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vagrantblvrd · 4 years ago

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Obi-Wan raises Luke instead of Owen and Beru, please.

Oooh, nice.

Because I am That Person I want to do the Satine lives AU (I haven’t finished Clone Wars yet, but one of my friends has Strong Opinions about similar AUs).

Obi-Wan doesn’t leave the Jedi Order to be with her,because Duty, and all that with the war, but perhaps once the war is over he can?

But then Anakin falls to the Dark Side and it’s decided to separate the twins. Leia goes to Bail and Breha, and Obi-Wan is supposed to take Luke to Tatooine to be raised by his aunt and uncle, but.

Obi-Wan’s in his ship leaving Coruscant after losing Anakin the way he did and it isn’t a conscious decision really, that has him putting in the coordinates for Mandlore, doesn’t even register until his droid is like ??? and he sees what he’s done, and has this moment of oh, I didn’t mean to do that, did I?

He means to fix it, input the coordinates for Tatooine, a weavin winding path in case he’s followed, but stops to think about it.

It makes sense to take Luke there, no one would think to look for him, but the thought of leaving Luke, one of the last pieces of Anakin left to him to be raised by people who wouldn’t understand him leaves him with a bad taste in his mouth.

Regret, guilt, for failing Anakin so completely, and it’s like. Anakin has ties to Tatooine that someone smart enough might look into, might find Luke, but Mandalore? That complicated mess is all Obi-Wan’s now.

And it’s selfish, he’s being selfish, not wanting to give Luke up, thinks about the Order and attachments, but look where it got them in the end, you know? (His foundations have been rocked, shattered beneath his feet but if he thinks on it there were cracks, fault-lines long before that.)

So.

He calculates s winding, weaving course to Mandalore and goes to Satine where they raise Luke as their foundling, right?

They keep the whole...Jedi thing on the down-low, because ancient enemies but Obi-Wan and Satine’s inner circle know, because how couldn’t they?

Obi-Wan may go by a different name these days, but it’s close enough to his real name it wouldn’t take much thought to connect the two. Also, his face???

And Luke okay. Obi-Wan teaches him to control his Jedi abilities and such from an early age, but he couches it in games and play and all Mr. Miyagi with his wax on, wax off schtick kid of deal to keep Luke from accidentally giving away the fact he’s strong in the Force and so on.)

Meanwhile there’s an effort to dial back the animosity towards the Jedi, which meets with mixed results, because people. Also, also, over the years Obi-Wan encourages Satine to mend the rift between her followers and those exiled to Concordia.

Also, with mixed results, but with the Empire’s numbers growing it seems like a mistake to allow Mandalore to be divided.

They reach some kind of understanding, not entirely reconciled, but better than things were before.

In another meanwhile, Luke is being raised as a Mandalorian, and like Obi-Wan earns a set of armor.

But then!

The Purge happens, and in the chaos Luke is separated from Obi-Wan and Satine, the other Mandalorians.

He has his armor and a ship and the lightsaber that belonged to his father Obi-Wan shoved into his hands before they were separated.

Has to hide from the Empire because one thing Obi-Wan made sure he knew from a young age is that he couldn’t all ow himself to be captured by them, that they’d be looking for him.

(And on some lonely nights after the Purge when his nightmares seem more real than usual, some part of him wonders if the Purge happened because Mandalore refused to join with the Empire, or if someone found out about him?)

Anyway.

Mandalorians and the reputation for being fierce fighters and skilled bounty hunters and Luke is truly alone for the first time in his life. Little money to his name and his ship can only get so far before it runs out of fuel, and he needs ammunition and food to eat, and it’s just.

He finds work s a bounty hunter, and the first few bounties are part of a learning process. Thank goodness for his armor or he’d have been dead dozen times over the first month.

Still.

He’s been raised as a Mandalorian his whole life, maybe saw himself as an outsider because his Force abilities and the secrets Obi-Wan kept even from him, but he’s been training as a warrior his whole life.

(Pacifists, yes, but the galaxy is a dangerous place and perhaps more so for someone like Luke, so.)

Between the regular weapons and hand-to-hand and whatnot and Obi-Wan’s instruction with his Force abilities and his father’s lightsaber he’s quite the dangerous individual.

He keeps running into this Corellian smuggler and his Wookie co-pilot, and sometimes he turns a blind eye to their antics if he’s tracking someone else. (In return Han’s willing to let information slip to Luke, for the price of a drink or a meal, and of course he’d never say no to an outright gift of credits, so.)

There’s a miscommunication on a job, once. Luke after a bail jumper and this other Mandalorian with a silver helmet who wants the pilot Luke’s bounty hired.

There’s a bit of a fight, nothing serious before it occurs to Luke that the aforementioned pilot looked a little too panicky at the sight of the other Mandalorian to be fully innocent. (Also, it’s Mos Eisley. Innocent people are exceedingly rare here.)

It’s the first time Luke’s worked with another Mandalorian on a bounty, and it’s actually kind of nice. (Although he suspects the other Mandalorian may have ties to The Tribe, but it’s the least of his problems at the moment and the man makes for good company.)

Anyway, anyway, at some point Luke runs into Ahsoka - and he knows her. Obi-Wan and his secrets and she’s safe, she can help him.

At first she’s reluctant, because look what happened to Anakin, what if she’s resposnsible for the same happening to Luke? But he finds a way to convince her - stubborn like Anakin, if not worse - and she takes up his training where Obi-Wan left off.

She’ll lave from time to time because Rebellion shenaigans, and sometimes Luke goes along to help.

And then word through Luke or Ahsoka’s contacts about Leia being taken prisoner and important plans and they’re so far out they might not make it in time.

“I know someone who might help?” Luke offers, because he and Han are hardly friends (they kind of are though), and the Falcon is one of the fastest ships out there even if she doesn’t look like it.

So, side trip to Tatooine and Han is just “Oh, come on, you too? What is with today?” because Greedo and Luke being a bounty hunter and Ahsoka is super unimpressed.

Once Luke explains what he needs, Han is like “NO,” but Luke convinces him and Han reluctantly agrees (but then Jabba and that whole mess and it’s kind of a disaster getting off Tatooine but they make it so everything’s fine.

Before they leave though, there’s this weird hermit they run into and emotional reunions because Obi-Wan and he thought Luke was dead and what has he been doing? Also it’s very nice to see you again, Ahsoka, you look well.

Luke going up to the cockpit to give them privacy for their part of the reunion and sharing information and all that.

And then rescuing Leia and Luke in his beskar getting between Obi-Wan and Vader even though both Obi-Wan and Ahsoka are incredibly not happy about that, but some people there were just going to let the sith lord kill them, and Luke is just how about no???

(Satine would never forgive Obi-Wan something like that Luke’s sure, and according to Obi-Wan she’s back on Tatooine still, so.)

Leia gets rescued and the Rebellion’s down a few pilots and oh, hey, Luke’s kind of not bad at that whole deal?

Obi-Wan’s needed as a strategist - and honestly, no one wants him out of sight after the whole thing on the Death Star - and Ahsoka with her Rebellion Thing.

Han comes back to save Luke’s life and Luke destroys the Death Star and happy ending for now?

But Luke knows there’s something about Vader and Luke himself that has Obi-Wan and Ahsoka deeply worried. (When he thinks about it there are a few reasons why that might be, but he does his best not to dwell on it.)

Anyway.

The usual Star Wars shenanigans but with Mandalorian!Luke with his armor and whatnot.

Confrontations between Luke and Vader go a little differently because of Luke’s armor? But the hand thing still happens because parallels or some nonsense, idk.

(Anakin’s not the only one who has to remove their helmet on the second Death Star and so on.)

Leia has mixed feelings about the whole Boba Fett putting Han in carbonite because Luke’s used the same method on some of his bounties in the past. (The violent dangerous ones that posed a risk to him transporting them the guild, though, but it doesn’t matter to Leia at the time.)

After the destruction of the second Death Star there’s talk, idle, unsure about forming a school to teach the next generation of Jedi?

Because Force-sensitive kids and there must be a better way, a balance between the ole Jedi Order and a new one.

Until then, Luke is curious about the whole Jedi thing, goes looking for relics and whatnot. (Maybe does some bounty hunting every so often, because why not.)

Satine wants to go back to Mandalore, help her people if she can and Obi-Wan goes with her because not a lot of reason to stick around Tatooine otherwise.

And then!

This call for help through the Force and Luke following it to an Imperial light cruiser and Din being very, very confused at seeing a Mandalorian with a lightsaber?

Is it like Bo-Katan’s Darksaber? Will one of them have to change? So confused. (Also though, possible concussion from his fight with the Dark Trooper, but yes.)

“Are you a Jedi?” Din asks, feeling that it’s a valid question because Mandalorians and Jedis and ancient enemies????

And yet.

Luke is like, hey, it’s you! Because silver helmet and remember that time we got into a fight on Tatooine? But also, also, hello Aunt Bo-Katan and friends.

Mainly though, Grogu who is kind of losing his tiny little mind because Mandalorian? But also Jedi? But Mandalorian???

And then shenanigans in which Luke is like, huh, about the Darksaber and poor Din who wants nothing to do with it. His adopted mother who wants to help her people but afraid they won’t listen to her after what the Empire’s done them and is like.

Strangely convenient, but he’ll take it.

They stop by the closest New Republic planet or outpost to hand Gideon and whatever other Imperials are still on board over and then head to Mandalore.

Din is still so very confused, but it doesn’t seem like Luke plans to take Grogu away and he’ll take what he can get. (So sure Luke will take Grogu far away at some point, but tries not to think too hard about that.)

And then the whole working at calling Mandalorians home - Din is super unsure about being the new ruler of Mandalore, but once Bo-Katan and Satine have a chat about the fure of their world they’re like, “He’s perfect for the role.”

Just needs a little help, and with them and Obi-Wan and other trusted people to help him, something great could come of it.

Luke stays on Mandalore - his home more than anywhere else in the galaxy - and he and Obi-Wan train Grogu. Ahsoka too, when she visits.

Once Mandalore and its people are more settled there’s talk of joining the New Republic, right?

Leia as the New Republic’s representative, and Obi-Wan one of Din’s advisors, negotiators and it seems as though good things will happen there too.

But!

Also!

Luke who grew up on Mandalore helping introduce Din to it? Teach him about this world he’s never seen, but is important in its own way more than ever now.

And little Grogu and all that.

Keldabe kisses in a courtyard on a night when Luke’s meditating outside, Din restless after tucking Grogu in and happens across Luke.

Understands that Luke doesn’t follow the Creed the way Din does, but he was raised as a Mandalorian and Din’s seen him in his helmet more often than not and anyway.

Luke meditating in the moonlight and while Din was worried he might have interrupted, Luke opens his eyes and smiles, something about it drawing Din closer.

And it’s.

There’s been so much Pining, but this is Luke, and anyway, keldabe kisses, and Luke laughing at Din being so flustered by it, but Luke’s laughter is shaky, breathless and really, the man’s a hypocrite.

Still, the two of them stay like that for a little while longer.

#star wars nonsense #dinluke #anon #not!fic prompt #prompt fills #technically not a fic #vagrant fic #mandalorian!luke #but like with a ~twist #long post #Anonymous

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darkisrising · 3 years ago

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Bobadinluke, 37?

Ooooooooooh, Anon. Dear, sweet sweet Anon. You have NO idea how overboard I went on this, lolol. Thank you for the prompt, I hope when you read this next 4k+ words you won't regret it too much. Disclaimer: All I know about prison I learned by watching Oz back in the day. Full whump in this one, and threats of sexual assault though none actually occur. Some character death, some mentions of transactional sex... lottttttta cursing. Yeah, just, if you decide to read this one please proceed with caution. 37. meeting in prison au, BobaDinLuke

“First thing you do when you get to prison,” Anakin Skywalker whispered into his son’s ear as he held him so tightly Luke couldn’t draw in a deep enough breath, though maybe that was just the panic setting in. “You find the leader of the Sith in there and tell him Darth Vader said to take care of you. He goes by Maul. He’ll keep you safe.”

In answer, Luke hissed “Fuck you, you fucking bastard” and sincerely meant every word of it. When the guards pulled them apart to lead Luke away—the irons around his ankles clattering ominously—it was a relief. For a father that had thrown him and his sister by the wayside as they were growing up, leaving them to be raised by distant and dubiously-related relations, he sure had decided to make himself suspiciously present in the courtroom ever since he’d framed his only son for murder.

“Don’t be proud, Luke,” Anakin called out, his voice cutting through the courtroom’s chatter. “You’re going to need all the help you can get.”

Luke’s tempted to throw another “fuck you” over his shoulder but then he caught sight of Leia, clutching her tiny lump of a newborn son in her lap. Her eyes were as close to crying as he’d ever seen his sister get and that’s when it all came crashing down on him. That this moment, which some stupid, fragile part of him had thought would never really come to pass, had happened. He’d held on to hope that someone—some jurist— would listen to all the damning witness testimonies and look at all the gruesome crime scene photos and then look at Luke—pacifist, Prius-driving, yoga teacher Luke—and think “No, it couldn’t possibly have been him.” He had a rescue dog, for fuck’s sake. He’d gotten Artoo from the no-kill shelter that he volunteered at between shifts at the local food pantry.

How the fuck could they ever believe him guilty of murder?

But Anakin Skywalker, leader of the Sith crime syndicate—second only to the so-called Emperor whose identity was a mystery to all but his most trusted underling—was good at what he did. If he wanted to kill a district attorney, he killed a district attorney. If he wanted to pin it on his son to keep his own ass out of prison, then that’s what he did. And then if he showed up every single goddamn day to Luke’s trial, sitting there just behind his son so that no one could help but notice the resemblance between the two of them—couldn’t help but speculate at how close they must be for his father to be taking such a personal interest in his son’s trial—until a person decided that the apple hadn’t fallen far from the rotten, mafia-laden tree?

Well, then; he did that, too.

Guilty on all counts. Seven life sentences to be served consecutively. One hundred and five years without the possibility of parole, and Luke knows as soon as the van pulls up to the prison gates and he’s shuffled out along with all his fellow offenders deemed too dangerous to society for anything but the most maximum of maximum security prisons, that he is going to die here.

As it turns out he doesn’t have to go looking for the Sith. Word of his arrival has preceded him and he turns from placing the blanket and pillow he’s been assigned onto the bunk he’s been assigned to see he’s been followed.

“Hey, you Vader’s kid?”

There are two men lingering by his cell’s opening and Luke doesn’t need to ask who they are to know what they are. They have that same glint in their eyes, rabid fanaticism and zero fucks to give, that mark all the Sith that Luke has had the displeasure of knowing in his life.

“No,” Luke says as mildly as he can manage before turning his back on them to pluck at his blanket under the guise of making his bed. His hands are shaking, his anger at his father is like runoff from a melting mountain snow, and he takes deep, careful breaths to try to staunch the torrent. He’d kill for a yoga mat and a dim room right about now, but he doubts that’s in the cards for him anytime soon.

“Aren’t you Skywalker?”

“I am,” Luke allows. “But I’m afraid my father’s name is Anakin. Not Vader.”

“Oh, come on,” one says, standing close enough that Luke can smell that his clothes are fresh from the dryer. It’s an industrial smell and utterly impersonal. “We both know who Anakin Skywalker really is. Maul wants to see you.”

“I’m afraid Maul is just going to have to be disappointed, then, because I don’t want to see him.”

“I think you’re going to want to,” the other one says, flanking Luke’s other side and he’s suddenly very aware of how small this cell is, especially with three bodies in it. “Pretty blond kid like you? Lots of ways you can end up hurt, you know what I’m saying? You’re going to need someone to protect you while you’re here.”

“I can protect myself.”

They only laugh, like they both know things that he doesn’t, but they don’t press the matter any further. Luke finds out the next day they were right to laugh. Maybe Luke had taken enough martial arts classes as a kid—from a sensei teaching out of a strip mall that was so wizened and stooped that he wasn't much taller than the children he instructed— to think he knows something about something. As he lays on the floor of the prison’s basketball court with the taste of his own blood leaking through his clenched teeth, a bribed guard smirking near the closed door as six men pummel him with fists and feet, Luke quickly learns how little he knows about anything. When one stomps on his wrist Luke doesn’t even scream, the pain is so white hot he can only cling to consciousness for one bright, all-encompassing moment before everything fades to black. The last words he hears before he’s gone are “Tell Darth Vader that the Tuskens send their regards,” and then: nothingness.

When he wakes up in the medical ward there is a cast on his arm and a man staring down at him. He's wearing the khaki pants and button up shirt of a prisoner. Tattoos spill across his face, down his neck, and continue again along his exposed forearms and for a moment Luke wonders if he’s the only one that can see this fearsome creature of a man for all that the nurses and guards and other prisoners are ignoring him.

“Still think you don’t need my protection, young Skywalker?”

Maul. It has to be.

Luke has to clear his throat before it’s any use to him but eventually he’s able to get out “Dunno why I’d need it. ‘M doing great.”

Maul grins and a mouthful of sharp teeth glint in the stale, fluorescent light. “Yeah? Well let’s see how long that lasts. Your daddy says I’m not supposed to raise a finger to help you until you pledge loyalty to the Sith.”

Luke’s heart kicks over as a chill spreads across his skin. So that’s what all of this has been about. For years his father had tried to get Luke to join him, to serve the Emperor just as he did, and now—what?—Anakin thought he could force Luke’s hand? That he could manipulate him into a situation where he’d have no choice but to swear his allegiance to the darkness Luke has tried so hard to exorcise from his life?

“That’s never going to happen,” Luke says and Maul only pats Luke’s ankle, a parody of comfort.

“Oh, it will, young Skywalker. The only question is how much pain are you willing to bear before you do? There are a lot of men in here that hate your father. I’m sure one of them will convince you that you need our protection.”

Maul isn’t wrong. In his first month in prison Luke becomes intimately aware of the intricacies of his cell block’s various factions and all the ways that Darth Vader has, one way or another, fucked over each and every one of them. He learns it in the cafeteria, where he’s jumped in line to get his food, and in the gym, where he’s pinned down by steel between the weight racks, and in the library, where he’s caught somewhere between the dictionary and the encyclopedias. He almost learns it in the showers when the leader of the Hutts has him dragged to his knees but that was blessedly interrupted by a CO actually doing his job for once.

Jabba watches him go, thick tongue licking across even thicker lips, and Luke knows his time is running out. He’s going to need to find a protector and quick.

***

The one respite he's found in this hellish existence are to be found at night. His cellmate, an old man with a white beard that everyone else calls “Crazy Old Ben,” is a lifer who is less interested in Luke’s body and more concerned with his soul. Together they meditate, sitting on the cold concrete floor and tuning their breaths until Luke can pretend not to hear the sounds of quiet violence and even quieter pleasure in the almost-dark prison.

Old Ben takes Luke under his wing until the day Luke comes back from a shower to find no trace of Ben save for the ratty old bathrobe he always wears. It’s crumpled into a heap on the otherwise pristine cell floor, like he had been in it and then, suddenly, was gone.

When the blaring sirens and red flashing lights and screaming of the guards call for a lockdown, Luke knows, he knows, he knows whose body has been discovered. And when, from across the hall through bars of his own, Maul catches his eye and smirks, Luke knows who ordered the hit on the only friend Luke had found in this God forsaken place.

***

Somehow the warden talks Luke into leading a yoga class for his fellow inmates. It's bullshit, of course; no one ever shows up. But it is nice to have space enough to move the way he wants to without risking someone stepping on his throat while he's down in Shavasana or taking his downward facing dog as an invitation for something he’s not interested in offering.

One day he’s startled to find a man he's never noticed before waiting for his arrival. He’s flanked by two that Luke has had plenty of run-ins with already to know they run with the Mando gang and Luke balks when he catches sight of Vizsla but for once there’s no smirking taunts to be had from him. He stares sightlessly ahead, chin raised, as if at attention and that more than anything makes Luke look back at the unknown man again.

He’s handsome: with sad, dark eyes and a scruffy appearance that somewhat distracts from the fact that his prison uniform is wrapped tight around a body that’s been whittled lean with muscles. He has a smattering of scars, remnants of violence that cut across his arms and hands, and if he’s there to beat Luke up he certainly doesn’t act like it when he extends his hand politely.

"I'm Din," he says in a careful, unassuming voice and Luke warily takes his hand, giving his name in return. “I understand you’re running a yoga class here.”

“Oh, yeah,” Luke says, glancing at Vizsla again and wetting his lips. “But, um, if you need the room it’s yours. No one ever shows and so I can clear out—”

“I’m here to take the class.”

“Oh,” Luke says, mouth running before his mind has caught up but what else if new? “Oh, well, that’s great. Let me get you set up with a mat. Are your, your—” he casts about for the right words. “—friends? Going to be joining us?”

Vizsla snorts. “Hell no, Skywalker. We’re just here to make sure nothing happens to the Manda’lor.”

It takes everything in Luke to simply nod and turn to the pile of mats to find one that isn't reeking of sweat and mold from being shoved into storage dirty. To not gawk at the doe-eyed man who even Luke, who prides himself on knowing nothing about his father's world, knows rules over all the Mandalorians, both inside and outside the prison. The one man that not even Anakin Skywalker will fuck with.

"I have a son," Din explains with a shrug when the class is over and Luke has been rendered suitably impressed with the fluid grace with which the fearsome Mandalorian gang leader had moved through every pose, his body made for movement and honed by battle. "The people that are watching him for me say there's this lady on YouTube that teaches kids yoga that he’s gotten really into. I just thought if I tried it it could almost be like we were, well," he shrugs again like whatever he's about to say is too unbearably personal and despite himself Luke finds it utterly charming.

Luke smiles, asking "How old is he?"

"Five."

"Well, if he’s anything like his dad then he must be a natural at yoga, too."

Din's lips quirk in a smile and something complicated in Luke’s belly curls at the sight. Or maybe it's not so complicated, Luke considers as he watched the Mand’alor leave with his guards. Luke can recognize a burgeoning crush when he feels it. He floats through his shift in the kitchen, contentedly lost in his memory of the other man, until he's brought back to reality when he takes a punch to the side of his head.

"Watch what you're doing, Skywalker. Hate for you to get hurt when you've got your head in the clouds, " the inmate supervisor calls out and Luke can only nod as he ignores the pain from his jostled skull and gets back to work.

Luke keeps his crush to himself, and would avoid Din completely if not for the fact that folks are remarkably less inclined to punch him in the face whenever he’s in the Manda’lor’s company and so he tries to be as close to him as often as he can. It’s strategic, Luke tells himself, as he asks Din if he has any pictures of his son and coos over a kid with giant eyes who is triumphantly holding up two bright pink Easter eggs. The more Din likes him, the better his chances when he finally works up the courage to officially ask for his protection. He knows he doesn’t have much to offer in return, but by now Luke knows the transactional nature of prison. His body is a hot commodity and he’s perfectly willing to give Din exclusive use of his ass and mouth if it keeps him alive.

He ignores the thrill of excitement that the thought of sex with Din inevitably brings.

So Luke flirts, flickering little touches here and leaning in closer there, hoping that eventually things will progress naturally. They don’t, but that’s okay because Luke is nothing if not persistent. He has full faith in his ability to work the cute twink angle. Lord knows he did it enough when he was on the outside and had far less to lose.

And it works. Sort of. Din doesn’t seem to notice that Luke drifts along in his orbit after morning yoga classes, sometimes well into the evening and as close to lights out as he dares. The reason why he doesn’t make a move on Luke becomes painfully, achingly, mortifyingly clear the morning Luke enters the meeting-come-yoga room to find Din in a passionate kiss with someone Luke’s never seen before.

He should have known something was different when there had been no Mandalorians posted by the door but this. This. This is. It’s—

The man whose mouth Din is trying to crawl into is built like a shit brick house, all thick muscles and big dick energy as he holds Din by the jaw and their teeth clack so hard that Luke can feel the echo in his own mouth. When he tears away to fix Luke with a stare, he can see that this man’s been so scuffed by life that even his scars have scars and when he speaks it is with a deep, gravel voice that shivers across Luke’s skin.

“You must be Luke,” he says, as if he hadn’t just been caught making out in a dark room. Like Luke can’t see his raging hard-on through his prison-issued pants.

With a calming breath Luke grasps desperately for his most enlightened and peaceful tone as he replies. “I am. Will you be joining us for class, Mister….”

“Fett. Boba Fett. And no fucking way. I’m just here to stand in the corner and enjoy the view.” He smirks at Din who answers with a smile that’s absolutely smitten and Luke can feel his heart jump into his throat before plummeting into his stomach.

“Of course. Make yourself comfortable.”

When the class is over Luke lingers in the room, taking his sweet time rolling up the mats. As he follows Boba out, Din turns to look back at Luke with a confused expression. “Aren’t you coming?”

“No, no, you go on ahead. I’ve got things to do.” Din’s eyebrow raises and Luke can concede that maybe his voice was a little high, a little pinched, but Din doesn’t press the issue. He only shrugs and tells Luke “Well, you know where to find me” before he’s out into the hall.

