mean, in my ideal world, we'd get an animated series set in between TPM and AOTC or set like 30 years pre-TPM and getting to see the backstories for characters like Mace and Plo and Shaak and Luminara and Yarael, but I'm not holding my breath on that one.)

[tossawary]

It's funny to think about a scenario in which Luke manages to get Yoda off Dagobah and bring him back to the Rebellion. Maybe Obi-Wan left a message with R2 as a backup plan or something, so Luke got the message much earlier. Yoda is still too old and injured to fight, but he can train Luke while moving around as the Rebellion's new grandpa (and potentially reunite with characters like Ahsoka and Kanan and Cal and so on).

This AU is important to me because how it would look from an Outsider's POV:

"Uhhh, Luke," Han said. "What's that?"

"What's what?" Luke said, turning to look across the hangar bay. "Oh. That's Master Yoda. I went to Dagobah to get him, remember?"

Han studied the small, green, vaguely amphibious creature with long pointy ears and wisps of white hair, crouched underneath Luke's X-Wing and steadily eating its way though a bucket of... what the hell were those things? Eggs?

"That's your great Master Yoda?" Han said dubiously. He couldn't have helped it, so he didn't even try not to sound skeptical. "The one who's going to train you and Her Royal Highness in this... uh... penetrating life field magic?"

Those ragged brown blankets that it seemed to be wearing looked not unlike the dusty robes that Luke's old man had been shuffling around in, before getting killed back on the Death Star. Maybe.

"He's the wisest and most powerful Jedi Master alive," Luke said, like he was determined to be upbeat about it. "He's 900 years old. He said."

Han watched the creature dig around in the bucket some more, nearly sticking the entire upper half of its body inside. Its long ears wilted when it came up empty. It sat back with a loud, high-pitched harrumph and its wrinkled face scrunched up like a fruit rotting all at once.

"Yeah," Han said. "He looks it."

Luke shot him a betrayed look and Han just shrugged. He didn't have a problem with the kid and the princess finding some comfort in some hokey old religion. The kid's family had apparently been killed by troopers the day that Han had met him and Leia had watched her entire planet be destroyed, so whatever touchy-feely nonsense helped them deal with that helped.

But that didn't mean that Han wasn't going to call it like he saw it- "Uh, kid, is that your storage unit he's searching now?"

Luke groaned and put his head in his hands. "I left some ration bars in there, I think. I bet he can smell them."

This great Jedi Master was making a real mess of it. He threw one of Luke's things over his shoulder, where the tool hit R2-D2, and the small droid immediately let out a shocked series of beeps and chirps. The outraged blare when the droid traced the missile back to Yoda was even louder.

Han watched as the droid whirred briskly up to Yoda, then reached out with an extended grabber and yanked at the old Jedi's stick. Yoda shrieked in surprise. A tug-o-war started, which looked like it was going to have one or both of them falling over.

"Oh, no," Luke said.

People around the hangar bay were starting to stare. Han couldn't look away.

The droid released the wooden stick and Yoda let out a cry of triumph. Which turned into a yelp of pain, because R2-D2 had just zapped him with another extended tool, which crackled like a threat that the droid would do it again. Yoda's response was to smack the droid with his stick, repeatedly, grunting with the effort - and the loud clanging caught the attention of everyone who hadn't already been looking.

"You gonna, uh, you gonna do something about that?" Han said to the kid.

Luke sighed heavily, which definitely meant that this wasn't the first time something like this had happened. He stood up and waded into the mess, catching the stick with one hand and physically pushing the droid back with the other, ordering the old astromech and older Jedi Master to knock it off. He sounded just like a parent about to hand out some punishments.

R2-D2 beeped petulantly at Luke.

"I don't care who started it!" Luke said, his exasperation carrying. "This time or last time-! Ow!"

The great Jedi Master had just smacked Luke in the shin with that stick. Luke hopped on one foot for a few seconds, biting down on what probably would have been some nasty Huttese cursing. Yoda harrumphed again and then lurched back over towards his empty egg bucket.

R2-D2 made a sound that Han had, whether he liked it or not, already come to recognize meant: "I told you so."

"Oh, fuck off," Luke snapped.

Han threw back his head and laughed.

[galactic-rhea]

WDYM Anakin is Luke and Leia's dad

I dunno if this post will reach the Star Wars fandom but I hope it does because I'm sure you all will get a good laugh at me.

As of recent I have developed a good hiperfixation for Star Wars, the thing is I knew nothing. NOTHING about Star Wars besides the fact it had aliens and...a war...in space? And funny swords. And main character is Luke or something, I spent over 20 years ignoring anything about Star Wars and somehow missing most references out there.

And recently, literally less than a month ago I saw a gif and said to my partner "oh this guy this guy looks cool, this gif looks nice" and he said "Oh well, he's a good character." And it all developed into me watching Clone Wars, the animated series you know and...and I was kinda blown away, on my opinion the show IS GREAT. And I love every character and their interactions, I love how much they focus on side characters, and they all seem very well written. I got hiperfixated really fast and saw Anakin and I was like "Omg, babygirl. He's a blorbo now."

And because of the show, this was super unexpected, but somehow I also got, really got, into the ship with Padmé because omg, cool woman. Literal happy squeaky noises of someone who was in a bad state and needed some good ol' distraction and comfort.

Now, like I said I knew nothing about Star Wars as a whole. And I still haven't watched the movies, besides the ocassional gif?

So imagine my shock, my surprise, my...bewilderment when I realized.

"Wait a minute, LUKE IS ANAKIN'S SON?! HOLY-"

Ladies, gentleman, and others, I think I came very late to this party and I don't even know how it took me so long.

Not only that, but because of this sudden love for the series, I went to my friends circle like "BESTIE, GUESS WHAT, I HAVE A NEW BLROBO AND A NEW FAV SHIP AND EEEP"

And my friends are like "omg that's amazing, what is it?"

I tell them, and of course they all know these characters and they all react like they know this very bad secret fact and I got told several times already "Please, don't watch the episodes 2 and 3 alone, it will hurt."

I feel like blissfully walking among rainbows and blue skies while everyone else know that my future is doomed. Somehow.

(Uncomfortable silence)

Not only that, but then I spent a whole deal of time thinking "Where the heck I have seen these guys" cus there was some fmailiarity I couldn't just point out and then one day I woke up, brushed my teeth and of all sudden I realized and it was such a shock.

Do you know how SURREAL is to get very into a character, and into a ship, and then realize they're the same from that super widespread meme that has been around for who knows how much time?

I swear I thought that meme was from some old medieval fantasy movies or something.

But alas, Star Wars now is EVERYWHERE. People do references to Star Wars ALL THE TIME and it's just now I'm catching them.

I got spoilers. From a meme. In a youtube review that had nothing to do with Star Wars hah. Everything is a spoiler, the world is an apparent spoiler. Now I'm here, trying to avoid spoilers from something everyone seems to know, even my family knows. It's so surreal and I wouldn't have it any other way 😂

Anyways, if you read until here, know that a wild ride still waits me, cuz I'm only starting Season 3 of Clone Wars and I don't plan to watch the movies until I finish the series.

And yes, I made this blog just to ramble freely about SW and draw stuff because it sparked my inspiration after a long art block.

Have this doodle I drew after watching the two first episodes, my offering for you reaching this far.

Note: Wouldn't Anakin and Padmé's ship name be Animé? Cuz that's hilarious.

[sarah-denial-cq]

What makes you enjoy slave Leia so much? Merely a strong woman in a humiliating, revealing costume, or is there anything more to it?

Slave Leia fixed me.

I don't think I have a lot to say about it that isn't obvious, since I'm kinda stupid. But it's more than just a strong woman being put in a humiliating revealing costume.

First is the in universe concept (uh, I guess, spoilers for like a forty year old movie). It's not just that Leia is captured and put in the bikini. She's captured while in the process of thinking she can be strong and capable, that she can save someone. The outfit and voice changer she used while trying to rescue Han covered up her sex and her weakness. The contrast with that is immense. And when she's caught, people *laugh*. It's a big *joke*. It's not a serious she did a good try but jabba's crack team of security were better. It's like a surprise prank that they all pulled on her. Compare the defiance from when Vader first captures her on the blockade runner in EP IV, when she is strong in the face of capture after a battle well fought, to the face she makes when jabba catches her. No defiance. Just embarrassment, disgrace, weakness, confusion, stupid girl. Sorry I'm kinda masturbating while writing this.

And then she is stripped and put in a tacky bikini with arm bands and hair bands and a collar and leash. Fine. But she is exposed in front of Luke. The one who she was trying to be all tough girl equal around in EP IV and v. He is calm, composed, powerful, which just makes her weakness and stupidity more evident. Of course she couldn't save a man. But one could save her, at the price of seeing her stripped down to a waist and pair of tits.

And that's edge edge that's what brings this into the real world. It completely destroys Leia's character for the entire series. Ask any man who's watched star wars to describe the most iconic scene for Luke and it's idk his training with Yoda or his blowing up the death star or whatever. None of them will say him shirtless and weak and vulnerable in the bacta tank. But ask the same question about Leia and you will get one answer. If it had been her character from the start it wouldn't wreck me quite so much. But it isn't, it's two movies of.building her up as a badass strong independent woman and then haha no you stupid girls who thought this universe took you seriously this is how everyone sees you. The fact that it took away and overwrote and deleted and replaced oh god everything that she did in the eyes of the male audience the film was marketed.to edge is she's literally on a chain looking up at the guy she was pretending to be an equal to just like how I have to be lower and beneath and

And on top of all of that was Carrie's discomfort real world with how revealing the costume was to her professional colleagues it's literally wear this bra and skirt with no panties in front of people you pretend edge are workplace equals wet and pose while kneeling in it for the official promotion materials bark and inspire generations of girls to think that when they attend conventions about their hobbies they should dress up like subservient edge sluts and pose in huge undifferentiated groups for photos and anyways that's part of why I like slave Leia so much thanks for the ask.

[cdroloisms]

always absolutely fucking hilarious when sbiers in their self-righteous need to assert themselves as better than everyone else in the same way they've done since 2020 even when they're apparently 'out of the fandom' and consider the whole thing cringe and dead (skill issue, methinks) go all um acktually no one cared abt any of the lore except for c!sbi. like well for one thing i don't know of a c!sbi personally speaking i'd like for you to point out to me where character sleepy boys inc ever like, existed, because it certainly wasn't in any dream smp i watched like is there even a single moment where the four of them interact together alone??? and secondly, it's always reeeeeeally obvious when they mean this as a diss on The Other Side Of The Fandom (read, dream team and co) when two-thirds of the dream team just did nawt have any interest in being part of the 'main characters' in the first place and would much rather do their own thing and roleplay in ways that wouldn't get picked apart for ages on twitter dot com, and the other member of the dream team played a character so integral to the lore that even c!inniters will often name him before they name their own goddamn guy because they cannot keep his name out of their mouths (see, the meme i saw like literally just yesterday that boiled down to me, after learning the dream smp lore: i need to kill c!dream). like bro yall are c!inniters you're not fooling anyone you think that the entire story revolves around this one teenager being abused and then completely ignore the months of abuse that was shown on screen for us before exile. "c!sbi" like cmon now guys the ao3 pages are like, right there, we all know who ends up being the villain for ur sbi fanfic that has its foundations in a dynamic that literally never existed in canon.

like "no one cared about anyone's lore except for wilbur and tommy--" well yes they were in fact some of the main fucking characters. imagine someone going up to you and going "well no one cared about the lore in the star wars original trilogy except for luke and leia" like damn really?? (now imagine this same person trying to convince you that darth vader's role was unimportant, actually.) like yeah the dream smp involved a lot of separate storylines and each of those storylines might've had their own "main cast" of characters but i'm also not blind bro, the story that started at the start of the fucking server and the start of the fucking lore was ABSOLUTELY the "wilbur-dream-tommy" triangle that is, in fact, the story that the l'manburg revolution was built on and the story that remains the throughline literally until tommy and dream have their confrontation with a nuke coming down over their heads, something that the characters themselves acknowledge with the repetition of the idea of tommy and tubbo against dream. LIKE ALKJSDFKJSADF yeah bro there were main characters in the tommy-dream-wilbur story an that's also the story that people tended to be invested in in the beginning, to the point where even other self-contained stories in the dream smp absolutely referenced and emulated it (cough cough, las nevadas). like, why are we acting like it's at all groundbreaking for people to be invested in THEEE fucking story the one that first started to exist because at the time basically no one else was part of The Roleplaying Trio and then slowly got padded out and developed as the server developed more and more into the lore server?

and it's the fact that none of these people, too, would deny that they care about ex. c!schlatt in manberg, right, or c!quackity in relation to c!wilbur's deal, etc etc whatever. like breaking news you gaf about The Story as a dream smp fan wow am i supposed to be like, surprised. do you want a medal. LIKE LKJASDJF

[heartofaskywalkerprincessleia]

Luke Skywalker is a hero for people with anxiety

(Contains spoilers from Episodes 4-6).

