#its the fact that PADME!!!!!! is still alive in luke

[wisteriander]

literally still thinking about that post but the only reason luke succeeded at all was because of padme. the child he fell to save showing up echoing the words of the mother he killed. he didn’t stand a chance.

[marvelstars]

Star Wars

I believe SW fandom oppinion is always going from one extreme to another, the Jedi or Sith are either good or evil and Anakin was evil from birth, etc and the thing is that the story needs to be taken with more nuance to fully appreciate it imo.

For example:

I honestly don´t like the Jedi as an institution in the PT, I believe they were arrogant, thought themselves above non force sensitives, not in words but in actions, lest remember this Jedi Order didn´t tought much about using Jedi mindtricks to get their way or even just because a non- force sensitive annoyed them, they used control chips to make their clone soldiers more obedient, they just didn´t expect those chips to also have hidden orders to attack them with their guard down.

Sure they had good reasons always but actions speak louder than words and from this perspective, they were good with those actions because there is a certain feeling of superiority on their part, a feeling of " I have the power, I am in charge, I am doing this for the good of the galaxy and so I can do this" and they were too set in their ways, even their critical elements like Qui-Gon or Count Dooku, to truly question why they did this and if it´s even neccesary and their enemies noticed this, Sidious used those inherent flaws agaisn´t them to gain power by appearing to be a normal non force sensitive, their arrogance didn´t allow them to recognize him as a foe even with the growing political power he amassed for himself until it was far too late and they needed to know he was a sith for this to happen.

Still their whole institution seek to help the galaxy, their problem was that with time this became equal to "help the Senate keep its power" and later this same Senate betrayed them. 0rder 66 was a lawful order approved by the Senate.

Still the fact the Jedi had flaws doesn´t mean the Sith were right to kill them all or to impose a dictatorship over the galaxy.

The Sith in star wars canon always wanted to impose an Empire with slavery included, they treat their apprentice as slaves until they get to become a master and the cycle goes on and on.

The force itself had to bring the birth of Anakin to stop the Sith and their manipulation of the force, because they also tried to alter the whole nature of the force to become inmortal and rule forever.

The Jedi became famous in the galaxy after they managed to defeat the Sith Empire, ending slavery on many worlds, that´s part of their legend, that´s why Anakin and Shmi to a certain point, thought the Jedi were on Tatooine to free the slaves but even when they were told this wasn´t why they were on Tatooine they still wanted to help them to help Naboo. Anakin and Shmi believed in compassion as the answer to the problems in the galaxy.

What the PT presents to us is a story about a good institution trying to do some good in the galaxy but that had fatal flaws that were used by their enemies to destroy all of them because the goverment they served became a dictatorship on their watch.

The OT is about the common people, the non-force sensitives getting together and inspriring everyone to bring down this dictatorship helped by the descendants of the old Jedi Order and the honest leadership of the Old Republic, representend by Luke and Leia, Anakin´s and Padme´s children and this union is so strong that they not only manage to convert former imperial soldiers to their pov but also Darth Vader himself.

Anakin is the central caracter, a character who suffered under the previous status quo as a slave during Republic and Jedi Order rule, a person who was later used as a weapon by both the Jedi and the Sith, who thought the Empire was the answer to the problems in the galaxy in a big part because of the grooming Sidious did with him, allowed by the Jedi but he had his own dreams to help make a better galaxy and keep his loved ones safe and alive and happy and this also played into his fall to the darkside, because he went from believing love and compassion was the answer to power was the answer, as a result he lost everything(his family, his body, his sanity) and became a slave to Sidious, as a consequence of his actions agaisn´t the jedi.

Later, at the end of his life, seeing all over again Sidius killing the last one of his family in front of him, he choose to sacrifice himself instead of keep being the second most powerful of a galaxy, despite being a slave, a galaxy abused by the dominance of the Empire, to save what he found worth keeping alive in the galaxy, his Son and his compassion even for those like him who seemed lost forever to everyone else, because that ideal was worth keeping alive, it could heal the galaxy just as it healed him, he remembered he used to believe love and compassion could solve the galaxie´s problems as well.

Star Wars is a story that allows all the dimensions between good or bad to his characters, allowing them to grow or become worse because that´s fundamentally part of human nature and it´s a story that tells us that despite this everybody can become better if they choose to be, everybody can be saved if they want to and that´s a beautiful message.

So when we try to see the story into your are either fully good or fully bad of course we will never get the full picture, the story just wasn´t written that way.

[burntblueberrywaffles]

My Star Wars/Anidala fanfic rec list

After spending so much time reading anidala fanfics, I decided I should at least try to make it useful for someone else, so here’s a list of recs!

this is my first time making a fanfic recommendation list so I apologize in advance if it sucks.

(also I think some of these would technically be classified as vaderdala but whatever)

I have more anidala fanfics in my bookmarks, but I decided to stop here to avoid having this post be even more ridiculously long than it already is. If anyone asks, I’ll be happy to make a second part!

Padme lives/Vader redemption:

Pander

After giving birth to her two children, Padmé goes into hiding to protect them. After six years of keeping them safely hidden, the small farm she had taken refuge in is attacked by the empire and she realises she cannot allow such tyranny to continue. Darth Vader takes a personal interest in the new rebel, along side her Jedi friends. His past is beginning to fight back. Will he find out that Padmé lived? Will she discover who the man behind the mask really is? Will the galaxy ever know peace? I guess you’ll just have to read to find out.

The Ghosts on Coruscant  

Padmé Amidala, a former senator of the fallen Republic, barely survived the childbirth. After her recovery, she suffered from partial memory loss and was led to believe that the Emperor's mysterious enforcer, Darth Vader, killed her husband on Mustafar. Eight years later, she has joined the aspiring Rebel Alliance and volunteered to take part in a high-risk operation, only to be captured and thrown into an Imperial prison. To hide her true identity and protect her children from the Empire's wrath, she is forced to use a little too predictable alias.

What will Vader do when he confronts the prisoner and realizes that he has been deceived by his Emperor? And how will Padmé react when she eventually finds out who is behind that terrifying mask?

Incomplete but still worth reading / I personally thought it left off at a point that was satisfying enough

for you, i'll risk it all

Darth Vader was certain he had killed Padmé Amidala on Mustafar, but when a rebel broadcast reveals she is alive, he will stop at nothing to free her from what he assumes is captivity. Former Senator Padmé Amidala was certain her husband had been killed on Mustafar, but after seeing Vader across the room during a mission, she is sure that she had been lied to. Knowing the truth, she seeks out her husband, either to bring him back to the light or kill him, which ever was necessary.

this one is shorter than others in this category (only around 20k words instead of more than 50K) and it’s really good so I definitely recommend it if you want a quicker read with this trope ^^

Supernova and the Machine

Two years after the events of ROTS, in which Padme survived and went into hiding after faking her own death. She is at her lowest point when she stages a rescue for the Rebellion, and is caught by Darth Vader. She is taken to his castle, and surprised to find that she doesn't much mind it there...

Skywalker family fluff:

Our Sky Full of Stars

Seven snippets from the Skywalker-Naberrie household in a world where everything is fine and nothing is wrong with the galaxy.

The Tinies

[Comic Series] After discovering his wife is alive, Darth Vader is suddenly thrown into fatherhood of two young and tiny children.

this one is stilll being updated, so its perfect to get a dose of cuteness every once in a while - (doesn’t have cliffhangers since it doesnt really have an overaching plot)

Nobody Needs to Know

The twins are born in the middle of the Clone Wars, and Anakin and Padmé try to continue hiding the fact that they're married and now have two children.

Nobody buys it. Like, seriously, nobody.

the bantha in the room

concept: anakin sitting in the council room bouncing baby luke on his knees as he adamantly denies having children or attachments  

New Titles for Commander Tano and General Kenobi

Ahsoka ran to the hospital as fast as she could, expecting her former Master to be injured or worse...but then she saw something that was even more surprising. Okay, now thinking about it, not that surprising. She wondered how Master Kenobi is going to take the news...

Baby, you were the love of my life  

Padme and Anakin get the happily ever after they dreamed of...

A series of one shots after Padme and Anakin run away together to the lake country and raise Luke and Leia.

ROTS fix-it:

Ash and Smoke

Mustafar fix-it. Obi-Wan doesn’t let Anakin burn

Persevere and Trust in the Force

Anakin doesn’t kill the younglings

the tragedy of darth sidious the unwise

"Have you ever heard the Tragedy of Darth Plagueis the Wise?"

Chancellor Palpatine's still looking at him, probably expecting a straightforward 'Of course.' Anakin coughs and tries to sound convincing. "Oh, yeah. The crechelings love that one."

Or, Anakin gets the wrong impression during the infamous Opera conversation. Hijinks ensue.

not completed yet but its hilarious and definitely worth a read

Her Step Forward

In the galaxy far, far away that we know and love, Anakin Skywalker fell to the Dark Side, leaving destruction and death in his wake.

In another galaxy slightly closer, yet still far, far away, the wife of Anakin Skywalker took a step forward on Mustafar, not backward.

Higher Ground

Obi-Wan pov. not Anidala centric but im a sucker for Mustafar fix-its so im putting it here (this is another Obi-Wan doesn’t let Anakin burn fic)

Explosive Problem-Solving

Anakin takes the quick and easy route to nullifying his nightmares. [Oneshot. ROTS-AU. Crackfic.]

An (Un)fortunate Haunting  

“I refuse to listen to hallucinations.” “I AM NOT A HALLUCINATION!”  

Anakin’s future force ghost tries to warn him. It would go a lot better if anakin was willing to listen.

The Path of the Light  

Padmé manages to get through to Anakin in time

Time travel fix-it

Reset  

A few weeks after everything falls apart, Obi-Wan finds himself on Padme's starship on the way to Mustafar. Except it seems he's not the only one who lived the future. Because she did, too, and she's furious at him for killing (or so she thinks) Anakin. And they aren't the only ones who time travelled.

I added this to the recs when I read the first chapter and then procrastinated so much on finishing this list that the fic had time to get completed with two more chapter - I haven’t had time to read them yet, but the first chapter was great.

Zadkiel

Padmé post-ROTJ gets sent back to her AOTC body and is determined to save her family. With a little help from her father-in-law.

incomplete but I enjoyed the few chapter we got.

Back To The Future

Teenage Princess Leia, heir to Alderaan's throne and her twin, Luke Vader, heir to the Imperial throne, get thrown back in time with the chance to save their parents before it's too late. With the Force finally on their side, they decide to have a little fun whilst they try and save their father's soul. What could go wrong?

not Anidala centric, but lots of skywalker family moments

Out of the Dark Valley  

15 years after the events of RotS, Darth Vader discovers a way to time travel backwards through the Force, to the moment in his past he most regrets. This creates an alternate timeline where he has the opportunity to change his and Padmé's tragic fate. But reliving the past and making a new future will prove to be no easy task, and the sins of the father will have lasting effects on the next generation. (AU from Mustafar onward. Ensemble PoV featuring Anakin, Padmé, Obi-Wan, Luke, Leia, and Mara Jade. Skywalker family focus with mild Anidala and LukeMara elements. Background Barrissoka. Rated T for violence and dark themes.)  

