#anakin is the only one with a STEM major

[padmestrilogy]

I feel like something that people don't seem to acknowledge a lot when talking about Padmé's death is just that...she was already a pretty sad character before ROTS and that doesn't just stem from Anakin falling to the dark side? And it's something that I think is fairly apparent even without reading between the lines.

The Phantom Menace sees her as a child politician being actively groomed by Palpatine and forced to quite literally run and hide from her role as Queen while her people are being massacred. She sees how slavery and brutality are left to fester at the edges of the Republic and she sees the ambivalence of the senate she's going to become a part of. Attack of the Clones begins with her clutching a woman who is actively dying so she can live and by the end of the film she has seen the galaxy devolve into war around her. In Revenge of the Sith the republic she has devoted the majority of her years alive to has enthusiastically careened into a militant empire brought forth by one of the only people she's ever had a close, real personal connection with who has now committed horrific atrocities specifically in her name.

Like, she has had the responsibility of an entire planet and then the entire Republic of people since she was 12, she watched said Republic that she sacrificed her identity and outward expression to collapse into a dictatorship in real time, and people have been dying or killing for her to worse and worse degrees over that entire time. It is not as if she is lacking in reasons to lose the will to live when from her perspective she seems to have the blood of the entire galaxy on her hands and her entire life's work amounted to nothing.

Also your essay about her death is very good and I think everyone should read it. Have a nice day!

@tropospheric-vehicle

yep agree!! a lot of people seem to have a perception of her as more carefree/blithely unaware than she is, esp odd when really 90% of the prequels is people knowing Something is wrong but either being too disempowered/too complicit/too resigned to take serious action (all while going through the Motions of doing Something…but never quite getting there…) it’s a big part of why their politics have aged so interestingly, in a way pretty much no other blockbusters of the time can lay claim to. imo. and thank you:)

[anna-does-a-fandom-thing]

nothing serious.

professor! anakin skywalker.

a/n: hiii! so, @fuckmyskywalker came up with the idea for this concept, and I've decided to write my own fic on it! LOVEE me some starwars boy. But put him in a SUIT?? drool worthyyy.

tw!: smut. lots of smut. ahem. p in v sex, sort of breeding kink? it's small but it's there. use of the name pet!! unprotected sex! do not attempt! dumification kink? also miniscule but there. big big sir kink. Anakin loves asserting the fact that he's the top here.

Disclaimer: 18+ only please! I'm not responsible for the media you consume as an adolescent!

description: Attending the most sought after university definitely was the best decision you'd made regarding your college career, but one perverted professor almost makes you want drop out entirely. Anakin Skywalker, was in no short terms, egotistical and a hard-ass. At least that's what you knew, so why is he asking to see you after class?

Ah, Corscuscant University. One of the most popular STEM universities in the country. The same STEM university you attended. Being a biology major, it was a no brainer for you come here. When you arrived as a freshman Corscuscant felt like your dream school, but like every dream, reality had set in. Your painful reality was Anakin Skywalker; your math professor. Professor Skywalker was one of, if not the most attractive man you had ever seen. He knew he was good looking, too. Almost every person in school had a crush on him, one of those people being you. That's not to say you didn't find him annoying as hell, but you could appreciate a good complexion when you saw one. Despite his good looks, it didn't change the fact that Anakin Skywalker was an egotistical hard ass, whose courses were next to impossible.

It was easy to ignore his big mouth and jabs at any poor soul unfortunate enough to get a question wrong in the beginning, focusing on your studies and logarithmic equations. However, as the class began to get more difficult, your counselor started suggesting attending his after school lessons. Something you couldn't be bribed to attend. But alas, hell hath no fury like a college counselor.

The good thing about Anakin's tutoring is that it's only on Fridays. The bad thing, is that it's a ghost town most days. if he's lucky, Anakin might get 2 or 3 students. So by the second semester, it became just you and him.

Anakin Skywalker was now aware of your existence. He was aware you sucked at math, and he was probably aware of your attraction to college professors who made even Pythagoras hate math. So now here the two of you were.

Just earlier that morning, you'd been notified that the tutoring had been canceled, so your plans for the evening were to go home and sleep. But, before you can walk out of the classroom, Professor Skywalker calls your name. Leaning against his chair, he looks at you piercingly. "Come to my office as soon as possible. We need to discuss your grade in my class."

"Yes professor. " You stuttered, sending a questioning glance to your friend. You walked towards Anakin's office, knowing he'd already be in the room. You hesitated to enter, dreading whatever miserable information he had to bestow upon you, in private. You noticed while peering into the room that he's got a paper in his hand. 'please don't be mine,' you pray.

Once you entered, you moved to stand in front of his desk. "Are you free to stay awhile? I have some questions about your last exam." He says, seeming relaxed. You DID have plans, no, you were not free. Ugh. You guess you can't deny your teacher, so you nod politely. "Great to hear." He says, motioning for you to walk around the desk.

Anakin rolls out his seat, and moves to stand. Now standing in his personal bubble, per his suggestion, you fidget with your hands. "So, what about my exam? Did I fail it, sir?" You start to get worried. "No, no, nothing like that. You actually made top of the class once I graded it." Anakin praised. "I'd actually like to offer you some extra credit."

Anakin motioned for you to take a seat on top of his desk. "What kind of credit?" You asked, now level eye level with his chin. "Just some extra course work and a few more sessions in the week." Anakin shrugged, almost distracted. You hesitated, "I suppose I can, uhm, do that." Anakin smiled at your stutter. He placed his hand under your chin and lifted it to meet his eyes. "You're certainly obedient. I like that." You felt your brain screech to a halt. "Excuse me, what?"

Is Professor Skywalker hitting on you? This has to be a dream. You look up at him, and lo and behold, he's staring right back. He looks hungry, like you're a delicious piece of meat. "You behave when and how i tell you to. Has anyone ever told you that's attractive?" Anakin clarifies, placing both of his hands on desk, trapping you under him. You bristle at his statement. "Sir! that's inappropriate!" Anakin just laughs, and leans in. He says, quietly, "That's alright, pet. It's only inappropriate if someone finds out. I don't intend on telling a soul."

You feel your nose subconsciously scrunch up in confusion. "Pet?" Where did that come from? "You're my little teacher's pet, aren't you? It'll be our little secret." Anakin places one hand on your thigh, the other further along the desk to prop himself up. You can feel his hand wander to your hip, and you're not sure you want to stop him. You didn't know someone's hands could feel that good, with his feather like movements. You're about to let him continue, until you remind yourself that you didn't lock his door. Anyone could walk in.

"Wait, not here. Someone will see." You try to push Anakin away, but he grabs your wrist to restrain you, gently. "Yes here. I can't stop myself." Anakin ducks his head below your chin, and places butterfly kisses along your throat. You hold it in, but you want to moan at his touch. Anakin pulls away, "I'm going to give you your first extra credit assignment. Answer these 3 questions."

You try to focus on his words and not the pooling heat between your legs. "Yes sir." You're pretty sure Anakin noticed you squeezing your thighs together like no tomorrow, and he's just saying these things to rile you up. He quietly moans at your obedience. "Good girl, keeping doing that." You look at him, "What, calling you sir?"

Anakin nods, giving your hip a squeeze. "Yeah, baby. It means you know who's in charge here."

Clearing his throat, Anakin begins. "Now, question one. are you aware of how tempting your body has been to me?" You can feel your cheeks lighting on fire. He's certainly been bold. "N-no sir."

"That's okay, beauty, I'll show you. Question two: will you let me kiss you?"

Oh fuck. You knew that was coming. Oh well, you only live once. "Yes sir." As soon as the words left your lips, Anakin had cupped your cheek, pulling you into a passionate kiss. Anakin was a good kisser. You'd figured that was probably true a while ago, but now? To feel him? It was overwhelming. He pushed against your mouth, using one hand to lift your leg against his hip. Using the new angle, Anakin deepened the kiss causing you both to moan against each other.

You can feel Anakin get more and more aggressive in the kiss, to the point he's pushing the desk a little. You pull away from him for a moment, causing him to chase your lips. "Anakin.." You start, but he cuts you off with a growl. "Who, pet?" You should've expected that one. "You, sir. You're pushing the desk apart." You correct yourself quietly, murmuring your concerns into his ear. Anakin frowns in thought before donning a sultry grin. "I've got a better place for us to continue, dear pet." Before you can question him, Anakin wraps your legs around his waist and takes your mouth in a kiss. He lifts you from the desk before walking towards the couch in the corner of his office.

You yelp as Anakin gently throws you onto it, and you're once again locking lips.

"Mm, sir.." You moaned into his mouth, feeling him crawl on top of you. Anakin smiles, looking down at such a pretty sight. "Such a good girl, pet. You gonna spread f'me?" Anakin tapped your thighs, and you pulled them apart at his request. Anakin settled himself between your legs. "For the last question, pet," Anakin pulls up your skirt and hooks his fingers into the hem of your underwear. "How badly do you want me to fuck you?" Feeling your heart speed up, you replied shaking, "So badly, sir. Please."

"Good girl. you've earned yourself an A+." He rasps, sitting up and undoing his belt. Craning your head, you watch as Anakin unzips his trousers. You almost gasp when he pulls out his dick. You're not even sure you can take him, with how large he is. "It's alright, pet, no need to look scared." Anakin cooed, kissing your jaw. He lifted up your skirt, and pulled on the hem of your underwear. Discarding them, you were now bare for his eyes to see. "We'll go slow, baby." Anakin reassured you, lining himself up with your entrance. Gently as Anakin could be, he pushed into you. Whimpering, you felt tears well up in your eyes. It was both painful and overwhelming, and you instinctually pushed at his chest. "Relax, little pet, relax." Anakin grunted, already being squeezed like a balloon waiting to be popped. Anakin finally bottomed out, after what felt like forever. It felt so good. "Tell me when, darling." Anakin refused to move until you gave him a sign. Taking several deep breaths, you nodded. "No, pet. give me words. Use them, baby."

"Please, sir."

"Please what, my girl?"

You knew Anakin was getting impatient, but you were so overwhelmed with pleasure it was hard to form words. You him growl in your ear. Feeling his hand touch your soft flesh, Anakin gripped your waist and moved without warning, "I'm not going to wait anymore, little pet." You couldn't help but let out a guttural moan. Holy shit. He was so big, and you've never felt so filled in your life. "Sir..!" You cried, pulling him down and kissing him. Anakin begins to kiss you passionately, pressing you into the sofa. His mouth meets yours in a loving and desperate kiss as he starts to move faster, causing your loud whining to be muffled. If you weren't blissed out, you'd die of embarrassment at the lewd noises the two of you created. Anakin, on the other hand, loved it. Feeling him speed up, you pulled away from his mouth and almost screamed. You knew you were close, and you told him so. "Sir, please! Close, close, please.. mm," You were practically crying from how good he felt. "I know pet, I know." Anakin replied, grunting when he felt you squeeze him harder. "God, keep squeezing and I'm gonna burst, baby, fuck."

Hooking his hands under your thighs, Anakin lifted them onto his shoulders, pressing you in half. The new angle made your insides burst with pleasure, making you scream. "C'mon pet, you can do it." Anakin encouraged, hitting all the right spots harder. "Cum for me baby, cum all over my dick, yeah?" His words sent shivers through your spine, and your eyes rolled. It was too much. The coil in your tummy snapped, and you finished with a moan.

However, Anakin didn't stop. Despite your release, Anakin moved even faster. "No, no, sir! I can't!" You cried, already overstimulated to high heaven. "Don't be selfish pet, i know you can do it," Tightening his grip on your thighs, Anakin grunted over, and over, and over with every thrust. "Don't want my cum, baby? huh? Don't want your teacher to fill you up till you're full?"

Too fucked out to use your brain to respond, you squeezed around him again. It was too much for you, and now, the last straw for him. Letting out an animalistic growl, Anakin buried himself as far in you as he could, bottoming out fully. Your tummy felt so warm, being painted with his load for what felt like forever to you.

He collapses on top of you, panting softly. "Such a good girl f'me, baby. M'so proud of you." He coos at you, still out of breath from the intensity of the moment. After a few seconds, Anakin lifts his head and chuckles. "Poor thing, too dumb to respond to me?" He gives your thigh a gentle squeeze. You whine at his teasing, pouting at him. He leans to your ear and whispers, "Don't be shy, baby. You did so good f'me."

[podcasts-8-my-heart]

Hint of Sugar

Ao3 Link

Chapter: 1/1

Rating: General

Archive Warning: No Archive Warning Applies

Fandoms: Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008) - All Media TypesStar Wars - All Media Types

Relationship: CC-2224 | Cody/Obi-Wan Kenobi

Characters: CC-2224 | Cody, Obi-Wan Kenobi

Additional Tags: Alternate Universe - College/University, absentminded kiss

Fic and Card under the readmore

@codywanfirstkissbingo

It’s one of the rare times that the Negotiator (The law students) and the Resolute (Anakin’s band of STEM majors) are able to meet in the same area, and have time for a shared meal with their hectic schedules. The y’re in the mess hall of the Law College because Obi-Wan swears it has better tea (and really, it does). Obi-Wan chose one of the tables in the middle with enough space for Waxer, Boil, Rex, Fives, Anakin, Ahsoka, and Cody to sit at. It was nice to be able to catch up with his fellow siblings and cousins, face to face, rather than through the group chat and TikToks.

Ahsoka was a freshman physics major that Obi-Wan’s adopted younger brother, Anakin, had become a mentor for her in making sure she wasn’t getting stressed out with her new workload. Cody later learned that Ahsoka had a girlfriend, Barriss on the volleyball team that they both played for. It was sweet, and reminded him of Bly and Aayla.

“So the homework from professor Ti is driving me up a wall,” Ahsoka said, through a bite of salad to Anakin.

