#good points about luke and ahsoka's POVs

[tarisilmarwen]

Ahsoka "Far Far Away" Liveblog

*vibrating out of my seat*

Oh boy oh boy oh boy.

I gotta do this one early, no way I can stay unspoilered for long.

EDIT: Welp, with everything going on in realspace for me right now, I wound up not being able to watch this for a while. Still mostly unspoilered.

Let's go.

Oooh whale calls in the intro here.

Oooooooooooh hyperspace POV from the purrgil and it's shiiiiiiiinnyyyyyyyyy.

But it makes sense that hyperspace looks different for purrgil, they're creatures that can access it naturally.

Ahsoka fondly remembering Huyang's stories, aww.

Ahsoka like: "Hmm... Sabine may have traded the safety of the galaxy for a boy. Disturbing." I MEAN SHE'S NOT A JEDI, AHSOKA, KIND OF HARD TO MAKE THE JEDI CHOICE WHEN YOU'VE BARELY BEEN PROPERLY INSTRUCTED.

ALSO SHE'S BEEN THROUGH SOME SHIT.

ARE YOU REALLY THAT SURPRISED SHE MADE THE ATTACHMENT CHOICE?

I meant to talk about this in a separate post but I'll go ahead and do it here. I see the Anakin/Padme parallels, but I'm going to argue that it's not the same situation.

Let's leave aside the fact that she couldn't actually destroy the map with her dinky little blaster, as demonstrated by Baylan needing sustained contact with a lightsaber to cleave it in half, and the fact that Sabine is not a Jedi (despite her meager training in it) and simply can't Fall like Anakin can, the deal offered by the Dark Side character isn't the same.

Palpatine's thing was "Serve me and betray your friends and family and kill anyone who stands in my way for me. Do everything I say and I will help you save your wife." He demanded full and utter loyalty in exchange for a false promise--he didn't have the power to stop Padme from dying. Anakin hated himself for it but threw himself into it completely due to his massive mental Sunk Cost Fallacy, so yes, he doomed the galaxy because of his attachment. He personally went and slaughtered the Jedi for Palpatine, including children, and spent twenty four years crushing rebellions and being a menace.

Sabine on the other hand... handed back a map that pointed THATAWAY and allowed herself to be taken prisoner, surrendering in the hopes that she could go retrieve Ezra from his marooned state. Yes, trusting Baylan at his word could have gone very badly. Yes this carries the risk of Thrawn being able to come back and menace the galaxy. But do you think for one second Sabine was just going to let that happen, after she got what she wanted and found Ezra?

Obviously they're going to team up to stop him now. They're going to fight back to try and correct Sabine's mistake. This is less Anakin's choice in Palpatine's office and more Luke running off to Bespin--the wrong choice that brought about severe and messy consequences, but that the heroes worked through and managed to turn around.

Yes, Sabine made the attachment choice. Was it the right choice, the smart choice, the Jedi choice? No. But it was the necessary choice for the story. It was the choice that meant Ezra could come home, like he wanted. It was the choice that unsealed the Sealed Evil In A Can, yes, but also the choice that possibly lets them put that evil down for good.

Siding with Palpatine absolutely doomed the galaxy. But surrendering to Baylan only might doom the galaxy.

Sabine had to take that chance.

Anyway... Ahsoka acknowledging that she should have been better about teaching Sabine Jedi mentality.

"Perhaps, for Sabine, it was the only choice." See, Huyang agrees with me.

"A choice she made for herself." "That is your fear." *DIES IN AHSOKA'S ANAKIN ISSUES* OF COURSE THAT'S HER FEAR, SHE SAW WHAT THAT KIND OF SELFISHNESS DID TO ANAKIN SHE SAW HOW HE WOULD BURN DOWN THE GALAXY TO PREVENT HIMSELF FROM EXPERIENCING LOSS, THAT'S WHY SHE CHOSE TO INDULGE SABINE AND TRAIN HER AS SOMEONE BARELY FORCE SENSITIVE, AS SOMEONE WHO COULD NEVER FALL LIKE ANAKIN COULD.

SHE WAS SO, SO AFRAID TO CAUSE ANOTHER ANAKIN. BUT SHE DIDN'T PROPERLY TEACH SABINE THE PHILOSOPHY, THE MINDSET, THE EMOTIONAL MANAGEMENT, BECAUSE THE SHADOW OF ANAKIN'S TRAINING STILL HAMPERED HER.

She didn't know what else she had to pass on besides combat skills, and some basic, "Be open." That's why she needed the Force Vision. She needed Anakin to tell her she was more, she could be more, teach more, than just what he taught her.

*sobs*

HUYANG TELLING THE STORIES.

Sabine just kind of chilling in her cell lol. Her snark is a much needed return to form.

She's starting to think Baylan's going back on his word, I bet. So now is when she breaks herself out right?

Morgan is unamused by Baylan's promise lol.

So I guess that's how intergalactic travel looks in hyperspace. Cool.

Ancient Dathomiri homeworld, cool, cool. This was a bit of Legends canon I think, the first Dathomirians came from outside the galaxy. Apparently this info was in the Jedi archives. Not surprising Cal didn't know it though, he was practically a baby during the Clone Wars, certainly not old enough to tell Merrin.

People seem to think Merrin should have known? But it was so long ago it should just be legends now.

Anyway, I like this, this is cool.

D: NOOOO DON'T DIE, WHALES.

That's really creepy.

Ngl, every time Shin looks at Sabine I get the heebies.

Big ol' weird Force culture statues, nice.

Giving off Bene Gesserit vibes here.

Ahhh, we knew it! It was the ancient Nightsisters calling to Morgan, not Thrawn specifically.

Not to brag, but I called that something Force-related was behind the siren song Morgan was hearing.

Aaaaaaaaand that would be the extent of Sabine's interactions with Shin and Baylan and Morgan this episode won't it? Lolol.

Love the creepy dark fortress.

Starting to think maybe Baylan was in on the plot to maybe get access to this place?

Oh is Shin going to get some actual character, finally?

Baylan echoing less charitable views of the cycle of conflict in Star Wars. This speech sounds like it could have been lifted directly from the most rancid Anti-Jedi YouTuber videos. Or Kreia. Screw that bitch.

(JUST BECAUSE THE FORCE MIGHT REQUIRE SOMETHING FROM YOU OCCASIONALLY DOESN'T MEAN YOU DON'T HAVE FREE WILL YOU TEMPER-TANTRUM-THROWING NIHILISTIC ASS.)

I can't help but feel like making this the villain's motivation was a deliberate choice lol. Okay Filoni. You get some rights for now.

And there's Sabine wising up to her own actions? Maybe?

*narrows eyes* She better not be able to open that door.

Oh good it's just a ship arriving.

Ho ho ho the Chimaera ain't looking so hot. Clearly been patchwork repaired, rusty. NICE.

THE ORGANS! THRAWN'S THEME!

Suggestions of it at least.

WELL THESE STORMTROOPERS ARE CREEPY AS HELL.

WHO THE HECK?

THERE HE IS THE BLUE MAN HIMSELF!

HELLLOOOOOOOOO THRAWN. :D

Oh man the gutteral sounds. These troopers are like orcs practically with how they sound.

Typing starting to get slowed down, must be coming to the bullet point limit, hang on, let me line break so I can type more quickly.

That's better. (This is still asinine, BTW.)

This whole sequence is super creepy.

Lars Mikkelson be killing it.

Emptying out the catacombs? Ohh ho what is this now?

Thrawn recognizes who Baylan is.

Aaaaand is VERY interested in the fact that Sabine's there.

Oh man, I'm really feeling how this should have been animated, Lars's face is throwing me a little. I mean it's a perfectly fine face, just trying to reconcile the voice coming from it.

AAAAAAAAAHHH SQUEEEEEEE!

Sabine still on about, "Where's Ezra?" And Thrawn is like, "Yeah, you down bad for him girl."

HHNNNNNGGHH THIS IS SUCH A GOOD SCENE.

Thrawn being so polite and cordial and honorable, allowing Sabine to go after Ezra, probably figuring there's no way she can stop him.

"You really doomed the galaxy for a BOY didn't you?" says Thrawn, in essence, and I lol.

Sabine is so stubbornly Mandalorian about all of this lol.

Rat doggo. Okay. Weird looking booger.

Looks like it could be a Loth-Wolf ancestor, maybe.

Well you were supremely blunt, Enoch.

That guarded hope in her smile, aaaaaaahhh.

THRAWN OUT HERE PLAYING TECHNICALITIES WITH BAYLAN'S PROMISE LOLOL WHAT AN ASS.

(PS Ezra got to be a thorn in Thrawn's side as both of them deserved. :D)

I kinda feel like we shouldn't rely so much on beskar as super power special metal, it's okay to let her get a little hurt here.

Also would be nice if the lightsabers could be a little stabby.

Is this a rating issue, can't get too violent for the show's rating?

Okay! Do we get to see what we're loading into the Chimaera now?

...Looooooooooooks a little disturbingly like coffins.

THRAWN SENT THE MERCENARIES TO INTERCEPT HER OH THAT ASS.

He is deliberately sabotaging her chances.

Nice GFFA galaxy map. :)

Morgan: "Shouldn't we sent more guys to support Baylan?" Thrawn: (looooooooong pause) "During this exile our numbers have dwindled."

CONFIRMATION THAT EZRA HAS BEEN MAKING HIMSELF A PAIN IN THE ASS Y/Y?

Lol and Thrawn doesn't wanna deal with Baylan and Shin either, he's had enough of Jedi bullshit.

"You abandoned me!" OUCH. That feels like it's some personal feelings coming out.

Natasha nailing Sabine here.

Lol what is this? Crab people?

It's ugly cute.

LOL RAT DOGGO WANTS TO EAT IT.

THE CRAB RECOGNIZES THE REBEL ALLIANCE SYMBOL ON HER PAULDRON.

AAAAAAHHHHHHH EZRA HAS SHOWN THEM THE ALLIANCE SYMBOL. HE CARVED A LITTLE PENDANT FOR THE LITTLE GUY AWWWWWWW.

Rat doggo perks up like the other crab people are a full on buffet lolololol.

OHHHHHH OH I JUST REALIZED.

SABINE IS TANKING THRAWN'S SABOTAGE WITH THE POWER OF CONNECTION.

Gosh, she really is Ezra's soulmate isn't she?

THEY KNOW EZRA. THEY KNOW HIM.

LOLOL RAT DOGGO STILL LOOKS LIKE IT WANTS TO EAT THE CRABS.

Love all the substance we're getting out of Baylan here.

Also totally knew that Shin was a feral Forcie Baylan just found.

Aaaaand people are going to take Baylan's line here as some kind of confirmation that there's an extragalactic threat that Thrawn is trying to prep the galaxy for THAT IS NOT WHAT IT SAYS IN CONTEXT HE IS MERELY CONFIRMING THE UNIMAGINABLE POWER HE SEEKS IS PROBABLY HERE.

Lol, Baylan copping to the notion that Thrawn doesn't trust him and not trusting him or his lackeys back ha ha ha.

This sequence with the crab people is... not gonna lie, a smidge similar to one of my Sabezra Week fics. I kinda dig that.

I AM TRYING NOT TO GNAW MY HAND OFF GHGHGHGKJHAKJDFH THIS IS IT I CAN'T BELIEVE IT.

"I knew I could count on you."

GHGHGHGADKJSFHAK FGFFFFFFFFFFFF FHLKJHAKSJH.

FRICK I MIGHT CRY.

Not digging the beard lol. Shave that off Ezra.

FRICK THAT SMILE.

I AM UNWELL.

SORRY, THIS MOMENT IS UNDOING ME.

And again, c'mon tumblr this is stupid.

Some people have quibbled about the bantering but honestly the bantering is very Them, though I would have appreciated it AFTER the hug.

They are gonna hug yes?

EMAN IS PERFECT OH MY GOSH.

FRRRRRRRIIIIIICCCCCCCCCKKK.

THE HUG.

THE REUNION HUG.

THANK YOU THIS IS ALL I WANTED.

I WON'T GET OVER THIS FINALLY YESSSSSSSSSS.

DAMNIT I CAN'T.

I WAITED SO LONG FOR THIS.

THEY HUUUUUUUUUUGGGGGEEEEEED!

EZRA'S THEME PLAYING OUT.

She has to keep touching him to make sure he's real I AM UNWELL.

Oh boy there gonna be ANGST when Sabine has to tell Ezra how she found him. Looking forward to that.

"Sabine... thanks for coming. I can't wait to go home." AWWWWWWW.

Lol Lars letting just a liiiiiiiitle bit of unease into his expression there.

And of course wanting to know all about Ahsoka to prepare himself.

And telling them to shoot on sight for purrgil lololol do we have bad memories?

Thrawn enlisting the proto-Nightsisters for something else, cool

WHHHHHEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE.

I might compile more thoughts later, there were some issues I had with the slow pace and a couple acting things. Not from Eman or Natasha of course, they were great.

BUT I GOT THE REUNION I WANTED. I'M GOING TO ROLL IN THAT FOR A WHILE.

