#given that Palpatine was her political mentor and that the love of her life was like an eldritch being the possibilities are so tasty ugh

[galactic-rhea]

i'm willing to give disney each and every penny of my savings to make them let u make a show on padme

Thank you for your trust in me 😔🙌

Disney won't even have to pay a plane ticket, i could hide in a box along with the luggage

[somedayonbroadway]

Oooo Im interested in your Star Wars newsies AU

Ooooooookay so this is gonna be interesting. I will be basing this particular AU off of the original trilogy (the best one by far. Nothing will ever beat it) though if you’d like to see the prequels or any other Star Wars movie done, or a different Star Wars story that I start making up on the spot, just let me know!

This is also going to be very similar to the storyline of each and every character. So I’m only going to do the three main characters, but if you’d like to hear about more, just let me know!

Star Wars AU

Characters

Racetrack Higgins — Luke Skywalker

Katherine Plumber — Leia Organa

Jack Kelly — Han Solo

Crutchie Morris — Chewbacca

Warden Snyder — Emperor Palpatine

Joseph Pulitzer — Darth Vader

Medda Larkin — Obi Wan Kenobi

Todd Kloppman — Yoda

Spot Conlon — Lando Calrission

Obadiah Wiesel — Jabba The Hutt

Racetrack Higgins

Anthony Higgins lived his life as a farmer on Tatooine.  

He lives on this hot, desert planet with his aunt and uncle, who constantly try to convince him that everything he’d ever need is right there on Tatooine.

Anthony does not believe them.

Growing up fascinated by any kind of ship he can get his grip on, he acquires the nickname “Racer” from his friends and is named an excellent pilot. He wants to explore the galaxy, but on the insistence of his uncle is forced to stay at the farm on account of the dangers that would come if he left.

Everyone was terrified of the Empire.

Race wanted to make a difference.

Growing up, Race had always been told that his parents had been good people. His father had died as a pilot during the clone wars and his mother had died getting him to safety.

Race never had a reason not to believe them.

He lives a relatively normal life on the farm on Tatooine, though he longs for so much more.

When Race was born, he was secretly given to his aunt and uncle by a woman he believed to be named Medda Larkin who lives in the desert land away.

This woman looks out for him, against his uncle's wishes, though, upon asking him why the old man has such a quarrel with Medda, only to be left without an answer.

Frustrated by his friends following their dreams and leaving the desert planet, Race finds himself staring into the sunset daily, wishing he could fly past it.

And one day, he gets his chance.

After inspecting new droids his uncle purchases, he finds a message of a beautiful girl begging for help from a Medactrine Larkin (I don’t know. It felt right).

Wandering off, Race goes to investigate, asking Medda Larkin if she was related to this mysterious person after being attacked by Sandpeople who knock him out and nearly kill him.

With the droids, M7-TN and BK-03, Race discovers that Medda is Medactrine and was once a Jedi Knight, one that fought side by side with Race’s father, whom she trained in the ways of The Force.

Though he at first declines Medda’s offer to travel with her to help the woman in the message, a Princess Katherine Plumber, after he tries to return to his farm, he finds it destroyed, the bodies of his aunt and uncle carelessly laid in front of the door to his home.

So he goes.

This embarks Racer on the path to him truly becoming The Chosen One.

Upon running from the people who murdered his family, Medda informs him that they have to secure travel off of the planet

That’s when Race meets Jack Kelly.

Race and Jack weren’t immediately best friends, but Jack wanted to protect him. Race was never entirely sure of why.

The Force is strong with Race, even though he never knew it.

Medda begins to train him in the ways of the force.

Race is forced to watch his mentor get struck down right in front of him and while he’d only known the truth for a few days about Medactrine’s true identity, he felt as though he owed his life to her.

Because she saved him countless times over and he didn’t even know.

Racer joins the rebellion after Medda dies, hearing her voice in his head, clear as day, telling him to run.

He is the pilot that blows up the Death Star whilst the majority of all others who tried died around him in their TIE Fighters.

Medda is guiding him the whole time. He uses The Force.

Race has the piloting skills of his father.

Race travels to a galaxy that many believe to be deserted to be trained by another Jedi Master by the name of Klopp.

He trains for a long time, becoming an unofficial Padawan and learning the ways of the Jedi who are nearly extinct.

He nearly gets killed by a yeti

He gets his hand cut off by the very man the whole galaxy fears.

He is told one day that he is the galaxy’s last hope

Jack Kelly

Jack grew up an orphan

When he was young, his parents were killed by the Empire and he was kidnapped by a local gang and made a part of it, a slave to it.

He grew up in a life of crime. He’d never asked for it.

After escaping that gang, leaving someone he loved dearly behind, Kelly, he runs off and joins the Imperial Navy as a flight cadet, naming himself Jack Kelly in honor of the girl who helped him escape.

After years of service, Jack wants a way out, a way to get away from this life only to be tricked and thrown into a monster’s den by con men who are infiltrating the navy in search of a lot of money.

It is in this monster’s den that he meets a creature with fangs, horns and golden skin with one leg. His name is Charbeddon. Jack calls him Crutchie.

Eventually, after escaping the navy and teaming up with the group of cons and thieves, Jack ends up doing the Kessel run in twelve parsecs in a ship that he nearly won in a game of cards, The Millennium Falcon.

He makes it clear that he’s an excellent pilot. Well, as long as he has his lucky dice with him. They were the first thing he ever stole.

After being betrayed by the small gang, Jack finds that he’s better of when it’s just him and Crutchie

Though he goes back to win the Millennium Falcon off of the man who cheated him at cards, one Mr. Spot Conlon, who is forced to put his money where his mouth is when Jack wins and claims his ship as his own.

After this, Jack and Crutchie leave for a small planet called Tatooine to find a crime lord that had been mentioned to him once who is putting together a big job

Long story short, Jack ends up owing this crime lord a big debt, ending up with a price on his head that sends just about every bounty hunter in the system out looking for him.

Jack meets Race and immediately knows that he wants to protect the kid, though he does not truly understand why at first

Jack Kelly is named the best smuggler in the galaxy at a very young age.

After escaping Tatooine after promising the crime lord he would pay him back within the month, Jack finds himself on a journey that changed him for good.

He saves a Princess, expecting a reward.

He didn’t expect to fall in love

Though he is hesitant to join the rebellion at first, his overwhelming urge to protect Racer like no one protected him growing up takes over and he flies after the kid right before the Death Star is blown up, saving him from being shot down.

Jack and the Princess, Katherine, get off to a rocky start until they finally admit they have feelings for each other

Jack is eventually captured, along with Katherine and their droids, by the empire

Jack is tortured for information; the location of Anthony Higgins, though during the first session of the shock torture, he isn’t even asked any questions.

Eventually, Jack is told he will be the test subject for a trap they were setting for Race. Jack had no hope of escape.

As he’s being led to the trap, Katherine admits that she loves him to which Jack can only respond that he knows

He’s frozen in Carbonite and shipped away to the crime lord that put the price on his head, being fixed as a permanent decoration in old Weasels hide out.

Katherine Plumber

After being given up by her mother, Katherine is adopted by a Senator the Queen of Alderaan

She grows up in a political setting, learning day in and day out about the Galactic Empire.

She vows to be a part of taking it down

She is the reason that Racer joins the rebellion in the first place.

After her ship gets infiltrated, the young princess finds a droid and records a desperate massage for someone her father spoke of often and trusted above anyone else. She asks Madactrine Larkin for help. She’s their only hope.

Katherine had a team of people find a weakness in the Death Star, something they could use to destroy it. She sends the plans with the droid BK-03

And then Katherine is captured by Darth Vader, the man most feared in the galaxy.

Even as she is defiant and strong in her ways, when the evil man aims a planet killer at her home, she caves and reveals what she’d done only for her home planet to be blown up anyway

She is then held prisoner, believing she will be executed soon

Until she’s rescued by a kind boy and a much too devilishly handsome young man who drives her crazy.

Katherine is much more than just a Princess. She’s a senator and eventually, a general

She’s a natural born leader.

Just like her mothers, biological and adoptive

Katherine finds herself often being treated like a damsel in distress, when in reality, she’s tough enough to handle herself.

After she’s captured once again by the Empire and the man she thought he hated but turned out to love was turned into a statue and sold away, she is the one who goes out to save him

Maybe they both get captured immediately, but at least she got that far

She is made a new slave for Weasel even as a newly blind Jack is trying to beg Weasel to leave her alone, that he’d pay him back in full and even more but he is taken away and finds Crutchie waiting for him in the dungeon.

Katherine is forced to wear demeaning clothing and held by a chain around her neck like Weasel's new pet.

Even after Race tries to save them, he gets captured as well. He is fed to the monster they have underneath them only to kill the thing and be taken prisoner like Jack and Katherine has to watch the whole thing.

She is forced to watch while the only friends she has are taken out on Tatooine to be eaten alive by a giant man eating plant

This is where Race gets the upper hand and Katherine is given the opportunity to finally kill Weasel and escape with Jack and Race.

She is very sneaky and very quick and even when Jack tries to protect her, she ends up saving his skin just as much

Katherine Plumber is strong with the force, though she believes Race, her brother, must be the Jedi of the family

She finds out all on her own, through accidental Force Searching that Darth Vader was the Jedi Knight Joseph Pulitzer, who was also her father as well as Race’s.

Katherine is honestly a badass.

Let me know if you guys want to see any scenes from this one!

For more Mood Boards and AUs, click here!

[evabellasworld]

Storm of the Republic

Chapter 2

AO3 Link | 1 | 2

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Summary:  When Tup murdered General Tiplar during a battle, Anakin Skywalker and Captain Rex dispatched Ahsoka, Fives, and Yara to solve the mystery that was plaguing the Clone Army. Meanwhile, Senator Padme Amidala contacted Commander Fox, Commander Tori, Riyo Chuchi, and Dipper to help her continue investigating the death of Palpatine, suspecting that Dooku was behind the evil plot. But when Dooku send an ISB agent to stop them, the team had to race against time to search for the truth, which could alter the course of the galaxy.

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Facing the wide window, Emperor Dooku gazed at the Coruscanti skyscraper, holding a file in his hands. He gazed at the white, puffy clouds floating in the azure sky as he watched the traffic flowing smoothly, taking a mental note of every hovering vehicle. The old man noticed the Jedi Temple from afar, which was left in ruins.