Luke doesn’t need to go in search of information on Boba Fett. It’s drifting through the filtered prison air wherever he goes. His re-incarceration is all anyone can talk about, starting from his offense—knocked over a grocery store and killed the clerk, if you can believe that stupid shit—and wild guesses as to why he would have gotten caught doing something so petty when he’d finally been paroled—probably just missed his husband, you know how stupid those two are for each other.

“Guess you got tossed to the curb, huh, Skywalker?” Jabba says when they are working the food service line and Luke is very carefully keeping his eyes from looking at where Din is sitting, trying to eat between laughs as Boba crowds so close he’s practically in the Manda’lor’s lap. “Tough break. You know the offer still stands if you want a new cock to suck.”

Telling the Hutt what exactly he can do with his cock and precisely how his mother might like it might give him a surge of soaring adrenaline for the moment but he quickly sees the error of his ways when it’s time to clean up and he’s shoved into the industrial freezer next to all the rows of Hoth Farms Vegetables.

By the time he’s found he’s pretty much stopped shivering which doesn’t seem like a good sign. The doctors in the medical ward seem to agree, at least as far as Luke can tell by all their scrambling activity when he’s wheeled in, barely clinging to consciousness.

***

“That was remarkably stupid,” a melodious voice says a week later.

Luke has been able to cling to lucidity well enough that he’s been sent back to gen pop, for all that he keeps to his bunk and can’t seem to stay awake for longer than a few hours. Shockingly no one has been by to harass him in his weakened state but his luck has finally run out. There is a mountain of a man leaning in his cell’s doorway, and Luke can’t even find the energy to be nervous by the way Boba Fett’s dark eyes are narrowly assessing him.

“I excel at stupid.”

“Yeah, I’ve gathered that from what I’ve been hearing about you. Son to one of the scariest sons of bitches around and yet you refuse to join up with your old man’s gang. Instead you prefer to get the shit kicked out of you like you're just another prison bitch.”

“Yep, that’s me alright,” Luke says with false cheer as he struggles to sit up.

“Word also has it that you’ve been following my husband around like a bitch in heat.”

Fuck. Fuck fuck fuck fuck. “Listen, Fett—”

“Now I don’t begrudge you a little schoolboy crush. Din is a hot piece of ass. And I haven’t exactly been around so I’ll give you the benefit of the doubt here that you didn’t know that he was otherwise engaged.”

“I didn’t. I swear I didn’t.”

“Okay. Good. That’s that.” Fett nods at him, but he doesn’t move from where he stands, still watching Luke. Still taking his measure.

“Does, uh,” Luke’s tongue darts out to lick his lips, a nervous gesture that Fett’s eyes watch sharp as knives. “Does Din know that I—” and he can’t bring himself to say anything more about it.

Fett snorts a laugh. “Din is clueless about just about everything but fighting and fucking. He doesn’t even know whose kid you are. I’d be very surprised to hear he was able to figure out for himself that you’re in love with him.”

“Ah. Okay, well that’s,” Luke stops when the ache in his chest tightens so abruptly he can hardly breathe. Still, he forces out a bleak: “That’s good.”

“It is. Take care of yourself, Skywalker.”

***

There seems little point in fighting against the inevitable after that. If his father thought prison was going to break him, then he’d thought right. He takes a month of beatings without so much as lifting a finger to protect himself. His face is in a perpetual state of bruises but he hardly notices for all that it feels like he’s floating, like he’s becoming one with some great higher power and one day he might just fade away entirely.

Fett is usually there in the periphery—watching, always watching—and Din’s eyebrows furrow every morning when he catches sight of some new mark, some swollen finger, some hastily bandaged scape.

“What’s going on?” he asks and it seems like Fett was right, Din really is that unobservant if he doesn’t see how often Luke is made to bear marks in answer for the sins of his father.

Luke plants a sunny smile on his aching face while Fett watches them from the corner of the room, arms crossed and face twisted in a scowl. “Not much. Same old same old. Shall we begin with our Ohms?”

***

He’s spitting blood down the drain after another ambush that leaves him splayed on the slippery communal shower floor when Fett finally confronts him.

“What the fuck are you playing at? You’re a dead man walking, Skywalker. Quit being stupid and go to Maul. Get his protection.”

“Never,” Luke grinds out with more vehemence than he’s felt in a long time. “I’ll never join the Sith.”

“Why not?”

“Like you care,” he says, reaching for a washcloth to finish the shower that had been unavoidably interrupted. Fett gets to it first and he holds it aloft and out of Luke’s reach unless he wants to strain his ribs that have seen better days.

“You got some kind of Daddy issues or something? That why you won’t become a Sith?”

“Hey, fuck you, Fett,” Luke says and he waits for Fett’s first punch but it never comes.

“Come here,” he says instead, his head tilting curiously. Luke doesn’t move and Fett rolls his eyes. “Come here, don’t look at me like I’m about to eat you.”

A washcloth wielded by a surprisingly gentle hand dabs at Luke’s face. He holds perfectly still under the ministrations while Boba leans in closer. “You’ve got gett'se, that’s for sure.”

“Like I know what that means.” Luke’s tone is bratty and rather than take offense, Fett smiles.

“Gett'se. Guts. Courage. Going to need to learn Mando’a if you’re going to be joining me and Din for the foreseeable future.”

“What?” Luke asks, eyes wide, and Fett doesn’t answer. Not in words.

The distance between them disappears as Fett presses his plush lips to Luke’s bleeding ones. He’s careful, so careful in his kiss and it shatters something vital in Luke. Tears are burning his eyes, biting at his nose, by the time Fett pulls away. “You’re breaking Din’s heart, the way you’ve been carrying on, cyar'ika. And that’s been breaking mine. So why don’t you do us all a favor and come be ours for a little while. If you hate it, we can set you up with someone else, but I have the feeling you’re going to like it just fine. What do you say?”

Luke can’t speak through the tightness of his throat, through the spilling of his tears of relief, and when Fett kisses him again, and again, and again, each time it’s like he’s someone worth caring about. Someone that matters.

Fett—Boba—turns on the shower and leads him under the spray, washing his hair and his skin. “Shouldn’t I be doing that for you?” Luke asks quietly and Boba laughs.

“Sure. Soon as you can lift your arms higher than your shoulders you're free to do anything you want to my body. Until then let me wash your fucking hair, alright? Gotta make you pretty for Din, yeah?"

He rests his forehead against the immense, solid expanse of Boba’s wet chest and for the first time in a long time he feels safe enough to close his eyes somewhere that isn’t his locked cell.

When the guards— who had fucked off to wherever the hell they’d been bribed to go while Luke took maybe his last beating ever—finally show up and yell at them to break it up, Luke isn’t even mad about it because Boba is tossing him a towel and telling him to hurry up and dry off. Din is waiting for them.

#darkisrising fic #bobadinluke #tumblr prompt #ask game #ask box

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corellianbrandy · 3 years ago

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Caught up on episodes 2-16 of The Bad Batch this weekend and these are my thoughts as I watched

1. Love how tarkin has aged like 40 years since we last saw him approximately four-to-six months ago in the clone wars. Like I’m not kidding I genuinely love it

2. Whenever little omega gets out of the ship and sees sunlight for the first time and is so excited about dirt 🥺

3. The scary scary nexu 🥺🥺🥺🥺 so cool

4. The empire just immediately making everyone’s lives miserable ie giving everybody a chain code and shit. You’re right Dave Filoni we SHOULDN’T have social security numbers.

5. CID FUCKING RULES LMFAO. Cathy Bates lizard ass mob boss bitch. Echo knows her as ‘a contact of the Jedi’ which coming from him probably means less ‘the Jedi’ in general and more just ‘Obi-Wan and Anakin’. Cid clearly liked the Jedi, but Anakin I can’t imagine having that much patience to deal with her and he probably just interacted with her out of necessity but Obi-Wan. Imagine her and Obi-Wan interacting.** The flirting. The mind games. They were probably in love.

6. I always know that I personally am going to have a great time whenever the Zygerians show up because they always bring the Peak Weird Scifi Ralph Mcquarrie 70s vibes with them and they did NOT disappoint. The flying lizard vs. rancor fight gave me the strength I needed to go on another day

7. Speaking of the rancor like I knew it was going to be a rancor as soon as we saw the cage but I wasn’t expecting it to be THEE rancor.

8. Furthermore. Lost it at thee rancor making puppy dog heart-eyes at omega as it’s being led away to be chained up under Jabba’s palace to eat Jabba’s enemies for the rest of it’s life until Luke finally kills it in 4ABY.

9. Everybody climbing through the ion engine core was COOL SO COOL. My little nerd brain really loved that. “This is actually a marvel of engineering. This steel coating is capable of withstanding -“ “NO ONE CARES!” 💯💯💯💯 Exactly how I would’ve written it A+++++++

10. The fucking rattlesnake wild west music that aggressively plays every time Cad Bane is on screen. What’s better than this.

11. Cad Bane’s entire new gunslinger cowboy outfit. Everything to me.

12. I love all these deep seeded reasons we’re getting for why the storm troopers SUCK. 1. Being the entire idea to use them in the first place was based off a misunderstanding made after one(1) experimental mission where it’s interpreted that they’re better than the clones when the clones were the reason for the mission’s success in the first place and 2. How a lot of the first-wave storm troopers were trained by the clones who either didn’t want to train them and didnt do a great job on purpose or did it but personally left out a lot of info and skills. Pretty fascinating explanation for protagonist armor while also making a statement about the inefficiency and insincerity of institutional evil/bureaucracy (I guess).

13. Holy shit did NOT LIKE THE CLAUSTROPHOBIC ENDING AAAAAHHH. Like the facility on kamino floating to the bottom of the sea. Kill meeeeeeee. Very cool visuals though.

14. One thing I didn’t like was all of the stuff with Crosshair. It was all just so contrived and weird and didnt make any sense and really just brought the show down in the end, writing-wise. Honestly, most of the stuff regarding the clones’ story arch after their interaction with the guy on Ryloth who still had his armor painted, where we’re supposed to just assume his inhibitor chip . . . didn’t work or something? But instead of anyone bothering to tell him what’s going on after such a big deal was made out of the chips the episode right before this, it’s treated like some kind of moral choice the guy is making kinda took me out of the story severely. And even more so when the same guy manages to talk a bunch of other clones out of working for the empire too. Like can they do that? We’ve had this idea that these chips essentially mind control you repeated to us over and over so wtf. There was no coherent explanation for any of it. Maybe it’ll be explained later somewhere else, but still. Weird to do it this way. They needed to be more consistent with what a horrible scary thing those chips were instead of doing whatever that was. But up until then it was a lot of fun sci-fi.

14. Every minute cody doesn’t show up in one of these post war 66 shows i get more and more excited for him to show up dramatically in kenobi

**Like fr picture it it’s year 2 of the clone wars. Anakin and Ahsoka are sitting at the space mahjong table in Cid’s parlor bored as fuck and ready to leave but Obi-wan is still in cid’s office. it’s hour four and they’re only halfway through orchestrating the most unnecessarily elaborate and convoluted deal for a piece of information like “where is cad bane the last time I saw him he stole my wallet and car keys and he refuses to return them yes my car got blown up but that’s not the point It’s The Principle Of The Thing.” Literally everyone around them grew bored of all of this 3 hours ago but not obi-wan and cid. This is what they do for fun and they are both having the time of their lives. Anakin this war is stressful some of us are trying to relax

#star wars #the bad batch #the clone wars

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smokahuntis · 5 years ago

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Home

Pairing: Obi-Wan Kenobi x reader

Warning: smut! Morning sex! Love?

Authors note: This is part of my ‘If The World Was Ending’ collection, this is a part 2 to Obi-Wan’s fluff, It can stand alone but I recommend reading the first one! I didn’t edit this!

Summery: After taking Luke to his grandfather obi-wan comes back to (y/n) to catch up.

Obi-Wan woke up to the sounds of a baby crying and (y/n) was gone, he sat up looking around the room as he I started to wake up more. Taking in his surroundings he remembered last night, How well she listened and took care of him. He was her best friend and he knew that, but after last night he was scared of where they are now. Where they friends still or more? Nothing really happened after the kiss other then they slept in the same bed but he couldn’t help but think about what could have happened. He wanted to betray the way of the Jedi so bad just to be with her but it wasn’t the way.

Plus it had been so long since he’s seen her she could have someone else, she could be married for all he knew. If she was he didn’t know what he would do with himself, he’d miss her to much. He’s missing being able to stop in and spend late nights with her, it’s bad enough he doesn’t get to have Anakin with them. He’d miss her with all his heart. He never wanted to forget seeing her happy, or seeing her when she’s fighting.

“Master, where are you going?” Anakin said as they entered the small town on tantoonie. They had came to see Anakin’s mother for the first time in a few years.

“I’m going to get a drink” he said looking at his Padawan who once again raised his eyebrows in more confusion.

“Are you aloud to drink master?” He asked calmly.

“On occasion.” His face gave him away, as his eyes darted towards the door to the cantina to see who was leaving. Disappointment skimmed over his features as it wasn’t who he was looking for, and Anakin knew it.

“You’re going to see (y/n) aren’t you?” He asked with a smug grin on his face.

“What makes you think that?” He asked looking at his Padawan again, eyebrows furrowing together.

“Every time we come to Tatoonie...” Anakin starts as he walks towards the cantina with his master. “You’re always excited to go to the cantina even tho you don’t drink, “ he looked at Obi-Wan “now the only reason that could be is because of a women, or a man I’m not judging master.” Obi-Wan rolled his eyes. “But your eyes light up when I say her name, and you try to look for her in every place of your mind on the way over here.”

“Stay out of my mind Anakin” Obi-Wan said as they entered the bar. Shock went over Kenobi’s face and pride over Anakin’s at what they saw.

(Y/n) had a man on the floor under her boot, and two at the end of her blasters in a stand off. She had more then two guns pointed at her but she was calm and collected, she was so calm she could mirror a Jedi. Her hair was much longer then Obi-Wan remembered and her lip was bleeding. Somehow she still looked good, but now she definitely looked good. Jabba the Hutt moved over towards them to settle the disagreement.

“Now now, everyone lower your weapons there is no need to kill anyone else.” Normally he wouldn’t care but two of the dead men were his. He truly adored (y/n) and the way she did things but if anyone else died it would cost him a lot of money. They all lowered there weapons and stepped away, calming down and going about there day like nothing happened.

Obi-Wan was still in shock when (y/n) noticed he was there, she ran over hugging him tightly. His arms wrapped around her and he smiled, Anakin couldn’t help but feel happy with how happy he looked in that moment.

“Obi-Wan!” She said smiling at him as she pulled away to see his face. Her smile was brighter then a thousand suns and he could never get enough of it. Somehow after everything she’s done he still found her to be a pure soul. “You didn’t tell me you were coming!” She smiled and looked over next to him.

“And Anakin...” she smiled moving over to him, grabbing his face to look over his features, they’d both grown up so much but so had Obi-Wan. “Look at you...Your mother would be so proud!” She said smiling.

“That’s actually why were here, well... why I’m here.” He said glancing over to Obi-Wan, it caused (y/n) to giggle.

“Well come on let’s not keep her waiting!” She said taking there hands and going to the Skywalker’s home.

He smiled in content as he remembered the memory like it was yesterday, it was like the two different sides of her were finally in the same room and it was because of him. But coming back to reality he realized that there was a baby crying, and it stopped.

Luke

He jumped out of bed and went into the living room to find him but was dumbfounded by the sight of (y/n) feeding him as she held him close to her. The child was calm as he ate in her arms and she slowly bounced him around the kitchen.

“What’s his name...” she asked quietly as her eyes didn’t leave the baby in her arms.

“Luke...” Obi-Wan said moving over to her, standing behind her as he looked over her shoulder at them. They were beautiful together, or maybe it was just her holding a child, either way he wished he didn’t have to destroy it. He wished he didn’t have to take Luke to his uncle, wished he could just sit here forever. As a family, an extremely dysfunctional family. He never knew he wanted that till now, he never knew he wanted a family.

“You should get going if you are taking him to his uncles...” she said looking over her shoulder at him.

“Will I be aloud to return?” He asked looking at her.

“Do you have other plans on where to live?” She asked raising an eyebrow and he smiled.

“You want me to live with you?” He asked and she sighed turning and placing the baby into his arms.

“Your entire life has been with the Jedi, and of what you say is true you have no where else to go... I’d give my life to protect you Obi-Wan.” She said softly as he looked down at the child in his arms. Her words melted his heart, and he knew she meant them.

“I never knew I wanted this until I saw you today...” he said looking at her.

“Well... maybe when everything is settled and I take care of the Hutt’s... we can have our own.” She said looking at him. His eyes lit up at her looked at her, warmth filled his chest and he leaned forward giving her a small kiss.

“I should get going, I’ll be back...”

—

Obi-wan woke up to the feeling of (y/n) move against him, her arms wrapped around him tightly in the bed as she slept. His eyes fluttered open and he smiled seeing her.

He’d been with her for a few months now and everything was just about calmed down. No one knew where he was and she was free of the Hutt’s, but Tatoonie was her home and she didn’t plan on leaving, specially not now since the Jedi order had fallen. She’d stay to help keep Obi-Wan safe, she’d stay to be with him. His hand moved down rubbing over her back, gliding over the scars she had from working for The Hutt’s. Someone else leaving marks on her made him sick honestly, anyone hurting her made his stomach turn.

She was an angel, and she deserved to be worshipped, and that’s what he was going to do, worship her.

He gently moved her onto her back, laying her against the soft sheets as his lips found her neck leaving gentle kisses. Being careful of his beard because he didn’t want to wake her just yet, he moved down to her exposed chest, smiling once he saw she was in one of his tunics. He couldn’t help but love the way it moved up her body exposing her soft skin, showing off the scars she had. His lips kissed over those too, gentle and loving.

Once he kissed all the way down to her panties and removed them slowly, it caused her to stir once she felt the cool air of the room on her core. He chuckled lightly when he finally got them off. He kissed over her clit gently as if to test the waters, once he could tell she wasn’t going to be waking up from it he sucked her clit into his mouth and held her thighs in his hands. He was easy and slow about it, yet he was passionate in it. He wanted to worship her being and he was going to, just like this. She was already dripping by the time he stuck his tongue into her, eating her core like she was his last meal. She could feel the coils in her tighten as she began to become close.

“Obi-Wan...” she moaned out quietly still asleep as she did. He groaned against her sending vibrations threw her core causing her to wake up slightly. Her hands subconsciously sliding down into his messy hair, tugging at the blonde strands. Her could feel how close she was but it didn’t stop him, he kept going, consuming her like she was wine from the gods as she cane to her orgasm. She moaned out loudly and her eyes shot up realizing what had happened.

“Obi-Wan!” She moaned out one last time, her breathing heavy as she threw the blanket off him and relaxed back into the sheets knowing it was indeed her lover. He chuckle and licked up all she had to offer before kissing back up her body and to her lips, letting her taste herself.

His hand gently pushed hair from her face as he looked down at her. “Hello there...” he said in his charming tone, causing her to roll her eyes and slap his bare chest playfully.

“What’s gotten into you this morning?” She asked as his lips cane back down to her jaw and chest before undoing the tunic so he could have access to her breasts.

“Am I not allowed to have breakfast, darling?” He asked kissing her ear. She let out a small giggle and pulled him back into a kiss, soft and passionate but quickly heating up. Her hands moved wrapping around his back pulling him closer. Grinding into her causing her to leave the kiss and moan softly, pleading with him.

“I’ll take care of you darling, I promise.” He said kissing her one last time before discarding the rest of their clothing, throwing them haphazardly around the bedroom floor. His hands found her body quickly and exploring like he was molding it, kneading and grasping at the flesh he loved. He kissed her one last time before pushing into her slowly.

They both moan out and her hands gripped his tightly, looking up at him as he sat up and slowly pumped into her core.

He felt like heaven inside her, stretching and bruising her insides. He was so careful and passionate with her, so loving.

Love.

That’s what this was, he wasn’t letting out anger or using her body as a toy, he was making love to her on this early Thursday morning. He was loving her every sound, movement, and scar. He was loving who she was, physically and mentally. He leaned down his lips finding the roughened skin under her left breast, a scar from a battle he was there for, a battle he saved her from. After that his lips moved over to the right side of her ribs, biting down on the deep line that settled between them from a punishment with The Hutt’s. She was to focused on his movements to hear the little.

“You’re so gorgeous, my darling.” But something in him changed after he said that, my darling, he thought. His hands quickly gripped her hips and he pulled all the way out of her before ramming back in, pulling a sharp gasp from her.

“Obi-!” She said pushing her head back into the pillows, he hit her g-spot right on the head sending pleasure she’d never felt threw her. He kept doing the motion over and over pulling moan after moan from her beautiful lips.

“You’re mine, Darling.” Her growled out as he held her and fucked into her with a bruising force, she nodded like her life depended on it as she felt herself coming to her second orgasm.

“Yes! I’m yours Obi-Wan, I’m all yours!” She moaned out, not able to control the rush of blinding heat that left her core, spasming and clenching around him as she came. He groaned feeling how close he was and he stuttered out.

“Wh-where...” he said as he kept going, leaning over her and kissing her neck.

“Inside me, p-please” she moaned out still falling from her own high. It was all the permission he needed, his hips stuttered and he plunged deep into her, his thick ropes of heat covered her insides, almost bringing her sensitive core to another orgasm.

After calming down from their fall from the stars he left the bed, leaving her a babbling mess as he went to get a rag and clean her. He cleaned her up and covered her back up as her head fell over towards him.

“Where are you going?” She asked tiredly.

“I was going to make you breakfast, you’ve done so much for me I just I-“

“Get back in bed, we can eat later...” she said pulling his sleeve and him back to the bed. She fell asleep pretty easily as she cuddled into his side. He loved laying with her like this, but he was distracted by the act they just committed, by the words she said just before he finished. He was right, everything is changing, but he now knew it wasn’t a bad thing.

“I love you...” he said as he kissed her head.

—

7 years had passed since that day, and he regretted nothing, specially since he could hear her voices right now, it made him fall in love over and over again anything she said that name.

“Ben Kenobi! Put down that lightsaber!”

Taglist: @muted-mayham @jediminddicks1000 @hxldmxdxwn @thisis-theway @blushingwueen

#obi wan kenobi #obi wan smut #obi-wan kenobi smut #star wars #obi wan and anakin #jedi anakin #anakin skywalker #Tatoonie

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tatooines-ghosts · 4 years ago

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HAPPY 2020s ENDING Y’ALL!!!

Enjoy a little blog-exclusive Shades AU that I affectionately refer to as the No Jedi Allowed AU, feat. everybody’s favorite prequel-era Mandalorian bounty hunter.

Sometime this last summer, while trying to work past writer’s block, I toyed with a little AU idea for funsies, I made a post about it, said I wasn’t going to do anything else with it, and left it at that. Until a month or two ago when, still in the throes of writer’s block, I took that little AU idea and figured “fuck it, I’m not working on the next chapter, but at least it’s writing SOMETHING Shades related” and made a real thing out of it.

This is Part 1. Future parts will come out at some point in the future, I’m thinking about making these a holiday special or something haven’t decided yet. (And really it’s only blog-exclusive because I cannot make a series on AO3 and remain anonymous so...)

Enough rambling. Please read, I hope you all enjoy this look at how things might have gone a little differently if a couple Jedi didn’t end up going all the way out to Tatooine to stick their noses into Hutt business.

Please assume content warnings given on AO3 may apply to this story as well. Also, beware spoilers if you are not fully caught up on the main story.

No Jedi Allowed AU - Part 1

Jango Fett heaved a long sigh as the door closed behind him. He had just finished up a long job for Jabba, one that should have been quick but ended up requiring well over a week of stake outs and reconnaissance, but in the end he got his man, as he always did. Jabba had at least expressed his gratitude suitably, in money and amenities. He had given Jango one of the better guest suites and was probably going to send up one of his better girls for a night of entertainment.

Jango began shedding his armor, considering what he would do with the slave girl. He really didn't have the energy to draw anything out. He hoped it wasn't going to be a new girl, explaining how things work was more effort than he cared to expend. Really he just wanted a shower and to sleep, but he wasn't about to leave his stuff unattended with a stranger on the way.

There was a light rap on the door.

"Enter."

The slave entered pushing a dinner cart. Jango breathed a sigh of relief. "Skywalker, nice to see you again."

She flashed him a small smile. "Been a while, hasn't it, Jango?" She paused just over the threshold and let the door lock behind her. "The usual tonight?"

"Sure." He finished removing his armor and set it aside carefully aside. "Get yourself ready, I'm hitting the shower first."

He stepped into the 'fresher, leaving Skywalker alone. Ten minutes later, he was stepping back out, with the provided robe draped around him. His clothes were a little rank, and the quick rinse he gave them in the shower wasn't enough to really clean them. They'd get a proper wash when he got home.