Watch for incoming posts. I am going to be FEASTING.

[bedlamsbard]

Hi there!

I just finished reading Queen’s Gambit, for the first time, and first off, I wanna extend my personal compliments. It’s probably some of the best Star Wars anything I’ve ever read, let alone one of the best fics I’ve ever read. Excellent job.

My actual question is this: was the plotline with “our” Anakin/Obi-Wan/Padmé (aka the versions from the Wake the Storm-verse) ever officially continued anywhere? I found the posts outlining what the sequels to Queen’s Gambit would have been, but I can’t seem to find anything for the other versions if the characters. I’m not necessarily asking for fic or demanding anything, I’m just genuinely curious if there’s anything out there about potential plans.

Thank you so much and I hope you have a lovely day/evening/whatever time of day!

Thank you for reading, I'm glad to hear you enjoyed the story!

To the best of my memory, I don't have any posts up about what would have happened in All Along the Watchtower, the third Ouroboros story -- there's some concept writing posted well far back in my cut scenes and concept writing tag that dates from when Gambit was in progress, I believe. At a later point in time I planned to use the Watchtower 'verse, the 'verse that the Wake trio ends up in at the end of Gambit, as the same universe that Ezra ends up in during The Starry Crown, though I left the fandom and stopped working on that story before that was revealed; there's some concept writing that shows a later incarnation of that universe from Ezra's POV.

The three alternate universes in the Ouroboros trilogy -- the OT canon universe (as of 2013) in Wake, the Gambitverse in Gambit, and the Watchtower 'verse in Watchtower -- were designed to be mirrorverses for each of the three trio members, so the outcome of each character's worst case scenario. Canon for Anakin (he was responsible for the death and destruction of everything he loved), Gambitverse for Padme (she was the tyrant responsible for corrupting a Jedi and launching the galaxy into civil war), and Watchtower for Obi-Wan (he lost control, fell to the Dark Side, and was unable to help when the Jedi were slaughtered because of circumstances outside his control). I don't remember exactly the precipitating factors now, but Obi-Wan had ended up on Dooku's side here (I think he was captured by Maul? and tortured and later rescued by Dooku? it's been a long time now), and Dooku was able to manipulate him into turning on Palpatine, killing him early and allowing Dooku to become emperor. There was an Order 66, but it wasn't as successful as the canon one; a large portion of the Jedi Order was able to escape and regroup under the grandmastership of Mace Windu. (Yoda having been killed.) Anakin was one of them. Padme and a number of other Jedi allies remained in the now-Imperial Senate; Padme specifically was spying for the Jedi. She had had Luke and Leia, but gave them both up (Luke to Anakin and the Jedi, Leia to the Organas) so that they wouldn't be vulnerable to Dooku. Dooku started -- I can't remember what I was going to call it, an Order of Sith Knights, maybe, sort of like the One Sith from the comics, which Obi-Wan headed up. He and Padme were having a sexual relationship, which Anakin was aware of; uncertain if he and Anakin were also involved but they might have been. The galaxy had fragmented pretty significantly; Maul was still running around, Dooku didn't have as good a grip on recalcitrant systems as Palpatine had, so there were various independence movements.

The Wake trio had all gotten dropped into different locations in the galaxy about, uh, ten years or so onwards from the divergence point? Padme we see at the end of Gambit; Anakin ended up on Coruscant and goes to contact that universe's Padme, who is understandably a little freaked out but does help him. I can't remember where exactly Obi-Wan was, but ultimately he ends up on Tatooine with that universe's Ahsoka, who is at this point a Jedi Knight representing the Order during an auction facilitated by the Hutts for major weaponry, at which a bunch of other political groups in the galaxy are also present, so we meet various Mandalorian groups (Sabine is a junior Protector), rebels/terrorists (Hera is there representing Free Ryloth), and Maul's apprentice (Kanan/Caleb, who had gotten kidnapped from the Order years earlier and has been believed dead for years). This is also where the Ezra of The Starry Crown ends up (as seen in the concept writing linked up above); when I was writing Crown I was still leaving it up in the air if I would use that to crabwalk sideways into actually using the Wake trio there too.

As early as 2016 or 2017 (Gambit wrapped in 2015, I immediately started working on Backbone that summer with the intention to go back to Ouroboros after I finished, I thought it would be a quick project ha ha ha Backbone didn't wrap until 2018), I had been planning to integrate Rebels plot points into Watchtower; I don't remember all the details now, but it involved a plan to use the Malachor temple/superweapon (which I have postulated elsewhere was actually a massive starship) and a counterpart on Coruscant to do Bad Things. The Malachor end got shut down by Hera, Kanan, Crown!Ezra, and that universe's Ezra (masterless Jedi padawan nicknamed Rat, the Jedi had to change up some of their Process because so many of them had died in Order 66); this is also where the Malachor holocron is destroyed and absorbed by Crown!Ezra, which is seen in Crown. That universe's Anakin went to deal with the Coruscant end, fought and killed that universe's Obi-Wan, and was fatally injured destroying the Coruscant superweapon, dying there.

This obviously doesn't leave a lot of room for the Wake trio to do anything but observe, which isn't that different from what they do in Gambit (and which gets a lot of criticism). But that is, as I remember it, the plot. Because it never got written and finalized, it's changed a lot over the years, but many of the fundamental details of the universe remained the same; like I said, I at one point planned to use it for Crown after I'd decided not to write Watchtower itself, but it was always the same plot, just with a larger cast of characters.

I say this pretty regularly because Wake/Gambit are always picking up new readers, but there aren't any current plans to pick up Ouroboros again -- I have gotten a regular amount of vitriolic comments on both fics for the better part of a decade now and it's completely killed any desire of mine to work on them. Also left some permanent scars and fundamentally changed the way I write, plot, and interact with fandom, which I complain about regularly in my talking about feedback in public tag. (Wake went up in 2013, so we really are coming up on the ten year anniversary. Watchtower got hate mail EVEN BEFORE it ever went up.)

[sunshineandalittleflour]

Writing Patterns

Rules: List the first line of your last 10 fics and see if there’s a pattern!

WHOOPS sorry @onetwistedmiracle this took me a billion years (9 days) to do, the passage of time is simply not real to me. See twisted's post here and read her stuff, it's good. I will follow her lead and also pic ten fics that I wrote by myself, just to try and keep things easier lol

I'm bad at tagging people because this account is a side blog and I really only talk to twisted on it (is this an invitation to talk to me? Maybe! But please don't be offended if it takes me 9 days to reply), but if you want to examine your own writing style, consider this a lazy tag.

The last ten fics I wrote were for Critical Role and Star Wars (I miss you Check! Please, eventually I work work more on mine and twisted's collab fic and see you again)

1: You could be the one that I love, And now I'm standin' here, hopin' it gets to you

Molly had the feeling that so long as Caleb Widogast’s hand was on the small of his back, he could do anything.

Part 9 in my Molly/Caleb/Essek threesome fic, spicy but they're IN LOVE. I do love to start with a character thought/name.

2: I'm in new territory, somehow, it kinda feels like home

“What?” Padme said, her voice feeling hollow in her own chest.

A rare gen fic for me, I usually write explicit, but this was a fun prequel AU because I love to turn tragedies into opportunities. I also love to start with dialogue, just get RIGHT into things. It's also a short sentence, idk why.

3: Oh, if it's real, if it's sweet

“I’ve made a mistake,” Anakin said, and Luke sighed.

Another teen rating, can you believe I built my AO3 page on writing porn? More dialogue, I just think it's funny. And a short sentence!

4: Wherever you are, we are seeing the same stars

The day after Anakin left, Shmi almost sold C-3PO.

Surprise, it's dialogue AND a short sentence. Am I a two-trick pony? Maybe! Check out this kick flip!

5: Feeling like a face in the crowd

What Molly liked most about Essek and Caleb’s house—besides the fact that they lived in it and he, like, loved them—was just how many nooks and crannies it had.

This is the longest starting sentence thus far, maybe the longest starting sentence ever for one of my fics LOL I usually leave the run-ons for a third of the way through. And it's not dialogue! Shocker! This is also part 8 of my threesome purple wizard series, so the foundation has been laid and I could get a little weird with it?

6: All we got is us now

Ahsoka hadn’t spent a lot of time with Leia Organa.

We're back on the short train with a character driven statement. This is also part 5 of my pretty places series, so, again, there could be something to the already established aspect of it, or nothing at all!

7: Look how you made me

“Jester has questions,” Fjord said with a sigh.

Dialogue, but this time it's not from the POV character. I'm not doing a very good job analyzing things, but I am having a good time.

8: A message in a bottle is all I can do, Standin' here, hopin' it gets to you

Caleb Widoghast and Essek Thelyss lived very different lives from Mollymauk Tealeaf.

Character driven thought! Writing is hard, okay, and you gotta start somewhere. Definitive statements and dialogue are nice jumping off points.

9: I'm reaching for you

The first time Molly had sex with Caleb and Essek, he called himself an Uber right after.

This one is earlier on in the threesome series; timeline-wise it's like...the second story? 1.5 technically, since it happens mid first story? But I wrote it fifth, so. Establishment theory does or doesn't gain traction here, I don't think I know what I'm saying anymore.

10: 'Cause you could be the one that I love, I could be the one that you dream of

“What’re you thinking about?” Caleb asked, drawing his thumb across Molly’s temple, winding a purple curl between his fingers.

And we're back on our dialogue train! Dialogue starters, my beloved.

I don't know that we (I) learned anything, but it was fun to wander back through my most recent fics. Hopefully this will inspire me to write more fanfiction, but right now I am DEEP in the trenches of my own dungeons and dragons character, so. It's gonna be a minute.

XOXO

[danikamariewrites]

AMA 🫣:

-what is your fav Star Wars movie?

-have you seen the Mandalorian?

- would you ever write for Star Wars?

-tell me anything and everything

Oh geez this is gunna be a long post LOL

I might get hate for this but I genuinely like attack of the clones. I’m a huge prequel era girlie and I loved the clone wars show (I love rebels too i highly recommend watching before Ahsoka comes out next month)

The way I justify AOTC is that it’s the Padmé movie. The fashion for her alone deserves so much attention

I also love her handmaidens and they don’t get enough attention. They do in Padmés books but I feel like no one reads them. So no one understands their purpose bc they were never explained they were just there in phantom menace

My dream is to write a Star Wars show or movie. If I ever get the chance to pitch to Disney I would do a show based on Sabé (I could literally write a whole post dissecting her character)

I have seen Mando and I love it. I have Bo-Katans helmet (she’s another one I could go on a tangent about)

I’m a huge Disney person in general so I’ve been to Galaxy’s edge in Disney world and land. I have Rey’s, Leia’s, and Ashoka’s sabers

I’ve met Ewan McGregor and Ashley Eckstein and I’m rlly hoping I get to meet Hayden and Rosario this summer but the actors strike might stop that

My top characters are: Anakin, Ahsoka, Obi-Wan, Padmé, Rex, Bail Organa, Kanan Jarrus, and Leia

It’s been over a year since Obi-Wan Kenobi and “Anakins gone. I am what remains.” Still haunts me and it was such a good scene

I would write for SW but I have 0 ideas so if you want to request something plz go ahead and send one in

I also recommend the From A Certain Point of View books about the movies. It’s literally just the movie from background characters or other characters pov. Obi-Wan has one and it’s heartbreaking bc it’s his death scene when he and Vader fight and the droid who was almost sold to Luke and Uncle Owen has a cool story too

[galacticwildfire]

Sometimes I honestly feel so bad for how much I hate on certain characters within my fics because I'm writing from an oc's perspective. Half the reason I include different characters pov's is to show how unreliable some of my oc's opinions and inner monologuing is. I'm writing a short Luke pov right now in the prequel for my solo oc, because I feel like I've done him so dirty from her pov, the same as Han. In the prequel Han's a good dad, really solid parent and is the one meeting those emotional needs when Leia puts pressure on her, although he can be questionable in his "you got expelled? did you make it worth it? here have a beer" parenting style. But he really just wanted her to be happy more than anything else and trusted her to find her way through life and understood that screw ups were a part of that. He set her up with an illegal hyperdrive, had a blaster made for her and sent her on her way knowing she was capable. So I do feel bad that Hope keeps dragging him to filth in the main story after the family broke up but they'll reconcile.

But in the final chapter of the prequel... honestly Luke's pov is just a solid mental breakdown right before the temple's destroyed. Hope lowkey tried to kill Ben (he had it coming) and they both just threw each other under the bus for a range of crimes from attempted kidnapping to actual murder and he is simply exhausted. He's been doing his best but his best just isn't working for the solo kids. At this point he's praying to Obi-Wan for some guidance on how to handle anakin and ahsoka jr (like obi-wan ever figured that one out) and I can summarise his thought process with "I love my niece, I truly do. She is the best of both her parents and I admire how passionate she is but oh my god she needs to chill tf out for five seconds, learn some emotional regulation and tone down the skywalker dramatics. She just threw her brother straight through a wall, which I'm sure he deserved, but she is proving every point I've ever made about her training. Leia please hurry up and get here before they try to kill each other and me." Cough she doesn't.

