#i just think it follows the body horror and psychological horror themes better for anakin's fall

[blackkatmagic]

I've seen a lot of A:tLA AUs for SW put Anakin as a firebender, and I totally get that, but tbh if we're going with the full range of bending, I think waterbending suits him better. Mercurial, moody, and with the potential to tip over into bloodbending when he falls to the Dark Side.

[sethnakht]

sw fics i love (vader + leia-centric)

because it’s helpful to organize one’s thoughts. a work in progress. 

long post is long.

old but memorable (written before 2013)

ebony and jade by brendon j. wahlberg, with illustrations by ian mcintosh (gen, vader + mara). lord vader & the emperor’s hand team up against a jedi and his psychedelic plants, and it’s glorious.

father’s heart by fernwithy (gen, vader + leia, series). vader befriends young princess leia. the fic that shaped me as a child. politics, corruption, betrayal, handmaiden culture, unspoken affinities, and fire.

the penitent by bellebayard, fernwithy, jediskysong (mostly gen, some anakin/padmé). begun in 1999 and now only available in its original form*, it seems - the jedi council forums, where so much fic was written back in the day - and only incompletely, this post-rotj anakin redemption story is the sprawling product of collaborative authorship (and a follow-up to “father’s heart”). ymmv on some of the plot devices and characters as a result, but it had an enjoyable take on skywalker family dynamics and a riveting, fully-realized trial for vader. *if you find a better copy of this, please message me!

the smart one by fernwithy (gen). written in 2002. excellent outsider pov on vader, who has taken especial interest in a particular piece of naboo art. a meditation on art and politics.

by the grace of lady vader by fernwithy, ami-padme and alderaan21 + the ascension of the queen by fernwithy, ami-padme (vader/dark!padmé, han/leia). written from 2000 until right after aotc on the jedi council forums (original posts + comments here & here). this story has remained with me as a set of unforgettable scenes and images - amidala in blood-red veils, praising schoolchildren for their talents and services to her empire, luke the obedient child, leia the freedom fighter, vader at once gratified and disturbed by what they’ve all become. 

dark labyrinth pt 1 | 2 | 3 by Shayne1 (luke, han, chewie, vader). luke’s in trouble. vader kills the best lead on his whereabouts, and has to team up with han to find him. terrific voices all around.

various one-shots (also here and here) by MjMink (gen, mostly luke + vader). these were incredibly influential back in the day, and still manage to surprise and delight.

tamarisk by Arco (vader gen). splendid little vader adventure with memorably gory imagery and one hell of a bizarre twist

about turn by Mina / Mina1 (gen, vader + leia, vader + luke, luke + palpatine, background han/leia). written in 2001. vader & leia work together to save luke from the emperor. creepy luke-emperor interaction plus some nice scenes on tatooine. see also: legacy (vader + leia), a lovely short where vader survives rotj and leia has to come to terms with him, and in plain sight (vader, luke, leia), a variation on the theme.

deep as you go by @garnettrees / Meredith Bronwen Mallory (vader/padmé). written in 2002. vader creates a clone of his wife. a terrifying glimpse into his psyche - and the ethics of cloning. “but she’s not the painting, she’s just the print – no texture.”

return of a jedi by JHMLYNDALE (gen, vader + leia, rotj-legends cast). written in 2005. luke, han, lando and mara jade all die in the attack on jabba’s barge. leia, vader, and their allies take on the emperor. if you can stomach the character deaths, this is one hell of a ride.

equally cursed and blessed by Mina / Mina1 (gen, vader + luke, rotj-legends cast). written between 2005 and 2008. epic luke + vader story with a vividly-portrayed full cast, particularly leia, lando, chewie, piett and palpatine.

the protege by jedinemo (gen, vader, luke, obi-wan, leia). written in 2007/8. vader discovers a familiar clone skulking around the imperial palace. vader’s personality issues are on full display.

missing in action by cwbasset (gen, vader + luke). written in 2008. my favorite take on the ‘luke and vader crash-land together’ trope. includes grade-a vader-artoo bickering. fantastic author, see also: shattered (wip, luke + legends & prequel cast, time travel AU)

omelas by Deja Vu (vader, luke, xixor). short story from 2009 that packs quite a punch. 

interregnum by PlaidButterfly (clone trooper + vader). written in 2011. short and chilling story showcasing just how desperate vader is to believe he’s still the hero.

canon-compliant

and there I shall find by ambiguously. lovely take on post-TFA General Organa in a whump/survival scenario, speaking - listening - to her father’s hated ghost for the first time. Anakin is insufferable, jealous, smug and sullen and somehow still unable to understand why his children were kept from him - and yet also knowingly deploying his worst traits to keep the daughter so like him alive. Leia has no reason to forgive but is listening, and not only to his engineering advice. Hopeful, with flashes of humor, and crawling with sorrows that would never end

the black buzzard by @jerseydevious (vader + luke). sweet, sweet body horror and father-son banter. see also gleaming in the wreckage

bursts of stardust by @redrikki (anakin/padmé, assorted cast). set of insightful shorts, including AUs, that lend shade and nuance to anakin, padmé, the jedi order, even palpatine.

the funeral pyre by anendda_rysden (gen, vader, piett). superb story showcasing vader’s struggle with his own body from an outsider pov. vivid, powerful writing. contains sci-fi/horror elements.

liberation by redone (gen, vader + luke). vader’s walk with luke from the throne room to the end. written in 2002, as lovely now as it was then.