Skywalker had set up dinner, laying out the food and drink from the cart on the little dining table for him. She was perched at the holotable, flipping through the selection of games. There weren’t many games, as most visitors to a Hutt pleasure den were usually otherwise occupied in their rooms, or wanted to watch porn.

"How's dejarik sound? I'm not feeling anything particularly strenuous tonight."

"Fine." Jango sat down in the free seat. He grabbed the complimentary bottle of liquor and poured himself a healthy glass. He offered Skywalker a drink, but she declined. She did pick at the fruit he offered to share. There was always more food than he could eat, and he knew the slaves didn’t get fed nearly as well as guests.

She made the first move on the dejarik board. "How's Boba?"

They fell into comfortable conversation about Boba, about Skywalker's sister, about the recently finished racing season – Jango congratulated Skywalker on another victorious season. They played a few lackluster games of dejarik. That was a bit unusual, Skywalker was a worthy opponent, and she didn’t usually lose more than once or twice.

He beat her soundly for the fourth time in a row, the board resent, his turn to make the first move, but instead he checked the time. "I think I'm going to turn in. It's late enough."

"Yeah," she agreed distractedly. She fiddled with the edge of the gauzy white shawl wrapped around her. She looked pale, uneasy.

Jango gave her another critical, searching look. Her behavior was odd enough, was she supposed to be spying on him? Bribe him, coerce him, assassinate him? He knew Jabba wasn’t opposed to taking out a troublesome being with some poison served by a pretty face, but Jango hadn’t done anything to offend his second-best employer recently. The Hutt had no reason to want him dead, or otherwise intimidated.

Maybe Skywalker was just having an off day, or dealing with some other problem. He wasn’t going to ask. Wasn’t his business.

Her outfit tonight was white and copper, paper-thin linen wrapped in layers to be made suitably opaque, with copper metal accents to draw the eye and match the heavy collar around her neck. It was one of her softer, looser costumes. Aside from looking pale and anxious, Skywalker looked pretty good, a little softer, better fed. Jabba kept his slaves starved and stick thin, save for a few exceptions for the fetishists. This was a change, but not a poor one. Maybe Skywalker was being treated better after another successful racing season.

He turned off the holotable and stood up to stretch. The bed was looking very comfortable, and he wanted to get out of here early tomorrow morning.

Skywalker didn't move. "Jango, I need your help."

He fell still. This was a first, she had never asked for his help before. He'd taught her a few tricks to defend herself against handsy patrons who hadn't paid for the privilege to touch her. Maybe someone was a little more aggressive than she could handle. But Jabba had enforcers on staff whose job it was to take care of people like that. There wasn't anything else he could do for her. She had nothing to ask him to smuggle of planet, and there probably wasn't anything she knew of that he could bring to her. Which meant she was about to ask him to do something very stupid and probably impossible.

"What is it?"

She turned her wide blue eyes to him, her lower lip was caught between her teeth, and she worried it as she considered her next words. He could read her indecision clear in her face. His heart sank. If she was so afraid to even say the words, it couldn't be anything good.

"I need you to free me and my sister."

Jango actually laughed, a single, dry bark. "You're joking." She wasn't. "You want me to steal you from the Hutts? Never gonna happen. Jabba would kill us both for just considering it."

She didn't seem particularly disappointed with his rejection. She implored, "Please, Jango, you're our only hope for freedom."

"No. No way." Even if he wanted to, Jango wouldn't risk earning Jabba's ire, no matter how much he liked Skywalker.

Yes, he felt sorry for Skywalker and her little sister. Being born slaves was unfortunate, but it was their rotten luck that they ended up being owned by Jabba the Hutt. If anyone touched Jabba's property, or thought they could steal from him, they were dead already. Jango had been hired several times to bring in a bounty on someone who had done exactly that. He was not going to put himself on Jabba's shit list.

"I'm pregnant!" she blurted out. "Please, Jango, I can't let my baby be born a slave too." She shifted her arms, removing the shawl from around her waist, and there was the unmistakable roundness to her belly. "I don't even know if Jabba will let me keep my baby."

Jango sighed heavily. "He let you keep your sister."

"Because I didn't give birth to her, because he needed leverage over me after my mom died." She drew a shaking breath; he could see tears gathering in her frightened eyes. "He hasn't even made up his mind on whether he'll let me have the baby. Any day now he could take them from me if it stops me from being able to serve. He'll cut the baby out of me, he'll kill them. And if I do get to have them, then what? He'll steal them from my arms, or just use them like he uses Shila. Please, Jango, I can't go on like this. I want my baby to live. I want to raise them. I want Shila to grow up and know what freedom is."

Jango didn't move, didn't speak, his eyes stayed on Skywalker. His brain was already picking at the idea; it wouldn't be too difficult to – no! He was not about to ruin his career and risk his life for a pregnant slave girl, it's not like the baby was his. What stake did he have at all in Skywalker's future? None! If he tried helping her and they got caught, Boba would be left fatherless. The boy might never know what became of his father. But Anakin... she was the victim of her circumstances. Her little sister and her unborn baby were innocent of the whole matter. They were just slaves.

It wasn't like Jango was opposed to slavery, it was a lucrative evil for the dark corners of the galaxy, and it kept him paid, fed, and employed. He was a mercenary; he wasn't a saint, or even really a good person. Killing was never personal, it was for the job, but he still had a code of honor. And abandoning Skywalker after she asked for his help, after she had exposed herself to be in such a vulnerable position… that was breaking his code.

Would he be able to live with himself if he left her here to her fate? If Jabba stole her child, would he ever be able to look her in the eye again? And Boba... was this the kind of example he wanted to set for his son? Disregarding the lives of children and babies because he didn’t want to risk his own neck. Shameful. Dishonorable. No true Mandalorian would sacrifice a child’s life for their own comfort.

"Ossik," Jango hissed under his breath, dropping back into his seat. "Okay. Fine. I'll get you out of here."

Freeing Skywalker and her little sister was easier than Jango suspected it would have been. Granted it was easy for him to go where he needed in the palace, and nobody looked at him twice. He met Shila Skywalker, the little ad'ika he had heard so much about from her older sister. It was clear they were family, they shared the same face, but where Anakin was fair haired and blue-eyed, Shila was dark haired and brown-eyed. Reportedly she looked like their mother, Shmi, but Jango had never met the woman. Shila was young, only three years old, and she was quiet and shy, and frightened of Jango; a fact that was not helped at all when Jango had to cut the slave chip out of the child's stomach. It was just beneath the skin, and he didn't have to cut deep, so he was able to be very quick about it, but it still had to be done without pain killers.

It hadn’t been pleasant or fun for any involved. Skywalker had to hold the child down, keeping her hand pressed over Shila’s mouth to muffle the screams. But Jango had been the one with the knife. It would probably be some time before the child trusted him.

She flinched away from him with a whimper, hiding her face in her sister’s shoulder when he offered his hand after it and apologized. “Sorry, ad’ika, but you were very brave.”

The elder Skywalker, on the other hand, hardly made a sound when Jango carved out her chip from her shoulder.

With the girls freshly unchipped, Jango smuggled them unseen into his ship and stowed them in a hidden compartment in his cargo hold. It was specially lined to block life signs from most scanners, and certainly anything Jabba had his hands on out here. He left at dawn, nobody looked twice as he had made several comments before about leaving early, and he had never made a habit of staying very long in Jabba's palace in the first place.

Only when he was safely in hyperspace and clear from any Hutt influence did he release his cargo from the hold. Shila had been soothed to sleep by her sister, but Anakin was fully alert and terrified.

"Thank you for doing this," she said gratefully. "Jango, I don't know how I'll ever be able to thank you. You saved our lives."

"Don't thank me yet. Just because I got you out of there doesn't mean you're safe. Jabba's not going to like losing you."

"I know." Her hand moved behind Shila, rested against her belly. "But you've given us a chance."

A few hours later there was a small explosion at Jabba's palace. Nobody was injured, and the damage was minimal, but it threw everyone and everything into hysterics. In the chaos, it took time for someone to take count of the slaves, and then they noticed two very valuable slaves were missing. Search parties uncovered the hastily buried tracker chips, coated in dried blood and sand. Jabba's wrath was terrible and he turned the planet of Tatooine upside down looking for Anakin Skywalker.

Jango landed Slave I on the storm tossed landing pad, rain drummed against the hull. It was midday, though the rainclouds were so thick it might as well have been midnight. He dropped from the cockpit down to the passenger hold, where Skywalker sat with her sister.

Anakin, he supposed he should get used to calling her by her first name. They were aliit now. Whether she knew it or not, when Anakin had thrown her lot in with him to gain her freedom, Jango had brought her into his tiny clan. There really was no way to get around it. Releasing the Skywalkers into the galaxy to fend for themselves was as good as putting a blaster bolt in the back of their skulls. Jabba would have them back and dead, or worse, by week’s end. There was safety, at least, in a clan, security under the Fett name; even if the clan had doubled it in size overnight.

Shila was sleeping soundly, curled in her sister's arms and lap, but Anakin was alert and worried.

"What's that noise? An attack?"

The rain was so familiar to Jango, he tuned it out automatically. "What? No, that's the rain. Water falling from the sky," he had to clarify. He realized rain probably wasn't a word that ever got thrown around on Tatooine.

Anakin glowered at him. "I know what rain is. My mother told me." Her cheeks went pink. "I just didn't realize it made much noise."

Jango gave her some credit. "It is coming down rather hard out there. Come on. We'll get you inside and into more suitable clothes."

Kamino was cold, and the cloner's kept their facility chilly. Anakin's service costume was not going to cut it. He opened the cargo ramp, a blast of cold, wet air swept in.

He heard a gasp and a yelp behind him, Shila had woken up. Anakin tried to comfort the child in Huttese, but Jango could see her own eyes were wide with fear. This much rain and water had to be a shock. But Jango was hungry, tired, and ready to change into something more comfortable. He didn't want to stand here until the desert natives got used to rain.

"Come on," he said again, taking Anakin by the arm and pulling her forward. They walked quickly from ship to facility door, Jango keeping his grip firm so Anakin didn't slip and fall on the wet walkway, her shoes were less suitable for the slick metal than her clothes were for the climate. By the time they stepped inside, Anakin was shivering. Whether from the cold and wet, or everything else, he wasn't sure but thirty seconds in the downpour had turned her costume downright indecent. The flowy white linen had turned translucent and plastered against her body. It made the curve of her belly even more obvious.

It was a good thing Skywalker was so distracted looking around at everything else to not notice him staring and frowning at her. Well, more accurately, staring at her abdomen. A seed of doubt quickly settled and bloomed in his mind – not the first to grow since he agreed to free the Skywalkers, and he squashed it like the others. Having a baby around soon was going to make things interesting.

He sighed softly and shook his head. That little bastard was going to cause him a lot of trouble, he knew it already. After all, it had been the baby that tipped him over to helping the Skywalkers in the first place and inevitably put him on Jabba’s shit list.

How long would it be until Jabba put a bounty on his head? He couldn't possibly be so lucky as to escape without suspicion.

Jango stepped off down the hall, wondering whether the Skywalkers should be seen by a doctor first or if he should just take them home. When the ad'ika began to complain of the cold and the wet, he bypassed the corridor turn that would lead to the medical wing.

Their apartment had that mild, unlived in scent when he stepped in. Boba would have been left with his Kaminoan caretakers while Jango had been gone for a few weeks.

"Come on. We'll get you dried and change clothes before getting you to a doctor."

"Doctor?"

Jango stepped into the 'fresher and dug out some clean towels. He buried his derisive snort in the linen closet. "I doubt Jabba wasted any expenses on having you checked out, didn't he?"

"No, he didn't." Anakin folded her hands over her belly. "I thought for the longest time it might be dead inside me, but I've started to feel them move."

Jango handed her two towels. "How far along are you?"

"Almost six months."

Anakin bent to wrap Shila in the fluffy towel so she didn't see Jango frown at her. He was no expert, but he was almost certain most women were bigger by the time they were five or six months pregnant. Sure, she looked pregnant, but only barely.

"You sure about that?"

Anakin stilled, but nodded, her voice was low and confident. "Yes. I know exactly when it happened."

Jango wasn't going to press the issue. The Kaminoans could figure out the nitty gritty biological details. He moved to the bedrooms, "I'll find you some dry clothes. Won't fit all that well, but they'll be warmer and more suitable than that costume." He pulled a shirt and a pair of pants with a soft, drawstring waistband from his closet. The Kaminoans would have no trouble fabricating something more suitable for Anakin and Shila to wear, but this would do short-term. The little girl's clothes were the basic pants and tunic of Tatooine, but Anakin's costume would be entirely unsuitable for Kamino's climate, not to mention just daily life.

Jango grabbed a shirt from Boba’s room for Shila. It was big enough to be a dress on the child, and the sleeves fell past her hands, but it was workable with a few adjustments. Anakin's clothes were just as ill-fitting, but she didn't complain. She just had to pull the drawstring tight to keep her pants secure around her waist.

"It's only temporary," Jango assured her as she tugged at the oversized shirt. "We'll get you some better fitting clothes ‘fabbed once the Kaminoans get their measurements."

"It's fine," Anakin said quietly, fingering the shirt fabric, it was probably sturdier than anything she'd worn in a long time. Jango's clothes were made for warmth and wear. "This will do."

Jango took them back from the apartment and into the cloning complex, through the cold white hallways to the medical facility. It wasn't empty, it never was. With how many clones the Kaminoans spat out, the medical facilities were always busy; someone was always hurt or sick or injured, or having their genetic aberrations evaluated for viability. But the entrance from Jango's side of the facility kept him separated from the main body. He had mentioned the cloners to Anakin before, but he wasn't sure how much she had picked up on though. It had been a passing conversation as he taught her how to play sabbac. He felt like explaining it in whole might be a bit much for the newly-freed slave.

His side of the medical facility was a little clinic set aside from the main body of the medical wing. It was just one room; the medical bed dominated one side, while cabinets of medication and supplies lined the other walls. There were two doors, one they came through and another that went into the larger facility.

Jango flipped a switch on the panel by the facility door, it would summon a doctor. It must have been a slow day because a Kaminoan stepped into the room a few moments later, one of the doctors. Her big eyes scanned over Anakin and Shila before turning to Jango.

"What can I do for you today, Jango?"

"Doctor Wey Luma, this is Anakin and Shila Skywalker, new additions to my aliit. They both had subdermal chips removed that need patching up, and health checks, and Anakin's pregnant."

Kaminoans weren't nearly as expressive as humans, but Jango could see the excitement in Wey Luma's face. The doctors working with the clones were human specialists, but it wasn't like they came across any pregnant ones in this facility. She would probably become a scientific celebrity just on the fact that she got knocked up. He hoped Anakin wouldn't mind the scientists pawing at her. Probably not, she had enough practice with drunk Hutt patrons, and the Kaminoans wouldn't want to fuck her.

He turned to the Skywalkers, "Wey Luma will take care of you. I need to make some arrangements for your stay here."

"Okay." Anakin nodded and set her sister on the bed at the doctor's encouragement. Jango left the room and pulled up his comm.

He made a call to Taun We to arrange for a bigger apartment, they would need more space with Anakin, Shila, and a baby on the way. Plus supplies and clothing for the new additions.

And it was time to get Boba back from his caretakers and introduce his son to his new aliit. By the time he stepped back into the exam room, Anakin was perched on the medical bed, and Wey Luma was practically buzzing with excitement.

"Such hybridizations are almost unheard of," the doctor trilled. "You could provide us with priceless data."

Anakin looked nervous. She chewed on her lower lip while her hands rested over her little belly. "Would that mean you'll make sure the baby is healthy?"

The Kaminoan paused, confused. Jango stepped in quickly. "They'll take care of you and the baby regardless of whether you agree to let them study you."

"Oh, yes, of course," Wey Luma insisted quickly. "We would not withhold medical treatment. But… you would just do us an enormous favor if we were able to study you and your child."

"What's so special about it anyway?" Jango asked before Anakin had to agree to anything.

"He's half-pantoran. Humans and pantorans typically do not mix genetically."

Jango grunted in understanding. He understood only the most basics of genetics, and he imagined Anakin understood even less. "She'll think about it."

There was nothing else they needed from the doctor, so Jango took them back home.

Taun We was waiting with Boba and a small crate of supplies, the new clothes. Kaminoans were nothing if not efficient; the clothing fabricators must have gotten Anakin's measurements from the medical scans.

There wasn’t time for more than the quickest introductions, as their apartment had to be packed up and everything moved into bigger quarters. A squad of droids expedited the process, and after only a couple hours, they were fully moved into a new apartment.

Taun We and the droids left the newly expanded Fett clan alone to get properly acquainted.

“Boba,” Jango put a hand on his son’s shoulder, pushing him forward ever so slightly. “This is Anakin and her sister Shila Skywalker.”

Boba’s dark eyes traced over the Skywalkers. Confusion curled in his head, father had never brought home anyone before, much less a woman and child. He’d met a few of his father’s more trustworthy associates before, but Anakin didn’t look like a bounty hunter or well… much of anything. What was it about them that had prompted such a sudden uprooting? Why were they now living together?

He’d heard Jango and Anakin muttering about a baby earlier during the move. Was that why? Was she his father’s… girlfriend? Was Shila his half-sister? A natural born Fett heir?

Jango’s grip tightened on Boba’s shoulder and he quickly remembered his manners. “Hello.” He nodded quickly to Anakin and Shila, and then turned to his father for further explanation.

“Anakin and Shila are alit now. I expect you to treat them as such.”

Aliit? Them? That word meant something in Mando’a, Jango wouldn’t throw it around casually. But he knew his father’s adopted clan lines, he knew the branches and offshoots, and distant relations belonging to the family that had taken his father in as a boy. Skywalker was not one of those family names.

“Where did they come from?”

“Tatooine.”

That illuminated very little for Boba, but he could hear the mildly dismissive tone in his father’s words. Now was not the time for more questions.

Jango pushed Boba forward a little more. “Anakin and I need to talk. Can you keep Shila entertained?”

“Oh, okay.” Boba craned his neck a little to peek behind Anakin’s legs, where Shila was hiding. “Shila?” The child buried her face in the back of Anakin’s thighs.

Anakin smiled slightly and scooped her hand behind the child’s head and pushed her forward towards Boba. She said in gentle Huttese, “Go on, Shila, go with Boba.”

Shila stumbled forward, gripping tightly to Anakin’s sleeve. Her eyes were wide and frightened, and Boba didn’t miss the way she flinched away from Jango.

“Introduce yourself.” Anakin prompted.

Shila stuttered out in Huttese a quiet little, “H-hello.”

Boba looked back to his father once again, asking silently if Shila only spoke Huttese. His father nodded curtly, yes.

No worry there, Boba was near fluent in Huttese, so he smiled at the little girl and said back to her, “Hello Shila, I’m Boba.”

Her eyes lit up when she finally understood his words. Boba offered his hand and the child took it. He led her off down the hallway to her new bedroom, right across the hall from Boba’s.

“Let’s see what kind of toys we can find.”

Boba thought he was getting a little too old for toys, but the move had unearthed a lot of old stuff he had nearly forgotten about. He pulled the box down and set it on the floor for Shila to explore while he moved to the open door and tried to listen to whatever his father and Anakin were discussing, but they were speaking too quietly for him to overhear. Jango was clattering around the kitchen, preparing their evening meal, but also making enough noise to purposefully discourage eavesdropping.

Annoyed and disappointed, Boba turned back to Shila. She had tipped most of the boxes contents out onto the floor and had promptly ignored all of them for the plush Aiwha that was almost as big as she was. It must have been a gift or something, though Boba had never particularly cared for the stuffed animal; or many plus toys in general. Shila seemed to like it, though, so he held no qualms bestowing it upon her. Shila was so delighted and excited over the gift, she even dragged it out to the kitchen when they were called for dinner to show Anakin what Boba had given her.

Shila was all set to sit the Aiwha at the table with them for dinner, but Anakin had her put it back in her room. Jango wouldn’t have cared either way – it wouldn’t have been the first time a toddler would have insisted that a favorite toy had to be a dinner guest – but Anakin was still trying to figure out her place in this whole affair, so he wasn’t about to step in a parent her baby sister. Not yet at least.

Shila was still very much frightened of him, even without his armor and the knife, it would be some times before she warmed up to him. Probably when the pain and scar from her tracker faded. Having everyone around her able to speak the same language helped, but Jango knew the child couldn’t only know Huttese for forever. Galactic Basic was a must, as was Mando’a, and Kaminoan would be useful too. He had no doubt Shila would pick up new languages quickly, children that young learned fast. Anakin on the other hand needed to start Mando’a lessons as quickly as possible, picking up the language would be harder for her, but it was something she had to know.

Nobody in his aliit would not be fluent in Mando'a.

"You keep using that word," Anakin observed over dinner. "'A-leet' what does it mean?"

"Aliit means family, of the same clan."

She frowned at him, her brow furrowing in suspicion. "But we're not-"

"You are newly freed slaves. You have no clan or family. You're foundlings and I have taken you in, so now you are part of my aliit. The galaxy is safer for you this way, you have protection."

Anakin stared at him, caught between gratitude and suspicion. “Does this mean we will have to change our names?”

For practical reasons, it would be safer for Anakin and Shila to adopt new surnames; it reduced the chance people would recognize her by name. But he understood the importance and attachment beings could have to family names. If he told her she had to change, she would probably do so without complaint, but that might make her resent the name, resent him and this gift of freedom he was giving her. Then again, this wasn’t something he felt was within his power to decide for her. “Not if you don’t want to.”

Anakin nodded slowly, considering something else. “Does that mean we’re trapped here?”

Trapped wasn’t the word that Jango would have chosen, but he knew where she was coming from. What was the point of being free if you had nowhere to go except back to slavery? With no home, no family, no resources, or friends to turn to Kamino could feel like a trap.

“For now,” he said reassuringly, “You are safe here, and hidden. Kamino is not widely known to the galaxy, nor will the Hutts think to search for you here. And there’s no chance of anyone seeing you and turning you back over to him. If you find staying here to be truly interminable, I can make other arrangements for you, but it will take time.”

Most of the suspicion left Anakin, though Jango could still read a little unease in her. Freedom would take time to adjust to, and it had been less than a day. Her eyes skimmed over him and to the dark, rain-lashed windows that made up a wall of their living area. She managed an uneasy smile and said lightly, “Well, it is very different from Tatooine.”

#long post #not kidding y'all #this is over 5k of story #story related #no jedi allowed au #shades of tatooine #anakin skywalker #jango fett #boba fett #star wars #Jango is ace and there is nothing that will ever convince me otherwise!

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wearesuchstuff1 · 5 years ago

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Star Crossed

What happens when you take a Star Wars obsessed nerd who is getting a graduate degree in Shakespeare Studies and you put her in quarantine with three essays to write for almost two months?

A Star Wars/Shakespeare AU for every one of Shakespeare's plays!

Read on AO3.

All's Well That Ends Well

Kylo as the King and Rey as Helena. Kylo has been stabbed by a lightsaber. Who stabbed him? Totally not Rey, what are you talking about?? Rey offers to heal Kylo with the Force (because that’s apparently a thing you can do?). Kylo doubts she can do it, but Rey offers to make him a deal - either she fails, in which case Kylo can kill her, or she succeeds, in which case she gets to choose her husband. Kylo agrees to this, secretly hoping that if she does manage to cure him that she will choose him as husband and not that annoying Rebel pilot or that ex- Storm Trooper. Rey does manage to heal Kylo, but instead of throwing herself at Kylo, Poe, or Finn, Rey decides she’s a strong independent woman who doesn’t need a man and this way none of them can push the issue because she gets to be the one who ultimately chooses who, or if, she marries. Sorry Shakespeare, this play’s super annoying and I am not inflicting most of this plot on my Star Wars babies.

Antony and Cleopatra

Leia as Mark Anthony, Han as Cleopatra. Leia is a very busy, powerful, accomplished leader of the Resistance. Everyone looks up to her and she has lots to do as her Rebel forces battle the Empire. If only Han Solo weren't so damn sexy and distracting…

As You Like It

Ray as Rosiland and Finn as Orlando. After escaping from Jakku, Ray must seek her family in the Forest of D'Qar. Finn, in love with Ray and fleeing the wrath of the new, hostile government, also ends up in the Forest. There, Ray finds her family, learning that family does not begin or end with blood, and learns to find “tongues in trees, books in the running brooks, sermons in stones and good in everything.”

Comedy of Errors

Anakin managed to avoid the temptations of Palpatine but when Palpatine discovers that Padme is pregnant they, with Obi Wan’s help, agree that the children must be kept safe from the Sith Lord. In the wake of Order 66 Padme takes Leia and C-3PO on one ship and Anakin takes Luke and R2-D2 on another. The twins are raised apart but when Luke comes of age, he sets out with R2-D2 to find his twin. Hijinks and hilarity ensue, but in the end Luke and Leia, R2 and 3PO, and Anakin and Padme are all reunited.