I’ve only read this up to chapter 33, so i cant attest for the rest of the fanfic, but its very good. (I stopped reading because I didn’t like the direction the story was taking, but that’s just my personnal tatse in fanfics - regardless, the story is so long (over 324k words) that you can get hours of enjoyment out of it wether or not you decide to finish it ^^)

Alternate Universe:

Two Truths, But An All-Consuming Lie  

Anakin Skywalker was dead to begin with. Well, not dead precisely. Not yet. -- -- Undercover rebel operative, Padme Naberrie, toes the line between imperial devotee and double agent for her friends in the Alliance. Newly assigned to Lord Vader's fleet, things grow wildly out of control when she realizes that even the enemy has a few grey areas, particularly the intimidating Sith lord who's entirely too human for comfort.

incomplete but is still being updated. it’s SO good so far love it.

The Inescapable Inevitability of Another Life  

Padme Amidala never intended to sleep with a Sith Lord. If anything, it was her life’s work to actively avoid said man. But when Palpatine assigns him to be her protector (after a particularly egregious attempt on her life), strong feelings spill over into strong actions.

While on a visit to Naboo though, their complicated situation-ship only worsens when Vader involves himself in solving a decade and a half-old mystery.

What happened to Anakin Skywalker?

only 1 chapter is out so far but it’s so good I’m actually obsessed with this fic.

The Empress and Her Sith Lord

starts up as shameless smut but I really like the plot of the two other instalments. very cute if you ignore the moral implications of empress!padme and sith!anakin (though despite the setup this fic isn't really dark, unlike a lot of similar aus)

Across the Centuries

They meet each other in every century, but something always goes wrong before they can make it to happily-ever-after.  

It has a happy ending but this fic still make me so goddamn sad- maybe its because i was already in my anidala feels, or maybe because it reminded me so much of love is universal , the spiderman fic that wrecked me forever, but either way i wanted to cry

Modern AU:

Madam President

Between late nights and headaches and mountains of paperwork and fierce opposition from her political opponents, President Padmé Amidala already had enough on her plate. And then she just had to go and fall for one of her bodyguards, a relationship which would ruin her reputation and his career if anyone were to find out about it. Also, someone's trying to kill her.

I LOVE this one omg it had me squealing and kicking my feets while reading

Spouses With Benefits  

Anakin and Padmé wake up after a wild night in Vegas and discover they accidentally got married—and that Ahsoka posted about it all over social media, so now every single person they know is texting and calling them to offer congratulations. They decide to save face by pretending the marriage was totally 100% intentional and not a drunk mistake at all, keeping up the charade for six months, and then quietly getting divorced. But a lot can change in six months…

stars in the sky (bring the summer right back to me)

Ten years since her only summer at Camp JEDI, Padmé Amidala finds herself back as a counselor. She's surprised to find the silly little nine-year-old who befriended her is still there and isn't very little anymore.  

This one was just delightful. short and sweet (around 3000 words)

Drunken Texting

Padme sends an embarrassing (and potentially humiliating) text to Anakin while drunk.

established relationship. Short (~700 words) and super cute

Hearts Shatter Like Glass

Three months after his return from war, Anakin and Padme divorce. Eight months later. Padme is urged to check on him by a mutual friend and finds that the Anakin she loved is still there, buried under the broken pieces of the man he’s become. Can she put those broken pieces back together again or is it truly the end for them?

so so angsty and so so good. incomplete but is still being updated (although the updates can be slow)

Three

His and Padmé’s first wedding anniversary isn’t going nearly as well as Anakin had hoped it would. Until, suddenly, it’s so much better than he could have ever imagined.

The Anakin Disaster  

Padmé is mortified upon waking up beside her strictly platonic childhood best friend Anakin Skywalker the morning after a drunken one-night stand. A couple weeks later, she discovers that's the least of their problems.  

Flat Tire  

Who knew something as simple as getting a flat tire could change the entire course of your life?  

Pipe Dream  

Padmé's new plumber is the most attractive human being she's ever laid eyes on, so naturally, she keeps faking plumbing emergencies so she can keep seeing him.

Other:

The ice we skate is getting pretty thin; the water's getting warm so you might as well swim

“Are the GAR medics really trained to deliver babies?” “Probably not, but I think they might be our best bet right now.” “I cannot believe this is happening while I’m stuck here on your ship. A ship full of exclusively men.”

Taking a very pregnant senator on an important war-ending mission is not a good idea. Padme, Rex, Anakin, and Admiral Yularen learn this the hard way.

legally binding attachments

Anakin and Padmé are not, in fact, very good at keeping their secret marriage a secret. From anyone. It's a good thing Obi-Wan is on their side.  

Scars

How do Anakin and Padmé go from "I love you" to "I do"? Missing scene from Attack of the Clones  

You’ve read all of these and want more? Find my second rec list here

[nevertheless-moving]

Unnamed Extremely Bad Plan to Defeat Darth Sideous AU - SW AU NO 9

Hopefully writing down this star wars au will help me exorcise the cringe demon that helped midwife it. Time travel au where obi-wan and Anakin come up with an extremely SPECIFIC and UNCOMFORTABLE plan to defeat Palpatine because it unfortunately, would actually work, as it capitalizes on one of Palpatine’s easiest to reach political vulnerabilities. This is not a unique plan- there are other au’s like this, but this one is mine. When searching for ways to explain exactly why this anti-sith strategy inspires such cringe and delight in myself I realized, with sinking dread, I have seen this in an Always Sunny episode...which yeah. I might be over reacting but hey, cringe is a personal phenomenon, everyone’s different.

Anyway! Uh here’s a bunch of plot that will eventually culminate in the plan. 

*Too much plot, aaaah*. **All plot actually.** ***Its 1 am and this is still a draft*** ****It’s 2am**** *****This post will be just be background I guess.*****

*******STAR WARS AU NO 9 LAZILY OUTLINED CHAPTER ONE*********

Force ghosts Darth Vader and Ben Kenobi have had time to yell at one another without need for breath, and have more-or-less come to terms with the trainwreck that was their shared life. I wouldn’t call them well adjusted, but they’re more stable then they were the last decade or so of their living existence. 

In haunting Luke, they end up encountering an artifact in an ancient Willis temple that offers spirits the chance to fix the mistakes they made in life. It doesn’t truly unwrite what’s been done, but it lets you create an alternate timeline. So this galaxy will still be what it is, but some alternate galaxy somewhere could at least have it better. Its almost never been used, because becoming one with the force usually lets you accept the past, but viewed objectively, Vader and Ben’s lives involved an extreme amount of yikes. They say goodbye to Luke and are flung backwards and sideways.

Anakin is holding his mother as she dies. Obi-Wan is landing on Genosis. 

Vader just barely manages to avoid slaughtering the tuskens. To be honest, he doesn’t really get why he shouldn’t- his moral compass is still pretty f-ed up. He’s fairly certain the force is just torturing him, but still he controls himself (for Padme for Luke for Leia).

I’m gonna say well-adjusted!Vader sees murder in general as more of a vice than a sin- on par with having a beer. And really well adjusted Vader is willing to admit to himself that he’s an alcoholic, he seriously cannot regulate, its a problem. He really can’t let himself go, because he’ll just end up spiraling. And so he restrains himself and only seriously maims a few of the adult raiders.

Vader figures he can always come back later and slowly torture them to death if this whole ‘save the future’ thing doesn’t pan out.

Obi-wan leaves his shuttle and hides under a rock for 30 minutes. He calculates thats just enough time for him to pretend he went on an extremely effective and sneaky fact finding mission- just in case anyone checks R4′s records. Gets back in shuttle and gets the fuck out of there, much to Dooku’s chagrin, who lost sight of him after the shuttle landed and is now going to have to switch to one of his alternate start-the-war plans. 

On the flight back he reports everything to the council- fallen Dooku and the separatist leaders, the trade federation and the massive droid army, Jango Fett the clone template of the republic army (?) working for the separatists. He briefly comms Anakin, but anyone hacking into their conversations would hear only a nonsensical, rambling conversation. Later, a hacker might turn over the idea that they were speaking in elaborate code, but why would Jedi invent such a thing during peacetime?

The war still starts; at this point in the timeline it was inevitable; the artifact was only designed to give them the chance to correct their own failings, not the galaxy’s. Palpatine still gets his emergency powers. 

The same day the armies are discovered, separatist war ships take off to engulf Ryloth. The Jedi are instructed by the senate to lead the clone army and provide immediate relief-this will not be a repeat of the republic’s inaction on Naboo. It’s both better and worse than the first Battle of Genosis. So many more civilians are caught in the crossfire. The first titanic battle is not contained to evacuated droid factories, but rages across an entire populated world. The battle lasts for weeks.

The main reason this fight is less deadly is solely due to the fact that General Kenobi manages to maneuver his way into high command of the entire army.

 “I believe assumptions were made since I was the first point of contact with Kamino, Masters,” the Knight explained apologetically to the arriving high council members. “I realize its not quite appropriate, but for right now I am the Jedi most familiar with our forces and the enemies. I would, of course, prefer to cede the role to someone else.” 

The assembled Jedi can feel the truth in that statement.

“For better or for worse, advance troops were directed by the senate to land planetside and have met heavy resistance. I managed to redirect them to a more defensible position, where they can provide surface based cover fire for incoming reinforcements. The battle has already begun.” He received a grim nod of approval from Master Windu.

“I feel the need to say now, that if there’s one thing I learned from my time as a general on Melida/Dann, or in working against Death Watch on Mandalore, its that having a clear chain of command is vital for a military to succeed. I don’t need to remind some of you that leadership breakdowns were what ultimately ended both the Stark Hyperspace War and the Yinchorri Crisis,” Masters Koon and Tiin exchanged looks before deliberately sending forth a small force wave of approval, understanding where this briefing was leading. 

“I believe that unnecessarily restructuring command before the battle is won here could do far more harm than good.” The reminder of Obi-wan’s unusually militaristic apprenticeship put some of the assembled knights at ease even as it inspired a twinge of guilt in the older masters. 

“In command you are, General Kenobi,” Master Yoda finally acknowledged. “A Jedi Master you will be, once done this battle is. Have us do, what would you?” 

The battle lasts for weeks, and when its over, the commanding Jedi and Troopers involved will openly acknowledge that had anyone else been in command, it would’ve lasted months, if not years. Facing down logistical, strategic, and tactical problems on a scale unheard of for a thousand years, High General Kenobi does not falter.

Enemy reinforcements seem unending. For all their preparation, every single trooper is new to war, and secretly concerned that should they fall, they will be replaced with cadets who hadn’t even finished their training.

Obi-Wan is putting out fires before they can start. Much to their shock, clone commanders are informed that they will, for the time being, remain in charge of their troops. With a handful of exceptions, Jedi ‘Generals’ were in fact, to be treated as a cross between highly skilled commandoes and advisors with abnormally sourced field intelligence. 

“All of you have spent your lives training to lead your brothers into combat. The Jedi Masters and knights who are being assigned to your divisions have not received such training.” 

General Kenobi addressed the division commanders, some in person, some over holocomm. All focused in rapt attention as their General reordered the shape of their lives using language they could understand.

“The command structure I am issuing is designed to maximize our ability to utilize our respective strategic capabilities, while minimizing potential loss of your life. It will be our great privilege to serve alongside such an army, and while I fully expect a complementary exchange of knowledge in time, for now, focus on survival.”

The Jedi received similar briefings, tailored for their broader array of combat and military experience. Some, including Jedi Master Pong Krell and Grandmaster Yoda, were pulled aside and tasked with the essential mission of infiltrating and destroying the Droid factories on Genosis. If they were to have a chance of winning this war, they they would need to cut off the seemingly unceasing flow of droid reinforcements. 

An elite squadron of Arctroopers and Jedi field operatives were covertly dispatched, Grandmaster Yoda himself in command. Considering Count Dooku had yet to appear anywhere near Ryloth...the grandmaster had the best chance of bringing in the fallen separatist leader alive for questioning.