PRojects IN Controlled Environments, version Sith by Beth Winter (vader, ocs). clever imperial outsider pov on vader, showcasing his engineering skill. ketha, the female protagonist, picks up on fascinating little details, my favorite being: “The handwriting was atrocious, a combination of two different styles - one with romance holo titles flourishes, one absolutely primitive - and cramped enough that she needed to zoom in.”

the sith who brought life day by ophelia_interrupted (vader, ocs). vader is often at his best when one has to guess at what’s going on behind the mask, a job all the harder for imperial underlings without access to the force. very nice outsider perspective made all the richer for how believable it remains while mixing the serious and humorous.

speak to me by @cyberdyke-industries (kylo ren, anakin/vader’s force ghost). read this now. this gets what makes kylo and vader monsters, what makes them pull at us - a way of being vader both understands and condemns. cinematic, mythical, chilling down to the level of syntax. the ending is less a cliff-hanger than an image to think through, a powerful allegory..

AUs

everything, including in the valley, by @darth--nickels (many wip, vader-centric, be aware that you need to be logged into AO3 to see them). gems, all of them, even if some may never be finished. my go-to for insights into vader’s psyche. vader is hilariously and horribly unstable–suicidal in one moment, megalomanic and full of bluster in the next, and yet deeply compelling through it all. 

> timetravel / parallel universe

of queens, knights and pawns (wip) by @chancecraz (vader + leia, han/leia on the horizon, full cast). tfa!leia ends up reliving her life as anh!leia, and comes to terms with both her past and future. this story is currently my life. come for leia yelling at vader, stay for the lovingly realized cast, their constant miscommunication, and deep-seated psychological trauma. see also scenes from the middle game, encounters in queens told from the perspectives of other characters, starting with a harrowing vader pov, and of dreams and other whims, a au re-write of chapter seven with old man luke!

queen’s gambit by @bedlamsbard (anakin/padmé, padmé/obi-wan, tcw!cast), sequel to wake the storm. this swept me away. ymmv on the pairing(s), but the opening scene alone deserves an essay, and there’s so much to love here: incredible world-building, a full and well-realized cast of characters, political intrigue, media critique, and finger-biting tension.

out of the dark valley by @irhinoceri (anakin/padmé, eventual luke/mara, leia, ahsoka, cast). riveting au where vader is able to return to his rots!self with his consciousness intact, and make slightly different choices. things still go downhill, and the author is unafraid to explore those dark and frightening places, especially with leia.

stand the hazard of the die (wip series) by KeelieThompson1 (anakin/padmé, vader + luke, TCW!cast). young luke is sent to the past, but his mind is marked by a sith lord’s magic and the trauma of what he’s seen. anakin and padmé have to deal. lovely exploration of a situation where anakin does not fall (yet), but vader is still a factor and palpatine still at loose. leia’s story here is at once highly tragic and highly amusing.

edges of the world (wip) by @glompcat (leia, vader, ahsoka, anakin/padmé). leia organa and leia skywalker switch places, de-stabilizing anakin and shocking vader. a brave and important story about the struggles of identity, growing up, what family means, and finding acceptance.

reflected legacy (wip) by DAsObiQuiet (han/leia, anakin/padmé). legends!leia and han are sent back in time to when anakin still dreams of his mother. terrific characterization. see also hindsight is not perfect + the dangers of foresight (wip series), where vader’s consciousness is sent back to his tpm!body, and his emotional stuntedness is both a boon and a problem.

old man luke (wip) by @scarletjedi (luke, obi-wan, anakin). tfa-era!luke - and possibly his sister - ends up in the middle of the clone war. enjoyable exploration of how age contributes to perspective.