The scenery of the city was like how he remembered when he was first brought to the metropolis planet, where he trained to be a valiant Jedi from a young age. Dooku’s first training from Master Yoda was meditation practice, where he learned to detach himself from his physical surroundings. It wasn’t as easy as it seems, but after a few attempts, he was beaming with pride and joy towards his own success.

When Master Yoda knighted him, he experienced the same emotions he felt as a youngling after going through the challenging trials and errors he endured. Dooku could also say the same for his late apprentice, Qui-Gon Jinn, who was the apple of his eye.

The Emperor recalled the day when a 12-year-old boy with dark brown hair was assigned to him. Qui-Gon was shy and was anxious about failing his master, but Dooku wasn’t upset. Rather, he was impressed that his Padawan admitted his flaws. Not everyone has the guts to reveal their vulnerabilities, and from there, he took Qui-Gon to explore the Temple.

He was a curious boy, Dooku smiled fondly, as he glanced at the photograph of him standing underneath a cherry blossom tree. He even saw some similarities with Qui-Gon’s apprentice, Obi-Wan Kenobi. Qui-Gon spoke highly about him a couple of times. At one point, Dooku even persuaded Obi-Wan to join him and defeat the Sith, but was disheartened when the Jedi Master refused his offer.

Turning to his desk, Dooku picked up another file. Only this time, it was related to two missing Jedi Knights. According to an investigation by Agent Starros, Ava Lira and Eva Bella Young were born in Chandrila to a single mother, Kaia Young. At the age of 3, they were taken to the Jedi Temple, and the rest, as they say, was history. Based on their appearances, the identical twins resemble their mother, despite their red hair and blue-green eyes.

Six months ago, the Jedi Order reported them missing after they did not turn up, and the Nurin alert was placed in order to search for them. Though there was a lead, the trail went cold and until today; they were nowhere to be found.

They don’t deserve to die, he frowned at the twins’ photograph when he heard the door hissed open. A light purple woman with chestnut hair and facial markings entered his office, bowing at him with utmost respect. “You summoned me, my Lord?”

“Yes, Agent Doherty,” he greeted cordially. “You may take a seat, please. I would like to discuss the progress of your mission so far.”

“Yes, my Lord,” Lenora answered politely as she sat down and placed her datapad on his wooden desk. “I have a list of senators I have monitored so far. Would you like to have a look?”

“That would be lovely, Agent Doherty,” he agreed as he picked up the datapad, skimming through the list of senators that sided with the Galactic Republic. Though he barely knows all of them, there were a few individuals that stood out, particularly the ones closer to the late Chancellor.

They were Senator Padmé Amidala of Naboo, Senator Bail Organa of Alderaan, Senator Mon Mothma of Chandrila, and former Senator Riyo Chuchi of Pantora. These were the politicians that were vocal in the Senate, particularly about the ongoing war they’re facing.

Senator Amidala was close confidant with Chancellor Palpatine. They knew each other decades ago, when she was still Queen of Naboo. She was most critical about the Clone Wars and even tried to end the conflict with one of the Separatist senators, before the latter was killed. Despite her background in politics, however, she was also skilled in combat.

Senator Organa was also her closest ally, along with Senator Mothma and Senator Chuchi. His home planet, Alderaan, was the most peaceful in the galaxy, and like her, he also advocated for the war to end, which didn’t come as a surprise to the Emperor.

Placing the last three names on a list, Dooku then shifted his focus towards Riyo Chuchi, who was formerly a Senator of Pantora. She was part of the Republic Senate for almost three years, before the Imperial Security Bureau labeled her as a traitor. “Agent Doherty,” he spoke, showing his interest towards the young politician. “What can you tell me about your findings on Senator Chuchi?”

“Senator Chuchi was responsible for the death of Agent Starros and fled Coruscant 6 months ago,” Lenora explained to him. “She had help from clone units CC-1010, CC-6231, and CT-1512, who were part of the traitorous Republic remnants’ army. If it weren't for Agent Starros, they would have been captured by now.”

“I’m impressed that you outdid your former mentor,” Dooku lifted his chin up. “I find Agent Starros rather emotional for my taste. I’m sure you shared my sentiment towards her, considering what she had put you through.”

Lenora bobbed her head as she recalled the torture Agent Starros had committed in the past, making her fist clenched. “I’m glad she’s dead, my Lord. She had sociopathic tendencies and was prone to emotional outburst when things didn’t go her way. It’s rather unprofessional, if you ask me.”

“And that is something we do not tolerate in our government,” he returned her datapad, along with the files related to the Chancellor’s death. “Take these back to the late Chancellor’s residence, please. It is much safer there.”

“Yes, my Lord,” she bowed, acknowledging his orders.

“And keep a vigilant eye on Senator Amidala and her latchkeys,” added Dooku. “We must let no one bring down our government, just like how the Jedi did with the Chancellor.”

“I understand, my Lord,” the ISB agent approved as she walked out of the room and stepped inside the lift, releasing her breath. That wasn’t so bad, she wiped her forehead. I’m so glad the Emperor wasn’t as bad as he seemed.

Lenora recollected the day the Republic Intelligence was dispatched to handle the case of Palpatine’s murder. Dina Starros was in charge of the case, much to her envy. She used to pour a bucket of ice-cold water on Lenora whenever she failed, and forced her to sleep outside her dorm. I’m sorry, I’m sorry, she begged. I’ll do better next time, I promise.

Thinking about it made her shiver in fright as she pictured herself in a warm, secluded desert, which soothes her. Still clinging on her datapad and files, Lenora stared at the panels when the lift door opened, revealing a familiar face she saw from her datapad. “Good morning, senator,” she chirped, catching her by surprise. “How delightful to see you here.”

“Good morning, Agent Doherty,” Padmé replied in a nervous tone. “I didn’t expect to see you here.”

“Oh, the Emperor summoned me. He wanted to know more about my progress. You know how meticulous he can be.”

“Of course he would,” Padme raised her eyebrows as the lift door was shut, leaving her at mercy with the ISB agent. Out of all people, why must I run into her?

“Is everything okay, senator?” Lenora inquired, noticing her fidgeting. “You seemed tense.”

The Senator of Naboo shook her head and cleared her throat. “Everything is alright, agent. I was just thinking about the next Senate debate, that’s all.”

“That wouldn’t be a problem, given that you are one of the best politicians we have right now. Besides, I trust you’ll do great later on.”

“Thank you, Agent Doherty,” she coaxed. “You must feel honoured to receive a mission. It’s not easy to get special attention from the Emperor himself, you know.”

How smart of her to say such a thing, Lenora bemused as she turned to her, crossing her fingers behind her back. “I wouldn’t call it special attention, really. He only told me to monitor the rest of the senators and put those files back at Palpatine’s residence, that’s all.”

Padmé’s eyes widened when her plan worked, prompting her to sneak a quick glimpse at the datapad and the files she was carrying. “What’s so important about the files that it needed to be kept at the late Chancellor’s house, anyway?”

“It’s a case file relating to his death,” Lenora spilled the truth. “Every piece of evidence that we’ve collected from the investigations is recorded here. That way, it’s easier for us to keep track of our progress. Impressive, isn’t it?”

If I could get my hands on them, I could finally reveal the truth behind Palpatine’s death to the Senate. “It is, actually. I bet there must be a lot of guards outside his house.”

The agent shook her head. “We only placed sensors by the door. The Emperor finds it a waste of resources to dispatch a couple of guards outside. Besides, I doubt anyone is going to break in.”

I’ll risk my life for that file. “That makes a lot of sense.”

Stopping at the 47th floor, Padmé sighed in relief as she stepped out the lift, grinning at Lenora. “I wish I could go on with our conversations, but I have important matters to deal with.”

“I understand, senator,” she maintained her smile. “Have a wonderful day.”

[norcumii]

HAPPY (slightly late) BIRTHDAY, @aces-to-apples! I have some fic for you! :D

Minor apologies to everyone, because this latched on to my brain and would not let go, even though I meant to be more moderate and do Life Things today.

No regrets.

This is a post-war fic, where Everyone Lives (except Sidious because fuck him, and Krell because fuck him too) and things are rather different. Main pairing is Padme/Anakin/Rex, with background mention of Ahsoka/Steela and Jesse/Maul/Kix, because that’s Apples’ jam. HIGH CITRUS RATING. Sorry not sorry at all.

*********

It’s their third anniversary, and the fourth anniversary of the end to the Clone Wars. Like always, it’s a weird day, full of a mix of emotions and a few official appearances they couldn’t get out of. As a senator, Padmé still has to go to the morning session commemorating the Attack on Coruscant, while Rex and Anakin have to smile for cameras along with the other significant military figures laying mementos at the GAR commemorative wall. That’s at least a good chance to catch up with anyone they haven’t seen lately, what with Echo and Fives still being in the army, Ahsoka and Steela living it up as bounty hunters, Cody and Obi-Wan being themselves, and any number of other former officers and Jedi.

It’s after lunch that they have time to themselves. All three eat light in public, so they get to cuddle together in the living room for a set of their favorite light snacks. It’s a quiet time, while most of Coruscant winds up from ‘solemn remembrance’ to ‘celebration.’

There’s too many memories for them to celebrate. Oh, sure, the whole winning the war thing was good. The betrayal – Anakin’s friend, Padmé’s mentor, who tried very hard to kill Fives and oh yes, brain wash the entire army – it’s just too much.

Rex doesn’t even bother with a melancholy but vicious variations on ‘good riddance to bad rubbish’ that he indulged in the prior years. They’re just glad Palpatine is gone, they’re still here, and that they get this time close with each other.

Being tangled up together means that they can feel the slow relaxation, as clinging turns to sprawling, and being who they are a restless energy grows. Rex – who still struggles with the concept of downtime – is the one to separate first, and Padmé asks, “Shooting range?” in an innocent tone as if the thought just happens to cross her mind. Rex’s grin is still too sharp, which means even more reason for Anakin to drive their speeder to Padmé’s favorite range. It’s a layer further down that probably any other senator would even dream of considering a visit to, near enough to CoCo Town to be busy, but distant enough that celebrations are off elsewhere.

Like last year, Padmé rented the place out, so it’s just them and the two bored – well armed – grandparent-y types keeping an eye on things more out of habit than anything. They keep out front at the store part, once again involved in a holochess game Anakin couldn’t swear has changed a single move since last year.

Rex leads the way inside, Padmé stopping for a quick chat with the owners. Anakin sidles around her, to find Rex is already checking the available weapons over and making vaguely disgruntled noises which means the weapons are superb for civilian care, even if that might not be up to the GAR’s standards.