Shortly after they left, Anakin arrived, having finally turned over Padme’s protection to her regular guard. With the military creation vote past, the assassination risk was considered minimal. The real delay in his arrival came from her repeated attempts to join the Grand Army of the Republic on Ryloth with the intent of coordinating humanitarian assistance. Eventually he managed to convince her that she could do more good in the senate. 

After all, he pointed out, someone would need to followup the military creation act with a bill to grant clones equal citizen rights. Otherwise, the legal grey area that cloning fell under and their non-republic origin would inadvertently make the clones slaves. 

His borrowed Nabooan cruiser entered the warzone with the grace and efficiency as a small neutron bomb.

Those close enough to see its flaming descent watched in horror, realizing that the high generals own padawan would likely be a war casualty before he ever engaged in combat.

The legion nearest to soon-to-be-ground-zero, under the command of Captain Rex of the 501st, were distracted by heated combat, as the temporary barricade they had put up to defend the civilian population gave way to droidika artillery. 

While reloading, several dozen troopers happened to look up to see a speck detach itself from the hull as at spiraled in the lower atmosphere. Hope spread that the Jedi had managed to activate some sort of eject hatch. A skilled shocktrooper could probably control and and survive such a fall with luck, which mean a Jedi almost certainly could. 

A few tactical scouts charged with watching the skies confirmed that the speck was indeed a humanoid. No chute was visible, but even 8 days into the war, rumors had already spread about how Master Windu had passed off his chute mid-air to a troopers who had been damaged by suppressing fire, cushioning his free fall solely with the tank he crushed upon landing. 

Only one trooper, stationed in the town clock tower specifically to track the Padawan’s arrival and issued with a high-resolution farscope, saw the whole thing. Fortunately for his credibility later, in its current setting, the scope automatically logged photos every 5 seconds, ensuring that for years to come Obi-Wan would have a flipbook as evidence that he was not the crazy one.

CT-3609 or Blink (as he was named after winning the division wide staring contest on Kamino two year prior) forwarded the trajectory of the vehicle to command, who confirmed his analysis that it would impact two clicks out from their makeshift fort and not present a risk to civilian or trooper lives. 

As it traversed the stratosphere a figure (desperate repair droid, Blink assumed) emerged from the cockpit to perch on the nose of the ship. As it entered the troposphere, it became painfully obvious that the figure jutting out from the hull of the ship was in fact not a humanoid droid, but an unarmored human. The Jedi stood on the prow of the ship, seemingly impervious to and oblivious of:

air resistance 

centrifugal force

normal space gravity 

Blink’s slack-jawed bewilderment

the flames engulfing the ship below him

At this range, the smirk on the man’s face was visible (man? boy? kriff is he even through puberty?). Several miles above the surface he leaped, diving towards the ground like a bird of prey. 

To the west, the ship made impact with the ground, sending a shockwave that shook the tower just enough for Blink to lose visual in the final moments of descent. Cursing, as while he was confident the Jedi would inexplicably survive, he really wanted to see how. The trooper scanned the droid-engulfed farmland to the north for a crash site, to no avail. Lingering smoke from the burnt countryside negatively impacted visibility low to the ground.

Rather than trying to articulate his report into words, he sent the 50-odd frames the farscope had saved, as well as the coordinates for the jedi’s projected radius of touchdown. A quick radio over to long range electro-ballistics ensured that his landing wouldn’t be marred by friendly fire.

He awaited follow-up questions on the absurd entry method, which, when they came, mostly consisted of variations on “...Is this for real?” and eventually “Can you set the scope to video for a little while?” and finally “Do you think that’s how he got the name Skywalker?”

There was a temporarily lull in fire from the west, likely a ripple effect from the ship’s explosion. From his vantage point Blink could see his batchmates using the opportunity to try and plug the holes in their barricade with broken droid pieces. Regardless of the itch to join them, he knew he couldn’t leave his post until the Jedi actually arrived in camp. Finally, a distant explosion and thick pillar of smoke gave the Jedi’s position away.

He tried to make out details, but the scope had a difficult time focusing through the haze. Manually trying to fine tune the scope’s settings, Blink caught a glimpse of what looked like half a hover tank sailing through the air to impact with a trade federation troop carrier in a fiery explosion. Several more explosions, flying droid artillery, and plumes of smoke were caught on record before visual contact with the source was established. He was mostly visible as a blue blur, lightsaber mowing a meandering path towards their location. 

It wasn’t until Skywalker braced himself in place to punch a droidaka into pieces that Blink caught actual sight of the man. Only his eyes were visible, nose and mouth covered by layers of cloth. He blurred, then reappeared on top a massive missile launcher attached to an absurdly heavily armored vehicle. A minute or so of rapid blue flashes passed, the longest he had seen concentrated in one area. Then Skywalker was gone, movement clearly visible as he for once he moved in a straight line, plowing a rapid path away from the launcher. 

Less than 30 seconds later, Blink had to wince away from the scope, as a burning white explosion temporarily overwhelmed the direct light filter. The trooper panicked for a moment, thinking he had gone both deaf and blind, but the abrupt, sucking silence ended after a moment with a deafening sonic boom. The shockwave rattled the farscope, nearly knocking it over, but Blink managed to steady it and himself in time. 

A cheer emerged from pleasantly surprised vod below. The entire droid legion that had been guarding the missile launcher and apparent ordinance bay was flattened. 

It took a moment for the realization to set in that the background noise of missile and and anti-missile collisions directly overhead had slowed pace. With the northern flank gone, artillery were able to redouble efforts to the east, and a second white hot shockwave ensued, signaling that the tide of battle had shifted. It was almost too easy for the republics electro-ballistics to tactically devastate the surrounding forces. 

Eventually some sort of win/loss programming must have set in and all forces outside of a certain radius began retreating southward, conceding the scorched land to the republic army. It was cadets work to clean up the final suicidal droid charge. 

A commotion ensued as Skywalker leapt the barricade with a mid-air flip. The vod greeted him with cheers, as they correctly assumed his appearance had something to do with the skirmish’s decisive victory.

Blink sent the video of the battle to command and quickly packed up his scope and assorted equipment. Hurrying down the battered tower, Blink thought to himself that this Anakin Skywalker was the best sort of Jedi a trooper could ask for.

uh sorry i got really sidetracked there moving on

Kenobi and Skywalker quickly become the face of the war once again

they grit their teeth a bit, but when they finally have a moment to really plan they eventually agree that to take down Sideous they have to cut off his political power in addition to everything else, and taking advantage of their public personas was the most accessible way to do so (*evil laughter*)

While Dooku wasn’t captured, Yoda heard the truth in his old student’s cryptic warnings about a Sith in the Senate, and the council begins carefully editing their release of tactical plans to the Chancellor’s office in the hopes of ferreting out the spy in their midst.

Pong Krell looses two arms in his duel with Dooku. Obi-Wan successfully hides his smug pleasure at the news. Anakin enjoys makeing comparisons between him and Grievous. 

Kenobi doesn’t allow the origin of the clones to go unexamined, although he agrees that if the public were informed that they don’t actually know who ordered them it would probably cause panic.

The ‘inhibitor chips’ are ‘discovered’ early on and Anakin leads the effort to ensure that they are phased out and removed immediately. This consists of reminding every Jedi who even hesitates about how how he as a child slave had some experience with control chips and unless you want to take a leaf out of the hutts books lets start doing brain surgery chop chop mmmkay?

(This isn’t to say that Vader doesn’t still a twinge of shame at acknowledging his slave roots. But it is eclipsed by the burning guilt that he knowingly acted as slave master to his troops for decades after Sideous wiped their minds. He tried to rationalize it to himself, after all he didn’t immediately understand what Order 66 had done to the troopers. But while the morality of murder was more of an intellectual concern than a personal one, treating people as things...)

The Kamonions are a little harder to budge, referencing contracts that they refuse to allow the Jedi to see

Finally Vader snuck into the Chief Medical Scientist’s home while she was sleeping and straight-up threatened to murder her and burn down her lab. At the risk of losing her life’s work, Nala Se complied.

Vader left with the final threat that in the event that Darth Tyranus caught wind and activated Order 66 prematurely, he would kill 100 Kamonians for every Jedi felled by troopers. Shaak Ti was pleased by the cloners sudden change of heart. Tyrannus, and by extension, Sideous, are in the dark. 

Obi-Wan frequently publicly confronts Palpatine about the troops citizen status, urging him make use of his emergency powers to grant them citizenship and full pay, with the option to leave the army should they so wish. 

Anakin manages to play off his avoidance of the Chancellor as disappointment in his perceived lack of dedication to anti-slavery efforts

Finally Palpatine gives in- regardless of what happens next, the troops will be looked after.

With 2/3rds of the troopers dechipped, Vaderkin is eager to kill Sideous again, but after several intense screaming matches and sparring sessions, the time travelers come to the agreement that even if they succeed in their duel, with things as they were, the perception of the Jedi military coop would cause mass civil unrest. The scattered sith apprentices, while individually weak, were more than capable of magnifying that fear and anger until the galaxy breaks. Darth Sideous wanted to ensure that if he couldn’t have the galaxy, no one would. 

(Vader knows this. Sideous enjoyed monologuing, and much of his plotting couldn’t be safely bragged about until after he had decisively won, leaving Vader as the unwilling receptacle for years of pent-up rants and self-satisfied gloats about the inevitability of his victory)

Continued Here

[gch1995]

I, for one, hope that Obi-Wan gets to abuse Anakin one more time in his series. VADER: You don't get it. I had to join Palpatine, those kids were the necessary sacrifice, so I could save Padmé. I couldn't live without Padmé! KENOBI: Then why haven't you just killed yourself instead of everybody else, you idiot, that would have been better for the world!

Oh, yeah…Sure…Obi-Wan Kenobi is the guy who Anakin should look up to a role model and trust…The guy who decided to use Padme, a pregnant woman as live bait to lure a very dangerous and emotionally/psychologically unstable Anakin Skywalker into a trap to kill him without her consent after finding out he went dark…Obi-Wan Kenobi, who used the teaching style of “Do as I say, not as I do” with little to no self-awareness.

Obi-Wan Kenobi who was generally more interested in being a perfect Jedi™️ for the sake of fitting in with and getting ahead in the Order by kissing Yoda’s ass, no matter the cost to himself, his moral integrity, or his family and friends. Like, name one time in the series, not counting Disney Retcon Wars or the Disney EU when Obi-Wan aspired to be a hero out of a genuinely independent, idealistic, and selfless interest to save others because he truly cared about helping other people in the galaxy, regardless of Yoda’s and the Council’s approval or disapproval? The only times I can somewhat think of that happening in primary canon is when he insisted on taking Anakin on as a padawan to honor Qui Gonn

Yeah, I get that it’s not all Obi-Wan’s his fault he grew up that way under a corrupt, close-minded, and hypocritical cult, but he also didn’t go out of his way to try to be much better.

While Obi-Wan did spend a lot of time asskissing the arrogant, close-minded, and hypocritical Yoda and Jedi Council, his closest relationships throughout most of his life were with people who were and/or people who started out as (Anakin, though he eventually got back there in the end for Luke at least in the end again) genuinely curious, empathetic, emotionally vulnerable, idealistic, independent, kindhearted, open-minded, and selfless people who were interested in being or becoming or being heroes for other people throughout the galaxy by following their personal instincts and intuition of right vs wrong, regardless of the disapproval and judgment of oppressive authority figures in their lives on the Council.