“Did you ask Cal for help?” Anakin responded, looking up from his Mech-E textbook.

“He was busy helping another student with the homework and, well, Barriss and I had scheduled lunch…”

“Have you emailed Cal about it then?” Obi-Wan asked.

“No…”

“Ahsoka, I can’t be the only one that helps you with your physics homework, that’s what the TA’s are there for, right Obi-Wan?”

Obi-Wan hummed, “He’s right, you know.”

Ahsoka sighed, “Fine.”

Cody watched out of the corner of his eye as Ahsoka pulls her strawberry pink laptop out to write an email. He took a sip of his evening coffee, sighed, before getting his own laptop out. Cody was working on a paper for his Ethics of Arts, which focused on the potential implications of A.I. when he heard Obi-Wan speak.

“Well, I need to get to a meeting with a pre-Law student, so I’ll see you in a bit.”

Cody looked up to see Ahsoka get kissed on the forehead, Anakin’s curls, and then himself?

He froze.

“Ah.” Obi-Wan, face flushed and ears pink, before looking at his watch, “I better get going.”

Cody blinked. ‘What just happened?’

“Did he just?” Boil said.

“So it would seem…” Waxer replied.

They watched as Obi-Wan ran from the hall.

“Should I…?” Cody started.

“Run after him?” Anakin replied, “Then yes, yes you should.”

“I’ll be right back, guys.”

Cody slammed his laptop shut and bolted after Obi-Wan, the ginger’s forest green sweater still visible in the distance. He knows his best friend is worth it, and if he gets a new boyfriend out of it, then it's worth it, right?

[nomi--sunrider]

I’d love the ⭐️ director’s cut⭐️ of literally any scene you’d like to talk about from TNAA!! Your last notes are so fascinating. (Don’t know who complained about the fight scene- it hurt me in the same way the Anakin/Obi-Wan fight hurt me and it was so so good)

Any way I literally haven’t stopped thinking about your incredible fic!!!

Oh Stars, many people complained 😅 just read through the comment section on Chapter 25. Some are quite mean. It's okay though. If what I wrote was complex enough to challenge people, that's a good thing.

Another behind the scenes for Then, Now, and Always....hm. God, I feel like I gave my best in the first one. Oh, I know! I'll tell you about an early version of the plot I had.

I'm remembering stuff while reading through my first, very early drafting document. In this one, the Witch Plague vaccine I mention in Chapter 10: Jem's Gift, was much more important. Like, Raelle and Scylla actually crack it, they figure it out. The problem is that Alder can't do vaccines, the Biddy bond makes them not work. I actually had this whole subplot, like a big press-conference thing where General Alder is photographed getting the first dose of the vaccine to comfort the American witch population and assure them it's safe.

But of course, it's a dose of saline.

That was going to be the Chekhov's Gun of Arc III, instead of Hearst finding Alder's blood after the big duel and making Blood Plague from it. It's this big, classified-above-top-secret fakeout where Alder's actually deeply vulnerable to Witch Plague, really the only witch who is. This, rather than the Biddy bond, is why she's the only one who can stop the big explosion of plague from Silver's Fountain.

But I kept running into "oh then why would this happen? why would that happen? why would this be important?" sorts of issues. Eventually, I realized they all stemmed from the fact that if there's a Witch Plague vaccine, Witch Plague stops being a threat. And this completely undercuts the death factory as a plot device. This source of the Camarilla's power that the army is so desperate to find, that Tally breaks into a top secret government facility to find, that she commits high treason to find, that Nicte murders the Secretary of State over, is now sort of irrelevant. The stakes of Tally and Alder's death factory infiltration in Arc III are much lower. Not only that, but it blunts the Ozarks reveal in Chapter 28: Alder's Folly significantly. And given the first 27 chapters, that scene had to come down like the hand of God.

I realized that if I wanted the death factory to be a major plot device, I had to keep Witch Plague in the game as a big, terrifying weapon of mass destruction. Not only that, but I had to up the ante in order to make the death factory as critical as possible. So I leaned harder into Blood Plague. An even more dangerous Witch Plague that ended up introducing all of the DNA/eugenics/technology stuff, which brought thematic depth to the fic. Not only that, but the development of Blood Plague as an unstoppable weapon of war added a ticking clock, which every action-thriller needs.

The only real bummer is that I didn't realize all of this until after I'd written the first seven or so chapters. So Chapter 6: The Nightmare Bat was already done. If I was going to write Then, Now, and Always again, I'd have Alder and co. go up against Witch Plague during the Idaho extraction.

I actually feel quite silly for not doing that. Like, I wrote Raelle into the scene initially because I knew the Unit wouldn't be getting much screen time and she made more sense than Abigail, given she's a Fixer and Tally might have been injured. But looking back on it, why would Alder risk the army's most valuable asset by bringing her into the field if they didn't need the Witchbomb, specifically?

(This ties into my whole rant as to how dumb it was that Alder let Raelle off-base in Season 2, even with the protection detail.

Why??? The fuck???? Would you allow a priceless, one-of-a-kind, irreplaceable, war-ending asset to leave Fort Salem during an escalating conflict???? I know it's another Make The Plot Go decision so Raelle could be captured by the Camarilla, but come the fuck on, there's other ways that could have happened.)

Not only that, but I'm a big believer in Show, Don't Tell. Then, Now, and Always does a lot of Telling about the massive threat of Witch Plague, but not a lot of showing. In Chapter 10: Jem's Gift, Raelle tells Tally "Oh, it's weirder to not encounter Witch Plague in the field," after they pointedly don't encounter it in...really the only military field mission in the whole fic. That would have been the best time to Show, Not Tell.

They're trapped on the Idaho alpine plateau. Witch Plague is swarming in from all directions. It's a big black sea. A flood of pure death. No one can see the trees for it. Raelle's trying her best, there's glowing Witchbomb explosions everywhere, Alder's pouring torrents of lightning into the plague, Nicte's bombing the hell out of it with her jars, but it's not enough, not enough--

Until Tally puts her hands on the Nightmare Bat's console and gets it airborne.

In my defense, I started writing Then, Now, and Always before I'd really seen the show, so putting Witch Plague into the scene wasn't instinctive at that point. It's still a dope-ass scene and I'm proud of it. Just saying....y'know, if I was gonna do it again.

Fun additional fact: Tally mentions in Chapter 18: Hopi Cession that Witch Plague is being deployed more and more, becoming more dangerous, more aggressive because Tally's efforts in the mediasphere are working. A a few weeks ago, I started drafting a screenplay version of Then, Now, and Always as an alt-Season 3 and quickly realized I was going to need to actually show that action, versus just alluding to it. I came up with the coolest, most suspenseful, tragic, action-packed, badass, deeply allegorical episode of Motherland: Fort Salem ever.

And then I realized I couldn't write a Then, Now, and Always screenplay. It would be like composing a symphony, but never hearing it. A screenplay is just instructions. The medium is film. I could make a bangin' screenplay of Then, Now, and Always as the amazing, heart-stopping, transcendent final season of M:FS, but it could never be shot, and that would kill me. I'll save that idea for an original screenplay.

Thanks so much for the ask and for reading and enjoying the fic! I love all you guys very much.

[werothegreat]

It can be both things, and not everything in them necessarily has to be a conscious decision on George's part. It's really clear to me that Anakin fell to the Dark Side in large part because the Jedi failed. Yes, the prequels are about a democracy becoming a dictatorship. Yes, the PT and OT are about generational trauma and the relationship between parent and child. And they are also about how religious institutions can become too inward thinking and leave behind the people they're supposed to be protecting.

Throughout the prequels, the Jedi look at Anakin with distrust and disdain. He's "too old", he's "too emotional". He cares too much about his mother. And instead of getting this traumatized former slave actual psychiatric care, or any sort of nurturing that a child needs, he's told to just bottle everything up and ignore it. Or rather, he's told to "let go", but he doesn't know how to do that, and no one ever tells him, so it just sits inside him, festering. And his instructors just roll their eyes and curl their lips and pass him along.

THIS HAPPENS IN REAL LIFE. I'm working my way through grad school in a STEM field and I have had professors see struggling students - myself and others - and just assume it's a failing on the student's part rather than their own inability to teach the material properly. This is how people get left behind by the system.

And so in swoops Palpatine, all smiles and understanding. Of course Anakin gravitates toward him. Of course Anakin trusts him. Palpatine would not have been able to groom him if the Jedi had just done their fucking job in the first place.

The Jedi failed to notice the Sith lord in their own midst. They were arrogant and cocky. They were complacent. They were convinced of their own superiority.

And Yoda realizes this. "Failed, I have." Obi-Wan only remembers the good parts of the Jedi Order - the Order that helped the downtrodden, who stood up for truth and dignity, and that's what he tries to teach Luke in the OT. But Yoda? In Luke he sees the exact same potential for darkness that his father had. But he also struggles with his own failings - he recognizes that how he teaches has to change. How do you teach an adult, someone who isn't a malleable toddler, to transcend their emotional attachments and engage with the greater, supernatural world around them? You have to teach by example, and you have to let them make their own mistakes.

And when Yoda comes back in TLJ, after Luke has learned the truth about what happened in the prequel era, and has become disillusioned with the myth of the Jedi's greatness, Yoda finally realizes what went wrong. It's not about dogma and scripture, it's not about suppressing your emotions. It's about acceptance. Accepting that sometimes you will fail. Accepting that not everyone will approach the Force in the same way. Accepting that emotions are a part of the humanoid experience that you can't just get rid of, and that in ignoring them you drive more people toward the Dark Side, as they find it the only place they can freely express themselves.

The Jedi did fail, and that failure is a major theme of the prequels. The point is being able to learn from that failure.

I'd say where the dissonance really starts, when it comes to the portrayal of the Jedi in more recent Star Wars stories, is the perception of what the Prequels are about.

They're not about the Jedi.

George Lucas said over and over that they're about:

How a democracy turns into a dictatorship, we see this in the background of the films, as the Republic descends into becoming the Empire.

That first theme is then paralleled with a second theme: how a good kid becomes a bad man. We see this in the more character-driven and personal exploration of Anakin’s fall to the Dark Side.

The Prequels’ focus is on Anakin and the Republic, these films are not primarily about the fall of the Jedi. In fact, I’d argue they aren’t about the Jedi at all!

And when you look at the original backstory, you’ll notice that it also primarily focuses on:

The political subplot of the Republic’s downfall and Palpatine becoming the Emperor.

Anakin’s turn and his betrayal of the Jedi. 

So, there too… the Jedi themselves aren’t really that big a part of the Prequels’ original idea. They aren't mentioned much, beyond their trying to save the Senate and getting wiped out.

The Star Wars movies aren't about the Jedi, they're about Anakin and Luke, they're about Obi-Wan and Padmé and Han and Leia, the Rebellion vs the Empire, the fall of the Republic.

They're not about Ben and Yoda and Mace and Ki-Adi and Plo Koon and Shaak Ti and Luminara.

Just like Harry Potter isn't about Dumbledore and McGonagall. Just like the Lord of the Rings isn't about Gandalf.

On a functional level, the Jedi are:

POV characters who witness the events unfold with their hands tied, they're our anchors, whose eyes we see through to see democracy crumble into dictatorship.

Embodiments/vectors of the message George Lucas wanted to get across through these movies, which is the conflict between selfishness & selflessness, greed & compassion (Sith & Jedi).

But that's about it.

However, if you ask today’s fans and Star Wars creatives, most will say the Prequels are about the fall of the Jedi Order.

This is a take shared by a big chunk of the fandom, including various filmmakers, authors, and executives involved with Star Wars, so much so that the time period the Prequel films cover has now been redubbed by Lucasfilm as the “Fall of the Jedi era”.

Which leaves us with a question... why? Why the dissonance?

My guess? It's because the Jedi are cool. They're awesome.

And deep down, they wanted the Prequels to be about the Jedi. About the Jedi Knights at their height, errant warriors like the Knights of the Round Table.

And they didn't get that. They got a bunch of diplomats serving a political institution. And that didn't make sense, right? That's not what they expected so it's bad. And it's Star Wars. It's Lucas. It can't be bad, right? So like... what were they missing?

Oh... wait... what if... that's the point? That the Jedi were supposed to be Knight Errants and being guided by the Force instead of like - ew - space ambassadors for the Republic. Yeah now it all makes sense.

The Jedi in the Prequels aren't what we wanted them to be and that's their failure! Like, it's not just that I didn't like them because they weren't likeable to me, it's that I'm not supposed to like them because the narrative totally says so--

-- it doesn't.

The Jedi preach and practice the same Buddhist values as George Lucas, mirroring what he says in interviews almost verbatim.

The relationship between Obi-Wan and Anakin/Qui-Gon mirrors the dynamic between Lucas and Coppola.

The designs of the Jedi and their temple had to be toned down because they looked too bureaucratic and systemic.

This is Lucas we're talking about. "On the nose" is his middle name. He named the drug-peddling sleazebag "Elan Sleazebaggano." He ditched an elaborate introduction of General Grievous in exchange for just "the doors slide open, in walks Grievous and he's ugly."

If he had really been hell bent on framing the Jedi as elitist squares who lost their way and were mired in bureaucracy, he would've made them and the Jedi Temple look like the authorities in THX-1138.

They weren't likeable to some fans because, well, they weren't developed or shown as much as someone like Anakin. Because it's not about them. It's not their story. It's Anakin's. It's Luke's. It's their respective friends'. Or maybe it's an adversity to "perfect goody two-shoes" characters (which the Jedi are not). But hey, it's a movie for kids. Some 2-dimensionality is forgivable.

Bottom line, had more time been spent on the Jedi, had Lucas made the Prequels into a limited show and give them a whole subplot, had he decided to do away with the 30s serial dialog and let someone else write the dialog, maybe the reception might've been different.

