#and now obi-wan is alone and sidelined

[dathomirdumpsterfire]

~Chapter 2: Snippet~

Maul is scooped up with the force, left helpless and suspended. He howls about it.

“Wow. Is that… a cat?” asks a mon calamari coming over to look at him.

“I believe so,” Kenobi replies, “Though it needs a bath rather badly.”

The force which has him pulls Maul back to the medical bed, and gently holds him there. It smells terrible in here, like antiseptic and bacta.

“No kidding… but don't they hate water?” The mon cala asks.

“Bant my dear, I honestly have no idea,” Kenobi offers, “I've never seen one outside of holos before.”

“The horns are so cute…” the healer muses, pulling a scanner from her belt. “...looks like it's a ‘him’? He's intact too. I hope you aren't looking to get him neutered, I don't know how.”

Neutered?!

Cursed or not, Maul is going to kill these jedi.

Obi-Wan Kenobi & Darth Maul : Featuring cursed Cat!Maul, the underside of Obi-Wan's couch, and a lot of entertained but confused jedi. : Crackish : Rated T but may change : 👍🏽

[obislittleone]

House Of Memories (34/?)

Obi-Wan Kenobi x Padawan!reader

Warnings: more jealousy, mild violence... literal satine loathing

Summary: Satine Kryze is in great danger, and it is up to Obi-Wan Kenobi to saver her from the clutches of Darth Maul... Oh, and, you're there too.

A/n: bruh- this is literal trash i'm sorry i'm sleeping over at a friends house i wrote this on my phone it's unedited and probably gross but it gets the point across and i had to stay on that HoM grind so

also y'all if you like the story, maybe consider buying me a coffee :)

Words: 2.2k

Obi-Wan had no reason to be jealous of the young padawan in whom you'd maintained a strong friendship with. He was a confidant for sure, someone you trusted and someone you could rely on in times of need, and Obi-Wan knew it was important to have people like that in your life. It didn't stop him from dropping his smile whenever his name was mentioned, or making up an excuse to leave the room when he walked in.

The poor kid would have thought Master Kenobi hated him, had he not known any better. You'd told Mak that Obi-Wan was very protective, and he understood. He'd been partially overprotective of Anakin as well... but you were different. You were his pride and his joy, and quite frankly the only person he had ever loved in this way.

You assured him time and time again when he brought it up to you, that Mak was only a friend, and that you could never possibly see him as more. He was always satisfied with your statement, until you were no longer with him, and his insecurities would arise all over again. The only thing that mattered at the end of the day, was when you were sleeping soundly in his arms, and no one else's.

He had no reason to be jealous, but when he'd received a distress call, from Duchess Satine Kryze, asking for his help in an urgent matter on Mandalore, you had every reason to be jealous.

"She needs my help," he tried to reason with you, but you were unwilling to let him go alone, knowing what the consequences of that could be. She was all over him the last time you saw her, and you'd rather not repeat that scenario with the man you loved.

"She she can have our help; I'm coming with you."

"If what she says of Darth Maul is true, it may be too dangerous to risk having you there," he meant it in the interest of keeping you safe, of course, but you didn't feel a need to be kept safe, and for the sake of this man, you were willing to throw yourself headfirst into extreme danger.

"So, you would risk your own life and keep me on the sidelines... Obi-Wan you know what happened to me when I thought you were dead, imagine what I would become if you actually were," you stood your ground, unwilling to lose this argument. As horrible, and petty as it sounded, the faking of his death won you a lot of fights that you would have otherwise just given up on.

"We talked about that. If anything were to happen to me, it would break my heart to see you fall away from your training."

"And it would break my heart to know I could have prevented it from happening, if only you would let me stay by your side," you countered, and he'd admit, it was the consular in you, your defiance of his resilience. It was in your nature to be wise, and to be compelling. He wasn't going to exclude you from this mission, now. Not when you'd fought so hard just to defend him from himself.

He sighed heavily, his shoulders dropping in defeat when he realized he didn't have anything valid that he could say to counteract your words.

"You will do exactly as I say, and if at any point I feel we have lost control of the mission, you will leave for safer grounds. Do you understand me?"

You smirked, his annoyance shown through his controlling tone, but you liked the way he sounded, telling you what to do. He didn't often give you commands anymore, because he didn't have to. You'd most likely be thinking the same thoughts or have received it from him signature without even trying.

"Yes, Master," you teased, a seductive look in your eyes. He knew you were taunting him, and did not give in, only rolling his eyes and walking to the door and knowing you'd be right behind him.

-

This is the last time we borrow a ship from Anakin...

You knew he liked to fly fast and hard, but dear maker... this poor vessel was falling apart. You'd barely made it to the Mandalore system, and even after that, getting her to fly in a straight line while in descent was horrendous.

You were lucky enough to have had enough practice by now, earning back your piloting registration upon being given permission by the council. You were surprised they even came to a decision about it, since for the past several months, you had to sit backseat instead of in the desirable flying chair.

Obi-Wan wasn't a fan of flying, although he did well enough when he had to, and of course, flying with you was far more enjoyable. He didn't share a love for the pilot's seat like you and Anakin did, it was not his forte.

Upon landing, you could see a platform inspector waiting for you, and though Obi-Wan had a disguise, you did not... so you waited for him to bring it to you.

You hid in the top compartment of the cockpit, ready to jump the Mandalorian when he approached. You heard Obi-Wan's footsteps, then another set behind him, and dropped right on target when you saw him enter.

You ripped the helmet off and shoved him forward, meeting Obi-Wan's readied fist. The poor guy was out like a light.

"Give me the one you're wearing, his is too big for me," you nodded to his disguise, which would soon become your own.

You stripped yourself of your robes, leaving you in your undershirt. Obi-Wan might even be enjoying himself right now if it weren't for the fact that he needed to get moving, and quickly. An old friend was counting on him, and as much as you hated to admit it, she did need his help.

You paid little attention to Obi-Wan, as you'd been focused on trying to pull off this ensemble, which clearly was not meant for you. You were about to raise the helmet to your head before you took a glance at him and damn, he could wear Mandalorian armor very well. You'd always had great respect for the Mandalorians, they seemed like a great people who made themselves into warriors, and they always died as heroes to their cause. Of course, perhaps you weren't so fond of them right now, only the man that stood before you while being dressed like one.

"What is it?" he furrowed his brow, looking over himself to see what you were staring at.

"Nothing," you shook your head, blinking rapidly to rid yourself of any distractions, now, and henceforth. "Do you know where we're going?"

"Not a clue, but as soon as we live this ship, we need to look like we do."

Well, that was encouraging.

You followed him down the ramp and noticed that he seemed far more confident in this role than any other undercover one he'd performed in... perhaps it was the helmet, yours was giving you a boost of certain self-assurance as you scanned the area. Your faces were completely hidden from view, and no one knew you were a Jedi, which meant you didn't have a reputation to uphold, or an order to represent. You only had a mission to complete, and with Obi-Wan by your side, nothing could stop you.

You seemed to have gotten yourself on a fair level and had many access points from the tunnel you entered on the tarmac.

He pulled you into a stairwell that was far too long for your liking, but you couldn't chance being spotted on an elevator. You would bear the brunt of this mission, because you'd begged for it. You quite literally had an unneeded argument with your Master over being with him during this endeavor... so you were going to be an adult about it, and not complain now you were here.

You'd found the right entry point to the holding containments, and slowly walked through the corridors, hopeful there were not many guards on watch. It would be awfully foolish to come this far, only to get stopped by hallway security.

Obi-Wan had almost walked straight passed the cell, but you tapped him on the shoulder, pointing out the form of the kneeling woman behind the glass. You were all too happy you could not see his expression in finding her, for though it was probably genuine, you didn't want to associate her with making him happy.... that was your job.

You pressed the button on the side for the glass door to slide open, and Obi-Wan stepped into the cell.

"Here to do more of your master's bidding?" She snipped at the sound.

"I do my own bidding," he replied, and the lightning reaction she gave was enough to curdle your blood. Her eyes went wide, and a sweet smile spread on her face.

"Obi-Wan," she stood up quickly, whipping around and throwing herself into his arms, trying to cling to him tightly.

You understood her relief, for knowing she was being rescued, but the longer she held on, the less you could stand it. You raised your hand, using the force to pull her off of his body, pushing her back about a foot or two away from him.

"My apologies for interrupting, but we don't have time to dally."

You were far more annoyed than she remembered you. You seemed like a dear the first time you'd encountered her, and the second time you'd been in her presence, it was at Obi-Wan's funeral. The very man you were here to protect, from not only any harmful forces, but also from her. He was yours, and you weren't going to give him up for anything.

"Right, follow me," Obi-Wan checked to make sure the coast was clear, before leading you both to the elevator, with you in the rear to cover the duchess. You couldn't take the stairwell this time, as it would be far too slow, and at some point, someone would realize that the only prisoner was missing.

"I assume you have an escape plan, then?" she crossed her arms, stepping into the chamber and waiting for the shaft doors to open.

"As always."

No, he really did not. The plan was to hope you made it back to the ship without getting shot at, but as soon as the doors to the elevator were opened, another Mandalorian stood there, waiting for his level.

You took initiative, shoving Satine into the confined space, and Obi-Wan followed along, playing his part to avoid suspicion. When the doors closed, you sensed unease in the Mandalorian's emotions.

"There's no record of a prisoner transfer here," he said, turning his visor in your direction. You were thankful for having one of your own to hide your nervous expression.

"The orders came from upstairs," Obi-Wan was quick to reply, not letting a moment pass to make the Mandalorian suspect anything... too bad he still did.

"What's the authorization code?"

Obi-Wan turned to you, then back to him, beginning to try and stutter out a fake answer, but then you realized your cover was blown, so you grabbed the Mando by the head, throwing it into the wall of the space, and watching him go deadweight to his knees right after.

As soon as the doors opened, you ran out to the speeder bikes, commandeering one for yourself as Satine slung herself on the back of Obi-Wan's. This would all be over soon, and you would go back to Coruscant, dropping the duchess wherever she felt was the safest. You'd be sleeping in his arms again tonight, as with that constant reminder, you were able to focus on getting back to the ship, ignoring how tightly she wrapped her arms around him to keep steady.

You were being chased now, several guards being on your tail as you approached the tarmac once again.

You jumped off of yours a bit before you reached the ship, allowing it to hit one of the Mando's gaining, and earning a few extra seconds of run time. You were able to then race up the ramp before it closed, feeling the vibration as Obi-Wan brought the ship from the ground... or at least he tried.

You felt an impact on the bottom left side of the transport, and it sent the vessel into a spin. You were going to crash...

Satine came racing down first, followed by your Master, who lowered the ramp, while midair, and in a wild spin. You had a bad feeling about this...

You timed your jump from the ramp, landing back on the tarmac separately from the other two. You had little time to regain yourself, as then you were being pulled to your feet instantly by a tall Zabrak you'd never seen before. His yellow markings made him different from any you'd ever encountered... but Obi-Wan had told you about him. Savage Opress.

"Let me go," you tried to wriggle out of his grasp, but he was far stronger than you, and force sensitive, too. You did not bother trying. "Obi!"

You were thrown into the ground, the back of your head slamming on the concrete. The lights were going out around you, and you faintly heard your master's distressed voice as you succumbed to the darkness.

-

@spencerrxids @sawendel @fandomstanner24 @i-shall-abide @officialjellydoughnut @whatshxrname @darkened-writer @superavengerpotter @cutiepoo16 @hypnoash @softlymellow @howlerwolfmax @mephistominion @honestlywtfisgoingon @anakinskywalkerog @mandiiellen @je--a-n @guyinachair27 @avenger5-a55emble @amelia-song-pond @kaminanii @the-abyss-of-fandoms @queenofnightdreamland @world-dominating-kitty @mandowhatnow @ella-error505 @annahalo @infinity-witch @beetlejuice-stuff @liueski @solarbxby @sirianisrock @lxdyred @endless-warrior-always-fighter @iloveinej @msjb2002 @shoochi @itsilvermorny @gingerrosecosplay @sebschicken @loversjoy @argentinemango @1-800-vader @house-of-kolchek @marierg @graciexmarvel @ttzamara @truly-madly-nerdy @molieux @majahu @dyzlks @pancakefancake

[the-last-kenobi]

*kciks down door* ReQuEsTs?!??! uh, 18. “Is it all right if I hug you?” with Obi-wan and character of your choice (please, this boy needs a hug so bad)

Hugs!!!! What an excellent ask.