Obi-Wan Kenobi is the pillar of proper morality for Anakin Skywalker to look up to and trust after he deliberately cut off his limbs and left him to burn alive in agony, all while lecturing him about the canonically corrupt and misguided Jedi Order of the prequels that would have still collapsed in on itself because of its own arrogance, corruption, and hypocrisy without Darth Vader, Palpatine, and the Sith, anyway, rather putting him out of his misery with a quick execution when he had the chance because he wanted him to suffer for turning on the Order out of a vindictive desire for vengeance….🙄🙄🙄

While Anakin is far from innocent and absolutely worthy of punishment for his crimes, the fact that you want to see him commit suicide, which btw, he has attempted in comics before, is very fucked up, nonny. No one should feel obligated to kill themselves “to make the world a better place,” not even someone as dark as Darth Vader. They should try to take the steps to improve their behaviors to the best of their abilities, which, I’ll grant, Anakin wasn’t doing anymore after going off the rails in Revenge of the Sith, particularly not after being put into that suit, regardless of the compromised agency, poor emotional/mental stability, and limited healthy support. If he had been killed in self-defense by a victim of his, or in battle, and/or he’d been put on trial with a verdict that deemed him guilty of galactic tyranny with punishments of either death by quick execution, the electric chair, or lethal injection, and/or imprisonment with mental institutionalization for his crimes as punishment, then that wouldn’t be illegal.

The fact that you would have wanted to see Anakin suffer for his crimes by deliberately committing suicide “to make the galaxy a better place” is just very inhumane and sadistic, nonny. Also, to be honest, committing suicide to “make the galaxy better” would also not really have brought any ultimate peace for the overall galaxy either.

Vader was Palpatine’s horrifying attack dog/killing machine, but ultimately, the systematic crime, corruption, and oppression throughout the galaxy wasn’t going to just suddenly stop without Vader there, anyway. He was a useful scare tactic, and an effective general of the stormtroopers, who mostly respected him because they were some of the only people left who he could relate to personally since they also had compromised agency their whole lives for as long as they could remember like he did, too.

However, the Empire could have and would have continued to go on with or without Vader as long as its many other the enablers, enforcers, and perpetrators were still actively committing crime and tyranny throughout the galaxy. Vader was a handy piece to publicly execute the will of Sidious’s Galactic Empire as an attack dog/murder slave for him to use because he was both terrifyingly aggressive, cold, dangerous, domineering, and powerful against those he was commanded to or allowed to treat as enemies or use violence against to keep in line, get vengeance against in the heat of the moment, or take out for Sidious, while also absolutely way too emotionally/psychologically broken, helpless, and terrified to be anything but agreeable, meek, and subservient in regards to Sidious, Tarkin, or anyone else with positions of authority over him.

Yeah, technically he was still at least equal to Sidious in terms of his force power after being burned alive and put in that suit. Technically, Anakin was still more physically powerful than Tarkin, but Palpatine gave him a position of authority in the Empire over Vader. Palpatine had a position of authority over Anakin. Anakin has been groomed to be submissive to people with positions of authority over him his whole life, so it’s not just this simple thing for him to say no, to them anymore, and at that point, he had been so broken, embittered, self-loathing, and terrified from a lifetime of trauma (part of it was his own fault for committing those crimes he knew were wrong, but not all of it was) that he didn’t even care to try much anymore.

Vader was still not necessary to create the Empire or keep it alive. Brom Titus, Gallius Rex, Grand General Tarkin, the Imperial Army of stormtroopers, and so on would have carried out systematic crimes and abuse for Sidious.

@ohgodmyeyes

@mynameisanakin

@tragicfantasy-girl

[ilonga]

angtspril day 24

prompt: Goodbyes

follow up to day 6′s Wandavision au

ao3

Once the battle is over and the carnage, for the most part, cleaned aside, Padme finds him by the steps of their home.

Luke and Leia are inside. They're still practically bouncing off the walls; playing the hero had been dangerous and scary for them, yes, but now they're just working through the adrenaline rush the fight had left them with.

"You're going to have to get rid of all of this," Padme says, her eyes roving over the picturesque city of Theed, now deserted of its inhabitants, "aren't you." 

He nods mutely. He doesn't trust his voice.

"What'll happen to it all?" she asks. He looks up; she's leaning on the side of the door frame, arms crossed, gaze far away. The sunset's rays give her a practically ethereal glow.

"It'll go back to the way it was before," he finally says. "Everything else—everyone else that wasn't here before will vanish."

"Including me," Padme murmurs. "And Luke. And Leia."

"Yes."

He has to do it, he knows. It's already started; at the borders of the city, the force-induced haze is already lifting. Now he's just here, numb with the anticipation.

He looks up at Padme. He's weak, he knows. If Padme opens her mouth and begs him right there to stop it, to keep the false reality running, to keep her and the children alive and happy—he'd do it. He'd do anything she asked.

But she doesn't. And he doesn't.

"I don't want to die," she says softly. "But my life, for all of theirs—that's not a fair trade." 

Yes. They both know that, by now. Besides, this reality was built on panic and loneliness and desperation. It was never built to last. 

"And she—" Padme's breath hitches. "The old Padme. Me before all of this. She wouldn't have wanted this either, would she?"

Anakin takes a shuddering breath. "No," he agrees. "she wouldn't." 

Suddenly panic grips his heart like a vise. "Luke—and Leia—" They'll be gone. Their children—they'll be dead. 

"They were happy," Padme says, voice breaking. "with us. That's all we can ask."

She sits down next to him and laces their fingers together. Part of him relaxes into the contact; another, smaller part of him holds back a flinch at the fact that it'll soon be gone. As if it never existed. Padme clears her throat. "Will you," she starts carefully, "will you tell my family for me? That I love them very much. And I'm sorry." 

"I don't know if they'd want to hear anything from me," he says. Jobal, Ruwee, and Sola had been. . . positively lovely, the first time they'd met, back when he was assigned to guard Padme for the first time. But now. . . "If we'd never been together, Palpatine would have never targeted you. You'd never have been killed."

"Not true," she says firmly. "They know me well. I probably would have gotten involved in the Delegation of 2000 anyways, and Palpatine would have been loath to let me live, lest I set a bad example for the rest of Naboo."

"I'll tell them," he promises, not quite sure he believes her. He'll make sure they hear her words, even if he has to get past slammed doors and roiling anger.

The haze is lifting now. Padme looks. . . slightly more faded. 

"Goodbye, Anakin," Padme says. Her face is wet but she's trying to smile all the same. She's afraid, he knows, of what comes next. He'd be afraid too, if he was in her place. About to face his death, to be wiped from the galaxy as if he's never even existed. 

"It won't hurt," he promises. "Don't be afraid. It'll be as if we're falling asleep."

She meets his eyes. "I'm not afraid."

I'm not afraid to die. 

Padme Amidala vanishes with the rest of Theed. 

[elionwriter]

STAR WARS TOP TEN CHARACTERS AND RELATIONSHIPS (PART 3)

7) PADME AMIDALA

Usually when characters are "TOO GOOD" they end up being unrealistic and unlikable. NOT HER! A queen by election, an uncompromising senator, a great speaker, a true defender of democracy, a politician that fights in the front lines if necessary and definitely the one true fashionista of the Galaxy. Padme, both in stile and principals, reflects all the good and opulence of the High Republic, an age of stability, greatness and awareness in which debate was a preferable weapon to actual weapons even though she had no problems handling a blaster. Even though we are presented with many great politicians throughout the series no one is quite as resourceful or capable as her. Not even the great Bail Organa. She manages to gain and hold the respect of most senators, even her rivals, despite her young age; she brokers seemingly impossible negotiations, at one point almost bringing the Clone Wars at an end via a peace treaty with the Separatist Alliance; with a single speech she stops the production of new clone batches saving the Republic from bankruptcy. And yet, despite all this wisdom and capacity her greatest asset is her pure and kind heart. It's truly heartbreaking that she of all people found herself in such a painful and controversial relationship. Her love for Anakin is ultimately her downfall as she realizes too late how far gone he is. If anyone ever died of heartbreak is her. It seems a contradiction that someone so strong could abandon herself to sadness in such a manner and yet this single weakness makes her all the more precious, pure and beautiful. With her death all the goodness of that age is burried too leaving the Galaxy colder, dimmer and scarier.

8) HERA SYNDULLA & SABINE WREN

While the entire Specter crew is worthy of the spot, I want to celebrate its queens. I already called Ashoka Togruta pride, but for a species whose females are usually objectified and reduced to cantina dancers, Hera really elevates Twi'leks to the next level. Daughter of a famous and respected leader, Hera inherits that leadership and creates her own rag-tag team to guide the Galaxy towards insurgency against the Empire. It's always a brave decision to stand up against power and tyranny but to do so when one doesn't even know if they're alone in that effort is a titanic feat. Hera leaded the Spectres before the rebel alliance was even formed and had a pivotal role in their operations both as a strategist and an A class pilot. Acting as the mother of the crew she is one of the main reasons the other characters of her team remained alive and bloomed to their full potential. If it wasn't for her, Ezra Bridger wouldn't have joined the fray. Also, she manages to make Han Solo admit that the Ghost is better than the Falcon. Can one blame Kanan for falling head over heels in love with her? And Sabine, well...she is proof that one can be level-headed and hot-headed at the same time. A sassy, trigger-happy, genius, teen Mandalorian with a talent for street art. If you don't love her for this alone then it's definitely all her colors and wicked style that are gonna knock it out of the park. Not only does she change hair-cut and dye each season of "Star Wars: Rebels" she gives her armour a different paint-job too! While Din Djarin's armour is probably the most beautiful and impressive structure and defence wise, Sabine turned hers into a proper masterpiece. Her artistic merits are so good that even art expert Grand Admiral Thrawn wants to collect some of her works. At one point, she wields the dark sabre and manages to unite Mandalorian clans against the Empire's puppet leader. The fact that she had been accepted as a leader by her people but still decided to take a step back and pass the power to older and wiser Bo-katan Kryze is truly a point in her favour. Unforgettable is her relationship with Ezra, built on camaraderie, mutual trust and frienship. Wherever Ezra has ended up Sabine will keep searching for him until he is safely back home.

9) CAPTAIN REX AND THE 501

The prequel trilogy doesn't really tell us much about the clones and what happened during the years of their faithful service to the Republic before the tragic events of order 66 unfold. Thank goodness a lot of additional material got that covered! (Anyone watching the Bad Batch?!) All clones should be celebrated and mourned but no clone captured the heart more that Cpt./Commander Rex along with all the 501st. legion. The faithful and elite group of soldiers led by Anakin Skywalker and Ashoka has proven itself both in and out of the battlefield. Not only did this squad survive the treacherous General Krell, they managed to win the battle he was actively trying to sabotage, get a full confession out of him and imprison him. Not only this, it was one of the squad members, Fives, that almost uncovered the full plot against the Jedi order designed by Chancellor Palpatine. While all clones regarded each other as brothers there was a special bond that tied the men of this group and its leaders. Rex went to extensive lengths to retrieve his lost companion Echo, a move that Anakin supported; Fives ran to Rex and Anakin to reveal his discoveries and had they all not been interrupted, even in his frenzied state, the two seemed willing to listen to his side of the story. There was a solid complicity and trust between Anakin and his men to the point that he revealed to Rex his secret relationship with Padme (Something he didn't openly speak of even with Obi-Wan and Ashoka) and told him of her pregnancy. In exchange, Rex always trusted his general even when he got them all in the most dangerous and unorthodox situations, looking up to him and regarding him as the best of the Jedi even years after the war had ended (when complimenting Kanan's skills he purposefully underlines that he's still not as good as Skywalker). But the most heartwarming instance of all is when Rex and the 501 greet Ashoka, banished from the Jedi order and the military, with painted helmets to remind of her markings still referring to her as Commander. Rex goes always above and beyond his duty, aiding Ashoka and the rebellion years after being dismissed from service. Even as an old timer, he proves that the new Stormtroopers have nothing on him and that he is truly the ultimate soldier and friend. I only wish he could have met Luke, considering he was one of the very few who knew Anakin was expecting a child and he never realised that Anakin hadn't died at the end of the war but had become Darth Vader.