A lot of people relate to Luke Skywalker. He's down-to-earth, honest, and always strives for the light. Watching Star Wars again for the first time in a while, however, I realized something. When I looked it up on the internet, I was surprised that I couldn't find a lot of discussions about it. What do I mean? That Luke Skywalker suffers from anxiety.

The deleted scene from Tosche station, which I recently saw for the first time, sheds some light on this aspect of Luke's character. In the scene, we learn from Luke's friends that he panics easily. They're all chiding him for ‘again’ thinking that the Empire is coming. Even though he's just seen Princess Leia's ship fighting with Darth Vader's ship, his friends begin gaslighting him.

Someone online pointed out that this scene causes Luke's statement “there's nothing left for me here, now” to be more forceful. Upon finding out that his Aunt and Uncle are dead, Luke doesn't go to his friends for help. You wonder what his friends thought upon hearing that Luke's family had been killed by stormtroopers, right after he'd tried to warn them.

This aspect of Luke's character, and how he is treated by his friends, conditions him to not ask for help. In the ESB, as he's dying on Hoth, he never calls for anyone. If Obi-Wan hadn't shown up, Luke wouldn't have started calling out to him. If he hadn't started shouting, Han Solo wouldn't have seen him. 

This trend continues. Luke panics about things, but doesn't ask for help. Yoda tries to help him, getting him to relax and clear his mind. But, the vision of his friends worries him too much. He makes light of Obi-Wan’s warning that the Empire is after him for his talents. Luke is still holding onto what he told Biggs in the deleted scene from Tosche station–that the Empire will never draft him. 

During the fight on Cloud City, Vader acknowledges that Luke has learned to control his fear. Remember, Luke canonically gets so scared of the Sand People that he faints in the first movie. There's almost a parallel of that first moment, as Vader knocks Luke down and holds his lightsaber to Luke's throat just like the Sand People knocked him down before.

Luke has always gotten through things on his own. But, at this moment, he loses his hand. Losing his hand is symbolic of Luke losing the ability to do everything on his own. His father, who he always idolized and held onto, is evil. He's alone. He realizes that everyone was trying to protect him from this reality. Even his aunt and uncle let him think that his father was a hero, because it helped Luke to hold on. 

He finally reaches out to Leia. He finally forms a real connection with someone, which requires being vulnerable, and overcoming his fear of not being taken seriously. And, Leia rescues him. 

In the ROTJ, Luke tells Obi-Wan that he can't do this alone. He starts working with Han and Leia, and realizing that he is actually important to them. He trusts Leia enough to tell her that she is his sister, and that he has to save their father. 

But, still, Luke is trying to do everything on his own. He goes to face his father, and tries to be calm. He tries to avoid becoming angry. He tries to control the anxiety that got him ridiculed by his friends. The anxiety that led him to destroy Vader in his vision during his training on Degobah. The anxiety that he sees as his greatest flaw. 

But, he panics. He goes after Vader, and cuts off his hand. And, that's when he realizes it. 

All his life, Luke has wanted to be like his father. He praised himself for the positive qualities that are like his father. Being a good pilot. Being a Jedi (before he knew that his father was Vader). But at this moment, Luke looks at Vader's mechanical hand, and realizes that his father is just like him. His father is anxious. His father was scared, and overwhelmed once, just like him. His father didn't have anyone to turn to. 

Luke stands up to the Emperor, but that isn't what causes this scene to be so powerful. It's the fact that, as Luke is dying, he says the words his father once desperately wanted to say to someone.

“Help me.” 

“Please, help me.”

And Anakin, who wished someone would help him, who told Luke that it was too late for him, realizes that he can be that person for someone else. The pain he's gone through his whole life doesn't have to be passed on. He can save his son from the same fate. And he does. 

That's why Luke Skywalker is a hero for people who suffer from anxiety. Because he shows us the importance of accepting ourselves. Of self-compassion. Of reaching out to others. Of not being afraid to ask for help when we need it. And, if we do, we might just be that little spark of hope that someone else needs. 

May the Force be with you, always.

[david-talks-sw]

What's 'Star Wars' about?

A while ago I got an 'Ask' that concluded with "what is Star Wars about, if not the Jedi, right?" And weirdly enough... I have to disagree.

I mean... to me? Yes. Star Wars is about the Jedi. A Jedi-less, Sith-less, lightsaber-less Star Wars movie or series will struggle to get me on board (which is why I was surprised that I loved Andor so much).

But if you read everything George Lucas said, if you think about the Jedi's place in his two trilogies... they're not front and center, right?

Sure, there's Luke Skywalker... but he's a learner, in the Original Trilogy. Same goes for Anakin Skywalker and Obi-Wan Kenobi, in the Prequels. They're going through character arcs.

Otherwise, the Jedi are either used as mentors to the protagonist...

... or to deliver exposition...

... but they're mostly vectors Lucas uses to present his thesis.

Functionally-speaking, the Jedi are important in that they embody the Buddhist philosophies the movie's themes are based on.

But when it comes to the plot, they're secondary. That's because the the themes of these films are bigger than the Jedi themselves.

So the question becomes... what's are the themes?

The primary goal of the Star Wars films is to inspire kids to start thinking outside the box and teach them a set of values and psychological motifs that have been passed down through mythology and fairy tales.

These values can be summed up in the dichotomy between greed and compassion / selfishness and selflessness / pleasure and joy.

We all have both aspects and need to strike a balance between the two. After all, being greedy ultimately comes from fear and being afraid can happen to all of us. Problem is, unchecked fear can lead to anger, hate and a whole lot of suffering.

The more selfish you are, the more you want things and the more you're afraid that you'll lose everything you have, you'll get angry when someone tries to take it and that will hurt everyone around you.

In other words, fear is the path to the tempting/addictive Dark Side.

Thus, seeing as we'll be inevitably tempted by the Dark Side and give in at some point (because nobody's perfect), we should aim to be as selfless and compassionate as possible for our own good... but also for the greater good, because we're all connected to a life energy. You can call it Qi or God; in Star Wars it's known as the Force.

As such, we all form a symbiotic circle and working with that in mind is better than putting ourselves first and draining from everything and everyone around us.

But we also need to be careful because there will be people who give in to that selfish side and will try to control everything. When the time comes, we must stand up for what's right.

So that's Lucas' thesis.

If I had to sum them up, the six movies illustrate it as follows:

The Prequel Trilogy is about the consequences of greed, explored through Anakin on a smaller scale and the Senate on a larger one.

The Original Trilogy shows the triumph of compassion, through Luke, Leia & Han and the Rebellion's fight against the Empire.

Lucas talked about it multiple times, the Prequels are about how Anakin becomes Darth Vader and how the Republic becomes the Empire, and in both those cases, it happens because they're greedy.

The Senate is greedy in the more classical sense. They could give a shit about "symbiosis", no they're taking bribes, letting corporations dictate policy, using loopholes to keep themselves in power and halting any meaningful progress out of fear that the new status quo will conflict with their own self-serving goals.

Anakin's greed manifests in a different way. He turns to the Dark Side because of his attachment. He wants to stop Padmé from dying... but not because he wants to save her, rather he wants to save himself from feeling the pain of loss again and will do anything to not have to live without her, her own wishes and the natural cycle of life and death be damned.

In both cases, they cave under pressure orchestrated by Palpatine, but nobody puts a gun to their head. They make a deliberate choice that comes from a selfish place, and neither one takes personal responsibility for it, they blame others, the Separatists in the case of the Senate and the Jedi in Anakin's case.

The Republic becomes an Empire with thunderous applause, betraying the people it was meant to protect.

And when faced between doing something he knows is right and giving in to his selfish desires...

... Anakin elects to do the latter, thus betraying his family and leaving the Force in darkness.

These selfish choices impact the galaxy as a whole, including the only characters in the trilogy who were doing their best to be compassionate and live in symbiosis: the Jedi, Padmé and Bail.

These champions of the Light Side are stuck playing catch-up or helplessly witnessing the events unfold, throughout the trilogy. They're playing by the rules and Palpatine uses this to his advantage.

Thus, as the galaxy tears itself apart because of Palpatine's manipulations, the Jedi and Bail are ignored and gradually weakened until they're either rendered irrelevant or killed.

A new order is born, one built on blood, lies and greed: the Empire.

But a new hope remains.

While before, the Jedi and people like Bail stood alone as everything around them became willfully corrupt... now, a Rebellion inspired by their legacy has banded together to overthrow the current order. But they don't fight for power or personal glory, they fight for altruistic, compassionate reasons. There's a sense of general responsibility that moves them, they're all doing their part.

On a larger scale, we focus on the Rebels, who are tired of seeing people suffer and decided this needs to stop. They have gone from being passive, to proactive.

On a more personal scale, we see the evolution of Luke, from naive farmer to a hero, and guess what? More and more selfish people - like Han or Lando - are inspired to join the Rebellion, after seeing the exploits of Luke, Leia, or even Ben.

It all culminates in the final film, wherein:

The Rebels band together with the Ewoks - literal teddy bears whom the Empire, in their arrogance, never even considered to be a threat - to destroy the Second Death Star and free the galaxy from imperial tyranny.

At the same time, Emperor Palpatine pressures Luke, who is tempted by the Dark Side like his father was.

But instead of giving in to his selfish desire to kill Darth Vader for all the horrors he's done...

... he finds the strength to rise above it, instead showing compassion for his father, which, in turn, inspires Anakin to do the same.

He faces a choice, like he did in Palpatine's office, two decades prior...

... and this time he chooses right.

Children teach you compassion. Anakin lets go of his fear and anger, and saves his son at the cost of his own life, finally bringing balance back to the Force.

Good triumphed over evil. Its champions achieved victory by being selfless, hopeful and fighting together / helping each other.

And that's it, that's how the movies thematically tie together.

As you can see, the Jedi aren't that directly impactful on the overall plot, because it revolves around Anakin, Luke and the respective factions/institutions around them.

But what the Jedi do bring to the table is their ability to teach and inspire others, both in-universe and out. They're spiritually impactful.

The Jedi are the epitome of compassion, and it's partially through them that George Lucas teaches his values to the audience.

[runawrites-blog]

Not Part Of The Plan | Ch. 2 / 2 (Boba Fett x Reader)

Summary: The mission to rescue Han got uncovered and now you have to try and escape while also dealing with your complicated feelings for Boba. During the planned execution of Luke and Han, things go horribly wrong. (Female Reader) Word Count: 4,987 Warnings: Jabba's Palace Typical Violence, Arguments, Breaking-Up and Making-Up, Presumed Character Death (Boba), Angst, Protective Boba, No Y/N, Pet Names (Mesh'la, Cyar'ika) A/N: Unlike on AO3, I will post it in two parts instead of several chapters here. All but the last part takes place during Return Of The Jedi and the last part takes place Post Mandalorian Season 2 -- the Time Skip is marked to avoid confusion. Also while the Reader is Han's sister, her appearance is not described and they could be seen as half-siblings, so her ethnicity, height, weight and such are up to you to imagine! Have fun! Previous Chapter: https://runawrites-blog.tumblr.com/post/765792752807051264/not-part-of-the-plan-ch-12-boba-fett-x Cross-Posted On AO3 (in 6 Chapters): https://archiveofourown.org/works/36209275/chapters/90261490

---

Your escape not going according to plan was really no surprise with all the people that were sneaking around the palace, trying to bring Jabba any information and gain his favour. And the fact that after Leia had been discovered, you were found to be an accomplice didn’t really surprise you either. Now Han was sitting in a cell, you and Leia were chained up by Jabba’s throne and there was no sight of help.

But the worst had been that Jabba had sent you out as a pleasure slave to Boba that night and things did not go well. Not that you had expected a good outcome after Boba had found out that you had actually just been undercover to scout out the place – it wasn’t a far fetch for him to think that you had been using him all along. So when you were forced inside his rooms, not as his lover anymore but as someone he undoubtedly hated now, and his angry gaze fell onto you, the door shutting behind you felt like a cell’s door rattling shut.

“Why would he send you out of all people? He knows of our past and of what you’ve done!” Boba hissed angrily, glaring down at you in understandable anger. “I would have prefered anyone else over you right now.”

Although that statement hurt you knew that you were not in the position to get upset at his words. But that didn’t stop the tears that rose in your eyes. Boba just scoffed at you and shook his head before coming closer.

“Don’t you have anything to say in your defence?”

“He’s my brother.” You tried to reason, not daring to look up at him as you kept your eyes trained at the floor, fighting off the shivers that tried to make their way up your body at the cold stone underneath your bare feet. “I couldn’t stand by while he was being displayed in the palace, frozen in carbonite.”

“And you thought it necessary to use me for your plan?”

“I didn’t--”

“Don’t try to come up with an excuse now.” Boba snapped at you. “What use was I for you? Help me understand!”