Coriolanus

Obi Wan as Ophidius, Palpatine as Menennius, and Anakin as Coriolanus. Palpatine is intent on shaping the warrior Anakin in his political image. Anakin would much rather stab things with his lightsaber and rail against the establishment than put up with politics. Obi Wan and Anakin are gay for eachother.

Cymbeline

Leia is Imogen, Anakin is Cymbeline, Palpatine is Anakin’s evil lover, Palpatine's clone son is Cloten, Han is Posthumus. Leia married Han but Anakin doesn’t approve because Anakin and Palpatine want Leia to marry Palpatine’s clone son. After Han has been kicked out he goes to Jabba’s palace and sends Jabba the Hutt to try to seduce Leia because Jabba tricks Han into betting that Leia won’t betray him. Jabba brings “proof” to Han of Leia’s supposed infidelity and Han sends Chewie as Pisonio to lead Leia to the deserted deserts of Tatooine to kill her. However instead Chewie brings a disguise for Leia to dress up as a boy to keep her safe from Han. Dressed as a boy, Leia gets separated from Chewie and meets Obi Wan (as Belarius) and Luke (as Guiderius/Arviragus). Leia doesn’t know that Luke is her brother and after she falls ill she takes a potion given to Chewie by Palpatine that ends up making her fall into a dead sleep. I can’t be bothered to explain why. Thinking her dead, Obi Wan and Luke plan to bury her until Palpatine’s clone son, dressed as Han and looking for Leia, arrives and, because he is rude, gets his head cut off by Luke, who lays him (headless) next to Leia. When Leia wakes up she thinks that Han is dead and, in great despair, Leia goes off and pledges herself as a page to Tarkin, who is leading the Empire’s fleet against the Hutts. There is a big battle where Luke, Obi Wan, and Han kick ass, and at the end all mistaken identities are revealed, Palpatine dies and confesses his sins (not in that order), Han and Leia discover they were only tricked into thinking they didn’t love each other, and Leia still gets to strangle Jabba. In conclusion, this is a batshit play. Thanks Shakespeare.

Hamlet

Well it’s not Anakin because he doesn’t take any time to ponder anything before killing the people who killed his parent. He just kills them. And not just the men, but the women, and the children too…

Ben Kenobi tells Luke that Vader killed his father. Horrified by this information, Luke sets out across to Galaxy to confront Vader. By act five Luke has stabbed the Emperor through a curtain (thinking him to be Vader), Vader and Luke have both been stabbed with a poisoned lightsaber, General Tarkin has drunk poison intended for Luke, and Princess Leia is knocking on the doors of the death star. With his dying breath Luke tells his school friend Biggs (who Luke is not-so-secretly gay for) that he gives his vote for Leia to run the Galexy after he is dead. At this point Ben Kenobi is beginning to wonder if maybe he shouldn't have lied to Luke about his father after all. Also, R2 and 3PO are Rosencrantz and Guildenstern.

Henry IV, Parts I and II

Han as Hal and Jabba the Hutt as Falstaff. Hanging out with Jabba and his other lowlife friends has given Han a bad reputation. Despite Jabba's insistence that they be partners in petty crime and enjoy all the entertainment and Corilian Rum the credits from their crimes can buy, Han must grow to realize that his friend is holding him back from his true place in the Galaxy and that he ultimately must turn away from his old (large) friend in order to become a General in the Rebel Alliance and to stand by its Princess's side.

Henry V

Jyn and Cassian know, as their small band of brothers lands on the beaches of Scarif, that they are outnumbered ten to one. Nevertheless, as they prepare to head once more unto the breach they are determined to make ten men feel like a hundred. They know that if they are mark’d to die, they are enough to do the Rebellion loss; and if to live, the fewer men, the greater share of honour. They fight valiantly and are able to bring the Rebellion hope by sending the plans for the Death Star to Princess Leia, but in the end none of them outlive that day, nor come safe home.

Henry VI, Parts I, II, and III

Despite the threats posed by the Clone Wars, the Jedi look above all else to their religion, leaving the path open for their enemies to take from them their power and, ultimately, their lives.

Henry VIII

Obi Wan is Anakin’s first wife and Padme is Ann Bolyn. Anakin cheats on Obi Wan and the Jedi Order with Padem. When the world finds out (youngings’) heads will roll.

Julius Caesar

Snoke, Kylo, and Hux as Caesar, Brutus, and Mark Anthony. Despite his pledged allegiance to Emperor Snok, Kylo turns against his master and stabs him with his lightsaber, inciting a power struggle between Kylo and Hux and some impassioned speeches to the gathered Storm Troopers.

King John

Palpatine as King John, Mace Windu as the Pope, and Anakin as the archbishop (and Hubert). Palpatine, in order to assert his influence over the Jedi and to continue to bring Anakin under his power, insists that Anakin be appointed to the Jedi Council. Mace Windu is furious that Palpatine would interfere in this way and attempts to “excommunicate” him from the Republic. Anakin turns on Mace Windu and the Jedi Order, and Palpatine sends him to the Jedi Temple to kill the younglings (specifically a youngling named Arthur). However, when actually faced with the task Anakin is unable to do so. Instead he lies to Palpatine and tells him the younglings have been killed.

King Lear

Lear/Cordelia as Vader/Luke. Vader is slightly (maybe a lot) crazy and angry and he tries to give his son, Luke, part of the Galaxy, providing Luke pledges his allegiance to Vader and the Dark Side of the Force. Luke is not having it so Vader cuts Luke’s hand off. In the end, after some battles, Vader realizes Luke is in the right just in time to die.

Love's Labour's Lost

By swearing off attachments and secluding themselves in their Temple, the Jedi believe they will better be able to learn from and serve the Force. But then Qui-Gon Jinn meets Shmi Skywalker, Obi Wan Kenobi meets Satine Kryze, Ahsoka Tano meets Lux Bonteri, and Anakin Skywalker meets Padme Amidala. Together they learn that attachments are not so easily avoided.

Macbeth

The Nightsisters, led by Mother Talzin, predict greatness for Darth Maul. In fact, when he is apprenticed to Sidious, Talzin predicts that Maul will become the most powerful Sith Lord and that he will soon become the master, no longer the apprentice. Fueled by this promised power, Maul, encouraged by his wife Lady Ventress, plans to kill Sidious. However, he is disturbed by Talzin's predictions that while he may become more powerful than even Sidious, it is Sidious's future apprentice, Darth Vader, who’s children will defeat the power of the Dark Side. Thinking himself invincible thanks to Mother Talzin's predictions he sees no reason to fear the two Jedi who arrive at the Naboo palace of Dunsinane in a ship called the Birnam Wood.

Measure for Measure

With the Empire not giving a fuck about the Outer Rims, Jabba is left to his own devices on Tatooine. When Jabba captures Luke and tries to feed him to his pet Rancor, Jabba proposes a deal with Leia that if she stays with him he will let Luke go. Already feeling that she is married to the Rebellion, Leia is torn between her love for the Alliance and her love for Luke. Ultimately Leia decides she’s better off strangling Jabba while Luke blows up his ship. Even though this isn’t what Mariana actuall does in the script it’s what she should do becasue fuck the patriarchy.

Merchant of Venice

In a last-ditch attempt to save the Republic she loves, Padme comes before the senate and reminds them that 'the quality of mercy is not strained'. She advises them that mercy 'is mightiest in the mightiest; it becomes the throned Emperor better than his robe: his lightsaber shows the force of temporal power, but mercy is above the lightsaber's sway". Her impassioned speech reminds the senate to see past the blood lust fueled by Palpatine and the Clone Wars and Padme single handedly manages to avoid the death of democracy to thunderous applause.

Merry Wives of Windsor

Jabba the Hutt is Falstaff. That’s all.

Midsummer Night's Dream

Finn and Poe, both thinking they are in love with Ray, follow Ray to a forest planet. Rose, in love with Poe, follows him. In the forest R2-D2 and his young companion BB8 use trickery and (Force) magic to help the humans sort out this love triangle mess (yes, this does make C-3PO Titania). Finn and Poe realize that they are actually in love with each other and Ray reaffirms that she is a strong independent woman who doesn’t need a man. Rose gets left in the woods because J.J. Abrams forgets about her.

Much Ado about Nothing

Leia/Han as Beatrice/Benedict. Despite the seemingly daily war of words between Princess Leia and Han Solo in the hallways of Hoth’s Echo Base, it seems every Alliance member except the Princess and the smuggler knows that the two are in love. While the verbal battles continue (some more sophisticated than others - Han’s only available comeback to Leia’s rather weak “scruffy looking nerf herder” jab being “who’s scruffy looking?”) Chewbacca, Luke, R2-D2 and a relatively confused and unwilling C-3PO ‘undertake one of Hercules' labours; which is, to bring Han and the Princess Leia into a mountain of affection the one with the other’. By the end both Han and Leia are separately convinced the other is madly in love with them and relent (purely out of the goodness of their own hearts and not at all because of any feelings they might have) to save the other from their suffering and agree to marry them. Also Jar Jar Binks is Dogberry - do not question it.

Othello

In order to serve his own purposes, Palpatine manages to turn the righteous and lauded warrior Anakin Skywalker against his wife, Padmé Amidala, with whispered lies and deceits, resulting in Anakin choking and, ultimately, killing the woman he loves. That’s it. That’s the film.

Pericles

Anakin as Pericles, Padme as Thaisa, and Leia as Marina. After fleeing from Mustafar with Padme, Obi Wan and Bail Organa watch helplessly as Padme gives birth to twins then, seemingly, dies. Afraid to bring more attention on themselves from Sidious and his new apprentice, the men place Padme’s body in an escape pod and eject it near Jedha. What they don’t know is that Padme is only mostly dead (which means she is a little bit alive). When her escape pod is found by a young local force user named Chirrut Imwe he brings Padme back from the brink. Knowing that her husband is dead to her and with no way to contact her children, Padme decides to dedicate herself to the Force at the ancient Jedi temple Chirrut and his husband Baze Malbus brought her to. Meanwhile, Leia is raised by Bail and, when she is old enough, dedicates herself to the Rebellion (sorry guys, I just can’t bring myself to have Bail try to kill Leia). However, when Leia is captured by the Empire she is brought before Vader. They talk and compare stories, and through their connection in the Force they realize that they are father and daughter. At the descovery of his daughter Vader decides ‘you know what, fuck the Emperer’ and casually destroies the Empire. Then the Force leads Anakin and Leia to Jedha (which hasn’t been destroyed because of reasons). There they discover Padme living in the temple of the Jedi. After a tearful family reunion with Anakin, Padme, and Leia, the three eventually decide they had better go save Luke from spending the rest of his life as a moisture farmer on Tatooine.

Richard II

Ben Solo as Bolingbrooke and Luke as Richard II. Luke, hoping to raise Ben Solo in his image, is heartbroken when he senses the dark side in his nephew. In a sudden and desperate attempt to keep the dark side from the world Luke banishes Ben (with his lightsaber). Furious at Luke’s betrayal Ben turns to the dark side and destroys everything Luke has sought to build.

Richard III

Turning against his own family, Kylo Ren murders and betrays in order to obtain the position in the First Order he believes his lineage affords him. Hux is Ann.

Romeo and Juliet

Finn has been raised to be a Storm Trooper since before he can remember. All his life he has been taught to hate the Resistance. Poe’s parents were Alliance members during the time of the Empire. They raised him to stand against the First Order. Finn and Poe thought they knew their beliefs, until the two meet and, despite all they have been taught to believe, fall desperately in love. They are, quite literally, star crossed. BB8 gets drunk off fermented oil and delivers a Queen Mab speech in exclusively beeps and whistles.

Taming of the Shrew

The Alderaanian Princess is a bit of a firecracker and has no time for anything in her life but the Rebellion. So when a smuggler shows up and decides to try to win her over Anakin, who did not turn to the Dark Side, laughs and says he’s welcome to try. Meanwhile, Bodhi Rook, Wedge Antilles, and Biggs Darklighter (yes, this IS his last name…) are all vying for Luke Skywalker’s attention. When Luke goes to Anakin and wines ‘but daddy, I want to get married’ Anakin makes a new rule: “YOU’RE NOT GETTING MARRIED UNTIL LEIA GETS MARRIED!”. In order to have a chance at marriage Luke must team up with Chewbacca to help Han tame Leia. It doesn’t come as a surprise to anyone except Han that it is actually Leia who ends up doing the timing.

Tempest

In (self-imposed) exile a grumpy, gray haired Luke hangs out on an island strong with the magic of the Force. Ariel is a Porg.

Timon of Athens

Despite the Clone Wars, Obi Wan Kenobi is glad to be well liked and surrounded by friends he trusts. Then one day his friends (specifically his best friend and a bunch of clones) betray his ass. So what does he do? He runs off to the Outer Rim to the sandiest fucking planet he can find (because his ex-best friend hates sand) and spends the next 19 years being poor and grumpy.

Titus Andronicus

Seriously, the only story I know with more severed limbs that Titus Andronicus is Star Wars…

Troilus and Cressida

When Padme married Anakin Skywalker they exchanged vows, of course, but they also exchanged pieces of clothing. It’s an old Naboo tradition that Padme’s mother loved and Anakin found cute, so why not? It was a silly thing, but the sleeve Anakin gives her stays with Padme, folded neatly in a small box, as Anakin fights the Clone Wars throughout the Galaxy and Padme fights them in the Senate. But then Anakin falls to Darth Sidious’s powers and when Padme confronts him he almost chokes her to death. Almost. After giving birth to two healthy children Padme, Obi Wan, and Yoda agree that it will be safest for the twins to be raised apart in order to better hide them from the Dark Side. Obi Wan takes the boy to Tatooien and Padme’s friend Bail Organa takes the girl to be his adopted daughter. Padme, seperated from her children, spends the next several years traveling the Galaxy, doing good where she can and keeping herself away from her children, afraid that her presence will endanger them. But Darth Vader finally catches up with her. She is captured by the Sith Lord and taken prisoner and her already shattered heart breaks once again when she is brought before him. Her captor demands that she be his, insisting that she love him and give up her foolish affection for the foolish boy she met on Tatooine all those standard years ago. To prove her new supposed devotion to Vader, the Empire, and the Dark Side of the Force, Vader demands Padme supply him with a token of her affection. From her small pack Padme draws out a box with an old but neatly folded sleeve within. She hands it to the Sith Lord, a token of her love, in the hopes that it might remind Vader of the love Padme bears for another man.

Twelfth Night

After escaping Darth Vader with the plans to the Death Star, Luke and Leia, twins raised together as royals on Alderaan, crash in their escape pod on Tatooine. Believing her twin brother to be dead, Leia dresses as a man to better hide from the Empire. She is hired by a handsome smuggler named Han Solo, who sends her as an envoy to the palace of Jabba the Hutt, hoping Leia can gain information about Han’s lost love Qi’ra. Han is intrigued by his new hire and his apparent aversion to the Empire while under her disguise Leia finds she is falling in love with Han. Jabba is confused about why this petite boy Solo keeps sending wants to know about someone named Obi Wan Kanobi, Chewie is considering changing up his single munitions belt style with some fancy cross-gartering, and somehow Luke ends up at Jabba’s in a slave bikini.

Two Gentlemen of Verona

Lance and Crab - Ray and BB8 on Jakku. Ray, having no family to speak of, designates her left shoe to be her mother, her right shoe to be her father, her staff to be her sister, her hat to be their maid and she is the droid. No, the droid is herself, and she is the droid - O, the droid is her, and she is herself. Ay, so, so. She plays out her imagined family life with shoes and staff, bringing herself to lonely tears. Now the droid all this while sheds not a tear nor speaks a word; but see how she lays Jakku’s dust with her tears.

Winter's Tale

Abandoned after his family exited pursued by a (space) bear, Baby Yoda finds a new protector and adopted father in Din Djarin, the Mandalorian.

Cardenio and Love’s Labour’s Won

These two are the 6 hour uncut Phantom Menace because they are lost and I would give my first born child to see them.

Sir Thomas More, The Spanish Tragedy, and Edward III

All the books/legends - not because of the plot, but because although George Lucas had very little to do with them they are really only known, by those who know them, in association with him and his works. There is a large debate by ‘scholars’ as to whether they should be accepted as canon or not.

Bonus

Chewbacca is ecstatic when he hears that an Alderaanian princess has taken up residence in the detention block of a nearby moon space station. He hopes that this princess might be the perfect match for his handsome yet headstrong smuggler friend. After all, it is a truth universally acknowledged that a single Alderaanian princess in possession of a good fortune of Credits, must be in want of a husband.

I must give a huge thank you to my friends who put up with me while I did this and contributed fabulous ideas! Vaxildamn, Dazingparadise, Kaethe, and Eric, I couldn't have done this without you!

#star wars #Shakespeare #AO3 #cross overs #@actualvaxildan #@dazingparadise #@kaethe-nicole

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esandcasg · 5 years ago

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B Dog’s Ranking of Star Wars Films

Some months ago Big A challenged me to list my order of Star Wars films, from worst to best. Having re-watched a number now in recent months I felt it time to get this down on paper. Admittedly I haven’t watched all of them, so this might need updating in the months to come.

Let me know your thoughts or add a similar blog!

11. The Last Jedi

It is something of a tribute to Disney that it took me some time to decide my least favourite Star Wars film. There were two obvious candidates but in the end I went with the Last Jedi. Admittedly, I feel that The Rise of Skywalker is a worse film, but I give the honour of the shittest Star Wars film to this steaming pile of crap because it set the precedent for what was to follow. The whole film is based around the idea of doing something different with the force and the Jedi, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but it was done in such a bad way. I’ve recently re-watched it and it felt like 90% of the film is treading water whilst they develop the Reylo relationship. “What shall we do with the other characters?” I don’t know, stick them on a spaceship being chased by a Star Destroyer? “Fuck me, that’s brilliant.” I recently read that Rhian Johnson’s biggest regret with this film was not being able to do his usual private showing to close friends before it came out due to security issues. I regret that too, cos they’d have told him what a big pile of crap it was.

10. The Rise of Skywalker

The true level of shittiness of this film has been discussed a lot; it was so bad that it even inspired a B Dog film rant blog. The first ever, if I am not mistaken? The fact that they have had to release information intermittently to explain the gaps in the story says it all really. A total turd.

Don’t worry, my swearing will ease now along with my hatred.

9. Attack of the Clones

My ninth favourite (or perhaps more accurately, the third worst) Star Wars film introduces the prequels into the story with Attack of the Clones. I don’t hate this film like I do The Rise of Skywalker and The Last Jedi, so we start to move out of “hate” and more into “meh” with AotC. I don’t hate it, I don’t particularly like it. I nothing it (nod to #BigAsFilmReviews).

This film has a few things going for it, namely it features a young Hayden Christensen, who of course has a strong resemblance to a young B Dog, and it includes Anakin and Padme’s brilliantly written, acted and directed romance scenes. “You are in my very soul, tormenting me.” Beautiful. I jest of course, it was total cringe. But the issue that I have with this film is that it doesn’t feel like Star Wars. At least with The Phantom Menace there are elements that align with the prequels like the scenes of Tattoine. AotC just feels like a bit of a misfit. I wonder whether it was where George began to get a raging hard-on for green screen and prioritising wanky graphics above, you know, a decent storyline, and that impacts things? Or maybe he started flirting with the darkside long before this? But generally it is an entertaining enough film, just a bit shit.

8. The Phantom Menace

I struggled for a while with the order of Attack of the Clones and The Phantom Menace but in the end decided I preferred this one. But it’s a close one.

The issue that I have with this film – even above Jar Jar and the awful dialogue – is that I don’t get the target audience. There is loads of content for kids such as (the aforementioned) Jar Jar and the pod race, yet it is effectively a film about politics and features things like trade blockades. I mean, the opening crawl features gems such as “The taxation of trade routes to outlying star systems is in dispute... While the Congress of the Republic endlessly debates this alarming chain of events.”

I watched it with Sebastian and he didn’t have a clue what was going on, but he sat there patiently waiting for the arrival of arguably my favourite Star Wars character in Darth Maul. But as I mentioned above, TPM still feels like Star Wars and the lightsabre fight sequence at the end is enough to get it into 8th place. But we are still very much in “meh”.

7. Solo

But not for long as we start moving into “like” territory. I like this film. But the issue that I have is that it’s not really Star Wars. It’s a decent sci-fi film but I can’t associate Alden Whatshisface’s portrayal of Han to the original. It is largely forgettable mind; I have watched Solo once and couldn’t really tell you what it was about. Something to do with Solo and Chewie and Lando, and they went through an asteroid field, and Emilia Clarke got sold or became a slave, and the Falcon got wrecked. That’s all I remember. But I do remember feeling like the whole “Kessel Run” idea was totally different to what I had in my mind – I figured it was a famous smuggling run - and if they really had to do a backstory on Han then they could have come up with something better.

6. Revenge of the Sith

Probably the only prequel that I will stand behind. It is flawed, largely because of the overuse of green screen which can’t be easy for actors/actresses (exhibit A: Natalie Portman who is pretty wooden yet claimed an Oscar a few years later in Black Swan), but I feel like RotS is actually a fairly decent addition to the Star Wars portfolio with the actors starting to get used to the methods of Lucas or perhaps even pushing back a bit helping the script flow better. Hayden Christensen seemed a bit more comfortable playing a more complex and evil character than a loved up teenager, for example. However, there is still a large amount of Lucas “style over substance” going on still and the Darth Vadar “Noooooo” bit at the end is like something from an 80’s Arnie film. “I’ll be back, Kenobi.”

5. Rogue 1

I really enjoyed this film right up until the last few minutes when the arrival of Leia almost ruined it. I don’t quite know why, I think it just felt shoe-horned and unnecessary. There are other flaws that don’t align with the start of A New Hope and the characters lack any real depth, but overall I’ll let all this slide as it was a pretty exciting and well-made film. With Rogue 1 I am sensing stronger feelings… there is good in these films. I can sense it.

4. The Force Awakens

The first time I watched this film I didn’t like it. I think because I just expected too much – or something different - and I didn’t particularly like the way they killed off Han without the film or trilogy really getting going. What was the point? I thought Rey was totally wooden too. But I’ve watched it three times now and the last time – just before TRoS came out – I actually really enjoyed it, bordering on feeling that it was brilliant. I admit it is a fanboy tribute, but… if the cap or evil sith mask fits and all that.

3. A New Hope

It will come as no surprise that the podium spots are reserved for the original trilogy, and we move into love – of course - with A New Hope. It is slightly controversial to have this one in third place as I know a lot of people see ANH as the best of the lot, but I just prefer the other originals being honest. Whilst it is undoubtedly a great film, I find it more of a setting the scene kind of film: it’s a bit slow going in places and even as a kid I don’t feel it had the same levels of excitement as the other two. The toys that I played with weren’t the X-Wing and Tie Fighter from the Death Star scene, it was the AT-AT (I had two) and snow speeders from Hoth, for example. And re-watching them recently with Sebastian it has been the one that I struggled to sit through the most. I guess ultimately it is laying the foundations for the whole Luke vs. Vadar/good vs. evil element, which is what drew me into Star Wars as a kid.

2. Return of the Jedi

I know this film has flaws, but I love it. Well, the old version before Ol’ George started adding shit like the band in Jabba’s palace and another Vadar “Nooooooo”. But the whole film is great: the sequence at the start concluding with the fight over the pit of sarlaac through to the three phased fight sequence at the end. As I have said to you both, I have recently watched the original trilogy with Sebastian and he told me that he was exhausted at the end of the film, and I guess it’s that sort of excitement that I still associate with RotJ. One interesting thing is that watching the recently has opened my eyes to how hot Carrie Fisher was back then. I never really got it. No wonder my dad used to pop in for the Jabba’s Palace bit.

1. The Empire Strikes Back

And therefore the winner goes to the masterpiece that is The Empire Strikes Back. I don’t have anything negative to say about this film, and for me is in a league of its own compared to the other ten films, and up there with one of my favourite films ever. The Hoth fight scene, Yoda training Luke and the cave scene, Cloud City and then Vadar and Luke crossing swords for the first time. From start to finish it is exciting and so well made. But it’s also interesting to have a good vs. evil film finish on such a dark note, with the good guys going off to lick their wounds. In a lot of ways that is also what appeals about this film; it’s not just a straight up good guys win type of scenario.

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ryder-s-block · 6 years ago

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Jaig Eyes (Ch 4)

Chapter: 4/?

Always available on fanfic! https://www.fanfiction.net/s/13221379/1/Jaig-Eyes

Chapter Four: Emergency

“Can I ask you a question?” I glanced up from where I lounged in the plush chair, cleaning my pistols. The senator of Naboo was dressed elegantly, as usual, her sleeves long and billowing, her hair piled high on her head. I constantly wondered if her neck hurt from the heavy headpieces.

“If it’s about your new proposal on the relief effort, I’m really not the person to ask.”

She laughed, shaking her head. In the two weeks that I’d been guarding her, she’d taken a liking to me. While I tried not to get attached--something Jango had taught me-- I had to admit that I’d taken a liking to her, too.