[marvelstars]

I honestly disagree, Filoni and Lucas belonging to different generations doesn´t have anything to do with their take on Star Wars or the Clone Wars themselves, sure as writers their background may inform some of their takes and dialogue but "The Clone Wars" as a series was written between both of them, the creative decision to make Ahsoka Anakin´s apprentice was both of their idea, as a way of having a character who received Anakin´s Jedi legacy, because Luke while he´s his Son, was mostly trained by Yoda and Obi-Wan while Ahsoka was trained by Anakin and her style of combat and reflective nature, because Anakin´s style as a teacher isn´t just about giving her orders but also argue between each other before coming to a decision as well as her combat experience came from being Anakin´s apprentice.

So most if not all of the character choices we see in the clone wars series has the approval of George Lucas. This positive view of Anakin isn´t something that only Filoni supports it´s also the view of Lucas himself.

The series was the tool Lucas used to complete the story of the prequel trilogy and to give Anakin story the parts missed between Episode II and Episode III because for Lucas Anakin story is a tragedy but for it to be truly appreciated it needs to be told not only the dark parts but also the lighter parts, the story of him as a truly heroic character who was known as the "Shield of the Republic"in the Mattew Stover ROTS novel,, who was Ahsoka´s master, Obi-Wan´s brother and Padmé dear husband without the clone wars, the story remains incomplete, you see the fall but you don´t see the entire journey that lead towards it.

Star Wars: The Clone Wars connects Episode II and III. As a TV series, it gives more depth and understanding about how Republic fell, and what a fantastic hero Anakin Skywalker was. We got so focused on him turning into Darth Vader that it's easy to forget that he was one of the biggest heroes of the entire Clone War. I think seeing him as a great Jedi Knight reminds you that before it gets dark and tragic, Star Wars is a fun adventure story, too."

Lucas view of Anakin was that of a fallen hero, he was a good man until he fell and became Vader, he was seduced by the darkside because he wanted to keep Padmé from dying at any cost as a consequence of being unable to save his mother, he also was a victim, who lost everything as a result of his actions but also who was able to come back to the light thanks to the compassion of his Son, which inspired him to show compassion once again and for the last time, leading him towards becoming the hero at the end of the story by saving the galaxy from the Empire and the Sith, Palpatine and himself included. That´s George Lucas view which Filoni shares and has added some of his pov.

I personally think Filoni is teasing Ghost Anakin appareance in the Ahsoka series, with his phrase "Anakin was the greastest Jedi" because as far as the galaxy knows, Anakin was the face of the Jedi during the war, he and Obi-Wan could acomplish real miracles and keep up the idea that they could overcome the clone wars given enough time. So Baylon, who is now a fallen Jedi in association with Thrawn is definitely aware Anakin became Vader and is going to use this fact to take Ahsoka out of balance, it´s even possible he believes Vader had the right idea by becoming rogue from the Jedi given he´s on the same path.

In some novels, Luke himself found a lot of people who either were saved by his father during the wars or respected his skills as a general this is bassically part of the reason why he thought his father could be brought back, because from Luke´s point of view someone who once cared so much about people, who had this goodness inside himself could not dissapear completely with the darkside and his main clue was that despite plenty of opportunities, his father keep refusing killing him and Luke himself didn´t want to either, despite the fact they were declared enemies on opposite sides of a war with only their blood link linking them, hence his words "You were ONCE Anakin Skywalker "my father" "You have only forgotten. For Luke Anakin is his father while Vader is the denial of who his father truly is.

So my two cents are that Filoni take on Star Wars has the approval of George Lucas and while his series is done now under the disney banner, I think he consulted Lucas to be able to bring his vision about the story of Ahsoka going forward and confronting the literal ghost of her dead master once again, I believe this will be the center of the series.

The fact that Dave Filoni called Anakin “the greatest Jedi ever” is proof that he’s bias AF. His anti-Jedi rhetoric is bupkis.

I wonder if he means "the greatest" in terms of in-universe fame...?

Dunno if this is the case in Canon (then again Dave Filoni blatantly ignores any *non-motion* transmedia elements in Canon so meh), but in Legends he's:

"Anakin Skywalker, the Hero with no Fear™, handsome, dashing, the face of the Republic's army during the Clone War, the only Jedi who tried to resist the nefarious Order's coup and was treacherously murdered for it".

And I seem to remember that, in Canon, he's like the Jedi Temple's superstar anyway, every Jedi recognizes him on sight. I mean, that line from Baylon about "Anakin speaking highly of Ahsoka" must have some meaning beyond artificial personal stakes.

So from a fame and a "power level" standpoint... sure.

He's the greatest.

I'm giving Filoni the benefit of the doubt.

While I've talked about why Filoni's entire headcanon about the Jedi doesn't track with what George Lucas' intended narrative, I think it's worth acknowledging that Filoni's bias comes from part of his duties while directing The Clone Wars was.

One of the goals of TCW was humanizing Anakin, expanding upon his character make him go from "a character whose only purposes is to embody the themes presented in three movies based on the matinee serial format" to a relatable person, a good man, the hero Ben mentions to Luke in A New Hope.

I think it's normal that he'll see Anakin in a more positive light.

Also (and full disclosure this is just me theorizing I am no authority on any of this so if turns out I'm wrong just come right out and say so)...

I'm pretty sure that Filoni, Lesley Headland and most of the recent Star Wars authors are all Gen X, raised by baby boomers forced to conform to society, obey authority and have proper decorum (boys don't cry!) all of which they strove to rebel against. Add to that the corruption they witnessed growing up and coming out of high school, and you see a kind of jadedness emerge. "The rules aren't as black and white, the world is grey."

So while most of them and the boomers despised the Prequels upon release, a few of them projected a more individualistic headcanon onto those movies that fit with where their head was, at the time.

As such: Anakin isn't interpreted by them as a cautionary tale about what happens when you're greedy. He's a misunderstood rebel, a non-conformist who has his flaws but is ultimately good at heart. Which isn't entirely inaccurate, but it is very clearly an embellishment of a character who will one day become a space nazi.

The fact is... the Prequels were made by a boomer. One with very liberal values and who was himself a rebel, but a boomer all the same. The whole point of his story is...

"we all must come together and fight as one, if push comes to shove; we must all be compassionate and selfless if we are to survive; don't be greedy, let people go when it's their time to leave".

And then he makes the Jedi say that, making them beacons of truth and good and compassion in his fairy tale, now aimed at Gen Z kids.

Gen X-ers hear/read that and project all the boomer BS they had been told onto the Jedi...

"oh, so the Jedi are saying you shouldn't love yourself, you shouldn't be yourself, you should give up on what makes you an individual to fit in, you shouldn't feel any emotions"

Because nobody is that good, realistically, right?

This happened in other mediums. The one that comes to mind on the spot is the relationship between Mufasa and Scar.

In The Lion King, Mufasa is strong and noble, Scar is weak and conniving. Simple enough. Around that same time, in A Tale of Two Brothers, young Mufasa is shown to be pretty nice with Taka (Scar), who is framed as a spoiled brat to begin with.

Skip to the 2019 remake, and it's hinted Mufasa gave Scar his wound, and in The Lion Guard they explain that Scar got his nickname from Mufasa mocking him for a misadventure.

He went from being a noble king to a bully who had it coming, Scar is an underdog who got picked on. Because again: nobody is that pure, right? Fairytales be-damned.

Nothing is black and white, it's all grey.

So yeah, long story short I do think that Filoni being part of the generation that wasn't the target demographic but was old enough to retcon the crap out of the Prequels also plays a role into his view of Anakin.

[dotthings]

I just need to yell a little first how perfect the wee Leia casting is and how Vivien Lyra Blair is channeling the spirit of Carrie Fisher. Tell us about your process, wonderful tiny one!!!

Also I love the sleight of hand. They put Luke in the trailer and we are very set up to think about Obi-Wan watching over Luke, and I have feelings about that. And then!!! We don't see Luke much, we spend a lot of time with baby Leia and get her pov and what she was like as a child and see her life and a little of her relationship with Obi-Wan.

Plot twist, it's Leia who lit a fire under him again and re-ignited his hope, although he steadily carried a sense of hope about Luke, but in another post I pointed out that was also about fear, needing to train Luke to prevent what happened to Anakin from happening again. But Leia has always been Obi-Wan's re-summons to adventure, in ANH and here. She is the catalyst who pulls both Luke and Obi-Wan into action in ANH and in Kenobi.

"One more fight. For her." He unburies his lightsaber and goes back into action on the kind of mission he would've done with Anakin and Ahsoka back in the day--rescuing a kidnapped child. Only this one he knows personally. Luke and Leia are the last pieces of Anakin Obi-Wan has left (just as he and they are the last pieces of himself Anakin has left, except Anakin doesn't know the children exist.) The only reason Obi-Wan refused the call at first to go help Leia was his fear and of course, he ultimately couldn't refuse. She needed his help. He goes. No matter the risks.

Little Leia and Obi-Wan's scenes are so good!!! I could cry.

Star Wars really likes its reluctant space dads, watching over lost children, even if this one has surviving parents of her own waiting for her.

We've always known that Leia knew who "General Kenobi" was, I always figured Bail told her stories. Now we have this layer of a retroactive reveal, where they actually spent some time together. Her message in ANH appeals to him as "you fought with my father in the clone wars" not "you rescued me from kidnappers when I was a child." But it still fits. In ANH she appeals to him as a military leader, "General Kenobi," rather than making it about herself. But she remembers how he rescued her and saved her life when she was a child and that he was kind to her. So there's a more personal layer now in her ANH holo message too. This is our most desperate hour. Help me Obi-Wan Kenobi, you're my only hope. She remembers. He made her float. She knows he'll answer.

The expression on Obi-Wan's face in A New Hope when he sees her in the holo message has always caught at me, everything that might be behind that. And for a while now, it's mostly been, he looks at her and sees Padme, and he sees Anakin, and he sees what was lost, and he's proud of her, but now it's got an added dimension. It's all that, and also he sees the little girl who was smart and resourceful and refused to give up, strong and brave but in need of his help. In ANH he's not just looking at the daughter of people he loved, he's seeing a child he knew, grown up in a leader--and she needs his help once again.

[smhalltheurlsaretaken]

for @jedijune​​ - I thought I’d contribute some more to all the Jedi love. Press “j” to skip, it’s horrendously long.

A quick (lmao) tour of the Jedi Order’s views on blood ties and nuclear/traditional families in LucasFilms canon.

Basically, instances of Jedi calling each other brother, sister, father, etc. and their peers’ reactions to this. It’s a common misconception that despite the Jedi having their own unorthodox family structures and own ways of demonstrating love, “regular” familial bonds are taboo. Let’s see what canon has to say about that.

(This is already a very long post, so I’m ignoring Luke and Vader’s relationship, as well as Anakin and Shmi’s. Those cases are unusual and very complex, and my goal is to showcase the Jedi’s general take on family, not their opinions on two exceptions.)

1) Likening your Master to a family member = fairly common

AotC Obi-Wan and Anakin

AotC Anakin to Padmé, about Obi-Wan

Jedi Crash, TCW s1e13 Aayla Secura to Ahsoka, about Quinlan Vos and Anakin

Gone Without a Trace, TCW s7e5 Ahsoka to Trace Martez, about Anakin

Ahsoka and Anakin may be unusual Jedi, but Aayla isn’t. In RotS and TCW s7, we see her in a Council meeting despite her being a Knight. It means she is respected and trusted despite her youth and low rank. Aayla isn’t characterized as a maverick in any way despite her chaotic Master, and we have thus no reason to believe her openness about her relationship with Quinlan is an exception. What’s more, in the episode she’s specifically using that relationship to explain to Ahsoka how love for one’s Master and the importance of letting go aren’t contradictory. 

Obi-Wan doesn’t appear in the least uncomfortable after Anakin’s admission. He actually takes it so casually it seems to imply this is not the first time he’s heard this. Far from dismissing Anakin’s feelings or rebuking him for calling him a father figure, Obi-Wan uses the analogy to ask Anakin why he isn’t better behaved - he’s literally asking “well if I’m your dad, why can’t you be a good kid?” 

In all four cases, the Jedi comparing their Master to a family member is either talking to a non-Jedi or within earshot of one. Clearly they are not worried about giving a wrong image of the Order, so it’s safe to assume they’re not alone in their views. So yeah, calling your Master a father/brother - and probably a mother/sister? Not taboo.

2) Having blood ties within the Order = perfectly okay

The Unknown, TCW s6e1 Tiplar and Tiplee

Wookieepedia Stass Allie and Adi Gallia

These four women are Masters, not Knights. It means they have proven themselves to their peers - they’re not under scrutiny for potentially being “attached.” Adi and Stass both served on the Council, indicating the rest of the Council is fine with people having blood connections with other Jedi. If you look up the origin of Stass’ character, you’ll find it was Lucas himself who made her Adi’s cousin. 