You swallowed at his anger and shook your head. “No, I didn’t use you for anything! I was sent to scout out the place and find Han, but I didn’t need-- I didn’t need you for that. What I-- My feelings for you are real!”

“Why would I believe you?”

You tried your best not to let your tears fall at this situation but the tears felt so close to falling. You knew he wasn't going to hurt you and you were aware that he was rightfully upset with you but the fact that there was most likely no hope of ever gaining his love back hurt you terribly. He had told you that he had cared for you, had shown you that he really had feelings for you, had protected you and you had betrayed his trust. Boba hated you and it hurt you so terribly much.

“You-- I can’t give you a reason to-- to believe me.” You said, swallowing against the lump in your throat but a few tears still rolled down your cheeks. “But I’m telling the truth! I came here to-- to free my brother but there was a delay in our mission, so-- so I had to stay longer and while I was waiting for them I fell in love with you.”

Boba was watching you in silence and when you looked up you saw the frown on his face. Though now it was less angry and more confused than anything. But he wasn’t speaking, just watching the tears start to cascade down your cheeks.

“I know you distrust me and I know you must hate me now but-- but I just-- I really do care for you!” You pleaded quietly, bringing up your hands to grasp at your upper arms and shield yourself from the cold. “I know you’d rather have anyone but me here but-- but Jabba sent me anyway. If you’ll let me, I’ll just wait out the night until I-- until someone comes to get me in the morning.”

“You’re cold.”

Before you even had the time to confirm his suspicion, he’d turned and grabbed a blanket from his bed. In a smooth motion, he threw it around your shoulders and you quickly caught it before it fell. Confusion painted your face as more tears gathered in your eyes, though this time they were brought on by how touched you were that he still seemed to care for your wellbeing.

“No one will come to get you until the morning.” He stated calmly before he began to move around and throw a few of the bed’s pillows onto the sofa by the window. “You can stay.”

“Thank you.”

“Just take the sofa and try to warm yourself up. I may not trust you anymore and I’d be a fool to do so again, but that doesn’t mean my feelings were just snuffed out.” As if to undermine his point he began to extinguish the lights in the room. “Tomorrow, Jabba will decide what will happen to your brother.”

“Do you-- He sent that woman who betrayed him to the Great Pit of Carkoon a week or two ago. Do you think he will do the same to my brother?”

“Possibly.” Boba shrugged and went over to sit on his bed, finally looking back at you. “There’s nothing you can do about it.”

“I didn’t even get to talk to him again.” You whispered sadly. “I haven’t spoken to him in years and-- and I just-- Leia freed him and then he was immediately taken away.”

“That’s his own fault for not paying Jabba back.” Boba said before lying down on the bed and eyeing you with an emotion he couldn’t quite place. “I suggest you rest now. Someone will pick you up in the morning.”

“Thank you for letting me stay.”

“Just be quiet and rest.” He huffed before shutting off the last lamp and plunging the room into darkness. “You’ve got me to care for you. I still do.”

“I care for you, as well, Boba.”

“That makes no difference and you know it.”

“I do.”

---

“He is my brother!”

Boba gave a sharp tug to the chain Jabba had placed around your neck. Once more, the Hutt had sent you out to serve Boba who was on the upper deck of the sail barge. From up on top of the barge, you had the perfect view of the pit below the barge that Luke and Han would soon be thrown into. But at the tug you turned back to Boba behind you, watching him shake his head.

“There is nothing you can do. Just be glad you’re not thrown in after him.”

Panic rose in you as you grabbed onto the railing at the side of the sail barge and looked down at the Sarlacc with abject horror. After hearing Threepio translate what would happen to your brother and your friend down there, you were horrified. Thousands of years of torture for both Han and Luke, and there was nothing to be done now. You grabbed the chain and pulled at it once, gaining Boba’s attention.

“Can I not try to talk to him?”

“You tried that before.” Boba said sternly. “You tried to talk to him, tried to bribe him and nothing made a difference. If you try reasoning with him again, he might just throw you into the pit after all.”

“I don’t care.” You begged, grabbing onto the chain tightly. “Let me try.”

“I will not be responsible for you being executed!”

“I couldn’t even say goodbye to the only family I have.”

“That happens.”

Then Luke was moved into position and your grip on the railing tightened, breath catching in your throat. Han had been there for your for as long as you could remember and ever since you’d gotten to meet Luke, the two of you had become close friends, as well. The thought of them inside the Sarlacc’s guts was entirely too horrible to imagine. You couldn’t even imagine how Leia must be doing inside the sail barge. At the very least you weren’t with Jabba at the moment. But still, your fingers began to shake as you felt your throat tighten with anxiety.

“Look away.”

Boba’s voice ripped you from your thoughts and you saw that he stepped closer to the railing out of the corner of your eye, now also looking over the edge. When you eyed him for a second, the confusion on your face must have been evident because he spoke up again.

“I will tell you when it’s over if you wish to look away.”

But you couldn’t and as Luke jumped off the ledge you reflexively grabbed Boba’s arm next to you, needing someone to stabilise you. Then all hell broke loose and Luke pretty dramatically jumped up onto the cargo skiff again, catching the lightsaber Artoo had thrown him – you hadn’t even noticed the astromech coming onto the upper deck.

And just like that Luke was fighting them, hitting men left and right as a commotion broke loose. At your side, you saw Boba move, readying himself to fly down and stop the escape. But Lando noticed his movements and with the blaster, he had obtained during the fight, he managed to fire at Boba without the bounty hunter taking notice.

In a fraction of a second, you had decided that although you wanted everyone to escape, you also couldn’t let Boba get hurt and you quickly tackled him to the floor, both of you watching as the blaster’s beam shot over your bodies.

Once you noticed that you were lying on top of Boba, you quickly got back to your feet and looked over the railing to check if everyone was still alive. As your eyes found the skiff again, you saw that Luke had noticed you pushing the bounty hunter out of harm’s way and he threw you an understandably confused look, questioning why you would save the man. But then his attention was drawn back to another attacker and he turned away again, kicking him off the skiff.

“You saved me.” Boba’s voice ripped you out of your thoughts and when you turned he was coming closer, head tilted slightly to the side. “Why would you save me?”

“I still care about you.”

Boba stalled for a second before pulling you closer and tilting your chin up with his thumb. “I have a job to do. I will come back for you, Mesh’la.”

And with that he was off down to the skiff, leaving you behind on the sailing barge. You looked around, unsure of what to do when you saw a nearby guard getting ready to shoot at Lando who was now hanging off the side of the skiff, nearly falling into the pit himself. Quickly, you grabbed your chain and swung it at his ankle, effectively knocking him to the floor with the force of the metal. He dropped his blaster and you swooped in to get it. When he grabbed for a weapon at his belt you shot the man and then took a step back, watching two more guards come up the ladder.

While you managed to shoot one of them, the other managed to get a grip on you and pushed you toward the railing of the barge, attempting to throw you overboard and into the Sarlacc pit below. You had unfortunately dropped the blaster and he was physically stronger than you, completely putting his weight into pushing you over, so panic soon began to rise in you.

The chains rattling at your feet sparked an idea in you. Quickly you grabbed for the chain, careful not to let him notice, and wrapped it around the railing before taking a deep breath and letting yourself fall over the edge. The guard fell with you but unlike you, he had nothing to hold onto and tumbled right down into the pit. You held onto the chain tightly as the guards tried to reach you from the windows below.

And on top of that, another guard was up on the platform now, reaching for his blaster and aiming at you. But before he could shoot, a blaster beam hit him and he fell over the railing, just missing you as he tumbled into the pit below.

Swearing quietly you looked down, expecting Chewbacca or Luke to have fired at the man, but to your surprise, you found that it had been Boba, blaster still in hand and shoulders sagging in relief as he saw you had still hung on.

Quickly, you climbed back onto the barge and turned back to see what was going on when you realised Han had hit Boba, making his jet pack malfunction and sending him flying toward the sail barge. He knocked into the side of it and you watched in absolute horror as the man you loved fell into the Sarlacc pit. Tears gathered in your eyes and you felt your breath run cold. Your first instinct was to try and help but logically you knew there was nothing you could do to help. The tears threatened to fall and you had to pull yourself together to continue fighting.

But there was no time for grief at the moment because Lando was almost pulled into the pit by one of the Sarlacc’s tendrils, only saved by Han who was hanging on for dear life himself, Luke was crawling up the barge and an explosion shook the whole structure beneath your feet. You ran to the ladder to see what was going on just as Leia came climbing up, grabbing your hand to pull herself up.

“We need to get off this sail barge.” She urged, running to the railing. “Luke, hurry up! This whole thing is about to blow up!”

You ran after her, quickly extending a hand to help Luke up. “Why are you coming up here? I thought we wanted off this barge!”

“Han is bringing the skiff over.” He explained, readying his lightsaber to fight another guard. “Stand back!”

Everything after that passed in what felt like a fraction of a second. At Luke’s comment, Leia directed the canon at the barge. Han stirred the skiff over, Leia made a jump for it and he just managed to catch her and get her to safety. Then you felt Luke wrap an arm around you before he grabbed a rope and gave a kick to the canon, making it fire at the barge. You hung onto him tightly, pleading with him not to let you drop into the pit below. But fortunately, you soon found yourself safely on the skiff, just as the barge blew up and Lando stirred you all to safety.

“Han!” You exclaimed as soon as the shock had passed and hurried to embrace him. “Are you okay? Can you see again?”

“Yeah, I can see. I mean I managed to shoot the Sarlacc.” He joked and hugged you for a few seconds. “Are you injured? I saw you hanging off the barge. Did you get hurt?”

“No.” You shook your head and let go, looking him up and down. “I can’t believe you’re back! I’m glad you’re feeling better. That night Leia got you out and they brought you to your cell, you looked like hell.”

“Thanks.” Han said in amusement before shaking his head. “It takes a toll on you to be frozen in carbonite. But I’m fine now.”

“I’m glad.”

“I hope Lando watched out for you while I was gone. I heard Jabba sent you to Boba Fett of all people. He didn’t touch you, did he?”

You stilled for a second, feeling Leia’s eyes on you and seeing Lando raise an eyebrow at you from next to Han. Even Luke looked at you suspiciously. But you just shook your head, giving Han a comforting smile and ignoring your grief as you lied to him.

“No, he didn’t touch me.”

---Time-Skip---

“We have a guest.”

You looked up at Leia and shushed her, not wanting to disturb Luke and Grogu. But she shook her head and came closer, pulling you away by the arm. You’d been busy watching Luke train Grogu for the past few hours, fascinated by the child’s powers. Once Leia had you far enough away, she lowered her voice.

“He’s here to pick up Grogu so he can spend some time with his father.” Leia explained. “You should go and tell our guest that Luke might take a bit longer.”

“Why me? Can’t you do it?”

“It’s someone you know.”

“I know a lot of people.” You mumbled in confusion, not really understanding why the person talking to whoever Din had sent needed to be you. “You have to be a bit more specific than that.”

“It’s Boba Fett.”

Your mouth fell open at that and you had to manually reach up to close it before you shook your head in disbelief. “No, he-- he died. I saw him fall into that-- into the Sarlacc pit with my own eyes!”

“It’s either him or someone that stole his armour.” Leia shrugged. “But Din said that Boba Fett would come to pick Grogu up because he himself couldn’t make it. So either way, it would be great if you could come and verify that it’s really him.”

“Why would you want me to verify that it’s Boba who came to pick Grogu up and not some impostor?”

“None of us ever saw him without the helmet, so you need to verify it.”

You shook your head quickly, not wanting to give away your past with Boba to her, even though you were sure she’d had some ideas on it. “What makes you think I saw him without it?”

Leia rolled her eyes lightly at that and shook her head. “I know you’ve slept with him while you were at Jabba’s palace. I saw the way he kept you close to his side, the way he protected you. And Luke told me that you saved him from Lando’s shot, so I know you actually cared about him. If anyone has seen him without the helmet, it’s you.”

“Fine.”

And with that, Leia was off and you close behind. Your heart was rising into your throat with every step you took. It couldn’t be Boba – you had seen him die. You had mourned him all alone, only occasionally getting a sympathetic glance from Luke or Lando. Yet still, you hoped that against the odds the man in his armour was really him. So when you arrived at the doors to the landing dock, you stopped dead in your tracks when through the windows to the room you saw Boba’s armour again, no longer looking as beat up as before but painted over and polished up.

“I’m getting Luke and Grogu. You confirm if it’s really him.”

You nodded absentmindedly as Leia left and then you opened the door. They swished open and the man turned to you, hands reaching for his blaster before quickly dropping when he saw that it was you. Slowly, you approached and tried to resist the urge to run into his arms. You needed to confirm if it was him first so you knew Grogu would be safe.

“You’ve come to pick up the child.” You said quietly, looking at his visor in anticipation. “Take off the helmet, so I can confirm who you are.”