> canon divergence before ROTJ

afterimage (wip) by @garnettrees (vader/padmé). vader pursues the promise of resurrection. for those who enjoy clever metaphor, games with myth, linguistic invention, and a shot of gothic horror. “The first word she says is, ‘Help’. ‘I am here,’ says the thing in the dark.”

betrayal of the finest sort (wip) by @cadesama​ (vader/padmé, vader/obi-wan, ahsoka). relentlessly bitter, spiteful dysfunction at its best. fantastic author, see also: if blood be the price (padmé/anakin, obi-wan, AOTC!AU) and lost things that are never found (adult!ahsoka/anakin, leia, rebel!AU).

echoes of mortis by @sunshinedaysforever (anakin/padmé, cast). powerful what-if with palpable, believable character growth. see also time to change the road you’re on (wip; anakin + ahsoka, timetravel).

flesh of my flesh by @igrockspock (vader + leia, gen) - when precocious eleven-year old Leia is taken from her home on Alderaan to live with her birth father in his lava castle, both understandably have to adjust. An absurd situation that the author mines for its humor and the humanity it can reveal while never forgetting what Vader is and what he ultimately wants.

how the other half lives (series in progress) by @reedroad​ (luke + leia + vader, OT + Rebels + comics cast). gorgeously written switched!au, with prince luke and jedi leia. and while much remains the same, the devil’s in the details. vader steals his scenes: angry and awful.

in loco pirates + palpatine ad portas (wip) by @izzythehutt​ (gen, vader, palpatine, luke, leia, aphra). vader, driven by his fear of weakness, and luke, who sees right through him. lovely father-son interaction offset by an utterly compelling and terrifying palpatine. leia’s in for the ride, too. also: hondo!

in which vader discovers he’s a father by @glompcat (gen, vader + luke + leia). vader kidnaps or discovers one or both of his children, in situations varying between the harrowing and humorous. 

the light you leave behind (wip) by @laventadorn (anakin/padmé, anakin/obi-wan, ahsoka, tcw!cast). great author in many fandoms. this particular story features vivid action and even lovelier domestic scenes - wonderful characterization especially of the female characters, from padmé and ahsoka to ventress.

masquerade (wip) by PlaidButterfly (gen, vader-centric). vader is forcibly taken out of the suit, only to find that the emperor has his hands on luke. memorable for the physical description of vader as a kind of grey-haired shaggy bear, his chilly interactions with leia, and his attempt to survive unnoticed in the lower levels of Coruscant by returning to what he knows best: fixing things.

on the day ... by @cacchieressa (vader + leia, series in progress). vader discovers his daughter and comes to an agreement with her parents

the tyranny of kinship (wip) by @amarielah​ (mostly suitless!vader + leia, cast). vader and anh!leia come to an understanding. leia shines in particular, bringing across that astuteness and political savvy she’s often said but not shown to have. see also precious illusions (wip; vader/vision!adult!ahsoka), an unsettlingly lovely take on vader’s contradictory impulses.

slipping by radioboca (gen, vader, leia, luke, bail, breha, han, etc.). leia gives in to her hatred for her biological father. leia is so, so young in this story, and painfully, palpably afraid. vader just thinks he’s doing the right thing.

violence in the library (wip) by @radioactivepeasant​ (gen, vader + luke). alien meets star wars. a heady mix of uncompromising gore and father-son shenanigans, with a great supporting cast and lots of humor.

> canon divergence after ROTJ, i.e. vader!lives 

wounds by @azalea-scroggs (han/leia, vader + leia). luke dies in the battle of endor - vader acted too late to save him. leia is left with her grief. mesmerizing take on vader and leia, their struggles to hold on to reason despite overwhelming emotion. a powerful statement on mourning. see also: black squadron (wip, vader + luke), a take on the ‘luke becomes an imperial pilot’ scenario where luke is faced not only with vader, but also his own morality.

love thy enemy (series in progress) by @threadsketchier (vader + luke, leia, cast). vader survives rotj, but luke may not. body!horror, angry!leia, lovely prose and quality angst.

the trial of darth vader by The Librarian (ocs, vader, luke, leia). brilliant examination of vader’s crimes and legacy from the perspective of his prison interviewer, the kind of man vader would not have hesitated to kill. while this might seem like the lead-up to a trial rather than the trial itself, the reader is invited to be a juror of sorts. vader is dispassionate and alert, reciting information with cold precision, warming only to artoo and luke in his prison cell as his suit wastes away, unsure if he can use the force again - some incredibly memorable scenes here.

the smell of burning by deaka (luke + vader). luke saved vader, but at what cost? short but searing conversation between luke and vader about selfishness, about the costs of getting what one wants, about forgiveness, about whether we change so much in a setting as telling as it is metaphorical.

unvadering (wip) by @cadesama (vader, ahsoka, luke, leia, cast). vader loses the suit and works for the alliance now, but what does that really change? a conundrum nicely played-out in a scenario where ahsoka hadn’t known what he became. features glass-smashing leia.

untitled by @jerseydevious (vader + luke). vader survives rotj and is subjected to probing questions from an alliance doctor. poor luke plays interference

untitled by @sith-shame-shack (vader + luke). vader survives rotj and surgery, slipping in and out of consciousness. panic over loss of the suit, consuming awareness of touch, exhaustion tempered by luke’s presence.