Tiplar and Tiplee call each other “sister” in public, they are co-generals and they wear matching outfits (same cut, but the colors are inverted). Tiplee openly displays grief and affection for her sister, in front of Jedi (Anakin) and non-Jedi alike (the troops). Again, no taboo here. 

(Edit: Depa Billaba, Mace Windu’s padawan and Caleb/Kanan’s Master also had a sister in the Order, Sar Labooda. She died on Geonosis and her parentage to Depa is such an obscure piece of trivia that no material in the Legends EU or the Disney EU ever made use of it, but still. Depa served on the Council several times and both Depa and Sar were Masters, so the point stands.) 

3) Acknowledging blood ties to non-Jedi = perfectly okay

Kidnapped, TCW s4e11 Ahsoka to the Jedi Council, about the people of Kiros

RotJ Obi-Wan to Luke, about Leia

Ahsoka claims a connection to the people of Kiros in front of the whole Council, (she’s from Shili btw - she’s thus claiming blood ties as a Togruta, not geographical ties) and nobody reacts in any way to her outburst - no censure, no disapproving looks, nothing. Identifying with your biological people is fine. 

Obi-Wan goes a step further with this and praises Luke for caring about his sister. He is very clear about why Luke shouldn’t acknowledge the connection: their sibling bond is a good thing, but it’ll be used against them. You can’t see it in the screenshots, but Luke actually nods twice in this scene: once when Obi-Wan tells him to bury his feelings, and once when Obi-Wan explains why. Luke agrees that he shouldn’t show his feelings for Leia - so this isn’t a case of a Master forcefully repressing his student’s emotional life.

4) A broader view

a) Obi-Wan and Anakin RotS Obi-Wan to Yoda, about Anakin

RotS Obi-Wan and Anakin

Essays have been written on these two, so I’ll stick to this: when Obi-Wan tells Yoda he cannot kill Anakin because of the bond between them, Yoda does not condemn him. He does not say something along the lines of “suck it up, attachment is forbidden and you should have known better.” 

He says instead “he isn’t your brother anymore. The man you love as part of your family is gone. It’s not your brother you’ll be killing.” That’s very, very, very different. Yoda acknowledges and accepts the connection between Obi-Wan and Anakin, but he cannot let it stop them from doing their duty to the Galaxy. (As Aayla said in Jedi Crash, you can’t lose thousands of lives for the sake of one.)

b) According to the Order itself The Gathering, TCW s5e6 Narrator to the audience, about the Order

Narration guy is rarely entirely objective, so you can take it with a grain of salt. Still, Ahsoka and Plo’s relationship is generally accepted as the more overtly familial one of the show, and that’s what’s illustrating narration guy’s claim here. Seems legit.

c) Outsider POV The Citadel, TCW s3e18 Osi Sobeck to his droids, about the Order

Osi Sobeck is a complete psycho and an enemy of the Jedi, so make of that what you will.

5) BONUS CONTENT (not LucasFilms)

Darth Vader (2017) Kirak Infil’a to Darth Vader, about the Order

Darth Vader (2017)  Jocasta Nu to the Grand Inquisitor, about the Order

RotS novelization, Matthew Stover Dooku to Palpatine, about Obi-Wan

(Please note that I added those last bits because they fit in well, not because I see the old EU or the Disney EU as basis for characterization. For example, I’m not touching Dooku’s convoluted Disney backstory with a twenty-parsec pole.)

tldr: The Jedi Order is portrayed in canon material as pretty chill with traditional family structures among its own members. The Jedi have nothing against brotherly/sisterly bonds and they acknowledge that Masters are very much like parents. Using the complicated issue that is Anakin’s relationship with his own mother as the measure for our understanding of Jedi views on family is unfair and ignores tons of what Lucas (and later Filoni) showed on screen. 

[cherryblossomshadow]

uwusul Breaking the cycle of intergenerational Jedi trauma so you can start a new, worse cycle

yenfers I feel like we don't talk enough about the fact that Luke should be allowed to make a mistake on that one. Imagine having the inheritance of a whole lost "religion" on your shoulders. Ofc he's gonna embrace some of the stuff he was personally not okay with because he does not feel entitled to change THE WHOLE THING for the sake of himself. Reminder that Luke is supposed to fail at restoring the Jedi Order yknow... It's clear that Grogu contradicts the original Jedi beliefs (just like Anakin and Luke and... literally everyone with feelings) and we can see that Luke is struggling between what SHOULD be and what IS. Experiencing it yourself is one thing, perpetuating it as a new way even tho it's been done and written a certain way for centuries is kinda harder... Sadly, evolution takes time

jackhawksmoor Ok but consider this: second season of the mandalorian reversed: now Luke has to find the Mandalorian so he can return Grogu

angelbenisharkbait-bite I’m so mad. They were the perfect duo to start a new Jedi order with healthy personal attachments fuuuuuuckkkk

trashiest-of-cans Attachment is supposed to equate to possessiveness I guess to the Jedi. Hence, Anakin’s attachment to Padme leading to him disregarding her own well-being and agency to make her join him. It’s seeing something/one as wholly yours, that’s terrible. But both Luke and Ahsoka have “broken” the attachment rule already. Like, Luke’s lack of faith of his friends made him fall into Vader’s hands in Bespin. But he ALREADY learned his lesson by Endor, trusting that the Alliance can destroy Death Star 2 on their own. Not to mention the whole, redeeming his father thing, but idk. The point is, Luke isn’t about meddling in other’s affairs because he seeks it fit. He’s defo not that possessive. Ultimately, I’m just sad that Disney writers want to make Republic Jedi Order Redux with the sequels. There was a legitimate opportunity to make a new reformed Jedi Order, and I’m sure audiences would love to see that. But, unfortunately the writers have to build to the ST where we learn that no one learns from their mistakes.

Great points!

Luke and Ahsoka who both already broke the attachment rule and made their own way as a Jedi: Lol fuck you Grogu, its either being a space wizard or your Dad

[giggles-and-freckles]

i don't know if any of you are familiar with the concept of 'enneagram types.' if you're not, you can check it out here. lots of fun stuff to click around and read about if you're interested in what this even is. but i've been thinking about it in reference to some of our fave sw pals and have decided to do some character study via enneagram. first up: anakin skywalker in all his angsty glory.

Anakin Skywalker

Eight--The Challenger

Basic fear: of being hurt or controlled by others

Basic desire: to protect themselves and their loved ones

Anakin is an eight. Everything for him comes down to power and control. I believe his childhood as a slave is what really impacts this. He lived his entire childhood under the control of another and wanting to get out. Then, he found that freedom and essentially came under the control of something else (this is not to say that the Jedi Order actually functions as a slaver...but I think Anakin perceives it as that on several occasions). After the fall of the Republic, he becomes a slave to Sidious and the Dark Side. I would argue that the only time Anakin is every truly free is in his death, when he makes the completely independent decision to kill the Emperor. That dialogue between Luke and Ani is really telling, in my opinion.

“I’ll not leave you here. I’ve got to save you.”

“You already have, Luke.”

Because that’s all Anakin ever wants, really. He wants to be saved. And he never quite understands that only he can save himself. This power complex is very aligned with an eight. He so desperately wants control...but so easily falls into bondage over and over again.

Eights commonly have a childhood trauma or Moment that “flips a switch” for them. It takes their innocence once and for all and replaces it with a hardness that wasn’t there before. I think a lot of arguments can be made for this. Perhaps it was some unseen moment offscreen prior to The Phantom Menace. Maybe he watched a fellow slave die. Maybe he watched his mother suffer in some tangible way. Maybe it happened between TPM and Attack of the Clones. But for the sake of this analysis, I’ll use the Tusken Raiders as the Moment. We see it affect him in all the ways one of these “loss of innocence” moments for an eight normally does. It’s a game-changer. In canon, it’s Anakin’s first touch of darkness. In the real world, it’s him dealing with insurmountable pain and suffering. Interestingly, we see that this “loss of innocence” directly counters the basic desire of an Eight, as well. Protecting self and loved ones. He fails to do that. He watches the one he loves the MOST die in his arms. Which--for an eight--is the ultimate form of pain. To lose a loved one feels like personal failure. You LET them die. You LET them suffer You could have SAVED them. But you failed. We see Anakin deal with this onslaught of emotions and then...we see him take action.

Eights are a part of the gut triad. This means before they think with their head or feel with their heart, they act with their gut. Their impulse. I don’t think anyone would dare to make the argument that Anakin leads with his head (sorry buddy...but you are Himbo Certified), but I can see arguments for Heart. My only real counter here is that the two greatly influence each other. And we see him ACT in tandem with his feelings. He doesn’t just sit in his emotions and mope. I’ll continue to use the Tusken incident. Immediately, without any hesitation, he acts on his anger. Anger is not a primary emotion, it’s secondary. I’m not in Anakin Skywalker’s head, but as an eight...I feel like I almost see where he’s coming from, even in his worst moments. Doesn’t mean I agree or that I would partake. But I understand (and it hurts me). I see so much fear for him. Fear that he’s not as strong as he wants to be, fear that he wouldn’t be able to protect other loved ones if something like this happened again, fear that he’s weak when it really matters. Like when the time comes to protecting loved ones. That’s why everything spirals so fast with Padmé. He immediately gets put into that fear mindset. That “weak” feeling of “I can’t do it, I can’t save her…..but I have to.” That conversation between the two of them on Mustafar is evident of this. “Love can’t save you, Padmé. Only my new powers can do that.” Because that’s what it comes down to for Anakin. His worth lies on his ability to save himself and the people he loves. That’s why his perception of love becomes very selfish. He begins to care about the act of salvation more than the person them self.

One of my favourite moments is the classic “this is where the fun begins.” It’s such a silly quick moment but it’s so revealing of Anakin’s character. Eights feel adrenaline like no other number. Their vitality is completely based in their ability to turn their raw energy into something GOOD. For example, doing dangerous dives and spinning (because it really is a good trick) for the sake of the Republic. It gives Anakin a sense of “YES! See how good I am? See how I’m using my aggression and strength for good?” Especially important for someone who has committed atrocities and inspired destruction. To turn around and use that energy and skill for good? That’s invaluable. I think that’s a reason Anakin fails to see the hypocrisy of the Republic.

“What if the democracy we thought we were serving no longer exists, and the Republic has become the very evil we have been fighting to destroy?”

“I don’t believe that. And you’re sounding like a separatist.”

When Padmé merely questions the point of the war he so immediately snaps back and makes it a personal betrayal. He’s so quick to turn down the slight implication that he’s fighting for the wrong side. Eights are all about sides. All about choosing. Anakin can’t begin to consider that maybe his Side isn’t so altruistic. It would crumble at his very core. This is where the Challenger (the moniker of an eight) comes in. They love to challenge the world around them but absolutely cannot handle when someone else is challenging it in contrast to them. Well...an unhealthy eight anyway. Healthy eights see the importance of contrasting beliefs and the power of refining conversations.

Eights want to ‘leave their mark’ on the world.

“I’m not the Jedi I should be. I want more. And I know I shouldn’t.”

This plays into the ‘deadly sin’ of an eight. Lust. This isn’t explicitly sexual (though I guess it can be, at times). It’s more of a desire for MORE. A need for more. It’s all about that power and control. An eight never quite feels satiated...at least not in their unhealthy state. Which Anakin invariably is in. An eight is always seeking things to satisfy them. Through people and power.They’re not concerned with the actual accomplishment, in the societal standard. Before Anakin is granted a seat on the council, we never see him express a desire to even have it. It seems like that’s completely a Palpatine thing. I can’t help but put myself in Obi-Wan’s shoes there. Seeing Anakin’s overreaction and wondering where it’s coming from. Because Anakin has never seemed like he wants to be on the council. Quite the opposite in fact. His tantrum about being denied the rank of master is really evident of the stake Palpatine has already dug into Anakin’s mind. Ann eight’s desire is personal. They don’t care if they have the top title or the most power from the POV of the world. They worry about their own standards. Which is difficult because we never quite manage to meet our own standards and end up in a lot of disappointment. Anakin holds himself to a hard standard. Obi-Wan, Padmé, and Ahsoka all seem to recognise that in him.

“But be patient, Anakin. It won’t be long before the COuncil makes you a Jedi Master.”

“To be angry is to be human.”

“Maybe, but I have to sort this out on my own. Without the Council and without you.”

These encouragements are so unique because they ground Anakin in a very human way. They hit at his insecurities and remind him it’s okay. He doesn’t have to be all-powerful or perfect. Which they know he needs to hear because he can’t quite recognise these truths on his own. He needs the emotional coddling. Unfortunately, in these moments their words aren’t enough. Each of these conversations is characterised by impending sadness.