Took me forever to pick a character though. I came this close to writing multiple hugs throughout the years but it would’ve been very long...

It’s still long. Whoops.

Note: I skipped the actual sentence and instead went for ✨vibes only✨

(From this various prompts list.)

_

Obi-Wan is twenty-three standard years old, very nearly twenty-four.

It is a delightful stage of life. (It’s awful.)

He’s growing in independence, so close to Knighthood he can almost taste it. (Is he? Nobody seems to have a clear opinion.)

He’s receiving more and more solo assignments, and on his missions with Master Jinn, the older Jedi makes an effort to at least await the Padawan’s input before making a decision, sometimes even deferring to Obi-Wan’s word. (Only in public, though, is there a sense of equality. Behind the scenes, Obi-Wan is still very much the learner.)

He longs to be free. (He doesn’t want to be alone.)

The confusing clash of thoughts and emotions is, in and of itself, a creator of more clashing emotions, all resulting in a bundle of self-doubt that crouches near his heart, like a greedy bird, picking away at his strength and certainty when he most needs it.

Doesn’t your doubt show you that you’re truly not ready? the pestering creature asks.

Doesn’t your longing for freedom prove you don’t deserve it? it says, tapping against the veins of ice and fear that lie right against the heat of his heart.

Doesn’t your need to be reassured tell you that you’re too hesitant, too weak to be alone?

His desire to fly is wrong. His desire to be sheltered, even more so.

Both together, coexisting in his heart and mind, could quite possibly mean the one thing he had been dreading for over a decade now, the thing older Jedi, real Jedi, had put into words and addressed to his face when he was only twelve, only eleven, only ten.

You are too emotional, they said.

You are overeager, they said.

You are not destined to be a Jedi, Qui-Gon had told him. I will not train you.

He had, in the end, and Obi-Wan has been wondering in the depths of his heart for all these years of it had not been a dreadful mistake. As much as the Force sings in his ears Jedi, Jedi, Jedi, endure, Jedi, Jedi, it felt like everything he touched, everything tangible, argues back failure, weak, selfish, foolish, unwanted, not fit.

Obi-Wan is twenty-three, almost twenty-four, and he is years into adulthood and light years away from proving that he’s capable of handling it.

When will he be Knighted?

Nobody seems to be expecting it from him.

Do they know, he wonders, have they known since the beginning that I am doomed to fail? Has this all been a gracious attempt, a thank you for my actions on Bandomeer, and they have drawn this out and out and out as long as they can?

How much longer can this go on?

Still, there are moments when he is at peace, when Obi-Wan is sure. When he meditates, when he accomplishes something new, when he walks away from an assignment feeling unashamed when he translates his memories into a tidy mission report.

When he has one of his long talks with Master Yoda, or Master Windu, who despite their revered status have taken to talking to him more like a friend than a child, outside of the Council chambers.

When he remembers the Force whispering inside, Jedi Jedi Jedi Jedi, endure, Jedi...

And then, on one of the missions assigned to both himself and his Master - still the overwhelming majority of his assignments - he and Qui-Gon are separated during a violent uprising.

There are bodies in the streets and buildings are aflame; children weep over the bodies of their parents and parents cradle the bodies of their children and scream as if the sound is their only companion left in the world. The standing government has a point, the rebellion has a point, the civilians caught in the crossfire don’t say which point they agree with because they’re too busy screaming and perishing, and Qui-Gon is simply gone.

Obi-Wan, faced with the threat of further bloodshed right here and right now even as the air is still clogged with ash and flame and as another body topples from a rooftop in front of his feet, raises his hand in surrender and calmly proposes a truce, offering himself as a legal hostage against the government that brought the Jedi here.

Obi-Wan is led away with his hands bound behind his back and his lightsaber taken away, and though his face is calm, the furrow between is brow speaks of his inner turmoil, which sounds like tapping against the cracks in his heart and Qui-Gon, where is Master Qui-Gon, I don’t know what I’m doing, if I fail more people will die, if I fail it will be my fault, is this taking charge or stepping aside, am I a leader or a victim?

He spends not days, not weeks, but three standard months as a hostage. He spends a terrible amount of time sitting in a cell and pondering his uselessness, the gravity of his foolishness, but every time someone opens the door and escorts him out to hold parley with the leaders of the rebellion and the ministry of the planet, he holds his head high, tempers his fear, and speaks to them with all he has.

Which is honesty. Humility.

You don’t know what to do, he says. Neither do I.

We all know we must do something. No matter how much blood you spill and how much earth you scorch you will eventually come back here to this table to have this same discussion until either both of you are broken beyond belief or one of you has been crushed, and half your planet’s voice stolen away. And you will have sacrificed two of the Republic’s Jedi along the way, a black mark against whichever victor is left standing.

Or, he says, we choose to pass over the violence and talk here and now, and choose this again and again and again. You have already had your fighting. Your people are already hoping for negotiation.

Are you here for their sakes or to kill them for show?

He does not use these exact words.

He sews them into his brief speeches, hammers in the point sharply when he must, weaves the common thread over and over again.

He knows they fight while he is locked away.

But he believes, from the growing respect in the eyes of these people who hold him both by his and against his will, that he is making a difference. He must be.

And Obi-Wan is twenty-three, very very nearly twenty-four, when he finally walks free to witness the signing of a treaty like this planet has never had before, to witness the formation of a new government, and he discovers not ashes and mass graves when he sees daylight for the first time in three months — but instead, a city and a planet marred only by scattered battlefields, and marked more clearly by the way its people have fought to keep it clean, to keep it safe.

Children race through the streets, unafraid, because they have had real shelter during the war. It has not entered their homes since that first terrible day.

Neighbors from opposing sides of this fight and friends who staked no claim in this war mingle freely. Their smiles are a little hesitant, but they are there.

The dead are all honored equally.

It is leaps and bounds, it is a civilization that propelled itself through years of struggle in three months, and Obi-Wan is awed by them.

He knows it cannot be this way everywhere.

He knows that there will be wars where no one wants to surrender, or where one side will be so certain of their point of view that they would rather raise hell than cease, and he knows there will be people who resist them.

But today it is real.

Obi-Wan looks at his pale and clammy hands, the marks around his wrists where he was so often bound, and feels the way his limbs shake from months of too little sunlight, not quite enough food, and more than his share of fear and doubt and self-recrimination.

As he smiles for a camera that will record this moment forever, he glimpses Qui-Gon amongst the crowd.

Someone explains to him, when he asks, that his Master had been injured during the uprising and spent the first three weeks of Obi-Wan’s captivity in convalescence. The remaining time, he has spent on the sidelines, forced there by his Padawan’s actions. With Obi-Wan a willing hostage, playing negotiator and leverage both, Qui-Gon had no role except to mingle with the people, offer them comfort and aid.

Something Obi-Wan knows his Master loved, but — he had still stolen his Master’s role.

He had thrown himself into a stupid, foolish situation, and how many times had Qui-Gon teased him about playing damsel in distress? And here he has gone and surrendered of his own accord. What would Qui-Gon have done if Obi-Wan had led them all to ruin?

Obi-Wan slowly loses his confidence, his relief, his silver tongue, as the press and the people recede, and he and his Master walk to a room that has been prepared for both of them, as honored guests by this new government.

Qui-Gon says nothing to him.

They walk in silence for twelve minutes.

And then, as soon as the door has shut behind them, Obi-Wan finds himself pulled into a fierce embrace, one of his Master’s hands buried in his hair, Qui-Gon’s chin resting atop his head.

Obi-Wan hesitates.

Does his Master think him a child?

Perhaps Qui-Gon senses his thoughts, because the man pulls away briefly, still holding his Padawan by the shoulders, as if unwilling to let him go completely, else he vanish like smoke.

“Padawan,” Qui-Gon says, and his voice is loud and strong and brimming with warmth that washes over Obi-Wan like sunlight, like water, like an embrace. “Well done, my Padawan.”

And then he is pulled again into Qui-Gon’s comforting arms, and Obi-Wan breathes in and gives in, folding against his teacher like a child, and if a few tears stain Qui-Gon’s robes or drop into Obi-Wan’s hair, neither of them speaks of it.

Obi-Wan lets his Master hold him, lets go of fear and pride and doubt, and finds that he is safe.

~

[katrina-loves-birds]

Another issue I have with the appearance of Cad Bane, other than the ones everyone has already touched on, is that in the obsession to put recognizable characters in Star Wars media (fan service), Disney has not only harmed the overall plot of the show, but it actively harms some of the appeal of Star Wars.

What do I mean by this? What makes the Original Trilogy work is the feeling of being utterly alone in the beginning. Luke is alone on Tatooine, Leia is alone on her ship, and Obi-wan is one of the last Jedi in the order. The Prequels also support this, because in the end almost every character introduced in the movies dies before the start of A New Hope. Previous TV shows, such as Rebels, don’t deviate from this pattern as well. Rex, Gregor, and Wolfe are pretty much the last clone troopers out there, and Kanan is separated from any other Jedi. Very few, if any characters successfully make the jump from Prequels to Original trilogy.

However, Disney seems intent on adding cameos and fan service to their properties. Rather than fleshing out previously 2 dimensional characters, they focus on fan favorites and put them in every single media they make, in return jeopardizing previous characterization (what they’ve done with Luke) and sidelining characters of color (Boba Fett). Now they’ve added Cad Bane to a property that takes place 5 years after the end of the OT, even though he was originally introduced in the Clone Wars as an older adult.

It doesn’t make sense for him to still be bounty hunting, and while I’m sure Disney will create some helpful in-universe way to tackle that problem, it’s clear that the real reason he’s in the show is because Disney would rather milk the Star Wars franchise like a cash cow instead of coming up with new stories and characters. And all of this is happening in the Book of Boba Fett, which was supposed to be focused on Boba rebuilding Tatooine but seems to be functioning as the Mandalorian season 2.5.

[gffa]

Hello there! I was recently in a discussion with someone who thinks the Jedi were kinda bad and I was saying I mean I don’t think so, but ok. They tried to convince me with Barriss and how what she said was correct and I’m kind of confused because I kinda feel she’s right but she also isn’t. Uh, could you help explain it, cuz I’m a little lost?