Or maybe just Rex’s, but to Anakin it’s the same.

He settles onto the floor where he can see both Rex and Padmé shooting, as the two efficiently check over weapons and ammo, and then begin to methodically take down a number of plas targets. They start off simple, then as they relax further it leads to teasing competition and trick-shots that would make other patrons rather nervous, which is why Padmé reserved the place just for them.

Anakin loves watching them like this, the whole spectrum from cool, murderous professionals to giddy playfulness that’s still beautifully terrifying. Padmé tried to tease him once about having a ridiculous competence kink, but that fizzled when she invited Rex into the ‘discussion’ and he’d just stared at her for a genuinely confused moment before asking “doesn’t everyone?”

Anakin slips into meditation, because the day’s built up too many ghosts for someone with his sensitivity to the Force. He works to center himself, to let go of so much pain, and it takes time. Letting go of what in retrospect was years of Palpatine dripping poison into his ears, while maneuvering the Jedi Order into political corners and away from moderate – reasonable and sane! – doctrine. Letting go of the fear that Obi-Wan and Cody might not be able to right that particular ship, and fix the Order’s extremes even with the help and support of the Council and especially Mace.

He works to heal just a little bit more of the emotional wound from Ahsoka leaving the Order, a good move for her and her life but still biting deep at his own insecurities and fragile sense of self that still, four years on, hasn’t fully recovered.

It wasn’t a betrayal, not like Palpatine, but it still hurt him.

The old fears surge up a moment, and he allows himself to face them. Anakin doesn’t like considering the what ifs from Mandalore. What if Maul hadn’t been creating an elaborate means to get Anakin and Obi-Wan away from the Chancellor’s grasp and manipulations; what if Jesse hadn’t listened to and accepted Maul’s surrender, with vital intel about the Sith Lord and how to take him down.

He’s not surprised that Jesse, Kix, and Maul hadn’t returned for the celebration – this time of year is rough for all of them, but those three more than most, and Obi-Wan does much, much better not having to deal with his old nemesis ever, but especially now. They can manage to be on polite speaking terms in front of cameras – Maul’s paying off his debt to society after all – but it’s a fragile peace.

The feelings of care and affection sink into the light daze of meditation, and Anakin comes back to the present to find Rex on his right, Padmé to his left, all three cuddled up together again. He flushes a little and grins, disoriented by the way he’s surrounded by love but feeling lighter for having addressed and moved on just a little bit more from his issues. “Who won?” he asks, and Padmé’s grin is wicked while Rex’s is just a bit sweet – things so few besides him ever get to see.

“Both of us,” Rex declares, leaning in to kiss him slow and deep, seeing how Anakin needs to take his time coming back to the here and now. He doesn’t know how Rex always figures it out, but he appreciates it so much.

When they’re both breathless and pulling apart, Padmé sneaks in, peppering them both with teasing little kisses that are more than half nips but all invitation. Anakin chases those all the way to his feet, Rex steadying both him and Padmé.

“Come on,” she dares them, leading the way through the sidedoor to the sim room next door. Anakin’s honestly not sure what it’s called – it’s not like the place advertises it – but Rex took one look and was so pleased at a sim room that’s what they call it amongst themselves.

One of the owners helps them suit up, while the other picks out a maze design. There’s a lot of clunking and creaking noises as the variable panels around the auditorium-sized space realign, creating a mock battleground they’ll get to play in.

Since Rex cheats and memorizes layouts more on first instinct than intent, he’s politely turned so his back’s to the developing design, fussily readjusting every single strap to the bodysuit padding before checking over their weapons. They’re toys, with lasers that are light and nothing else – Anakin’s certain the power sources couldn’t produce anything more and he’s said – multiple times over – not that it stops Rex.

Padmé, who cheats shamelessly, keeps an eye on the way the panels are rearranging, and she’s the first one pelting off as soon as they have the green light. The artificial fog is just starting to filter in as Anakin breaks right and Rex breaks left, separating to their own starting points before the game’s signal buzzes to begin.

Anakin listens to the Force well enough to be a terrifying shot, and gravity is more optional for him than most people. Rex has trained essentially from birth to be terrifying in combat. Padmé is clever, small, and swift, not to mention ready to sneak in any advantage she can slice out of an opportunity.

Even playing nice, and with Anakin not cheating with the Force too much, the laser tag game is brutal and goes on for a delightfully long time. Rex probably won, though they don’t bother asking what the suits registered for scores on their way out.

They’re relaxed in truth as they stroll down to Dex’s – the walk’s a little long, but it’s nice to have Padmé under one arm and Rex under the other as they wander through the crowds.

Ok, so it is more than a little mortifying when someone stops them to try to negotiate with Anakin for Rex’s services, but Padmé’s Force presence sings with amusement as she pretends to be offended and insists on negotiating with the idiot over her own services. She’s charging way more than the idiot can afford, and the embarrassed Pantoran finally beats a confused retreat because they “just wanted a nice time with the pretty man, not the scary lady”.

They’re still giggling over it as they stumble into Dex’s, Anakin dragging Padmé over to a booth while Rex places their orders at the counter. When he comes back to the table Anakin swaps so Rex is on the inside, and he’s braced for when Dex erupts from the kitchen, probably from recognizing their order. Anakin just has to press in a little, bumping shoulders with Rex who tenses in spite of himself. There’s the usual blush of frustration with himself in the Force, not that Anakin blames Rex for a bad reaction. Dex can be a lot, and given past experience with Krell....

He stays close, keeping Rex grounded with a light bump with his knee or brush of the arm whenever he can feel a tremble of trauma rattle through.

Rex settles quick, because Dex is an incredibly sweet being and Padmé is just that good at smoothing over the atmosphere when she tries – and for Rex, she’s always happy to go the extra mile.

When they finally leave for home, they’re well fed, relaxed, and content.

Of course the instant they’re back in the apartment they’re all over each other. It’s their anniversary, and the entire afternoon and evening has been one long game of teasingly-close-and-intimate but never over the line into anything sexual.

He didn’t used to have this kind of patience, but Padmé and Rex have worked long and hard to help him find it.

Anakin snags supplies from the bedroom, because this is definitely the kind of evening to enjoy the view from the main sitting room – and the nice, plush couches – as other people celebrate in a more  public manner. He sets things up as Rex moves around Padmé, speaking low and teasing in that tone that sinks right into Anakin’s belly, getting him hard so damn fast. Rex is all kisses and caresses for her, deftly reaching under her clothes and pulling free a set of vibro-knives, a pretty little blaster from her back, and a hold-out pistol tucked into a boot. Rex moves behind her, kissing along the neck to whisper into her ear, getting a delighted laugh from Padmé as he starts carefully running his fingers through her hair. That pulls a deep groan from Anakin, because the way she looks, arched up towards Rex who’s curled over her, the play of calloused, strong fingers through her hair – they are unfairly gorgeous, and the wicked grin Rex sends him means he totally knows, and that’s part of why he’s doing this.

He pulls some lockpicks free of Padmé’s fancy hair style, ruining the last bits of styling to leave tousled curls around her shoulders, and Anakin thinks she looks better that way. Oh, she’s always beautiful, but that mix of artifice and mess always gut-punches him in the best way.

Rex turns back to rest his chin on Padmé’s head, earning an amused look from her before her eyes flutter closed and she moans, because he’s ghosting his hands down along her body – a bit too busy for a caress, but too gentle for a pat-down.

This is all a little game they play, just between themselves – Rex tries to find whatever toys and surprises Padmé’s hidden for a day, though he doesn’t tend to find everything. She’s had a lot of time to learn ridiculous ways to hide things, and she’s got three dedicated tailors willing to alter her fancy wardrobe in interesting ways.

Padmé has promised that if Rex does win, she’ll replace that expensive lingerie set they ruined last time, that gorgeous gold getup for Rex with the pretty gold chain dangles that drove Anakin wild. Not that he’d ever tell, but Anakin knows for a fact that she’s got the replacement already, tucked away in a discreet box in the depths of her terrifyingly large closet.

Rex ends with his hands on Padmé’s hips, nuzzling the skin behind her ear. Anakin can see how it makes her knees go weak, how Rex is supporting most her weight, and he’s tempted to just jack off here and now because they are gorgeous.

“That’s everything,” Rex declares, that deep rumble again that makes both Padmé and Anakin shiver.

“No,” she says, a bit breathy as she leans back so Rex has most of her weight in truth. “A little help, Ani?” She lifts a leg, and if he’s letting his hands wander and feel as he helps pull off her boot, no one minds.

The blaster holster is discreet, right next to the back seam, and Padmé pulls a thin bit of metal from inside that seam. It’s not wide enough to be an actual knife, but it has a wicked point and looks like in a pinch, it’d be great for stabbing into vital bits or throwing hard enough to confuse someone.

Rex looks genuinely put out, so he didn’t miss it on purpose. “I checked there!”

Padmé twists enough to kiss him an apology. “The holster’s specifically designed to conceal it. You’re meant to find the gun.”

Rex shoots an exasperated look to Anakin, who grins and shrugs back at him. He knows better than to wager against Padmé. Rex smirks and rolls his eyes, then gives him a look. Anakin can feel his intent in the Force, so he grins and nods back.

“Sneaky,” Rex grumbles, hoisting Padmé into his arms and a long kiss. She’s laughing when he pulls away, then shrieking giggles as Rex carefully tosses her in Anakin’s direction.

It’d be too far for even Rex to make, but Anakin uses the Force to catch her and draw Padmé into his arms. He gives her his own long kiss, enjoying the pleased noises she makes while twining her arms around him.

“Congratulations, Angel, you won,” he says, pulling away to gaze at her in helpless awe. He sinks down onto the couch, because even petite as she is, he doesn’t want to stand around holding her much longer. “How do you want to start this evening?”

Padmé reaches for the toys Anakin laid out, and trails her fingers over the strap-on harness with a teasing smirk. “I think I’d like you on your knees – the couch is just the right height, and you can see what you can do for Rex while I take care of you.”

He can’t stop a pleased noise escaping him, doesn’t even try as he clutches her closer. He enjoys the noise it pulls from her as his artificial hand clenches just a hair too tight – he’d calibrated it so precisely when first getting it, desperate to make sure he didn’t hurt her, only to find her very, very sheepishly asking at some point if he couldn’t be just a little rougher – not harsh, just enough to feel things.