Eights are seen as the bravest people. I think this aligns well with what we know of Anakin. He has little to no hesitation when putting his life on the line. He volunteers for the most dangerous missions. Doesn’t bat an eye at horrific scenes. He’s willing to do the hardest and scariest things. He’s brave. He’s determined. When talking about Ahsoka, he says “no one has her kind of determination” to which Plo Koon immediately responds, “Except for you.” But this is such an interesting part of an eight to me because I believe eights are actually the most fearful of any number. Because what they fear is fear itself. They are so horrified at the prospect of being afraid it becomes almost dangerous. They will do whatever they can to mask that fear. Which is what puts a lot of eights into that anger reactionary position. A sort of ‘people can’t know I’m scared if I’m the one scaring others’ sort of mentality. The bravado, the courage–it’s all a facade to hide the fear that eights very uniquely do not feel qualified to experience on even the micro-level. It leads many eights to become dictatorial in the way they love others (which isn’t really love at all in the end). Pushes eights to commit atrocities in word or deed all for what they consider to be the ‘greater good.’ They push and prod at the lines a normal person knows not to cross. Not only do they cross them–they plow through them, hoping that it causes enough of a scene to distract from the fact that they’re just like everyone else. In fact, they’re even more vulnerable because no one has taught them how to exist in a state of need. No one has showed them how to ask for and accept help. Instead, they bottle it all up over long periods of times, releasing small bits in dramatic bursts of energy...until that line is crossed and all bets are off.

The goal of a healthy eight is to find a way to channel the aggression and drive into being the ultimate helper and advocate. Unfortunately, Anakin doesn’t get to this until the very end of his life. His fears guide him down a path of darkness. And we see him mask that fear with anger and hatred over and over again. That’s the way of the Dark Side so it’s no wonder it was so appealing to someone who had already been doing that without proper teachings. Anakin Skywalker had the potential to be one of the greatest forces for good in the galaxy. And for a split second at the end of his life, we see him do just that. It’s all the moments before, though; when he chose fear and anger and lust over and over again. Shoving strength and bravery into the vacancies of emotional competency. Until it all became too much.

[pixiedane]

Fic Writer Review

Thank you for the tag, @ussjellyfish ! I don't know whom to tag so I will just say to all of you: TAG, you're it (scroll to the end to copy paste the questions).

how many works do you have on AO3?

187

what’s your total AO3 word count?

373,260

how many fandoms have you written for and what are they?

The count is 74, but they're not wholly individual (lots of "all media types" for example). I have pseuds for Star Wars (68 works), Star Trek (63 works), and Marvel (18 works). There are 38 works in other fandoms including Leverage, Killjoys, Harry Potter, The Hobbit, House MD, Game of Thrones, Once Upon a Time, Law and Order, Peter Pan, Willow...

16 more questions beneath the cut.

what are your top 5 fics by kudos?

512 kudos, Let's Go Steal a Family (Leverage), 2044 words | The Leverage team decide they don't need to settle down in order to start a family.

This was written for the "Leverage-a-thing-a-thon" run in August 2015 (making this fic almost exactly six years old). It's about found family in the most literal sense.

415 kudos, catch a glimpse of sunlight (Star Wars), 2324 words + a fanvid | What if Anakin listened to Padmé more than Palpatine and Obi-Wan listened to Anakin more than Yoda? tldr; galaxy saved

Created for the 2016 Star Wars Rarepairs exchange, a canon divergent au where Anakin, Obi-Wan, and Padmé work together to take down the Chancellor and raise the twins as a triad.

253 kudos, and a softness came from the starlight and filled me full to the bone. (Star Wars), 726 words | Luke wants to know about his mother.

Written for PadMay 2018, for the prompt "How should Padmé be remembered?". Wow, I'm surprised this is in the top five given it's a tiny ficlet in a giant fandom written for a challenge I made up myself. But I'm pleased! Padmé deserves to be remembered, that's why I started PadMay.

247 kudos, Serendipity (Star Wars), 1914 words | That time Padmé accidentally walked in on the wrong naked Jedi.

Another ObiAniDala AU written for the Star Wars Rarepairs Exchange, 2018 in this case. Two years earlier I'd made a random photo manip of Natalie Portman and Ewan Mcgregor drinking tea and it eventually inspired the fic.

221 kudos, Your Beating Heart Tonight (Star Wars), 3121 words | Padmé develops feelings for her other Jedi protector.

And another written for the Star Wars Rarepairs Exchange in 2016! And also another AU based in a storm of emotions between Anakin, Padmé, and Obi-Wan. I have a specialty.

All five of these are about family first and foremost. Three and a half feature polyamory. Three and a half are canon divergent AUs. None breaks 3200 words. All were written for an event/exchange.

do you respond to comments, why or why not?

For the most part. Sometimes I don't right away and it becomes awkward. And I generally don't respond to negative comments because who needs that.

what’s the fic you’ve written with the angstiest ending?

Probably Abduction, a mirror universe story vaguely inspired by The Handmaid's Tale. My author's note: "It is not a happy story for anyone and implies the extreme emotional abuse of a child, as well as the coercion and torture of adults."

do you write crossovers? if so what is the craziest one you’ve written?

I love crossovers! I've completed a few and have fifty more in wip folders. The most ambitious is War of Stars, a Star Wars/Game of Thrones fusion with 26,480 words, thirty chapters, and five different povs (Cersei, Anakin, Daenerys, Ahsoka, and Boba). Niche, but I am very proud of how it worked out.

I've also blended Star Wars with Mad Max, Kelvin Star Trek, Star Trek Discovery, Deep Space Nine, Sleeping Beauty, and Black Widow.

have you ever received hate on a fic?

I've had a few mean comments but they're basically "I don't like this pairing and I want you to feel bad about writing it" and I won't.

do you write smut? if so what kind?

No. Just not my thing.

have you ever had a fic stolen?

Not that I am aware of.

have you ever had a fic translated?

Yes, I've had a few translated into Russian, which just adds to the headcanon that I'm secretly Black Widow.

have you ever co-written a fic before?

Yes, back in the LiveJournal days I wrote many thousands of words with @vasnormandy. I am slowly posting those stories to AO3 under my Marvel pseud Amelia Danvers, my OC and main character.

what’s your all time favorite ship?

An impossible question because I multi-ship like my life depends on it. Anakin/Padmé is my most prolific ship followed by Rey/Ben, Kat/Lorca, and Carol Danvers/Peter Parker (the parents of Amelia above). But I've written alternate ships for all of the above.

You can read more about my shipping interests here.

what’s a WIP that you want to finish but don’t think you ever will?

Oof. I have a lot of WIPs that I would like to finish but it's hard to get back to.

what are your writing strengths?

Dialogue. Introspection. I'm good at writing a specific point of view. Characters addressing their issues. I like to pull at threads so I've built up those skills. I love mixing and mashing fandoms and pairings. Complex relationships and the discussion thereof.

what are your writing weaknesses?

Action, like sex scenes or fight scenes, and anything plot heavy. I'm more interested in character and it shows in my writing.

I am also terrible at follow through and finishing things. It's why so much of my fic is written for challenges with external deadlines.

what are your thoughts on writing dialogue in other languages in a fic?

I'm not fluent in any other languages and I wouldn't want to do it without extensive research.

what was the first fandom you wrote for?

Either Star Trek (TNG, mainly the adventures of Beverly Crusher - as a preteen, at the Academy, as a single mom, and because I'm me I also gave her a Romulan lover) or Star Wars (the adventures of Han and Leia's daughter who was ME but also Jaina Solo before Jaina Solo existed because she was a twin who wanted to be a pilot more than a Jedi). These stories were written on notebook paper in colored pen and I'd do dramatic readings in the backyard, in costume, with only the trees (all of whom I'd named, mostly after heroines in books, like Elizabeth, Jane, Anne, Alice, Mary, etc.) as the audience.

what’s your favorite fic you’ve written?

Well, the one I imagine as something more is Pas De Deux, my Jedi Dance Academy AU. I can picture the senes in my mind and I really enjoyed the adaptation process, melding two things I love into one. The characters and events are recognizable, but also very different and that's something I enjoy.

Questions for anyone who wants to complete it:

Fic Writer Review

how many works do you have on AO3?

what’s your total AO3 word count?

how many fandoms have you written for and what are they?

what are your top 5 fics by kudos?

do you respond to comments, why or why not?

what’s the fic you’ve written with the angstiest ending?

do you write crossovers? if so what is the craziest one you’ve written?

have you ever received hate on a fic?

do you write smut? if so what kind?

have you ever had a fic stolen?

have you ever had a fic translated?

have you ever co-written a fic before?

what’s your all time favorite ship?

what’s a WIP that you want to finish but don’t think you ever will?

what are your writing strengths?

what are your writing weaknesses?

what are your thoughts on writing dialogue in other languages in a fic?

what was the first fandom you wrote for?

what’s your favorite fic you’ve written?

[renegadeontherunn]

happiness by taylor swift is a disaster lineage song, sorry I don’t make the rules

okay so yes I should be writing or doing homework instead of making this extremely rambly, slightly incoherent post but it’s friday so I’m vibing and you lovely people get to join me!

this is the ultimate star wars grief song for our tcw trio and I see it in three different contexts:

Ahsoka’s POV to Anakin, Obi-Wan, and the Order after she leaves in the season 5 finale

Ahsoka & Rex during/after Order 66

Obi-Wan & Ahsoka to Vader (Obi-Wan on Tatooine and (REBELS SPOILERS) Ahsoka after her duel with him in The Twilight of the Apprentice—for reference, I’ve only seen parts of Rebels so if some of that stuff is inaccurate, let me know!)

so we go . . .

honey when I’m above the trees / I see this for what it is

on a ship, in the Force, in hindsight

but now I’m right down in it / all the years I’ve given / is just shit we’re dividing up / showed you all of my hiding spots

#1: Ahsoka’s years learning in the Order, being a Padawan, her dedication to the Jedi and her faith to their teachings (”the values of the Jedi are sacred to me”), all the years she’s given are just completely thrown away as soon as there’s suspicion against her (in the unfinished episodes, Anakin says “well what choice did we give her? the moment there were any suspicions about her loyalty the Council turned their back on her.”) they both share this anger about her expulsion, and Ahsoka brings it up later during the Siege of Mandalore when she says “and what? defend the Council’s actions? I hardly think I’m the best person for that.” 

#2: again, Ahsoka’s years fighting alongside the 501st, growing close with Rex and Jesse and everyone else to suddenly find them turning on her (this is before she knows about the chips, of course). she could also be feeling this in tandem with Rex—“those soldiers, my brothers, are willing to die and take you and me along with them!” all the years Rex has given in the 501st, with his brothers, fighting for the Republic, having to watch his brothers be killed and not be able to do anything, all his hardship just means nothing. their attempts to be themselves, to be unique, to not just be “another number,” were useless in the end. the “showed you all of my hiding spots” line points to the closeness and friendship that they had with each other

#3: again again, pretty self-explanatory, all the years Ahsoka and Obi-Wan have given to teaching and learning from and loving Anakin are just completely thrown away by his fall to the Dark Side and him ultimately trying to kill them. the same for the last line applies here, they were brothers, they were sister and brother, they were a family and then it was all ruined.

I was dancing when the music stopped

In each of the scenarios, they were preoccupied, in the middle of something else (the war, capturing Maul, defeating Grievous, helping Ezra, etc.) when everything stopped and collapsed. each situation was completely unexpected and each time, their worlds fell apart.

and in the disbelief / I can’t face reinvention

#1: all Ahsoka’s ever known is the Jedi, and now without them (without anyone to help her or any connections or support), she has to completely change her way of life, as well as lie or invent a new background for herself (”Skywalker Academy,” “my older brother taught me,” “I used to live on the upper levels of Coruscant,” etc.)

also—Ahsoka becomes Ashla, and then Fulcrum (reinventing herself over and over again) and Obi-Wan becomes Ben. obviously, they don’t want to have to change, and again with “in the disbelief,” each of these events was unexpected and a complete gut punch.

there’ll be happiness after you / but there was happiness because of you / both of these things can be true there is happiness / past the blood and bruise / past the curses and cries / beyond the terror in the nightfall

I don’t think this line needs any explanation, but I’ll give some anyway! In a meta-sense, the audience started Star Wars with the happiness after all three events, but especially Vader. the Original Trilogy showed the end of the Empire, the Rebellion, the happy endings of Luke, Leia, Han, etc. in-universe, both Ahsoka and Obi-Wan hold this sense of bittersweet nostalgia (because how can you not?), both with Obi-Wan training/looking after Luke and Ahsoka joining the Rebellion and helping the characters in Rebels. they’re both trying to ensure happiness after Anakin. 

but, of course, of course there was happiness because of Anakin, that’s what The Clone Wars shows us! we see them happy (or, at least, somewhat) in tcw, which obviously makes everything much sadder, but still. they were happy. and Obi-Wan and Ahsoka both know it—we see it explicitly with Ahsoka meditating to Anakin’s holo and reminiscing in Rebels. they found happiness and love and family in the war, where there was so much death, so much destruction, so much darkness and terror. they found each other, they found happiness anyway. this can also apply to the OT, since that trio also found family and happiness in the midst of the Empire.

it’s this inherent optimism that both Ahsoka and Obi-Wan share that Anakin doesn’t (or didn’t) that’s keeping them afloat. it’s the adherence to the light, to kindness, to compassion. 

haunted by the look in my eyes

#1: going back to our three scenarios, you could say Ahsoka was probably haunted by the look in the Council members’ eyes—especially Yoda, Plo, Obi-Wan—when they expelled her. as well as, of course, the look in Anakin’s eyes when he begs her to stay and she says no. the ending image of season 5, the last image we ever saw of tcw for years—with Anakin’s sad, wide eyes—yeah. that look.