But that's what we got. And guess what it's fine.

It's more than fine, it's fucking awesome.

I proudly and confidently say that I love the Prequels, with and without The Clone Wars.

I love my space monks, I love that they're diplomat wizards, I love that there's such a variety of them, I love that Mace is a no-bullshit guy who genuinely cares about his fellow Jedi and how screwed the Republic is, and Yoda is wise and kind but also a gremlin weirdo who'll embarass you in front of a classroom full of kids, and Ki-Adi has a penis for a head, is constantly calm and yet goes down like a champ even though they take him by surprise. I love that Shaak Ti can kung fu an army full of Magna Guards and still have the energy to charge at Grievous. I love that Obi-Wan is a sass machine who is also hilariously oblivious to the fact that he's just as terrible as Anakin.

They're awesome even if they're not perfect. They're awesome because they're not perfect.

But the movies are not really their story.

They're Anakin's. They're Luke's. They're the Republic's and the Rebellion's. And the fight against a space Nazi emperor/empire.

[asocial-skye]

This is like, the weirdest headcanon ever, but I think that the Jedi would be like, terrible in regards to STEM. Like, if you wanted to go into STEM, you'd best be going to Coruscant University or space Community College because you ain't getting classes at the Jedi Temple. Qui-Gon believes that midichondrians impregnated Anakin's mom with like zero evidence other than a vague answer of "there was no father."

Everything about the Jedi screams "philosophy, humanities, ethnic and gender studies." This is like, humanities school paradise. No grades, no rigid structures. The Jedi teach their kids in beanbag shares and have weekly circles where everyone shares out their interpretation of space Macbeth or Romeo and Juliet. The Jedi have reading lists of literature throughout the galaxy in time (the Jedi Library definitely had the largest collection of books in the galaxy, which pisses me off that its not a public archive) and have a set amount of books you need to read by the end of the year. The Jedi write on-demand essays every other day in class alongside laser sword training, and have three essays due per week.

Don't get me wrong, humanities is great. It's excellent, and I do think that if Anakin paid a little more attention in Ethics or AP Galactic Government, his political views might have been developed a bit more beyond, "Jedi Council but on a larger, evilier scale", but fuck, I would never want to go to Jedi school. I like creative writing sure, but oh Lord would I die if I had to spend every day analyzing books, and doing philosophical shit.

It makes perfect sense that Anakin "I built a robot at nine and enjoy doing the calculus necessary to refit warships" Skywalker would chafe in the Jedi Order. You put a STEM child in a humanities-oriented school.

[idontknowwhattoputasmyusernameee]

Star Boy

Chapter 5

Age:15, Year: 25 BBY

Word Count: 5,821

Warnings: Slavery and mentions of violence

A/N: I’ve been on spring break this week so I’ve managed to write at least two chapters, this one and another one. Also we’re slowly approaching AOTC and I’m pretty excited for that. Writing this is so much fun and it has gotten to the point where I’ve been neglecting my studies. Cries in STEM major. But anyways hope y’all are enjoying it cause I know I am. 

"Huh?" The blue Toydarian stared at you.

"I'm looking for Shmi Skywalker," you repeated, attempting to sound non-threatening.

Watto fluttered towards your face, getting close and personal, "Who are you, huh? Coming in here and demanding to see my property? Get out of here." He waved a wrench in your face, using it as a threatening weapon.

You couldn't help but sigh inwardly. Anakin had told you stories about Watto's hot-headedness, and it seemed like he was living up to his reputation. "Look, I just want to talk to her. I don't want any trouble, so if you could just--”

"No, I won't ask you again. Leave before I make you," he threatened, growing impatient with your continued harassment.

Watto's wrench was still in the air, waving around carelessly due to his anger. In an effort to disarm him, you reached out your hand and summoned the metal tool into your own hand.

His eyes widened in fear as he silently deduced what was happening and recognized who you were.

"A Jedi...”

"More or less," you deadpanned. "Now, take me to Shmi Skywalker.”

Watto's face twisted in contemplation, his beady eyes darting back and forth as he weighed his options. The gears in his mind were practically visible as he considered the consequences of his decision.

He growled, "Alright, follow me, but no funny business. Last time a Jedi came, they managed to take one of my slaves.”

You bit down on your lower lip, feeling the familiar sting of your teeth digging into your flesh. It was a nervous habit that you had developed over the years, a way to keep yourself from revealing too much. You knew that you had to be careful around Watto, that one wrong move could ruin everything. So you tried to keep your expression neutral, even as your heart pounded in your chest.

"Of course, I just need to discuss a few things and then I'll be on my way," you assured him.

As you followed Watto through the streets of Tatooine, his wings flapping furiously, you couldn't help but notice the wary glances of the people around you. The locals viewed you as an intruder in their dusty, barren home, and who could blame them? The buildings were dilapidated, with peeling paint and crumbling walls, and the streets were littered with debris. It was a harsh and unforgiving environment, where the sun beat down relentlessly on the backs of its residents. The air was thick with the smell of dust and grime, and the only sounds were the occasional rustle of cloth or the flap of wings. You had seen worse, but that didn't make the reality of the situation any less jarring. It was clear that Tatooine was a place where even the strongest struggled to survive.

Finally, Watto led you to a small, run-down hut that looked like it could collapse at any moment. The boards creaked and the walls groaned as you stepped inside. The air was thick and heavy, and the smell of must and mildew filled your nostrils.

You were struck by the simplicity of the space. The furniture was minimal, consisting of only a small cot pushed up against one wall and a rickety wooden chair tucked into a corner. A few pots and pans hung from the ceiling, while a small makeshift dining table was located in the center of the room. The walls were bare, with no decorations or artwork to speak of. However, as you took a closer look, you noticed a few drawings of creatures hanging on the wall above the table. You could only assume that they were drawn by Anakin, and they added a touch of warmth and personality to an otherwise spartan environment. Despite the lack of material possessions, the space felt homey and cozy, a testament to the resilience and resourcefulness of its resident.

You could hear a clinking sound noisily move in your direction. You stood up straight to address whoever it was but paused when you saw a golden protocol droid come into view.

"Meh, I'm leaving, and remember, no funny business,” Watto said, pointing a crooked finger at you before he left.

As Watto fluttered away, you rolled your eyes. His wings beat furiously against the hot Tatooine air, carrying him off into the distance.

"Oh, hello. Where are you supposed to be?" the droid asked. You looked around, thinking it was talking to someone else, but then realized it was actually addressing you.

"Oh, I'm not," you said as you removed your robotic mask, revealing your human face. Your skin was slightly flushed from the Tatooine heat, and your hair was slick with perspiration. "Sorry, I'm human.”

The droid made a mechanical squeal as it approached you, grabbed your hand, and shook it enthusiastically. "Pleasure to meet you. I am C-3PO, human-cyborg relations," it said.

"My name is Y/N," you said as your arm kept moving. "Can I have my arm back, please?”

Startled, he jumped back and released your hand. "Oh, my apologies. We don't get many visitors here.”

You nodded in understanding. "That's all right." You watched the droid walk toward the kitchen, grab a glass from a cupboard, and fill it with water. "I'm looking for Shmi. Do you know where she is?”

C-3PO turned around and placed the glass on the makeshift dining table. "I'm afraid she's not here at the moment. She's out working on the moisture farm," C-3PO replied, with a look of concern on his metallic face. "Is there something I can help you with in the meantime?”

You shook your head, “No, that’s alright. I’ll just wait for her to come back.” You took a seat at the table, glancing at the drawings once again. “Do you know when she’ll be back?”

C-3PO tilted his head. "I'm not entirely sure, but I believe it should be soon.”

As the door creaked open, a figure emerged, shrouded in a headscarf and goggles to protect against the persistent Tatooine winds. The woman's frame was small and frail, and her clothing was tattered and worn. Despite the harsh conditions of the environment, she still managed to maintain a sense of dignity and grace. Her eyes were weary and cautious, as if she had seen too much in her lifetime. As she stepped tentatively into the room, you could sense the tension in the air, the uncertainty of what was to come.

As you stood up from your seat, you immediately recognized her. Sensing the apprehension around her, she looked at you and asked, "Can I help you?" Her voice was soft and hesitant.

"My name is Y/N. I am a friend of Anakin's.”

As soon as you mentioned Anakin's name, Shmi's eyes softened, and she looked around the room with a mixture of hope and despair. You could see the longing in her gaze, the desire to be reunited with her son after all these years. Her eyes flicked back and forth between you and the door, as if expecting Anakin to burst through it at any moment. However, you shook your head, and her expression fell.

"Sorry, it's just me. I have a few things to discuss with you if you'd let me.”

She nodded, took off the scarf and goggles from her head, and walked to the kitchen.

“Can I get you anything to drink or eat?” She asked. You smiled but declined.

"So... what's so important that you had to come all the way to Tatooine to find me?" she tapped her nails against the wooden table, fidgeting around to calm her racing heart, hoping that there wasn't anything wrong with Anakin.

Your expression turned serious as you considered what to say.

"I've come to free you.”

Confusion was evident on her face as she blinked. "I'm sorry?" she asked.

You leaned forward and placed your hand over hers. "I've come to save you from this place," you said.

Shmi's tears came suddenly, bursting forth like a dam breaking. She buried her face in her hands, her body wracked with sobs.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to upset you.”

"She shook her head. "No. I'm not upset—these are happy tears," she replied. She stood up from her seat and immediately embraced you in a big hug. Your hands hung limply at your sides for a moment, caught off guard and uncomfortable with physical affection. But your arms soon wrapped around her, knowing she needed the comfort.

As you held her tightly, you felt her body trembling with sobs. Eventually, she pulled away and wiped away her tears. "Thank you, thank you so much," she whispered with a voice heavy with emotion, holding your face in her weathered hands. You could see the overwhelming gratitude and relief etched on her face, and you knew deep down that coming to Tatooine was the right decision.

"But how? Why?" she asked, wiping away tears.

You explained everything from the beginning, including your time as a Padawan, your kidnapping, and how you ended up here. She listened with intrigue; her eyes widened at certain parts and turned sorrowful at others.

"Then, I decided to come here. When we were little, I promised Anakin that I would help free the slaves on Tatooine. However, I only have enough money for one person," you finished your story, revealing all the credits hidden in your boots. Her eyes widened at the amount, never having seen so much in her life.

You picked up the pouches of credits and placed them on the chair next to you. As a spice runner and smuggler, you had accumulated enough wealth over time to buy anything you wanted. However, since you were raised not to care about possessions, your thoughts drifted to people in need. You knew that this money could help countless individuals, and Shmi included.

"Watto will take whatever you have. He's been struggling ever since Ani left.”

You raised your brows at that. "I could tell. He did seem a bit out of sorts.”

She snorted, "You could say that.”

The smile she gave you brought you back to the temple, reminding you of Anakin. As you reminisced, you were struck by the sudden memory of his smile. It was a smile that could light up a room, radiating warmth and joy. You could almost feel his presence beside you and hear his laughter ringing in your ears. It was in moments like these that you missed him most, when the weight of his absence felt heavy and suffocating. You longed to see him again, to feel his reassuring presence by your side. But you knew it was unlikely, that he was off on his own adventure fulfilling his destiny as the Chosen One. So you pushed the thought aside and focused on the task at hand.

"Are you all right?" she asked.

You nodded, pushing away your thoughts. "Yeah, I'm okay, just thinking. Is there anything else I need to know about Watto before I negotiate?”

She shook her head. "No, but I do have this chip implanted. It discourages me from traveling off-world. If I do, then... you know.”

You furrowed your brow, understanding the implications of what she meant. At the temple, you never realized just how differently others had lived, too sheltered by the Jedi to understand the difficulties that others faced. When you lived with Hondo, you saw just about every kind of evil, and in some ways, it made you bitter toward the Jedi. You came to the conclusion that the order was hypocritical and unjust, placing themselves on a higher pedestal and turning a blind eye to the suffering in the outside world, despite having the power to stop it. This was one of the reasons why you never went back; you didn't want to be part of an order with an insane god complex.

In simpler terms, you had a reality check. Over the years, there have been many instances where you have been humbled, and this is one of those times. You have come to realize just how difficult Anakin's mother's situation was. She was taken into slavery, raised her son alone as a single mother, and had her son taken away by an order that couldn't save her. Her life was far from easy, and in just a few minutes of being in her presence, you could truly say how much you admired her. You admired her strength and optimism. Despite having everything taken away from her, it seemed like no obstacle was too great for her to overcome.

After a while, you rose from your seat and informed her that you would return. She wished you farewell and good luck. Despite her confidence in you, she knew better than to get her hopes up, aware of Watto's stubbornness that would be difficult to overcome. However, you were confident that you could make a deal. You were, after all, the most cunning sixteen-year-old in the galaxy. Although you weren't particularly proud of it, you could also say that you were the most manipulative. You had learned to get what you wanted over the years with Hondo.

After a short walk, you returned to where you had first found Watto. To your relief, he was still outside, banging on whatever scrap metal he was working on.

He noticed your shadow looming over him, blocking the sun's heat from his skin. His eyes rose to meet yours, and it was clear that he was unhappy.

"I thought you would have left by now," he grumbled, returning to the incessant banging.

Without hesitation, you retrieved the credits from inside your robes and placed them in front of him. Watto's eyes widened at the sight, clearly impressed.

"I'd like to make a deal with you," you said, your voice calm and collected.

He looked around the area, making sure no one was present to hear.

"Come inside," he uttered, "quick.”

The inside of the shop was cluttered and chaotic, with piles of scrap metal and discarded machinery littering every surface. The air was thick with the smell of oil and rust, making it difficult to breathe. The walls were stained with grime and grease, and the ceiling was so low that you had to duck your head to avoid hitting it. The only source of light came from a small, flickering bulb hanging from a frayed wire, casting eerie shadows across the room. It was clear that Watto had no interest in keeping the place clean or organized; it was simply a place to store his valuables and conduct his business.