Hi!  Barriss is something of a complicated topic, because I don’t think her story should be divorced from that it’s a really bad look to write the character with a whole lot of Muslim parallels as a bomber and thus it’s hard to take the story seriously on a meta level, because I’m too busy going, “Guys, what the fuck, that’s real bad over there.” and whether she has a point or not often gets overshadowed by that. And it’s hard to set that aside (and I’m unsure if one should even try) where I think the intention of Barriss’ story is meant to make us think about the Jedi’s role in the Republic and in the GAR, but I’m not sure it’s meant to provide concrete answers. What Barriss says:  “I have come to realize what many in the Republic have come to realize… that the Jedi are responsible for this war! That we've so lost our way that we've become villains in this conflict! That we are the ones who should be put on trial! All of us! And my attack on the temple was an attack on what the Jedi have become: An army fighting for the dark side, fallen from the light that we once held so dear. This Republic is failing! It’s only a matter of time.” There are elements of truth here, the Republic is failing, that the people have lost faith in the Jedi and they are now seen as villains, that the war was a tool used by the dark side to gain control over the galaxy. The problem is that she also has fallen herself, that she’s willing to murder innocent people in that bombing, willing to let other people take the fall for her, and that cannot come without being part of the dark side.  And the dark side lies.  The dark side is not an accurate narrator. The problem with Barriss’ words is that we’re not given any better options for the Jedi and it blames a group of people for their own lack of feasible choices.  Is their involvement in the war part of what leads to their own destruction?  Yes, of course it is.  Does that make it suddenly their own fault that Palpatine literally drafted them into the war (according to supplementary books + GL word of god commentary)?  Does it make the point of how, if they hadn’t joined the war, it would be people like Tarkin running the show, and that Tarkin’s introduction into the show was literally meant to show that? Barriss’ accusations have grains of truth in them, but they ignore that there’s never been any offer of an alternate path for them that has ever held any water, especially given what we see of how the Senate treats people who say “no” to them--they get blacklisted and are unable to help anyone anymore and things get worse.  It happens with Padme in the supplementary novels after her actions in TPM, it happens to Mandalore in TCW’s main storyline, etc.  The Jedi are in a position where, if they say no, there’s a very likely chance that they’ll be put in an even shittier position and there won’t be anyone to lead the war in a more gentle direction, if possible. That’s the problem that Barriss is leaving out--does the Jedi’s involvement in the war lead to bad things?  Yes!  But their non-involvement would have been worse.  And to say that they were responsible for this war, when Sheev Palpatine is RIGHT THERE or when Obi-Wan himself points out, “If the people of the galaxy stood up for what was right, this war would have been over long ago.”, is tunnel-visioned at best.  The Jedi didn’t start the war, nor are they the ones keeping it going, that’s all Palpatine right there.  The Jedi stepping away doesn’t mean Palpatine or Dooku will stop fighting, that the clones will suddenly stop fighting, that the droid army will suddenly stop fighting. Barriss’ words treat the Jedi as if they have obvious better options, they treat the Jedi as if they’re the only player in this game, when they’re not.  Did the Jedi make mistakes?  Of course, as well as there’s an impossible to answer question of, “When would have been the right time for them to walk away from everything?”  And what does that even look like?  Do they go rogue vigilantes in a galaxy that already fears them/doesn’t understand them?  Do they just sit on their asses on the sidelines?  Is there any galaxy in which Palpatine would have let several thousand one-man-walking-army nuclear weapons just sit by and not specifically target them?  Knowing that they would have the power to stop him, if he didn’t back them into a corner and tie their hands?  He’s not going to just leave them alone.  They don’t have the numbers to fight the war themselves, that was made clear over and over and over, so, they can’t become a third faction (in the Republic GAR vs Separatists), they can’t sit it out, do they join the Separatists?  Do they just fuck off into the depths of the Unknown Region?  Like, what’s the play here?  Especially when the Separatists are out there poisoning entire planets, enslaving entire peoples, murdering and torturing their way across the galaxy, and the Jedi are just supposed to go, “Well, fighting in this war was making us feel sad and have to deal with darkness, so you guys are on your own now.”? You can say, “The Jedi made mistakes, being part of the war.” and that’s not wrong, but the problem with judging the Jedi for it is that it often ignores that there were other players on the board with far more political power, that they were not given as much power as we want to think they were, and there weren’t really better options for them personally that wouldn’t have fucked over a lot of people who needed help.  Like, should the Jedi have stayed out of the fight when Ryloth’s people were being used as human shields?  Should they have stayed out of the fight when the people of Kiros were taken to be slaves?  Should they have stayed out of the fight when Mon Calamari was being occupied and its people enslaved as well?  That’s the question that never seems to get answered in Barriss’ accusations. And if you have to bomb a bunch of innocent people, without apparently having ever actually stood up and talked to anyone about this first, maybe you’re lost in the dark side and not seeing things all that clearly. (Which is still setting aside that using Barriss for this story was fucking awful.) The Jedi aren’t perfect, I think it’s fair to question their role in the war and the path they took, but ultimately I have yet to find any workable solutions that wouldn’t have left people to get fucked over by the war, that’s where I’ve landed on the subject and I think what the actual worldbuilding of the movies + TV shows actually evidences.  As Yoda says, when asked if he’s sure about their actions and whether they’re on the right path: “Hmm, the right path, no. The only path, yes.” That’s it, that’s the summation for the Jedi’s involvement in the war for me.  The right path, no.  The only path, yes.

[levitatingbiscuits]

I'm a little scared, but...tell me more about "Padawan child soldier au where there Republic figures out that Mandalorians don’t like to harm children and takes full advantage"?

i have a series of posts about it already under the “child soldier au” tag, but thank you for the opportunity to ramble about my headcanons and justifications! it’s absurdly long so i had to hide it under the cut lol

welllllll, we all know from the clone wars that the republic had no problem sending jedi children to the battlefield to die. in the first battle of the war on geonosis, anakin was the only padawan and youngest jedi present at age 19. 200 jedi (a full 5% of the jedi order) died within a few hours at most. as the war continued and jedi knights died in droves, ages continued to drop until they were sending out 14 year olds like ahsoka just a year later. 

i’m not sure if this was due to mandatory jedi general quotas (older padawans got their own commands before they were even knighted, at least according to the 1st star wars: clone wars cartoon), but considering palpatine manufactured the conflict in order to more easily commit genocide, I think it’s very likely. Ahsoka is shown to be sent back to the temple or sent on peaceful (or at least supposed to be peaceful) missions a lot more than either obi-wan or anakin, and she often spends time with other masters while anakin and obi-wan are busy with the war (or with padme, in anakin’s case :/ he always has time to hang out in her apartment and go to her parties or escort her places and i think palps has a hand in it, considering how we pretty much never see obi-wan or the other jedi have that much free time).  

SO: if the senate and the republic citizenry are so eager to send children to die for them when there’s literally no tactical advantage whatsoever, they’d definitely use child soldiers against a culture that treasures children.

Of course, this might be difficult to notice at first, considering that Mandalorians come of age at 13, which is also the cutoff for initiates to be accepted by a master before they have to leave the Jedi Order. (love me some jedi/mando cultural parallels.) However, considering that their parents literally coach them through their verd’goten (warrior’s trial), and the reward is to be able to forge their own beskar’gam, I think this stage of “adulthood” is equivalent to a jedi apprenticeship: more freedom and responsibilities, but you’re still learning and being closely monitored as you come into your own. they’re also expected to live with their parents until they get married and start their own family, so I see marriage as equivalent to knighthood. Mandalorian youths are NOT encouraged to engage with the enemy directly, as we see with jaster and jango, jango and boba, and din and yodito. they might get peripherally involved, or help from the sidelines, but if you target the child directly the parent whoops your ass in short order. (notice how jango lets his kid near jedi when he won’t even let the kid meet most of his bounty hunter colleagues, because he knows that they don’t hurt kids. notice how obi-wan doesn’t even THINK of going after boba even when he’s firing the ship’s guns at him, and how the jedi don’t touch him even when he’s in the middle of the arena on geonosis and they could probably use him as a hostage.)

but padawans don’t have a marker of adulthood in the way that mandalorians do. you can become a padawan when you’re still in the single digits. at first, the jedi would work very hard to keep their padawans from having to fight directly against the mandalorians, but going off the clone wars, as casualties rise among the jedi the average age of the combatants drops.

going against the jedi is FUN for mandalorians. for a significant portion of their history they hunted jedi for sport. but going against an eerily graceful master is  a lot different than fighting some half-trained shrimp, and without any armor they can see how YOUNG some of these jedi look.

so the mandalorians might start hesitating. just a bit, at first. maybe they let the enemy retreat instead of killing them all or something, because they don’t want to kill a master (parent) in front of such a young “adult.” and the republic war machine notices, and sends more master-padawan teams. younger, this time. and the mandalorians let more people live, fight a little less ferociously. (maybe they think of their own children, far behind the front lines, running easy missions with their other parents and clanmates, so excited to be wearing armor for the first time.)

the republic starts sending padawans on solo missions, like in the clone wars. padawans are in high demand as bodyguards for diplomats and senators, like in TCW, not because of their skills but because the whole entourage is much less likely to be massacred if they have one with them; the more baby-faced, the better. age requirements for combatants drop lower, and lower, and lower, until a mandalorian looks at the padawan brandishing a lightsaber at them and notices that they still have teeth growing in. 

and it works. it works well. force-sensitive toddlers start getting conscripted by the republic instead of willingly surrendered to the temple. maybe the republic finally cracks down on the booming slave trade of force-sensitive children so that they can have more soldiers. instead of aging out, Jedi initiates have to complete a few years of mandatory military service before they’re allowed to leave the order or join the corps. the coruscant guard is required to have at least 5 initiates in the senate building at any time.

and who can stop them? there are fewer and fewer jedi every year, even if the creche is overcrowded to bursting. the code has to be amended to allow masters to teach two or four or six padawans whatever they can to keep them alive just that much longer. after all, the order can’t resist the will of the senate if most of them die before they can even reach knighthood, let alone mastery. the mandalorians go after the adults even more violently now because they blame them for putting their children in danger, which ironically means that the republic can exploit them even more easily as their guardians and advocates die out.

[attacksoftheclones]

Why We Need to Appreciate Padmé Amidala

In spirit of #SWisagirlthingtoo making its way around Twitter, I thought now would be the perfect time to make a post I’ve been wanting to write for a while. Star Wars up until recently has not given much attention to its heroines, perhaps with the exception of the iconic Princess and General Leia Organa. It is incredibly sad that it has taken this long for the franchise to realise that characters such as Leia, Padmé and Rey (as well as the many animated heroines we have met such as Ahsoka and Hera) have been and will forever continue to be definitive factors in the way many girls have and will grow up.

When it comes to Star Wars, I loved Leia and I love Rey, but they are both not the heroine I connected with. I connected with former Queen and then Senator Padmé Amidala from the highly criticised (although increasingly less so) prequels and then again in the animated series, Star Wars: The Clone Wars. Any Padmé fan knows that loving her as a character most often means you’ll often be told that in the end she did ‘nothing but cry over Anakin’ or is in no way comparable to her daughter, you’ll find it frustrating that no reference is made to her at all following Episode III and you’ll know that she has little to no presence in merchandising even when you are more than willing to throw coins down Disney’s way for her.

But Padmé deserves to overcome all of the above. Padmé constantly has to battle against both what people expected her to be (arguably a Leia clone) and the often restrictive and limiting definitions of what makes a “strong female character”, especially in pop culture. Regardless, here is why Padmé is such an underappreciated and amazing character.

The Phantom Menace:

Padmé is elected queen at 14 years old, a competent and strong leader wise beyond her years. She was educated in public service from an early age, earning the trust of her people after serving as the Princess of Theed and becoming a junior senatorial adviser upon joining the team of Apprentice Legislators from the age of 8.

She is one of the first people to acknowledge and realise the failures of the Republic (“It is clear to me now that the Republic no longer functions”, “Wake up, Senators, you must wake up!”).

She is brave enough to take part in espionage missions in order to allow herself to take part in both negotiations and the action, as well as to keep herself safe.

When the time comes, she is brave enough to reveal herself as the queen even though it is not asked of her.

It is her idea to form the Gungan Alliance and to try retake Naboo herself. She is able to realise that a diplomatic solution is no longer plausible for her home planet and instead of sitting back and ordering action from the sidelines, she fights alongside her people and risks her life in doing so.

She delivers victory, bringing the two species of Naboo together and liberates her people.

Padmé served the full two terms allowed by Naboo’s laws but was so popular as a leader that her people wanted to amend the constitution in order to allow her to remain queen.

Attack of the Clones:

Padmé continues to serve her people as the representative of Naboo in the Galatic Senate, even as her life continues to be threatened and also after she watches her decoy (and friend) die.

Despite more threats to her safety, Padmé is selfless in going with Anakin to Tatooine to try and save his mother as well as wanting to help and rescue Obi-Wan.

Padmé is prepared to put her career first. She denies her feelings for Anakin right until she believes she is going to die on Geonosis and understandably realises that her career does not have to be the only satisfaction in her life. She accepts that she is entitled and allowed to love, even when Anakin does not share the same luxury.

She decides to become committed to hiding her relationship so that she can continue her duties for the Republic as well as attempting to ensure Anakin is not denied his life as a Jedi.

Her every action is not driven by her love for Anakin. She decides to go rescue Obi-Wan when Anakin argues against it and whilst Anakin and Obi-Wan bickered when chained up on Geonosis, she instead took the time to rescue herself and reach higher ground.

Padmé survived the Battle of Geonosis as a clever politician and as a blaster-weilding fighter whilst many other Jedi and trained clones died. She proves again that she can fight.

The Clone Wars:

Padmé essentially becomes a hero through her politics.

We see more of her in action in the Senate, particularly in the episode The Pursuit of Peace where she gives an unforgettable speech. “Who are we fighting for? My people, your people, all of our people. This war is meant to save them from suffering, not increase it. I support our brave soldiers whether they come from the clone factories or from any of the thousands of systems loyal to the Republic… It is our duty and our responsibility to preserve the lives of those around us.” The full version can be found on Youtube.

Padmé continues to be the target of further assassination attempts but continues to expand her power and influence nonetheless.