#2: overall, this context has less to it, but I’ll still argue that the look in Rex’s eyes, in the clones’ eyes haunted both Ahsoka and Rex, probably especially Rex. or even, not seeing his brothers’ eyes and instead seeing their blasters pointed at him. their final scene, with the eyes of the helmets (Ahsoka’s eyes painted on) stuck on sticks. yeah, that definitely haunted them both.

#3: Obi-Wan and Ahsoka both get horrifyingly clear images of Anakin’s gold eyes. Anakin’s look when he shouts “I hate you!” surely haunted Obi-Wan, as well as Anakin saying “Ahsoka” and “then you will die” with a very clear, obvious image of Anakin’s gold, scarred eye through his mask. 

that would’ve loved you for a lifetime

#1: Ahsoka was prepared to be a Jedi forever, for a lifetime

#2: Rex, more in this case, but both he and Ahsoka did and would’ve loved the clones forever. those were Rex’s brothers and it’s so clear, especially with the scene of him crying in the hangar bay, that this is killing him

#3: Obi-Wan and Ahsoka would’ve loved Anakin for a lifetime—and I’d argue they did, despite everything (”you were my brother, Anakin! I loved you!” and “my Master could never be as vile as you” and “to the best of us”)

leave it all behind

#1: sorry if this is getting repetitive, but yeah, Ahsoka left everything, her entire life, everything and everyone she’s ever known behind

#2: Rex and Ahsoka leave everything on that moon, including her lightsabers that she just got back and then had to give up a second time

#3: Obi-Wan leaves everything behind and flees to Tatooine. Ahsoka tells Ezra this—to let Kanan go, essentially leave the past behind him. And she can’t “save her Master” either. she too must let him go. 

tell me when did your winning smile / begin to look like a smirk?

this is just so Anakin slowly falling to madness and the Dark Side. Ahsoka and Obi-Wan thinking about the signs they’d missed, if there was some way they could’ve stopped it, if just one thing had been different, if they’d just noticed. trying to figure out where it all went wrong. 

when did all our lessons start to look like weapons pointed at my deepest hurt?

#1: “the values of the Jedi are sacred to me”—and then she’s expelled and told that it was part of her great trial in becoming a Knight. a foundation of the Jedi Order and its process gets turned against her.

#3: this line becomes literal—Padawan lessons, sparring, suddenly became dueling Anakin to death, for both Obi-Wan and Ahsoka

no I didn’t mean that / sorry, I can’t see facts through all of my fury

#1: you could argue that Obi-Wan is right when he said Ahsoka let her feelings cloud her judgement in leaving; that she couldn’t see the facts through the pain of being betrayed by the Council. and then, when she comes back in the Siege of Mandalore, immediately, she and Obi-Wan start arguing, and then both of them are clouded by their feelings, both feeling hurt by the other and lashing out.

#3: again, this is just so Anakin turning to the Dark Side. he obviously doesn’t realize that he’s being blinded by fury (or maybe he does and just doesn’t care, or probably, thinks that is the only way). but he is. he’s completely blinded to logic, to reality by the fury that Sidious has spent years amping up and harvesting and Anakin himself has spent years bottling.

you haven’t met the new me yet

this line is really painful if you view it from Anakin’s perspective. they both believed he was dead, but no, turns out he’s a Sith Lord, in fact the Sith Lord that’s been the Emperor’s tool in causing immense pain and destruction across the galaxy. it’s this evil, excited little line from his POV (think that ROTS comic: “please say it’s Kenobi. Lord Vader gets such a thrill from killing people who care for him”)

there’ll be happiness after me / but there was happiness because of me / both of these things I believe

again, there’s that optimism, that desire to help people, to do good in the world, and this faith that Obi-Wan and Ahsoka both have. that’s why Obi-Wan helps Luke, that’s why Ahsoka joins the Rebellion. it’s all to ensure that there will be some happiness, some light after them (and maybe a little because of them. again, see the first chorus. they were happy once, and they both know it. “we’ll be fine, as long as we stay together.”)

there is happiness / in our history / across our great divide

I see this mostly as Ahsoka and Anakin (and Obi-Wan) during season 7. there’s still a connection, of course, love and happiness between them, despite the ending that’s right on their heels, as well as the great divide of Ahsoka leaving the Order.

there is a glorious sunrise / dappled with the flickers of light

Anakin does end up returning to the Light Side and his reunion with Obi-Wan is surely like a “glorious sunrise” that ended the darkness of the past twenty+ years. the second part I just see as a fun, literal line—flickers of light are lightsabers, blaster fire, the Light Side

I can’t make it go away by making you a villain

in short, Obi-Wan and Ahsoka can’t make the pain or the past happiness go away because Anakin’s now Vader. they still both remember Anakin fondly and with love, despite his fall. they loved him, still. in ROTS, when Anakin says “from my point of view, the Jedi are evil!” Obi-Wan doesn’t say “then you are evil,” or even “you are wrong,” he says “then you are lost.” lost. as in, can be found again. not evil, not unworthy, not wrong. just lost. there’s this goodness that Anakin has that he is ignoring and straying from (”there is good in him”). and in the context of Order 66, Ahsoka can’t and doesn’t make the clones villains because she knows they’re actually the victims. as much pain as it causes, they’re not the villains and she can’t act like they are. 

so I know there’s a lot of discourse about Anakin apologists or whatever, so all I’ll say is that George Lucas has said that the prequels are to show how a “nice little kind kid, who has good intentions” turns into Darth Vader. the whole point of the PT is this line—while Anakin/Vader is no doubt the villain in the OT and in ROTS to a degree, that doesn’t make everything else go away. the other stuff doesn’t excuse what he did, all the pain he caused, but we can’t make it go away, just because he’s a villain. that’s one of the beauties of the prequels, that we get this extremely fleshed out, torn and struggling kid who ends up making all the wrong choices and becoming the terrible villain we see in the OT. 

I guess it’s the price I pay for seven years in heaven

while none of these scenarios is seven years exactly, it does continue to drive the point of “all the years I’ve given is just shit we’re dividing up.” everything these characters had, individually and with each other, just gets utterly, completely ruined. 

in a more meta-sense, the ending of The Clone Wars is the price we, the fans, pay for seven seasons of the show. 

no one teaches you what to do / when a good man hurts you / and you know you hurt him too

this could point again to Ahsoka and Anakin, but also Ahsoka and Obi-Wan after she leaves the Order. when she comes back, none of them really know what to say, what to do, how to act around each other. this obviously comes out as arguments and words that are so close to what they really want to say, but just short. they’ve all been hurt and none of them know what to do about it. 

and, of course, Obi-Wan and Anakin in ROTS. Obi-Wan doesn’t want to believe that Anakin’s fallen to the Dark Side, and later on Tatooine, knowing he’s hurt and been hurt by Anakin, doesn’t know what to do

after giving you the best I had / tell me what to give after that

again again, all the years they’ve given. all the love they had. everyone they knew & loved. gone. 

leave it all behind / and there is happiness

[bedlamsbard]

I got a couple of different asks about Luke and Ahsoka in other side AU 10, so I guess I will just make it a regular post after all so I can answer all of them at once.

@slecnaztemnot: 

Okay i just read your latest other side chapter and I wanted to ask about Ahsoka and Luke dynamics. I wonder what exactly where their heretics disagreemts about the jedi doctrine? while i can guess some of the stuff like attachements i guess i mostly see ahsoka as nonjedi and therefore someone who should not be attached to doctrine about attachements (haha) so i am wondering how you see her. i would actually love your take on how their first meetings went. continued in next ask, 1/2

1/2 continuation since most people write them as Ashoka immediately spilling the beans about the whole Vader situation to Luke and yours Ahsoka didn't. So I am curious what do you think Ahsoka feels about it. I got of course lot of it from the fic itself so i am mostly asking about how did you base your interpretation, if that makes sense and what led you to the narrative choices to portray their relationship in such way.

@comentter:

I'm most interested in what Luke and Ahsoka know about each other. Luke doesn't know much about Ahsoka obviously, but does he have any idea why she seems to hate him? He must be desperate lol. And how much does Ahsoka know about what happened on the DS2? And how much does Kanan know about these events? What was Hera able to tell him and what else did Luke and Ahsoka tell him? I always figure that everyone but Luke and a few people he told (like Leia) think the Emperor and Vader from the DS2 explosion.

I now have this image in my head of Ahsoka spending time with Rex and her laughing as Rex does something like tell a joke or a specific gesture. Then Luke walks by, does the exact same thing and Ahsoka is like "Of course, you'd do this stupid thing, you idiot!" :D

I think shortly before I started writing this sequence I had seen some cute art of Luke and Ahsoka hugging, which is a pretty common art trope and which has never sat quite right with me.  I also have the tendency to want to do the opposite of common fanon, which I can’t leave out either.  I also wanted to logic out what the hell was going on with Ahsoka’s charaterization in her Mando episode on a Watsonian level rather than a Doylist one (which I did a few weeks ago), even if other side takes place well before Mando and doesn’t intersect with it in any meaningful way.

When it came to the Luke and Ahsoka relationship (or lack thereof), it came down to three questions for me:

Who knows what?

What do they know?

When do they know it?

I made the decision early on in the chapter to leave Leia out of this relationship entirely, since the new canon seems to at this point in time (within a year of RotJ) be keeping it relatively quiet that she and Luke are siblings, and it’s not something that Hera would have a reason to know.  (Note also that this entire sequence is told from Hera’s POV, which plays into the “who knows what when” angle.)

As per Rebels S4 (not the epilogue, because Mando’s thrown that out the window), Ahsoka knows (or has good reason to believe) the following:

Anakin Skywalker is Darth Vader, Sith Lord

Darth Vader was directly or indirectly responsible for the genocide of the Jedi Order and the deaths of any Jedi who survived the Purge (”you and your Inquisitors saw to that”)

Padme Amidala is dead

Obi-Wan Kenobi is dead (Obi-Wan was not dead, but she has no way to know this)

no Darksider can return to the Light side

At the end of RotJ (not taking into account anything that happened in the comics or ancillary novels, which I’m not up to date on), Luke knows (or has good reason to believe) the following:

Darth Vader is Anakin Skywalker

everyone Anakin ever knew is dead, mostly because of him

Vader returned to being Anakin Skywalker at the end of his life

(Leia presumably also knows all of this, perhaps with a few more details based on things her parents might have told her, but her feelings about Darth Vader are: Bad, Do Not Want, to be glib about it.)

Now, there’s one other factor here, which is Rex.  Rex knew Anakin and knew Ahsoka and was in the Rebel Alliance -- we know that he was on Yavin IV prior to Luke’s arrival and we know that he fought in the Battle of Endor. (And turns up in a couple of scattered art panels from the comics.)  If we want to take his brief appearance in Galaxy of Adventures with Han Solo’s strike force as canon, then he may have also known Han and probably Luke -- certainly his ears would have pricked up at the name “Skywalker.”  (Okay, there’s one other factor, which is R2-D2, but Artoo never tells anyone anything despite knowing...everything. Or most things, anyway.)  Rex doesn’t seem to know that Anakin became Darth Vader (I believe there’s an interview somewhere where Dave or Pablo or someone says that a meeting between Rex and Vader would be “awkward,” but there’s no canonical reason to believe that he knew about the Anakin/Vader connection), but he probably found out at some point that the 501st was the battalion involved in the assault on the Jedi Temple.  He also, as of Rebels S3-4, assumes that Vader killed Ahsoka -- presumably Ezra would have told him as much as he could.  (And Ezra does know that Vader is Anakin, so he may have told Rex that as well.)  Rex also knows that Anakin Skywalker was having an affair with Padme Amidala, but presumably didn’t know about (a) the marriage or (b) the pregnancy, because how would he know?

Then we come to Ahsoka’s return and unfortunately the current canon gives us no time point for when it actually happened: presumably Ahsoka did not or could not return to the greater galaxy at the point she “left”, during the fight on Malachor (3 BBY), because as of Rebels S3-4 everyone still believes she’s dead.  Maybe she’s still stuck on Malachor without a way to get off, who knows; maybe after S4 Ezra grabbed her into the World Between Worlds she decided to stay on Malachor until she ~caught up with the main timeline, which...you then have to believe that Ahsoka is going to deliberately remove herself from the war, which I can get to, but is not something I’m totally comfortable with.  Or she pops out in the timeline at the same time that Ezra returns to the main timeline and is able to more or less immediately return to the main timeline narrative, plus or minus a few weeks.  (There are, after all, still a couple of Advanced TIE fighters parked in the Sith temple, even if they were potentially damaged in the temple collapse.  Ahsoka could have repaired them or used the comms systems to call for a pick-up -- this is, btw, what happens in Crown.)  We don’t know when the S2 finale scene/S4 WBW scene of Ahsoka walking back into the temple actually takes place in the timeline; it doesn’t have to be at the exact same time as the rest of the S2 finale sequence (since obvs Vader dragging himself out, Maul flying off, and the Rebels crew looking sad doesn’t all take place at the exact same time).