Rex is better about knowing just where that line is, and he walks it beautifully, but Anakin can never quite figure out how to convince his brain that ‘worship’ can include roughness. It’s sometimes such a relief to just follow Rex’s lead, able to trust that someone knows exactly how far to push and how best to do it.

Doesn’t hurt that Rex enjoys that too.

“Maybe this one instead?” Rex asks, chuckling as if he can hear what Anakin’s thinking. He gently places a different dildo next to the strap-on, and Anakin shivers. That one’s got an interesting vibration system, so it doesn’t take long to beautifully scramble his brains but it only teases Padmé.

She makes a delighted, interested noise. “And then when I’m all riled up you’ll take care of me?”

“If I can stand again by then, I’ll fuck you on the table until you scream,” he rumbles, voice dark and promising. Ani can feel the way Padmé shivers, her breath catching as she arcs like she can already feel the Naboo-imported wood on her back.

“Yes, sir,” she breathes, and Ani can see Rex’s eyes dilate at that, dark and hungry as his tone had been.

Anakin doesn’t actually know when to stop pushing, but thankfully they know that. He reaches out, hand to Rex’s shoulder like it’s just another day on the battlefield and he’s giving a friendly shoulderpat. Except now he gets to slide his thumb under Rex’s shirt, trace lightly over some scars and the collarbone, watch Rex arc his neck as he sways in closer. “Tease her enough, take your time, and then we might have to return the favor.”

Rex lunges in for a fierce kiss, teeth clacking a bit before he rearranges to not squish Padmé quite as much between them. From her laughter, she doesn’t mind, and her squirming is turning interesting. Rex, the bastard, is smirking when he finally lets Anakin breathe. “It’s gonna take both of you.”

His brain might not be firing on full yet, but he doesn’t need thought to know what’s going on here. “Pssh, please,” he says, lofty and disdainful. “It’d only take Padmé, but I want to do more than watch.” Then his brain does catch up, and his expression falters. “Er, I mean. Not that I mind watching, just, uh....”

They just laugh, moving in to start helping Anakin out of his clothes. They don’t even need to say anything, which is kind. Anakin waits long enough for his prosthetic’s glove to come off – Rex has a fascination with the detailwork and feel of it that Anakin doesn’t understand, but he doesn’t question. Then he’s reaching back, and it’s a tangle of limbs and disappearing clothing, laughter and pleasure. He loves his spouses so much, his two beautiful badasses that can lead like gods and fight like nightmares – kind, and sometimes ridiculous, and all entirely his.

~end

[brooklynislandgirl]

{And ye, then the cheese stopped being molested, and I was given A Sin, verily, with much straight-faced enthusiasm, and the name of that sin was...} Murder.

{Thus delivered was the chile of green, and the enchilada thus did quake for not the gnashing of sharp teeth and batting of claw but for the glory that shone in the light of the Ice-bringer and the Heater of Worlds Unimagined. In praise, in praise I offer Thee....IA IA IA.} Cardinal Seven || - 

“I hope you’ll serve under my command. I couldn’t have survived without you.” 

The woman cups Admiral Tohm’s scarred face tenderly. Her eyes are soft and none could mistake the sweetness to her every breath. The time ticks a beat. Two.  

“It would be my honour,” Shonn Volta answers.

Before either of them could explore the new found joy between them there comes a discreet alert at the door. The protocol droid on the other side has a polite invitation from Lord Vader that the new Admiral should join him on his private balcony which provides a gorgeous vantage of Coruscant spreading out far below, an ocean of light and shadow. His effusive joy is palpable four systems over. 

Despite Volta’s unvoiced concern, Tohm takes only a few moments to make himself as pristinely presentable, then excuses himself from her company. The man sees this as an opportunity to converse with his new mentor, a man who he has nothing but the greatest respect and admiration for, something that borders on hero-worship. 

When the door clicks behind him, Volta curses softly under her breath.

“Such goes the way when you watch the man you love leave you for his duty.” Keni’s voice is as soft as the trail of her fingers along the back of the chair. She materialises from nothing, grown tired of watching this little drama play out.

Volta turns on her heel and her yellow eyes narrow on Keni, seething orbs of fire that remind her of nothing so much as the fires of Mustafar. Sends a spike of revulsion through her sharp and deep and providing nothing more than support struts to the task at hand. The Imperial uniform looks much better than the rags Volta wore as a prisoner but do not suit the woman, is no improvement to the sour look on the woman’s face.  ”What would you know of it, Jedi?” she all but spits the word as a curse.

More than you will ever know. “I think this is where you are mistaken. For I am not a Jedi. Perhaps I never was.”

“You certainly skulk about like one. Vader’s lapdog, aren’t you?” “Biting words from someone who owes her very existence to his mercy and intercession, both on Diab 6 and now. He has the Emperor’s ear, and were it not for Toh- ah, pardon. Admiral Tohm’s pleas moving him, then you would be one more unfortunate casualty of the hyperdrive malfunction like the rest of your friends.”

Volta’s hand strays toward her blaster, which in turn arches Keni’s brow. “I wouldn’t recommend-” She never gets to finish the statement. The woman draws her weapon. She is not as fast as Anakin by any means, nor is she as beautiful to watch but she manages to deflect the first bolt with the blade of her sabre, the second impacts the armour beneath her robes. Volta makes a break from the door but by a simple gesture and bearing down with the Force, Keni stops her.  “I must say, I am disappointed in you. I thought you were so much smarter than that.” The woman turns and snarls. Keni only watches her impassively.  “So much hate and contempt.” “You’re all bastards. You starved my people. You destroyed my world, my life!”

“These are the things that happen in war. Your parents hid you, when they discovered you were Force-sensitive. Perhaps if they hadn’t, you would not have needed Master Fisto or Anakin Skywalker to save you.” “They imprisoned me.” “Exactly.” A brittle smile that shows all of her teeth. Still holding Volta in place, she presses the button on the side of her sabre, retracting both the plasma blade and the knives that just from the pommel and the small cross-guard. A turn of her wrist and she sheathes it at her side. “But all of this is a digression. You see, Shonn, behind every great man is a woman. She might never wear a crown nor might she ever stand beside him as a wife or a lover, the mother of his children, but she will take it upon herself to reorder the universe to suit his whim, and she will do every necessary thing to ensure his safety. You and I both know this to be true, because you and I are both that woman. And I am protecting my world, and my life.” Both of which existed in one person. She closes her eyes a moment and tilts her head. She listens to the whispers of the Living Force, reaching out through every inch of the floors above her.

“But...we are not monsters. Because monsters steal children from their parents. Monsters enslave them. Monsters cannot love. And because I am not a monster I have chosen to spare you the agony of heartbreak.” She almost laughs at that, circling the woman and leaning into her. She gives credit where it is due, despite being held in place by the Force, she does not tremble. She does not beg. She does push back. Tries to make the blaster in her hand obey her will, but she was never trained. She was never made to suffer rather than take joy in the Force.

Keni comes to stand before her and lifts both hands. Slowly, almost lovingly, she begins to part the double-breasted gaberwool tunic. Volta is taller than she, is not as delicately built as Keni and there’s a tiny stir of envy when her skin begins to reveal itself, covered now only by the sleeveless under-tunic. Ignores Volta’s growl at the feel of her fingertips shadowing her collar bones, down to the scarred cleft between her breasts. Slowly Keni drags her gaze from the tops of their swells to the woman’s eyes. “This must have hurt like nine hells,” she murmurs softly. There’s a touch of empathy in her tone, the mark of a healer. “A replacement like this, the work is extraordinary. And how lucky are you that you have had not one heart, in this lifetime, but two.” Spittle, still warm, lands on her face and she wipes it on the sleeve of her robes. This breaks the eye-contact but not the Force-hold that Keni maintains. Volta perhaps does not realise what it was like working in the trenches, patching and re-patching the wounds sustained by the Troops and the civilians that the Separatists had fought. How difficult it was to sometimes keep a person still when you’d run out of medicine to dull the pain but you still had to remove limbs or organs too damaged to remain. How much control. How much emotion you had to swallow down like you were taught. The valves and wires inside the woman’s chest are now thundering in overdrive, pushing adrenaline though her system. “I promise I won’t keep it. I will see to it that it goes to someone worthy. Someone desperate for the life it will give, and in that way, you can go to the Force knowing that a part of you still exists, that it has helped.”  The pressure from her fingers increases, bearing down on the woman’s skin. Bone offers so little resistance to wood, skin and tissue even less. There’s a struggle then, one that is real and terrible and leaves a rending in the Force as the women clash. Thing of it is though, all Volta fought for was her life.  Keni fights for more than that. She’d heard from Palpatine’s own twisted lips as he said that should some tragedy or accident befall Anakin, that Tohm would make for a suitable replacement. No one, especially not Anakin or herself could have interpreted that as anything other than the veiled threat it was. One attempted on his life had already been made. The same conspiracy that had weakened Palpatine. Had Tohm and Tracta left well enough alone, Anakin ~who had survived his end of the intended assassination~ and she might have succeeded in riding the Empire of it’s terrible Master on Diab 6. It wasn’t as if the Prism was exactly well known among the populace. As it stands there now is seeded into her that every whisper of every shadow contains ill-will for Anakin, not the least of which is Tohm and his woman. Which leaves only one desperate recourse to her. And it wasn’t like Shonn Volta would have ever survived the Prism, was never meant to be free.

The cracking sound is almost swallowed by the piercing wail that starts the death throes as Keni’s fingers shove themselves through Volta’s meat. The spray of hot, fresh blood splatters her face, her chest, likely half the room, floor to ceiling. She grasps the mechanical heart and lets her fingers surround it as she licks her lower lip. “If it’s any consolation, Tohm will be joining you very soon. You’ll be together then.” As somewhere high above Anakin tells Tohm the last piece of advice he has to offer is to never accept the existence of a rival, Keni rips the woman’s artificial organ from her chest, and releases her from the hold, allowing her body to slump to the floor. A few moments later, Tohm’s body falls from the balcony, sending him flailing and plummeting into the depths of Coruscant.

Melakeni Ivers says nothing as she makes her way to the chambers afforded to Lord Vader, courtesy of the Emperor. Neither does she care that her robes are soaked in blood, that it turns her dark hair even darker. She cares for nothing as Anakin’s hand ~the one of flesh~ comes to cup her face. His eyes scour over her with a thousand questions and ten times that much concern. Half in and half out of his armour he looks exhausted. The last few weeks have been hell on him, have sucked from his being every ounce strength and purpose from him, leaving him to look very much like he did the day she was brought to him in the Temple below them. Only this time they are not surrounded by the 501st.  In many ways that would be so much better. They both know not a word can be spoken. Neither of them have a single doubt that these rooms are bugged a hundred different ways and that Palpatine knows all that happens. Sees and hears every single thing.