"Sit," he commanded, motioning for you to take a seat on one of the dusty barrels or stools surrounding the rough-looking table.

"That's all right, I think I'll stand for now.”

He shrugged and fluttered over to the table, then sat down. "So, what kind of deal are we talking about?" he asked.

"I'd like to... buy Shmi Skywalker," the words tasted bitter as they left your mouth. You didn't like the way they sounded.

He laughed, clearly amused by your request. "Buy her? You Jedi are all the same. You think you can just come in here and take whatever you want. Well, I'm not selling my property, not even to a Jedi.”

You leaned forward with a serious expression. "I'm not asking for a handout. I'm offering a fair price for her freedom, and I have the credits to back it up." You slid the pouches across the table, the sound of metal clinking against wood filling the room.

"No," he said.

You raised your eyebrows. "No? I'm offering you more than a fair price for a slave.”

Watto shook his head. "It's not just about the credits; she's been with me for years. She's part of my family.”

You scoffed, "Family? You buy and sell people. I'm not buying that excuse.”

Watto's face grew red with anger and frustration, and he stood up from his seat, his wings flapping furiously. You could see the veins bulging in his neck and temples, and his nostrils flared as he struggled to keep his temper in check. Watto stood up, his face growing red. "You don't understand, it's not that simple.”

Frustration mounted within you as you narrowed your eyes at him. You had expected some resistance from the Toydarian, but his stubbornness was starting to test your patience. “Then make it simple," you said sharply. "Sell her to me, or I leave with my credits and you dead."

Watto's eyes widened at your threat, and he took a step closer to you, brandishing his wrench menacingly. "You wouldn't dare," he hissed, as the wrench in his hand inched closer to your face. "I'm not afraid of Jedi. I've dealt with your kind before.”

You stood your ground and refused to back down. You had come too far to let Watto's threats intimidate you. Your hand instinctively went to your blaster, ready to defend yourself if necessary. "Is that so?" you replied calmly, never taking your eyes off of his. "I'm not here to cause trouble, Watto. I just want to buy Shmi's freedom. You know as well as I do that it's the right thing to do."

Watto hesitated, his eyes flickering back and forth between you and the pouches of credits on the table. You could tell he was considering your offer, but there was still a hint of reluctance in his expression.

"Think about it. Those credits will buy you a new life, away from this place. You won't have to struggle to make ends meet anymore.”

He looked conflicted, glancing at the credits for a moment before turning back to you. "Fine," he said in a whisper. "I'll sell her to you.”

You let out a breath that you didn't realize you were holding, feeling relief wash over you. You had done it - you had freed Anakin's mother.

"Thank you," you said, your voice sincere. "I promise you won't regret this.”

As Watto handed you the datapad, you noticed that his eyes were downcast and his demeanor was defeated. You could sense the conflict within him as he muttered, "Just take her and go." Despite his status as a Toydarian slave owner, you couldn't help but feel a twinge of sympathy for him.

Without a word, you took the datapad from him, trying to hide your emotions. As you turned to leave, a sense of accomplishment washed over you. You had done something good, something that would make Anakin proud. Part of you wanted to fly to the temple and tell him what you had done, but you knew that you still had a long way to go before you could truly call this a success.

You had promised Shmi that you would help her escape from slavery, but you still needed to figure out how to get her off the planet and to a safe place. You also knew that there would be repercussions for your actions and that you needed to be prepared for anything that came your way. But for now, you felt content in the knowledge that you had taken the first step towards keeping your promise to Anakin.

…

After your success, Shmi invited you to live with her for a while. Grateful for a place to stay while you figured out your next move, you accepted her invitation. Over the course of the next week, you managed to deactivate the chip. You told her of your plans to move her off-planet, but to your surprise, she refused. She insisted on staying in her quaint little hut, saying that there were too many memories to leave behind. You understood, knowing how difficult change could be, especially since this was the only life she knew. Together, you made her hut feel like a home. With more money and time, she was able to decorate it the way she wanted.

As you spent more time with Shmi, you learned about her life and struggles. She told you about her experience as a slave, the harsh conditions, and the constant fear of being sold to someone worse. She shared her pain about the day Anakin was taken from her, how she cried for days, and the loneliness she felt after he was gone.

Hearing about the hardships she had gone through broke your heart. You felt grateful that you had been able to help her in some small way. Every day, she insisted that you stay with her and live with her until she got her bearings. You realized that she felt lonely, and you couldn't bear to leave her alone. So you stayed by her side.

You and Shmi walked through the bustling streets of Mos Espa, where the annual market had just opened. The cacophony of sounds and sights was overwhelming, and you couldn't help but feel a sense of wonder at the vibrant scene around you. Vendors shouted out their wares, their voices blending together into a symphony of noise. People haggled over prices, their faces animated with excitement and anticipation. The smells of exotic fruits and spices filled the air, adding to the sensory overload. You and Shmi weaved through the crowds, admiring the colorful displays of fabrics, intricate jewelry, and curious trinkets. The chaotic energy of the market was a stark contrast to the desolate and barren desert that surrounded the town, and it was clear that Shmi was enjoying herself. She held a small basket woven from grass in one hand and clutched your arm with the other, her eyes wide with wonder as she took in the sights and sounds around her.

Suddenly, her footsteps stopped, causing you to turn your head.

"What's wrong?" you asked her.

She shook her head, her face turning red. "It's nothing. I just saw someone I knew," she said, trailing off and looking around the crowd.

You followed her gaze, trying to see whom she was looking at. However, the sea of people made it impossible to spot anyone in particular. "Who is it?" you asked, your curiosity piqued.

Shmi shook her head. "No one important. Just an old acquaintance," she said, though you could tell there was more to the story. Her eyes kept glancing ahead to a small vendor where a family stood.

“Is that who you're looking at?” you asked, nodding toward the family.

She blushed even more and nodded, knowing it was useless to lie to you.

"That man, with the greying hair, his name is Cliegg Lars," she sighed. "He's a moisture farmer.”

You smirked, knowing where her emotions were leading her.

"You like him," you meant for it to come out as a question, but instead it floated out as a statement.

She shook her head. "No, it's not like that. We're just friends." But you could see the way her eyes lit up at the mention of his name and the way her cheeks flushed at the thought of him.

You couldn't help but smile. "Well, we should go say hello," you said, taking her hand and leading her towards the vendor. As you approached the family, you noticed the way Cliegg looked at Shmi, his eyes softening at the sight of her. It was clear that there was more than just friendship between them, and you couldn't help but feel happy for Shmi.

"Shmi," he nodded before looking at you. "Who's this?" he asked, eyeing you curiously.

Before you could introduce yourself, she beat you to it.

"This is Y/N, a friend of Anakin's. She's a Jedi.”

You smiled impishly not used to the attention you were receiving. You didn’t want to make a bad impression so you decided to play it off as nothing.

"It's nice to meet you, Cliegg. I'm just here visiting Shmi.”

He nodded at you before turning his attention back to her.

You watched their interactions with glee, seeing the spark between them as they spoke. Though they may have been just friends long ago, today they seemed to be something more, like young lovers finally reuniting. After a while, the two of you said your goodbyes.

As you made your way back to Shmi's hut, you felt content. The day had been a pleasant distraction from the weight of the world that usually rested on your shoulders. You were grateful for the chance to spend time with Shmi and see her happy. And you couldn't deny the small spark of excitement that had ignited within you at the thought of what could happen between Shmi and Cliegg.

As you walked through the door of Shmi's hut, the familiar smell of must and mildew hit you. But instead of feeling the usual discomfort, you felt a sense of comfort. This place had become a home away from home for you, and you were grateful for the chance to stay here with Shmi.

Shmi hung up her basket and turned to face you with a small smile. "Thank you for today," she said softly.

You grinned and said, "No need to thank me. I had a great time.”

She walked over to the small stove and began preparing tea. "I'm glad you could come with me. It's nice to have someone to share these moments with.”

You nodded, "I know what you mean. It's easy to get caught up in the bigger picture and forget about the small moments that make life worth living.”

As the tea brewed, you and Shmi sat down at the dining table. Anakin's drawings of creatures still hung on the wall above it.

"How did you two meet?" you asked.

Lost in thought, she smiled. "I was about twenty years old. He was twenty-five, I believe. He was handsome, strong, and an all-around good man. At the time, I had just been sold to Watto, who had me pick up parts at nearby markets. Each day, I would see him talking to the shopkeepers. I admired him from afar but never approached him until he came up to me one day.”

She explained how he had approached her, offering to help carry some of the parts back to Watto's shop. They struck up a conversation, and before she knew it, they were spending more and more time together.

"But then he stopped talking to me. I could never understand why until I confronted him. Apparently, his parents found out about us and forbade him from talking to me, or he would be shunned.”

You listened intently, sympathizing with Shmi as she spoke. "So I let him go. He was angry with me for not putting up a fight, but eventually I think he understood. He couldn't be with a slave like me," you furrowed your brow at her words. "Later on, he got married to a pretty girl, and together they had a son just a bit older than Ani.”

"I'm sorry," you said softly, not knowing what else to say.

Shmi smiled sadly. "It's okay. It was a long time ago," she said before taking a sip of her tea. "But seeing him again today brought back a lot of memories.”

You nodded in understanding and said, "I can imagine. It's hard to see the one that got away.”

Shmi chuckled softly and said, "I don't know if he was the one that got away, but he was definitely the one that could have been.”

You smiled at her words. "Well, who knows what the future holds? Maybe there's still a chance for you two.”

Shmi's eyes lit up at the possibility. "Do you think so?”

You shrugged and said, "Anything's possible. Just look at me. I never thought I'd be here on Tatooine, helping to free slaves and reconnecting lost loves.”

Shmi smiled at your words and replied, "You're right. Anything is possible." She finished her tea and stood up, saying, "But for now, I think it's time for bed.”

As you and Shmi headed to your respective cots, you gazed up at the skylight, watching the stars twinkle in the distance. The idea of a rekindled romance excited you, taking you back to the countless books you used to read. Your view of romance had been warped by the teachings of the Jedi, but your curiosity during your time away had led you to explore the world of love. From your findings, you knew how intense and deep it could be. On one hand, you understood the darkness of it, the jealousy and pain it could bring. On the other hand, you couldn't help but feel drawn to it, the idea of finding someone who understood and loved you for who you were. As you drifted off to sleep, you wondered what the future held for you and Shmi. For now, all you could do was be present in the moment and watch the stars.

As days passed, the relationship between Cliegg and Shmi grew stronger. He would visit the two of you at the moisture farms behind the town, paying special attention to Shmi. You smiled happily each time as she recounted her conversations with him.

"Then he told me how he wanted to take me out to dinner," Shmi giggled. "It's been ages since I've been on a proper date.”

You grinned, "That sounds wonderful.”

Shmi blushed, "Thank you, Y/N. I'm grateful for everything you've done for me.”

You shook your head, “Don't mention it. I'm just happy to see you happy.”

As the days passed, you spent most of your time with Shmi, helping her with daily chores, cooking together, and spending time with her new beau. You couldn't help but feel a sense of belonging in this place, and a part of you didn't want to leave. However, you knew that you had to move on. You couldn't stay on Tatooine forever, no matter how much you wanted to.

As you sat outside, gazing up at the twinkling stars, Shmi quietly joined you. She wore a wistful smile that didn't quite reach her eyes, and the light from the stars cast a soft glow over her face. The two of you sat in comfortable silence, lost in your own thoughts as you contemplated the vastness of the galaxy. The stars were particularly bright tonight, and you couldn't help but feel a sense of wonder at the beauty of it all. The silence between you was peaceful, a welcome respite from the chaos of the world. Despite the harshness of Tatooine, there was a certain magic to it all, a feeling that couldn't be described in words.

"I have something to tell you," she said, her features displaying a mixture of apprehension and excitement. "Cliegg... asked me to marry him.”

You couldn't contain your joy as you watched Shmi's face light up with the news of Cliegg's proposal. Her eyes shone with happiness, and a smile that stretched from ear to ear graced her lips. It was a beautiful moment, and you felt grateful to have been there to witness it. You pulled her into a tight hug, feeling the warmth of her embrace as she squeezed you tightly. "That's wonderful news!" you exclaimed, your voice filled with excitement. "I'm so happy for you." Shmi's joy was contagious, and you couldn't help but feel happy as well. Anakin would have wanted this for his mother, and you were glad she had found someone to share her life with. As you pulled away, you looked into her eyes and saw love and gratitude shining back at you. This was a moment you would never forget, and it would stay with you for a long time to come.

Shmi's voice broke with emotion as she spoke, her eyes glistening with unshed tears. You could see the joy in her expression, the light that had been missing for so long finally returning.

"You deserve to be happy, Shmi," you said, reaching out to take her hand. "You've been through so much, and you deserve to find love again."

She nodded, acknowledging that she deserved it. "I'm just so grateful for you," she said. "You're a kind person, and you've done so much for me. I don't know how to thank you.”

You smiled,"Seeing you happy is thanks enough. Now, when is the wedding? I expect we have much to prepare for.”

Shmi smiled at you and said, "We haven't decided on a date yet, but I'll let you know as soon as we do." You nodded, happy to help in any way you could. As the night wore on, the two of you sat in comfortable silence and watched the stars twinkle in the sky.

…

The next few weeks were chaotic. Shmi was an emotional wreck, trying to prepare for the wedding and move from one house to another. Every day, you knew that your time with her was running out. By the day of the wedding, you planned on saying goodbye.