Without another word, he reached to his head and unfastened the helmet, slowly taking it off and your breath stopped. It was Boba. He looked scarred, his face burned by the Sarlacc’s acid but it was Boba. It was unmistakenly him – his eyes, his face, his lips. And the smile he gave at your awe was also unmistakenly his.

“Mesh’la, did you not believe it was me?”

“How?” You whispered, tears gathering in your eyes. “How are you alive?”

“Told you I would come back or you.”

And with that, you launched yourself into his arms, your own wrapping around his neck as you clung to him. The tears fell from your eyes freely as he wrapped his arms around you in a tight embrace, his face falling into your neck where he took a deep, steadying breath before he spoke again.

“I’m sorry it took me so long to come back for you.”

“I can’t believe that it’s you.” You sobbed out quietly before pulling back and taking his face into your hands. “I thought I’d lost you forever.”

“I made you a promise, Cyar’ika.” He said softly, his hands dropping to your hips to hold you close. “And I keep what I promise.”

“I am so sorry that I lied to you. I-- I don’t even know how you can come here and give me this much love and-- when I lied to you and--”

“Stop that.” Boba’s hands pulled you closer and he shook his head. “I believe you. I had a lot of time to think it through and I trust you that you didn’t use me, alright? Would you give me another chance after I treated you so harshly?”

“What?” You asked in surprise, eyes going wild. “I lied to you. You had every right to be angry. I should be the one asking you that!”

“I would give you another chance. Will you give me one?”

You nodded quickly before pulling his face down and kissing him deeply, eyes closing as soon as he started kissing back. His arms wrapped around you now, pulling you to his body as he held you. It took all your strength not to burst into tears again as you deepened the kiss and he held you even closer, securely keeping you in his arms. It was only when you heard something being dropped behind you that you pulled apart.

“You have to be kriffing kidding me right now!”

You turned in shock to face Han who had just dropped a box of tools and was now staring at you two in disgust and shock. Before you could explain he was marching over and grabbing Boba by the collar that stuck out from his armour, just for the bounty hunter to grab Han’s wrist and pull it away from his body. But Han’s free hand grabbed the one around his wrist as he glared at Boba.

“You are kissing my sister?”

“If I were you, I would think twice about attacking the man that collected the bounty that was on your head.” Boba hissed, eyes narrowing at Han. “You don’t decide if your sister and I kiss. She decides whether or not she kisses me!”

“Listen, I have no clue how you managed to escape the Sarlacc Pit but if you put your hands on my sister again, I will personally send you back in there!”

To your dismay, a smirk appeared on Boba’s face and you knew he was just going to keep this argument going. “She decides if she kisses me or does other things with me.”

“That was entirely unnecessary, Boba!”

“Other things?” Han snapped, ignoring your complaint as he glared at Boba. “Did you sleep with me kriffing sister, Fett?”

“What about it?”

“Can you two stop it?” You hissed and tried to pull them apart, pulling Han back by his collar while pushing against Boba’s chest to make him step back. “Han, lay off him! And Boba, stop kriffing riling him up even more!”

The two of them remained quiet for a few seconds but after another attempt of yours to pull them apart, they finally separated. Han let go of Boba before turning to you, his shock still evident in his face as he stared at you with wide eyes.

“When did that happen? When did you decide to sleep with Boba Fett?”

“It happened while I was infiltrating the palace and the plan got delayed, forcing me to stay there longer than expected.” You confessed, feeling as though the truth was the only way forward. “We talked a lot and then it just sort of happened.”

“It just happened? Things like that don’t just happen!”

“That’s what I told her!”

You turned to find Lando coming into the docking bay, carrying another toolbox and grinning widely. He obviously wasn’t going to side with you and Chewbacca who was coming inside behind Lando was probably also going to side with Han. But to your surprise, Han didn’t agree with Lando. On the contrary, his face fell even more and he glared at his friend, shaking his head in disbelief.

“You knew?”

“Oh, kriff.” Lando hissed, now realising his mistake. “I promised her not to tell you!”

“He found out by accident.” You explained, eyes flicking back and forth between Han and Lando. “I sort of pleaded with him not to tell you. I knew you’d react like this!”

“I hope that by ‘like this’ you mean in a completely rational way.” Han huffed, crossing his arms as he kept his eyes trained on you. “He’s not a good person!”

Boba looked back at Han at his exclamation. “And you trying to police your sister’s life is something a good person would do? She can make her own decisions!”

“Boba’s right.” You stated, nodding at Han. “I can decide who--”

“You agreeing with him is not surprising at all.” Han huffed and turned to Lando. “I can’t believe you wouldn’t tell me!”

Lando just shrugged at that. “I figured there was no reason to after he fell into the Great Pit of Carkoon. I thought she’d never see him again anyway.”

You eyed Lando, nodding at his words as the memory of that day and the horror you’d felt resurfaced. “So did I. I never told you after the fact because-- well, because I thought he was dead.”

Upon hearing about your grief, Boba came closer and put a hand on your back in an attempt to comfort you. “I came back, didn’t I?”

“Yes.” You nodded, giving him a small smile. “I’m glad you did.”

Han shook his head once more, pointing at Boba’s hand. “Get your hands off her!”

Boba glared back at him, bringing his other hand up to put it onto your shoulder now, effectively riling Han up even more. “That’s not your decision to make.”

“I can’t believe you!”

“All of you, cut it out!”

You felt yourself relax at Leia’s voice and looked up to find her coming into the loading dock, Luke in tow who was holding Grogu in his arms. If anyone would be able to tell Han to back down, it was her. She eyed the situation before coming closer, noting Han’s accusing finger still pointed at Boba and sighed quietly.

“So it really is Boba Fett?”

You nodded at her. “Yes, it really is him and not an impostor.”

“Good.” Leia nodded, looking at Han. “Then what seems to be the problem?”

“Isn’t it obvious?” Han asked in exasperation, clearly annoyed that Leia wasn’t freaking out over this. “He slept with my sister and he’s being so-- so kriffing smug about it.”

Leia nodded at that, looking back at you. “Do you mind him touching you? Is he doing anything against your will?”

“No.”

“Then I don’t see the problem.”

“What?” Han shook his head and looked at his girlfriend. “And why are you not more surprised? Did you-- You knew!”

“I figured it out pretty quickly.” Leia nodded and sighed. “Listen, things have changed, alright? And Din sent him here, so he must be somewhat trustworthy. Besides that, your sister is an adult, Han.”

Han sighed in defeat and looked at you. “I just wish you would choose someone nice.”

“I am nice.” Boba stated from behind you, raising an eyebrow at Han and to your surprise, your brother gave a dry laugh at that.

“You stole my line.”

“See? She’s fine. And I’m pretty sure she can stand her ground.” Leia then looked at Boba again, pointing a finger at him. “If you mess up, though, I will personally come for you, am I making myself clear?”

“More than clear.”

Han sighed quietly and shook his head in dismay. “I can’t believe both Leia and Lando knew, and neither of them told me.”

That’s when Luke gave an awkward wave behind Leia. “I knew, as well.”

“How come everyone knew, but me? Chewie, did you know?” A roar from the Wookie confirmed Han’s suspicions and he groaned in exasperation. “I can’t believe it!”

“Are you good now?” You asked, reaching up to put your hand over Boba’s. “I promise you that he treats me well. I appreciate your worry but he’d never hurt me. Trust me.”

“I trust you.”

You smiled at that, leaning back into Boba who brought an arm around your waist then. He looked down at you, not paying any mind to your brother or friends. “You could come to deliver the child to Din with me.”

“Sounds like a plan.”

“She says that as if she was ever any good with sticking to plans.” Leia joked.

Luke shook his head and approached, Grogu held close to him, before he gave Leia a smirk. “To be fair, some of our plans did fail tremendously.”

Han just gave a small laugh at that, watching as you gently took Grogu from Luke and turned to Boba, quietly discussing something with Boba. Before entering Slave I, you gave Han a small wave and then left to buckle up the child. But before Boba could follow you, Han called out to him once more, making him look up in question.

“Treat her right, you Buckethead.”

[monsterblogging]

There's definitely a compelling story happening in Attack of the Clones. Anakin scans as a young man who has reached the absolute end of his rope from years of people telling him to practice spiritual bypassing instead of giving him true emotional and psychological support. It's very telling that the minute he's alone with Padme, he starts dumping his grievances with Obi-Wan on her. It's not really surprising that he falls for her so fast and secretly marries her; he is just that starved for human connection.

We can also see that Anakin has internalized a kind of toxic perfectionism. After Anakin kills the Tuskens in a rage, Padme tells him "To be angry is to be human," Anakin responds with "I'm a Jedi. I know I'm better than this."

Better than feeling angry.

And then he internalizes the guilt for Shmi's death, because somehow, Anakin has come to learn that it's all his fault, always.

The moment that broke my heart the most - the moment that made me cry - was when Padme agreed to go to Tatooine with him and he apologized. Imagine how traumatized you have to be to feel like you need to apologize when someone acts supportive when you want to go and rescue your mother.

This is also very interesting to me because there's something incredibly honest happening here: the way Anakin behaves really is what happens when someone internalizes the kind of stuff Obi-Wan and Yoda were teaching Luke in the OT. While watching the OT I was kinda horrified at how bad their teachings often were. ("Do or do not, there is no try" is the kind of thing that will absolutely fuck you up.) Anakin as depicted in this movie is basically just what happens when you bring a kid up on this stuff. (This isn't something that will only just fuck you up if you're mentally ill or traumatized, either; if you're mentally healthy, it will sooner or later traumatize you and make you mentally ill.)

Lucas is also pretty decent at pulling together political plots. I know a lot of people didn't the prequel trilogy's more political angle back in the day, but like... honestly, if we're going to let the man do anything, this is what we should let him do. Oh, and Jedi detective stories; pretty much everything that was Obi-Wan tracking down Kamino was good.

Unfortunately the movie has its problems; the whole thing of the Tuskens kidnapping Shmi is rooted in IRL anti-Native racism. The dialog and direction also could have been better in places (same problem as TPM where a good part of the dialog sounds unnatural).

I also think Padme's writing could have used help, too. Just as ESB never really made me understand why Leia wanted to smonch Han, AotC never really made me understand why Padme wanted Anakin so bad. Both stories feel to me like they're written from the assumption that women will just fall in love with conventionally attractive men in their vicinity.

And then there's that thing where Lucas seems to think battle scenes need comic relief, and... I dunno, maybe there's some people who like it, but I find it incredibly jarring to have this crucial fight scene interrupted by slapstick jokes. Jedi are getting killed, and C-3PO is complaining "this is such a drag!" while his head is literally getting dragged across the ground.

Finally, I actually think moving to CG was a reasonable choice for the prequel trilogy. No, the CG aliens don't look "realistic," but neither do the puppets and the animatronics in the OT, and it's evident that CG allowed for a much greater range of motion in nonhuman characters. I think both methods have advantages and disadvantages, and for what the PT wanted to do? I think CG was the right choice. IMO, the only place it really looks bad is where Lucas decided to insert a bunch of CG into the OT, because the looks don't match, and each one ultimately makes the flaws of the other stand out more.

[raifuujin]

M27 Spoilers

Okay, so. My thoughts.

First off, the cousins thing. I'll be honest, I fully thought the movie was going to go with a common ancestor route instead of the more direct dad's being brothers. Obviously that didn't turn out, but considering they also brought in Okita and his face, it would have made a lot more sense to just go further back and also leave explanation for the other same-face Gosho boys that are scattered around. But I guess that wouldn't have been dramatic enough, so oh well.

I'd still probably ship KaiShin. The cousins thing really doesn't bother me when they don't even know (because nobody in this series talks about any family until it has maximum audience whammy). I see some people who are lamenting, because it makes things uncomfortable for them, and that's fair. I don't see it quite as bad as like. Leia and Luke from Star Wars, or the more personal Layton and Descole from PL, both pairs being direct siblings instead of first cousins, but plenty of people still probably view it as too close. Also, if anyone is familiar with the hiimdaisy Ace Attorney comic with Apollo and Trucy and Phoenix is supposed to tell them they're related and Does Not time it well. -finger guns- It would make a great parody comic idea for this KaiShin situation. (I might do it myself if no one else does, but would Not be soon.)

Other people bring up that Gosho mentioned much, much earlier that there was a reason Kaito and Shinichi look alike. Which I did remember, but the thing about that is. That I don't trust Gosho in the slightest. Like, did he actually plan out Yuusaku and Toichi's separated twins backstory at that time, or did he have a general idea that he'd be making them familial related somewhere in their tree? Some people truly thought Kaito and Shinichi could be the brothers, with the Kuroba's adopting for some various fandom-created reasons. Or other, far more dramatic direct relation. Could Gosho's comment have just been him making a joke that the 'reason' was him thinking about them having the same inspiration? How serious was he meant to be taken 20 years ago?