Padmé cleverly earns the attention of the galaxy’s most important players and is able to come to adaptable and sufficient compromises with them despite differences in beliefs and alliances.

Missions with Ahsoka!!

She again does not let her decisions be influenced or driven by Anakin. When Anakin does not want her to go on a mission he deems to dangerous in the episode Senate Spy, she replies “You’re not going to let me? It’s not your decision to make, it’s mine”. Padmé puts her duty to the Republic first, even when it bothers Anakin on multiple occasions.

She is brave enough to leave Anakin when he violently attacks Rush Clovis, whom she had been previously romantically linked with.

Revenge of the Sith:

Yes, many of her scenes where she is active in the early formations of the Rebel Alliance are cut and we will never forgive George Lucas 5eva. The original ending where she attempts to assassinate Anakin also would have been awesome. This movie is where Star Wars fails Padmé, but her role in it still can not be ignored.

Padmé is able to question the state of the Republic when many around her are too afraid to in fear of accepting what it may truly mean – “What if the democracy we thought we were serving no longer exists and the Republic has become the very evil we’ve been fighting to destroy?”

She recognises that Palpatine has gained too much power in the Senate upon becoming Emperor and reorganising the Republic into the Empire, famously stating “so this is how liberty dies, with thunderous applause”. This leads her to form the early stages of the Rebel Alliance that would ultimately become a deleted scene but should still be considered canon.

Once learning all that Anakin has done, Padmé states that he is “going down a path [she] can not follow”. She is not blinded by love and is able to see his actions for what they are and who he has now become. He ultimately destroyed everything she had worked so hard to preserve.

Whatever way you want to believe Padmé died, she went through unimaginable heartbreak and her emotions should not totally be criticised because her pain will never be understood by most. People also often fail to realise that Padmé’s fate is also that of the Republic. She was fated to die with it as she was symbolic of its spirit. I think it is fair to say that she was never destined to live past the birth of Luke and Leia (despite that one line from Leia in Return of the Jedi which can be argued for) as Vader would never have been fully committed to being Palpatine’s apprentice with Padmé around and her future would have had to have been reduced to one of hiding.

It is Padmé that instills the hope and kindness in Luke that allows him to refuse the dark side and resurface the last bit of humanity left in Anakin/Vader. Luke does not win over his father through combat or power but through embodying the eternal impression of light that his mother left on his father. Like his mother, Luke knows that fighting, or ‘aggressive negotiations’, will not always be the answer. A New Hope is ultimately a product of Padme’s legacy.

I know myself that I would not be the person I am today without my favourite female characters. Through female characters, as girls we can feel as though we have defeated great evils, overcome inner conflicts and sometimes even get to save the boys for a change. We might not be able to pick up a blaster or lightsaber in real life, but we learn it’s okay to take charge and that there is absolutely no reason we should feel ashamed for doing so. We learn that we can aim for and strive for any goal whilst also feeling confident and every bit capable to get the guy on the side if we wish to and that having such feelings should not be seen to diminish our strength in any way.

Padmé carried the weight of her gender throughout the entirety of the prequel trilogy and for that reason alone she was never going to please everyone. She was the new female lead and many hoped she would be a character who was along the lines of being Force sensitive or perhaps even a pilot like Rey. But Padmé’s strength was in being kind when she had every reason not to be and was a force to be reckoned with through her intelligence and diplomacy that helped preserve the security and stability of the Republic for as long as it was able to stand under Palpatine’s manipulative rule. She was the humanitarian the galaxy needed when it began to lose all humanity.

Many people who grew up watching the prequels first probably connect with Padmé more because they never tried to fit her into a mould or an already established idea. But I do hope that fans of any age can come to recognise that Padmé is as worthy of being centre stage in the Star Wars arena as any other female character and I truly hope Forces of Destiny can help bring that about. Of course we need more representation in the Star Wars universe and I will never deny that, but I am lucky enough that I did gain a character from Star Wars that I adore so much. I also appreciate that these female characters can be every bit important to male fans as they are to female fans and any male fan that is able to appreciate our heroines as equal to our heroes is helping fandom and pop culture take a step in a better direction than it has in the past.

[aionimica]

Knights and Princes, a Kylo Ren character meta

So I want to take a second to talk about how Kylo Ren is both the culmination and subversion of two of my all time favorite character types: the knight in shining armor and the prince.

You have the fairy tale prince who comes from a place on high, who is bestowed with wealth and good will who seeks to destroy the monsters in order to rescue the princess and become King. Pretty straightforward, usually a pretty boy with mild to none character except that he Loves Well and is Good. Honestly you just have to look at Disney’s prince lineup to know what this character archetype look like. Not a whole lot of variation.

And then you have the knight. The man burdened with purpose and creed who is set out to achieve a goal. He is loyal to a fault and few, if any, things can sway him from his goal. He is strong and trustworthy, the image of knights of old, who do nothing but good deeds because they are good men and who want to spread good. They rescue maidens and slay dragons because that is what they do. They are the Lancelots and Obi-Wans of the world, who stand as the vanguard against evil.

Obviously Kylo is not the Good portrayal of either of these and I think that’s what makes him so fascinating. He is the son of Princess Leia, the heir to the throne of Alderaan who grew up in a time of political upheaval where his mother was a galactic head of state. He is the son of war heroes in a time when heroes were needed. Not to mention that from a Force perspective, he was the heir to a legacy as great and mighty and bloody as the stars in the sky.

But he grew up in that world. He grew up learning to be a prince -- maybe (obviously) not a good prince -- but there is no way that he would have been able to escape it. He grew up knowing he was different, a scion of a new time, and yet he was powerless to do anything about it. He didn’t want to be the fairy tale that his world wanted to make him into. He saw darkness in places where there shouldn’t be and was unable to deny that part of himself.

And so he didn’t. He could have grown into a Jedi Knight, a new version of the guardians of peace, but again, he looked at that legacy and chose a different path. Chose might be a weak word here, rather, he carved himself a new path against the wishes of others. He saw his role as a prince and knight and took them and corrupted them and made them into his own mantle, one that he could be proud of.

But it in the eyes of the First Order, he succeeded. (And i’m not even bringing in his costume design here: how in TFA he looks like a Knights Templar with the robes and broadsword cross guard, and how in TLJ it looks like the tunic of a stately prince) He is the shining son who leads his people into battle and cannot fail, the midnight star who leads the charge forward. Kylo does not watch from the sidelines; he fights on the ground with his men, rallying them to his cause. He is the perfect example of a Knight from their perspective: you couldn’t ask for a better exemplar of a man so lost in his search for belonging that he gave himself for his creed.

But then you factor in Rey.

And I only bring her in because a prince does not have his own story without a princess to chase or a knight who has a girl he must seek. And while Rey isn’t a princess per say, in the way these two have interacted with each other so far, she is a princess (a person of value and desire and strength) in Kylo Ren’s eye.

But Kylo is not simply a beast who needs to be redeemed before he can take up his mantle as prince. He IS a prince, who walks a different line, and yet he still is not immune to the calls of a girl he doesn’t understand. He is not just a knight who has realized his creed is a lie and who now must walk the long journey home alone; no he was the Knight who knows his creed is a lie, but who burned his home so he has no choice left but to follow it. But then he meets the girl who sees him without his mask and who stands at his equal -- a girl who makes him kneel as she disarms him with a snarl.

Kylo Ren is the corrupted prince and the fallen knight, the son cast from his family for transgressions he believes are unforgivable. He is the fallen son of Alderaan and the Jedi Knight who ruined it all in a perfect mirror of the grandfather he so adores. He is the combination of both: at once the perfect prince and the sundered child; the holy knight and the broken relic. He has denied so much of who he is and now, less than a few days until the Last Jedi, we can hope he can find the balance between them.

[exitiumparit]

So, Satine and those crazy politics of Mandalore.

(Note: these are my inferences from given material out of of TCW, Wookiepedia, some Legends knowledge, headcanons, and plain ole’ filling in details that are fuzzy or contradictory, so a lot of this is considered canon divergent. Please do not reblog or take.)

In my brain, the easiest way to write this is in a timeline as it bests outline the different roles Satine has played/different governments Satine has lived in/ruled.

Some hundreds of years ago before the start of TCW: Mandalore splits into two factions–the New Mandalorians and True Mandalorians–after the Jedi all but flatten Mandalore via bombing. The NMs pretty much serve as a state within a larger whole; TMs are what have Senate seats and sit at any delegated table and NMs are given a small territory to be left the hell alone. TMs are the actual operating government with real power; NMs get to stay left alone and govern themselves, but they do not represent the planet.

Head of Government: Manda’lor Head of State: Manda’lor Faction in power: True Mandalorians Minor faction: New Mandalorians N/A: Death Watch

Some decades before Satine comes into power: The Death Watch starts to rise, unsatisfied with the True Mandalorians’ government. DW’s aim is to return to Mandalore’s previous warrior glory, while the True Mandalorians wish to respect their culture of clans and honor without war after war after war.

60 BBY: Tired of remaining on the sidelines, the NMs renegotiate their treaty from separate city-state of Mandalore to reenter typical Mandalorian society as a “party,” for lack of better words. Tensions are high between NM, TM, and DW and clans begin to snap at each other. This is the start of the Mandalorian Civil War, however, this mostly restricted to the planet Mandalore, and not system-wide.

Head of Government: Manda’lor Head of State: Manda’lor Faction in power: True Mandalorians Minor faction: New Mandalorians, Death Watch

44 BBY: The Mandalorian Civil War sparks into a full scale war across the entire Mandalorian system. Chaos ensues as TMs, DW, and NMs start to fight. The NMs retreat to Kalevala (blue mark, my creation) where Duke Adonai Kryze ™ has recently sent his eldest daughter Satine to Coruscant for her safekeeping in the impending full war. Satine (at nine years old) is sent under guise of “diplomatic training,” but is really there to guarantee her life to take over Clan Kryze if Adonai dies.

(Red is Concordia where Satine’s government later exiles those who refuse peace.)

Satine is considered Marquess Kryze of Kalevala at this time as Adonai’s living heir and intends on staying with the TMs if her father dies.

Head of Government: Manda’lor Head of State: Manda’lor Faction in power: True Mandalorians Minor faction: New Mandalorians, Death Watch Satine: Title: Marquess of Kalevala. Allegiance: True Mandalorians Mandalorian State of being: In Emergency; in war time for The Great Clan Wars

Approx. 30 BBY: Tensions are high between Satine and her father. Her brother has been killed and her sister has disappeared (without confirmation) to join Death Watch. Satine is resentful of remaining on Coruscant for so long, among politicians who do not view Mandalorians well. She has been privately contacted by the New Mandalorians who have been not actively fighting for some time out of pieces of clans that have fled to Kalevala to escape conflict. Now with enough people, they are politically maneuvering for a true leader to help see themselves as the winners of this conflict.

Adonai Kryze dies and Satine is approached to go back to Mandalore as a significant leader of the TMs. She, shockingly, denies the invitation, and after lawfully and formally accepting her father’s Duchy of Kalevala, announces herself as the leader and governor of the New Mandalorians. Both DW and TMs are furious–Satine has betrayed her clan, betrayed Mandalore, and now the NMs have a face. No one can claim certain power at this time, and with a huge death count in this war and many families killed, it’s not certain who will win.

Head of Government: —— Head of State: ———– Warring factions: True Mandalorians,  New Mandalorians, Death Watch Satine: Title: Duchess of Kalevala. Allegiance: True Mandalorians Mandalorian State of being: In Emergency; in war time for The Great Clan Wars

31 BBY: The war has gone on for nearly ten years at this point and the planet is nearly diminished. Anxious to see Mandalore return to peace, Chancellor Valorum and the Senate extend Satine a Jedi guarantee of safety. At this point, while Satine is determined to see peace in Mandalore, she is not the militant pacifist we see in the show yet. When she hears of Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan’s protection, she accepts in hopes of a show of future friendliness between the Republic, the Order, and Mandalore.

Satine barely makes it into the system before she’s attacked by those trying to kill her. She never formally makes it to Mandalore, sometimes able to be on Kalevala, but is on the run through Mandalorian space + nearby systems for a year until she can safely negotiate a ceasefire.

32 BBY; Satine is able to finally negotiate a ceasefire between the TMs and NMs on Kalevala. DW is largely destroyed at this point, and while still dedicated to their cause, are small enough Satine can get to Sundari. The negotiated ceasefire outlines the NMs as the governing faction.