The ceremony was both beautiful and simple. Only seven of you were present: you, Shmi, Cliegg, his son Owen, his daughter-in-law Beru, C-3PO, and a hired priest. The vows were beautiful, acknowledging their tragic past and the enduring nature of their love. Following the ceremony, you all gathered in the Lars’s home below to eat and celebrate with traditional Tatooine food. However, by the end of the celebration, you knew you had to leave.

Shmi walked you out, with a wide smile still displayed on her face.

"Thank you for everything, Y/N," Shmi said, with tears welling up in her eyes. "I don't know how to repay you.”

You hugged her tightly and said, "You don't have to do anything. Just promise me that you'll be happy and safe.”

She pulled away and wiped her tears. "I will. And you promise me that you'll come back and visit," she said.

You nodded, "Of course. I'll come back and visit whenever I can.”

As you turned to leave, you realized you had grown attached to this place and to Shmi. You knew you had to depart but couldn't help feeling sad at the thought of saying goodbye. With a heavy heart, you walked away from the Lars home and returned to Mos Espa to plan your departure.

"That was admirable, young Y/L/N.”

You stopped and turned to face the voice. Instinctively, your hand went to your blaster. Before you stood a tall and imposing figure, his cloak swirling around him in the wind. Although his face was obscured by a hood, you could feel his gaze on you. "Who are you?" you asked, your voice steady.

The figure stepped closer, its presence almost suffocating. "I am a friend," it said, its voice deep and gravelly. "And I have been watching you.”

You tensed, not liking the sound of that. "Watching me?”

The figure nodded, with their hood still obscuring their face. "Yes. Follow me. Your journey is about to begin.”

Next Part

[the-far-bright-center]

I'm not entirely sure what discourse this comment is referring to, but any pro-Jedi fan arguing that Anakin should have made some kind of choice between his relationship with Padme and his relationship with Obi-wan/Ahsoka is missing the point completely. For Anakin, Padme, Obi-Wan, and Ahsoka are ALL people he loves. It's the Jedi Order that is against him acting on that love for specific individuals and which continuously tells him he needs to put that aside and act only in the interest of the 'the Greater Good'. I've mentioned multiple times before that the Prequels-era Jedi's biggest flaw is that they seem to have forgotten that sometimes saving individual beings *IS* in service of 'the Greater Good'. In contrast, this is something that Luke embraces in RotJ when he decides to to save his father instead of killing him, and is in turn what ultimately saves the galaxy.

Neither Obi-Wan nor Ahsoka 'represent' the Order in Anakin's mind. It's only in RotS that Obi-Wan becomes this to Anakin (when he aligns with the Council), but during the Clone Wars he is Anakin's FRIEND and someone for whom Anakin goes up against the Order to save multiple times. Likewise for Ahsoka. Anakin doesn't stay in the Order solely out of loyalty for them, and imo this interpretation seems like it's coming from people who are primarily TCW fans and are perhaps not aware of the wider context of Anakin's story in the film canon and other supplementary material. Yes, Anakin doesn't want to abandon his Clone Troopers or Obi-Wan and Ahsoka to fight by themselves in the war. However, by the time the Clone Wars are in full swing, Anakin is already becoming more and more disillusioned with the Jedi and genuinely WANTS to leave the Order behind and be openly with Padme. He says so in both the EU comics and in the RotS novelisation. Padme encourages him to stay until the war is over.

Which brings me to the other point. Once Anakin and Padme are married at the end of AotC, the MAIN thing keeping Anakin in the Jedi Order is the war itself. His need to protect his men and his loved ones on the frontline stems directly FROM the fact that they are at war. This is also why Padme herself remains a Senator even after she has begun to have doubts about the Republic. Both she and Anakin feel a sense of obligation to remain in their respective careers while the war is still ongoing, but they plan to eventually leave these careers behind and be together openly. So whatever arguments certain fans engage in regarding Anakin being some selfish person simply for wanting to have both friends/comrades and a wife (a pretty basic thing that many people who aren't under the Jedi's thumb are perfectly able to do) is really disingenuous because he would be making completely different choices re: his status in the Order if he wasn't literally a general fighting in a galactic war.

Anakin's struggle is rather to do with his inability to believe in the concept of 'Death yet the Force' which leads him to act out of extreme Fear of Loss. He has difficulty accepting mortality because he doesn't want to be separated from his loved ones and thus clings to material existence out of desperation. But his loved ones are his loved ones. They aren't at odds with one another in his mind during the majority of the story — in fact, if anything Anakin struggles so much because he desperately wants to save EVERYONE but the Jedi Order tells him this isn't allowed. The Order tells him he must 'let go' and allow people he loves to die. THAT is the main conflict, here. And that is what drives him into Sidious' grasp in RotS.

'I had a mother who loved me'

(aka, the Jedi Order is NOT Anakin's family)

This is a topic that I've seen discussed elsewhere and I felt compelled to add my own thoughts. I've seen some takes I vehemently disagree with, especially regarding Shmi and Little Ani in TPM, and Anakin's 'decision' to leave with Qui-Gon. It's crazy how some people will blame little Ani for 'wanting' to be a Jedi, yet apparently Luke in ANH is allowed to want this, even though Luke likewise barely knows anything about what being a Jedi entails, and even though it's much more risky (and, frankly, far more unrealistic) to dream of becoming a Jedi in the Dark Times era?? As if a nine-year-old slave-boy wanting to take part in his new-found freedom by learning to be something he associates with heroism means he somehow 'should have known' he wasn’t going to be a ‘good fit’ for the Order. My argument is that there was nothing wrong with Anakin, and there was in fact no legitimate reason for him or ANYONE ELSE to believe he'd not be good at using the Force to help others (which is what the Jedi are supposed to do), especially when he had literally just done so in the pod-race. The whole reason Qui-Gon noticed Anakin was because of how strong in the Force he already was, even untrained. Qui-Gon has faith in him, it's just the Jedi Council that doubts him. Because, unlike Qui-Gon who perceives Anakin's positive qualities and potential, Yoda and the Jedi Council are afraid of him. Because Anakin is basically an 'unknown' (read: uncontrollable) entity suddenly in their midst.

While the Prequels film-canon stands on its own in this regard, we can also look to the novelizations for even more emphasis on this topic. In the TPM novelization, several things are noteable: first of all, even before Qui-Gon arrives, Anakin has had prophetic dreams about becoming a Jedi. And since Shmi is aware that Ani's dreams and visions do often come to pass, when Qui-Gon appears and offers to take him away to be trained, why wouldn't she think that maybe this was somehow Force (or Fate) ordained? And that therefore it was the right thing to do to let him go? And the second thing, is while it's also clear that Little Ani (like Luke!) has a romanticised view of what being a Jedi might be like, his actual motivation for becoming a Jedi is not simply because he 'selfishly' wants to embark on some fun adventure without his mom. On the contrary, every. single. time. little Ani thinks about the possibility of becoming a Jedi or leaving Tatooine, it's directly in relation to eventually returning to FREE his mother and the rest of the slaves:

He was several things in the course of his dreams. Once he was a Jedi Knight, fighting against things so dark and insubstantial he could not identify them. Once he was a pilot of a star cruiser, taking the ship into hyperspace, spanning whole star systems on his voyage. Once he was a great and feared commander of an army, and he came back to Tatooine with ships and troops at his command to free the planet’s slaves. His mother was waiting for him, smiling, arms outstretched.

and

He gazed skyward, his mother's hand resting lightly on his arm, and thought about what it would be like to be out there, flying battle cruisers and fighters, traveling to far worlds and strange places. He didn't care what Wald said, he wouldn't be a slave all his life. Just as he wouldn't always be a boy. He would find a way to leave Tatooine. He would find a way to take his mother with him. His dreams whirled through his head as he watched the stars, a kaleidoscope of bright images. He imagined how it would be. He saw it clearly in his mind, and it made him smile.

Anakin wants to escape slavery and train as a Jedi so he can come back and continue helping his friends and family on Tatooine. So he can return to free the slaves. Little does he know that he won't be allowed to do that... :'(

It's important to note as well that at this point, Anakin *also* has no idea that, as a Jedi, he won't be allowed to get married and have a family. Even though he is already naively imagining himself someday marrying Padme. So he doesn't know that not only will he not be permitted to return for his mother as he'd always hoped, but he will also technically not be allowed to even have a family of his own even when he's old enough to do so.

And what of Shmi's thoughts on Anakin becoming a Jedi? At the start of the AotC novelization, she is trying to be happy with the thought of it, but ONLY because she believes he must be living his best life as a Jedi. She has no idea that he had to go through rejection first before being accepted into the Order. The AotC novelization shows that as Shmi is being held captive and tortured by the Tusken Raiders, she tries to comfort herself by holding onto her imagination of what Anakin's time as Jedi is like:

All those times staring up at the night sky, she had thought of him, had imagined him soaring across the galaxy, rescuing the downtrodden, saving planets from ravaging monsters and evil tyrants. But she had always expected to see [Ani] again, had always expected him to walk onto the moisture farm one day, that impish smile of his, the one that could light up a room, greeting her as if they had never been apart.

Heartbreakingly, as Shmi is being brutalised to death, she clings to the hope that her beloved Ani's life is now better than it was before, and that it was worth saying farewell to him all those years ago, even while simultaneously desperately longing to see him again.

As an aside, it aggravates me to no end that *cough* certain parts of this fandom perpetuate the idea that Shmi is just some blank, wholly selfless entity with no wants or desires of her own. That she's the ‘perfect’ example of a Jedi with no 'attachments' (aka an Old Order Jedi), and that somehow Anakin is a just a 'failure' compared to her. Yes, it could be argued that Shmi is shown to be a better or truer 'Jedi' than most of the other Jedi in the story (aside from Luke in RotJ), but guess what that would mean in that case? (Hint: it has to do with love and family.) Because first and foremost, Shmi is a MOTHER who is trying to do the best for her son, even though a piece of her heart is always missing while he is gone. The AotC novelization shows repeatedly that she tries to assure herself that she did the right thing by letting Ani go, but the human mother side of herself also cries out for him and misses him desperately. She might have let him go in TPM, but in AoTC she wants to see him again. In fact, she believes strongly that she will see him again (because she loves him and he’s her hero because she’s his mom and she trusts he will eventually come back to find her), which is the only thing keeping her holding on until he arrives. How can Shmi be a perfect example of an Old Order Jedi when the motivating factor for even her most selfless actions is her personal FAMILIAL attachment to and unconditional LOVE for Anakin?? Also, how insulting is it to claim that Anakin is a 'failure' in comparison to his 'wonderful, perfect mother', and then proceed to place all the blame on him for being said 'failure'....when he was shown on-screen to be doing just fine in taking after his mother prior to his time in the Jedi Order????

As another poster noted elsewhere, Shmi Skywalker is the only person responsible for the truly good person Anakin Skywalker was.

This is the heart of the entire saga. Anakin's True Self is good because of his mother. Because of how she raised him (to be selfless and to want to help others) and because of the unconditional LOVE she had for him. It was the Jedi Order that failed to provide that for Anakin, and Sidious who manipulated the situation to his advantage.

(And if Shmi was the only person who truly solidified Anakin's inner goodness, then Qui-Gon was the only Jedi who was presented as being equipped to bring out the best in Anakin when Shmi wasn't around. The only one who was prepared to act as an openly warm and compassionate parental figure to Anakin, the only one who could have properly mentored Anakin and helped him navigate both his Force powers as well as the Jedi Code, and the only one who was shown to be willing to stand up to the Council on Anakin's behalf. The tragedy is not that Qui-Gon found Anakin or even that he offered to take him to train in the Force. Rather, the tragedy is that Qui-Gon is slain in the Duel of the Fates, which leaves Anakin without a true protector and advocate in the Order, and allows Sidious an 'in'.)

So the idea that the Jedi Order is Anakin's ‘replacement family' is simply not true—certainly not in the way the story actually pans out. It's telling that, in the original Prequels-era EU, Anakin ran away from the Jedi Temple multiple times. That is NOT the behaviour of a happy child. (It is, however, typical behaviour for children who are struggling in institutionalised care.)

And indeed, the very first paragraph of the AotC novelization opens with Anakin dreaming that he is part of a warm, loving family:

His mind absorbed the scene before him, so quiet and calm and...normal. It was the life he had always wanted, a gathering of family and friends—he knew that they were just that, though the only one he recognized was his dear mother. This was the way it was supposed to be. The warmth and the love, the laughter and the quiet times. This was how he had always dreamed it would be, how he had always prayed it would be. The warm, inviting smiles. The pleasant conversation. The gentle pats on the shoulders. But most of all there was the smile of his beloved mother, so happy now, no more a slave. When she looked at him, he saw all of that and more, saw how proud she was him, how joyful her life had become.

Why would Anakin be dreaming longingly of being part of an openly loving, happy family if he already had that at the Jedi Temple? (Tellingly, he notes that this seems like something normal, as if he's aware that it ought to be commonplace despite the fact that it's currently missing from his own life.)

And later on, when he's visiting Padme's parents' house for dinner, he sees this exact type of scene he's been longing for play out right in front of him, and he wishes that his mother could be there to enjoy it, too:

Anakin took a good helping of several different dishes. The food was all unfamiliar, but the smells told him that he wouldn’t be disappointed. He sat quietly as he ate, listening with half an ear to the chatter all about him. He was thinking of his mom again, of how he wished he could bring her here, a free woman, to live the life she so deserved.

Note that Anakin is thinking about his mother, and putting her first in his mind. He can barely enjoy the meal while he believes his mother could be out there, suffering.

Later on as he and Padme are heading to Tatooine to search for Shmi, they bond over the fact that both their mothers told them the same nursery rhyme ('home again to rest'). It means a lot to Anakin that he can bond with Padme over this similar childhood memory. (No doubt something he would not have had in common with his peers in the Temple, since their only childhood memories would have been within the Jedi Order, rather than in a true home. And certainly not with a mother.)