Many people saying 'of course they're related, they look exactly alike':

1) Sameface syndrome with characters goes well beyond Kaito and Shinichi. There were so many protoypes of characters, or just matching looks to character types, of course not everyone is gonna hop on the 'well duh, they must be related' train. It's nice to feel vindication for headcanoning them as family, but don't make it sound like people are stupid for being upset. There's very little to tell what's lampshading and teasing vs 'no, really, they're gonna be related to each other'.

2) The common ancestor explanation would have worked perfectly fine, and honestly, the fact that Toichi and Yuusaku are twin brothers separated through divorce who happen to both have stayed in the Tokyo area (mostly) while both being internationally famous and maintaining contact with each other and sending gifts even when one of them is publicly dead. Sounds goddamn stupid. (The brothers idea would probably have been fine and plausible, it was all that Extra that pushed it into 'okay just stop, this sounds like a load of contrived bullshit'. How did no one during the 'reveal' of that go 'um, I know this is how you want this connection to go, but can we make it sound more plausible/real?')

Because, Gosho clearly didn't plan on them being related all along. That's probably what actually bothers be about the contrived connection (since the real impact to KaiShin is relatively small). It's very obvious that he just drew his male protags for quite a few stories looking very similar. (Usually in his image, to an extent, though that's usually just mentioned for Kaito, specifically.) It was also clear that when he had Kid make a surprise appearance in DC, there really wasn't supposed to be a connection. Did he come up with it on his own? Only after people asked about it? Did he go 'you know, I might could connect the two for fun'? I don't know. I don't trust a man who created Sera's concept based on a cool female detective and wrapped her up with Akai and made the whole stupid family thing, and who changed Amuro's planned role as a bad guy on a whim because he was too cool to be bad, to have actually planned out this family connection all along.

And even with all that, there's also the issue of revealing this information in a movie. People have had arguments about movie canonicity for years, and yet this all gets mentioned for cinema shock value. I don't mind the using extra characters, or making things more action packed than the manga would allow, or even stupid things like Kidnichi 200 times. But this? This is asking for chaos. It feels like a big clusterfuck of yes, no, maybe, for how important this is going to be going forward, because we don't even know if Gosho means to make use of this info for the mangas at all, or if it's going to remain background information from a movie that may or may not even be relevant to know. Except as a wink to the audience and a middle finger to shippers, I guess.

(There are pluses to this, which is general thinking about the implications of this family dynamic and how chaotic things could actually get or how things got to be how they are already. I'd like to know what exactly Yuusaku knows about his brother's status and if his 'friend from interpol' could be used to connect to Toichi's whole. Legally died but is still alive and being an a-hole to his son by letting him go into the profession that was trying to kill him.) ((Yes, we're still gonna murder Toi, especially since his amnesia out is clearly off the table. We don't know enough about what Yuusaku knows, but I can't even say he's on thin ice because the chances of him knowing a lot about Kaito's situation is too damn high to let him off the hook.))

...Anyway, that's obviously the main drama, but side note that I'm also mad because movie being canon or not aside (I adopt movies as canon, especially newer ones, but people can also ignore them without loosing manga compliance really), the issue I have is the further blurring of MK and DC connection. At this point, it literally is just Akako being the crux of the 'are they the same universe or aren't they' argument, and it's literally never gonna get answered because Gosho refuses to even let her show up in DC for anything. You truly can argue either way when she's just not shown. And even though it won't happen, it's to a point where they feel so obviously the same universe that I hope Gosho just let's Akako do a cameo at the end of DC just to mess with people. But regardless, making MK only characters directly related to DC characters is. Maddening for that whole argument. (Sure, Toichi has appeared in DC before, however, the movie goes out of the way to add that extra 'fuck you' to the audience by revealing not just Toichi being alive and texting Yuusaku casually, but the reveal is in his fucking. Corbeau outfit. Which. Corbeau is 1000% MK only knowledge, so there's not getting around that no one would know that character unless they've read MK.)

And last note, the one other spoiler I've seen mentioned is the failed Heizuha confession and just. The reasons for failing get dumber and dumber and just add to the mess of spoilers coming from this movie. Oh no, Iori, the former government agent dude working for the rich girl love rival for Heiji's affection, dropped a flashbomb at the exact time Heiji confessed, so Kazuha never heard it. I don't think the spoilers I saw ever clarified if he was doing something and it was coincidence, or if it was intentional, but. God the fails being turned into elaborate jokes is getting. Ridiculous. I don't even care if they get together in canon, I'm not super invested in the ship, but I feel like even if I did want them to get together, there's. Literally zero hope for any build ups at this point. You can't keep leading up to it and pulling it away, people are gonna stop caring. At this point, half the people invested are just going to give an exasperated 'finally' when it happens, instead of actually being excited at this point, it's just tiring.

I hope the rest of the movie is at least entertaining. Fun action packed eye-candy fluff to help numb the stupid 'important' scenes. Spoilers might feel ick, but it's in a vacuum of reading words about scenes on their own. (Which probably won't change the Yuusaku scene at all, but Heiji's confession is. Probably an 'okay, here we go, what happens this time' thing that's better if you're already just there for entertainment.)

Edit: Someone has now basically confirmed with their own watch that the movie is fun, and the bombshell of lore is at the very end.

[rose-sophia-isabella-rogers]

Written in the Stars: Chapter XIV - Expectations

Chapter Summary: Being a child of [Y/N] [L/N] and Anakin Skywalker is not easy. Both Leia and Luke find out about it as they grow up. You and their friends try to be there for them, but you can't always protect them from the danger. Or a rebellious strike. What awaits your children? And will they find their inner peace?

Pairing: Anakin Skywalker/Reader, Axe Woves/Original Female Character

Characters: Anakin Skywalker, Reader, Leia Skywalker, Luke Skywalker, Bail Organa, Breha Organa, Celly Organa, Niano Organa, Obi-Wan Kenobi, Ahsoka Tano

Word Count: 6801

A/N: This chapter contains some of the plot and dialogues of the TV show "Obi-Wan Kenobi". Gif is not mine. Happy reading!

Tag list (let me know if you want to be added or removed):

@intothesoul

@mizelophsun11

@pansexualwitchwhoneedstherapy

@zeeader

@marrymonrich

@wonderland2425

@chelseyyouraverageluigi

@thehufflepuffavenger1

@drinix

@astro-kitty-launch

@nikiloveshayden

An eight-year-old Leia Organa doesn't like going to parties. Even if the said parties are at her Uncle Bail's home. Even if she can see her Aunt Padmé, who's been recently chosen as the Chancellor. She prefers to play outside, climb trees and train with her lightsaber with Luke. She finds all the politics and social gatherings boring. But the last thing she wants to do is to disappoint her parents, so she begrudgingly changes into something nice and gets on the ship that takes them to Alderaan.

'How long do we have to be here?' she asks when they go down the ramp once they arrive.

'We just got here,' her father laughs.

'That's not the answer to my question,' his daughter says.

'It's hard to say but definitely too long for your liking,' you sigh. Leia groans.

'Think about it that way,' her brother says cheerfully. 'At least we don't have to learn protocol today. Or diplomacy.'

'No, but we have to live it today,' his sister points out. You put hands on their shoulders.

'Yes, so please, behave,' you ask them.

'If you do, you can not behave once we are back,' Anakin says, winking at his children. They grin at him.

'Why did I marry you?' you ask, rolling your eyes. He looks at you softly.

'Because you love me,' he answers. You can't help but smile.

'Ha! I won,' Bail says as you approach him. You look at him with confusion. He answers with an amused look. His wife, Breha, rolls her eyes.

'I said you won't even reach us before you look at each other lovingly at least once,' he explains. You and your husband blush, embarrassed. Bail waves his hand.

'Don't worry, we love that about you,' he says and smiles at your children. 'Princess Leia, Prince Luke, we're glad to have you here.'

'The pleasure is ours, Senator Organa,' your daughter says politely. Bail raises his eyebrows. You and Anakin smile.

'Someone is growing into a diplomat, I see,' Organa says.

'Only when she wants to,' Luke says. Leia elbows him.

'Ow! See what I mean?' her brother asks, glaring at his sister. 'And hello, uncle, aunt.'

'Please, come in,' Breha says and you walk into the palace. 'You must be tired.'

'No,' you and your children say.

'Yes,' Anakin answers. You give them a look.

'Hey, while you were sitting, we were very busy,' your husband says.

'Running around the ship,' you say. 'You didn't have to. It's your fault you're tired. You could have, like me, read the report from Lanash.'

'Booooring,' your rascals groan. You sigh.

'I know, I'd prefer running around the ship as well,' you admit. Your children look at you with surprise, while Anakin grins. Your children want to ask questions, but then they notice Padmé. They run to her, squealing. She chuckles and hugs them both.

'Eight years and I'm still nervous around her,' Skywalker murmurs. You force a smile. You know what he's talking about. She used to be in love with him. And suddenly she found out he was married to you. They talked after she saw him kissing you, but they still act awkward around each other. Surprisingly, you and her are still very good friends.

An hour later the party is in a full swing. You trust your children not to do anything stupid and leave them to their own devices. That also includes Anakin. But you keep glancing at him when he's talking to the Jedi. You in the meantime engage in a conversation with Bail, Padmé and Breha.

'So, how is the life of the Chancellor treating you?' you ask Amidala at some point.

'It's… challenging,' she answers. 'But I'm slowly finding my footing.'

'I am, on the other hand, glad to be rid of that responsibility,' Organa says.

'I want to know why did you return to your senator post,' you say. He sighs.

'The previous one resigned and no one wanted his position,' he explains. 'Once we find a replacement, I'm going to resign happily. I want to spend time with my family.'

He kisses his wife's cheek and glances at a little redhead girl that is talking with Luke. Her name is Mara Jade and was adopted a few years ago by Organas.

'How is she?' you ask, as she wasn't there to welcome you.

'She has a rebellious phase,' Breha sighs.

'We better keep her away from Leia, then,' you say. 'She has it, too.'

You exchange amused smiles. Just then Skywalker joins you.

'Here comes the trouble,' he murmurs. You turn your head and see Celly Organa walking to you with her son, Niano. Both of them are unhappy.

'Why is she looking at me?' you ask, dismayed.

'I saw Niano with Leia a moment ago,' your husband explains. You sigh but then politely smile, because Celly and Niano join you.

'Celly, how lovely to see you,' you greet her. 'And hello, Niano.'

'Good day, [Y/N],' the woman says and winces. 'Or I wish it was. Your daughter must apologize to my son.'

'What did she do?' Breha asks, surprised.

'She called me a lower life form,' Niano grumbles. Your husband snorts but quickly covers it with laugh. You force another smile.

'I see,' you say. 'Well, I think I should hear her version as well. Excuse me. Anakin.'

You and Skywalker walk to Leia, who is pouting next to Luke and Mara. She looks at you warily when you approach. But her brother and his friend quickly disappear, seeing your serious faces.

'What did he tell you?' your daughter asks.

'That you called him a lower life form,' her father answers. She grimaces.

'I didn't,' she denies and glances at your raised eyebrows. 'But I may have implied it.'

'Can you tell us what happened?' you ask gently. She looks at you. She admires that about you. That you always try to listen to both sides of the story.

'He was being mean to everyone, including droids,' she says. 'When I thanked one for a drink, he said I don't need manners when talking to lower life forms. So, I replied I don't need manners when talking to him, then.'

Anakin's face goes sour when she tells you what Niano said about the droids. But when she told you her reply, he snorts. You barely stop a smile.

'Honey,' you scold him.

'What?' he asks with a grin and winks at your daughter. 'She was right.'

'I don't think Niano is a lower life form,' you say. 'It's not right to call that anyone.'

'He was asking for it,' he says. You sigh and look at Leia.

'You're right,' you say, surprising her. 'He was mean and it's important to defend those who can't defend themselves. But we can't become like bullies while doing that. Do you understand what I'm saying?'

'Yes, mom,' she says, looking down. You crouch in front of her and grab her chin. You make her look at you and you smile.

'I'm proud of you, darling,' you say. 'For speaking up and not ignoring the problem. But next time try to be gentler. And don't worry. Diplomacy is hard to learn. I'm not sure I've mastered it, to be honest.'

'I know I didn't,' your husband puts in. You snort and shake your head.

'You make up with your charm for that,' you say and you share a smile. You caress Leia's cheek and kiss her forehead. You stand up.

'Do you want me to apologize to him?' she asks quietly. You shake your head.

'He should apologize first,' you say. 'I'll deal with it. But if he does apologize, then the right move for you would be to apologize, yes.'

'Okay,' she says, nodding. You smile at her and walk away. Anakin grins at her and hugs her.

'I love you, squirrel,' he says. She smiles at the pet name.

'And I love you, dad,' she says. He winks at her and follows you. Leia watches you go. She's amazed how regal and gracious you look, but at the same time kind and approachable. She hangs her head. She will never be like you. Or her brave, intimidating, heroic father.