Satine restructures the Mandalorian government to a democratic system and dismantles most of the laws concerning the clan structure through a rushed parliament in an attempt to prevent a clan war ever happening like it did.

Important notes: After Satine was officially sworn in as head of the Mandalorian system, within 48 hours, Valorum offered the extension of Senate “protection” (puppet government). Soon after, he rescinded Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon when nearly all of the Mandalorian system was in disrepair from the wars. Furious, Satine refused the Senate and let Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon go. So, she had to rebuild her planet nearly all by herself (as some biodomes were so destroyed the entire population was killed and it took years for them to repopulate and and therefore receive government representation) and was furious about it.

This is where her militant pacifism came from–the body count in the hundreds of thousands (if not millions tbh) of the war horrified her, and in reaction, she vowed to make a completely peaceful and neutral government, as to never be trapped in entangling alliances again. In a snap decision and executive Order, any Death Watch member who did not sign the ceasefire was exiled to Concordia.

Head of government (system) and head of state: Duchess Satine Kryze (represents Mandalore, planet and system, in all off-planet affairs) Head of government (planet): Prime Minister Almec (answers to Satine’s will and choices) Executive branch (planet): PM Almec with Satine owning veto power Legislative branch (planet and system): Mandalorian Parliament Judicial branch of (planet and system): Mandalorian High Courts Faction in power: New Mandalorians Minor faction: —- Satine: Title: Duchess Satine Kryze (also the governor of the system, but only goes by her title before she became the leader of Mandalore. TCW is wrong–Her address is “your grace” not “your highness,” though I’m not going to be policing anyone about this). Allegiance: New Mandalorians/Mandalore

Before 22 BBY: Satine is furious with the Senate and how it is run and casually talks to Count Dooku about possibly separating from the Republic. However, as soon as she gets wind of potential war, she backs out and forms the Council of Neutral Systems. This is kind of similar to a less-powerful League of Nations; it’s a treaty that states these 2,000 worlds will not engage within any potential war and Satine is elected leader and face of their people.

Sometime during the war: Almec is convicted of treason and extortion and an emergency Prime Minister of no worthy name is elected in his place.

19 BBY: Satine’s deposition. So. This is actually pretty simple. This is written with my canon divergence of Satine not dying in mind.

>Death Watch overthrows Satine as leader of system and takes hostage (or kills) most of the leaders of her government >Pre Viszla becomes leader of Mandalore and Maul’s Shadow Collective >Pre Viszla is killed and Maul becomes leader of Mandalore >Satine is rescued from Mandalore by Obi-Wan (and a goddamn functional ship) and is housed as a diplomatic refugee on Coruscant >Given that Satine and the Senate were not friends, they do not legally reinstate her political rights and she has no power as Mandalore is invaded by Republic troops against Maul >Order 66 happens and shit hits the fan. While the Senate is voting to make the Chancellor the Emperor, Satine smuggles herself off the planet and starts using a fake name.

Additional notes:

Regarding Jango Fett: Fuck the line that he’s not a ‘Real Mandalorian.’ No, Jango Fett is absolutely Mandalorian, Satine and Almec are speaking politically and should not be taken as the Gospel truth, as they’re both stubborn jerks. Jango Fett is Mandalorian, fuck you, Filoni.

Let me know if y’all have any questions.

[shadowsong26fic]

Oh look it’s that time again

Time for another Random AU Outline(tm)!

I thought about doing an addition to the Valdemar Cossover AU this month (because I have mostly worked out wtf is going on with Dooku), buuuuut since Distaff is still super late (friggin Opera House, I swear--I think I’ve fiiiiiiiinally got it working? Fingers crossed, I’m so sorry, I refer you again to the teaser bits with my sincere apologies...), I decided to write up a variant plotline for that fic because yes in fact I do write AUs for my AUs shut up.

So this one is #1a. on my List of Things I’ll Never Actually Write. So, uh, content warnings for discussion of abortion and miscarriage, just as a heads-up.

(See also the Rabbit Hole AU; the Bail Unfucks the Timeline AU)

(Also, these things have an official tag now, #au outlines for the win)

All right, this diverges when, unlike in the actual storyline, Palpatine decides that the best way to deal with this whole...Situation...is to poison Anakin and induce a miscarriage.

He decides against this in the actual fic mostly because he thinks it’d risk more than it gained him. Speeding up his timeline is a more efficient solution.

I figure in this variant, he decides that he can definitely work with her rage at the universe over what happened, since she seems to want this kid, and it nips several potential future problems in the bud. And he discounts the ability of the Temple/Jedi to figure out what’s going on/help her through it/whatever.

This is a mistake.

So, Anakin goes to meet with the Chancellor, as she does.

This may even be that one meeting where he tells her ‘guess what you’re on the Council now’

And she’s like “...well, fuck, WHY DIDN’T YOU DO THIS SIX MONTHS AGO WHEN IT WOULDN’T RUIN EVERYTHING.”

And he’s wearing one of his ridiculous needle ring things, and puts a hand on her shoulder and triggers it.

I feel like he has like twelve of these.

To coordinate with all the ridiculous Opulent Chancellor Robes he has to wear.

Just in case he feels the need to poison someone on short notice.

Having his ring not match would give the game away, you know?

It’s all about the details.

Anakin does get a Warning Tingle or whatever, but she puts it down to EVERYTHING ELSE that happens in that meeting.

Except then she leaves, and she’s flailing. And she still decides to go down to find a race and clear her head, and she’s still ignoring Obi-Wan’s calls (Padme hasn’t called her yet).

And then she starts feeling sick. Like--really, genuinely, awfully sick.

So she pulls over.

And you know it’s bad if she thinks she isn’t really safe to drive.

Obi-Wan calls again and this time she picks up because SOMETHING IS WRONG and she hasn’t yet spiraled to the point where she feels like she can’t talk to him.

She’s just been, you know, working up the courage to tell him.

LOOK PADME I’M GETTING THERE DON’T RUSH ME

And then she notices the blood.

At this point, she’s REALLY freaking out and she starts babbling about ‘something is wrong with the baby’

Obi-Wan, internally: ...baby? What--

Obi-Wan, externally: I’m on my way, try to stay calm.

He gets down to where she is, and of course promptly takes her back to the Temple for medical attention.

And there’s a moment where she resists because “nooooo they’ll take her please don’t let them”

And he would reassure her on the subject because, no, that’s not how it works, you know that, Anakin.

Except she passes out at that point.

They get back to the Temple, and he says he thinks she’s pregnant and something is wrong with the baby.

(He hasn’t quite wrapped his head around this whole “she’s pregnant” part but one thing at a time)

And, of course, Master Che and the others figure out what’s going on.

At least that she’s been poisoned.

Master Che: ...she does realize, she could have come to us? There are safer ways.

Obi-Wan: Given what she was saying before she passed out, I don’t think she did this to herself. She does not want to lose this child.

Master Che: ........

Anakin + babies are stabilized.

(Because the Force is really invested in the twins, guys. Of course mother and babies are okay.)

Babies are also identified as twins.

Ani regains consciousness, and the first thing she asks is is the baby okay.

Because, yeah, the Order is going to take her away, but they can’t do that until the baby’s actually born and Anakin has a few months to figure out how to fix that the important thing right now is IS SHE OKAY DID I LOSE HER.

And she’s told, yes, baby is okay. Babies are okay.

Anakin: O.O

And then she shakes off the “wtf plural” moment and gets all bristly and defensive (as she does) about “i’m keeping them you can’t take them away from me i won’t let you.”

Master Che: uh...well, yes, that is your decision? You would have to leave the Order if you wanted to raise them yourself, of course, but--

Anakin: wait what.

Master Che: ...what exactly did you think would happen if you told us?

Anakin: ...that you’d take her away.

Master Che: ................no. Well, like I said, you wouldn’t be able to retain custody and stay in the Order, but that doesn’t mean we’d take your child without your consent.

Anakin: ....oh.... ::starts crying because OMG RELIEVED::

(There’s a whole other bit that I couldn’t fit in where Anakin mentions that “also the war is the only thing I’m really good at and we’re spread super thin and you’d take me out of the field.”)

(Which, honestly, is about 75% of why she hadn’t told Obi-Wan before the nightmares start. That, and Padme has to know first)

After that comes the super uncomfortable “guess what you were poisoned” conversation.

Especially since the drug Palpatine gave her, while it would make her miserable for a day or two and would terminate the pregnancy, wouldn’t have killed her.

So, then the question becomes--is there something going on that someone specifically wants Anakin sidelined for a few days?

This seems unlikely.

Or did someone specifically want to poison her because pregnancy?

Anakin: But that’s ridiculous. The only person I’ve told is Pa---Senator Amidala. Because. Um. I couldn’t tell anyone in the Order and she’s a woman and my uh friend and...

(Master Che accepts this. Because she hasn’t seen these two dorks interact. No one else would buy it.)

So they start the process of going over everywhere Anakin’s been in the last twenty-four hours, trying to figure out who might have poisoned her.

Anakin: ::develops a Horrible Suspicion::

Anakin: ....no, it’s a coincidence.

Anakin: the Chancellor is my friend.

Anakin: besides how would he know?

Anakin: why am I not finding any of this convincing.

MEANWHILE

Obi-Wan is trying to figure out what the hell just happened.

And, by a logical process similar to the one Palpatine used, in reverse, decides that the Chancellor is the one who got Anakin pregnant.

And he knows that Anakin went to see him just before she collapsed.

He doesn’t really suspect the Actual Truth. He doesn’t have enough of the picture yet.

But he does know that Palpatine is a power-grabby Politician who probably doesn’t want to deal with a sex scandal about how he debauched a celibate war nun.

Especially one who’s like a third his age.

(Side note: there’s another potential variant where Anakin’s pregnancy becomes public and all of Sidious’ schemes unravel because someone starts to question “hey why is the Chancellor spending so much time alone with a young female celibate military official/priest, enough that he’s been credibly accused of siring her child?” And then Some Intrepid Reporter keeps digging deeper and deeper and OH SHIT) 

Anyway, the more Obi-Wan thinks about it, the more sense it makes.

Now, he just needs to prove it, and that will solve several problems at once.

(Also, then he’d be justified in punching Palpatine right in his smug face which seems a REALLY ATTRACTIVE notion right at this moment.)

MEANWHILE MEANWHILE

Anakin is not answering Padme’s calls.

Padme is Very Concerned about this, because Anakin was supposed to be here a while ago for the checkup and it took a hell of a lot of effort to talk her into it.

Finally, out of desperation, she calls Obi-Wan.

Because yes, this might explode their secret and really Ani should be the one to tell him but...

Obi-Wan is pulled out of his ‘how to get away with punching Palpatine right in his smug face’ plotting and answers.

He tells her that Anakin is ill, that she collapsed, and is with the Healers now, but has been stabilized and will be all right.

And then they both sort of dance around the ‘baby’ question for a while.

Because Padme doesn’t want to spill all of Anakin’s secrets, and Obi-Wan isn’t sure that Padme knows, and doesn’t want to complicate/damage this relationship for Anakin, especially since she’s almost certainly going to end up leaving the Order and she’ll need someone to go to and...

(He adds “figure out what I’m going to do at that point” to his to-do list.)

(Look, there’s a decent chance that even the main version of Distaff will turn into Obianidala eventually, depending on a couple different factors. This variant? Almost certainly would.)

Finally, Padme can’t take it anymore and just blurts it out, “what about the baby, is he okay?”

And Obi-Wan has reached a point where he’s going, “you know what? FUCK IT.” And he tells her--yes, the baby is okay, also there are two of them, also Master Che says Anakin was poisoned and that’s why she collapsed and nearly miscarried, also I’m almost entirely certain that Chancellor Palpatine was involved but I have no proof.

And Padme? Padme sees red.

“So,” she says, “let’s find some.”

Because Padme is already starting to see through Palpatine’s mask.

And now he’s coming after her wife and children.

Obi-Wan, as it turns out, responds much better to “meet me at the docks at midnight and bring a gun” than Bail did.

So, back in the Temple, Anakin has managed to extract herself from the conversation with Master Che, mostly by cooperating for once/playing on the fact that she’s sick to be left alone.

AS SOON AS she can, she unhooks all the monitors and her IV and sneaks out.