“No, I know. Though I think you don’t give yourself enough credit,” she called from where she stood behind her desk. I gave her a smirk and a teasing roll of my eyes, my gaze back on my pistols. “No, I wanted to ask about…” She paused, her tone changing from teasing to somber.

My eyes lifted immediately.

“I wanted to ask about the brand on your arm.”

I was quiet for a moment. While I’d maybe call us friends, I didn’t think we were that close. Then again, Senator Amidala was of curious nature. So should I have been surprised?

“You called it a brand,” I said softly, my focus remaining on the cleaning of the guns. “So you already know what it is.”

The senator appeared before me, her hands clasped gently before her purple robes. “You know that’s not what I mean.”

I looked her up and down before leaning back and regarding her. I wasn’t a massive sharing person, despite growing to trust her. Maybe it was a short time, but I could sense her honesty. Her determination to achieve moral goodness.

Still, that was a sensitive topic.

“I really don’t think you knowing my deep dark past is a necessity for your protection.”

“Maybe I don’t feel comfortable not knowing anything about my protector,” she countered, trying to convince me.

I smirked, leaning further back in the chair. “Well you already hired me and I feel just fine. Besides, you know my name, as well as my track record as a bounty hunter. Not to mention my already having saved you.”

She frowned as she sat across from me, her hands placed delicately in her lap as she thought. If nothing else, I think some part of her enjoyed having me around for the playful banter. Still, her voice was soft when she spoke again.

“I’d still like to know. How long were you a-” Her voice tapered off.

“Slave? You can say the word, you know. It doesn’t hurt me.”

“Sorry,” she offered, but I gave her a merciful smile.

“I’ll cut you a deal. You can ask me about my past if I can ask you something about your life.”

She beamed. “Deal.”

I figured I’d go first. “I was a slave from a young age. I bounced around between owners for some time. The first I remember was Corellia, but I don’t know if I was born there or not. I was owned, more or less, by a crime boss there. I was little, so ran petty thief jobs and infiltration jobs.” I sighed, rubbing my hand over my forehead. “Local authorities eventually busted the crime ring and we were left to the streets. It didn’t take long for me to be picked up and sold to the Zygerrians. That’s where I got this.” I gestured to the raised white scar on my inner left forearm, depicting the Aurebesh letter.

“S,” the senator spoke, her eyes brushing over my forearm. She wanted to touch it, her hand lifting, but dropping to her lap again as she met my gaze. “Why?”

“For slave,” I explained, giving a dark chuckle. “But the Zygerrian guards usually said it stood for scum.” I sighed, settling into my seat again. “I was sold, finding my way to Tatooine.”

“Tatooine?” She seemed surprised.

I lifted my eyebrow, smiling. “You’ve been there.” It wasn’t a question.

“Yes, when I was much younger. When I was still the queen of Naboo.”

I hummed, tilting my head and reading her, but letting it go. “Well I was sold to Jabba and worked at his palace for some time. He favored me and I won’t lie, I was actually treated well. I was one of the few people who could enter the rancor pit without getting eaten alive, so I think he valued that. I kept out of the way and stayed useful. Because I was on Zygerria for so long, I actually picked up a lot of languages. So when his droid shorted out, I stepped in.” I shrugged, leaning forward and brushing my fingers over the brand. “He never let anyone touch me. I was only eleven when I entered the palace.”

“How did you get to Jango?”

I smiled. “I’m getting there. I’d met Jango when he’d done some jobs for Jabba, but never spoken to him. When I was thirteen, Jabba had sent me as a translator for a bargaining deal with his right hand man. But we never made it. We were in neutral space and attacked by Death Watch. They killed almost everyone, except the slaves, of course.”

“They took you,” the senator inferred.

Despite my best efforts, I felt shudders run under my skin. “I was only with them for six months, but I’d have traded years and years under the Zygerrians and a thousand brands in order to never have experienced that.”

“Did they…” she stopped, unable to complete the question.

I was quiet, but regarded her silently. I didn’t answer. I suppose that was an answer in itself, anyways. “They were doing a deal and Jango was there. They didn’t like him, but he was transporting the weapons they needed. He saw me and…” I looked past the senator, remembering the way his helmet had tilted as he regarded me. The way his eyes were hard, but softened when they turned to my bruised and beaten form.

“Forget the money,” he’d said, his helmet held at his hip. “I’ll take the girl.” His hand gestured to me, and despite his kind eyes, I felt myself slip into a cower.

“The girl?” a Death Watch member laughed, his voice automated through his helmet. “You’re sure?” Jango didn’t respond, merely staring hard at the Mandalorian. “Fine,” the man said, snapping his fingers. Rough hands grabbed my bruised arms, dragging me to my shaking feet. Despite their brutality, my fire hadn’t gone out, my heels digging into the muddy ground and my arms flailing wildly as I tried to pull away.

They threw me down before Jango, one backhanding me across the face. I fell to my hands and knees, spitting out saliva and blood, my lip having split. Jango looked down at me, his face expressionless, before handing over the key to the crates of weapons.

“Pleasure doing business with you, beroya,” one of Death Watch spit, before glancing at me. “Enjoy the little slut. We certainly did.”

I cringed, flinching away as the man knuckled my cheek and walked away. I trembled before Jango, the bounty hunter watching in silence until Death Watch had receded from the vicinity of his ship. He knelt slowly, his armor shining and perfect.

“Hush now, ad’ika,” he spoke gently, his fingers dipping to lift my chin. I shook my head, slapping his hand away. Despite his pitying look, he chuckled lightly, lifting his hands into the air in a peace offering. “You’re a fighter.” He nodded quietly to himself. “That’s good.”

He reached for me again, and I lunged backwards, growling in Mando’a through my teeth. “Ne shab’rud’niӧ!” He chuckled lightly again, shaking his head before putting on his helmet.

“Your Mando’a is good,” he admitted, offering me his hand gently. When I hesitated, I heard him sigh through his modulator. “I’m not going to hurt you, ad’ika.” I still didn’t move. He straightened and moved to the ramp of his ship. “Do you want to get off this planet?” he called back. I nodded furiously. “Then you better get on board before I take off.”

“It took him a while to coax me out of the inner workings of his ship, but when he did...he took care of me.” I smiled to myself. “Taught me. Trained me. Treated me like his own daughter.”

The senator watched me quietly, her eyes downcast. “I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be,” I offered, forcing myself out of my memories. “Everything that happened...good or bad… made me into who I am. If I wasn’t a slave and wasn’t in the situation that I was, Jango wouldn’t have ever saved me.”

“That’s a great way of looking at things,” she offered, but I saw her downcast eyes.

I hummed, watching her closely. “I know you weren’t a fan of him.”

She blanched, but shook her head finally. “He did try to kill me.”

I laughed genuinely, easing her tension. “Yeah, he did. Not very well, might I add.” She laughed at my joke, but I sobered quickly. “I always told him that taking the job was stupid,” I said softly. “I told him not to do it, but he told me that I would understand when I was older.” I swallowed, thumbing my brand a final time. “The next time I saw him, he was being killed.”

The senator was silent for a moment, her thoughts jumbled. I felt her pity, as well as her genuine concern. “So...do you understand now?”

I shook my head, smiling slightly. “No.” I swallowed thickly, sitting up to get back to cleaning my pistols, shaking away the nostalgia and sorrow. “So I think I get to ask now.”

She allowed my change of subject, waving for me to speak as she stood to grab a drink. “Please do.”

I bit my lip, watching her for a moment and smiling. No one was in the room, so I knew I could ask without actually endangering her position. “How long have you and the jedi been a thing?”

She froze mid-pour, stopping to glance at me in shock. She managed to control her expression, letting out a tight laugh. “What do you mean?”

“You know what I mean. Skywalker.”

“Anakin? I’ve known him since he was a little boy. I was actually with the group that found him on Tatooine before bringing him to the Jedi Temple.”

“Ah,” I chuckled, examining my pistol for a moment. “So it was young love. Tell me, was he stricken with you from the beginning or did it develop over time?” I felt her tension as I laughed again. “No, don’t tell me. I can tell he loved you when he met you. He seems like that kind of guy.”

The senator cupped her glass of water in her hands as she tried to wave off my words. “The Jedi code strictly forbids love. Why would he love me?”

“He wasn’t a jedi when he met you. And no offense to him, but he has very little control over his emotions,” I teased, leaning back as I deemed my pistol clean. Her worry radiated off of her in waves, making me decide to ease her tension. “Stop worrying, Senator. I’m good at keeping secrets.” She glanced at me, but said nothing. I gave her a smile, and shook my head. “It’s okay. I got my answer. Are we done with the game of discovering each other’s deep dark secrets, now?”

She didn’t respond again, but I straightened, making her frown in confusion. It didn’t take her long, though, the woman practically jumping out of her skin as the door opened. She whirled, her hand on her chest, to see Skywalker, flanked by his captain and Senator Organa.

“Oh! An- Master Skywalker,” she stuttered, making me smile.

“You seem frightened, Senator,” the jedi said lowly, giving me a look.

“Oh, it’s nothing,” she said, waving in the air to brush it off. “Kida and I were just…” She seemed at a loss, so I jumped in as I stood, slipping my pistol back into its holster.

“I was just telling her my deep dark secrets,” I said with a smirk. “The usual chatter.”

The jedi hummed, unamused, but Senator Organa seemed unfazed. “The next session is beginning soon, Senator Amidala. We should go.”

“Yes,” she responded, flustered and rushing to her desk. “Yes, of course.”

I sighed, rolling my eyes as I glanced at Bail. “Oh goody,” I said sarcastically. “Another long, uneventful session with the Senate.”

“It better be uneventful,” Skywalker muttered darkly, giving me a side eye. “If you do your job.”

“Relax, jetii,” I grunted back, the Mando’a word making the captain’s head lift slightly. “I’ve got it under control.”

The senator’s exited the room, followed closely by the jedi and the captain. I fell in step with the jedi, glancing over his form. I’d seen him multiple times under the guise of him relieving me of watch duty.

“What are you staring at me for?” he asked suddenly, making my eyes flick up to meet his.

“How’d you lose your arm?” I felt everyone tense around me, but Skywalker didn’t seem bothered. If anything, he almost rippled with pride.

“I lost it in a duel with Count Dooku when I was a padawan.” I blinked for a moment at his response, humming to myself and looking forward. “What? No quip to respond? Nothing about how I clearly lost?”

I smirked, shaking my head. “Dooku isn’t someone people mess with. It’s a miracle you only lost an arm, especially as a padawan.” Skywalker seemed surprised, but nodded slowly. I couldn’t help it. “But you did lose, so…”

The senators shook their head in slight amusement and to my pleased surprise, Skywalker laughed too.

We rounded to the Galactic Senate chamber, the senators splitting to find their own repulsor pods. I stood outside the Naboo pod, nodding the Representative Binks as he passed me. Surprisingly, the captain joined me, taking guard on the other side of the door while the jedi went off to find his padawan. I watched the captain leisurely, chuckling at his rigid stance.

“What?” he asked, not fully turning to look at me.

“Nothing,” I offered. “You’re just making me look bad.” That made him look, and while I couldn’t see his expression, I could feel his confusion. I laughed, gesturing between the two of us, comparing our stances. He stood rigidly...like a soldier. I less stood than...lounged, draped across the entryway to the repulsor pod, one leg kicked out lazily.

He cleared his throat and looked forward again. “I’m at the ready to protect the senator.”

“So am I,” I countered, lifting my eyebrow to watch him give me a glance. He didn’t say anything. “What? You don’t think I am?” He didn’t respond again, making me chuckle and give a casual glance back at the senator as she prepared for the session. I was about to speak when my communicator beeped. The captain glanced at me as I rolled my eyes, tapping my wrist and stepping away from the door.

“Good morning, miss,” the AI spoke through my wrist comm. I felt the heads turn towards me in curiosity, including both the captain and Senator Amidala.

“Apex, love,” I said with a fake smile on my face. “I told you not to call me while I’m working.”

“I’m aware,” he droned back with sass. “But I assumed emergencies were an exception.” My breath hitched. The AI may have had a bit of a bold personality, but he wouldn’t call something an emergency if it wasn’t.

“What happened? Did the Palliduvan come back?”

“No, miss. There was a break in this morning at the club.”

My heart leapt to my throat. “What? How? Why wasn’t I called immediately?”

“Apologies,” Apex spoke evenly. “But Merl insisted that I didn’t notify you.”

“Why?”

“Nothing was taken, miss. Merl was able to stop the petty thief.”

“I fail to see an emergency, Apex.”

“Merl was wounded in the fight. He insisted it wasn’t serious, but collapsed a few moments ago.”

I whirled, glancing at the senator as she stood in the entryway to her pod, watching me. “Medics?”

“On their way. They’ll take him to the hospital.”

“Go,” the senator spoke immediately. “Master Skywalker can guard me while you’re gone. But take Captain Rex with you.”

“I don’t need-”

She cut me off. “Protecting me has put as big a hit on your head as is on mine. You should have someone to watch your back.” I sighed, but she continued. “I’m not asking, Kida. Now go and get back when you can.”

I paused, listening while the captain, apparently named Rex, called his general to the Naboo pod. Finally, I nodded. “Thank you, Senator.” She gave me a smile and a nod as I turned quickly, expecting Rex to follow. If he didn’t, I didn’t really care. That wasn’t my fault. “Apex,” I said into my wrist comm. “Keep me updated on his condition and notify me the moment you know which hospital.”

“Of course, miss. Your speeder is on its way to you now.”

I hurried from the Senate building, the captain’s presence following on my heels. “I can call for Oddball to-”

“No,” I called over my shoulder, cutting him off. “We have a ride.”

He seemed confused until we reached the edge of the platform, my deep red, open topped speeder rising over the edge. “That’s different than your last,” he commented, following me as I leapt in.

I gave him a smirk as I gripped the joysticks and maneuvered it away from the platform. “A woman like me can’t just have one.”

Surprisingly, he gave me a chuckle before sobering. He breathed deeply as I sped us through the Coruscant skies, heading towards a column I knew would lead down to lower levels...closer to my club.

“I’m sorry about your friend,” he said, surprising me with how gently he said it.

“He’s going to be fine,” I responded curtly, tapping my dash to bring it to life with a flash of red light. A sound wave streaked across it as Apex connected, his voice coming through the speakers.

“Medics have arrived. Merl is stable and being transported the third level medical center. Sending navigation now.”

“Thanks, buddy,” I responded quickly, turning the speeder to begin its descent to the lower levels.

“Of course, miss.”

As we dropped lower, Rex regarded me with a curious gaze, despite being hidden below his visor. “Apex is…” he started, unsure how to ask.

I chuckled, letting the captain ease my worry for now. “He’s an AI. And a good friend.”

“How kind of you to say, miss,” Apex cut in from the dash.

I rolled my eyes. “Don’t let it go to your processors there, bud.”

“An AI,” Rex thought aloud. “A droid, then?”

“No. Poor guy is confined to only every computer I grant him access to. Technically he can take over a droid if he wanted. He actually took over my droid, Pinky once.”

“Pinky?”

I lifted my eyebrow at Rex’s chuckle, navigating the speeder through the crowded tunnels of Coruscant. “Hey, I fixed her up when I was pretty young. I was only...fourteen I think?” I glanced his way to see him tilt his head in amusement. “Naming things wasn’t my strong suit, okay?”

“I named myself,” Apex tried.

“You did not, now how’s Merl?”

“His comms are reading stable signs still, though he’s lost a lot of blood,” he responded immediately. “You’re nearly there.”

I hummed to myself in worry, teasing my lip raw and navigating the speeder into the docks for the hospital. Rex followed me inside, both of us earning looks from the workers and patients alike.

“I’m here for Merl. He was brought in from the Fury club only a few minutes ago,” I said quickly to the droid at the front desk.

It made some beeps before responding in an automated tone. “Yes, he is currently in surgery. Your relation?”

“I’m his boss.” I paused, glancing down at my hands. “And his friend.”

It made a few more beeps. “He is currently stable, but has suffered a severe wound to the chest. You may wait here and I will notify you after his procedure has concluded.”

I swallowed, nodding frustratingly. Rex led the way to the crowded waiting room, finding us a secluded corner with fewer bodies. I sat heavily beside the clone captain, my gloved hands kneading my eyes.

“I’m sure he’s going to be fine. A few days in a bacta tank should clean him up quickly,” the captain offered, but I laughed.

“Not everyone can afford those, Captain. Especially down here.”

“But you can.”

“Sure. But the hospital won’t call for one if he can survive without it. Also, in the end, he’s a bartender and club manager...he’s not someone they’ll really fight for.

Rex seemed confused, taking off his helmet slowly and rubbing his gloved hand over his buzzed hair. “Droids can’t be biased. It’s their programing to save lives.”

“Maybe,” I responded darkly. “But the droids, in the end, obey orders. And they aren’t the ones who really run the hospital.”

The clone fell silent as he thought, likely hyperconscious of the eyes on us.

“Apex,” I whispered, tapping my wrist comm again. “Did you get footage of the break in?”

He didn’t respond, instead bringing up the footage to project out of my wrist comm. Rex turned and watched with me as a section of wall blew out and a lanky figure stepped through. She was pale and tall, her copper hair pulled high on her head and her eyes dark.

“That bitch,” I cussed.

I watched silently as she moved to head towards my office before Merl stepped in, the Weequay fighting hard against the bounty hunter. In the end, she overpowered her elder, which didn’t really surprise me. She and I had our own scraps and the results were often close.

“Aurra Sing?” Rex asked, giving me a questioning glance.

“She and I have a bit of a history,” I explained vaguely before turning my attention back to Apex. “She wanted to get to my office. Lock it down with blast shields. I want all my files transferred to the hub at home, understand?”

“Yes, miss. Do you want the files erased at the office?”

I sighed, squeezing the bridge of my nose. “Yes. Do it. And when I have time, I’ll transfer any spare gear back too. But I want any files on Padme Amidala transferred and erased first. That’s probably what she wanted.”

“Right away, miss.” Apex signed off, making me lean back heavily with a worried sigh.

“Did Aurra and you run jobs together?”

I shrugged. “A few. Never really by choice, though. I’m not a huge fan of her due to her apparent lack of moral judgement.” Rex’s eyebrow lifted slightly, but he tried to school it down. I laughed anyways. “I know, I know. I shouldn’t judge.”

“I didn’t say that.”

“But you thought it.” I breathed slowly through my nose. “I also know she’s been influencing Boba. And she knows I hate her for it.”

“Boba...Fett?”

I nodded, both of us falling silent. After a moment, I spoke to the face of Jango, but a soul of another man entirely. “I was there on Geonosis, you know. I’d gone because I’d heard about the jedi collecting a clone army. I knew it was Jango’s army. I had...I had to save him.” I looked up at the ceiling, trying to balance my worry for Merl and the mourning for Jango that seemed to have surfaced again. “I was there when the clones descended on the arena. When Jango was stupid and jumped into the fighting only to get killed.”

“His life wasn't your burden,” Rex spoke. I wasn’t sure why he felt that he had to console me...but for some reason, I appreciated it.

“He was family,” I responded quietly, my sorrow turning my chest cold.

Rex seemed shocked. “He… I wasn’t aware that Jango had-”

I cut him off with a light chuckle. “Aliit ori’shya tal’din.”

Rex hummed, nodding in agreement. “So what about Boba? Did he know you?”

“Yes. I met him when he was only a baby. And while I was off doing jobs a lot of the time and didn’t live with them on Kamino, I visited a lot as he grew older.”

“So why didn’t you take him in? Mentor him like his father did for you?”

I sighed deeply. “I tried. After Jango died, I was the one who got Boba out of there. But he wanted nothing to do with me. He said that I betrayed Jango by abandoning him. By not jumping in and saving him.” I shook my head. “What was I supposed to do? Fight a jedi? Fight an army of men who look just like Jango?”

Rex watched me carefully, his eyes sliding over the planes of my face curiously.

“Maybe he’s right,” I admitted. “And he has a right to feel that way and find his own path, but Aurra will use him. Use his anger and his hatred to mold him into something his father wouldn’t be proud of.”

Rex was quiet for a moment. “In time, we all learn. He’ll figure it out.”

I chuckled. “You sound like Jango.”

“Is that a good thing?”

“For now.”

We fell silent for a while, sitting together in solidarity. While I didn’t think I needed someone to watch my back, I wondered if the senator knew I’d benefit from having someone with me for comfort.

“So your name is Rex,” I said finally, smiling softly.

He chuckled. “Yes. And you run a club.”

I hummed softly in response, but turned to look at him curiously. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

“Why didn’t you ask?”

I pursed my lips, nodding in agreement. “Valid point. How’s Jesse’s face by the way?”

Rex laughed softly, aware of the eyes that remained on us. “He’s milking it, but he’s fine.”

“Didn’t hit him hard enough, then,” I teased. Rex chuckled, but I could tell he was growing tense under the gazes cast our way. “Ignore them,” I advised softly, casting my gaze around harshly to make them look away.

“They’re staring because I’m a clone.”

“Yes,” I responded, casting him a look. “You have to understand that down here in the lower levels, we don’t see clones as soldiers.”

“What are we then?”

“Honestly?” I whispered back. “Clones are the dogs of the Republic down here. We rarely see your brothers outside of hunting down criminals and accompanying jedi.”

Rex breathed slowly through his nose. “The dogs.”

I shrugged. “You asked.”

“You don’t have much of a bedside manner.”

“And the Kaminoans did?” I chuckled, rolling my eyes. “If you want bedside manner, I’m really not the person to talk to.” He hummed, looking down at his gloved hands. I glanced at him, feeling his confusion and disappointment. It made him sad that he and his brothers were viewed that way. “But hey, not that it will probably help, but you and your brothers are certainly changing my perspective.”

He cast me a glance, but said nothing. Despite that, I could feel his gratitude. He swallowed thickly before looking up, gently nudging my elbow with his own. I looked up in turn, seeing a droid approaching.

“You’re here for Merl Daario?” it asked in its automated tone. I stood immediately, Rex rising beside me.

“Is he alright?” I didn’t hate droids, but I hated that I couldn’t read them as I could living creatures. Droids had no understanding of the force and the force didn’t move through them. It left me blind.

“He is out of surgery and stable. He has asked for you.”

I pushed past the droid immediately, making my way to the recovery rooms. I scanned each name above the doors until I found my friend’s room, bursting in.

The elder Weequay lifted his head from his cot, giving me a lopsided smile. “Hey, kid. What took you so long?”

I smiled, seeing his stable readings on the monitor. “Hey, what did I say about getting hurt when I’m away on business?” I teased, crossing my arms and walking towards him.

He laughed, but stopped suddenly. At first, I thought it was from pain, but then I saw his eyes flick over my shoulder.

“Who’s the clone?”

Rex tensed behind me, but I gestured him in easily. “This is Captain Rex of the 501st. Senator Amidala sent him with me when Apex called me.”

“She thought you needed a bodyguard?”

I hummed. “He’s a good fighter. I might to have someone watching my back for once.”

Merl chuckled slightly, rolling his eyes. “I’m so glad you listen to a senator before me.” I smiled, walking to his bedside easily. Rex, however, remained near the door, rigid and watching the hall. “You can relax, clone,” Merl spoke past me. Rex glanced at him, still holding his helmet at his side. “I’m sure Apex has been running inside the hospital since Kida hit the front desk. He’ll watch the halls for us.”

Rex’s eyebrow lifted as he turned to give me a look. I smiled slightly, giving him a shrug. “I slipped a popper onto the back of the computer module while the droid accessed its database. It’ll be easier to keep an eye on Merl when I have to go back to work.”

“Why did you leave anyways? You have money to make,” Merl scolded, gently swatting my arm.

“You could’ve been killed.”

“And racing to my bedside would fix that?” I went to argue, but he stopped me, his eyes gazing over the both of us. I felt his nerves spike, my mind following his thoughts easily. He never really liked me doing it, but got used to my gentle mental prodding over the years.

“What?” I asked, trying to make sense of his thoughts without pushing too hard on his mind.

“Aurra. It was Aurra who broke in.”

“We know,” Rex spoke up. “Apex sent Kida the footage.”

Merl gave me a look, his lips grinding together angrily. I furrowed my eyebrows, not following, but his thoughts practically screamed at me. I blinked, glancing back at Rex with horror on my face and disbelief at my own stupidity rolling off of me.

“Kriff,” I cussed. I grasped Merl’s hand in my own briefly, giving him a kiss on his cheek. “I’m so sorry.”

“Don’t apologize,” he yelled as I rushed past Rex and into the hallway. “Just stop her!”

Rex followed on my heels immediately, his own mind racing as he tried to catch up. “Apex,” I called into my wrist comm, dodging nurse droids and patients alike. “Keep an eye on him and start my speeder.”

“Yes, miss. No alarms have been triggered at the Senate Building.”

“She did it on purpose,” Rex put together as we exited the building and hopped into my speeder. “Aurra knew you’d go to him and leave Senator Amidala alone.”

“And I did just what she wanted,” I growled, maneuvering the speeder wildly through the bustling streets.

“You couldn’t have known,” Rex offered, but I could feel his own frustration and anxiety.