She drops the heart uncaring of it at the moment and lets it thud dully in the folds of her robes. Her hands, still sticky and wet reach up. They take hold of his face and she pulls him down to her.

She doesn’t need to speak for Anakin to understand that everything she does is for him. And no life, perhaps including her own, is as important.  But she reminds him again, silently and suffused through the Force, as she captures his mouth with her own, in a kiss as deep and full of her love as any that has come before and will come after.

Soon, Za’lali. He can’t outlast us forever.

[pumpkin-lith]

So, basically, the thing was, it all starts on a beautiful Senate day. Palpatine is walking with some random Senator, and he needs for that conversation to keep going so, let's not take the lifts, haha, let's walk down those stairs.

And nobody uses the stairs, right, they're all lazy and/or busy, lifts are faster, so if you use the stairs, you're either somewhat claustrophobic, don't fit inside the humanoids or even the larger/taller ones, have a tryst with your lover who might or might not be a Jedi, or maybe you just want a quiet place to take your lunch.

But point is, nobody uses the stairs much so the cleaning droids, they have so much to do, have you seen the size of the Senate, they keep the cleaning of all those unused stairs for way late at night on weekends when aaaalll the rest is done or don't need constant maintenance.

So say, if there's a slice of tomato on a stair, because someone packed up their lunch a little fast because _some_ people have no shame, doing that just above their salad, it would just… stay there, for hours, until Chancellor Palpatine and Random Senator walk by.

And, don't get me wrong, love the Naboo fashion, but man, those robes and collars…

There's no way Palpatine sees that small little slice of tomato and Woops he goes.

And on one hand, he's a Sith, yes, powers, super agility to do that triple side somersault, he could recover like that. snaps

But on the other hand, he's posing as Old Man Sheev Palpatine, and, say, the door just opened on a Jedi Master looking for his wayward Padawan soon to be Knight because he heard he just might be in that staircase, so if Force use there is to avoid the fall, the Jedi will feel it and his carefully engineered war just started, that would be the most stupid way to be found out, right ?

And, really, all things considered what harm can a little fall do, there will be exactly two people to see him fall, one is a Random Senator that he needs for this or that bill but is otherwise of no importance and will never dare laugh about the Chancellor and a Jedi who's too damn nice to dare mock an old man, yes ?

So, he lets the fall by tomato slice happen.

And. Hits. His. Head.

And here is the thing : when he wakes up, he's completely amnesiac \0/.

No memories, no background and certainly not Sidious.

There's all these well wishers and people calling him Chancellor and being nice and worried but he has no clue, and no relative, no wife, to help with recovering his memories.

But, lucky him, he’s a public figure, he even has two or three biographies written about him, great !

Look, you can't tell me that, even without considering he's a Sith named Sidious, a politician of Palpatine’s caliber doesn't have 1) several books written about him and 2) made damn sure he knew exactly what was in those, and how the Galaxy saw him through them.

Palpatine, His Life, His Work, by Totally A Non-Influenced Author I Swear Cross My Heart.

So what Amnesiac By Tomato!Palpatine can find about his own life, his own motivations and goals, is the official backstory he so carefully crafted himself.

So, we're like, mhh, not that long after Geonosis, the War has started and some people in the Senate are seeing different shades in the colors Palpatine is showing with emergency powers being around and the Army bill passing because, hey, actually, we do have an Army…

But all of that is fresh, no books on that ! Press articles, sure, but the biographies, so far, they're all showing the same basic facts, and those include :

He’s from Naboo, there's probably stories about how his Good, Rich, Upstanding family was Wholesome and full of Values he inherited

Became a Senator and, when the young Queen from his homeworld came to ask for help after an Invasion, he Stepped Up and became Chancellor to Help the Downtrodden

That Queen ended up a Senator after her Tenure and he was her Mentor in the Senate as a Good, Benevolent Grandfatherlike Figure

Someone Likes Capitalizing Stuff Too Much

And sure, he may be amnesiac but he still has (most) of his brainpower, so he'd look for other sources, look up the HoloNet (after enabling Safe Search, what is even that SheevBinks ship, Jesus people), see some nuances, some saying that he's a true friend and ally to the Jedi Order, some saying he's just another corrupt politician, some saying he's the reincarnation of a 300 year old eggplant deity from Felucia because it's the space internet.

But mostly, Sidious did his cover up good, especially at that point in time, he appears as a Political, slightly better dressed version of Santa.

And of the two people who could shed some (Dark) light into this, let's say Amedda choked to death that morning (on a tomato, of course), so sad, and Dooku can't exactly walk into the hospital to get the facts straight now, can he.

On the list of People who can actually visit, there will be two important ones :

First, Anakin puppy eyed newly or about to be Knighted, very newly wedded, riding that Honeymoon Vibe.

Who is so gonna tell their Friend and Father Figure Daddy Palpatine how good a human being he is, how full of advice, how they talked a lot for years about ending slavery and that Peace is Good.

And Padmé Protégée Naberrie Amidala who would be a little more careful and admitting that they had some differences but, the War just started and can maybe still be stopped with negotiations, but for that, they need a ruling body who can negotiates and she sympathizes with Palpatine's current ailment but surely, he sees that right now, he cannot be Chancellor to the Republic, yes ?

So, so far, Tomato Brain here is not sure of much but he does have a few facts that seem to be stuff people agree on : he's grandfatherly, he gives good advice, he's mostly a Good person who likes Peace and he does the Right Thing when it's time to step up.

So he does just that. The Good, Right Thing for the Republic he's apparently spent his whole life serving.

He steps down from the Chancellor mantle. And, while waiting for elections to be able to be held, and given that Vice Chancellor Amedda sadly died last day of tomato choking, his last act is to appoint Senator Amidala as Acting Chancellor in the meantime.

It makes sense, my dear, don't be so surprised, I'm an old, injured man with no memories, and you've been a good friend and are a good person, both according to everyone and from what I saw personally. It's like I can feel it by some way, crazy, I know, but don't worry, you'll take good care of the Republic.

And then he decides to retire on Naboo, he read he has a nice vacation house on his Estate, and all this talk about tomatoes made him think he might just like growing his own garden.

And this is a happy, cracky verse, (if you don't think this is crack, you haven't been paying attention) so nothing goes wrong.

There is no Evil Diary of Sidious hidden somewhere, nothing Dark in that vacation home, it was basically a front so it's closer to an Ikea showroom than an Evil Lair, he settles in nicely for his nice retirement on a very comfy pension.

Though he doesn't need all of that money, does he, let's also give to charities and to people working against slavery, because apparently, that's what he used to do, and it does seem like a Good Thing.

And Dooku, let's not forget our second Sith Lord. Now, Sidious is away from the main media eye, away from Coruscant, it would be easy to go to him and tell him the truth…

But why in the seven hells would he.

Let's remember that Dooku joined the Dark Side initially because he felt the Jedi wouldn't, couldn't do fuck about Sidious, that the only way would be to find the Sith Master and join him to stab him in the back. And he Fell along the way and stuff, but in the beginning of it all, he had  let's say, Good Motivations, Not Very Good Plan.

But this IS the beginning. And Apart from Geonosis, the War is now stalling, because there is no puppet master, no shadow leader, no Great Big Bad Plan behind it all and someone playing chess with all the Galaxy as his pawns, black AND white.

There is just the Republic on one Side, Dooku and the CiS on the other, and Sidious is planting tomatoes as a hobby.

So, Dooku can go back to his own true love too. Politics. (Yurk. But whatever rocks your boat, man)

And, so, why don't we talk about this like civilized beings, hmm ?

Surely, the Republic isn't a Tyranny not letting people pick another way ?

It's talks or a war, what do you pick ?

So.

No war.

Lots of Politics, I'm sure Dooku and Padmé and Satine and assorted madbeings are living, there's bills and conferences and cabinets meetings and sessions everywhere, THIS is my version of Hell but it works out.

And, because it's me, let's talk about the clones.

There's Now a couple millions guys for an Army that is actually not needed, Chancellor never even got the time to ratify that bill, sorry, so actually you're not even the GAR, at most you're, like, the GA, maybe ?

But you know who is understaffed, just lost a good dozens members and often act as Senatorial envoyees to dangerous places ? The Jedi. Who you want to serve anyway ! Great.

So the Jedi take custody of the GA, and well, it's not an Army innit, the Jedi can't have an Army, and we're not going to call them the G, that's stupid, so they became a branch of the Jedi Corps, Protection and Escort and Badass Looking or something like that, they go with Jedi everywhere, make sure no Jedi die or is injured or kidnapped or enslaved or goes off to join a civil war or anything. Keep their Jedi safe and protected everywhere. Good stuff.

While Palpatine plants his tomatoes.

And, to wrap this up, let's say, ten years down the line, when little Luke and little Leia become Padawans, the ripple in the Force lights up the whole Galaxy so much an old man with a strawhat in his field of tomatoes remembers.

And Darth fucking Sidious realises he wasted a century long conspiracy crafted by all his line of Siths, gave his puppet Senator his actual job of Leader, she's married to his Carefully Groomed Apprentice who is now Happy Light Daddy, he gifted his biggest enemies with an Army who is now protecting them, the Order is flourishing, Republic and CiS are allies and in harmony, the Galaxy is so Light it burns and he's known as a Good Old Man giving most of his wealth to charities and who is making tomatoes preserves.

And Sidious dies of an aneurysm, in his field of tomatoes (which, unfortunately, might actually burn down if he does explode. Those good tomatoes, so sad.)

[diwatang-sirena]

Food For Thought: Is it possible that Daenerys' storyline is going to go a similar route to Darth Vader's?

Now before you guys protest, especially the die-hard Dany stans, just hear me out on this. I’m a fan of both Vader and Dany, and as much as I wish that Dany will not turn into an antagonist, let’s not discount the possibility and try to look at her story in a different perspective. Okay? Then keep reading.

If you’re not familiar with Vader’s story in Star Wars (but how tho??), protagonist Anakin Skywalker started out as a poor, innocent slave boy who happened to have a very strong connection with the force. He’s even assumed to be the “Chosen One” from the prophecies that would balance the Dark and the Light sides of the Force. So he ends up training to become a Jedi with the hopes of freeing his slave mother whom he left behind in Tattooine, his home planet.