She manages not to faint or throw up. She’s very proud of herself for that.

She just wants some answers, really. Part of her still can’t accept what Palpatine probably did, but maybe he noticed something strange about her when she visited? She didn’t start to feel sick until leaving his office, but...

She runs into Obi-Wan and Padme, who are also on their way to break into Palps’s office to get some answers.

Padme: Ani! ::goes to hold her close because fuck it she could have died our children could have died and it’s only Obi-Wan here to see and I don’t think he cares anymore::

Anakin: ::clings back, looks from her to Obi-Wan and back:: What are you doing here...?

Obi-Wan: What are you doing out of bed?

And then there is Banter for a moment until Padme says, “uh, guys? Mission? Trying to track down/prove who was behind the whole poison thing?”

Except then they have to argue whether or not Anakin should really be there, which Obi-Wan and Padme win mostly by a) teaming up on her and b) darling you are clearly using the wall to stay upright go wait in my office.

Obi-Wan and Padme break into Palps’s office together.

He’s not there--he’s left for the day, or something. Especially it’s probably very late at night by now.

Now, of course he’s not stupid enough to keep Incriminating Evidence lying around. So they don’t find anything like...a discarded poison vial in the trash, let alone the ring.

They do find--something. I’m not sure what. Possibly the Emperor’s Darth Sidious’ Private Holo Setting(tm).

(Thank you, Timothy Zahn, I love that joke)

And then Palpatine comes back.

Because he sensed someone breaking into his office.

Or he has a mundane alarm system set up and they tripped it.

Obi-Wan gets between Padme and Palpatine and draws his lightsaber.

Off in Padme’s office, Anakin’s Spidey Sense is tingling.

She runs after the others, and walks in on the Confrontation scene.

Now, there are some things that even Anakin can’t ignore. Not at this point in her timeline.

Palpatine might have a split second to realize just how thoroughly He Done Fucked Up before two lightsabers and a half-dozen blaster bolts punch him in the face.

So, Our Heroes are now in the Supreme Chancellor’s office, which they broke into, standing over his Very Dead Body.

They stare at each other for a minute. “...did that really just happen?”

And then Anakin actually does faint again, breaking the moment.

Obi-Wan: ::catches her:: we need to get out of here.

Padme: we can’t run away, we have to deal with the fallout.

Obi-Wan: well yes but we should probably not be caught at the actual scene of the crime?

Padme: ...good point.

From there--IDK, there’d be a long investigation but the proof would probably come through pretty quick once Palps is no longer actively protecting it.

Obi-Wan probably still goes to kill Grievous, since something in Palpatine’s files says he’s on Utapau.

Master Che straight-up ties Anakin to the bed to make sure she doesn’t follow.

Bail gets dragged into this mess to help Padme deal with the political fallout.

He probably ends up Chancellor, or possibly Mon Mothma does--the scandal surrounding Padme and the Jedi and the whole, y’know, Justifiable Regicide bit is a little too much to put her there.

There’s probably a lot of Discussion in the Order about everything that went down. Probably, once the war is Officially over, Anakin and Obi-Wan both leave.

And then there will be More Discussion once the twins are around Padawan age. But that is beyond the scope of this outline.

Basically, everything ends happily because, unlike in canon where Palps is p. much the only one on the ball, He Done Fucked Up.

[snowdropsandtigers]

1, 9, 14, star wars maybe?

https://gsut.tumblr.com/post/160591318084/salty-ask-list

1 - An OTP I don’t get

I’m not sure? I’ve been in various fandoms for so long that I feel I can understand what people like about any given ship, because I’m familiar with the tropes. That said, there are ships I don’t get on an emotional level despite not needing an explanation to understand other people’s reasons. Those tend to be the m/m ships, especially if they’re white. (My affection for Chirrut/Baze is greater than for most m/m ships I’ve encountered, but less than my affection for Jyn/Cassian. Ofc we also just get more for the latter.) I only love m/f or f/f–or poly ships, as long as there’s at least one woman involved. (A similar pattern exists with my taste in gen pairings, with exceptions like Luke/Vader.) So, I’d say Qui Gon/Obi Wan, Obi Wan/Anakin, and Kylux.

I can respond emotionally to these ships if I make the effort to read a story–actually, I have an unusually strong response to Anakin*, so I’m capable of responding to him and Obi Wan with less effort. (Also, him and Luke are the only father-son dynamic I’ve ever been truly moved by with any staying power.) Especially after Clone Wars; the movies don’t do much that makes me care about them even as a platonic bond until Revenge of the Sith. But that doesn’t make me any more interested in O/A fic and fan art. I just have always wished there was more het for him. I love Padme and Anakin, which is a juggernaut too, but I tend to multiship my favorites and there’s practically nothing that suits my tastes aside from that one ship. Unsurprisingly, since there aren’t too many female characters in the franchise, let alone significant ones with meaty stories, until Clone Wars in 2008 and the newer films. By which time fandom patterns were set.

Also, I think people find him less shippable than they do Obi Wan? Maybe because he’s so Padmesexual–even as someone who multiships by nature I do have to be convinced by a story pairing him with anyone but her unless it’s a triad, such is the narrative weight of the ship–but I think a large part of it is people didn’t think he was cool enough to ship (until now maybe?) outside of either canon or a noncanon m/m that (I think) both fit the template for many popular ships. At least, I got that impression from the time I spent reading BTVS crossovers circa the mid-2000s: pretty much everything that wasn’t set in the OT or EU focused on Obi Wan. He was probably the most popular prequel character.

Which reminds me; I think Obi Wan/Padme was popular back then, if not in fics then in people commenting that it didn’t make sense for her to love Anakin when Obi Wan was around. But that pairing holds no interest for me beyond vague curiosity, and there’s only one fic I’ve ever read. I remember it was a post-RotS au where Anakin’s shadow loomed large over Padme, and I liked that about it. (Oh, I’ve just remembered one more, but it was one-sided love from Obi Wan and more Padme/Anakin than anything else.)

Another ship I never cared about is Han/Leia, though the TFA stuff worked for me. But then, my emotional attachment to the original trilogy is through Anakin and his children. I’m rewatching today, so maybe I’ll care this time.

** I usually don’t get OTT emotionally invested in male characters except as ship objects. I’m fond of them, but they don’t move me on a deep level as protagonists of their own stories. Which might be a side-effect of the kind of media I generally go for. Idk. I want to be clear that this isn’t intended as a political statement, even if I can’t honestly separate it from my politics. Hopefully it makes sense? It’s a clear pattern once I look back on my fandom involvement; the only other exceptions I can think of are Harry Potter and Zuko. More recently, I have been into multishipping SW Finn, but am wary of fandom so have barely consumed anything.

9 - Most Disliked Character

I don’t know? I don’t really dislike any characters in and of themselves. I never understood the popularity of Boba Fett or Darth Maul, but Clone Wars and Rebels did make me feel very tiny feelings about them. Tiny; I’m not made of stone, but fundamentally I don’t care and don’t get it.

I can also say that while I don’t dislike them, the fan-faves of the first two trilogies are the mains I’m least into: Han and Obi Wan, though this is significantly more true about Han and thus feels unfair to Obi Wan.

14 - Unpopular Opinion About Your Fandom

I really don’t know? It’s so huge and so old–fandom and canon material both–and I was gone for so long sometime between 2006 and 2014. As with Tolkien fandom, I’m not sure I’ve ever dared to have an opinion I felt strongly about without deferring to someone else in the end. I never felt familiar enough with the canon…wait, I can’t believe this. Of course I have an unpopular opinion; am I just so used to it that it doesn’t stick out? Or is it that it’s not about any particular thing, but rather the movies as a whole?

It might change with today’s rewatch, but I just love the prequels more than the other movies, save perhaps Rogue One. I know they have problems. They also have more that is just fundamentally appealing to me. The tragedy. The more involving protagonist. (Though I love Luke and expect my rewatch to deepen that.) The fact that its female lead felt closer to the narrative core of its story. (For all the problems with how the prequels treated Padme, I felt like she was the second most important main character, after Anakin. Whereas I felt Leia got sidelined out of the Skywalker story she was made a part of and into Han/Leia, but that might be the effect of fandom + dim memories. This might change during rewatch. I’m on Empire now.) The politics. The scope. The tragedy.

The prequels just wreck me. The things the original movies have over them are Luke/Vader–which might not have as much weight for me without the prequels, that I saw first (if I tried Machete order it might be different, as that sounds like it shifts the weight of the Luke/Vader story onto Luke more)–and Leia being cool. Also Chewie and the Ewoks are cute.

https://gsut.tumblr.com/post/160591318084/salty-ask-list

[southern-belle-outcasts]

29. what are your honest thoughts about your muse’s canon? //For like all the canon muses.

@meretrixious

//

Okay, so for Rogue it's no secret I like some runs better than others, and I am very...this shit didn't happen when she gets too OOC. My take on Remy does end up affecting Rogue's canon because I don't think he would go ask Sinister for a godsdamn lobotomy, ergo not be indebted or involved with the Morlock Massacre, ergo Roguey isn't choosing to leave him for dead. Even if he did...she wouldn't be doing that. She might cut you off and never speak to you again if she really feels hurt and that she can't trust you anymore, but she's not going to murder you if you're not being an active threat to her or someone else. That's just not her. My salt for the constant retconning of her power control status and the collar nonsense have been pretty thoroughly discussed on here, as has my adamant disagreement with her not having a serious talk before marriage if she truly didn't want kids. But we already know I just take everything from Excalibur, aka OOC-R-US, and chuck it into AU status as it is. She wants kids. End of discussion. But the lovey dovey, totally just eating up being able to touch Remy and letting him be his best thieving self? Yes. 12/10. Accurate af. So for me and her canon...it's a love-hate relationship. I think most comic fans are like that, tbh.

Sara's canon honestly doesn't bother me. Keep in mind I haven't so much as watched the crossover episodes on Green Arrow because I tried to watch it initially a few years ago because my brother was so into it...I couldn't. I got to episode three and had to stop because the gritty dark, slow pacing was just a big "nope" for me. So I have not actually watched any of Sara's relationship with Nyssa (don't really care to either now that L*tz showed her ass although I'm very much enjoying the wonderful levels of comic book bullshittery in the new season of Legends). Obviously me being the multishipper I am, I don't really have Avalance as like, OTP status, even though I ship them. Honestly really wanted to see what would have happened with her and Snart and I'm always going to be pissed they killed him off in the first season like cowards. But I really enjoy her self-growth and learning how to better trust herself and her crew, and just her as a character. So besides the eh direction some of the plotline took that wasn't entirely a direct Sara thing? I'm mostly okay with.

Cisco...sigh. I'm really annoyed with the sidelining and direction he's been taken in, but it's not really him so much as the whole show is going off the rails, literally everyone's character development is being tossed out the window, and he's getting dragged down with it so he's my OC now basically. Somewhere between season 4 and 5ish honestly is where I start to get looser and looser with my following of canon. I love he's so smart, the humor, the geekiness, the valuing friendship and wanting to help foster Frost's autonomy... and then they just undid that and I'm over here holding the smashed pieces of my character just dumbfounded as to why they would do such a thing. So...there's problems. There's lots of problems. I also have a huge, huge, huge problem with the show not taking the opportunity to change Cynthia's codename from the old comics, especially since fans had asked them to do so, sooooo my Cisco never heard the g-slur, would never use the g-slur, the g-slur is not a thing on this blog thank you very much and a big fuck you to CW on that.