[radioactivepeasant]

Fic Prompts: Star Wars Wednesday

(Another excerpt from my "accidentally made a 12k document out of this prompt" fic. Long post incoming)

The last gear turned at seven o'clock in the morning. The counterweights clattered, and the brass doors swung open. The boy looked dead on his feet. Vader knew enough about being the walking dead to recognize the exhaustion. 

"Congratulations," he said calmly. "Most never make it this far. I do confess-" he interrupted himself with a grunt as he left his throne- "That I expected you some hours ago. I'm afraid that time has run out."

"No."

Vader raised an eyebrow. Luke was pale, and trembling, and the cut over his eyebrow bled sluggishly. He could smell the boy's blood now. He could smell Padme's blood. If there had been any doubt about his identity before, it was gone now. And despite all he had fought through, the child was still clinging to a shred of defiance.

"I beat your stupid game!" Luke shouted. "You said I had to find evidence of my father. I did."

This was unexpected.

"Oh? Did you now?" Vader approached slowly. "And what have you found, little one?"

With a sharp, angry gesture, Luke motioned to the floor. "Your castle. The warding runes on every load bearing pillar in the great hall are all written by the same hand. They're laid out in the shape of a japor charm. Just like my mother's necklace."

Vader leaned back on his heels, astonished. He studied the boy's face, wavering between anger and fear, for some time before he burst out laughing.

"Aren't you clever?" he laughed, "I must say, I am impressed. I set you a trial and you've proven yourself admirably."

He sobered quickly. "However, you are mistaken on one point. I said that you were to find proof of your father's death. Not his life. There is ample evidence of that, though I would expect few to be able to interpret it."

He closed the distance between them with two great strides and offered a thin smile. "There will be time to decide your fate in the evening. For now, I suspect you have exhausted the last reserves of your strength."

Somewhere in the inner sanctum, the nursery he had prepared long ago sat gathering dust. It would suit the boy well enough for now. The infantile wall hangings might need to be removed, of course, but nothing else need be touched. 

It was, Vader decided, a good day.

[[MORE]]

Luke didn't remember collapsing. He knew he must have, or he wouldn't be waking up now. But the last thing he remembered was stumbling back to put some distance between himself and Vader. 

How was he still alive? 

Morosely, Luke wondered if the rumors of Vader being a vampire were true, and he was being kept for dinner. That probably explained why the dark lord had said his fate would be decided in the evening.

Well. Luke wasn't going to let that happen. 

Opening his eyes took a herculean effort, but he knew that if he wanted to survive, he had to get up. His head pounded, all but begging him to close his eyes and go back to sleep. It would've been so easy; he was already bone-weary from the midnight march to the castle, and the sheer number of traps he'd had to avoid and broken stairs he'd had to climb had steadily drained his remaining reserves of energy. 

It didn't help that he hadn't eaten anything since the day before. There had been puddles of rainwater here and there in the castle, where the roof needed repairs, but Luke hadn't been brave enough to drink from them. His throat felt as if it was trying to remind him very pointedly of this fact.

Slowly, as if by centimeters, Luke pushed himself upright. A heavy cloth fell to his lap with a quiet rustle, and Luke squinted at it in the darkness. Now that he was actually paying attention to his surroundings, this didn't look like a dungeon. Or wherever vampires kept their potential meals. For one thing, if you were going to kill someone, why go to the effort of putting them in a real bed?

It didn't feel like his cotton pallet on the farm -- the one Owen had worked so hard to buy when Luke outgrew the cradle -- and it certainly didn't feel like the back of the wagon Jabba's men had put him in. Luke bounced experimentally. It was firm, but soft enough that his hands left finger-shaped indentations in the mattress. Maybe all the rooms in the castle were like this?

Although, Luke had been starting to think there weren't any bedrooms in Vader's castle at all.

Had his father truly designed this place? All the runes, the layouts of the floors, everything suggested the hand of Anakin Skywalker. Had he built it for Vader, or was this where Luke would have lived if the Red Horde had never come out of the mountains?

Luke fought to untangle himself from the thick down comforter and rolled over the side of the bed. It was low to the ground, luckily, so it wasn't far to fall. Soft fur met his hands, and Luke recoiled. Had he landed on an animal?!

As his eyes adjusted to the gloom, Luke realized he was kneeling on a wolf-pelt rug. He thought of the Red Horde's lycanthrope troopers and shuddered.

There was a window somewhere above him, high enough that it only sent a sliver of fading light down into the chamber below. It caught the tarnished silver of stars, set into the two farthest walls in the shapes of galaxies and constellations. They would have been beautiful with some polish. For now, they were hardly visible against the stone.

Luke inched to the door and nearly tripped over a rocking horse. What was a rocking horse doing in a place like this?! He jerked back and looked around him a second time. The small bed, the bookshelf, the stars on the walls...his blood ran cold as he put the pieces together. This was a nursery. 

Luke very quickly decided that he did not want to know what had become of its intended occupant.

He scrambled to the door and was relieved to find that it was not locked. Relief soon gave way to unease once more. The nursery, apparently, extended beyond the bedchamber. Wooden swords of varying sizes hung on one wall, with a painted chest beneath them. Luke spotted tin knights, and little model chariots, and even a wooden castle with little dolls peering out of the windows. None of it looked like it had been played with. In fact, Luke wasn't sure they'd even been touched.

Despite himself, he felt an urge to take one of the tin knights with him when he escaped. His family had never been able to afford many toys. Beru had taught him to make soldiers of sticks and straw when he was small, and when they inevitably broke, Owen would let him use them for kindling in the winter.

Thoughts of home settled like a weight in Luke's chest. It was his fault they were dead. He knew that.

If Luke hadn't challenged the tax collectors at market, the baron wouldn't have gotten the idea of handing a Skywalker over to Lord Vader. They'd come in the middle of the night. Luke never even had a chance to bury his aunt and uncle. 

Luke bit his lip hard and blinked back tears. Old Ben had traveled upriver to teach the girl from Mother's old letter. Even if Luke did escape, there was no one to go home to.

There was only one part of the room that had not been touched by the dust. Someone had lit a fire in the nursery fireplace. It had to have been recently: the flames were only just beginning to die. On the table beside the fireplace a bowl of fruit and a pitcher of water had been set. Luke's stomach growled pathetically, and he clutched the front of his shirt. Grapes. Those were grapes, still on the vine! Luke sometimes got grapes on his birthday, or during summer festivals. But it was hard for the people in Jabba's territory to get fresh fruit.

He didn't know what the pink fruit was, but he could identify slices of orange and a whole pear. They didn't look like they'd been tampered with, but Luke knew better than to trust appearances. For all he knew, it was poisoned. 

Luke edged past the table, and the two wingback chairs facing the fireplace. He needed to focus on escaping. 

"Ah. So you've decided to join us after all. I was beginning to think you were going to sleep through the night entirely."

Luke jolted. Someone was sitting in the chair.

Lord Vader sat calmly watching him, a faint, pleased smirk on his face. There was an air of lazy satisfaction about him as he leaned around the edge of the chair and gestured to the bowl. 

"Please, help yourself," he said.

Luke raised his chin and hoped he wasn't shaking too visibly. "I'm not hungry."

Vader's sickly yellow eyes seemed almost to twinkle, and he smiled. "Liar."

[padme-amitabha]

Not an attack, just a question; Reylo is awful without a doubt, but do you acknowledge Anidala has big problems too? Not that it's nearly on the same as Reylo, but surely you know Anidala isn't flawless, right?

Okay here’s the thing: no relationship is without flaws and neither is Anidala but it’s nothing “big” or problematic. It’s the circumstances that made it end terribly. The relationship suffered because both characters are flawed individuals, especially Anakin. Anakin had a lot of unresolved issues and wasn’t mentally stable. He was completely off edge on Mustafar - he would have killed/attacked anyone not just Padmé.��

Anakin and Padmé’s love is genuine and it’s about two people from two different worlds who find themselves trapped in their roles . I have said multiple times TCW doesn’t get Anidala right or Disney canon in general but the original relationship was never abusive. If you are talking about TCW Anakin’s jealousy and possessiveness, yeah I agree it’s not healthy and I don’t ship TCW Anidala either. Anakin couldn’t bear to lose Padme - it’s not really about romantic jealousy or about other men stealing her away. 

Whatever issues movie Anakin had, it could have been fixed by therapy and by acknowledging it. That was the problem in the relationship - they were naïve and they idealized each other. Padme overlooked Anakin’s flaws to the point she was heartbroken in ROTS. Anakin in his rage could never rationalize that Padme would never betray him. As I mentioned earlier (and it is confirmed by other books), if Obi Wan hadn’t showed up on Mustafar, Anakin would have never attacked Padme. Despite all that, Vader still regrets hurting her. Which is because he never intended to hurt her in the first place. I obviously don’t support this and I can tell you no one likes him choking her - but Anakin’s crimes weren’t just against her. It was basically him (and Palpatine) against everyone he knew. He even did those because he had no choice and the fact that he sacrificed his morality for her and yet she betrayed him was what made him so upset. Padme could have easily blamed Obi-Wan for sneaking into her ship without her consent but Padme is a loyal person just like Anakin which is why she was the one who suffered the most. Her compassion was her undoing. 

Anakin went to the dark side out of fear of losing his wife. The Jedi viewed this kind of relationship as possession but for Anakin it was over-attachment. Which is completely natural. The only other person who he loved as much was his mother and she died horribly. He thought he couldn’t cope with loss. The only problem is Padme had no idea how far Anakin could go for that. I don’t think it’s Padmé’s fault in any of this. She didn’t encourage Anakin in any of his crimes and the only thing she did was to try bring him back to the light side (like Luke). Notice he had softened after hearing her on Mustafar before Obi-Wan ruined it. Besides, Padme had loved ones who were alive and healthy. It would have been very difficult for her to understand the extent of Anakin’s desperation.

Anakin was attached to his mother in the same way too - I don’t really view it as a bad thing. He wasn’t making them stay against their will - he just couldn’t afford to see them die. We are all attached to people in some way - it’s just not natural for Jedi to be overly attached to people. Anakin just didn’t know how to deal with this fear of loss and did everything because he truly believed Palpatine could save Padme. Another argument is if Vader would have forced Padme to stay with him against her will had she survived but that would have never happened either because Padme was always on his side. I don’t really view Padme as completely “good” - she prioritized Anakin on multiple occasions and it really wouldn’t have been very different from if Luke had joined Vader. 

As I mentioned here, Anakin and Padmé trusted one another and didn’t keep secrets from each other till the very end due to circumstances. And despite their differences, all they were loving and compassionate people who wanted to be together and have a family. There’s nothing non-consensual, toxic or abusive in their relationship. It’s not without its flaws but the prequels are a tragedy so there has to be some flaws (and it was mainly because of circumstances than anything else) for something to fall apart. 