I breathed slowly through my nose, trying to stay focused on getting to the surface and back the Senator’s side. “But I should’ve.” Rex glanced at me, but said nothing, somehow knowing I couldn’t be consoled.

As my speeder shot through the tunnels of Coruscanti underground, slowly bringing me closer to the person I was being paid to protect, I thought aloud to myself nervously. “We have to make it. We have to.”

Mando’a

Ad’ika -- little one

Beroya -- Bounty hunter

Vod -- brother

Jetii -- Jedi

Aliit ori’shya tal’din -- family is more than blood

Ne shab'rud'niӧ -- Don’t mess with me

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arielsojourner · 7 years ago

Text

Vader Strikes Back - Part the 8th

Not beta read/really rough/not really proof read/plot holes and OUT of order. Also spoilers for the original first story in AO3 Back From the Future: Episode VI The Clone Wars. Check the tag #vader strikes back on my page for the other parts to this mess/fic outline.

I am on a ROLL. Ha-ha! This first of three major story arcs for this fic are FINALLY coming together even in this rough draft form! I may even have more to post in the next day or so. I have IDEAS! Such ideas, I cannot tell you. Let us just see if they actually WORK together so bear with me.

Please note that we are jumping around in time. Not all of Part 8 happens AFTER sections of Part 7. The snippets in this post may seem completely out of order and they are. I will rearrange the order of the various parts when I finalize this for posting on AO3. So please don’t be too confused. This is just the order that my muse is interested in writing these scenes and there will be more related to this part.

Finally, you may see some familiar hints of Tatooine slave culture and use of Amatakka in this section and future sections. I asked and received permission from the amazing @fialleril ahead of time to use some words from this language. They are just an amazing author. Follow them on tumblr. If you have not already, READ EVERYTHING they have ever written on AO3. I am not kidding. They are amazing!

A month into the Tatooine campaign and Rex was at his wits end. He felt that he’d crisscrossed the planet at least a dozen times, been to palaces, mansions, cities, towns, and villages, (and places that had delusions and fever dreams of village-hood). He’d been to the race course, the fighting pits, just about every cantina and watering hole on the planet and he was still always ten steps behind Vader.

Vader moved across the planet like a force of nature, leaving a swath of destruction in his wake at the level of most planetary disasters. Rex had seen some remarkable feats of martial strength by Jedi and Sith alike, but nothing compared to this.

The problem was, with Vader always on the move, the clone Captain could hardly plan an effective strategy! While finding an organized Underground on Tatooine was a relief and a blessing, the Trail runners were not trained to follow the chain of command and had their own very distinct ideas of how to wage a slave revolt and revolution.

(Rex never again wanted to witness unarmed civilians both young and old throwing themselves on the weapons of the enemy to open up a way for his men attack. He didn’t want to see slaves, knowing their transmitters were about to be triggered, using themselves as sentient bombs to help others escape. Rex could have lived his entire life without knowing that with an effective scanner, slaves would undergo invasive surgery to free themselves from implanted bombs with no anesthesia and little to no way to provide sterile conditions. Bearing witness during one such surgery to test out the effectiveness of the scanner Vader had designed was enough to put him off food for days and he was a veteran of some of the bloodiest fighting of the Clone Wars!)

If only they had more support from the GAR, but no, he had to plan and implement the campaign with the scant resources they had. Things would be a lot easier if Vader would just give him some idea of his plan of attack so Rex could arrange for a more effective liberation effort. But Vader never seemed to sit still. Rex would catch up to him at one location, finish the attack and relief effort, turn to consult with the man and find him gone.

Even when Vader did not immediately leave a town or palace or farmstead, he did not seem to rest. He would wander out into the fast approaching night, like some sort of silent specter, always moving, never still.

(Some of the locals would whisper . . . something as he passed by. It wasn’t in any language that Rex or even Echo recognized).

Rex knew there was a human man underneath that armor but since Luke had died, no one would believe it.

Vader didn’t sleep. He didn’t eat. He had not gone back to the sealed chambers he had aboard the Dauntless since they’d first made planet fall. Rex seriously wondered how long Vader could continue like this.

The only solution that Rex could figure out would be to move with Vader and talk to him as they traveled. Spying the dark cloaked figure heading out through the twists and turns of the city, Rex grabbed a datapad and his helmet and ran off after him.

Vader walked.

When he wasn’t killing slavers, he walked. His feet took him to many places. Many he’d seen before when Palpatine had ordered him to treat with Jabba on behalf of the Empire (one of the Emperor’s favorite sadistic games). Other places were remnants of his childhood. (The slaver quarters looked the same all over the planet. One weather beaten hovel was very much like the next. Junk shops and garages were ubiquitous.)

He was alone while he walked.

“I’ve never seen Mos Espa,” the voice to his left said in the growing dusk. “I’ve seen Mos Eisley and I’ve flown Beggar’s Canyon enough times, but I never got as far as this.”

Vader turned a corner and then another, halting to let some children run passed him.

(It was so strange that despite his mask, no child shrank in fright from him here.)

“It really is something, especially the race track. I wonder if they are still flying your old racing colors. You did win the Classic after all. Shall we go and look?”

Vader hesitated. To the right down through the market, passed Watto’s old shop, was the way to the track. To the left was the winding route to the quarters.

He turned left.

There was no one to show the flag off to anyway. No one living cared about such things, least of all him. But when he entered the old shabby courtyard of the slave quarters he wondered if he’d made a mistake in turning left, because the grandmother of the quarters was sitting and telling stories to a host of children who had flocked to her, children waiting and hoping that some family member may soon be free and come and find them.

Vader didn’t want to hear any stories. He didn’t want to remember. He wanted to finish this campaign, kill every single slaver and crime lord he could get his hands on and then leave and never return.

“I know this one,” the voice said excitedly. “Listen, this is the best part!”

Vader edged around the crowd and finally ducked down a narrow alleyway, the old woman’s voice fading.

He hurried forward not wanting to listen for a moment, only stopping when he finally reached a familiar door. It was so much smaller than he remembered. He looked at the frame and noted the symbols etched innocuously around it, easily mistaken for scratches and wear and tear. To those who knew how to read them though, they provided an access code and informed visitors that no one was living in the hovel currently. Vader went inside and out of a long forgotten habit, he shook himself from head to toe, trying to dislodge as much sand as he could.

The place was dark. The air wasn’t something that Vader could smell or taste but he was sure it was stale from long abandonment. There was no furniture except a few worn chairs at a familiar table, but Vader knew that behind a false back of one of the kitchen cupboards would be a hidden storage space with a few necessities if anyone was traveling the Trail and needed a place to rest.

He stood in the entry way, lost. He didn’t know where to go or what to do next. He didn’t want to remember.

Which begged the question, why then had he come here?

“I think you came because do want to remember,” the voice said quietly. “I think . . . I think you’ve been keekta-du since long before you went by the name Vader. But you can remember where you came from. Your feet know the Trail to take. We are desert people. Desert people don’t forget.”

Vader didn’t respond. There was nothing and no one to respond to.

He wasn’t sure how long he stood there in the dark until he heard a tapping on the door. The Force easily supplied him with the identity of who had followed him. He turned and opened the door to let Captain Rex and some of Luke’s students enter.

“Be sure to shake the sand off,” he counseled as he headed into the kitchen.

Anakin did not look away from the viewscreen but at Obi-Wan’s request he did pause the holovid, the image of Hardcase futility digging into the side of a mountain frozen in front of him.

“What do you want, Master?” he asked dully.

Obi-Wan paused, not sure what to say. Tatooine had long been a forbidden subject between them. Not since the very earliest days of their lives together had Anakin so much has hinted at his background or mentioned much of his past, (his nightmares about his mother’s death notwithstanding). Obi-Wan couldn’t pin point when Anakin had stopped talking about his past, but the words had dried up. Then the quirky strange things little Anakin used to do back in the beginning had ceased and his accent and way of talking had changed. At the time, Obi-Wan had thought Anakin had “let go” of the past.

He’d obviously been wrong about that as he had about so many things when it came to Anakin.

But things were different now. Things were supposed to be different between them. No more pretending. No more lying. He steeled himself and stepped closer and placed a hand on Anakin’s tense shoulder.

He counted it as a victory when Anakin does not shrug him off.

“I’ve received a message from Coruscant. There’s an emergency meeting called by the High Council. Do you want to listen in?”

Obi-Wan had been making this offer since they’d come to Naboo, breaking all traditions, rules and protocols by allowing his former Padawan to view meetings that should be shrouded in Silence. But it was more important now to demonstrate trust, to change the habits of a life time that nearly destroyed Anakin, the Order, and the entire galaxy. Obi-Wan may lose sleep over a lot of things, but breaking this rule was not one of them.

“It’s going to be about Tatooine,” Anakin said in a small voice, his fingers tracing the edges of the comm array buttons in front of him. “These holovids haven’t leaked onto the Galactic Holonet, but they’re all over the GAR servers. Every Jedi officer and every one of the troops have access to these vids.”

“Very likely, yes,” Obi-Wan agreed. He’d watched a few himself (just a few as it turned his stomach to watch, as all he could see was Anakin in the face of every liberated slave).

“And what is the Council going to do about it? They’ve already sent Master Windu out . . . hunting Vader.”

Obi-Wan shook his head. “I don’t know.”

Anakin turned in his seat, his eyes burning as he looked at his former Master. “Will the Council use Vader as an excuse to interfere with the campaign?”

“I don’t know.”

Anakin clenched his jaw. “You don’t know. You don’t know.” He stood suddenly, pushing the hand off his shoulder and began to pace. “He’s liberating the planet. He killed Jabba. He’s freeing the slaves. How is that a bad thing?”

“It’s not a bad thing,” Obi-Wan insisted, hoping to calm his friend. “It’s not.”

“Slavery’s supposed to be illegal, not that anyone would know looking at the galaxy.”

“It is illegal, Anakin.”

“They why don’t you know what the Council is going to do?!” Anakin exploded. “This is simple. This is so, so simple. Slavery bad. Liberation good. What is there to decide?”

Obi-Wan hesitated but then pressed on to disclose the most damning piece of news he had. “Master Yoda’s message setting the meeting mentioned a petitioner from the Hutt Clans.”

Anakin visibly recoiled as if struck. Items around the room started to vibrate and rattle. Obi-Wan raised a hand, trying to calm him, but Anakin was having none of it. “So the Hutts are going to beg the Jedi Order to intervene and protect them and the Order’s going to agree, is that it? Slaves begging for the Order’s help, well, the Council doesn’t have time for that but when an emissary of that slime ridden filth comes knocking there’s a special session of the Council? Is that what this is? My troops and innocent civilians all fighting, dying, for freedom but because of politics, because Vader is leading the charge, the Order is going to help the Hutts?!”

Anakin turned his head to the side and let out a spitting curse in a language that Obi-Wan had never heard before, but was so obviously vile it resonated through the Force like a slap in the face.

“I will not support that, Anakin,” Obi-Wan said, trying to forget the mission the Council had forced upon his student-- the rescue of Jabba’s son, the securing of Hutt hyperspace lanes for the war effort, (a sham war, a fake conflict orchestrated by a Sith, where he and other Jedi had compromised and compromised until there was nearly nothing left that made them Jedi to begin with). “Listen to me, I will not support the Hutts.”

Anakin looked at him, eyes searching his face, his feelings searching the Force.

(Anakin was checking. Obi-Wan hadn’t realized it before. He’d seen Anakin do this throughout his years of teaching him, but until recently Obi-Wan had never put two and two together. He thought his former Padawan was sulky and silent, and at times arrogant. Now Obi-Wan could see what before he never could. Anakin was checking to see if Obi-Wan was lying).

Obi-Wan was not lying. He was done with lying, no matter how painful it was.

Because he’d seen the consequences of lying that day the twins were born and Palpatine was defeated.

He never wanted to see Anakin that close to Falling ever again.

(He never wanted to see Anakin become the tortured violent shell of a man that was Vader.)

Anakin must have found him to be sincere because he did not turn his still visible anger against his brother. “And if the Council decides to help the Hutts retake Tatooine anyway?” he asked bitterly.

“They better not,” Padme’s interjected sharply. She entered the room and handed Anakin one of the twins to carry without a by your leave.

Immediately, everything in the room stilled, the cloud of anger evaporated like morning fog as Anakin cradled Leia in his arms.

Obi-Wan blinked at the sudden lifting of Anakin’s spirits. Nothing and no technique Obi-Wan had ever taught him (or that Anakin had taught himself) had ever worked as well to ground Anakin in the light like his children. It was awe inspiring each time Obi-Wan witnessed it.

But Padme was still talking and her tone of command was quick to refocus Obi-Wan’s thoughts. “I’ve already conferred with Satine and Bail on this. The Republic will not get involved in Tatooine. I can’t convince them to officially help given the current precarious political and economic knife’s edge we find ourselves on, especially with the Accords not finalized, but the Republic won’t interfere. We won’t provide aide to the Hutts to stop the liberation. When Vader manages to secure the planet, reconstruction funding and resources will be available through the League’s free market. That much I can do. But you make sure you tell them that, Obi-Wan,” she said, rocking Luke in her arms. “You tell the Council that if they back the Hutts to undo all the good that is happening on Tatooine I will personally see to it that each and every one of them regret it until their dying day,” she said with a finality of a death knell. “In the most legal and ethically way possible, of course,” she added after a beat of stunned silence.

“Of course,” Obi-Wan echoed weakly, more than a little unnerved. Sometimes he forgot that at 14 Padme had ruled a planet and fought a war to protect it from the Trade Federation (no doubt to Palpatine’s total consternation, he realized with bitter remembrance and hindsight). He really shouldn’t forget that. He spared a glance over to Anakin, who had managed to take his eyes off his daughter’s face to gaze at his terrifying wife with stars in his eyes. (As per usual, Anakin was largely useless in curbing the Senator’s more vicious tendencies and obviously found them to be a wildly attractive quality.) “Well,” he said shaking himself. “I’d best comm the Council.”

Padme nodded and then she and Anakin took a seat on the couch out of holocamera range to watch.

Obi-Wan took his seat and a deep breath, and activated the comm system.

#vader strikes back #luke and vader save the galaxy #star wars the clone wars #prequels

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skywalkersapprentice · 7 years ago

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Day 16- Duel

“Alright,” Anakin said, gaze critical as he considered Ahsoka's form, “the first thing we have to do is fix that reverse grip.”

rating: g

pairings: none

word count: 3035

(read on ao3)

I know I’m behind, I’m sorry!! My need for sleep is interfering with my writing.

The first time Anakin brought it up was during a practise duel, early on in her apprenticeship.

After returning Jabba's son to him on Tatooine, the Jedi headed immediately to Coruscant. As Anakin explained to Ahsoka, this was their opportunity to eat hot food and get a good night's sleep before they were given a new mission. Ahsoka thought she was too wired to sleep, but once the mission reports were filled and she was back in her room, she slept for almost twelve hours.

She awoke feeling well rested and ready to face whatever her new Master had for her next. Being a Padawan had been exciting so far. A Jedi didn't seek thrills, but Ahsoka was eager for the next challenge.

That challenge turned out to be a practise duel.

Ahsoka bowed to her Master in the center of the training room, attempting to release her nerves into the Force and stay focused. It was difficult. She'd already fought several battles beside her new Master, but those had all been chaotic firefights.

This would just be the two of them.

Anakin had told her he just wanted to see where her skill level was at, but the second Ahsoka settled into her reverse grip ready position, he was already frowning.

“Alright,” Anakin said, gaze critical as he considered Ahsoka's form, “the first thing we have to do is fix that reverse grip.”

Ahsoka straightened up in indignation. “What's wrong with it?”

“Well, for starters, it's leaving you way too exposed,” Anakin told her. “I saw it happen on both Teth and Christophsis. You're constantly giving the enemy an opportunity to attack you from the front- like this.”

One second his saber was hanging on his belt, the next it was pointed at her heart. Ahsoka had no time to bring her own lightsaber up to block it. She put her free hand on her hip, glaring. “That's not fair! I wasn't ready.”

Anakin nodded. “See, that's the problem. If your ready stance was that of Djem So, not reverse Shien, your blade would have been raised to defend yourself. Shien might be good for deflecting blasterfire, but against a one on one opponent, you're going to have some trouble.”

“It's never been a problem before,” Ahsoka said defensively. She was consistently at the top of her classes in lightsaber duelling. Sure, some of her instructors might have frowned at her choice of form, but she couldn't imagine using primarily Djem So or Soresu. They seemed far too limiting for her. Shien was what she knew- she was comfortable using the usual front facing method, but she usually preferred the reverse grip.

“Yeah, but you've never faced opponents like Ventress before,” Anakin said. “The separatists aren't going to go easy on you, Snips- one wrong move and you're dead.”

“I know, Master,” Ahsoka said, irritated. “But I've been using this form for years. I already know it's what I'm best at.”

“Ah, and now you're getting cocky,” Anakin said lightly. “Ready position. Let's see how good you really are.”

Ahsoka settled back into her ready stance. Now she had a point to prove.

Djem So and Shien were two variants of the same lightsaber form, but they were both very different. Shien was created as a defensive form, where as Djem So was more attack oriented. Anakin made the first move, a low strike. Ahsoka easily blocked it, shifting her weight to her leading foot. She then followed with a low swipe at her Master's knees, which he parried with a smooth, steady movement. Their lightsabers tangled briefly before Ahsoka retreated again. She kept her center of balance low- Anakin's strikes were powerful and they could easily knock her off guard if she wasn't careful. Taking a breath, she leaped forward again.

Anakin's technique, she noted, involved a lot of quick, sharp movements that didn't expand too much energy. He used his height and weight to his advantage, pressing her back her back with a series of fast, heavy strikes. Ahsoka sprang away with quick, light steps, alternating between dodging and blocking, now focusing only on defending herself.

“How long do you think you can keep this up for?” Anakin asked, sounding as if they were simply out for a stroll.

“Why,” Ahsoka countered, leaping to the side to avoid a blow, “are you tired already?”

“You wish,” Anakin scoffed. “But you're using up a lot of energy. That could be costly in a real battle.”

Ahsoka frowned inwardly. Why didn't he believe that she knew what she was doing? His ability to make her feel eight years old again was almost as impressive as his lightsaber skills. “I can handle it, Master.”

He moved quickly then, taking his opportunity while her blade was raised in front of her to aim a kick at her stomach. There was the brief, sickening sensation of flying through the air, and then Ahsoka hit the mats with a groan, watching out of the corner of her eye as her lightsaber skidded away from her.

Blast it.

She sat up quickly, not wanting to seem weak in front of her Master. He didn't look judgmental, or even disappointed. He just offered her a hand up.

Ahsoka narrowed her eyes in determination. She would show him. One day, she would show him that she was capable of mastering this form.

Ahsoka received a lecture from her Master for facing Grievous alone on the separatist listening outpost. She sat quietly, in the copilot seat of the Twilight, knowing she deserved it. She had gotten ahead of herself and no, she hadn't been thinking of the consequences of her actions, and yes, she knew that Grievous could have killed her, but what was she supposed to do? Run away? Let Rex die? That wasn't an option.

She knew Anakin's lectures came from a place of concern, and it made it easier to accept what he was saying.

Not to mention, Anakin rarely ended a lecture on a bad note.

“However,” he said, when he'd finished pointing out all the things she'd done wrong, “you did hold your own against General Grievous. There aren't many Padawans your age who could have managed that, so- well done.”

Ahsoka sat taller, the praise soothing the sting of his previous words. “Thank you, Master.” She didn't tell him that she'd been terrified, or that she'd nearly been killed several times. She wasn't dead, so that had to mean her skills were improving, right?

She hoped they were improving, anyway. She'd been spending long hours in the training rooms in the Temple when they were home, honing her form and improving her technique. She had to admit, Anakin was a good teacher. Her footwork had definitely gotten better over the last few months, as had her strength, from regularly fighting someone much bigger than her.

She knew Anakin still disproved of her form though, which was why she couldn't resist throwing in, “Maybe reverse Shien isn't so useless against a single opponent after all.”

Anakin shot her a sideways glance. “You used reverse Shien against General Grievous?”

Well... sort of. It was a blur now, but she'd been so focused on trying to stay alive that she'd slipped into a mixture of both reverse and regular Shien. “Grievous is so fast that it's easier to block his strikes just like I would with blasterfire.” She crossed her arms as Anakin stared at her. “It worked, didn't it?”

Anakin shook his head. “And they call me reckless,” he muttered, half to himself.

“I learned from the best.”

“Nice try, Snips, but I definitely didn't teach you that.”

“Admit it,” Ahsoka told him. “Reverse Shien isn't as terrible as you think it is.”

Anakin stayed stubbornly silent and Ahsoka rolled her eyes, turning back to face the hypnotizing blues and whites of hyperspace in front of them. She was quickly learning that once her Master got an idea in his head, it was very difficult to change his mind.

“Who taught you about that form in the first place?” Anakin asked her after a while. “There aren't a lot of Jedi who even practise it right now. Most instructors at the Temple are pretty divided about whether it should be considered a form or not.”

He didn't have to tell her that. Ahsoka had encountered all of those instructors at one point or another.

“I was learning Ataru at the time, but it didn't feel right to me,” Ahsoka said. “Serra Keto noticed me struggling. She taught me reverse Shien, thinking it would suit me better- and she was right.”

“Serra Keto... Cin Drallig's former Padawan?” Anakin looked interested. “I thought her form was Jar'Kai.” Jar'Kai was the style of dual wielding. It was another uncommon form among the Jedi and Serra was renowned for being one of it's best practitioners.

“It is,” Ahsoka said. “But she started with reverse Shien, too.” Not to mention, as the Padawan of the best duellist in the Temple, Serra was adept at multiple forms.

Anakin didn't say anything else. Ahsoka stood up to go check on Artoo, but out of the corner of her eye, she noticed he looked thoughtful.

Ahsoka kept training.

She studied hard, put in long hours in the Temple training rooms, and even unused storage rooms on the Resolute. She fought her Master often, never winning, but embarassing defeats were becoming less and less common. When they were on Coruscant, she sought out other opponents, just to keep herself from growing too used to Anakin's fighting style. Barriss was a good opponent, as was Serra Keto. A few times, she managed to convinced Master Obi-Wan to spar with her. He was just as good as Anakin, if not better, and it was always a challenge to try and combat his mastery of Form III.

He also seemed to enjoy her unique fighting style, which was more than she could say for other Jedi.

The dinner hour was when the outside training grounds were the quietest, and so when they were on Coruscant, Anakin and Ahsoka often ate quickly so they could escape and spar in peace. Both of them preferred the temple courtyard to the indoor training rooms- there was more room outside, for one, and the Great Tree at the heart of the courtyard provided welcome shade on a warm evening.

Their lightsabers flashed in the dusky courtyard as Ahsoka flipped over her Master's head, attempting to strike a hit as she did so. Anakin merely raised his lightsaber to deflect, unmovable as ever. In the same breath, he attempted a counterstrike at her knees, which Ahsoka easily leaped over. Both of them still breathed easily, even as sweat began to darken Anakin's hair.

Ahsoka decided to try something different. She flipped her lightsaber upright, crossed blades with her Master, then ducked low and spun around, resuming her reverse grip as she did so. She had manoeuvred herself an opening and even Anakin couldn't lower his blade in time to stop the glancing blow to his thigh. Their lightsabers were set to training mode, so it wouldn't hurt too badly, but he still grimaced all the same.

“Nice work,” he allowed, falling back into the Djem So ready position. The fight wasn't over until one of them landed a 'killing' blow or gave up. It was also game over if one of them was knocked down.

So far, Ahsoka had never won a match. But it wasn't about winning. It was about gaining experience.

They kept going.

After a while, there were footsteps on the stairs, and Ahsoka knew dinner was over. Several Jedi, looking for a quiet place to meditate after the meal had appeared. Some of them knelt under the tree, some of them sat on the stairs to watch the duel.

Their whispers carried. She heard what they said about her lightsaber form- what is she thinking? Reverse Shien? Against Skywalker?

Occasionally, Ahsoka wondered the same thing. What was she thinking? Could she truly ever beat her Master with the reverse grip? Was she making a mistake?

“Keep your focus here,” Anakin warned her, quiet enough that the spectators wouldn't hear.

Ahsoka nodded, then threw herself back into the fight.

Things were different, after that, though. Before, where their fight had been fluid and graceful, it was now stilted and off. It had turned from a dance into routine. Was it the spectators? No, they'd had people watch them fight before. Not to mention, Ahsoka had grown very used to fighting under pressure.

So then... what?

Frustration slowed her reaction times. Embarrassment fed her hesitation. She was making mistakes she hadn't made in ages, and by the time she jumped back to regroup, neither of them were having fun anymore.

Ahsoka brought her lightsaber up to the ready position, and it was then that she knew what was wrong.

Without realizing it, she had switched from reverse Shien to forward Shien. She had unknowingly let the whispers affect her, and it had changed things for the worse.