Eventually Anakin grows up to be a good but slightly arrogant teenager who is manipulated further by Emperor Palpatine (who’s posing as a good guy in the Senate). And because he’s fully aware of his natural talent, he’s even pushed further by the fact that the Jedi Council does not fully acknowledge his merits when he deserves them. One of the key moments in his transition is when he finds his mother murdered, which led him to his first act of madness when he massacred the tribe that stole her away.

But the final straw was when he dreamt that his secret wife, Padme, might possibly die through childbirth. This made him seek even more power to save his wife and unborn child, of which he was unable to do with his mother, and it eventually blinded him from seeing the good that his comrades and loved ones were trying to do to help him. 

At this point, he concluded that by being the most powerful, most fearsome Jedi on earth, he can prevent every terrible fate that could happen to the ones he loved. So he helped the Emperor massacre the whole Jedi Council, including the innocent children, in order to be stronger using the dark side of the Force. And you know the rest, his wife died in childbirth, indirectly because of his actions, and thinking that his mentor and brotherly figure Obi-Wan betrayed him and left him to die, he eventually became reborn as Darth Vader, now completely overwhelmed by hatred. 

And it’s not until the last minute when Luke, his son with Padme, helped bring him back to the Light when Vader chose to protect his son with his life instead of letting Palpatine kill him, ultimately fulfilling his prophecy as the Chosen One.

See the pattern here? Daenerys seems to be following quite a similar path, with her initially being a poor, helpless girl with a very tough upbringing who eventually gained power to protect the common folk. Not only that, but she also has something to do with the “Azor Ahai” Prophecy about the “Prince/Princess that was Promised”, although whether or not this means her, Jon, or their future child is yet to be seen.

Unfortunately, just like Anakin, Daenerys has been shown to have lingered in between the light and dark at times, such as burning her enemies or using fear to bend people to her will when her patience runs out. Of course I won’t deny that some of these actions are considered necessary considering that some of her enemies don’t do well with peace pacts or respectful discussions, most especially when they go through lengths to disrespect her as a woman.

But as much as I love Dany, I can’t deny that some of her actions, regardless of where she came from and how she came to be, are not doing her any favors with the Westerosi. Like Anakin, she has been slowly losing sight of what has been her main goal in the beginning of her pursuit; to save the people who suffered like she did and to find a place to truly call home. Now most of her focus is gaining her right to the Iron Throne, while slowly losing bits of emotion here and there especially when betrayal hits her at one front to another.

That is, until dear honorable Jon Snow came along.

Just like how Anakin and Padme’s forbidden love story ended up changing the Jedi forever, Jon and Dany’s love story seems to be a must in breaking the wheel of the current world, not just in politics, but the fate of the world itself. After all, Melisandre has prophesied that both of them have a very important role to play in the Azor Ahai prophecy in stopping the Night King.

Whether you ship them or not, you can’t deny that these two were bound to have a special connection thanks to their parallel journeys and their secret Targaryen relation. It’s interesting to note that in the beginning, all that Jon ever wanted was to become acknowledged as a Stark, arrogantly thinking that he had it worse than everyone else. Now that he’s constantly given all these burdens and high positions, he’s become more humble and doesn’t enjoy being the leader that people turn to.

Dany, on the other hand, was a meek and afraid little girl, having no idea in the beginning that she was capable of becoming more, no thanks to Viserys’ abuse. But as time went by, she began to grow as her own person and became more and more powerful, which unfortunately led her to become quite arrogant at times. 

While Jon’s been shown to have a harder time killing more and more people out of duty, especially when he began to realize that not everything is in black and white, Dany has been shown to be having an easier time disposing people who defy her, even the ones who used to be on her side. It’s not to say she hasn’t tried doing things the gentler way, but a lot of if not all the peace talks she’s attempted with her adversaries have never really gone smoothly. Not to mention, most of the people she had placed her trust in in the beginning have either betrayed or left her at some point.

To be fair, we can’t have two exact copies of “Jon Snow” in the GOT world. That wouldn’t make much of an interesting story now can it?

With that said, it seems possible that Jon’s role in GOT is quite similar to Luke’s trope as the reluctant hero of the story, the one who saves the whole world by saving their loved one from being completely immersed into the Dark Side.

Of course, we haven’t seen Dany turn completely mad just yet, and I personally hope it would never happen. But the first two episodes of Season 8 has compelled me to imagine the uncomfortable possibility of what it would be like if Daenerys does end up becoming a villain. Her thirst for the crown has been focused on too many times to deny in the first two episodes of the final season, and it seems that not even her love for Jon would let her set aside her quest for the crown completely, at least not yet.

But there’s also a possibility that their future child, if the constant foreshadowing in Season 7 comes to fruition, might also be a strong factor in changing her mindset, just like how Vader’s love for Padme and his children compelled him to eventually turn away from the Dark Side. Most importantly, their child might also have a huge role in stopping the second Long Night from happening, however possible that is, if he/she/they have something to do with the prophecy.

Another interesting possibility that’s been pointed out by some fans is that the only person other than Jon that might stop Dany from her road to Mad Queen status is the woman who currently checks up all the boxes of said status.

Cersei may not have the pure intentions that Dany has, but they do have a common factor of wanting to gain and remain in power no thanks to their past experiences of having their father/brother control most of their lives in the early parts of the series (Tywin with Cersei, and Viserys with Dany). I’d personally wager that Dany is still far from Cersei’s “Mad Queen” level, because at the very least Dany still has a few good and true comrades to help keep her feet on the ground. As Tyrion told Cersei, at least Dany has enough brains and empathy to listen to their advice at times, whereas Cersei would never do so unless it benefits only her.

This Cersei-Dany parallel would be a pretty similar situation with, again, Darth Vader and Luke. Just when Luke battles with his father and was almost on the verge of killing him, he stops when he sees his father’s robotic hand, realizing how similar they actually are and how much the Dark Side has affected Vader in the worst ways, which he himself almost fell into if he didn’t see the truth with his own eyes.

After the Battle of Winterfell is over, and Daenerys sees the remnants of the Night King's power while also coming to terms with Jon’s status as the rightful heir, perhaps Dany might reconsider and reflect on her true purpose in attaining the Seven Kingdoms. True there's also a huge possibility that she'll turn even darker than before, especially if her close comrades die/leave her, leaving her feeling more alone and out of place. But perhaps after seeing Cersei the way she is, with no true friends, no family, and no love left in her except the crown on her head, this might lead Dany to see the hard truth; The Iron Throne isn’t worth her humanity.

With that said, whether or not Dany turns into a true antagonist is yet to be seen. Contrary to some fans' predictions of her dying in the end, I actually believe that she'll survive, but not without huge consequences of course, which is carrying the guilt with her for the rest of her life. For some people, continuing to find the will to live can be much harder than dying a quick death. 

Having her killed off easily as a villain without redemption or in childbirth for me is a very big disservice to those who have watched/read her whole journey since Season 1 and the 1st book. I doubt that George R.R. Martin created Dany only to make her a Cersei 2.0 in the end. It would be the such an injustice for the series to conclude with Dany’s faults completely overshadowing the many good things she has done for the ones without power, especially during her time in Essos.

We have yet to see how low Dany would go to seize power as Vader would, and I’m extremely worried about how much it would affect everyone’s view of her till the very end, especially as a character that was so beloved for the whole 7 seasons, only to have her hated by most without proper redemption at the final season. Yes, as a GOT fan I’m glad that Dany’s being given a wakeup call that her idea of ruling has its flaws and does not suit everybody. But if she is really meant to betray Jon and the rest, I seriously wish that whatever payoff the writers have for Dany will be worth it in the end. Especially when there’re only a handful of episodes left.

And if people really think that Jon would easily leave Dany just like that, then boy, have they not been paying attention to Jon’s character development. Jon has already chosen duty over love several times, with one of those choices leading indirectly to his first love’s death. I highly doubt that Jon would ever leave Dany alone like that, even with all her faults, especially if she’s with child and if they do get married even if out of duty.

Just like how Padme never stopped believing that there is good in Anakin till her dying breath, it’s in Jon’s persona that he would do everything in his power to keep Daenerys from falling completely into the dark and feeling alone. I won’t be surprised if Jon would choose to take the fall for/with Daenerys if she is to be punished for whatever wrongdoing she’s about to do. That’s just the type of guy he is.

With that said, we have no choice but to wait until Episode 3 and 4 to really see where Daenerys’ morality will be going. As with every season, with every new episode that comes out, anything is possible. I still hold onto the hope that the writers know exactly what they’re doing with Daenerys and that it’ll be true to what George R.R. Martin really intended for her, although I’m already a bit wary at how they’re currently handling her responses. If her path is to go the same way as Vader’s like I guessed, I can only hope that they can do enough justice to make her memory worthwhile.

If not... there’s always hope for the books. And fanfiction.

[romana73]

STAR WARS WOMEN 2 PART

Post written by ME. The animated gifs shown, however, AREN’T MINE and it DON’T BELONG TO ME IN ANY WAY. Sorry for my mistakes, but English isn’t my first language

HERE IS FIRST PART of this post:

https://romana73.tumblr.com/post/182414735626/star-wars-women-1-part

“You’re wrong, Leia. You have that power too. In time you’ll learn to use it as I have. The Force is strong in my family. My father has it. I have it and…my sister has it. Yes. It’s you, Leia”

(Luke Skywalker and Leia Organa, from “Star Wars Episode VI, Return of the Jedi” movie)

In this post we will get to talk about famous scandal stone, scene in which, in "Star Wars. Episode VIII. The Last Jedi" movie, floating in open space, Leia save herself using Force. Many are snapped, outraged, protesting Leia isn’t a Jedi and she hasn’t Force, so that scene should be redone and she die or be rescued by some errant knight (male, of course!) In fact, it would be enough to read quote reported to me at this post beginning, pronounced by LUKE SKYWALKER lived voice, in last chapter of original saga, CREATED AND DIRECTED BY GEORGE LUCAS, STAR WARS DAD, to blush and hide in some lost cave. In this post I'm going, however, in chronological order, so, before talking about Leia, I have to talk about ...