[starstwinkleplanetsshine]

Dear Wormwood

Inspired by the song "Dear Wormwood" by The Oh Hellos, Darth Vader looks back on the last 20 years of his life and the events that led him to becoming Emperor Palpatine's apprentice and wishes he could take it all back. But just when all hope seemed lost, when Vader accepted he was doomed to live a shell of a man, every day filled with pain and regret, a glimmer of hope and Light appears to him in the form of his son, Luke Skywalker.

Luke believes there is still good in Vader, and deep down, he knows his son is right. But is it enough to make things right, or is the Light buried under too much darkness?

Read on AO3

“When I was a child

I didn't hear a single word you said

The things I was afraid of

They were all confined beneath my bed”

Vader awoke from his agonizing nightmare with a start, the same way he greeted every new day. As images of red rivers and blue blades and flowing brunette hair and bouncy lekku and burning suns faded away into the stark grey walls around him, he cursed his sleep for reminding him of a time long gone. In the early years when the weight of his losses still threatened to crush him, when the mere thought of the man who called him brother or the woman who called him husband or the girl who called him master threatened to crumple him into a ball on the floor with a single thought, he never allowed himself to sleep. He survived on hatred and anger alone, letting his suffering be his rest. It was the only way. 

But now, nearly 25 years later, those thoughts brought only a sharp sting. Vader didn’t know if he was becoming numb to the pain or if he wasn’t as affected by it anymore, and he didn’t know which answer frightened him more. And now, nearly two decades later, events had taken place that caused all those old feelings to rise to the surface, all the memories of his life before which he had forced into the darkness were being dragged out to the light, and they were too blinding. 

The first crack had appeared three years ago when he stared into the eyes of a man he thought was a ghost. The moment when the blade of his saber struck his old master for the last time, Vader felt a shattering deep within him, inside a dark and dusty corner of his heart that he hadn’t felt in decades. He felt a thin and decaying string, once golden and shining, finally snap. Vader didn’t even know his bond with Obi-Wan was still there until he felt it break forever. 

The next crack appeared one year ago when Vader had learned of the survival of his son. Being a father was a dream that died alongside the Republic, alongside Padme, alongside Anakin. Just another loss to add to the growing list. Learning that that was not true, that the child born of the only woman he had ever loved was living, breathing, moving with The Force, had awoken something deep within Vader that he thought would stay dormant forever. But Vader could only remember his son in times of absolute strength, for thoughts of Luke always led him back to his mother, and those thoughts led him back to the time when his days were filled with laughter and golden sunlight. A time of blue eyes, not yellow, of smooth skin and golden-honey hair, not black metal and machinery, a time where the world was shades of blues and greens and purples and golds, not red. 

A time of Padme Amidala. Ahsoka Tano. A time of Anakin Skywalker. Obi-Wan Kenobi. Names that all died with the Republic. 

Obi-Wan. 

Now that was a name that caused fire to burn inside Vader, a fire full of passion and hatred and love and regret. They say the line between love and hate is thin, that those two emotions were closer than any other, and since that day on Mustafar all those years ago, Vader knew why. He couldn’t think of the man he once called master without being filled with bitterness and regret, for his betrayal stung so because his love for him once ran so deep. Obi-Wan was the one person the man who had once been Anakin loved the most, trusted the most, the one who could always calm the storm swirling within him, the only one who could contain it when it threatened to erupt and destroy everything good and light. 

Now he was the man who Vader hated with every ounce of metal keeping him alive. 

He thought finally killing Obi-Wan would also kill the ache within him, the pain he blamed on his old master. But it turns out it was never Obi-Wan who caused the pain, it had truly been Vader all along. For twenty years after that dark night on Mustafar, the image of Obi-Wan that was frozen in Vader’s memory was the one who cut off all his limbs and left him for dead, burning and gasping for air beside an unforgiving torrent of fire. But ever since he had struck the fatal blow, his revenge upon Obi-Wan that Vader had dreamed about for nearly two decades, that was no longer the image he associated with Obi-Wan Kenobi. 

For the past few years, the thought of his old master brought back images of warm smiles and reassuring shoulder pats. It brought back fondness and memories of fighting alongside him during the Clone Wars, even memories from before that when Anakin was still a child. Their first sparring match. Sitting across from his old master meditating. The nights Obi-Wan would stay up late helping Anakin with his Temple assignments. All those nights Anakin sheepishly walked into Obi-Wan’s room after a particularly bad dream, his eyes still wet with tears. Remembering how he would let Anakin curl up next to him under his pillow and sing ancient lullabies to him until his breathing steadied and his heart slowed enough for him to finally drift back to sleep.

Only in his moments of strength could Vader remember the words Obi-Wan spoke to Anakin all those years ago, when his old master would remind him he no longer had anything to fear, that no matter what dangers or trials the young boy faced, he would always be by his side, guiding him and protecting him. 

Obi-Wan promised that he would always be there. 

But deep down, Anakin could never truly believe him. 

-----

“But the years have been long

And you have taught me well to hide away

The things that I believed in

You've taught me to call them all escapes”

One year since Vader found out his child survived. Four years since Vader struck down the man he labeled his greatest enemy. 23 years since Anakin Skywalker died on Mustafar. 24 years since Anakin failed his padawan and she walked away from him. 26 years since Anakin lost his mother on Tatooine. 36 years since Anakin first entered the Jedi Temple. 

If only Vader could go back and tell that little boy of nine years old all that was in store for him in the years ahead. All the fear and pain and heartbreak and suffering. But also the joy and laughter and bliss and growth. 

If only he could tell him that it would all be worth it, that he could survive the pain without using the help of the Darkside. That he could trust the people who loved him, who truly cared for him, and that being a Jedi was the greatest gift he had ever been given. 

If only he could say that that was true. 

But time didn’t work like that. 

Vader sat alone in his silent chambers on the very planet where the only thing more red than the lava flows beneath him was the glowing of his lightsaber and the hatred deep in his soul. He thought back on all the years, on all the moments that led him to becoming the empty shell of a man he was, and he wondered just where he went wrong. Looking back, he could see it all so clearly, his mistakes like a map leading him straight to the dark. He often wondered where it all started--if he had never left Tatooine would it still be like this? Was it his selfish choice of love over duty, or maybe it was his first violent outburst of revenge against the Tusken Raiders who murdered his mother? Or was it every soul he couldn't save during the Clone War? Or perhaps the way he failed his padawan and lost trust of the council forever? Or could it have been his outrage at not being granted the rank of Master? 

Or was he doomed to darkness from the moment he was born under the harsh cruelty of the Twin Suns? 

Vader tried to keep himself occupied with anything, everything--military strategies, saber techniques, even tinkering with droids--just as long as his mind was busy so he didn’t run the risk of remembering. He couldn’t let himself dwell on those thoughts for more than moments, for if he did, his strength threatened to fail him. 

No. 

He had to remember the way Obi-Wan failed him. The way Padme betrayed him. The way Ahsoka abandoned him. The fact that Anakin Skywalker was too weak. For if he remembered the truth, then he could never actually live with himself. 

-----

“I know who you are now

I know who you are

I know who you are now”

Vader could feel the shifting tides of the Force like a riptide surrounding him. Ever since he had learned that the young rebel who blew up 20 years of strenuous work with a single shot was his son, Vader hadn’t known peace. 

If he was truly honest with himself, though, Vader had never known peace. But the man Vader once was did, and its name was Obi-Wan Kenobi. Padme Amidala. Rex. Ahsoka Tano. 

He slowly walked to the large window in the side of his ship and gazed down to the Forest Moon below. His son was down there, he could feel his presence in the Force like a beacon of light in a dark tempest, guiding him to safety. 

Maybe, just maybe, could it be possible for Vader to know peace once again? 

No. 

Any hope of that was long gone. 

But perhaps…

Vader closed his eyes and opened himself up to the tides of the Force, just as his old master had taught him to do. For the first time in a long time he didn’t try to control it or channel it through his anger, pain, or passion, he simply let go and let the Force show him what she wanted him to see. He wasn’t surprised when the face of a man with sky-blue eyes and a kind, bearded smile swirled around his memory. 

For the last four years, the face of Obi-Wan had followed him like a shadow he could never run from. At first it only fueled his anger, but now it piqued Vader’s curiosity. Why now, years after his death, years after he killed him, did the face of his old master continue to haunt him? He was beginning to wonder if it was for a purpose, if maybe The Force was trying to tell him something, something he was refusing to hear. 

The Force used to sing to him, back when he was called Anakin, and she would wrap herself around him in golden light and carry him along her gentle current. 

But it had been years since he had unplugged his ears and let himself listen to her song, and Vader wondered if she could still sing. 

He also wondered if this feeling that he felt when he thought of Luke, the ache in his heart he felt when he gazed upon his son, if maybe that was the same feeling that Obi-Wan once felt when he looked upon him. He remembered a time long ago when he felt something similar when looking at a young Togruta with the kindest eyes and an even kinder heart. 

Vader thought he could almost name the feeling. 

Obi-Wan once said he had loved Anakin, and now Vader could admit that that must've been true. 

And Anakin knew he had once loved him too. 

-----

“There before the threshold

I saw a brighter world beyond myself

And in my hour of weakness”

You were there to see my courage fail”

All Anakin ever wanted was to protect the ones he loved. He believed in the hope of a world where he could keep pain away from all those he called his own, a world where everything was right and just and beautiful and safe, all because he had made it so. He was raised to stand up for those who couldn't, to use his gifts and power to help others, both by his mother and his master. He always knew he was special, but he never wanted to be great for his own sake. No, everything Anakin ever did was motivated by those he loved, and he just wanted to create a better, brighter world for the galaxy. 

Everything he did, he did for others. 

Or so he thought he did. 

He thought that by becoming a Jedi he would be able to spread goodness and light, justice and peace to the galaxy. So where did it all go so wrong? 

Looking back on it all now, Vader could see how blind he was. How blinded by fear and possessiveness, obsession and the inability to let go. Like a child who loves an injured bird too much and squeezes it between its fist, never realizing that it was its desire to help and protect that ultimately ended up killing it. He called it the need to protect the one he loved, but now he could name it for what it was: selfishness. And it was that selfishness that brought his whole world crumbling down around him. All that was left in the wake of that dark night on Mustafar were shattered dreams and dashed hopes crashing around the one who used to be Anakin like forsaken ashes, his old life going up in smoke along with the Jedi temple. 

And who was there to watch him burn it all to the ground but the one man he never wanted to let down. The one man he had striven to please since he was a small boy of nine, the one man who he had loved like a father, a brother, a best friend. 

Obi-Wan had sworn to always be by Anakin’s side, so it was only fitting that he would be there to witness his worst mistake. 

Anakin never wanted to fail anyone, especially Obi-Wan. 

And in the end, he failed everyone. 

You're breaking my heart…

You were my brother…

I won't leave you, not this time… 

Vader still couldn’t think of all that he lost without hearing the echoes of his past.

----- 

“For the years have been long

And you have taught me well to sit and wait

Planning without acting

Steadily becoming what I hate”

Vader could remember a time long ago when he confided in a man he thought of as a grandfather, a man who he trusted, who told him he could trust him. He couldn’t see it then, the years of careful manipulation and meticulous planning that Palpatine went through to gain Anakin’s trust. Like a serpent whispering in Anakin’s ears telling him he had to keep secrets from those who truly loved him, making the boy believe he was the only one who would understand. Feeding him the lie that if he ever truly opened up, everyone would hate what they saw. If he shared his fears with Obi-Wan he would be kicked out of the order and sent straight back to Tatooine, back into the chains to which he was born. 

So he kept it all inside. 

And he told his feelings to only one man, the one man who only ever saw him as a pawn, a means to an end. 