My only real problem with Padmé's canon is people trying to tell me how problematic her and Anakin is based off of either 1) not watching the movies as intended, a saga, it's not supposed to be a stand-alone piece of perfection you can go over with a fine tooth comb, their traits are SUPPOSED to be exaggerated, 2) watching a really really ooc cartoon that I can't stand that came after the fact and shouldn't actually be considered but the loosest of canon, 3) reading a novelization that was by a hella misogynistic dude that was not actually directly overseen by Lucas. My two main canon pieces are the prequels, supplemented of course by the OG trilogy regardless of her lack of presence, and the RoTS novelization. Those are the KEY canon pieces, they needed George's approval before being viewed by the fans because they're that important. Anything else, eh. There's certainly other pieces of the og EU that are still compatible with canon but I don't consider them as hard and fast. I'm also not the 'I shouldn't need to read the book to understand the movie' person because while I have great love for the book and the scenes that ended up being deleted, but included in the book ergo are still canon, I didn't need it for that insight??? Maybe I just watched the prequels more times than is humanly reasonable, I don't see the discrepancies people have. Yes, it is ENTIRELY irrational, if not flatout dumbassery, to argue with someone going through a psychotic break, I'ma give y'all that. But, again, exaggerated character types, they're not supposed to be perfect, and you needed to have her end up dead. So working with the fact she is a naive to the real world when it isn't politics kind of woman, on top of being such a romantic AND believing in the political and justice system...it's realistic for what it is. I'm absolutely saying if it was me I would have have nodded along to his sleep deprived ass until I could have knocked him out. And I'm absolutely saying that when you're that pregnant there's no way you're sitting stationary in a pilot's seat for hours when this thing called autopilot exists. And I'm absolutely saying there's no fucking way I wouldn't have found Obi-Wan coming over with this news more than a little sus, nor do I buy you're sitting in that position in a closet silently for hours. I'm absolutely recognizing the last 30 minutes require some suspension of disbelief, but I'm also recognizing that I have more 'real world' experience than Padmé, I've dealt with more likely to pop off and fly off the handle people than she has, and I also don't think she's ever had that experience where you've been manipulated by someone close to you and then be awakened to it to form a deep suspicion of it happening again. So what screams 'why would you do that' to us doesn't really to her. So I have my problems...but at the same time I don't. Basically the only thing I would do would get rid of Luke's need to balance shit out the way he did in the first place so I can have some wholesome family time (by which I mean disaster time, because it would very much be a mess, and not the woobified trophy husband mess that keeps popping up, just a mess, neither of them was prepared for kids).

All in all, no surprise that Rogue is my problem child with the most need to cherry pick and dispose of certain canon. (Not Remy's blog but really my biggest issue is just the whole deal with Sinister as already mentioned, the runs he's ooc- hello Excalibur, and his lack of confusion for Rogue's 180 on kids. Again, comics, you can't rely on them for consistency.)

[furederiko]

Surprise, surprise! It's the 2nd Random-News-Digest of the month... Just like last one, it's gonna be a shorter one than usual...

Disney Live Action

Production for Guy Ritchie's "Aladdin" has begun in Longcross Studios, UK. FINALLY. It was planned to start in Summer, but then casting was reportedly hit a hurdle, and it was postponed until August. I guess it's now September, then! Will Smith personally announced this via his social media, and it was later 'reblogged' by Disney.

The announcement also confirmed the core cast of the live action remake. As we all know, Mena Massoud and Naomi Scott will play Aladdin and Princess Jasmine, while Smith himself will portray the iconic Genie. Marwan Kenzari is playing the antagonist Jafar, while the Sultan is played by Navid Negahban. This core cast will be joined by several new characters, that to my knowledge, were NOT in the animated movie (unless my eyes have been deceiving me all these years): Jasmine's handmaiden, played by Nasim Pedrad. She might likely serve as the comic relief, considering Pedrad's comedy background; Jafar's right hand Hakim, played by Numan Acar. I seriously hope his inclusion doesn't mean we won't be seeing Jafar's sneaky parrot Iago. THAT would be a huge miss, especially when most Disney live action remakes so far, have been very close to the original animated versions; and last but not least, surprise surprise, Prince Anders, who will be played by Billy Magnussen. Yeah, I know what you're thinking. Turns out the movie still NEED a white actor anyway. Anders is said to be Jasmine's suitor and potential husband who hailed from Skanland. This isn't the first time Magnussen plays the only white character in a foreign-setting movie, with the very recent "Birth of the Dragon" as his first.

To be completely honest, I'm still on the fence for this particular remake. Not just because Ritchie's "King Arthur: Legend of the Sword" somehow tanked in the box office. I'm not keen on Smith's casting, and that hasn't changed. There is however, one thing that easily caught my interest: Alan Menken is providing the score, and is in charge with bringing the original songs from the animated movie! Now THAT... is an okay, for me. Not just him, recent Academy Award winner Benj Pasek and Justin Paul (the guys who did "La La Land", in case you forgot their very specific names) contributed two new songs for the movie. The first one might be Jasmine's very own solo song, not unlike Dan Stevens' Beast in "Beauty and the Beast". The other one? With Magnussen's musical background, I have an inkling suspicion that he's going to perform the other new song. Anyways, here's hoping we'll hear more about this movie soon.

Star Wars

Meanwhile, the hurdle that stumbled "Aladdin", had probably moved on towards another Disney property. Yes, in case you haven't heard, Colin Trevorrow will no longer be directing "Star Wars: Episode XI". Creative differences, as they say. As they ALWAYS say. Certainly not unlike Chris Miller and Phil Lord, right? Lucasfilm themselves announced the termination of their collaboration with Trevorrow, so it's not just a whistleblown rumor, but an actual thing.

What happened to Trevorrow? The reason is not perfectly clear until now, but I suspect it has something to do with the performance of his latest work, "The Book of Henry". Not only it had a tremendously weak opening, but its stars were a no-show during the preview too, sending all the wrong message. Apparently, that might truly be the case. Vulture has published a follow-up report since then, and revealed that the split wasn't really a mutual one. It is said that Trevorrow was fired because he was... NOT easy to work with. Other reports claimed he had a strenuous relationship with Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy, that led to her decision to boot the brash and overconfident Trevorrow out of the project.

It's now unclear who will take over Trevorrow's seat. Fans immediately began throwing around names, from the most obvious like J.J. Abrams, Ava Duvernay, to the unlikeliest. The latest report from Deadline, revealed that "Star Wars: The Last Jedi"'s writer/director Rian Johnson is currently on top of the shortlist. No confirmation yet on whether he will take it or not. Judging from Johnson's genuine enthusiasm to the franchise, how much he enjoyed working on his "Episode VIII", and the studio's positive response to it, I won't be surprised if he ends up really stepping in to get a second run. That's the most logical turnout, anyway. Thankfully, the final capper of the modern trilogy isn't expected to begin production until January 2018 (for a May 24th, 2019 release). So it's not a similar situation to what happened with "Han Solo: A Star Wars Story" (tentative title), which have almost completed its filming when Ron Howard entered. If Lucasfilm can get a replacement for Trevorrow right away, the new director will have 3 whole months to adjust the script with new scripwriter Jack Thorne, while preparing for the directorial role.

By the way, have you heard that Joseph Gordon-Levitt might be in "The Last Jedi"? Oh and yeah, there's an "Obi-Wan Kenobi" movie on the works too, with Stephen Daldry signed as director. Will Ewan McGregor return to portray the amazing Jedi master? These are important questions for another day...

James Bond

"Bond 25" has been confirmed, with actor Daniel Craig returning (for the last time?) as the lead. Problem is, the 2019 movie no longer has a distributor, after the agreement with SONY expired with "Spectre". Should fans be worried? Probably not, because several major studios like Warner Brothers, FOX, and Annapurna have entered the bidding for the movie. And they are not alone, because surprise surprise, even Apple and Amazon are among them too. Apple's the one that surprised me, but Amazon? Not really. Just like Netflix, they have been on a streak in producing their own movies and series lately. Adding a franchise as beloved and well known like "James Bond", would be a possibility too big to ignore for the company. Sure, it turns out the franchise doesn't give much profit to its distributor, but I imagine the appeal would benefit it anyway. Let's just wait and see how this turns out.

DC Films

They don't call it Warner Bros, if it's not thinking and talking big, and/or doing things and trying anything without snob and grand ambition. That's mostly why discussing about DC Films tend to be on the... 'annoying' side for me.

You've already heard the recent news, right? WB has approached the great Martin Scorcese to... *drumrolls* create a stand alone solo movie for "The Joker" (obviously not the title, for now). According to recent report, this project will NOT take place in the current DCEU. Which means, WB is already planning on a replacement, just in case the Zack Snyder vehicle continues to perform weak. A good idea and all, but isn't it too ambitious? I get it though, they want to be 'different'. But I digress. The fact is, WB is STILL trying to ape or mimic if not downright copy Marvel's current situation: having multiple Cinematic Universes (Marvel Cinematic Universe, FOX's, SONY's Spider-Man, and now Marvel TV, and Netflix) due to the movie rights being hold by various owners. WB is the single owner of DC properties, but it also wants to have the same thing: that questionable DCEU, and various anthology-style spin-offs NOT bound/related/connected to it. Apparently, having David F. Sandberg's "Shazam" being worked by New Line Cinema (also a WB label), and CW TV Network with its "Arrow-verse" is simply not enough! Yikes... greedy much?

Here's where it got more interesting. Scorsese and Todd Phillips won't be using Jared Leto, because apparently, WB is already thinking BIG, setting their eyes on a much promising name: Leonardo Dicaprio. Make sense really, because Dicaprio has been Scorsese's golden boy in the past few years. Will he take the job though? That one is unclear, leaning towards UNLIKELY (he's currently eyeing a marvel-ous project instead LOL). It was also reported that Leto has not taken this turnout comfortably. I might have totally disliked his pointless-exaggerated performance as the supervillain in "Suicide Squad" (he's a metaphor of how bad the movie as whole), but seriously... Poor Leto.

Speaking of the 'Skwad' movie, "Suicide Squad 2" has possibly found its writer and director! Gavin O'Connor, who previously worked on... WB's "The Accountant" (classic WB, always rotating around their own), has been signed to pen the script and has also entered negotiations to direct. It seems WB is keen on getting the script done right away. The filming however, will not be able to start until Fall 2018, due to Will Smith's other commitments. Unless... speculation and all, Smith is written out from this direct sequel, allowing for production to begin earlier. This is WB, so you can never tell what its bigwigs are thinking, huh? Beside, they need to service an angry Jared Leto, and a growingly important Margot Robbie before the two walks away, so sidelining Smith could still be a possibility in their agenda. What do you think, would you like to see a Deadshot-less Suicide Squad? I'm fine either way, because I'm totally NOT watching this sequel (I'd rather see one for "The Accountant", to be honest). I've already made a fatal mistake watching the first movie anyway... LOL.

All eyes are on Patty Jenkins now, who has just officially signed up to write, direct, and produce another "Wonder Woman" less than 24 hours ago. And not just for double the initial prize, but so much more, which probably explains why the negotiation took a lot longer than usual. Will she continue to do wonders with this sequel for the DCEU, being the only director who had accomplished that so far and all? Her upgraded demand, was it justified, or perhaps a little too much? Can the sequel really do better, or was the first movie's success just an example of an unexpected flux, a one-time-wonder influenced by US current political condition? We'll just have to wait and see...

X-Men Universe

Drew Goddard almost had his major comic book adaptation with SONY's "Sinister Six". He even left behind Marvel TV's "Daredevil" project for that. But then SONY decided that the Spider-Man universe was working, and rebooted it... again. So that super villain team up movie only remained a vague dream. Well, dream no more, because Goddard has finally found a project with prospect.

It's back with Marvel, folks. Not Marvel Studios, nor Marvel TV (although he remained as executive producer for "Daredevil" and "The Defenders") though, it's for... FOX. Yes, according to The Wrap, Goddard has been signed to write and direct that "X-Force" movie. I guess this implies that Joe Carnahan is no longer involved, huh? Pretty sure HE was going to direct and not Goddard. This "X-Force" movie is expected to not only serve as yet another FOX' ensemble movie (they have X-Men, and New Mutants so far), but also a direct spin-off to "Deadpool". That means we can expect Deadpool, along with Domino, and probably Cable to be in it too, right? Then why not just call it... "Deadpool 3"...? O_o

This news can either be good or the opposite. I liked most of Goddard's work before this, so I think it's in good hands. But I'm also quite surprised how "The Defenders" that he executive produced, ended up becoming such a bore. Suffice to say, I'm not so sure about it anymore now. Let's just wait and see...