Finally, we get to the RotS novelization. Yes, THAT one. The one in which we see that Anakin was perfectly willing to walk away from the Order the minute he returned from the war and discovered Padme was pregnant. Willing to walk away to start their FAMILY together. But then his nightmares began, and he reluctantly stayed just a little longer, thinking the Jedi (whom he originally joined with the express intent of wanting to help his loved ones) could offer him some solution to the horror his nightmares were showing him:

If not for his dreams, he’d withdraw from the Order today. Now. ...Let the scandal come; it wouldn’t destroy their lives. Not their real lives. It would destroy only the lives they’d had before each other: those separate years that now meant nothing at all.

To drive the point home, we also have the pivotal scene where Obi-Wan—speaking on the Council's behalf—tries to convince Anakin to spy on the Chancellor. Their exchange says it all:

"He's my friend, Obi-Wan." "I know." "If he asked me to spy on you, do you think I would do it? You know how kind he's been to me. You now how he's looked after me, how he's done everything he could to help me. He's like family." "The Jedi are your family." "No. No, the Jedi are your family. The only one you've ever known. I had a mother who loved me."

Anakin's story breaks my heart because all he wants—all he has ever wanted—is a family. Not to just to 'have' one in a vague sense, but to be PART OF ONE. He wants this, because even when he was slave living an unfree life, at least he had his mother. At least he could feel his mother's love, and could openly demonstrate his love to her in return. For Anakin Skywalker, being a Jedi was never the goal in and of itself. In his mind, it was always primarily a means to save those he loved. To save his family. This is simultaneously the most tragic and the most beautiful thing about his character. It is both his fall AND his redemption.

And those who insist on ignoring Anakin’s deep-seated longing for a family and want to act as though he should just be content with the Jedi Order instead are willfully missing the entire point of his story.

[gffa]

I know I've brought this up before, but how much of the fandom reception of the prequels do you think stemmed from the genre dissonance? That the prequels, genre-wise, are closer to high fantasy, while the OT is more an adventure/space western/underdog triumph story.

The prequels also have elements more reminiscent of a romantic period/court drama/Shakespearean tragedy, while if you consider the underdog angle of the OT, the OT also seems kinda similar to some of those inspirational movies about sports teams or something, or a shonen anime with the "Power of Friendship".

I'm just saying, these are rather disparate genres that tend to attract different demographics of people.

And not many people tend to be... great about understanding why they don't like something, much less putting it into words, or understanding that they can dislike something without that something being actually bad. (For example, instead of "I just don't really like [thing]," the usual statement is something along the lines of "[thing] absolutely sucks.")

So the usual response is trying to find (and gather) solidarity while putting down or being condescending towards any dissent, and trying to justify their own dislike. (*gestures vaguely towards pineapple on pizza*)

And historically, it's not uncommon for people to... react strongly towards things they find... different or abnormal, which they judge based on themselves, their emotional response to something, and what they're used to.

Looking at kids, this behavior is... fairly normal. "You're weird," "ew, why do you like that, that's gross," "that's stupid," and so on. A lot of kids/teens/young adults also get defensive really easily. And let's face it--adults are basically just older, taller kids who've had to deal with more of life.

(To be honest, I also get defensive really easily. A lot of people do, and it's... it's normal. The defensive reaction can be lashing out, denial, or just being passive-aggressive or staying silent and tuning it out or mentally rolling your eyes at it. But I'm trying to work on it, because just because it's normal doesn't mean it's a good reaction.)

So, what I'm wondering is whether some fans dislike the prequels simply because it's a different genre...

...but instead of realizing that, they try to defend and justify their dislike by pointing fingers and criticizing whatever stood out or looked different from the OT or cherry-picking details/taking things out of context or making negative conflations (that can be refuted).

Because it's not about logic, it's about how they feel. And people want to feel justified and validated, and we want to feel like we're right and we enjoy staying in our comfort zones. So... yeah. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

LOL, okay, this response is going to be really disjointed because I went off in like a dozen different tangents and even then it's not enough to cover everything, so just kind of read this in a Scattered Thoughts Nerd kind of tone, where I'm staring off into the distance because Navel Gazing Gets Me Going Sometimes. 😂 In my experience, it's sort of a mix. I don't hang around a lot of people who dislike the prequels (in the sense of dismissing them/not being fannish about them) because, well, that's the heart of my interest in Star Wars, so our areas of interest basically don't really overlap that much, so I don't have a chance to talk to a lot of people and find out their reasons or even how they dislike the prequels, in the bigger trends of fandom. I do think there's an element of what you're talking about, that sometimes people can't just dislike things because it's not their genre of choice, that's absolutely a part of it. Mostly because that's how a lot of people react to anything they don't like (and it's something I and literally everyone else has to work on), there has to be a reason for it that it's objectively bad and, like, I have experienced a lot of people getting mad because I like something in a different way than they do. And I don't mean just in Star Wars fandom, but in almost any given fandom--if someone likes something in a way someone else doesn't, if they talk loudly about it (even within their own space), then there's always a contingent of people who have to find a reason why that person is objectively wrong (or even try to make them morally wrong), rather than just shrugging and going, "We see things differently, my view on things doesn't overwrite theirs and their view on things doesn't overwrite mine." It gets more complicated in instances where fandom attitudes genuinely can be hurtful, especially when they're overlapping into the way real people are treated, likes/dislikes don't 100% exist in a bubble, especially when it comes to queer fans, fans of color, disabled fans, mentally ill fans, etc. But that there are a lot of instances where fandom culture has always been--and is increasingly so--contentious and it's hard to chill out when someone is always screaming at you, when the atmosphere of the fandom is always so intense. Further, there's also an element of how fandom has always been--and also is increasingly so--about personal resonance, personal emotional investment, interpretation, and meaning. That sometimes we identify with something so deeply that we feel attacked when someone else likes or dislikes something we feel so strongly about, something that we feel is a reflection of ourselves, and I see a lot of that as well. And this, too, often crosses over into lines of how the context of how we treat characters can be reflections of how we treat real world people, but that there's no monolith here as well. For example: I make fun of Anakin, this angers some people, because how dare I not take this fictional victim 100% seriously, despite that I have repeatedly said that Anakin is the character I most identify with, that things I make fun of him for are ones that I resonate with personally. I'm not disrespecting mentally ill people, especially considering that Anakin is not bound to a single interpretation on this front--he is not canonically mentally ill, no matter how easy it is for us in fandom to map much of that onto his character or, in my case, feel that so much of what I see in him are things I struggle with myself. By and large, the majority of the people I see (at least on tumblr) who make fun of Anakin are doing so within the same vein, that they're being silly about him on things that they personally relate to. (My experiences on this are not universal, I cannot speak for the whole of even any one part of fandom, only my own sphere of experience, but this is what I've seen.) As always, it's fine if someone doesn't vibe with my style or they find that it's not their thing because they do take him more seriously, but that preference does not make my jokes

suddenly not have the context that I relate a lot to what I see in Anakin. In contrast, the way some of the fandom treats Mace or Finn isn't just personal all the time. Not liking their characters isn't inherently racist, but the way they're consistently, consistently treated sure as hell speaks to a larger pattern of racism in fandom and doesn't come without that context. It's the same with Rey--is there a huge vein of misogyny when it comes to her character? Abso-fucking-lutely there is. Things Luke and Anakin get a pass on, Rey is raked over the coals for. Is everyone who dislikes Rey a misogynist? Not even close. Some don't like her because Finn was used as a prop for her story. Some people don't like her because she got sucked into Kylo Ren's story too much. Some just don't care for the way she was written for other reasons. Some just don't vibe with her. It's fine. Nothing is a monolith. And to circle this back around to what you're talking about--it's hard to judge, both because no part of fandom is a monolith in their reactions, but also because we're only hearing from a selection of the fans. How do you know how many people who aren't fans of the prequels, who just don't care for them because it's not their genre, but just go about their day? You don't hear from a lot of them because they moved on to things they do like, so it seems like they must not exist--except, they do, and they're just out there doing things they like more. We only hear from the people who feel the need to tell others they dislike the prequels for this reason or that reason, some valid, some less valid, etc. Ultimately, I do think there's probably a fair amount of genre dissonance for why people dislike the prequels and channel that into "they're objectively bad" and get defensive when people like them and say they were great, but only because that's true of anything anywhere. But that it's only one small slice of the bigger picture (and there's a lot of stuff that I had to eschew in the writing of this response as well because it can be a pretty sprawling topic), where there are tons of reasons and reactions that people have, as well as they're perfectly free to dislike the prequels for whatever reason they do or don't have, it doesn't really affect my opinions, unless they're trying to shove it in my face or are being a dick to those who disagree with them.

[forcemeanakin]

@enviedearThank you so much for indulging me in this particular fantasy!!! I loved reading your takes and if you let me, I'll be fangirling over them and adding my own takes as well!

Thoughts:

-I love that he doesn't have social media, that's so accurate. Anakin doesn't have time for that shallow shit I also think he would create an insta only to follow you back and see the pictures you have posted ... also he would only repost the insta stories you tagged him in, that's as far as his content goes

-HE WOULD TOTALLY HAVE A PART TIME JOB AT A LOCAL CAR SHOP OR SOME SHIT LIKE THAT AHHHHH

-he is a mechanical engineer major. its canon, its obvious, its right, its non debatable.

-MMPH- He totally drives stick !!!!! Pls let's take a moment to picture him making the gear shifts !!!!!!!!!! Looking through the rear view mirror !!!!!!! reverse parking !!!!!!!!!! I'm pregnant just thinking about it

-"an automatic is basically a go-kart. a fucking toy"

-'baby please come with me to get food. I'll buy you a treat.' PREGNANT

-"he needs to study in the library? he's asking you to come." I love this head canon even more when I picture that you don't actually have anything to work on or study for, but you just go to please him and that makes him EVEN HAPPIER. rubbing your calves as he studies, while you scroll through instagram, maybe read a book. sometimes you try to understand what the fuck he is doing and he tries to explain but loses you halfway into the explanation. so he just kisses you and let's you go back to reading.

-I live for Anakin playing the sims. I NEED TO SEE THAT

-how cute would it be that when it's his turn to play he tries to recreate you to? he'd try to make the characters fuck asap

-"if i get an a on this next test will you let me bend you over the desk?" WEAK. IM WEAK. SO REAL. may I please ask for a pic around this headcanon? *begging on her knees*

-star student for sure, but I also think he doesn't study at all??? idk in my personal head canon he is the type of student who does great naturally and doesn't need to study.

-"shut up, there was homework?" and proceeds to do the fucking homework in like 5 min when it took everybody else like 2 hours to complete the damn thing

-I LOVE A MAN THAN UNDERSTANDS NUMBERS. anakin i love you

-ofc he would point out every single detail that he thinks it's off. and he would explain how he would have done it better. just factsssss

Also just a couple of things I'd love to add, from my personal head canon:

-college!Anakin wears a shit ton of flannels. also a backwards hat is glued to his head no shit

-he will always pick you up from your night classes :))) you can hear his truck turning around the corner and you heart starts to pound so fast

-you two live in different buildings, but anakin would basically live in your dorm. coming to your room after his classes, leaving his calculator on your night stand (idk, I don't understand stem majors), having spare clothes on your closet that he barely uses wink wink

-he would try and stay in his own apartment once in a while, but one night he caves and drives to your dorm like a needy puppy, "sorry baby, couldn't sleep without you between my arms"

-did I already mention the truck? HE HAS A TRUCK AND ITS BUSTED AND IT NEEDS SEVERE WORK BUT ITS HIS AND ITS BLACK AND HOT AS FUCK

-and honestly, college!Anakin flirting would be fire with a few drinks in. so smooth and shit.

-fratboy!Anakin would brag about you in every party *cries*

ALSOOOO: also what if i said engineering major!anakin fic in the works...

what if I said I'm screaming with excitement at the possibility of more engineering!Anakin

I hope you do it honey! Pls tag me when you do post it! <3

i kinda wanna write one too, you just ignited something in me babe

thank youuuuu!

Hiii !! How are you? Pleasure to meet you!

I saw your engineering major!Anakin post and when I tell you I immediately twirled around on my bed and started kicking my feet like a fucking teenage girl… I’m not joking.

This is a headcanon that has been following me ever since I entered the beautiful world of Anakin Skywalker. Seriously. I even have a one shot about lmaoooo

Could you please elaborate on that? I would love to hear your takes, discuss them and just thirst over him together! Because god lord, I’m so grateful to found someone who was the same interest on engineer Anakin. Also bonus points for college student Anakin because that’s just hot as fuck

Thank youuuu

Mina

i literally am obsessed over this concept thank you so much for indulging me! i centered it over him in college mostly because— i just... it does things to me.

also what if i said engineering major!anakin fic in the works...

a few nsfw themes in here so minors dni i will block you &lt;3

he strikes me as the type of guy you'd see once on campus and then immediately try to find him on the university's social media accounts.

he wouldn't be fucking anywhere until you find the engineering college's Instagram account

it hasn't had a single post in two years but it's okay because you find one of him !!!

and the only picture of his face is so grainy, but he's in it and he looks so fucking hot at his computer and that's enough

also he's totally unapproachable

not that he's a dick or anything, he's just cussing out all his professors in his head and worried about his last materials exam

i think in his (very limited) spare time he'd be into either metalworking or cars... probably both

like i think he could fix almost any car-related issue without having to go to a shop

axel on his car goes out? yeah he's ordering the part and putting it on his damn self

his motor blows up? he's spending his summer rebuilding it while taking sixteen hours of summer classes

and if he does have to go to a shop, it's strictly because he doesn't have time and he most certainly will pop the hood and check their work

also i believe he'd like stick shift

literally won't buy a car unless it's manual

"what the fuck is the point of an automatic"

he totally also learns how to tune in his free time and everytime you hear a car speed by you on campus you just know it's his work

now, if you're lucky enough to catch his eye i truly believe he'd be so fucking consumed by you

he'd ask you to go everywhere with him; he needs to study in the library? he's asking you to come. he has to give a dissertation? he's begging you to come watch him. it's 3am and he just finished his statics project? he's calling you like, 'baby please come with me to get food. I'll buy you a treat.'

also the biggest and most clingy bf ever in the history of the world

will stop doing his work to come watch you play the sims and just hold you (also tells you how to build a proper house despite you bing like,, "ani... the fun part is making them get into trouble not making sure their roof is durable.")

also likes to be incentivized with you

"if i get an a on this next test will you let me bend you over the desk?"

or, "i'll study better if you let me taste you, please baby?"

star-student, no question.

and he's so fucking smart it's a bit annoying because he'll bitch and moan about how bad he's doing while getting on the dean's list every year

the way he explains what he's working on is hot as fuck

numbers make sense to his mind in ways you will never understand, but good lord is it nice to watch his smart little mouth move

type of man to take you on a date into the city and point out the shitty infrastructure

"for as much rain as we get you'd think these fucking idiots would have put more drains."