SOLO: A STAR WARS STORY:

QI'RA:

Orphan, thief, fighter, ambiguous and HAN SOLO’s first love, from which she’s separated as a young girl. Three years later, Qi'ra and Han find themselves in Alba Cremisi base, a criminal organization for which Beckett, Han's accomplice thief, is working. Han discovers Qi'ra is pupil and woman of DRYDEN VOS, organization boss, from which she was saved and trained. In end, Qi'ra will KILL DRYDEN in order to SAVE HAN, but then she LEFT HAN, also if SHE LOVE HIM, to JOIN DARTH MAUL, SITH at service of Emperor Palpatine:

VAL BECKETT:

Thief, Tobias Beckett’s wife, strong, disillusioned, rude, actually she’s really in love with Tobias, till she will sacrifice herself:

ROGUE ONE: A STAR WARS STORY

JYN ERSO:

Daughter of Galen Erso, a scientist forced by Empire to create deadly Death Star. Jyn is forced by her father to flee away, just before Imperials take him. Jyn grew up with extremist rebel Saw Gerrera. When she becomes adult, Jyn is imprisoned by imperial, but she’s freed from Resistance who enlist her for a mission: to prevent Death Star from completing. At cost of her life, Jyn will steal weapon's plans, which shows weak point of Death Star, managing to get them to have the Princess LEIA ORGANA, REBEL ALLIANCE LEADER, so Rebels can destroy weapon:

"Star Wars. Episode IV. A New Hope","Star Wars. Episode V. Empire Strikes In Back","Star Wars. Episode VI. The Return of the Jedi":

LEIA ORGANA:

Daughter of jedi ANAKIN SKYWALKER and PADME' AMIDALA, senator and FOUNDER REBEL ALLIANCE. LUKE SKYWALKER’S SISTER TWIN, adopted daughter of BAIL ORGANA, Prince of Alderaan and Senator and Queen Breha Antilles. HAN SOLO’s wife and MOTHER of BEN SOLO, then became KYLO REN. Senator, RESISTANCE’S LEADER AND GENERAL, excellent fighter, especially with blaster, Leia is one who will put wheel of fate in motion, hiding in droid R2D2, plans stolen by Jyn Erso about Death Star and a help message for Jedi OBI - WAN KENOBI

Captured and tortured by LORD VADER, she will amaze him for her HIGH MENTAL RESISTANCE: "Her resistance to the mind probe is considerable. Can be extract from any information” (Darth Vader about Leia Organa, from the movie "Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope") Leia will only surrender when Vader and Governor Tarkin destroy Alderaan, her home planet, in front her eyes

Leia will be freed by Luke Skywalker, Han Solo and Obi - Wan Kenobi. Three years later, Leia is one of REBELE ALLIANCE’S COMMANDERS and participates to evacuation on Hoth planet. ‘Cause of Lando Calrissian’s betrayal, she, Han and Chewbecca, will be CAPTURED and IMPRISONED by Darth Vader, who will torture and freeze Han into the carbonite. Successfully escaping with Lando and Chewbacca, later, Leia receives LUKE’S MENTAL CALL, to whom Darth Vader has cut a hand and runs to save him: "Ben... Ben, please! Ben. Leia! Hear me! Leia!" "Luke... we’ve got to go back" "What?" "I know where Luke is" (Luke, Leia and Lando, from "Star Wars Episode V. Empire Strikes Again" movie)

Six months later, disguised as a bounty hunter, Leia manages to enter Jabba The Hutt’s den, where Han is still frozen in carbonite. Leia manages to free Han from freezing. Unfortunately, their escape is discovered and Jabba closes Han in cell, keeping Leia as his slave. Luke and Rebel Alliance are coming to couple rescue. During battle, LEIA KILLS JABBA THE HUTT, throttling him using chain with which she was tied:

Later, before his death, Master Yoda reveals to Luke EXIST ANOTHER SKYWALKER: "Pass on what you have learned, Luke... there is...another...Sky...Sky...walker." (Master Yoda to Luke Skywalker, from the movie "Star Wars Episode VI, Return of the Jedi") Intrigued, Luke asks for explanations to Obi - Wan Kenobi ghost, who reveals truth to him: Leia is his TWIN SISTER. She’s THE OTHER SKYWALKER Yoda was talking about:

“The other he spoke of is your twin sister”

“But I have no sister”

”Mm. To protect you both from the Emperor, you were hidden from your father when you were born. The Emperor knew, as I did. If Anakin were to have any offspring, they would be a threat to him. That is the reason why your sister remains safely anonymous”

“Leia. Leia’s my sister”

“Your insight serves you well. Bury your feelings deep down, Luke. They do you credit, but they could be made to serve the Emperor.”

(Luke Skywalker and Obi - Wan Kenobi, from "Star Wars Episode VI, Return of the Jedi” movie)

Meanwhile, led by Leia, Han and Luke, a rebels contingent on Endor to deactivate a shield prevents their fleet from attacking Death Star. In a moment of tranquility, Luke reveals to Leia that Darth Vader is their father, they are twins and SHE HAVE THE FORCE: "[...] And that's not all. It will not be easy for you to listen to it, but you must do it: if I do not survive, only you can save the Covenant " "Luke do not talk like that: you have absolutely exceptional powers that I do not have at all" "You're wrong, Leila: you have those powers too. Over time, you too will learn how to use them. Force flows in my family. In my father... in me...and in... my sister also... yes... it's you, Leila" "I know. It's as if... If I had always known " (Luke Skywalker and Leia Organa, from the movie "Star Wars Episode VI, Return of the Jedi")

From that moment, Leia uses the Force to instinct. Looking inside her, Leia manages to PERCEIVE Luke is alive: “I'm sure Luke wasn't on that thing when it blew”

“He wasn't. I can feel it” (Han Solo and Leia Organa, from "Star Wars Episode VI, Return of the Jedi" movie)

Leia is ONLY WOMAN TO PARTICIPATE in person at Endor BATTLE

Given all this, it seems to me supported by TESTS AND EVIDENTS, SUPPLIED BY OLD SAGA, Leia HAS FORCE and it’s UNDERSTANDING, over time, Luke has taught Leia to use it. At this point, Rian Johnson and J.J. Abrams SHOULDN’T RECTIFY and CORRECT NOTHING to "Star Wars. Episode VIII. The latest Jedi" movie, ‘cause Leia has every right to use Force and call Luke through that:

Special Mention for MON MOTHMA: Human woman, senator of Galactic Senate and Imperial Senate, LEADER of Alliance for the Restoration of the Republic and first CANCELLER of New Republic. Faithful friend of Padme Amidala, Mothma was a POLITICAL MENTOR of Princess/General LEIA ORGANA. Always Mothma instructs JYN ERSO to find information about Death Star:

[marybeatriceofmodena]

what do you think of anisoka?

I like it! To be honest, in canon itself, I see it very much as a sibling kind of dynamic. Ahsoka is basically the little sister Anakin never had, and I love their dynamic. 

As for Anisoka in a romantic context… As I said, their dynamic never hadany romantic undertones: they had pet nicknames (Snips and Skyguy), theybickered and teased each other, but they were always way more like brother andsister and never had the respectful distance you’d usually see in master andpadawan relationships, unless they were in front of members of the Jedi Counciland had to behave as such. 

They were also very similar incharacter: what I think happened for TCW is that some characteristics Anakinshowed in the movies were taken away from him and given to Ahsoka. It resultedin an Anakin who was way more sympathetic and relatable for a lot of people,while said characteristics Ahsoka got from Anakin never made her annoying, butrather endearing.

Throughout their time together, therewere many times where Anakin and Ahsoka showed behavior when they were together(Anakin alone is another matter) that wasn’t quite “proper Jedi behavior”. Buton the other hand, it was never really presented as them acting all “Dark Side”either. You could actually say they were in a grayer area.  

But what made all the difference wasthat Ahsoka was a LOT more emotionally stable than Anakin, and despite all thehardships she went through, she kept a solid moral compass and a kind heart, nomatter what. 

This leads me to compare how Anakinbehaves around Padmé, and how he behaves around Ahsoka. He loved them both, very, very much:they were the two people he loved the most along with Obi-Wan and his mother.They were his family when he had none left: Padmé was the love of his life,Obi-Wan his brother and mentor and Ahsoka his little sister. But Padmé andAhsoka were both very different in their own way. 

Padmé was a brilliant lady: shebecame Queen of Naboo at fourteen years old, gave a big lucky finger to theSenate and went to save her planet on her own from the Trade Federation, wasone of the most illustrious Senators of her time and set the bases for theRebellion along with Bail Organa and Mon Mothma. She was kind and idealistic,and those were her biggest assets as well as the catalysts to her downfall.

When she first met Anakin, he wasstill a sweet, innocent little boy: what didn’t help is that even afterwards,she kept on seeing him that way, up to Attackof the Clones, and she realized how truly damaged Anakin was when it wastoo late.

It also didn’t help that she wasn’tForce-sensitive, and a marriage between a Force-sensitive and anon-Force-sensitive having complications or misunderstandings seems to beA-Thing in the Galaxy Far Far Away. Han and Leia are another example, and thishas repercussions on their son, how he is now (though it’s not the only cause,of course), and perhaps even the fate of the galaxy, and that’s not unlikeAnakin and Padmé: but that’s a discussion for another day.

Anakin did genuinely love Padmé, morethan anything. But he was always taught to repress his emotions, and wasencouraged to “let go of everything he feared to lose”. Considering thatmourning has different stages, going straight to acceptance is very unhealthy.As a result, Anakin was very much an emotional trainwreck, and that’s what ledhim to become so possessive of Padmé. 

Anakin and Padmé are very much theRomeo and Juliet of Star Wars: inAOTC, they were two teenagers forced to grow up way too quickly and who clungto each to each other by believing the other might be an anchor to what appearsto be a “normal life”. But as Padmé said in the Clovis arc in TCW, it was amarriage built on lies and deceit. 

Anakin’s downfall came from beingunable to accept fate and becoming obsessed with protecting his loved ones atall costs, even if it meant destroying other people’s lives. All of this isn’tPadmé’s fault, of course, since she’s very much a victim in all this mess, butshe was an unwilling catalyst. This, unfortunately, leads me to declare thatwhile Anakin and Padmé did love each other, Padmé was the one who brought outthe worst in Anakin.

It didn’t help either that wheneverAnakin was upset, Padmé would always receive the other end. Of course, hewasn’t verbally or physically abusive with her: but for Anakin, she was theonly person he could vent to about his frustrations and his pains. He knew hecouldn’t do that with Obi-Wan, since he didn’t trust him enough for that, andbecause he would probably shoot something not very helpful like “Remember theJedi code” or something. Padmé, on the other hand, was either too nice, toopolite, or a mix of both to tell Anakin to get a grip on himself. Or maybe shealso thought that Anakin did need to vent, which isn’t a bad thing in itself:but as I said, Padmé still saw Anakin as the sweet little boy from Tatooine, soit often ended up with her not seeing the gravity of Anakin’s situation.  