No wonder their fight had been thrown off. Ahsoka wondered if her Master had even noticed she'd stopped using the grip he disliked so much.

Ahsoka could fight using the original style of Shien. She was proficient at Ataru and had a decent grasp on Djem So. But none of those forms fit who she was. None of them had ever clicked for her.

Ahsoka realized then, that she didn't need to prove herself to Anakin. Her lightsaber form had helped her survive against Grievous. She'd been able to hold her own against Ventress. Maybe it wasn't the best for one-on-one combat, but she made it work for her.

Reverse Shien was what Ahsoka Tano was best at. Her fellow Jedi could whisper, her Master could frown and shake his head. It didn't change that simple fact- reverse Shien was hers.

She felt lighter with the knowledge. She sank into the familiar ready stance and it was with a smile that she leaped forward once more.

Anakin met her halfway with his own blade, an eyebrow raised in a silent question, but she didn't know what kind of answer to respond with besides the best fight she could give him.

Ahsoka struck out with a low slash at his feet. She knew most of Anakin's moves by now, and knew that after blocking that, he would attempt a swing at her side. Her blade was already up to parry when he moved his, and their lightsabers met with a hiss. She ducked and weaved and flipped around him while he moved in solid, graceful steps to counterattack her swings, and suddenly, it was a dance again.

Reverse Shien versus Djem So. Offence versus defence. A simple spar, yet it felt like more.

And then, she saw an opening.

It was a split second of a thing, a sliver of a mistake because that's all Anakin would ever make, but perhaps, tonight it would be enough. Ahsoka didn't think about it. She just moved.

The spectators faded from Ahsoka's mind. Their quiet murmurs ceased to exist. All she saw were the blue and green blades flashing in the evening light and Anakin's startled face as her foot connected with his side.

He stumbled back, attempting to recover, but Ahsoka was already charging forward, . Anakin raised his lightsaber, grimly blocking slash after slash. He couldn't keep it up forever though- reverse Shien had one great advantage.

Ahsoka could move her lightsaber a lot faster than Anakin could.

The sun had just disappeared behind Coruscant's skyline when a single strike broke through Anakin's defences, painting a scorch mark across his tunic.

And just like that, it was over.

Anakin deactivated his lightsaber, breathing hard. His head was lowered, face hidden in shadow, and for a moment, Ahsoka was nervous. Was he angry, that she had beaten him in front of a crowd?

Then Anakin raised his head, and Ahsoka saw that he was grinning. Not only that, but he looked- proud.

He didn't say anything. He closed his hands together in front of him and bowed and Ahsoka, feeling ten feet tall, followed suit. She only faintly registered the sound of polite applause before the onlookers began to go their separate ways.

It didn't matter. What did matter was Anakin straightening up, putting a hand on her shoulder and telling her, “You heard what they were saying and you stayed focused anyway. I'm proud of you, Snips. Well done.”

Ahsoka looked away, smiling. “Thank you, Master.”

“Though, something changed in the middle there,” Anakin continued. “What was it?”

“I realized that... it doesn't matter what anyone else thinks about my lightsaber form,” Ahsoka said slowly. “It's what works best for me, and that's what's most important. Once I saw that, I was able to clear my head.”

“You're right,” Anakin said as they reached the doors, “It does work best for you. I see that now.”

“What are you saying?”

It looked like it was a struggle for her Master to get the words out. “I... think it's time for me to admit I was wrong about the reverse grip.”

“What was that?” Ahsoka raised an eyemarking. “You were wrong about something?”

Anakin shot her an exasperated look. “It does happen from time to time.”

“Well this time, I'm glad you were wrong,” Ahsoka said. She hadn't needed Anakin's approval, but it was nice to have it all the same.“Even if it did take you over a year to admit it.”

Anakin just shook his head and kept walking.

Ahsoka jogged to catch up with his long strides. “I don't suppose I could convince you to try reverse Shien now, huh?”

Anakin snorted. “Not a chance, Snips.” He gave her a considering look. “Although... how would you feel about learning Jar'Kai?”

Ahsoka could only stare at him. He'd gone from hating the idea of her reverse-wielding her lightsaber to wanting her to use to of them at once. Never let it be said that Anakin Skywalker did anything halfway.

Ahsoka didn't think she would ever fully understand her Master.

But... the idea wasn't half bad.

#starwarsfictober #anakin and ahsoka #star wars fictober #ahsoka tano #anakin skywalker #writings #god getting sick over the weekend really threw me off ngl

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comic-movieheroesranked · 7 years ago

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Cinematic Comic Characters Ranked! (Year 2008) Part Two

Wow, I just want to say that 2008 really stepped it up when it came to comic movies released. Granted, a couple weren’t the best but overall this year was one of the best out of the bunch. The Dark Knight and Hellboy II: The Golden Army are the only sequels this year, while The Punisher: War Zone and The Incredible Hulk serve as reboots. Star Wars: The Clone Wars serves as a prequel and we also see the debut of Iron Man, Speed Racer, The Spirit and Wanted! Lets start off our largest list yet! Here’s #60-41!

*SPOILERS FOR THE MOVIES HIGHLIGHTED ABOVE*

60. Tom Manning (Hellboy II: The Golden Army)

"God, I hate Youtube!"

Tom is back as the director of the department Hellboy works for, and he still tries miserably to keep it secret. This, of course, doesn't work out when you got a group consisting of a hellspawn, an aquatic man, and a girl who can blow up entire blocks. He tries to maintain order by adding Krauss to the group but in the end they all end up quitting on him, leaving him with no more agents to help stop otherworldly creatures.

59. Jabba the Hutt and T3-70 (Star Wars: The Clone Wars)

"You will be executed immediately."

The only thing Jabba the Hutt seems to care about is his newborn son. When he's kidnapped, Jabba doesn't know who to trust. He gets played by Count Dooku into thinking the Jedi were the ones responsible and had, in fact, killed his son and were now going to kill him. But in the end Ahsoka, Anakin and Padme are able to return his son to him and reveal that it was his uncle who helped Count Dooku with his plan. Grateful, he agrees to sign a treaty with the Republic. T3-70 is the robot who does all of his translating.

58. Mr. Wink (Hellboy II: The Golden Army)

*growls*

Mr. Wink was a giant troll-like creature that seemed to be Prince Nuada's personal bodyguard, even though the prince is more than capable of defending himself. He helps Nuada gain control of the first two crown pieces by attacking a bunch of humans and then helping Nuada kill his father and his royal guard. When he goes out by himself to get the last crown piece from Nuala, he ends up going up against Hellboy, himself. And, well, Hellboy doesn't lose so Mr. Wink ends up getting crushed in some type of grinder thing.

57. Christine Everhart (Iron Man)

"That's a great line coming from the guy selling the sticks."

I couldn't decide on whether or not I liked Christine. Like it's clear she's very passionate about her job but I couldn't tell if it's because she truly didn't approve of what Stark Industries represented or because Tony slept with her once and moved on. And then there was her unnecessary bitchiness towards Pepper the morning after, but Pepper handled her very well like the boss she is.

56. Spritle Racer, Sparky, and Chim Chim (Speed Racer)

"Go, Speed, go!"

I get these three were supposed to bring the humor to the movie, but they annoyed me the most...except for the monkey. Sparky is Speed's best friend and mechanic who can't fight to save his life. Like he literally loses every fight he's in during the movie. Spirtle is Speed's little brother who always disobeys what he's told and gets in all kinds of mischief with his pet monkey, Chim Chim. I will give him props for giving Mr. Royalton the middle finger, I was definitely not expecting that to happen.

55. Agent Coulson (Iron Man)

"Just call us S.H.I.E.L.D."

Agent Coulson stays in the background the entire movie not really explaining what it is his department does. He does prove his worth when Pepper discovers Obadiah's betrayal and sends his men after him, but it's too late and Obadiah takes them down in his Iron Monger suit.

54. Morgenstern (The Spirit)

"No, sir. We're just equipped."

The enthusiastic rookie cop who idolizes The Spirit, Morgenstern proves that her detective skills are on point as she helps The Spirit figure out what Octopus is up to. She also has great aim with a badass gun that she shows up with during the final conflict. She's the first one to do real damage to the Octopus, blasting off one of his hands. Her admiring The Spirit could be because she's crushing on him like every other girl in the film, but she's one of the few he doesn't get his lips on.

53. Samuel Sterns (The Incredible Hulk)

"Why are you always hitting people?"

This quirky professor turns out to be the Mr. Blue that's been in communication with Bruce while he was in isolation. Yes, he was able to make a temporary cure that may have helped Bruce control his anger, and therefore his Hulk persona, but he was starting to show me red flags early on. Any scientist with a hunger to gain glory for a discovery is potentially dangerous in superhero films because they're willing to put people at risk to get their break through. It's proven when he creates more samples of Bruce's blood without his consent and then helps Emil become Abomination. The last we see him, Bruce's blood manages to get inside a wound on his head and he starts to mutate as well.

52. Billy Russotti/Jigsaw & James Russotti/Looney Bin Jim (Punisher: War Zone)

"Would you also like to swear on an imaginary friend?"

These two really pinned the tail on the donkey when it comes to obnoxious brothers in the mob. They both try to appear really menacing but it just came off as comical for me. Like Looney Bin Jim throwing himself at every mirror he sees was one of the dumbest things I think I saw throughout the movie. Still, the two are able to cause some serious mayhem killing cops, crooks, and Castle's allies alike. In the end they're taken down fairly easily by the Punisher, Jim gets a bullet in the head and Jigsaw gets roasted.

51. Captain Rex (Star Wars: The Clone Wars)

"In my book, experience outranks everything."

Rex is a clone in charge of the clone armies. He appears to be the most capable out of all the clones as he's the one that's seen working closely with Obi-Wan Kenobi and Anakin Skywalker. He leads his men to help them in every mission they are given and mostly succeeds with his assistance.

50. Raza (Iron Man)

"Tony Stark has created the ultimate weapon: a masterpiece of death."

The leader of the terrorist group, Ten Rings, Raza is hired by Obadiah to kill Tony Stark. Instead he kidnaps the millionaire genius and tries to force him to create weapons for his faction. He ends up getting half his face burned when Tony escapes and then gets paralyzed when he confronts Obadiah about it. It's left unknown if he lives or dies but I like to think Obadiah's men took care of him.

49. Lau, Sal Maroni, Chechen, and Gambol (The Dark Knight)

"Enough from the clown!"

Maroni, Chechen, and Gambol are the crime lords of Gotham and Lau is their criminal accountant who handles all their money. For months Batman has been clearing the streets of their business to the point that they get desperate enough to hire The Joker, except for Gambol. He's the first crime lord to go down after he tries to put a bounty on the clown, who shows up and kills him himself. Lau and Chechen go down next. After Lau gets caught by Batman, he rats out everyone which puts a target on his back. Joker captures him for Chechen but when the crime lord refuses to serve the Joker, the clown has him taken away to be fed to his own dogs, just after setting Lau on fire on top of millions of dollars. Sal Maroni gets roughed up by everyone else. He gets his legs broken by Batman and then gets taken down by Two Face when the former lawyer kills his driver.

48. Taejo Togokahn (Speed Racer)

"I'll see you at Fuji."

A rookie racer who we first see almost get his hand eaten by a bunch of piranhas. He teams up with Speed and Racer X to help him win the Casa Cristo 5000 in exchange for his proof of Mr. Royalton's corruption. However, he goes back on his word, deciding instead to profit with his father on the money Mr. Royalton gives them when he buys their company.

47. Yoda (Star Wars: The Clone Wars)

"To let go of his pupil, a greater challenge it will be."

Yoda and Obi-Wan somehow came up with a plan to give Anakin a young jedi to train. As one of the strongest jedi, Yoda is constantly leading Republic armies to help battle the forces of Count Dooku and the Separatists.

46. The Gunsmith, The Repairman, and The Butcher (Wanted)

"Fuck that! You are a pussy!"

These three assassins help shape Wesley into the assassin he's meant to be. The Gunsmith is there to help him curve a bullet, The Repairman beats the shit out of him so he loses his bad habits from his normal life, and The Butcher shows him everything about knives. It was nice to see they actually cared about each other during The Executioner's death before Wesley killed The Repairman and The Butcher. The Gunsmith was taken out by Fox after he tried to ignore the code.

45. Count Dooku (Star Wars: The Clone Wars)

"I sense your strong feelings. Pain, fear..."

Count Dooku is back as one of our main villains and he ends up developing a plan to gain the Hutts as allies for the Separatists. To do so, he stages the jedi kidnapping Jubba the Hutt's son and convinces the ruler that the Republic is trying to kill him. His plans fail when Anakin and Ahsoka return the newborn but he manages to put a lot of doubt into Anakin before he flees.

44. Eustace Dolan (The Spirit)

"You watch what you say about cops!"

Commissioner of Central City, Eustace is the only one to know Denny came back to life before he resurfaced as The Spirit. They agreed Denny could serve as the perfect spy to help bring down The Octopus under a persona with no attachments. Of course, the no attachments rule becomes a problem when The Spirit starts dating Eustace's daughter and when Denny starts doing things on his own without the help of the police department. But even though he's annoyed, Eustace still backs The Spirit up and even puts six bullets into the Octopus's head during the final gunfight.

43. The Exterminator (Wanted)

"A thousand..."

Wesley's first friend in the Fraternity and kinda his only friend. The Exterminator usually keeps Wesley company as he heals in the healing chambers. His special talent is feeding rats explosive peanut butter and then detonating them, which ends up helping Wesley in the end. He's accidentally killed by Wesley, who mistakes him for Cross.

42. Trixie (Speed Racer)

"Cool beans."

You know a girl is loyal when she punches another girl in the face for talking shit about her boy, even when she's never even talked to said boy. And you know a boy is in love when he, a race driving protege, crashes because he can't take his eyes off her. That's the relationship between Trixie and Speed and Trixie shows that she's one of the most supportive people in Speed's adult career. She also flies a really stylish helicopter that she uses to help Speed and his teammate when they're racing and when it's time to rough it up with some thugs, Trixie's there to karate chop everyone in her path.

41. Johann Krauss (Hellboy II: The Golden Army)

"Suck my ectoplasmic schwanzstucker!"

With Meyers gone, the group was in need of a fourth member, at least according to Tom Manning. In comes Johann Krauss, a man who's ectoplasm is trapped inside a robot. He's very much all about the rules when he first starts leading the team, quickly getting on Hellboy's nerves. One of my favorite moments is Hellboy smashing his glass head during their confrontation. In the end though Johann ends up bonding with the team so much, he also quits after they defeat the Golden Army.

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delicatefury · 8 years ago

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TDPL snippet - The Padawan Discussion, round 2.

I got 2 likes and a hell yes, so here’s the next NaNo snippet. I wrote it on it’s own because it was one of the scenes that begged to be written. It’s the second of three conversations regarding Luke and Leia’s potential as padawans and who will be teaching them.

These conversations are necessary because Obi-Wan, self-sacrificing, self-deprecating man that he is, long ago came to the conclusion that if Anakin had had any other choice, Obi-Wan probably wouldn’t have been his master (comparisons to Qui-Gon were distinctively effective in planting this idea). As such, he is determined to ensure the twins know that they can have any available master and refuses to claim them for himself. He doesn’t want them staying with him out of any sense of obligation or thought that they have no other options.

Stupid, yes, but he’s Obi-Wan Kenobi, and his master and student did wonders in building up his self worth.

So the Padawan discussion, Round 1 is between Luke and Leia. Round 3 is between Obi-Wan and the Council. Round 2, though, is Luke and Obi-Wan.

Also, slight, very slight Anakin bashing and less slight Jedi-defending ahead.

Anyway, enjoy.

“I know… I know I made a big deal about being a Jedi like my Father,” Luke beings. “And I’m not taking it back,” he hastens to add. “I wanted to be a Jedi at first because he was. I guess I just wanted to know him in someway. But I didn’t wanna be a Jedi like my Father, y’know?”

Obi-Wan does not know. Luke has been adamant on preserving Knight Anakin Skywalker’s legacy. He’d made that very clear. To Master Yoda, to himself, to Vader, and especially to the Emperor. As a result, Obi-Wan finds himself puzzled trying to find the meaning behind Luke’s words.

“Why ever not? If any Jedi proved that attachments are not necessarily a bad thing, that they can save lost souls and bring them back to the light, I would think it would be your father. He certainly taught me quite a bit about it.”

“Yeah, but… I looked him up, y’know. Anakin. His Jedi career, I mean,” Luke says. He’s looking at his boots, at the desert wrappings he’s managed to keep despite otherwise acquiescing to the initiate uniform. “And you were right. I mean, I’ve met him, now.” The boy gives him a wry smile. “He is an amazing pilot, a great warrior, a brilliant tactician, and a good friend.”

Obi-Wan returns the smile, hearing his own words echoed back to him, twenty-odd years before they were said.

“But…” the boy trails off.

“But?”

“I don’t think he’s a very good Jedi.”

Obi-Wan’s eyebrow rises at that. While he would not exactly argue, hindsight and all that, it was surprising hearing such a proclamation from Luke, the one person able to see the Light in Darth Vader.

“When Master Yoda died, I was alone. I still had you and Father around to advise me, but I was the only one who could rebuild the Jedi. So I had to decide what the Jedi were going to be.” The boy takes a deep breath. “I didn’t want us, well, me. I never had time to find anyone but Leia to be an ‘us’.” His smile turns rueful, and Obi-Wan thinks a look of such intense loneliness should not be on the face of a child so young. Obi-Wan remembers seeing that look on a young Anakin at a funeral pyre a decade and lifetime ago, and ignore the memory of seeing it on his own during a trip to a certain agricultural planet.

It won’t do to dwell.

“And what did you decide?” he prompts.

“I didn’t want to be pacifists, never lifting our weapons, and I didn’t want us to be isolationists, hiding from the galaxy so we could stay pure. The Republic would need us. Me. They would need me to undo a lot of the damage Sidious had done. To find the pockets of darkness that he left everywhere. And there was so much hurt and pain. Once I knew how to sense it, I could feel it everywhere. I finally understood what you felt with Alderaan. And… and I know how pain affected Father. It lingered in him. It never went away or got better. Instead, he dwelled on it, he feared it. But, I didn’t want to ignore it either, like some of the old books I found said. I didn’t want to pretend it wasn’t there. You can’t release a feeling into the Force if you don’t acknowledge it’s there.”

And, oh, the wisdom of children, Obi-Wan muses, to see that which so many of the Order misinterpreted, whether deliberately or not.

“I wanted the Jedi to be better. I wanted us to turn sorrow to sympathy and pain to compassion. I wanted the new Jedi to be strong enough to be kind, even if the galaxy took everything from them. To… to remember how easy it is to be hurt and to try not to inflict that on others. Maybe even find a way to take it on themselves, relieve other’s suffering, y’know?”

“You wanted your Jedi to be the opposite of the Sith.”

Luke nods. “I didn’t want to be the type of Jedi Father was,” the boy says. He takes a deep breath, bracing himself for his next words. The Force is whispering in Obi-Wan’s ear, telling him to pay attention. That what comes next is important, a fulcrum upon which the future might rotate.

“Ben,” the boy whispers, heart in every word, “I don’t want to be a Jedi like my Father was. Is. I want to be a Jedi like you.”

And once more a Skywalker has shattered his heart. He’s beginning to forget what it feels like whole. It takes him time to respond. He opens his mouth to speak, and finds a large lump blocking his words. He swallows, and realizes his eyes are over-wet as well. He’s forced to blink a few times as he struggles to get his breathing back under control.

“You wanted to be like… me? Whether for the good of the galaxy or not, I lied and manipulated you, Luke. I’m very good at it.”

The boy shrugs. “You were hurt and in pain. It’s kinda obvious how much you love Anakin.” Obi-Wan was tempted to point out it was obvious to everyone but the man in question. “I’d be telling myself the same things if Han or Leia did even half of any of what he did. And I was really mad at you when I found out. You still should’ve told me yourself but… I tried to lie to myself about Vader, too.”

“Luke…” The boy really is far too forgiving.

Said boy suddenly looks up and meets his eyes. There is a defiance, a spark challenging Obi-Wan to deny him.

“I read your journals. Not all of them.” It’s a bit of a non-sequitur, Obi-Wan thinks, but Luke evidently has a point he wants to make. “I didn’t… didn’t get the chance to complete them, y’know. But I read about what happened during the drought. Uncle Owen hated you, tried to hurt you, but you were always nice to him. The Tuskens tried to kill you, but you just disarmed them cause they were weaker. Everyone back home can barely stand Jawas, but you helped them. The only way you could stop yourself from helping was to never interact with people, ever.” Obi-Wan wants to cringe. He had hated, well, resented at times, that he’d been put in a position where he was forced to choose between others and Luke. He’d chosen Luke, like always. It makes him a terrible role model, he thinks. The boy in question, however, seems to disagree.

“You saved everyone that day when you stopped the slugthrowers, y’know? Jabba’s men would’ve just murdered them all because they were dying of thirst and angry, and you helped them without even thinking. That’s the kinda Jedi I wanted to be. The kind of Jedi I want to be.”

Obi-Wan finds that words have failed him. Perhaps it was for the best that Owen had kept Luke far away from Obi-Wan. With his ability to render the great Negotiator speechless, the boy probably would have convinced him to hijack a freighter off the planet and join the rebellion before he was six years old.

The mood shifts suddenly. Luke has his feet planted in a stance that reminds him of Anakin. But the way his jaw is set is pure Padme.

“I know Father betrayed you. I know I’ve got a lot of his faults and problems. But I promise, I won’t fail you. I’m not afraid!” There are tears in the boy’s eyes as Luke repeats to Obi-Wan the same words he said to Yoda on Dagobah. “I won’t fall to the Dark Side. I won’t.”

Obi-Wan doesn’t even have to check to Force to know which action to take next. But he gladly obeys it’s commands to gather the tear-stained boy into his arms and hold him close. Luke responds instantly to the comfort, collapsing into near silent sobs of frustration, weakened by the intensity of his emotions.

“Shh… Luke, shhhh.” Obi-Wan murmurs in the boy’s ear, hand reaching up to rub wide circles on his back. “You have it wrong, my boy. So, so wrong,” he confesses into blond hair.

Calmed, Luke sniffles and pulls back. He stares back at Obi-Wan through watery blue eyes. He’s confused, but determined to make sense of the emotional wreck he has made of Old Ben.

Obi-Wan answers him with a wan smile of his own. “I am not afraid of you falling to the Dark Side, Luke. I do not believe that there’s a fundamental flaw in the Skywalkers. Large hearts that care oh so much, but that carry the capacity to bring so much Light into the world, like you’ve proved yourself several times over.” The smile sharpens into a smirk before fading away.

“I’m worried that I will fail you. I don’t exactly have the greatest track record for padawans. The one who was solely my responsibility destroyed the Order. The one who I helped train left it and apparently spent the next decade or so of her life proudly proclaiming the fact that she was not a Jedi.”

“You taught me.”

“For all of two weeks. Master Yoda did far more for you than I did.”

The boy shakes his head vehemently, pure denial flowing in the Force around him. “Master Yoda was great, but I only trained with him for six months. Everything else, I learned from you. From the books and stuff you left for me. Even though you weren’t there, you were my teacher.” The boy gets a frightfully concerned look on his face. “Wait… do you… do you not want us around?”

Truly, there should be a law or a provision in the code that prevents younglings from tugging on heartstrings this effectively.

“Luke… I want to teach you, and Leia, far more than you can possibly imagine. But don’t think you that you are obligated to stay with me out of some sense of loyalty. The finest knights and masters of the Jedi Order’s entire history are available to teach you now.” Obi-Wan does not want to push Luke and Leia on another master. He wants to hold them close and keep them safe, as he has wanted since the moment they were born. But it has never been about what he wants. He could never forgive himself for binding Luke and Leia to him out of selfish need. So he continues to try and reason with the boy. “Master Windu knows how to channel anger and the Dark Side without letting it cling to him, a wonderful gift for those who must constantly face the darkness in the galaxy. Master Yoda, I know, would agree to teach you once more if you wanted him. I convinced him to do so when you were twenty-two, I think I can do so again now that you are twelve. Master Fisto recently knighted his padawan, and is certainly one of the greatest Jedi you’ll meet. The only reason he is not on the council yet is because of his humility. He will be raised within the year. And those three are only a handful of the top masters in the Order. Other members of the council would take both of you as padawans in a heartbeat, and if they refuse you, I will advocate for you until they do. I am not your only option.”

Luke has that stubborn set to his chin again, but Obi-Wan can see his lip is trembling. “I don’t want the top masters, or the best, or… or… or whatever you’ll call everyone else. Leia and I already agreed. We want you. That is… if… if you want us.”

And suddenly it is not Padme or Anakin’s reflection that Obi-Wan sees before him. It is ginger hair, saber bruises, and eyes defiant even as their owner cannot comprehend what’s so wrong with him that he isn’t wanted.

And Obi-Wan wishes it were possible to kick his own ass for being such a Force-blind fool.