"that bridge is due to fall in less than ten years, what the fuck were they thinking."

he's just the smartest boy, and you make sure to tell him any chance you get not that he agrees but he'll always say, "thank you pretty girl"

[thecarnivorousmuffinmeta]

What do you think about rules against attachments in Jedi order and Anakin’s fall and redemption due to attachment, mostly, I suppose? His fall and redemption both seem to occur because he badly wants the people he loves to live and would do anything for that.

On Anakin Skywalker

I suppose what I’d say for the latter is it’s more Anakin’s driven by his attachment to those he loves. Yes, it plays a part in his downfall and in his redemption, but the point being that this never changed for him.

For example, in the films, once he knew Luke was alive Luke was always a priority to him. I don’t think it was so much a switch flipping at the end of the films where he suddenly realizes the err of his ways and sacrifices himself for Luke, more that this was the only option he had.

What do I mean?

Well, Vader’s first plan of action is to find Luke, recruit him to the dark side, and take him as an apprentice. We can infer the plan from there is to, with the help of Luke, murder the emperor and launch a coup.

This is Vader’s best plan to protect Luke. If Luke is left to his own devices, he will be found by Palpatine eventually, and that would be very very very bad. If Vader takes him under his wing directly, trains him how to be a Sith, then he is in a sense protecting him to the best of his ability.

Luke’s week of Jedi training in a swamp from a very reluctant Yoda and Obi-Wan isn’t going to cut it. And, well, it doesn’t. We get to the end of the last film where Luke has been captured and, in order to save his son, Anakin has to murder suicide.

Point being, Anakin is always, at every point in the series, driven by the love and attachment he has for others and how he can best protect them. Sometimes this leads to good actions, such as saving his son’s life and getting rid of the emperor (though now that I think about it, even if it is Palpatine, I’m not sure I can call murder suicide a good thing...) Sometimes it leads to terrible actions such as the murder of all the Jedi children, launching a coup of the republic, and then hunting Jedi rebels down for years.

Anakin doesn’t particularly care which (well, he does, but he’ll go and do it anyway).

On the Jedi

It feels really weird for me to remark on significant cultural aspects of the Jedi. I mean, yes, we clearly see the negative consequences of this on Anakin and the practice of taking tithes in the form of Force Sensitive babies isn’t good but... it is a culture. 

It’d be like my questioning why, oh I don’t know, monks in the real world are celibate and then telling them they shouldn’t be because it doesn’t fit my own cultural values. They usually have deep, cultural, reasons for being the way they are and my saying “conform to my superior culture!” feels... not good.

Right, so that out of the way, why do I think the Jedi are like this?

Well, they tell us early in in the prequels.

The Jedi walk a fine line between the light and dark side and their entire code seems to have evolved in such a way as to keep people as far from the dark side as possible. Now, does this actually work? Who knows? The majority of Jedi don’t seem to fall to the dark side, though you do get some who leave due to breaking or disagreeing with the code in some manner or another.

Point being, they’ve looked at those who have fallen in the past, and gathered some common factors. Fear, anger, rage, hatred, and often stemming from a powerful catalyst such as attachment to others. In the case of Anakin, this of course makes things worse as it means he has these very strong attachments that he then hides from the Order and snowballs into... well... what it snowballs into.

And I imagine there have been others like Anakin, though I imagine a good number of them simply leave the Jedi Order altogether, as Anakin might have done had a war not gotten in the way.

An Order with a different view on attachment might not have seen the loss of Anakin, certainly an Order with less hubris might have been able to save itself from Palpatine (maybe, that guy is one clever dude), but that’s going off into a very AU land that’s very hard for me to imagine.

[webswingers]

welcome to avengers campus, isn’t it nice to be back, PETER PARKER ?  it’s been so long since i’ve seen you being a typical TWENTY-TWO year old INTERN AT OSCORP, the image of TOM HOLLAND against the retroreflective panels of headquarter buildings.  feels like forever since i’ve seen you hanging around PIZZA PLANET. i don’t blame you, though;  it fits your vibes perfectly given everyone associates you with BATTERED CONVERSE, INK SMUDGES, HALF EATEN TAKE-OUT.

death mention tw

...... hey, have you seen the news reports lately …?  i heard you’ve been getting visions from MARVEL beginning to return, waking up from dreams of J. JONAH JAMESON REVEALING HIS SECRET IDENTITY.  must be something in the water …  say, did you always have A LEGO ANAKIN SKYWALKER on hand ?  i’ve never seen you leave home without it.

BASICS:

birth name: peter benjamin parker

alias: friendly neighbourhood spiderman, pete, kid, queens, etc.

species: mutate: superhuman abilities/powers stemming from a bite from a radioactive spider

date of birth: august 10

sexuality: bisexual 

gender and pronouns: cismale, he/him

occupation: intern at oscorp industries 

CANON: 

“canon” timeline wise, peter’s taken from the mcu so everything on this wiki are the specifics if you wanted to know in depth, but long story short:

super secret superhero living with his aunt in queens (until the Reveal), only the four people closest to him know about this; Ned, May, MJ, and Happy

lived a relatively normal ‘teenage’ life when he wasn’t a vigilante: a little bit of a loser, friend-group of one (his guy in the chair) for the majority, had crushes, got good grades, just tried his best to make his aunt and tony stark proud after the death of his mother, father, and uncle.

joined the avengers to help iron man, got a little bit out of his depth but stark helped him become a better supe, he’s a lot better but he’s still learning.

the death of his mentor and third father figure heavily influenced his behaviours and added to his constant need to keep the people he loves safe, but somehow never manages to do so and it keeps him up at night.

trusts men too easily still for some reason??

everything that has occurred in peter’s arc in the mcu timeline to this point is all canon for him, he obviously is just slowly remembering it.

EARTH 200000:

for peter’s alternative timeline, i wanted to incorporate more of who he is in some of his comic arcs, in some of the cartoon tv shows, too, but primarily his personality/some relationships are inspired by the ps4 spiderman game.  i realise this can get a little confusing given all the different characters and plot lines, so if you’re confused at all please feel free to message me and we can talk about it ! i wanted to incorporate his canon relationships with people outside of what they’ve introduced in the mcu for peter, but this will be something that needs to be plotted out, so pls lmk if you wanna do so ! here are the basics:

still a super secret superhero living a few floors above aunt may, so he can still see her whenever but he has some adult privacy.

slightly older than the spidey on screen currently, is an intern at oscorp industries and admires what they do there (this is not his first internship rodeo, but he gets paid a lot better at oscorp)

still has a relatively small friendship group, peter will never be mr popular but he’s absolutely okay with that.

wants to help people constantly; other than his spidey work, he volunteers with his aunt at F.E.A.S.T and works with the people staying there so he can learn how to help the people who don’t get helped.

big believer in justice, probably rants a lot to his friends and co-workers when he’s in That Kinda Mood, but ultimately keeps to himself and stays in his lane (unless he feels he needs to intervene)

he is a lot more confident as spidey than he is as peter, so his personality shifts slightly depending on what he’s wearing

has been known to sell some of his photography when he’s a little low on rent 

just a big nerd who luvs his aunt < 3 

inspirations for earth 200000:

ultimate spider-man (tv), spider-man (2017, tv), spidermen (comic), mcu spidey, the spiderman ps4 game-- these are just inspirations for his personality and interests, but if there are particular plots you’d want to write out from these i’m more than happy to plot that out !

[rocket-sith]

So I got a few asks and messages about WTF this was even about. Since this isn't the first time I've encountered an issue like this in fandom, and vague rants aren't particularly helpful, here goes.

IMHO it's extremely important for a writer to be able to differentiate between their own POV about a character or thing, and an in-universe character's POV of another in-universe character or thing. Specifically, a character or thing who the writer (an IRL person on the outside looking in) might love, or hate, or be mildly intrigued by, or just not give a crap about could be viewed ENTIRELY DIFFERENTLY by a different character within the fictional universe.

IRL, you have ST and SW fans who think the Borg or the Sith or whatever are interesting or even cool, and sure there are some characters in those respective universes who feel the same. But there are plenty of in-universe characters who would very much emphatically beg to differ. And the same holds true for individual characters and their views on other individual characters - including themselves (I mean, how many times have you as a fan in any fandom absolutely adored a character who had major self esteem issues?)

The point being - one character's view of another character, or of a concept, or of themselves, does not necessarily reflect a fic writer's view of those characters/concepts.

In S3 of Picard, Seven seemed to have an EXTREMELY rocky and complex dynamic with Shaw, underpinned with equal parts mutual grudging respect, mutual desire to storm off and seethe, and mutual urge to go outside and fight each other in the proverbial parking lot. Sometimes all at the same time, as long as the crew stays alive and well.

Going all the way back to Voyager and continuing all the way through Picard, Seven has major self esteem issues stemming from how people view/treat/react to her appearance, plus her own guilt over what she was forced by the Borg to do during her time in the collective.

Shaw was a Wolf 359 survivor whose "old fashioned grease monkey" pragmatism was at odds with his unaddressed trauma, and he seemed to handle this by recruiting a hyper-capable XO who was also an Ex-B and putting incredible amounts of faith in her while also frequently treating her like shit - to the point of deadnaming her and calling her a Borg while she's also the only one he trusts to be in engineering with him during a crisis when keeping his crew safe is a top priority.

From my POV as an IRL person on the outside looking in, BOTH of these characters need more therapy than can possibly ever be had in a lifetime, but we all know neither of them gets it, and both have already developed so many unhealthy coping mechanisms they'd probably do everything in their power to avoid therapy even if offered (see also: Seven trying to flat out delete the La Sirena EMH's therapist programming, and Shaw admitting out loud that he'd substituted being a jerk for charm as a way of coping with his shit.)

Also from my POV as an IRL person on the outside looking in: Seven is a Chaotic Good full-tilt superhero, Shaw is a Lawful Neutral bordering on Lawful Good captain with unparalleled levels of grit, both are still flawed humans, and both are extremely complex characters who've been through unimaginable levels of hell and ended up coping in different ways - some healthy and some not.

If I write something primarily from Seven's POV, and I write Seven as thinking of Shaw's personality (not his mechanical skills, or his skills at keeping people alive - but skills at approachability and personal interaction) as being that of a total dick, while I also write Seven as thinking of herself as appearing frightening, unapproachable, or Borg-like to others - that doesn't mean MY opinion of either character is anything remotely like that, or even that all in-universe characters would share the same opinion of these characters.

It's the exact same reason why, in the SW fandom, if I was writing something primarily from Anakin's POV (even if it was genfic) - an extremely idealized version of Obi-Wan was often presented because that's how Anakin viewed Obi-Wan. And then I'd come back here and unleash some capslocked screed about how Obi-Wan was the biggest villain in Star Wars, because that's how I view Obi-Wan.

So the other day, I got some (sorry, but it was pretty damn funny) extremely ranty and borderline nonsensical anon comment on this tiny-ass ST fanfic I'd written, accusing me of random BS that I couldn't make heads nor tails of, and also accusing me of bashing Shaw because the fic had a mention of Seven thinking Shaw was a dick. She was also thinking of herself as looking too Borg for others to realistically find trustworthy - and therefore sarcastically commenting to herself that Shaw must really be an ass if half the crew felt more comfortable approaching/confiding in a Borg than approaching/confiding in Shaw.

It was sort of a Seven character study on my part, not a bash at Shaw, so the magnitude of anger in the comment seemed almost Donald Duck levels of disproportionately left-field hilarity. But it also got my brain churning super hard on the topic of character POV vs author POV, and how one impacts the other, and how reader POV also plays into it, and this post (plus some apparent confusion over how nebulously vague and silly the first one was, lol sorry) is the resulting mental vomit.

tl;dr - If you're reading a story, and a fictional character has an in-universe reason to talk shit about another character, or to idolize another character, it doesn't mean anything about how the author personally feels about either character. Similarly, if you ARE the author, and one of your characters has an in-universe reason to talk shit about or idolize another character, letting the character express the sentiment doesn't mean you as a writer share it.

This has been a message from the Emergency Overthinking Writing Rabbit Holes System. *bleeeep*

Y'all. Y'ALL. I got anonymous hate on one of my fics for the first time since 2016. *sniffs* I feel so special!

Dear anonymous wanker:

Half the shit you said didn't even pertain to the fic, and the other half showcased your tragicomic inability to differentiate between the opinion of a story's author and the opinion of a fictional character within the story. *insert Shame Bell here*

tl;dr - Go spank your Twelve Monkeys to Shaw someplace else. There are plenty of amazing Shaw x Seven fics out there. I know because I've read them. I was also trolling an anti in your tags like three days ago on general principle while looking for fics, so once again - please learn to differentiate between the opinion of a writer (real person) and the POV of a fictional character (not a real person, whose feelings and perspectives we can only speculate about, especially regarding a dynamic that's clearly quite complex).