Oh, one more thing. Turns out Jessica Chastain might NOT be playing Empress Lilandra Neamani in "X-Men: Dark Phoenix". Who is she playing? Don't know and don't care, please consult the nearest X-Men movie enthusiast near you. LOL. Then again, this COULD be related to that statement by writer/director/producer/whatever Simon Kinberg, who stated that this movie would be 'grounded'. Considering the movie will somehow be set in Genosha, which character is your lucky guess? Magneto's other child Polaris? Great goodness, I sincerely hope it won't be FOX' version of Scarlet Witch... O_O

Marvel Studios

Filming set can be a tricky little thing. Sometimes it reveals a little too much, even if it isn't really supposed to (mostly due to fans taking candid pictures and all). The scene of Tilda Swinton's Ancient One's death in New York for example, hit the internet months prior to "Doctor Strange" official release. Such is with the case of UNTITLED 2019's "Avengers 4". Had the movie was filmed concurrently with "Avengers: Infinity War", things wouldn't be as bad. Problem is, Marvel Studios decided to do these two movies one at the time. Production for "Infinity War" had been wrapped in July, and continued with the next movie sometime last month. That means, any behind the scene takes that flew around the internet lately, automatically serve as spoiler for "Infinity War". Regardless of how big or small.

*WARNING: the following paragraphs include reports that might/could(should?) be considered spoilers for "Infinity War". So if you're avoiding that with all cost, then please skip the remaining Marvel Studios category and just move on to the next one.*

Look no further than the actress who was spotted on set late last month. Yes, Gwyneth Paltrow's presence on set, pretty much confirmed she would be returning as Pepper Potts in the movie. Problem is, she was NOT alone. She was doing a scene with... Robert Downey Jr., Mark Ruffalo, and Jon Favreau. You see where I'm going with this, right? That's right, it's proof that Tony Stark, Bruce Banner, and Happy Hogan all make it out of "Infinity War" alive. Meanwhile, a Marvel Studios actor showed up and joined the production of now-Ron Howard's "Star Wars" spin off. Paul Bettany! Wait, why is he NOT among the Marvel Studios set? Could it be because... something bad truly happens to his Vision? It's uncertain for now (the super tall Bettany can still join production later on), but it's one of that undesireable possibilities.

Then there's that generous inspiring "Day of Giving" charity video from the cast of "Avengers 4" and "Ant-Man and the Wasp", dedicated for the Hurricane Harvey's survivor in Texas. It might seem harmless, but pay attention to which actors are included there. We got Scott Lang's Paul Rudd (a spoiler too, though it's pretty much logical if we consider the release dates of his solo sequel), and Hope van Dyne's Evangeline Lilly. Make sense, right? But hold on, who's next...? Zoe Saldana (the spokeperson in behalf of everyone) and Karen Gillan, reprising their roles as Gamora and Nebula. Please don't tell me you think they are in the "Ant-Man" sequel! And how about Don Cheadle, who was also spotted in Atlanta precisely a week ago? Last but not least, a Japanese-esque set was build for the movie, hinting that the movie will probably visit an East Asian country (like it did before with South Korea). The interesting part though, is because it is rumored to feature Scarlett Johansson's Natasha Romanoff taking down criminals! And she might not be alone, because someone else is reported to be joining her, but with a new moniker. MCUExchange reported that... Jeremy Renner's Clint Barton will also be in the movie, but no longer as Hawkeye. He's going to be in it as the elusive anti-hero... Ronin, due to being "in a very dark place". Japan? Ronin (a term for a master-less Samurai)? That's too much to be a coincidence.

In case you're somehow missing out on my points here... Pepper, Iron Man, Hulk, Happy, Ant-Man, Gamora, Nebula, War Machine, Black Widow, and Hawkeye/Ronin are pretty much confirmed to be in the movie, while Vision probably isn't (or is he?). More are coming too! Do you think that's NOT enough to be called spoilers? I rest my case.

Journalist's set visit, is equally dangerous when it comes to harbouring potential spoilers. Usually released a few months before a movie premieres, it's primarily used as an effective marketing tool. Yet it's also a double-edged sword, because while it can generate buzz and attention, it also unleashes a horde of new information that... depending on the case, probably should've been best to be kept as secret. That's right folks, before I move on to the next category, let's talk about "Thor: Ragnarok" quickly!

Arriving alongside that catchy bright-colored individual character posters, embargo for set visit reports has also been lifted. That obviously led to various discoveries and scoop from the movie itself, like: when the movie is set, how it connects to or is influenced by previous Marvel Studios movies, the overall plot rundown and confirmation of a flaming Marvel character, what happens to an absent character, to Asgard, and the antagonist. If you're not privileged with extra time to read the original sites one by one, you can head on to Birth.Movies.Death for a quick digest of what has been reported there so far. I must say, though some of these are really great, there were also some 'sensitive' facts that I would've wanted to discover as I watch the movie late next month (or November 3rd, in other countries). A double-edged sword indeed, and I've already stumbled upon it rather intentionally. Here's hoping this won't ruin my movie-going experience...

And yeah, you can already pre-order your tickets for the movie right now. Don't pretend like you don't give a darn about it, I KNOW deep inside you're already itching to see this movie right away. Am I right? LOL.

Marvel TV

To be honest, I've been thinking about dropping, or at least skipping the upcoming 5th season of Marvel's "Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.". The 4th started great, but it ended in a rather disappointing way. Top that with my genuine distaste to that Inhumans series (it premiered on theatres here, but apparently only for one/two days before it's burried under the sand), the WTF disappointment that was that highly anticipated Netflix crossover mini series, and basically... it's an instant JACKPOT.

Well... good job AoS, now you've got my attention (again). Why? Due to the news reported by Entertainment Weekly. Yes folks, the witty and pointless chitty-chatty Lance Hunter is back!!! Hunter is among my very few instant favorites of the show (the other is... duh? Iain De Castecker's Fitz. What can I say, I have a soft spot for Brit smartasses LOL), so of course this is good news. At least, it works in... convincing me to reconsider my initial plan to drop/skip this season.

The big question though, is how and/or why is he back? And what about Adrienne Palicki's Bobbi Morse? The pairing was ceremoniously retired from the show back in Season 3, to pave way for their own series Marvel's "Most Wanted" that sadly never saw the light of day. We never even got to see the pilot episode, while a wasted potential like Inhumans got an IMAX debut. Talk about one truly unfair world, huh? Ever since then, Palicki had scored a leading role in FOX's and Seth McFarlane's scifi comedy "The Orville", so she likely don't have time to join actor Nick Blood's return. Now that I think of it, this fact does make me more worried instead. I can only hope that Hunter's not coming back to be killed off, nor joining the new season because Bobbi has been killed off-screen. That would be an aggravating disservice to both characters. Then again, this IS Marvel TV we're talking about, with the tendency to kill a character as much as they pleases. Should we even expect better? Not really... *sigh*

DC Television

Last we heard, DC was developing a "Titans" series for their very own dedicated streaming service, that is set to be available in 2018. And apparently, it's slowly progressing nicely. Greg Berlanti, the Godfather of the Arrow-verse at CW, is set to executive produce, eventhough it's still unclear whether this new show will take place in the continuity to the other CW superhero series.

Casting is moving forward too, with young teenage actress Teagan Croft being the first cast member to portray the supernatural hero Raven. I haven't heard of Croft until now, mainly because she's more popular in her home country Australia, being part of the soap opera "Home and Away". I've said this over and over again, that Australian show is basically the gateway to Hollywood for Australian actors. Croft is just another name in the long list of talent who are its alumn!

Comparing this casting to the animated series "Teen Titans GO!", it seems "Titans" will be slightly 'younger' than the CW shows. But that's not the case, due to the next casting announcement. African-american actress Anna Diop has been cast as... Koriand'r, an alien character more popularly known as Starfire. Intriguingly, 29 years old Diop is obviously way older than Croft, which means the show could be taking an 'older' route instead. With Dick Grayson's Nightwing and not Robin being said to be the team leader, he might hold the key to this question. Don't forget, Grayson IS famous for being romantically connected with Starfire.

Turns out, the 'older age' route is what the show is aiming after all. This was confirmed by the official casting of Grayson, and he's a name that I doubt any of you would expect. 28 years old Aussie Brenton Thwaites, is DC TV's choice for Robin/Nightwing (apparently, it's still unclear)! If you think his name sounds familiar, that's because he's yet ANOTHER "Home and Away" alumn, and has been featured in numerous Hollywood movies. He was the lead human character in the mythological sci-fi "Gods of Egypt", and his most recent work was "Pirates of the Carribean: Dead Men Tell No Tales", where he played the son of Orlando Bloom and Keira Knighley's characters. Calling him a rising star would be an understatement, because he's been everywhere.

I have to admit, I had a pretty unfair reaction when I first read the news. I actually shouted, "Is this for real? What WERE they thinking?". No offense to Thwaites, I think he's a good actor to his own's worth, but certainly NOT Dick Grayson material. A Tim Drake/ Red Robin or Damian Wayne/ (new) Robin perhaps, but not a Dick. He somehow lacked the physicality and charm I've always expected from former circus performer Grayson, so this casting news was a HUGE let down for me. Then again, this has always been DC's game of beef against me. The company always casts actors I'm not too fond of when it comes to my favorite characters *sigh*. Poor Steven R. McQueen, since the beefier 'dreamboat' is the guy I've been rooting for the character *sigh*. He's around the same age to Thwaites, and has always wanted to play Nightwing (and openly public about it). I guess his stardom (departure from "The Vampire Diaries") just wasn't in the right alignments when DC was casting for this show. Too bad... (dear Steven, please try out for that Nightwing movie instead. Or head over to Marvel Studios for better result!)

Following Thwaites, Alan Ritchson and Minka Kelly joined the series as recurring characters Hank Hall and Dawn Granger. The two is famous as the Hawk & Dove duo, and the plan is for them to have a spinoff series in the future. Wow, already thinking ahead, huh? Their casting also pretty much confirmed that the series is definitely not a "TEEN Titans" adaptation, but the grown-up version.

I was initially kind of genuinely excited about "Titans", because it's going to debut one of my favorite DC characters (mind you, I only have a few). Unfortunately, thanks to this casting... not anymore. To be fair though, the prospect of me paying a subscription to an entirely new streaming service that ONLY has DC titles, is VERY low anyway. My days with DC shows have long gone, I've dropped "Arrow" after Season 2, and never could catch the appeal of the other CW series. "Justice League Action" is the only thing I'm currently following, and clearly that says a lot. Why would I subscribe to a service that I won't probably use? Seems like DC TV is just not fated to be with me...

Super Sentai

As wildly enjoyable and vastly entertaining as it may be, "Uchu Sentai Kyuranger" has passed its halfway point last month. That means it's most logical for TOEI to start moving forward with their plan for next season. Thanks to that, a very strong rumor for the upcoming 2018 series has landed. Courtesy of the ever-helpful and informative Power Rangers aficionado Dukemon. This is not officially confirmed for now, but as proven by past years, it's usually close to being highly reliable. How so? It's customary for TOEI to announce the title sometime around the month of September, so details about it are usually already set to be promoted via toy catalogues.

The source of this rumor, J-Hero, recently posted a report that somehow combined two previous rumors into one. Said rumors were: a vehicle-themed series to celebrate Go-Onger's 10th Anniversary; and a Fairy-Tale themed storyline that incorporated folktale characters like Momotaro, Cinderella, and others. J-Hero claimed, that the title for the next Super Sentai series might be called "Shinsha Sentai Racerranger", with a mix-match theme of Cars + 3D + Fairy Tale. The quantity of members are down to 5 personnels, and the story involves them using racing cars to travel through time, and meet Fairy Tale heroes of Legend.

There were additional technical details as well. Similar to Go-Onger, the Racerrangers will still use 3D cars, but they are also a hybrid of mythical creatures from various Fairy/Folk Tales: Shisha, Kyuubi, Kirin, Buffalo, and Mermaid. Transformation device will be called Mechanitime Changer, with the form of engine and a clock. The collectible gimmick is a 'number 8', which falls in line with the year it's released (2018, duh? And the pattern of decreasing number pattern with 10/Zyuohger, 9/Kyuranger, and then 8) and the quantum theme (8 is also generally used as symbol of Infinity). These members belong to the "Speed Association of Time", and has a logo called RCT (Racing Club Timer). Perhaps, something similar to those Space Police/Quantum Patrol on "Doraemon"?

Considering Kyuranger is currently doing a time travel twist, and 2015's "Kamen Rider Ghost" had already approached the use of historical figures (referring them as... heroes), this rumor might very well be true after all. Do you think these sound interesting? I think it does. At least, TOEI is trying to do something new, not just rehashing the same concept over and over again. That alone will easily persuade me to give it a chance. Of course, all we can do for now is just wait and see. Here's hoping it would be as good if not better than Kyuranger...