What about Ahsoka? 

What makes the difference is thatAhsoka was a lot more emotionally stable than Anakin and even Padmé. She didn’texactly follow the “no attachments” rule to a T, but in hard or even unhealthysituations, she knew when to let go and even when to leave. That’s what led herto leave the Jedi Order behind when she couldn’t trust them anymore, instead ofclinging to them like Anakin did. He didn’t trust the Jedi Council, but hestayed with them nonetheless because it provided him a sense of stability.Ahsoka, on the other hand, was willing to accept to go plunge into the unknown,for her own sake. That was how she coped: she walked away. 

Because of that level-headedness,Ahsoka was a lot more efficient at standing up to Anakin. Not that Padméwasn’t: but her not being able to take off her “little-Ani-goggles”,her emotional needs, and her lack of Force-sensitivity made her blind toAnakin’s pull towards the Dark Side. And that’s the tragedy of Padmé Amidala. 

No offense, Padmé, I still love you. 

But let’s just say overall thatdespite being Luke and Leia’s parents, and despite their love for each other,Anakin and Padmé were actually pretty badly suited for each other, especiallygiven the circumstances. 

Ahsoka, on the other hand, was neverafraid of calling Anakin out on his BS. And it worked.

She understood Anakin, more thananyone else could, and Anakin knew that. Heck, she even knew he was miserable in the Jedi Order. Like it or not, she was the onlyperson he knew he could fully trust. That was something he could do with anyoneelse, not even Padmé or Obi-Wan. They were more equals than Master and Padawan,and because Anakin truly felt comfortable around Ahsoka, she was the one whobrought out the best in him.  

Seriously, though, watch Anakin inseason 6, after Ahsoka has left. Behavior-wise, he has definitely regressed.

Also, as I said, while Anakin alwaysvented on Padmé, since she was the only person who didn’t tell him to shut upabout his frustrations, and since Obi-Wan would probably give him somenot-so-helpful advice, he didn’t really do it with Ahsoka. The reason why,though, is different: he knew he had to be a big brother figure to her, so ofcourse, he had to hold back. But the thing is, she provided him a gooddistraction from his ProblemsTM. That was actually very beneficialfor Anakin. He always protected Ahsoka at all costs, but at the same time, heknew he could trust her and that she would never let him down. And she didn’t,even when she discovered he had become Darth Vader.

So long story short: what Anakinneeded at all times was someone like Ahsoka. 

Could have the galaxy’s fate beenentirely different if Ahsoka had been a few years older and Anakin had fallenin love with her instead? Probably, yes. But still, honestly, I wouldn’t besurprised if Palpatine was the true mastermind behind Barriss’ terrorist attackon the Jedi Temple to frame Ahsoka and get rid of her in one way or another. WithAhsoka around, even Revenge of the Sithitself might have been different.

tl;dr So, basically, if Ahsoka was a few years older, could I see Anisoka happening? Definitely. 

[fialleril]

Anabasis replies

Rather than reblogging my Anabasis snippet post multiple times with replies, I figured I’d do a single separate post, so here you go.

Since the snippet was spoilery, the replies are too, so here’s a cut just in case anyone is avoiding spoilers.

@w3-4r3-th3-f1r3 said in tags:

anything that you hesitate to destroy is a chain   AAAAAH   but i am Unfettered    hoky shit  i have chills  this is everything i ever wanted  oh ly god oh my god  and it really is perfect for passover even with the touches of vengeance as a way to gain freedom   i love this so much  anakin  darth vader  i love him  fialleril's vaderkin is so...just powerful and real i guess but i honestly love him i aspire to be just like him one day  amazing fic is amazing  cannot wait  CANNNOT DI THE WAITING NOOOO  anabasis is going to be so fucking cool  aaaaaaaaa

Oh gosh, thank you! I’m delighted that it resonates with Passover. (Eventually there will be a full Bentu Depuraak celebration in Anabasis, but that’s still a ways down the line, both in terms of the story line and where I am in writing it.) Also I’m really glad Anakin feels real here. :)

@themoosejthm said:

#I LIVE AND BREATHE FOR THIS  #ANAKIN DESTROYED THE SITH  #BY DESTROYING EVERY LAST BIT OF KNOWLEDGE  #KNOWLEDGE THAT HIS MASTER GATHERED AND HOARDED  #I LOVE IT   

:D I’m not even gonna pretend there’s not a bit of personal wish fulfillment for me in there, but I am glad you enjoyed this gleeful bit of destruction.

Also because I love irony: Anabasis is the one universe I have where Anakin straight up fulfills the prophecy of the Chosen One in exactly the way the Jedi interpret it, but they never notice because as far as they’re concerned he’s a Sith himself.

(Well, Dooku may have a borderline heretical personal theory, but everybody knows Dooku has been flirting with heresy for years and nobody really takes his theories seriously.)

@cthulhu-with-a-fez said:

 HOOOOOOOOOOO BOY   WELCOME _BACK_ FIALLERIL  I KNOW ON ONE HAND GOOD SENSE SAYS TO STEER CLEAR OF ANYTHING WITH A BIG OLD SPOILER LABEL ON IT  BUT ON THE OTHER HAND FIALLERIL FIC IS TOO GOOD TO IGNORE  oh man it's just   [wipes away tear] it's so beautiful  i don't even have the full context but i am wholeheartedly in support of anything that falls under the banner of '@PALPATINE GET REKT'    that was _so satisfying to read_    i mean there's a very small voice in the back of my head that says 'destroying knowledge is Bad'   and that even sithly knowledge could have some uses    if only to better understand what they were up against   but on the other hand GOOD FUCKING RIDDANCE??? GOODBYE   and oh man anakin vs jedi council content??? I LIVE FOR THAT TOO   i'm finding i have a massive fucking soft spot for characters who take the skills forced onto them in an effort to control them   and instead using them to break the chains   i mean i only have like. two characters of those at the moment. maybe three. but STILL    GOOD _SHIT_   sometimes i think to myself 'i'm about as hype for anabasis as i can get'    and then i read whatever snippet you post and somehow i get EVEN MORE HYPE 

Ha ha thank you friend. :) I figured after such a long absence I should at least try to make up for it.

Tbh your internal monologue is probably a lot like Jocasta’s. On the one hand GET REKT PALPS is an attitude she’s very sympathetic to, and she’s seen enough of Anakin to realize that there’s an importance here beyond simply the destruction of the Sith. And given that the Jedi known for a fact there are surviving Inquisitors who were looking for those holocrons, it probably is for the best that they will never get their hands on them now.

But even so, Jocasta is a librarian, and that was a lot of information that just went up in smoke. Irreplaceable information. Which, okay, might be a good thing, but...so much information!

@lightningandstarlight said:

scREAMING over how awesome this is!!!!     you sure know how to come back with a bang dont you fia?     Dinsa is there!!! Dorme is awesome!!!! the Jedi are clueless as usual!!!! Palps goes down in flames!!!!     the sith holocrons are destroyed in a fitting fashion!!!     (which that description anakin gives about how palps trained him to be a weapon but that was enough to destory them killed me!!!)     the padme point of view that showed the trust and love between her and anakin!!!     the anakin pov where he runs circles around the jedi and knows how to get under their skin     the politics the unnerving smile the jokes the dorme badassness the unfettered the flashbacks the revenge on palps     this short was so satisfying to read that i now want twenty more     how do you know how to wreck me so good fia?!?!? 

I’m glad you like it! :) And this gives me something to look forward to when you get to this point in beta reading.

Also I am so glad you like Dorme! She’s a fairly minor character in this (sadly), but she’s one of those minor characters I have reams of headcanon and background info for, so it’s nice to know some of that comes out in glimpses in the actual fic. In this universe she’s Padme’s security chief and it’s an immensely difficult and largely thankless job. She’s beyond Done at this point.

In other news writing Anakin engaging with politics is weirdly fun.

And on that note...

@grand-duc said:

EEEEEEH!

Fic!

Anabasis fic!

Anakin is so very proud of himself here, it’s a delight to read. And I love how his people all rally to protect him, even though he’s just proved he doesn’t need it.

“So,” said Windu. “You don’t know the location of the Sith library.”

Anakin smiled brightly at him. “I didn’t when you asked me so politely before.”

The Jedi exchanged brief, nervous glances, all but Dooku and Nu, who looked openly confused. Well. That was interesting.

Is someone (or a bunch of someones) about to get busted?

and almost completely unrelated, on the subject of Anakin and politics, you know when you think about it, it wasn’t really in the interests of the power factions in his life for him to have a good grasp of politics in canon.

The Jedi, beside being dangerously detached from the workings of the Republic they played “peacekeeper” for themselves, wanted him to go where they pointed him. If he thought too much about the hows or whys, there was the chance he could come to the “wrong” conclusion and do something “rash”.

And Palpatine, Palpatine enjoyed playing the role of mentor, but he needed Anakin dependent on him and malleable, if anything, he must have been careful about what he let Anakin pick up from him. He certainly wouldn’t have encourage an interest.

Thank you!

Maybe eventually Anakin will get used to the fact that people feel protective of him (because they...genuinely care about him? what a concept), but right now he’s still continually surprised by it, and especially when it’s people who don’t have anything to gain by protecting him. (So to some degree he expects it from his agents, because they work for him. But even now, after everything, Padme is still a surprise.)

We shall see if anyone does get busted. Right now, the Jedi are in the clear mainly because Anakin is actually keeping their secret, which honestly only makes them more nervous. (The secret in question is that they mind-trick-tortured him to learn the location of the holocrons, and little do they know that Anakin hasn’t told anyone mostly because, for him, there’s nothing unusual about “enhanced interrogation” so why would he bring it up?)

As far as Anakin and politics is concerned, I definitely agree with you when it comes to canon. And even in Anabasis, I don’t think Palpatine actually intended Anakin to have much grasp on politics. But Anakin was a smart kid and he picked up more than his Master gave him credit for, largely by osmosis. He saw the way Palpatine handled situations, the way he manipulated people and events, and more importantly he saw the behaviors, ideas, and weaknesses in others that Palpatine was able to manipulate. And he put a lot of things together on his own.

But Palpatine certainly never encouraged Vader to take an interest in politics: that might have made him an actual threat. And Palpatine had no interest in being succeeded as Emperor, by Vader or anyone else.