While the Force is great, his ally, and in agreement that he is an idiot, that is a feat it cannot grant him. So, he follows it’s guidance, makes his choice, and swallows until he can find his voice again. “Go get your sister.”

Luke hesitates, not sure if he has won or not.

“Now, Luke.”

The boy dashes off, and Obi-Wan takes the time to recover.

Of all the ways to take after Qui-Gon. The Force is more comforting than he deserves, but he lets himself be assured. He caught himself. He listened. Yes, he acted out of fear, but it was fear born of love for the children, of wanting the best for them, not a fear of the pain a betrayal might cause. Of all his master’s mistakes and flaws, this is one he won’t repeat.

But there is something else there. Something small and trembling in his heart, overwhelming him. A hurt he’d stopped acknowledging long ago beginning to heal. Luke and Leia had already discussed this, had agreed long before he asked. All the available masters in the Jedi order available to teach them, and they had chosen him.

By the time Luke returns with Leia in tow, Obi-Wan has centered himself is standing in front of the couch once more. The twins are confused, rightfully so, but when he motions them to sit, they comply.

“At least once in my life I am going to do this the correct way.” He takes their right hands, Luke’s in his own right, Leia’s in his left, and kneels so he is closer to eye level.

“Luke Skywalker, Leia Organa,” he meets their eyes, uses their old names, their true names. The names with which they best know themselves. It may be the last time he can say them out loud for a long while. “Will you do me the great honor of agreeing to be my Padawan learners?”

Leia is the first to respond, silently nodding, starting slow, but gaining speed. “Yes.”

“Yes!” Luke’s agreement is instantaneous. And, like so many times since they’ve reunited on Jakku, Luke launches himself into a hug. This time, though, he drags Leia with him. “Yes, yes, yes yes yes! I told you, Leia!”

“Thank you, General Kenobi, for taking us both,” the girl whispers into his shoulder, and Obi-Wan realizes that, for all her strength and fire, that trembling he’d felt in the silk-thread of their bond had been fear. Fear that, regardless of his attempted assurances otherwise, he would abandon them, or worse. Far wrose, she’d been afraid he’d separate them, take Luke but leave her in some other master’s care.

He clutches the children, his children, his padawans, though making it official will have to wait, even closer. Never, he swears, never again will I allow them to fear I will leave them.

Though parting is inevitable, never would he do so willingly, and always would he come back. After all, he thinks ruefully, even death has failed to part me from the Skywalkers before.

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fictions-war-among-stars · 3 years ago

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I finally finished the OG Star Wars trilogy for the first time!!!

Since the beginning of the year I'd kinda made it my goal to watch all of the Star Wars content in chronological order, because I haven't actually watched it before now! (Also my classes kept including it in the lessons, so it's for research too lol-)

Today though marks a very important date to me, because I just finished the OG trilogy for the very first time!

A very vague non-spoiler reaction, is that I enjoyed it! The first movie was kinda hard to get through, the second a bit better, but I realize that's because the formatting of the story is a bit different than what I'm used to?

To me, it seems like you have to watch all three movies for it to make sense. The first movie set the stage, the second had character development and raised the stakes, and the third closed everything off.

It's kinda hard to explain? Most movies don't do that - they each have the beginning middle and conclusion that very much seperate each film from one another, and connect to one another in a different way?

The closest thing I can think of would be Avengers Infinity War to End Game - you can't watch one without the other. They are meant to be the same story.

My more specific thoughts

I really should have taken notes, but here are my most memorable thoughts on it over all!

This is your last warning - there are spoilers up ahead!

Shakespeare who?

It's super funny to me how much the lines the actors would say would remind me of something out of an old English play

I think what was the most jarring in this sense was how Luke acted during the last of the OG movie. He was no longer a 'farm boy' but now a proper Jedi, and acted very stiff as a result. Yet he was still super dramatic???

Omg wait - have you seen the Romeo and Juliet version with Leonardo DiCaprio???

That has the same energy to me lmao-

One of the biggest things that irritated me whilst watching the prequels was how much the clothing reminded me of 1500 Europe. The clothing itself was really pretty, but the way they used it to sexualize Padme was something I had a LOT of salt with.

While there was a lot of different outfits for Leia, I was surprised that she wasn't as sexualized in her outfits? (With exception of when she was with Jabba - but is that really surprising???)

She was objectified more than I thought necessary, but the scenes with Padme and Anakin in the prequels seem way worst to me...

Whomst do I simp for???

A huge part of why I stick to content is because I simp for a character. The more attached I get to them, the more I want to watch things they're in, and the more I'll buy their merch

I mean, everyone does this lol

I'm actually super surprised though, because I don't simp for anyone in the OG trilogy?

When I was on the outskirts of the fandom, I tried to get into it by reading stuff with the characters and was surprised when I couldn't really find anything good with Luke?

Based on characters I like, Luke seemed like he would be one of them

But I don't find myself attracted to him at all during the films???

Ahsoka Tano is so far still the best and only character I simp lol

Luke / Leia - it's not what you think!

I was really surprised with this one! I thought Luke and Leia actually had a relationship prior to finding out they were related, and there was going to be a whole Oedipus Rex thing going on, but it was just heavy flirting?

It was still REALLY awkward by the last movie though - because they admitted to always kinda knowing in a really dramatic way, but there was quite a bit of sexual tension between them in the two movies before???

It just made me uncomfy :/

Leia / Han?

...please don't kill me, but I don't really ship it?

The iconic I Love you / I know was literally the only time I thought they were cute together?

Oh, along with when Leia took Han out of Carbonite. That was cute

Like He was waking up thinking he would never see her again, and she had spent months trying to track him down to save him-

That was really precious

Their dynamic though, is why I don't ship them

It reminds me of prequel Anakin/Padme, and seems kinda toxic?

Like at points she was clearly telling him no, and he kept teasing and coming onto her

Also they were bickering in a way that isn't good, and just not properly talking things through?

Consent and proper communication is sexy, and that was missing at times

...it still isn't as bad as the prequels though, and there is hope for their relationship to grow and get better

(Insert character here) I am (insert reveal)

There were so many dramatic reveals lol

It's not really a surprise to us now, but Vader and Luke are related, Leia and Luke are related, Vader was Anakin, Vader is Leia's dad-

On that note though!!!!

Vader kinda traumatized Leia in the first movie????

Also how did he know that Luke was his son, but not Leia???

That still makes no sense to me-

I'm probably missing something???

Like the only reason he was going after Luke was to convert him because he was his son-

But if push comes to shove Leia seems more likely to be a Sith than Luke??? She was way more impulsive and emotional at times than Luke???

I feel like trying to convert her would have been easier???

Idk, that was a missed opportunity there :/

OH ALSO!!!

The last movie in the OG just makes Padme's death seem even worst!!!

Like Leia goes on about having vague memories of her mother, but Padme dies in the prequels giving birth to her???

So Leia is either more force sensitive than Luke (my head cannon honestly) or Padme should have raised the twins in secret for a while before dying on like a rebel mission and prior to Vader working beside the Emperor. Then Obi Wan swooped in and relocated the twins

Honestly, both those should be canon to me

Leia being trained with the force is something I really regret not seeing :(

At least there's fanfic

Vader

Vader confused me at first?

He seemed really obedient to the general (i don't remember his name - I think he's the one in Bad Batch and Clone wars???) in the first movie, and followed his orders????

Wait wasn't his name general Tarkin???

It was weird to me because I had just come from SW: Rebels and Rogue One, and Vader seemed like this illusive right hand man to the Emperor

But then he goes and obeys this guy way lower in power to him?

In the second and third movie he gets more power though, so maybe he was supposed to be the empire's dog originally???

Actually, it was weird seeing Vader be as obedient as he was

Anakin was super rebellious, so seeing him as Vader was weird

He was also a lot calmer than I thought he would be. Sith rely on anger and emotions to fuel them don't they???

...I didn't like the interaction between him and Obi Wan very much also

Jedi training line

So Obi Wan was originally trained directly under Yoda himself???

And Qui Gon and Dooku never existed-

So the entirety of the conflict in the prequels would have been super different to what it is lol

The edits

Since I didn't watch the OG versions, I'm not really aware of all the edits that were made to the movie

There is one though, that is really what spurred me to write this

They really just replaced the head of ghost OG Anakin with prequel Anakin LMAO-

Like-

I'm actually pretty neutral to them doing it since I'm not attached to the OG version but like-

This is just so fucking funny to me-

It's kinda sad though, cause the OG Anakin actor was dead for like 10 years, and then he was replaced with his angsty double

....still funny lmao

I think they also added in a bunch of Jarjars onto the roof of a building in Naboo XD

End thoughts

Overall, I enjoyed the content much more than I thought I would, and would watch it again!

I wish Ahsoka had helped train Luke and Leia ;p She would have been a great teacher, and I think she would have helped Luke and Leia in a way that would have been better for them?

...I really just wasn't a huge fan of Obi Wan. He reminds me of that one meme about movie Dumbledore vs book Dumbledore in Goblet of fire :/

I'm really struggling to find the words for it...

ANYWAY-

I'm super excited to watch the Mandalorian and see Ahsoka again though!!!

#star wars #star wars og trilogy #star wars reviews #lmao they actually did that-#first time watching #spoilers #my reviews

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lornrocks · 6 years ago

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Okay y’all, so I was real fired up before bed last night but I was already like, tucked into bed, so I didn’t want to get up and grab my computer to type this up. But I have some ~thoughts~ on the ship that shall not be named, the history of politics in Star Wars and where I think ep 9 is going:

Okay, so first of all, Star Wars has always been political, so jot that down. Second, in this day and age, with fascism seemingly on the rise again worldwide and racist white dudes out here shooting up mosques and temples and churches, I feel like Disney and LFL should hopefully be able to read the room enough to NOT glorify the First Order, Hux, or Kylo, and moreover, should hopefully know better than to have their heroine, who is a major part of the new trilogy, be romanced by the genocidal, fascist villain.

If you look at all the SW movies we’ve had so far (I haven’t seen the cartoons or taken in enough of the supplementary material to judge those), all the bad guys basically end up dead. Vader, Palpatine, Dooku, Jango and Boba, Beckett, Maul, Dryden Voss, Jabba, Krennic, Tarkin, etc etc etc. Anyone who goes against our Rebel/Resistance heroes pretty much ends up getting killed in some manner. I don’t think the movies are exactly interested in nuance here.

Beyond that, and I suppose on a personal level, having Rey get with the villain would absolutely be bad PR and bad messaging for the young people who watch SW and for the thesis of the movies in general. Crylo has shown again and again that he will not be redeemed and has denied several different people’s pleas to stop being a jerk and join them. He has responded with violence. By the end of TLJ, he is blatantly trying to kill his mother, his uncle, and Rey, who is supposedly someone special to him (but we all know he’s just trying to gaslight her).

If you look at any of the storybooks or little kids books for TFA or TLJ, you will see that there is an obvious dichotomy here, with Rey and her fellow Rebels (Rose, Finn, Poe) portrayed as the heroes and the good guys, and Crylo and his cronies (Hux, Phasma, etc) portrayed as bad guys and the villains. In several of the storybooks meant for juniors, it is made blatantly obvious that Rey does not like Crylo because he is a murderer, a liar, and an unrepentant jerk.

Besides, we all know that JJ is out here having Rey hate him and Rian is out here having...whatever weird shit happened in TLJ. But even in TLJ, and especially in the novelization, you see that during the entire events of the movie, Finn is over the moon about Rey and his entire motivation is to get to her and help her, and Rey’s entire motivation is to get back to Finn and Leia and help them. Their embrace at the end of the movie, plus Rey’s longing look at Finn while he tends to Rose, I think makes it fairly obvious that they are meant to be the main couple and will end up together. Yeah, there’s an unnecessary love triangle (or hell, if you add in Crylo or Poe, that’s all sorts of geometric), but to be fair, Empire and Jedi both had a love triangle tease (although of course, Luke and Leia are related so it didn’t matter).

I think that LFL likes to flaunt their “rhyming” thing and as such, we are going to see the First Order and its leaders defeated, probably killed, and the heroes will prevail (although possibly with some losses), and Rey will end up with Finn. I can’t imagine Disney and LFL are going to stray from that script that much. And I also sincerely, SINCERELY hope that they know better than to give a fascist murderer a redemption arc. I’m sorry, you can’t be redeemed after helping an evil organization destroy three planets, as well as the numerous other travesties that the FO have committed. Murder, torture, genocide, bombings, war, all of that is BAD.

Y’all, Qui Gon, Obi-Wan, Anakin, Padme, Yoda, Han, Luke, Bail and the entire cast of Rogue One didn’t die so the poster boy for the first order could be “redeemed” and live life like he didn’t do a bunch of bad shit. And yes, I am of the opinion that Vader was not redeemed. He saved his son, killed Palpatine, and then died. He could have overpowered Palpatine or teamed up with Luke way earlier to help stop the second death star and he didn’t. And even if he had lived, how could he be a free man or still live despite the travesties he’s committed? The only way they could have written around this was to kill him off. Simple as that. But Crylo is worse than his grandad and has actively succeeded where Vader failed. He is worse. He is beyond reproach.

And besides, I have zero sympathies for that man child. He thinks his life sucked? What about Finn? Or Rey? Or Han? Or Rose? Get a job, loser. Plenty of people have shitty childhoods and don’t become fascist murderers. Sorry, not sorry.

ANYWAY this makes no sense and it made more sense when I wasn’t half asleep but I just don’t understand how so many people who are Disney and Star Wars fans, who pay attention to pop culture and do meta-analysis, can truly believe, looking back at all the other star wars media and the stuff Disney has done with Marvel (See: The first two cap movies, captain marvel, etc) that Disney, in 2019, would NOT want to create a message that shows that our heroes do not tolerate fascism, or evil militaristic governments, or genocide, or any of that. Like, literally, Captain Marvel just came out with a movie entirely about that. Like.

Anyway, maybe I’m wrong, I sincerely hope I’m not, and I guess we have like, 9 months before we find out, so let the never-ending theories abound, I guess.

#long post #personal opinions here #feel free to disagree but don't message me about it #haha

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youremyonlyhope · 8 years ago

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The Phantom Menace

So I rewatched the original trilogy last year, and now I’m gonna rewatch the prequels.

I haven’t seen the prequels since I saw them in theatres as a kid, so this should be interesting. As a kid, I liked the prequels and was heartbroken when I got older and found out the whole world hates them. But also, I haven’t seen them since I was a kid, so I hope I’ll still like them if only for the nostalgia. All I remember is that I’ve always loved Padme and her costumes and Darth Maul gave me nightmares for years.

Also, I didn’t see the Phantom Menace in theatres because I was 3 when it came out, but a year ago my mom tried to convince me that I actually had seen it in theatres. I know for a fact the first movie I ever saw in theatres was either Fantasia or Dinosaur since both of those came out in 2000 when I was 4, so my mom was really confused.

And while I watch this I’m gonna be putting mini twists into my hair.

So. Let’s begin!

GOD I LOVE STAR WARS. Just the “A long time ago in a galaxy far far away...” and then the theme just makes me so happy. You can really tell the filmmakers were happy that CGI had become a thing by 1999. Silver C-3PO with a woman’s voice just seems wrong... “I have a bad feeling about this” He said the thing. Also yay Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon! Also, and this is very sad but in my defense I was 3, I forgot that Qui-Gon was even a character in this movie until a couple years ago. When I was 3, I literally remembered Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan as being one person. I don’t know why. I remember a few years before I figured out that they were 2 different people, I heard someone say something along the lines of “Liam Neeson was in Star Wars” and I was like “...Ok... no... Obi-Wan wasn’t played by Liam Neeson” and I thought they were an idiot for getting Ewan McGregor mixed up with him. Turns out 3 year old me is actual the idiot for combining them into one person. Master Yoda namedrop. Also that stupid ponytail Obi-Wan why. Ahhh it’s the emperor! Lightsabers! Also there were a couple notes of music just then with a very Harry Potter vibe. Oh, John Williams. ROGER ROGER. I REMEMBER THAT SO VIVIDLY FROM MY CHILDHOOD. Now that’s how you use a lightsaber! To cut doors open. Ugh the ponytail AND the rattail. I’d forgotten Obi-Wan had a rattail too. Ani’s was bad enough. QUEEN AMIDALA! IT’S QUEEN AMIDALA! I JUST LET OUT THE SOFTEST GASP. SUDDENLY, I AM 4 YEARS OLD AGAIN. Maybe we shouldn’t trust this Palpatine guy. This CGI has not aged well. Especially not Jar Jar. Oh no. Jar Jar has not aged well at all. On that note, I’ve never hated Jar Jar. I hope this doesn’t make me hate him. Especially since StarKid’s Ani: The Musical makes you fall in love with Jar Jar. “Ex-squeeze-me” I can’t. I don’t think I remember the city being in the water... But I remember the breathing devices because I wanted one. “Yousa in big dudu this time” see this is more ridiculous and hilarious than like... hate-worthy. I don’t remember the gooberfish. OH NO AND I DEFINITELY DON’T REMEMBER THE BIGGER FISH. I literally gasped out “What!?” just now. THIS FISH HAS ARMS. GUYS. IT HAS ARMS. IT’S A LIGHT UP ALLIGATOR. I DON’T REMEMBER ANY OF THIS. NOW BRUCE THE SHARK IS HERE TOO. How did Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon stay so calm? I’m literally Jar Jar freaking out. Oh hi Keira Knightly. I actually almost fell for it, but I saw the handmaidens thought to myself “oh I’ve always loved their outfits so much” and then happened to look right at Natalie Portman and I was like “...Ooooooh” Ok, the battle drone acting confused to try to be funny was just sad. R2 UNITS! THEY JUST SHOT A R2 UNIT RIGHT OFF THE SHIP. HOW DARE THEY? AND 2 MORE ARE GONE! THOSE POOR DROIDS! Wait so is that one R2D2? Awwww. Question: Because I know too much about this series, did people realize that Palpatine was the emperor before the reveal? Or was it only people who knew who the actor is? DARTH MAUL. I JUST GASPED. “We should not have made this bargain.” You think? Also I’m loving the master/apprentice parallels happening here. Oh R2D2. I’m legit getting emotional. R2 has been through so much. And here’s his beginning. We almost could have had another R2 unit but we got R2D2. I’m so proud. I wonder if Sabe enjoys getting to boss around Padme when she’s the decoy. Also, Keira Knightly was only 12 when she filmed this??! How. “I sense a disturbance in the force” He said the thing. “The queen demands that you take her handmaiden with you” is code for “The queen wants to go on a field trip” Ok this guy. The guy enslaving Ani and his mom. Him. I hate him. Ever since I was a kid I just hated him. I couldn’t remember who he was, but I’d see pictures of him and feel hatred. A few months ago I was finally reminded that he enslaved Ani’s mom and I was like oh ok everything makes sense. AWWW IT’S LITTLE BABY ANI. His first line is him whining. Like father like son. AHHHH IT’S C-3PO. Wait never mind. “Are you an angel?” Oh my god. That is adorable. How did this sweet little boy become Darth Vader? “You’re a slave?” “I’m a person and my name is Anakin.” YES ANI. YES. “I’m glad to have met you, Anakin.” You sure about that? I mean, yeah, you two give us Luke and Leia. But at what cost? Sebulba! I hate him too. I was not aware that Ani was legitimately Anakin’s nickname in this movie, I thought that’s just what that fandom called him affectionately. Can you tell it’s been 15+ years since I last saw this movie? NOW we see C-3PO. And R2D2 just met him for the first time awwwww. Ok so they are humans. Here’s the thing, when I was little my dad told me all the humans without makeup in Star Wars were aliens that looked humanoid. Like Time Lords. But no. They are actually humans. My dad nearly messed up my perception of Star Wars forever. “I saw your laser sword” *insert Nerdist’s Kyle Hill cringing* Seriously how could it all go so wrong with Anakin? He was such a sweet kid. Ok the whole Anakin is the Jedi Jesus thing was something I didn’t know about until a few months ago. I don’t know how I missed it as a kid. But I did. Is that Warwick Davis? Yep. It is. Also Warwick played Yoda too? Wow. He has more midi-chlorians than Yoda? Wow. Awww R2D2 is telling C-3PO about space. THE TWO-HEADED ANNOUNCER! I REMEMBER THIS! And it’s buffering so I’m pausing for a bit. Yeah. I really don’t like Sebulba. BINARY SUNSET IS PLAYING. I JUST LET OUT A SOB. “May the force be with you” He said the thing! I DON’T REMEMBER JABBA THE HUTT BEING IN THIS! Though they did say the planet was controlled by the Hutts so it makes sense, but I just thought that that was a namedrop. Ugh and also the guy with the thing coming from his head wrapped around his neck who terrified me as a kid and still freaks me out now. And now Warwick is sitting in the audience. He’s in two places at once! I forgot how dangerous podracing is. Ok 1) I really hate Sebulba. 2) Now I know why my mom always said seeing Ani in danger made her hate watching the podracing scenes. Ok wait I gotta rewind because I looked away for a second to look at the section of hair I’m currently twisting and suddenly Sebulba’s podracer fell apart. Yeah I still don’t know exactly what happened there but whatever, I’m just glad it did. And now the Skywalkers are on Jabba’s radar forever until one of them finally kills him. “You have brought hope to those who have none” I love that hope is always associated with Skywalkers. I hate that he has to leave his mom. This is another reason my mom hates this movie. Also, Binary Sunset is playing again so that makes me happy. “I’ll make sure Mom doesn’t sell you or anything.” “Sell me?” “Bye.” Ani, you sounded like you didn’t care at all. More Binary Sunset to make an already sad scene even more emotional. One of the things you learn to do as a Jedi is cool flips and high jumps into moving ships. Wait have they said Obi-Wan’s name at all yet? I don’t remember him saying it. Oh wow Coruscant’s completely covered in cities. Oh my god. That looks so cool. Oh wait it’s one big city. Even cooler. “And look over there. Senator Palpatine is waiting for us.” Oh, how they will regret this. Ahhhhhh all of Padme’s costumes are just gorgeous. YODA AND MACE WINDU! The blue guy with the super long neck and tiny head. I remember him vividly. I remember the Senate too. Because the booths/whatever they are up and down the walls TERRIFIED ME. It’s painful to watch Padme trust Palpatine. Mace is literally holding an iPad on a selfie stick. Oh my god. It seemed familiar and it just hit me. Everyone should just listen to Yoda all the time. Choose Bali choose Bali just don’t choose Palpatine please choose Bali. We should all listen to Obi-Wan too. “Qui-Gon, sir, I don’t wanna be a problem” Oh Ani. You’re literally the biggest problem ever. “I am Queen Amidala.” Plot twist. Though I already knew. But I have no memory of Padme having a decoy from when I was little, I found out about the decoy years later so I guess 3 year old me just really didn’t pay attention. I’m liking the little teases of Leia’s Theme we can hear. “Once we get inside go find cover” “Sure” *Gets into a ship* Jar Jar... just don’t try to help please OOoooh they’re taking off their outer cloaks. It’s getting real. “Stay in the cockpit” *Stays in the cockpit* *Takes off* But I love that the helmet and goggles fit his tiny head perfectly. *Is in a life threatening situation* “This is tense!” UNDERSTATEMENT OF THE CENTURY ANI. “Qui-Gon told me to stay in this cockpit so that’s what I’m gonna do” Ani you little shit. Oh no I just got hit with the feels because Obi-Wan screamed “NOOOOO” just like Luke did when he died. YES SABE! Ani blowing up the control ship is one of the few things I actually vividly remember. Aww. More Binary Sunset.

THE CGI DARTH MAUL FALLING DOWN THE HOLE IS NIGHTMARE INDUCING. NO WONDER I HAD NIGHTMARES. THE SCREAMING FACE THEY ANIMATED. NOPE.

“We will watch your career with great interest” That’s for sure. “Master and apprentice.” “But which was destroyed?” *Camera ominously focuses on Palpatine* Subtle. Ew the Ani rattail has started. I THINK THIS IS MY FAVORITE OF ALL OF PADMES OUTFITS. I’VE ALWAYS LOVED IT SO MUCH. IT’S SO GORGEOUS. AHHHHH. I love that the final shot was like A New Hope’s.

Ok.

So kill me if you must because I am about to commit Star Wars blasphemy, but I actually enjoyed The Phantom Menace. And it wasn’t only because it made me nostalgic since obviously I didn’t remember most of this movie. It’s no where near as good as the others, but I came in with really low expectations because I was scared that only 3 year old Hope enjoyed it, but no it went way above those low expectations and 21 year old Hope enjoyed it too. Not amazing, but not completely terrible. I get why some people might hate Jar Jar since he did get a little annoying but I couldn’t hate him. Ani’s acting was a little off sometimes but whatever. Sometimes the movie got a little ridiculous but guys, come on, the originals were ridiculous too. Not as ridiculous, but still. I liked it. I didn’t love it, but I liked it.

And now I’m gonna be disowned by the Star Wars fandom but whatever.

#hope rewatches star wars #ignore me if you want #don't kill me but long story short i actually liked it

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