*

Niano doesn't apologize, so Leia doesn't either. A few days later you're faced with the consequences of this. Being a topic in the media isn't news for you. But when you hear they talk about your daughter there, you're surprised and then angry. They say she's petty, selfish, arrogant and that she believes everyone is beneath her. They criticize her and express relief that she has a twin brother, who's more like you and Anakin, because he may actually be fitted to take the throne from you one day.

Leia doesn't hear about it at first, as she's busy with her Jedi training and princess' studies. But when she heads to your room, asking if you have time for her, she hears your raised voices. She stops and against her common sense, listens in.

'They called her arrogant!' Skywalker fumes. 'Arrogant, while she was the one defending a droid from a spoiled, arrogant brat!'

'We don't know if this is because of that incident with Niano,' you say, trying to stay calm.

'As if it can be about anything else,' your husband scoffs. 'She's our daughter. We must take action.'

'What do you want me to do?' you snap. 'Go to the media and fire people who badmouthed Leia? Tell them off? Fight them? We need diplomacy here, Anakin, not violence.'

'Oh, so I can only turn to violence? You didn't think I was thinking about more peaceful solution?'

'Well, were you?'

'Not really, but-'

'There is no but here. I don't like what they said about her either, but we can't just go to war with the media. We must try a diplomatic approach.'

'And while we take time to do that, people will gossip how Leia is unfit for the throne and we're only thinking about Luke as your heir.'

Your daughter's eyes go wide. She quickly backs away and hurries down the corridor. A few minutes later she comes across two ministers.

'To be honest, I agree with some things the media said,' one of them says. Leia stops.

'Ah, yes,' the other says, nodding. 'Especially the part where the Prince is more like the King and Queen.'

'My thoughts exactly,' the first one says eagerly. 'He has the Queen's kind nature and the King's talents. I really hope he's the one who's going to take the throne.'

'Yes, me as well,' the second agrees. Your daughter turns on her heel and runs away with tears in her eyes. She runs outside and then into the forest. But there, a tragedy happens.

About half an hour later, there's an urgent knock on the door to the Council Room, where you're holding a meeting. Everyone looks up, curious.

'Enter,' you call. The door opens and a guard rushes in, a wild look in his eyes.

'Your Majesties, Princess Leia has been kidnapped!' he reports. The Ministers gasp. They stand up and start talking over each other. Anakin feels fear and rage burning inside of him. Knowing it's dangerous, he looks at you to calm himself down. But he sees you frozen in shock, your eyes wide, breathing heavily.

'[Y/N],' he says softly and grasps your hand. You take in a few deep breaths and stand up. He follows suit.

'ENOUGH!' you yell and the silence falls. You nod at the guard.

'What happened?' you demand.

'We were patrolling the forest,' he starts. 'Suddenly, the Princess run out of it and asked for help. They started firing at us from nowhere. We took cover. One of us grabbed the Princess. But he was quickly shot and she was taken. We tried to pursue but… we were not fast enough. They took her on a ship and flew away.'

Only then you notice he's injured. Your hands are shaking but you try to think what to do now. You close your eyes for a moment.

'I want the description of that ship,' you say after a moment, opening your eyes. 'Someone to examine the scene. The recordings from all the cameras to be viewed. Maybe the kidnappers are on some of them. You to get medical attention. My son to be located and kept under guard. No one is allowed near him without our permission. And someone get me Master Kenobi. The meeting is adjourned.'

The Council and the guard bow and leave the room. The moment the door close, you exhale shakily. Anakin is at your side quickly and takes you in his arms.

'We're gonna find her,' he says quietly. 'She's our daughter. She's gonna be fine.'

'Is it how you felt every time I was kidnapped?' you ask, your voice shaky.

'Yes,' he confirms, holding you tighter.

'I'm sorry,' you whisper. He shakes his head.

'It was never your fault,' he says. 'Now is not Leia's fault either. And we're gonna save her, just as every time you were saved.'

'By you,' you say and pull away. 'You know I want to ask Obi-Wan for help. And you want to go with him, don't you?'

He nods, his lips pressed into a thin line. You take his hands in yours and nod.

'If anyone can find her quickly, it's you two, together,' you say. 'Go and bring her home.'

'I will, my star,' he says and kisses you softly. Then, he turns and goes to the door.

'May the Force be with you,' you say. He stops, shoots you a smile and leaves. You collapse on your chair. You hide your face in hands and start crying, scared for your little girl.

Once Kenobi is informed about the situation he joins in on investigating. Rather quickly, thankfully, they find out where the kidnappers are heading – a planet called Daiyu. He and Skywalker head there at once.

On the planet, with the help of local police, they find the kidnappers. But it turns out it was a trap for them, set by people loyal to Palpatine. They manage to get out of the trap, but they don't find Leia in a cell. Somehow, she's managed to get out of her own and now both sides have no idea where she is.

'I have a déja vu,' Anakin says, as they walk through the streets of the city. Obi-Wan looks at him questioningly.

'Remember how we first met [Y/N]?' he asks. Kenobi chuckles.

'She was kidnapped, we were sent to find her and she got out of her own,' he remembers. 'And people say Leia isn't like you.'

'You've heard then?' Skywalker asks, his jaw clenched. His friend puts a hand on his shoulder.

'Let's find your daughter first, then we can go against the media,' he promises. 'I suggest we split up.'

'Just like we did, then,' your husband chuckles.

'Well, it worked, didn't it?' the Jedi asks, amused. His former padawan nods and the two go their separate ways.

Some time later, Obi-Wan notices a little girl with a characteristic hairdo. He quickly follows her and grabs her when he reaches her. She jumps, startled, and attempts to break free.

'Calm down, it's me,' he says quietly. She looks up at him with wide eyes.

'Uncle Ben?' she asks, stunned. 'What are you doing here?'

'Your father and I were looking for you, of course,' he answers.

'Dad is here, too?' she asks, surprised, but suddenly her face twists into an expression of defiance. 'I'm not going home.'

'What?' Kenobi asks, shocked. She frees herself from his grasp and sprints forward. He blinks and hurries after her. He manages yet again to catch up to her. Noticing the people who are after them, he grabs her and takes her into an abandoned building.

'Let me go!' she demands, squirming.

'The kidnappers are here,' he informs her and she goes still. 'Now, while we wait for them to go away, how about you'll tell me what this is about.'

He lets go of her. She puts some distance between them and crosses her arms. He feels hurt, pain, sadness and anger in her. He crouches in front of her.

'Leia,' he says softly, 'what's wrong?'

'I'm a disappointment,' she says after a moment, her lip wobbling. He stares at her, shocked.

'What?' he asks and shakes his head. 'Of course, you're not. Why are you thinking that? Is it because of what the media say? You must know it's not true. Someone paid them to say those things. No one believes them.'

'That's not true!' she protests. 'I heard people talking. They agree. They say I'm nothing like my parents. That Luke is better suited for being a king. I'm not saying I want to be a queen, I don't know that yet. But…'

'But it hurt,' he finishes. She nods and dries her tears that have started flowing. He puts his hand on her shoulder. She looks at him sadly.

'The people who said that can't be further from the truth,' he says and she frowns at him. 'Princess Leia [L/N]-Skywalker, you are wise, discerning, kindhearted. These are qualities that came from your mother. But you are also passionate and fearless, forthright. And these are the gifts from your father. Both are exceptional people, who bore an exceptional daughter.'

She stares at him with mouth agape, tears glistening in her eyes again. He smiles at her and caresses her hair.

'Do you mean it?' she asks quietly.

'Every word,' he assures her. 'And so do your parents. They don't plan your future, or Luke's future for you. They both want you to be happy, to do what you decide to do. This decision is entirely your own. Whatever you decide, they will support you. Because they love you more than you can imagine.'

'And you?' she asks. He nods.

'Very much so,' he confirms. 'Can I call your father now and tell him you're safe? He's worried. So are your mother and brother.'

She nods after a beat. He dries her eyes gently and straightens up. He takes out his holocom and calls Anakin. He answers after a few seconds.

'We'll meet you on the ship,' Obi-Wan says before his friend can say a word. Skywalker's face relaxes with relief.

'Thank the Force,' he murmurs and chuckles. 'This time it's you, then? All right, be careful out there.'

'We will,' Kenobi promises and ends the call.

'This time?' Leia questions.

'When we met your mother, we were sent to save her from people who kidnapped her,' he explains. 'We also get separated but that time it was your father who found your mother. But like you, she escaped first.'

He gives her a look. She smiles, knowing what he means. That she's more like her mother than she realizes.

'Thank you, uncle,' she says. He nods at her and takes her hand. He looks outside carefully.

'We must be cautious,' he says. 'The men that are after you are very dangerous. They want me and your father dead. Killing you would be good for them, too.'

'What do they want?' she asks.

'They want to take revenge for your father and me for ruining the plans of someone they followed,' he explains. She thinks for a moment.

'Palpatine?' she asks. He looks at her.

'My parents told me about him,' she says. He nods.

'Yes, Palpatine,' he confirms. She hums.

'It's been nine years ago,' she says. 'They're very persistent, I give them that.'

'Yeah, that counts for something,' he murmurs. 'Okay, now is our chance.'

They leave the building and head toward the ship. But, of course, they're found on the way and Obi-Wan has to fight for their lives. Thankfully, Anakin shows up just in time and they fight together like in the old days.

After defeating their enemies and making sure they're arrested, they all head on the ship. The ramp barely closes, when Skywalker is on his knees and puts his arms around his daughter. She snuggles into him, finally feeling safe.

'I'm sorry,' she whispers. He holds her tighter.

'You have nothing to be sorry for,' he says. 'It wasn't your fault.'

'I'm not talking about that,' she denies. 'I'm sorry for all the mess with the media.'

He sighs. Of course, she heard about that. He pulls away and cups her face.

'Sweetheart, I want you to know that both me and your mother believe you're an amazing girl and are not worse than your brother in anything,' he says. 'Whatever you both decide, we will support you. We love you and just want you to be happy. We're not comparing you and we love you both equally. And the people that say differently, that say you're not like us or that you're not fitted to be a queen… or anyone you want… are wrong. So very, very wrong.'

'But I don't think I'm cut out for it,' she says, hanging her head. 'When I heard what people say about me, what the media said… I ran away. That's why they got me. I was upset about what the media said and let them catch me. I can't ignore what media say like you and mom.'

'Sweetheart, I can't really ignore what the media say either,' he says and chuckles. 'When me and your mom were hiding our relationships, a magazine made a poll of the most desirable single rulers and senators. Your mom was given the first place. Oh, I was so furious. You can ask Aunt Ahsoka or anyone from my guard. I was terrible. I wanted to run to the magazine and inform them that your mother is very much taken and no one but me can desire her.'

'Really?' she asks. He smiles and nods.

'Really,' he says. 'And I got upset when I heard what the media said about you.'

'I know,' she says and fidgets nervously. 'I… heard you and mom arguing. I'm sorry.'

'It's not your fault,' he says, shaking his head. 'We both got upset and we had different solutions on the problem. It happens sometimes and we argue then.'

'I never heard you argue before,' she admits. 'I always thought you're perfectly happy with each other.'

'We are,' he assures her. 'But sometimes we argue and that's okay. That's normal. And… we always make up. That's our favorite part in making up.'

'How do you do it?' she asks, curious. He blushes and clears his throat.

'I'll tell you when you're older,' he says. 'Now, did what I said help you?'

'Yeah,' she says, nodding. 'But… I still don't think I'm going to be as perfect as mom is.'

'Oh, Leia, your mom is not perfect,' he says. She looks at him with raised eyebrows, surprised he says that about his wife.

'Don't get me wrong,' he chuckles. 'She's perfect for me. But she's human. She has her flaws. That's normal. She's stubborn. So stubborn. She cares little about her own health and safety. It's hard for her to ask for help. And she doesn't want people to worry about her. But I love her just the way she is. Just like we love you the way you are.'

She throws herself into his arms. She starts crying, embarrassed, sad, happy. He hugs her back, crying as well. Because he was scared. Because he's relieved. Because he has his little girl back and she's safe in his arms, right where she belongs.

*

Once they leave the ship after landing on Luth, they are greeted by relieved guards. They all tell Leia how happy they are she's back home, safe and sound. She smiles. Her father puts a hand on her shoulder.

'Where is my wife?' he asks.

'In the throne room, Your Majesty,' Jesse answers.

'I'll-' Obi-Wan starts.

'Don't even think about it, you're coming with us,' Anakin interrupts him. Kenobi sighs and follows the duo to the throne room.

They find you there as promised, talking to some ministers. You have your back turned to them, but both men can see you're tense by your posture. Leia just focuses on the fact you're there and she realizes how much she missed you and how much she needs to be held by you.

'Mom!' she cries out and runs toward you with tears in her eyes. You swirl around in a second, your eyes wide. Relief shows on your face and you hurry to meet your daughter. When she's almost by your side, you fall on your knees and open your arms. She falls into them and you hug her tightly, crying as well.

'Oh, my darling,' you say, your voice shaky. 'I'm so glad you're all right.'

'I was so scared…' she whispers. You hold her tighter.