But by the time he saw the truth, it was too late. 

It wasn’t until Anakin was gone and Vader was clad in metal and machine, and he felt the first of many lightning bolts that Palpatine used to keep him in line. It wasn’t until he tried to speak of his fears, his losses, his hurt, to the now-Emperor only to receive nothing but punishment in return that he realized it was never real. 

So he retreated even further into himself, for now he was truly alone. 

He looked back in regret on all the years he thought he had no one to turn to, able to see now that that couldn't have been farther from the truth. How had he let himself feel so alone in the days where he was surrounded by those who loved and cared for him, immersed in a community of family bonded by The Force? 

It almost made him laugh to think of how wrong he was. 

For in Anakin’s emptiest moments he still had more than Vader ever would at his fullest. 

Vader stood in front of the Emperor, the man he had called master for the last 20 years but who never truly deserved the title, with his shields high and impenetrable. He couldn’t let Palpatine see the turmoil within him, and over the years Vader had gotten skilled at hiding his true feelings, even from himself at times. But especially now as his master told him of how he would have to either turn his son to the dark or destroy him, he was thankful that his thoughts were only his own. 

The path of the darkside or destruction. 

‘Those are the same thing’ Vader thought to himself. ‘And I will not see my son fall down the same path that I did.’

Vader stared forward, and the smallest part within him was grateful for the mask that hid his features from the prying eyes of Emperor Palpatine. For years Vader had suffered under his hand, doing his will without complaint or hesitation because he had nowhere else to turn. In his greatest moment of weakness he had burned everything good he had ever loved, and so there was nothing left to do but turn away from the light of the flames and follow the dark. It's what he deserved--torment and pain and suffering. 

But now there was the smallest glimmer of light, and it was burning inside Vader once again. Inside the shell which used to be as black as a bottomless cave there was now a long-forgotten ember, lit by the boy called Luke. Luke Skywalker. 

Skywalker. 

But even with the light beginning to glow within him, Vader knew it was too late for him. He was already doomed, and the man he once was had been destroyed. 

Palapatine had made sure of that. 

-----

“I know who you are now

I know who you are

I know who you are now”

Palpatine. 

How many years had Vader spent blaming Obi-Wan, blaming Anakin, blaming the Jedi, the council, the Republic, the war, anything but the one man who’s fault it truly was. 

And why had it taken so long for him to see the truth? 

Why was it not until Vader came face to face with his son, face to face with goodness and light and hope for the first time in decades, that he was able to see his master for who he truly was?

-----

“I have always known you

You have always been there in my mind

But now I understand you

And I will not be part of your designs”

For years Vader played his part, doing his master's terrible bidding without hesitation. Denying the parts of himself that refused to die, the soft spots in his crystalized heart which he could never turn completely to stone. In the beginning he had told himself that he was doing the right thing, that the Jedi were traitors and the reason the Republic fell. That the Empire would bring peace and security to the galaxy, that he was ushering in a new age of prosperity for all. That The Emperor saw things clearly and that he wanted the best for him and the people in the Empire. But eventually he could not be blind to those lies, so he traded his optimism for apathy, following orders out of a sense of duty and the feeling that he was in too deep to get out now. 

When Vader, no, Anakin, was a boy he had been a slave. His life was not his own, everything he did was controlled by another. When he ate, when he worked, when he played, when he slept. He could be beaten or even killed in an instant for something as insignificant as his master's poor temper. It was an exhausting existence, one without peace or rest. 

But he was given a new life when he was nine years old. For the first time in his life, Anakin was given freedom. But even then, even from his first moments of true happiness and liberation, Palpatine was there whispering lies in his ear. 

“You’re still calling someone master” he would hiss. 

“No, it's different. I’m a Jedi now. It’s an honor to call Obi-Wan master.” Anakin would counter, believing every word. 

“You're still being told when to eat, when to work, when to play, when to sleep.” Palpatine’s manipulations started from a very young age. 

“No, it’s different. I made a choice to be a Jedi, I’m not being forced to do anything.” Anakin’s new life as a Jedi was nothing like being a slave on Tatooine.

 Right? 

“But was it your choice? Is this really the life you want? I only want you to be happy, my boy.” 

Anakin never knew how to respond to that. 

Slowly, steadily, over time, Anakin began to wonder if there was truth to the venom Palpatine had been injecting into his brain. Maybe he was still a slave. A slave to duty. A slave to the Republic. A slave to the Jedi. 

Anakin never wanted to be a slave again. 

So he swore to put an end to it. To get out. To be free and the only one in control of his life. But the only thing he succeeded in doing was in tightening his chains, wrapping himself with ropes of metal and locking himself in a prison of hate. 

For Vader could now look back and see what he could not see then, that he was never a slave as a Jedi.

But he was one now. 

And now his master was requiring of him an impossible task, to hand over his son to endure the same fate he did. To doom Luke to serve the same dark master and force hatred and passion and anger to consume his soul and corrupt him into something unrecognizable, twisting him into a monster. 

Vader hadn’t failed his master in years, but he had a choice to make now. Should he continue to be faithful to a man who took everything from him, to an Empire that only left death and destruction in its wake? Or would he finally put an end to it all, finally turn back towards the light that used to be his home? 

Vader had been a mere pawn to Palpatine for as long as he could remember. 

A slave. 

He vowed when he left Tatooine he would never be a slave again. 

-----

“I know who I am now

And all that you've made of me

I know who you are now

And I name you my enemy”

Vader’s heart was a whirlwind of conflict as he stood in front of his son and his master. As much as he tried to fight it, to push it down, to keep his mind focused solely on the Dark, he couldn’t ignore the call to the Light that plagued him at the mere thought of his son. It was even stronger now as Luke stood before him, like a beacon of hope, and Vader didn’t know how much longer he could fight it. 

He couldn’t bear to listen to the words the Emperor was speaking to his son, the same lies and empty promises that were made to him so many years ago. He only hoped that, unlike himself, Luke was able to see through the falsehoods for what they truly were, and he hoped his son could resist. 

For even now the Dark had such a strong hold on Vader that he was still doing his master’s bidding, fighting his son and trying to turn him. But his mind was at war with itself, and his soul was being torn in two, his loyalty to his Dark master being ripped apart by his love for his son and his old connection to the Light. 

His unfocus betrayed him and he soon found himself on the ground at the mercy of his son, bested in combat as he felt anger and darkness swirl around Luke. No, he could not destroy his son, but it was not out of weakness. As he felt the Darkside grow like a rising tide around Luke, Vader’s heart tightened in his chest. He could not bear to see his son fall down the same path as he did, he didn’t want the same pain and torment to follow him and fill his days with nothing but agony and regret. And as he lay with Luke looming over him, hearing The Emperor urge Luke to finish him off, to take his place at his side, to join the darkness and rule the galaxy with fear and terror, Vader, for the first time in over two decades, could finally see it all for what it was. 

For now he knew. 

Vader wasn't born of Anakin, buried deep within the boy just waiting for the right moment to emerge. 

He was made. 

Forged by Palpatine and molded out of the hatred and desperation the Emperor had instilled in the boy, carefully crafted over years of subtlety. 

It had taken decades, but Vader finally saw through the lies. 

In an instant Vader had the Emperor in his hands lifted high above his head. He could feel the Force lightning coursing through his suit, singeing whatever flesh was left of him, overheating circuits and frying power couplings. He knew that this would be the last act he ever did, and yet Anakin felt a peace flow through him that was more powerful than the electricity. 

For the first time in a long time, Anakin was finally doing something right. 

-----

“I know who I am now

I know who I want to be…”

For years Vader had wanted nothing more than to turn back the hands of time and take it all back, take back every mistake he ever made that led to the destruction of everything he ever loved and held close. He wished through strangled sobs that he could hold his wife again, that he could see the smile of his old master with his shining blue eyes, hear the banter of his young padawan who always made him so proud. What he wouldn't do to feel the sunlight upon his skin as he strolled through the gardens of the Jedi temple, listening to the sounds of murmured conversations and ringing laughter as the Force flowed through him like a gentle river, carrying with it peace and love and Light. For twenty years he had cursed himself for his selfishness and greed, for his destruction of anything good and pure in the galaxy. If he could take it all back, he would. In an instant. Without hesitation. Even if it meant losing his life, he would give anything to go back to how it was, before the dark times, before the Empire. 

But he never could, he told himself it was impossible. 

But now, looking at his son, now he saw there was a way. 

He couldn’t turn back time, but he could make a better future, for his son had been right. There was still goodness in him, and Anakin was done leaving it in the darkness.

It was time to return to the light. 

For he finally understood. 

All of the mistakes he ever made he made because he couldn’t let go. He couldn’t let go of his fear of losing those he loved, he couldn’t let go of his pain, his grief, his losses, his doubts. He couldn’t let go of his need to control. And so this refusal of peace had led him to darkness, down a path where everything was gripped firmly in his hands, even if it burnt or cut him. 

But he had finally learned to let go, and in doing so, he could finally make things right. 

Luke saved Anakin, so it was only fair that he saved his son in return. 

Anakin could feel the Second Death Star rumbling around him and he fought the call of unconsciousness as his son dragged him towards a ship, but he knew what Luke did not, that it was too late for him.

No, not too late. It was just in time.

  “Help me take this mask off” Anakin struggled to speak as his life support began to fail.

“But you’ll die.” Luke was still holding onto hope. 

“Nothing can stop that now,” Anakin had accepted his fate, the death that seemed long overdue. “Just for once, let me look on you with my own eyes.” Vader was dead, he fell to his destruction alongside Emperor Palpatine, and that mask belonged to him. But those eyes, those blue eyes who longed to gaze at his son's face for the last time, those were Anakin’s. 

As the Force began to swirl around him, gently singing her ancient lullabies, songs Anakin used to hear but had been deaf to for so long now, he needed to say one final thing to his son, the one who saved him, who reminded him of who he truly was. 

“You were right. Tell your sister…” 

How Anakin wished he could look upon her in this moment, too. He regretted all the time he lost, he hated that his only times with his daughter were moments when he was hunting her, hurting her, causing her to fear and hate him. He thought of her resilience, her strength, her determination, her beauty. Her commitment to justice and goodness in the face of tyranny, how she never backed down from a fight. He remembered how she could command a room, how she knew her worth and she never let anyone diminish it. He thought of her love for her family, her people, her planet, and her love of the light, and he was so proud of her. In his daughter's eyes he saw Padme Amidala, and he stole a smile thinking of how Leia was continuing her mother’s legacy, whether she knew it or not. He could only hope that she would listen to Luke and maybe, just maybe, be able to forgive him enough, even though he knew he didn’t deserve it. 

“...you were right.” 

The world around him grew darker now, the Force moving in closer and transitioning his spirit from this world to the next. He looked into his son’s eyes one final time, seeing nothing but goodness and light, and he breathed his last, letting go and releasing himself into the larger will of the Force. 

And as he went, he felt only peace. 

Darkness gave way to light, and as he opened his eyes in a new plane of existence, he was greeted by a face that he would recognize anywhere, regardless of the effects of age and two harsh suns beating down upon it. 

“Hello there, my old Padawan.” 

And without a moment of hesitation, eyes brimming with tears, Anakin Skywalker fell into the open arms of Obi-Wan Kenobi. 

“...I want to be more than

This devil inside of me.”