Other side AU is deliberately vague about when Ahsoka returns from the World Between Worlds/Malachor/to the Rebel Alliance; it’s not stated in the story, but I made the assumption that she came back shortly after the (non-epilogue) end of the Rebels finale, but was still deeply messed up from her Malachor revelations.  (Also, like, Sidious, I guess, but she was probably so messed up about Anakin/Vader that Sidious being around barely registered.)  Since she never seems to have held a formal position in the Rebel Alliance, I assumed that after she returned and let everyone know she was still alive, she then immediately took off to try and figure out what the hell happened with Anakin at the end of the Clone Wars, since she saw him like a week before he snapped and at the time he seemed fine.

The problem is that almost everyone involved is dead.

Now, at this point (shortly before Scarif and ANH), a few people are still alive who then die shortly, but whom Ahsoka may have no reason to believe were involved.  Bail Organa, for example, is still around, but aside from him being Padme’s friend Ahsoka doesn’t have a reason to know that Bail was there when Padme died -- and since they were in contact for the nineteen years preceding there’s no reason for her to assume now that he was keeping something for her.  Back in the comics (before I stopped reading them), Vader did some digging to figure out what was going on with Padme and his child; Ahsoka probably would have done the same digging (without having to torture anyone), but without necessarily knowing that Padme was pregnant.  Knowing the date of Padme’s death (same as the Republic, essentially), she may have had a previous assumption that Padme was assassinated on Palpatine’s orders, but knowing that Vader is Anakin probably moves that assumption closer to the truth, that Anakin was somehow involved in Padme’s death one way or another.  Sooner or later Ahsoka will turn up the fact that Padme was pregnant, come to the obvious conclusion that Anakin was the father, and possibly find out the same thing that Vader does in the comics -- that the child was born before Padme died.  (But also probably not that Padme was carrying twins, but even if she found that out, it wouldn’t make a difference.)

While Ahsoka is doing her digging (and there really isn’t much information out there to find), the events of Rogue One and ANH happen, and Ahsoka comes back to the Rebel Alliance to find out which of her friends are still alive.  (Maybe Rex is with her at this point, who knows.)

Everyone in the Rebel Alliance is talking about some young hotshot named Luke Skywalker.

Luke Skywalker who has a very familiar lightsaber, who claims his father was Anakin Skywalker, and who had some kind of relationship with Obi-Wan Kenobi, who turned up on the Death Star, fought Darth Vader, and died.

Ahsoka has just spent the past few months trying to figure out what happened with Anakin, and as best she can reassemble the facts it mostly comes down to “Anakin did something dumb for Padme, that something dumb was ‘turn to the Dark Side and kill literally everyone,’ and then Padme died, the Republic was overturned, and the Jedi Order was wiped out.”  Ahsoka presumably walks into a room, hears the name Luke Skywalker -- maybe sees him -- and is all at once face to face with the living evidence of just how badly Anakin fucked up.

This is just too much for Ahsoka to deal with at the moment, so she takes off again, and spends the next five years brushing in and out of the Rebel Alliance doing odd missions that can really only be done by a trained Force-user.  Rex, who seems to have a more stable position in the Alliance, is always going to side with Ahsoka over anyone else; if she tells him not to tell Luke that she knew Anakin, he won’t.  (And for that matter, he may have somewhat fraught feelings about Luke himself.)  She may have the odd interaction with Luke -- who has heard that there’s another Jedi in the Alliance and wants to be friends/get real training -- but Ahsoka just does not want any part of this. It’s irrational! She knows it’s irrational! But this is the living evidence of Anakin’s failure, Anakin who last she saw him TRIED TO KILL HER, who was at least partially responsible for the deaths of everyone she ever knew.  (And honestly, finding out that Vader topped it all off by killing Obi-Wan is not going to help.)

Ahsoka may also be feeling a certain amount of survivor’s guilt: if Ezra had not pulled her out of the Malachor temple at that exact moment, she came pretty close to bringing the temple down on both herself and Vader, and may have succeeded in killing him.  She did not do so, and who knows how many people died because of that in the years between Malachor and Yavin?  (Just because Tarkin was the one who gave the order doesn’t mean that Ahsoka may at least partially blame Alderaan’s destruction on Vader, if she knew he was on the Death Star then.) She knows he killed Obi-Wan.

The Yoda lineage is very good at going “yikes, I am going off to live alone and beat myself up over my failure for years” and Ahsoka is very much an example of that lineage.

She and Luke have a relationship of “Hi, I’m Luke Skywalker, do you want to talk?” and “I have to leave immediately,” maybe with the odd “please stop using that lightsaber grip it is physically painful for me to watch, do it like this instead, okay, bye.”  Luke probably told all of two other people about what happened with Vader on the Death Star, Leia and Han; he has no reason to tell anyone else about it because it won’t matter to them.  Why would he tell Ahsoka, whom he has no relationship with?  He doesn’t know that Ahsoka knew Anakin Skywalker and would only know if one of four people told him: Ahsoka herself (no), Rex (no), R2-D2 (maybe), or Admiral Ackbar (would never have occurred to Luke to ask, might have occurred to Ackbar to say).  (We also don’t know that Mon Mothma knew Ahsoka very well, or at all, for that matter; they never interacted in TCW.)

As for her swinging harder into overt Jedi-ness by Mando after her blatant “I am no Jedi” of Rebels, it reads to me as a response to the Anakin/Vader revelation (especially the attachment thing).  She had made certain assumptions in the TCW period (see her saving Rex in the TCW finale) and prior to Rebels; Kanan’s method of Jediness was something she could accept in the time period and in those circumstances; the Anakin/Vader revelation shattered all of that, followed immediately as it was by Kanan apparently going full Jedi self-sacrifice despite his attachments.  (Her reaction to Ezra being a trauma response about two very different circumstances.)  All of a sudden what she thought might have been mutable based on the circumstances became something that had to be adhered to in case of dangerous results, which she had just had brought home to her in extremely bad circumstances.

I made a crack somewhere about Mando’s central tension being between “being Mandalorian” and “being doing Mandalorianness”; I think in the post-OT period with Ahsoka and Luke we’re seeing something similar with “being Jedi” and “being doing Jediness.”  Even if Ahsoka isn’t actively claiming the title Jedi anymore (because what does that accomplish in most contexts?), she’s leaning far more into the tenets of the Jedi Order -- which Luke doesn’t know and doesn’t know he doesn’t know.

Thus the doctrinal dispute.

Ahsoka grew up in the Jedi Order.  That’s what she knows, that’s how she knows how to be a Jedi; for her being a Jedi is being part of the Jedi Order, whether or not the actions associated with performing Jediness are being actively practiced.  Luke doesn’t have that context.  For Luke, being a Jedi is...being doing Jediness.  (This is super awkward phrasing.)  Performing the actions of a Jedi.  Luke has a few holocrons, but I’m guessing that a lot of what is on those holocrons makes the assumption that whoever is opening with them has the context of being a part of the Jedi Order and doesn’t explain really basic stuff about the Order or what that means.  Luke’s Jedi Order is not going to be the Republic Jedi Order made anew; it’s going to be something that has a resemblance to it and is based on a similar view of the Force, even arguably its heir, but is just not going to be the same thing.  It can’t be.  Luke doesn’t know what he doesn’t know.

Kanan, of course, is coming into all of this from a similar context as Ahsoka: he grew up in the Jedi Order, it’s what he knows, it’s who he is.  Except Kanan never walked away from the Order, so while Ahsoka had been disconnected from her Jediness at the time of the Purge, he never lost his -- part of Ahsoka’s tension from TCW S7-Rebels was “I can’t be a Jedi because the Order is gone” and Kanan’s was “can I be a Jedi without the Jedi Order?”  (Ezra is a whole ‘nother thing but is somewhat outside the scope of this.)  The Jedi Order never factors in Luke’s Jediness at all.  (There’s some lineage doctrinal dispute here as well -- the Yoda lineage seems to be very closely connected to the Order as the font of Jediness, the Windu-Billaba lineage somewhat less so.  The Yoda lineage is like...the hardcore conservatives of the Jedi Order, though, and are probably not typical.)

Poor Kanan came back from the dead, after a week in another universe (which had its own problems; he’s been trying to very gently convince his counterpart that even after being an Inquisitor for months he can still be a Jedi), into Luke trying to build a new Jedi Order from scratch, Ahsoka firmly believing it couldn’t and shouldn’t be done and not wanting to be in the same room as Luke at all (not to mention that she really did not believe that they should have gone for “hey, let’s send Hera Syndulla to another universe” as even being an option), and both of them having essentially incompatible notions of being a Jedi at each other -- this is probably the most time Luke and Ahsoka ever spent in each other’s presence.  They’ve probably never articulated their problems at each other, just assumed that the other knew them.  And Kanan has his own “how to be a Jedi” approach, which is from a very different than either Ahsoka or Luke because despite originating from the same context as Ahsoka, he had a very different path to get to his present position.

As for what Kanan knows -- uh, pretty much only what Hera knew, and Hera knew very little?  She was friendly with Luke and Leia, but didn’t have much interaction with them -- she states that she had a tendency to avoid Luke because even if she would never say it to Luke’s face, she silently believes that if any Jedi should have been in the Rebel Alliance, it should have been Kanan and Ezra and not this relative newcomer.  If the Death Star 2 news about Vader and Palps was never common knowledge, then Hera wouldn’t have known it.  Kanan’s in a position of having to play catch-up, but also having a completely different priority (finding Ezra).  He sat through this meeting where after they’d finished grilling him on “you were in ANOTHER UNIVERSE and also you CAME BACK FROM THE DEAD?” they politely sniped at each other with a bunch of context he didn’t have and flat out decided that wow, he did not want to deal with this at all, whatsoever.

(This is also not stated in the story, but Luke and Ahsoka also disagreed about whether Jacen should be trained or not: Luke said, yeah, of course, when he’s a little older! and Ahsoka said nope, he’ll be fine, it will go away. Hera was just very “...I will deal with this later” about it since it wasn’t an urgent issue.)

[dettiot]

Star Wars Fic Masterlist

I’ll be updating this as I write more Star Wars fic, since a galaxy far, far away has eaten my brain. :-)

Also feel free to visit me on AO3!

Anidala

Male Solidarity: Leia brings Han home. 

Sick Day: Padme takes care of a sick Anakin.

Communication: Anakin discovers how extraordinary his children are.

You’re My Only Hope: Obi-Wan has to save Anakin.

Bathtime: Padme and Anakin, on their honeymoon, in a tub.

The Sleeping Senator: A Sleeping Beauty AU.

“How much does it hurt?”

It’s late at night on Coruscant.

Padme Amidala knew there was no reason to be scared of flying.

Don’t Freak Out: a gender-swapped Chuck AU

We Are Gathered Together: Padme’s thoughts during Leia’s wedding.

“My torso isn’t exactly a pillow you know.”

“I had an important appointment later but… you only live once. I can cancel.”

Happy Fifth Anniversary

Out of the Mouths of Babes

It’s very early in the morning.

grown more beautiful

Ceasefire

the festival of light

in the wee small hours of the morning

peut-être vu

“They’re just so small,” Anakin whispered, holding Luke and Leia in his arms.

Anidala in High School AU

of flower crowns and family

we’re having a heat wave

election night

love and politics the credit drops settling the matter shopping trip talking to the future brother-in-law

late-night interruption another late-night interruption a new late-night interruption

late-night interruption: an expanded and revised version of the ficlet. (1) (2) (3) (4) (5) (6) (7) (8) (9) (10) (11)

a mama meltdown

hope in each other

Ahsoka walks in on Anakin and Padme kissing

cuddling

R2′s holofootage of Anakin and Padme’s wedding lets the tooka out of the bag

beauty and the beast

Han asks the Skywalkers for permission to marry Leia

the king and his bodyguards

nightmares about shaaks

Padme is kidnapped

Anakin doesn’t like that Padme got kidnapped

can’t you see?

For Want of a Lightsaber (1)

sleeping in

grocery shopping

Padme is a criminal--kinda

Unexpected Knowledge

The Skywalker Twins Run Wild

Space Disneyland

the meaning of safety

love and coffee, served hot

Anakin’s strange punishments

Padme is a librarian and Anakin is a library menace

Cutting Edge AU

Obitine

On the Run: A duchess and a Padawan.  One: The first meeting. Two: A moment in the dark. Three: Almost close enough. Four: A breaking point. Five: A decision is made.

“I can’t love you.”

“Hi, I’ve been subtle at hinting that I want your attention all day and you haven’t noticed once and now I’m pissed.”

a bright sun

Opposing Counsel Case Law Statute of Limitations Amicus Curiae Cause of Action Precedent De Novo Discovery Moot Proof of Claim Habeas Corpus

Obi-Wan is not nearly as fluent in Mando’a as you’d think

watching the sunsrise

Of All the Spice Joints in the Galaxy . . .