'I know, darling,' you say gravely, remembering the first time you were kidnapped. 'I know.'

You stand up with her still in your arms. You look at your husband and Obi-Wan.

'Thank you,' you say to them both. They smile.

'You know we would never let anything happen to her,' Kenobi assures her.

'I know,' you confirm. 'We will talk about the kidnappers later?'

On their way home, they called you to let you know your daughter is with them. They also told you about the trap and the people responsible for it. While this was troubling, both of them told you about their talks with the Princess. And she was more important to you.

The Jedi nods. You walk to your husband and kiss his cheek. Then, you take Leia to her room. There, you bathe her and put to bed. All the time you're both quiet.

'Did Uncle Obi-Wan and dad talk with you?' she finally asks when you brush her hair.

'They did,' you confirm.

'I'm sorry,' she says, hanging her head. 'I know I promised to study harder after… after you almost died. But I failed. I'm not exactly the heir you hoped for…'

'You're much more than I hoped for,' you answer softly. She looks at you, surprised. You smile and caress her cheek.

'Everything they told you is true,' you say. 'But I understand you still have some doubts. I had them too, when I was your age.'

'Really?' she asks, surprised. She looks at you with doubt and shakes her head.

'I don't believe it,' she says. 'Everyone who knew you as a child keep saying what an excellent princess you were. How you always did things well beyond your duty.'

'Sure, when I got older,' you chuckle. 'But when I was your age? Not at all. I tried, I really did, but sometimes I was overwhelmed. I preferred to read books and ride my pony. Anything but studying the laws, protocols or rules of diplomacy. At the end of the day, I was still a kid that wanted to play. Which is why I'm not mad when you and Luke say you prefer to study the Jedi ways. They sound much more exciting.'

'I know!' she says but immediately blushes, embarrassed. But to her relief you laugh.

'There was a time in the Clone Wars, when I was accompanying the Jedi on the front,' you say. 'And it was horrible. The war, the fighting, the death… All because a man wanted infinite power… Anyway, there were times, when I got into some adventures with your father. And I loved it. It was crazy, it was dangerous… but also fun. And I was with your father and at the time it was a rare thing.'

'I still don't know how you managed to hide your relationship. You're so obviously in love!'

'At the time we weren't showing it. Some people figured us out, but we were safe for some time. Anyway, what I'm trying to say, I understand your need for more exciting things. I was there, as well.'

'So, it gets easier with time?' she asks. You snort and shake your head.

'No, very often I still want to just sneak out with your father and spend time together,' you say and smile dreamily. 'We do that sometimes, actually.'

'I don't think I want to know the details,' she says, wincing. You chuckle and ruffle her hair.

'I'm not worried about your future,' you assure her. 'And even if you decide not to become a queen, I'll be watching you become what you are made for with a smile and support you need.'

She throws herself into your arms and you hug her tightly. You exhale quietly. You were a wreck inside, worrying sick about her. You're so happy to have her again.

'Thanks, mom,' she whispers. You smile and press a kiss on her head.

'Anytime, darling,' you say. 'Anytime.'

Suddenly, the door open with a bang. You both jump, startled.

'Leia!' Luke shouts, running to you. Lanash enters behind him, beaming at your daughter.

'I'm so happy you're safe!' your son says, climbing on the bed. He hugs his sister tightly.

'Thanks,' she says with a smile, hugging him back, and looks at your former maid. 'Aunt Lanash, you came hearing I was taken?'

'No, I came after I watched the TV,' she explains, sitting next to you. 'I arrived ready for a war with anyone who says mean things about you, only to find out someone took you. Axe had to calm me down.'

'How?' Leia asks, interested. The Senator blushes.

'I'll tell you when you're older,' she answers. Your daughter sighs and you chuckle.

'Anyway, your mother and I took care of the media problem,' your former maid says.

'Really?' the Princess asks, worried. Lanash nods and hands her a datapad, turning on a video. Your daughter sees you and your best friend holding a conference, where you explain the incident with Niano, without giving his name. You say how kind and humble Leia really is and how outraged you are media so blandly told lies about her, without even knowing your daughter. You declare you're going to sue them for defemination and express your disappointment for treating an eight-year-old girl like that.

She may be a princess, a possible heir to the throne, but she's still a child and saying things like that about her is cruel. Hearing things like that can influence anyone's psyche, even more if the person is a child. And I hope it's the last time something like that happens, because if someone comes after my family, they come after me. And when that happens, I'm no longer merciful queen. No one hurts people I care about.

The image freezes after your last words. Leia looks up at you with tears in her eyes. She smiles and sniffs.

'Thank you, mom,' she says and turns to Lanash, who said also some strong things. 'Thank you, aunt.'

'Not a problem, sweety,' her godmother assures her and kisses her forehead. 'People will think twice before coming on you. But don't worry, once you're old enough we will let you fight your battles. But we will also always stand in your corner, ready to assist at your call.'

'Thanks,' your daughter chuckles and yawns.

'All right, time to bed,' you say and stand up. 'It's been a long and tiring day. You need rest, so you could go on your tomorrow's adventures.'

She smiles at you and you wink at her. The Senator stands up but Luke stays put. He looks at you and his sister pleadingly.

'Can we sleep together tonight, please?' he asks. 'I felt Leia's feelings in the Force. I was so worried. I want to make sure she's okay and safe at night.'

You look at the Princess. She smiles at her brother and nods. Then looks at you pleadingly.

'Can he stay, please?' she asks. You look at your son.

'Did you do everything before sleep?' you ask. He nods quickly. You smile and kiss their heads. You tuck them in.

'Then I'll send your father here for both of you,' you say. 'And Obi-Wan and Axe. Sleep well.'

'Goodnight, mom!' they say together, grinning. 'Thank you! Goodnight, aunt.'

'Night, Trouble Duo,' Lanash says and kisses their cheeks. 'Sleep tight.'

You two leave and a moment later Anakin, Obi-Wan and Axe come to bid them goodnight. After that, Skywalker finds you in your chambers. You smile at each other and hug.

'Thank you,' you say.

'For what?' he chuckles. 'She's my daughter, too.'

'Not for that,' you deny. 'For coming back safely.'

'Always, my star,' he says and kisses your head. You pull away and he grins.

'I saw the conference,' he says. 'You were fierce. Are we really suing?'

'Well, not yet,' you answer. 'I left that pleasure for you.'

'I love you,' he says and kisses you. You laugh and then moan when he kisses your neck. You gasp when he grinds against you.

'Bed. Now,' you decide. He chuckles and picks you up. You squeal and he hurries to the bedroom with you. There you let go of all your frustrations and worries of the day and make love to one another until it's late at night.

*

When Luke is fourteen-year-old, he has a rebellious phase. Everyone keeps comparing him to you and Anakin. They keep saying how he has his father's skills as a Jedi, while he also has your kindness. He is a warrior but he's also merciful – a perfect combination of you and your husband. He's happy to be like you two, but he hates how people keep saying what he should do. Some people say he's destined to be a great Jedi, like his father before him. The others that he's going to be a great king. At the moment, though, he's so fed up with that all he'd like to be a farmer like his grandparents from his father's side.

He and Leia have four more years before they have to decide. Then, one of them will be crowned as the heir to the throne. He finds the prospect terrifying. He wants to run away. So, he does just that. One day, he simply takes a ship and flies away, without telling anyone.

'Luke is gone,' Skywalker informs you that afternoon. You look up at him with a frown.

'Is it his turn to be kidnapped?' you ask. He stops and looks at you.

'You know, it worries me you think of it as something normal,' he says.

'How many times was I kidnapped?' you ask, raising your eyebrows. 'I'm seriously asking, because I lost the count.'

'Well, he wasn't,' he denies and sits at the edge of your desk behind which you're sitting. 'He ran away. I barely stopped Leia from coming after him. She says he's anxious, frustrated, scared, tired.'

'The downs of being our children,' you sigh. 'High expectations.'

'What can we do?'

'Send Ahsoka after him.'

'Snips?'

'She's his godmother. She'll know what to say to comfort him.'

'But we are his parents.'

'Which is exactly why we can't go. He will feel pressured. And Ahsoka… she's the cool aunt. And also kind and compassionate. She'll know what to say.'

'Very well. I'll give her a call. By the way, you won't guess where he went.'

'Hm?'

'… Tatooine.'

You stare at him, surprised. Then, you burst out laughing. He glares at you and leaves, banging the door closed behind him.

A few hours later Luke is strolling through the streets of his father's home planet. It's a better place now, thanks to Bail, Padmé and Lanash. Safer. With no slaves.

'You know, it's been so many years and yet your father still spoke of this place with disdain when he told me where to find you,' a voice says behind him. He stiffens and turns slowly. His godmother smiles at him from under her hood. He sighs.

'How did he know I'm here?' he asks.

'He's your father and the strongest Force user that ever lived,' she snorts. 'He has a strong connection in the Force with you. He never said it, but I think that's how he found Leia when she was kidnapped. Or he could have found her that way. I'm sure of it. Anyway, are you up to anything interesting?'

'Just walking,' he answers cautiously.

'Mind if I tag along?'

'Are you going to nag me about coming back?'

'Not yet. Too soon for that.'

'… Fine.'

She smiles at him and they start walking together. For a long moment there's silence between them. They take in the sight of Tatooine, as sandy and hot as always.

'Are they worried?' he finally asks with guilt. 'My parents.'

'Of course, they are,' she answers. 'But they also seem as if they expected this.'

'Really?' he asks, surprised.

'They were teenagers too, you know,' she teases. He shivers.

'I can't imagine that,' he says. They laugh.

'I'm pretty sure they ran away at some point, too,' she says after a pause. He looks at her with interest. She nods.

'They had high expectations, too, you know,' she says. 'Everyone believed Anakin is the Chosen One. And [Y/N] was to become the queen of Luth. Both were overwhelmed, I imagine. I'm not trying to diminish what you feel. I'm just saying they may understand what you are going through.'

'What if I tell them I don't want any of it?' he asks quietly. She puts a hand on his shoulder.

'They will understand,' she answers. 'They're your parents. They just want you to be happy.'

They share a smile and resume walking, as they stopped a moment ago. The silence is more comfortable now.

'I guess it just all suddenly feels more real,' he confesses. 'Everyone says soon I'll be someone's padawan. And in four years me or Leia are going to be crowned as the heir to the throne. In both cases, there will be more responsibilities. And it scares me.'

'You're not alone in this,' she says. 'And if nothing feels appealing to you… choose your own path. Let the Force guide you.'

'The Force…' he whispers. They stroll for a moment longer. Finally, he sighs and stops.

'Let's go home,' he decides. She smiles at him and nods.

A few hours later, they're back on Luth. Luke exits his ship, his head down. He looks up with guilt and sees his family. Leia rushes to him and hugs him, glad he's okay and back. Then he walks to you and Anakin. You hug him tight.

'Do you need to talk?' Skywalker asks. Your son shakes his head.

'Aunt Ahsoka helped me,' he says. 'For now, I'm good. But if I ever start doubting in myself, can I come to one of you? Or both of you?'

'Anytime,' you assure him.

'Even if there's a meeting of the Council?' the Prince asks.

'Especially if there's a meeting of the Council,' your husband answers eagerly. You nod to your children's surprise.

'What?' you ask, seeing it. 'I hate them, too. I was just taught to hide it. Shall we eat something?'

You turn and go back to the palace. Your family follows you. Once again all is fine.

A few days later Luke and Leia are informed masters were chosen for them. They head to the Jedi Temple and wait in the pointed room. A moment later Obi-Wan enters, smiling.

'Are you here to take us to our masters?' the Princess asks. He chuckles.

'I'm here to collect your brother as my padawan,' he explains. Your son stares at him, amazed. He grins and cheers. His sister rolls his eyes.

'Lucky,' she murmurs. 'But I get why I couldn't get my godfather.'

'For the same reason I couldn't be Luke's master,' Ahsoka says, entering the room. Leia's eyes light up. Tano smiles and nods.

'Hello, my padawan,' she says. The twins grin at each other.

'Our parents are going to be so happy,' your son says. 'Not as happy as we are, though.'

'I'll call them,' your daughter says and takes out her holocom. A moment later the holograms of you and Anakin show up. Both of you look at her eagerly.

'Well?' you ask at the same time.

'I have Aunt Ahsoka and Luke has Uncle Obi-Wan,' she reports.

'Thank the Force,' Skywalker groans, looking up. You sigh, then chuckle.

'Tell them we wish them luck,' you say. 'Now go to your training. Have a nice day!'

You wave and end the call. Ahsoka frowns.

'Why did she wish us luck?' she asks. The twins grin at her. Obi-Wan, who's been teaching them since they were kids, pats her back.

'We're in for a ride,' he says. She gulps. What has she gotten herself into?

A/N: Thank you for reading! Let me know your thoughts! Reblog, like and comment if you could. Seriously, even if it's just to leave a thumb up. Every bit of feedback keeps me motivated.