In conclusion, yo mama's so fat, Kirk broke the temporal prime directive by doing a slingshot maneuver around her ass. Also in conclusion - go touch grass. I may or may not be referring to cannabis. No stolen pots were harmed in the making of this post. This has been a message from the emergency GTFO system. *beeeeeep*

[ariainstars]

Reylo is Canon... It Isn’t the Plot

All right, before some of you will want to kill me: I have no doubts that Ben and Rey are meant to be together.

But I am also positive that Episode IX will not be a romantic love story.

I cannot say it often enough: despite the parallels, Star Wars is not Pride and Prejudice. Kylo Ren will not prostrate himself at Rey’s feet saying how sorry he is and asking her to tell him what he is supposed to do now and how she wants him to be.

The title says it: Pride and Prejudice is about a couple. His fault is the pride, hers is the prejudice. Elizabeth had judged Darcy quickly, believing everything George Wickham told her although she hardly knew him. Darcy had to tell her his own version of Wickham’s account in writing before she understood that there was more to it than she thought, and she felt ashamed immediately.

 “How despicably have I acted!” she cried. “I, who have prided myself on my discernment! I, who have valued myself on my abilities! Who have often disdained the generous candour of my sister, and gratified my vanity, in useless or blameable distrust. How humiliating is this discovery! - Yet, how just a humiliation! Had I been in love, I could not have been more wretchedly blind. But vanity, not love, has been my folly. - Pleased with the preference of one, and offended by the neglect of the other, on the very beginning of our acquaintance, I have courted prepossession and ignorance, and driven reason away, where either were concerned. Till this moment I never knew myself.” (Chapter 36.)

This is a major plot point; Pride and Prejudice is not a Cinderella story where a guy wants a girl who is socially below him, but first must overcome his arrogance to realize that she’s the right one for him. Elizabeth, in her own way, is as flawed as Darcy is.

Please read Jane Austen’s novel again if you don’t believe me. I love the book but it hurts me to see it so often misunderstood. The author’s intentions are clear: man and woman both need to grow and mature one through the other. As for me personally, I see nothing romantic in a guy crawling before a girl asking her to permit him to become her sugar daddy, pardon my blunt words.

So, even if we would assume Ben and Rey are like Darcy and Elizabeth, we would have no situation where the woman is morally high above the guy. Man and woman are equally right and wrong in both stories.

I agree with many fans that Ben and Rey need to finish what Padmé and Anakin had started. However, “Reverse Anidala” does not quite hit the nail on the head. One couple was doomed from the start, whereas the other two will have a future; but Rey cannot save Ben from himself. Padmé tried to do the same with Anakin and it ended in disaster - not through any fault of her own but because it is not a woman’s task to redeem a guy. Anakin obsessed about her to the point that it drove him to madness and ultimately caused his descent to hell. No woman ever ought to be loved to the point that a guy will do anything out of fear of losing her. Apart from that, Padmé did not know Anakin’s intentions, and if she had, she never would have wanted what he did.

What was Padmés and Anakin’s tragedy? They knew and loved one another since childhood, they had a romance, they got married and wanted to have children; they loved one another beyond death.

But:

1) Padmé did not have the Force; thus, she never understood the conflict in her husband’s heart, but it also never tempted her to do evil. Rey and Ben have a telepathic bond through the Force, both know well how each other’s minds work. But Rey needs to know the temptation of the Force in order to understand that she judged Ben although she never was in his shoes.

2) We hardly see Padmés own parents (so I assume they play no major role in her life), and Anakin loses his mother at age nine: both of them ardently wish for a family. Padmé had relinquished her mandate as queen of Naboo because she wanted to get married and have children of her own. Anakin declared the happiest day of his life when his wife told him she was pregnant. Their tragedy was that their children were born, but that they could not be parents, never actually have the family they desired.

The Skywalker family was meant to bring balance to the Force, and there can only be balance once the family wounds are finally healed. The last scion of the Skywalkers needs a family of his own, a happy and united one.

Ben needs to be redeemed; Anakin had cursed himself killing the Jedi padawans, and the last person we saw in Episode VIII was a Force-sensitive child. That is why I am positive that they are his redemption, not Rey.

Rey’s role is not to be Ben’s savior but to be the mother to these children who, like her, were abandoned. That is what’s important about her provenience, not that she might be a Skywalker or Kenobi or whatever else.

Ben is not meant to become Rey’s pet on a leash but the Good Father opposite to Darth Vader, the Dark, the evil Father. Ben is the last scion of the Skywalkers and the protagonist always becomes the central figure, finally choosing his own fate, only in the third installment of each trilogy. Essentially this is his story, not Rey’s. Adam Driver has Vader’s stature but his features are the opposite of Vader’s creepy mask. If you watch a few other movies with him, you quickly realize that he very often deals with children, and that he does it well. And there has never been a Star Wars film or series without a father figure until now. Who else is it supposed to be? I hope not Palpatine. 😉

Conclusion: we are not following a romantic couple here but a future mother and father. If Ben and Rey “only” declare undying love for one another, not much will be won. There is a lot more at stake here than romance. The strong chemistry between the protagonists is not leading to some passionate scenes with the lovers saving the galaxy through their devotion for one another; honestly, I am not even sure that Rey is requiting Ben’s feelings yet. They are almost strangers and politically arch-enemies, the exact opposite of Padmé and Anakin. Two actors with an intense sensual aura were necessary to make the bond between them palpable, although in the story’s context it stems from the Force.

I know I am speculating. But the saga’s themes are clear, and I have studied them for almost two years now. I would be very surprised if things went differently after everything that has happened in the saga before. You don’t need leaks to see where things are going, all you have to do is listen.

I am 99 % sure that Ben and Rey will be together and happy in the end. But I am also quite sure that they will have much more than that - a purpose, most probably taking care of children who were trapped and alone the way they were, each in his own way.

Remember how The Last Jedi gave Reylo’s so much more than they hoped for? The Rise of Skywalker will do the same.

In any case, I have my fingers crossed. 😉

P.S. I had already written about this at length some time ago, in case somebody is interested in more details: Homecoming of the Children

[twilightofthe]

for the OTP au post, Coffeeshop au! Herasoka pwease :3

Ooooh this’ll be a new ship for me, I hope you like what I did with it!

(OTP prompts list found here)

Herasoka 1 - Coffee shop AU: Who is the barista, and who frequents the coffee shop?

Hera did not know that she was such a sucker for pain before she decided that maybe an intensive college major wasn’t enough, no, aerospace engineering was just a little too easy for her.

No, she needed to get a job at Starbucks too to prove to her dad that she knew how to be independent.  She’d rather get a job at the local mechanic shop, honestly, but they aren’t hiring and to be honest, she doesn’t like the way one of the guys working there looks at her.

So churning out too much caffeine to already over-caffeinated fellow college students at the heart of campus is where she’s at instead.  When the boss decides to make the switch to 24/7 service, Hera must still be braindead after her last exam because she decides that you know what?  Agreeing to take the midnight shift for a miniscule payraise is a great idea!  Yeah!

Cue her frantically studying for her next quiz module under the counter at two A.M., the only person currently in the store because she’s the manager and she had to send her only other employee home and it is dead fucking empty in this store.

She’s trying to memorize theorems, she really is, but the next thing she knows her face is smushed into the sticky counter and someone is tapping her on the shoulder and she’s jerking awake to face one of the prettiest women she’s ever seen, dark skin and bright blue eyes and a curiously concerned smile.

The woman’s lips are moving and Hera’s realizing that the woman is asking if she’s okay and Hera’s stammering to say that she is fine, she is also so sorry, would she like a free pastry item (please don’t report me and get me fired).

The girl laughs and holds up her hands and says it’s quite alright, that it’s frankly ridiculous that they’re making kids Hera’s age stay up all night for the sake of capitalism.

Hera’s eyes narrow because this chick can’t be that much older than Hera herself and says so.  

The woman laughs, scolds her about not asking a lady’s age, and while Hera feels her face heat, the woman reveals her age and hah, yep, only three years more than Hera is.

Hera tells her this too, and the woman laughs again.  Hera’s sleep addled brain really likes her laugh.  Since her sleep-deprived snark seems to be getting her somewhere, she adds in that if she’s so sympathetic to the sleep-deprived prisoners of capitalism, why is she here at ass o’clock in the morning?

The woman’s eyes glitter and says that if it’s open, she might as well stop by.

Hera agrees without really thinking much of it because this woman is pretty and Hera is Weak.

She remembers she has a job to do and asks the woman her name for her order and gets “Fulcrum” as a response.  Hera can’t help but snort.

Like the earthquake centerpoint?

The woman laughs again when Hera asks-- yes, good --and asks if Hera’s a STEM major.  Hera agrees, mentions aerospace, and “Fulcrum”’s eyes light up, says one of her best friends is a grad student who TAs for the undergrad classes in the engineering school.

Hera narrows her eyes and asks who.  Something about “Fulcrum’s” personality rings familiar

Fulcrum confirms it by stating the name of Anakin Skywalker, Hera’s hectic TA who stands on the desk, throws overly complicated paper airplanes at students, has atrocious handwriting and whose unique way of explaining the prof’s complicated jargon honestly saved Hera’s midterm grade.  She tells Fulcrum this and smoothly uses her thankfulness to her friend as an excuse to offer to pay for the woman’s drink in.

Fulcrum denies her, making Hera damn near melt by adding that her friend never told her his students were so sweet.

Hera needs to cool down by agreeing to make Fulcrum’s iced drink.  As she punches her name into the system, she hesitates, and maybe her sleep-deprived brain is what prompts her to do it but she asks if that’s Fulcrum’s real name-- because it’s really cool if it is.

Fulcrum laughs and says that no, her real name is Ahsoka, but since baristas literally never get that right, she comes up with something else.  Hera challenges her, let her try and spell it right on the first time.  

The woman arcs a brow.  And what does the winner of this bet get?

Hera has no filter right now so she goes for it: winner’s choice.

Ahsoka agrees, and Hera thinks long and hard, sounding it out in her head, thinking on how most people would try and spell it and what might make it different enough to stump all the baristas before her.

Eventually, she gets it, feels Ahsoka’s eyes on her while she makes her her Pink Drink, and eventually plops it in front of her with the name Asokah attached to it.

The woman stares at the drink for a moment and breaks out into a smile, and for a moment, Hera thinks she’s won.

But then she is informed that nope, Hera spelled it wrong, though nice job remembering the “h”.  It’s actually missing the “h” after the first “A” and the digits of Hera’s phone number aren’t there either.

Hera jerks her head up at this, stunned, and Ahsoka is smiling almost shyly, asking that if Hera was interested, she’d like to--

Yes, Hera interrupts, fumbling in her apron for a Sharpie so she can snatch the cup back, scribble out the “h” and put it in the right spot, and then jot down her number below with her name next to it.  She hands it back to Ahsoka.

“Text me” she says.

Ahsoka reads the name out loud and smiles, asks, like the goddess?

Hera’s gotten that a million times before, but this is one of the first times hearing it makes her feel like one.  She awkwardly confirms yeah, like the goddess.

Ahsoka nods, heads for the door and yells over her shoulder that she will text.

Hera’s heart flutters as Ahsoka calls out, “Goodbye, Your Majesty!”

Maybe the night shift isn’t so bad after all...

[spclljar]

𝐋 𝐎 𝐀 𝐃 𝐈 𝐍 𝐆 . . . anakin skywalker selected .

basic arcadia info .

—  childhood .

born to shmi skywalker and an unknown father , anakin had lost his both parents before the age of twelve . his father , having died just shy of anakin’s second birthday had been glossed over up until anakin’s mother’s death . before this , anakin’s life was quite normal -- he was gifted in math and sciences having spent most of his childhood building small robots and inventions . the summer before his thirteenth birthday was tragic , after losing his mother in a car accident on the way to his air cadet graduation . anakin held his mother as she passed , having been in the backseat of the vehicle . from then , anakin was placed into the foster care system , feeling isolated . it was during these years after his mother’s death where anakin struggled heavily with his anger . 

—  past history .

at 17 , anakin married his then-girlfriend padme amidala after finding out she was pregnant . anakin was thrilled over it , having spent the majority of his life completely smitten for the woman . though with no financial security , the couple were forced to place their twins , luke and leia up for adoption . a decision that anakin resented , having experienced the foster care / adoption system first hand and feeling like a failure for being unable to properly provide for his family . this choice placed a large amount of tension on the pair with anakin feeling as though he was the only one who truly cared for the outcome . padme and anakin ended up separating . 

— powers .

anakin has only a slight connection to the force , though it does affect his emotions frequently . he often feels connections to people that he has no explanation for .

— currently .

anakin is currently an engineer , though he spends his spare time making small robotic inventions . both him and padme are attempting to work on things though anakin is still struggling .

basic aesthetic info .  

— appearance .

anakin stands 6′1 , he has medium length brownish-blond hair . he has a scar tracing down the side of his eye , believing it to have been from the car accident  which also claimed his right hand . he often dresses in all black outfits to match the robotic hand’s glove , attempting to draw attention away from it , it is a constant reminder along with his scar of things he blames himself for . though separated , anakin still sports his wedding band . 

— personality .

he’s best described as fiery . anakin is very charming , a little bit egotistic & does not mesh well with positions of power . anakin is extremely jealous and has a very short temper , he does not handle competition when especially when it’s for padme’s affection . there is an emotional side to anakin that is pure . his aggression and resentment stems from his own personal struggles but on the side remains a scared little boy who truly just wishes his mother could be here . although he is prone to tantrums , anakin would never harm anyone he loved and has made it his duty to protect them above all else .