Satine said the word

Changes The twins miss the parents they’ve never met

Space horses

Anidala & Obitine

better late than never

dinner with the family

double date

Now is the Month of Maying

Obi-Wan’s surprise Life Day party

Living Every Day

Luke/Mara

Snippet 1: From a fic that may or may not happen . . . a conversation between Han and Luke about Mara. Snippet 2: Luke talking to Mara and Karrde about his plan. From the same fic that may or may not happen.

“You’re the only one who gets to call me that, you know.”

Luke and Mara watches security drone footage of Anakin and Padme

Luke tells Padme that he and Mara are dating

telling the master

“Dad! Ben took my X-Wing model!”

an unwanted invitation

the extended family

Luke and Mara celebrate Beru’s third birthday

Gen

Luke Skywalker is six years old.

Mara meets Talon Karrde

“Get away from here.”

family bonding

graduation

a grief shared

battle brothers

Luke and the Tooka

mirror images

under the trees

birthday holo call

brunch with the in-laws

morning at Varykino

heads-up display

the twins prepare a surprise

the disaster lineage vs. the coolaster lineage

An Ahsoka and Anakin hug

heart-to-heart

Padme and Luke are sick Anakin is worried

Anakin visits Leia late at night, post-The Last Jedi

Padme & Ahsoka bonding

do droids dream of electric nerfs?

News of the Galaxy How our faves deal with the holopress.

One: Duchess Satine appears on Rotation. Pre-Clone Wars. Two: Senator Amidala participates in a debate about the Military Creation Act. Three: General Anakin Skywalker cooks on the  Raché Ré Show.

Anidala Week 2020

the secrets of the heart: written for Day 2: Canon Divergence or Favorite Canon Work. After Padme helps present the Declaration of 2000′s petition to Palpatine, she is threatened with arrest and Anakin helps her flee Coruscant.

Tam Lin: written for Day 3: Fairy Tale or Mythology. Recently returned to Scotland, Padme meets a strange man in the wood.

Bench Trial: written for Day 4: Modern AU or Fusion/Alternate Fandom. Padme and Anakin meet within my Opposing Counsel Obitine lawyer AU.

love or a cough: written for Day 5: Favorite Quote or Song-Inspired. Padme thinks about her love for Anakin.

Anakin vs. the Feelings: written for Day 7: Free Day. More of my gender-swapped Chuck AU, this time from Anakin’s POV.

Days of Love: A collection of romance ficlets written and posted in February

jedis don’t do surprises (Luke/Mara, post-Thrawn duology)

it seemed like a good idea at the time (Anidala, The Mummy AU)

steeped with love (Obitine, year on the run)

there was only one bunk (Han/Leia, pre-Empire Strikes Back)

id’s nod a colb (Anidala)

the town on the prairie (Obitine, Anidala, historical AU)

double date (Luke/Mara, Han/Leia)

love washed clean (Anidala, mid-Revenge of the Sith)

the prince heir part 1 || part 2 (Luke/Mara, The Princess Bride AU)

early morning with leaders of the Rebellion (Anidala, Anakin doesn’t fall AU)

father sometimes knows best (Han/Leia)

a quarrel between friends (not lovers) (Obitine, set pre-Voyage of Temptation)

sons of old friends (Luke/Mara, Obitine)

a pet-friendly fencing salle (Anidala, Obitine)

ROTS Vader vs. ROTJ Vader (Anidala)

plans for the future (Anidala)

sometimes you don’t have to decide (Din/Luke, Luke/Mara)

love despite exhaustion (Han/Leia)

the fly on the wall (Obitine)

the red carpet (Anidala)

[captainsupernoodle]

mando ep 16 thoughts (spoilers. like, big ones.):

hmmmm. hmmmmmmmmmmmmmm.

i accidentally caught someone having a bad reaction before watching it so i didn’t go into it with an unbiased viewing so i’ll have to watch it again. but. hmmmmmmmmmmmm.

i don’t like bo katan? don’t care for her. she’s rude.

on the other hand having an all-woman team + din was just. gosh. i don’t even like the two mando ladies but it was Good. that move on the bridge? Nice. I feel like it demonstrated a little more of what you can really do when you have fully supplied mandalorians in your corner, similar to the bit where the covert comes and gives mando a hand in season 1.

Also. all-woman strike team. v good.

cara’s little bit with the gun. Good. *bangs and belabors gun into working* “excuse me” *shoots people* lskdjflksjdlk

tiny baby clinging to mando’s leg aaaaaaaaaaaaah

fighting!! with! the spear!!! i do enjoy a signature weapon - the whistling birds are Good but not really viable for everyday use. Also it was a lot of fun to see.

that bit with mando getting his head hammered into the wall???? a lovely bit of continuity that really drives home exactly how tough beskar is in a visceral way while also making me go “ouch” eleven times in a row

at this point my brain goes “he’s gotten his bell rung” every time he gets hit in the head bc his helmet is shiny and goes ding but gosh. his ears must have been ringing so bad. also getting a pov shot of that robot just pounding him into the wall must have been miserably claustrophobic.

highlight thought: MANDO GETTING THE DARKSABER? ABSOLUTE FUNNIEST POSSIBLE OUTCOME.

he’s like i’ve LOST my SHIP i’ve GIVEN UP my CHILD and i CAN’T FIND my VILLAGE and NOW?? NOW? i ACCIDENTALLY ENTERED MYSELF INTO THE RUNNING FOR MANDO KING.

WHEN WILL IT END

mixed feelings abt luke bc on the one hand! i do like luke. on the other hand! it feels mostly shoe-horned in?? it’s just like “surprise! luke is there! and also r2-d2!” and i’m like heh?? why?

yeah it mostly boils down to why??????

it doesn’t really jive with the rest of the show - og and movie star wars is v grand, sweeping battles and epic victories and tragedies while mando is a series of sidequests in the down and dirty

also No foreshadowing! no “oh you remember that guy that blew up two death stars! he has a wizard school now! isn’t that wild!” no wild rumors of skywalker adventures that get dismissed as too crazy to be real! nothing!

and this just occurred to me but are they trying to convince me that ahsoka is still alive in luke skywalker times and they haven’t met???????????????? no? that’s not right? she’s a Big Name rebel and he has the same space wizard powers. I Refuse to believe she doesn’t know about him.

In conclusion: it needed more boba fett, less bo katan, and at the very least more foreshadowing for luke - but gosh, those fight scenes were Very nice.

Oh Yeah the helmet thing

dude. is it supposed to be a big deal or no? bc i was buying into it being a big deal and that’s why ep 15 was So Good, it was literally built around it being a big deal.

on the one hand: showing his face to the kid??? Good. Yes. V good, more of this, ideal, i love it.

on the other hand: showing his face in a room full of people, after using the same concept in the last episode? is it important or not? are we still respecting the culture he’s dedicated to or are we going the bo “you’re not a Real Boy” Rude(tm) & Hypocritical katan route and saying he’s getting “liberated” from a “cult”? it’s starting to feel cheap. i feel tricked.

conclusion: we shall have to see i suppose

[smokeybrand]

Weak of Heart

I'm a guy who loves a great legacy character. Cassandra Cain, Jaime Reyes, Jessica Cruz, and Helena Wayne, are favorites. Ben Reily, Kate Bishop, Robbie Reyes, and Carol Danvers, are also worth mentioning on the Marvel side of things. Hell, Laura Kinney is top ten all time for me. When you want to extend the mythos and shake up the continuity, bringing in a Legacy character is a great way to do that. If it's done properly. When it's not, you get Riri Williams. I don’t care for Riri Williams. The fact that Ironheart is getting a show chaffs me to no end, man. Now, before you label me ass a self hating black person, i need to be clear; I don’t like Riri because she’s a non-character Mary Sue, not because she’s black or a replacement for Tony Stark. Riri has the dubious honor of being the poster child for lazy, woke, virtue signaling, comics of the early Tens that plagued the industry. Cats, especially at Marvel, were more interested in pushing agenda and forcing diversity rather than writing dope stories. I can;t say that all of those narrative were sh*t because i did enjoy a few. I rather liked the Mockingbird run but i assume i am in the minority on that, considering all of the ridiculous discourse around “Ask me about my feminist agenda.” Admittedly, i didn’t evade the sting of this whole virtue signal renaissance as my darling Carol Danvers became this total b*tch with a dude’s haircut around this time. For me, Ms. Marvel was one of the best things about that Mighty run of the early Aughts but, you know, superheroes can’t be hot anymore because of Patriarchy or some sh*t even though they are, legitimately Olympic level athletes with bodies to match but okay. I’m getting a little off-topic here, my point is that Ironheart is the worst of this super-woke stunt writing and i hate her for it. he most frustrating thing about all of this? It’s worked before.

Kamala Khan is a similar Legacy introduced around the same time as Riri If i remember correctly, she predates Ironheart by a few years and was met with similar resistance from the fandom. Being very much Pakistani and very much Muslim, Kamala got ALL of the xenophobic, racist, and islamaphobic hate. It was very transparent how f*cking dumb that sh*t was but, over time, she’s developed into kind of a bullet proof character. Seriously, she had a great run in her own book and really rounded out as the leader of the Champions. Kamala Khan is one of the most well written, fan friendly, representative charters in comics, and she earned every bit of that shine. I, personally, don’t care for Kamala, i finder her personality grating, but i understand the merit of who she is and why she’s important. More than that, i see how well her implementation and pushes worked for her. Ms. Marvel has seen all sorts of success outside of the books. She’s had a ton of appearances in various cartoons to varying success but got the nod as the POV character for the once lauded, now derided, Avengers game. They did her dirty with that but I've heard that her game play is pretty fun. Kamala is a success story about how you diversify your pantheon organically, successfully, without it coming off as pandering. There is only one character who has had a better rise in the zeitgeist and is arguably the genesis for this brand knew age of representation first in comics, whether that be for better or worse.

Miles Morales is, unquestionably, the reason we have characters like Kamala, America, and Riri. He predates them all and has had the most success as the Spider-Man of 1610 after Pete died. People HATED Miles when he first swung though Brooklyn. It was vitriolic. Incandescent. And i understood why. Spider-Man is Peter Parker. That’s who he is. Miles didn’t even have his own origin story, it was literally the same spider that bit him. A good deal of the hate had to do with Bendis as well. We were knee deep in his whole “Make all the heroes black” situation and it was wearing thin. He had positioned Luke Cage and Spectrum as principal powerhouses of the Marvel Universe and it just wasn’t there for those characters. He didn’t do the work to make those characters compelling, especially Luke Cage. He wrote Cage as a power fantasy for himself, i imagine he wants to be black more than anything, and it was incredibly transparent. Cage went from a D-Lister with roughly Captain America class strength, to a primary Avenger with Hulk class strength, over night. That’s corny. Miles got the same treatment but to a lesser extent. He didn’t get his shine until other people came through and cleaned up the mess Bendis left of the character. A decade on, and Miles has been accepted has the best Spider Jr. out there, earning clout with the best Spider-Flick released to date and a principal role in the best Spider-Game out there. In the books, he’s developed into a solid character, different from Pete in a ton of ways, but familiar in all the ways that count. More than anything their relationship is dope as f*ck. If Kamala was the first, real, success, then Miles was the dry run to get there.

Riri Williams has none of this development. None of it. She was in the Champions book, too, right along with Kamala and Miles, and she still sucks. Hell, Kid Nova, Sam Alexander, also makes an appearance in that book and i forgot he existed until i wrote this sentence, but even he has more of a character than f*cking Ironheart. Sam is f*cking adorable. He’s had a ton of crazy adventures and, for a while, was literally the only Nova around. He was the Kyle Rayner of Marvel and the kid did a great job with that. When Riri Was the only Iron Man, she was indistinguishable from Tony. It was so bad, her AI WAS Tony. That’s how little faith Marvel had in the character after her introduction. Kamala, by this pint, had her own solo and Miles had been Spider-Man in Ultimate comics for, like, four years or some sh*t. Riri couldn’t even be Ironheart without Tony having an intimate role in her “independent” book. Sh*t was whack, son, and that’s my point. Riri Williams, Ironheart, is not a character, she’s a PR move and that sucks because the bones of something really compelling are there to be explored. Riri could have been dope especially if she had the room to grow Kamala and Miles. Riri had every opportunity to be the Marvel version of Ahsoka Tano; A brash, brilliant, reckless apprentice to the seasoned veteran hellbent on training her to reach the potential that only he sees within. Riri could have been written with the most depth, the most growth, of these diverse replacement heroes but none of that happened. Riri is the same f*cking character she was when she was introduced. There’s been o growth, no change, and her armor is ugly as f*ck. It’s a goddamn shame because i adore the idea of Ironheart but that execution leaves a lot to be desired. I hope the writers under Feige do the character justice. I hope they find a way to make Riri compelling, to make her whole because the potential there is staggering. It’s unfortunate that no one at Marvel Comics knows how to properly actualize it.