This can also be found on Archive of Our Own: https://archiveofourown.org/works/60214684/chapters/156408586

[palfriendpatine66]

When did you start watching Star Wars?

The short answer: as long as I can remember! I can remember little bits of watching the original trilogy special edition VHS at age 6/7.

I remember crying when yoda dies. I remember being confused af about Lando Calrissian and if he was a bad guy (he handed them over to Vader!) or not (helped escape Jabba!). I remember loving lightsaber battles and being bored at times in between. I *don’t* remember being surprised that Luke and Leia were brother and sister and that Darth Vader was their father - I think I’d already seen it before then? Or at least knew of it?

I saw Phantom Menace in theaters at age 8 and loved it. I remember breathlessly recounting duel of the fates for my 2nd grade class the next day. Me and my brother made plans to build a lightsaber and played Star Wars action figures together.

Attack of the Clones came out when I was 11ish and I was OBSESSED before I even saw it in the theater. I had already read the novel. I counted down the days until the release and read every magazine article I could find. My goal in life was to be a Star Wars author like Jude Watson - I was super into the Jedi Apprentice Series and other EU novels.

Revenge of the Sith came out when I was 14 - I remember I saw it with a group of friends in the theater and silently crying through order 66. I wasn’t as outwardly Star Wars crazed at this point, but I read the RotS novelization as soon as it was released and it literally rewired my brain. It was like holding everything I’ve ever wanted Star Wars to be in my hands. It had the emotion that the stories held in my heart but the movies weren’t quite able to achieve.

The Sequel Trilogy came out when I was in college and while I was excited by the possibilities, and while there are some things I do enjoy in those films, they really didn’t grab me and resonate with me. I have minimal interest in rewatching or engaging with those stories.

I really enjoyed the Solo movie. A lot actually. I don’t know why it got all the crap it did. I thought the actor was excellently cast as a young Han. Donald Glover was awesome as Lando. I LOVED woody harrison as Spacemitch and the sass of L3-37. I hadn’t watched any of Clone Wars yet though, so was confused AF when Maul showed up with zero explanation (and then his appearance was never addressed). That moment really killed it for me

Rogue One: I’ll be honest: I wasn’t very interested in the story when it came out. It didn’t have any Jedi or other characters I cared about. It took 5 times of me falling asleep on the couch while Rogue One played before I actually watched it. BUT: Andor is the best Star Wars ever made, and Rogue one is right behind it.

[tossawary]

So, I don't really like the characterizations in this "Star Wars: Shadows of the Empire" novel. They're serviceable for the most part? They're mostly fine. There hasn't been a "yeah!!! THAT'S the character I know and love!!!" moment so far for me, but there have been a few "ohhh nooo, HARD disagree on this characterization choice" moments. This following passage from Leia's POV is one of the paragraphs that wrinkled my nose the most with its baseline heteronormativity / amatonormativity / sexism:

(CONTEXT: Leia and Luke are on the Falcon with Lando, Chewie, R2-D2, and C-3PO, on their way to try and get Han back from Boba Fett, who has not yet delivered Han to Jabba the Hutt. Luke and Leia had actually separated after the events of Ep5, briefly, so that Leia could try to track Boba Fett and Luke could build himself a new lightsaber, but they have met up again for this mission.)

"She turned and watched Luke as he cleared the micrometeor dust from Artoo. Luke wanted to rescue Han as much as she did. Which was interesting, given that she'd felt the competition from them for her attention. A lesser man than Luke might take advantage of a rival's absence, but so far he had not. That was the thing about Luke. He wanted to win, but he wanted to win fairly." (pg55)

I don't like this. At all.

Where to start? I resent the fact that this is a thought being put into Leia's head as a character. A lot of Leia's thoughts in this novel are too focused on weighing the men around her as romantic partners for my taste, though this is partially because the book keeps having them hit on her. Like, yeah, she's thinking about Han all the time because she loves him and they're trying to rescue him from Boba Fett, but I feel the text could be flavored more with her also occasionally thinking about the loss of Alderaan or her career in the Imperial Senate or her work for the Rebellion, anything to remind us that Leia as a female character has a lot more going on in her life and past besides her male love interest(s).

"Luke wanted to rescue Han as much as she did. Which was interesting, given that she'd felt the competition from them for her attention."

Leia thinking it's "interesting" that Luke wants to rescue Han is a weird fucking choice. Luke and Han have been friends for a couple years at this point, working in the Rebellion together. They're FRIENDS. In the films, Han saves Luke's life once during the Death Star run in "A New Hope" and then again on Hoth in "Empire Strikes Back", so Luke also owes Han a couple life debts. Han was also only targeted and captured by Darth Vader because Vader was after Luke, so Luke is likely to feel partially responsible for Han's capture and wants to fix it. Of course he wants to rescue Han.

"A lesser man than Luke might take advantage of a rival's absence, but so far he had not."

Like, I understand that this is Leia thinking that Luke is DIFFERENT compared to other guys; this passage isn't suggesting that Luke Skywalker would ever leave a friend behind due to something as selfish romantic jealousy. Leia is thinking poorly of OTHER MEN not known to us, sure. But the fact that this is Leia's POV means that it's LEIA noticing again RIGHT NOW, years into their friendship, that Luke is a Nice Guy, and it just contributes to the problematic pattern of having Leia always weighing the men around her romantically. The particular timing of this passage makes it feel like Leia IS a little surprised here and now that Luke would weigh friendship over trying to "win" her attention away from a "rival", and that's a shitty thing to have Leia think at all about Luke and the other men in her life.

Leia's surprise implies to me that, while Luke was getting his robotic hand, they never had a normal fucking conversation about what had happened to Han and what they wanted to do about it. Like, framing him as a "competitor" suggests to me that she doesn't know Luke fairly well by now? Luke and Leia are ALSO FRIENDS, in my mind, but the poisonous "men and women can't ever be friends" mindset is insidious. If I was writing fanfiction here, the recovery post-Ep5 would be the perfect point to have a scene of Luke and Leia grieving together, even if they don't actually talk about it, so it's weird to me that that didn't apparently happen. Like, sure, maybe neither of them had a full emotional breakdown and talked about all of their feelings for hours, fine, they don't know they're siblings yet and their feelings for each other are weird, but I don't think it's OOC for Luke to have said something like, "This is my fault. Han saved my life and I owe him. Leia, we'll get our friend back, I promise."

Like, damn, just let them be friends. Friends who have confusing Force feelings about each other sometimes, sure, but still friends first and foremost rather than "woman" and "suitor". The way that Luke and Leia act in "Return of the Jedi" always suggested to me that Leia had flat-out told Luke by then that she's in love with Han and Luke was cool with it; honesty cutting through any more potential love triangle nonsense. There's no "competition" anymore!

"That was the thing about Luke. He wanted to win, but he wanted to win fairly."

Again, I DO NOT like Leia framing herself as something to be "won" at all. Gross. This is just... a weird thing for anyone to think to me, especially Leia, who has a thousand other things to think about in the fight against the Empire besides love. If Leia didn't come up with this thought on her own, then someone else must have said it or something like it, and I really don't like the idea that it might have been Luke, who ALSO has a thousand other things to think about in the fight against the Empire. I don't like this characterization.

Of course, this is one small passage, not written with bad intentions, and I can admit that I am not reading it with generosity. But the way Leia's POV scenes up until this point have largely prioritized potential romantic connections as the central thing she's thinking about has been really annoying, and this passage is where that pattern gets concentrated into something even more direct, so it annoys me even more than it might have on its own. I do kind of enjoy that most SW relationships are a hot, confusing, poorly defined mess on a good day; their lives suck a lot of the time. I do not need the story to be purely about THE POWER OF FRIENDSHIP where no one is motivated by romantic love.

But I do wish I could ban anyone writing Leia's POV from ever having her think about the men around her as "rivals" for her attention. No. Bad. There's a fucking war on. Her parents are dead and planet is gone. Give her A SECOND THING to think about besides love, please, since apparently it's too much to ask SW that Leia (or Padmé after her) is regularly given another female character to talk to.

[otterandterrierwrites]

Chapters: 1/1 Fandom: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Original Trilogy, Star Wars: Rebellion Era - All Media Types Rating: Mature Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: Leia Organa/Han Solo Characters: Leia Organa, Han Solo, Luke Skywalker, Chewbacca (Star Wars), Wedge Antilles, Wes Janson Additional Tags: Pre-Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back, Secret Relationship, Friends With Benefits, other characters and OCs mentioned, References to Friends (TV), Angst with a Happy Ending, Sexy Times, Fade to Black

Summary:

After agreeing to be more than just friends, Han and Leia struggle with secrecy, gossipy rebels, and the undefined nature of their relationship.

A/N: Surprise, it's my fic for the Han/Leia Holiday Exchange 2023! I was matched with @diplomaticprincess, whose request had a lot of the same things I like. But when I asked about a dream scenario and she mentioned Chandler and Monica's secret relationship, I thought I had a pretty decent idea... which is why this fic is a sequel to keep with me forward (all through the night)!

So to all the kwmf lovers, I hope you like this one 😊 (I think I need to make a series now, as both of these fics are sequels to Jooni and Doré - what should I call it??)

And @diplomaticprincess, it was a pleasure writing for you! 💖

(Is anyone who guessed I was the author entitled to a drabble of their choice? Hm...)

[padme-amitabha]

I just saw a post calling ahoska and obi wan anakins truest loves and uh what? It brought up the mortis arc of tcw and essentially minimizing the anidala love for one another as some form of escapism and how its poison ( even tho vader literally gets saved bc of luke - padmes son🙄) Its so strange how ahsoka fans want to make her a more prominent character than she really is. Also a recurring opinion that gets brought up is ahsoka knowing/understanding anakin better than padme and obi wan when she didn’t even know things about him (like he was a slave) and we consistently see anakin confide in padme its just so odd how alot of star wars fans diminish her

That doesn't surprise me at all since Star Wars is Ahsoka Wars at this point. And even if it wasn't, you have to give the Skywalkers at least some rest uk? The constant retconning and addition of new stuff most people didn't even ask for is tiresome. Ahsoka from the start felt very OC-ish to me because she was constantly hyped and favored in a way not even Anakin was. She felt like a self-insert jedi character so her place is canon is just weird. And forcing her to be important in places where she's not needed just shows Filoni's favoritism. At least GL wasn't ever really biased towards Anakin and Luke. Anakin mainly suffered through so much and had enough flaws and complexies which Ahsoka never had. She's constantly in a plot armor and just overpowered imo. But ofc she's a badass Jedi so she is more popular than Padme. I cant even.. I just hate the way TCW and Filoni wrote her. I don't see Anakin as being a big brother to anyone. Or being a teacher. The only other natural interaction he has except Padme and his mother is with Obi-Wan and even that took time. They didn't get along well in the first two movies and although he does joke around with Obi Wan in ROTS, he has his own slightly awkward and shy way of doing it. And I imagine he's semi reserved and shy with other Jedi. Or when we see him interacting with Padme's family. But to make him a responsible master is strange because even in ROTS he was too young and not mature enough to be level-headed and responsible all the time. And I like that because he has flaws but he was trying to learn and wanted to be a good father. And I do believe he really gained that maturity (which was stunted due to obvious trauma) and fatherly affection for Luke after ESB and not before. I think he would have had trouble connecting with Leia as well post ROTJ because he wasn't prepared to and had no experience being a role model for anyone. Meanwhile, 22 year old TCW Anakin with Ahsoka acts like a 30 year old man with anger issues...

It's also frustrating to see Padme being reduced to a love interest when she was a main character and part of the trio. She, like Han, didn't need to be a Jedi to be one of the main characters and it's boring to see a trio of Jedi only. I don't really blame Ahsoka fans - only Filoni for constantly dragging her into everything and I'm glad it's backfiring because I see fans who previously liked her are beginning to get tired of her being shoehorned into every single SW thing and acting all Mary Sue. Also, see the amount of concept arts and storylines they wrote for Padme during the prequels. She had more arts than Anakin and Obi-Wan. GL clearly wanted her to be important even more than Leia in ANH because we see much more of Padme and the first movie directly involves her and her planet with Anakin's discovery being a sideplot. It's disrespectful to reduce her to a love interest.

This video puts it really well (although he isn't a fan of the prequels as far as I can remember): "Dave Filoni's biggest problem as a writer apart from his complete inability to write interesting dialogue or craft stories that are more than just fetch quest for Magical McGuffin or create people who actually make smart decisions or his borderline fetish for the boring mediocre character he's trying so hard to insert as the driving force behind the entire Star Wars narrative is his constant [ __ ] around and reconning of past events and World building to suit the needs of his own narrow story. It's like he's staying in a hotel room for a couple of days and decided that he now has the right to completely remodel the place because he feels like it. This isn't your job Dave you're supposed to work within the rules of the world that George created not write a whole bunch of new ones just to suit yourself that now affect everyone else."

Lol applause for saying that out loud