[megashadowdragon]

why ben solo deserved better

comments on youtube: 

You may think Ben Solo did not deserve mercy, but let's all remember this is a FICTIONAL universe and fictional characters. It's ok to indulge in wishful thinking, even if Ben would not be received with welcome arms on Earth even after his redemption. Dealing with a complicated character like that and trying to find a way to give him a future in the story is hard, I will admit. It's hard to know where someone's role in society is after they've betrayed and murdered since our answer usually ends in their execution or incarceration. But imagine an ending where Ben Solo is willing to answer for his crimes, Rey contends for him, and the future of the galaxy has hope. What we were given was NOT hope. Ben Solo simply deserved a better ending than he was given. He wasn't a soulless monster like Palpatine. He had remorse. He hesitated. His anger was fueled by his mistreatment and feelings of abandonment from his family. Comment below and tell me why/why not Ben Solo deserved a better ending. Even if you don't agree, do you think his abrupt death was satisfying?

I agree with a lot of your points. He 100% should have survived and it doesn't make any sense to me that they killed him off. Ben should have been given a chance to live and atone, he could've spent the rest of his life being a better man, despite other people scorning him at first. Ben and Rey are so powerful - they are stronger together and could've helped so many people in the galaxy. Surely there would still be pockets of the First Order out there - or whole planets of innocent people still enslaved that need their help. ( I have to point out that it was never clarified how many people knew kylo ren was ben solo and its quite likely that  only a small group knew ben was kylo ren so you wouldnt even need to consider the galaxy at wholes reaction for they could just claim kylo ren was dead while ben solo was still alive  (people didnt know anakin was vader for years )   and poe in resistance reborn talked about ex imperials atoning for their actions so  poe and the people who knew ben was kylo ren would be willing to accept ben   coming back and atoning for his  actions  . no prison  or exile  he would ahve a happy ending  with rey on naboo the place where anakin and padme would have raised luke and leia anidala being torn apart was the original sin  ) ( I am sick and tired of redemption equals death it sends the message that if you mess  up and go down the wrong path the only out is death that the most you can expect is finding a cause to die for its bs the notion that he had to die is bs

“the redemption = death bs doesnt give hope to anyone its like if you mess up you cant just make up for it

 ben deserved better because in the 30 years he lived he wanst truly happy and calm until his last 20 seconds of his life”

Western story writers and directors are too set on the idea of redemption of villains through death, it's an unhealthy all too common message I don't agree with, Vader's sacrifice meant something because he saved his son, but what about Leia? What does her sacrifice mean? Why is the final shot just a lone Rey in the desert with a robot? I'll never understand these decisions, it just doesn't work.

The whole Rey replaces Ben in the Skywalker line is just disgusting. Ben was "bad" so he didn't deserve the name but Rey is perfectly "good" so she does? Kids, if you ever do anything bad watch out because your family will find a good kid, replace you, and act like you never existed. Love Disney for that message.

. There’s a clear reverse Anakin/Padme thing going on for me as is. I just think they could have gone for that full reversal, where Ben lives instead of dies like Anakin essentially did when he became Vader. And then I’m always reminded of how little Ani wanted to “free the slaves” ... and while he didn’t have to take that literal route, atonement, or working to break broken systems, would have been a wonderful close to that part of the story as well. I thought it would be nice to tie his and Finn’s stories together a little in that regard.

I don't think they ever understood what they had story wise or character wise.  I don't think they ever knew what message these movies were supposed to have. TROS kept making strange story decisions without thinking through their implications.  With regard to Ben Solo, they give us two fake deaths after multiple characters sacrificed themselves for him, then kill him off for real.  That's the kind nonsense you find in the D-grade movies mocked on MST3K, not a Star Wars film.  Worse yet, they offer the audience no catharsis for Ben's death.  It happens suddenly; Rey had already given her "life force" to both the giant snake and Kylo/Ben and she's fine.  So the audience doesn't expect Ben to die when he gives his "life force" to her.  Then after his sudden death, he's not mourned.  Rey barely reacts.  He's not mentioned and his sacrifice is never discussed.  Then we don't even see his Force ghost.  The air got sucked out of the movie and it just ends with a thud.  It's like if Titanic had ended with Rose saying, "Oh well, I guess I'll just marry Cal" and it's "The End."

Ben Solo definitely deserved better & I truly thought we would get a happily ever after, a reversal of Anakin & Padme’s fate. I also thought the stormtroopers would side with the Resistance & that the reason Leia’s allies didn’t respond at the end of TLJ was because most were disguised as stormtroopers & mingled among the First Order. 🤡  I think the Skywalker saga has ended but the Solo saga will continue. 🤞🏻 The majority of fans LOVE Kylo/Ben and that’s a fact. The general audience loved & rooted for him without ever knowing his heartbreaking backstory & that he had been targeted by Palpatine from conception. Let’s hope Disney/Lf has an ace up their sleeve.

I actually thought Ben was going to live because JJ kept marketing the film as being happy, uplifting, hopeful, and Ben's arc being "fun." In 2015 he called Star Wars a "fairytale."  I had been waiting for Ben to reunite with his mother since 2015 & since 2017 to end up with Rey. Neither really happens because Ben dies, thus turning Star Wars into a tragedy that pretends it's not. We didn't even get a mother/som forceghost visual reunion as a "consolation prize". I was so sure we'd get an actual living redemption arc because I thought forgiveness and the healing of the family was their intention , but nope, just a complete annihilation of the Skywalker family. I left IX feeling depressed for all of Christmas break. ...And don't even get me started on the retcon of TLJ's Rey Nobody background setup and theme.Show less

You have to ask yourself this when thinking of Ben and Anakin. If Anakin fell to the dark side because he had an unhealthy selfish love for Padme but Ben rose from the dark side because he had a healthy selfless love for Rey. What message does it send to have both characters have the same fate when it comes to being with the women they love? (Split apart) What's the point of the saga if nothing anyone does means anything? JJ and Chris failed to ask themselves these important questions.

the theme of the original trilogy was love, hope, family, forgiveness, redemption 

lucas described the star wars as a space fairy tale soap opera    about love, family , hope forgiveness, redemption  the skywalker saga is a family saga about the skywalker family killing off ben breaks that for it ends the saga in tragedy where every last skywalker has died   the line has ended palpatine won bens abusers won 

george lucas quote about story being a family-oriented fairytale of hope, love and redemption (not to mention he hates killing anyone unnecessarily bens death wasnt necessary and goes against star wars themes

George Lucas: *talks for forty years about fairy tales and HEAs and not wanting to kill characters

( this is why lucas didnt kill any of the main cast be they the trio or otherwise and chewbacc killing off ( killing off ben goes against that ( ben was a mc he was part of the narrative trio ( no matter how many antis try to claim otherwise and claim it was rey finn and poe when no ) or act like bendemption wasnt set up from day one.  ( ben, rey, and finn were all main characters

on the comparison  between benVader died as a middle-aged man in ill health with two living children who would carry on in the light after a golden period in his life where he was a prosperous jedi knight, Ben died a healthy 30-year-old with no family or good phase in his life, plus Vader's sacrifice was instrumental in his redemption while Ben's sacrifice happened after redemption out of narrative contrivance, they are not the same

@emeraldspiral

@a-manda-lorian

@frumfrumfroo

[catharticdaydream]

just stop your crying (it’ll be alright)

or, the one where obi wan learns ahsoka is alive. 

(read on ao3!: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29679684/chapters/72978921)

-

CHAPTER ONE:

ahsoka tano. it was a name obi wan hadn’t heard in years, and hadn’t expected to ever hear again. certainly not in a dirty cantina in tatooine years after the republic fell. after anakin fell. 

no, anakin skywalker was dead. vader killed him. anakin died the moment he pledged himself to the dark side, another victim of the clone wars, and the far more sinister plot that had been behind it than anyone had dared to believe. anakin had died, along with everyone else that obi wan had held dear. he had lost them all- anakin, padme, ahsoka- all in the span of one rotation. if obi wan thought about it for too long, he was afraid he’d never come back from the pit of despair. 

obi wan needed to do something, anything, after a particularly rough day, where the memories wouldn’t leave him alone. he had never been one to drink while he was a jedi, he found indulging in such things to be unnecessary, but ever since his fate became living in solitude, forced to watch over a boy from afar, vowing never to allow himself to get close to the boy...well such things didn’t seem like such a big deal anymore. he made his way to the cantina, ordered the strongest drink he could find, and sat down in a table in the far left corner. 

obi wan listened. he was good at listening. he mastered the art of listening years ago, whether it be listening to qui gon lecture him when he was a padawan, or listening to the jedi council debate for hours about the order, or listening to anakin and ahsoka ramble on about the latest holofilm they had seen. regardless of what it was, obi wan was a man of few words, but he heard everything going on around him. if you sat in a cantina long enough, you would hear a lot of stories. time lost its meaning, and quite honestly, obi wan could feel a little more normal in there, just another face in the crowd. 

“‘soka tano sent me,” was the phrase that threw obi wan out of his jawa-juice induced haze. he picked his head up, eyes darting in the direction of the voice. 

“what did you say?” obi wan asked, words coming out a little bit more slurred than he had anticipated. the men who had spoken, clearly bounty hunters of some kind, quieted down. 

“what’s it to you?” the biggest one, a trandoshan, said as he stood up. obi wan, jawa juice giving him courage, stood up as well. 

“that name, where did you hear it?” obi wan repeated. his heart was hammering unusually hard. 

“let me rephrase that. what’s it worth to you?” the trandoshan asked. obi wan reached into his pocket, handing over 5 credits. the trandoshan took them, inspected them, and put them in his pocket. 

“just a name i heard from a bounty hunter. some togrutan kid,” he shrugged. obi wan felt his heart beat faster.

“which bounty hunter?” obi wan pleaded. 

“hm?” the trandoshan asked. obi wan rolled his eyes, reached into his pocket, and put two more credits on the table.

“i said, which bounty hunter? what was his name?” 

“her name was bo. bo something...i don’t remember the last name,” the trandoshan said. 

“bo katan?” obi wan said incredulously. 

“yeah, yeah that was her. she’s here on mos eisley, if you want to talk to her. though i’d 

imagine her fee is a bit steeper than mine,” the trandoshan hissed. obi wan said, nothing, simply putting credits down on his table to pay for his drink, and darted out of the cantina. 

ahsoka was alive. ahsoka was alive. obi wan hadn’t seen her at the jedi temple after the attack, and lived with the horrible image of rex killing her, alone and afraid, for all these years. 

obi wan wasn’t sure when he had broken into a sprint, looking for some trace of bo katan, or better, ahsoka herself. he wasn’t sure what he’d do when he finally saw her. he’d spent years thinking about what he would have told his family if he had known that it was the last time he was going to see them. sure, he had tried to let them know how dear they were to him before every mission- but now, it still didn’t feel like enough. he hadn’t hugged them enough, told them he loved him enough, thanked them for being there for him through everything. and now, he may have a second chance. 

he looked everywhere for even a glimpse of something that could give him a clue as to her whereabouts, when he saw a woman walking in familiar mandalorian armour. 

“bo katan!” obi wan shouted. the woman stopped in her tracks, turing her head to the direction of the voice. when she was able to make out the face of her caller, she froze, and took off her helmet. 

“obi wan kenobi?” she asked in disbelief. “you’re alive?” 

“where’s ahsoka?” obi wan asked, wasting no time to achieve his task. 

“what? what are you doing here? how did you escape, i thought all the jedi had been-”

“bo katan, please. where’s ahsoka? i heard she was with you.” bo katan’s face hardened. 

“where did you hear that?” bo katan asked. 

“does it matter? bo, please. i need to see her, i need her to know i’m alive,” obi wan pleaded. bo katan’s face softened when she saw the look of pure desperation obi wan was currently wearing. she sighed. 

“look, come with me,” she said, putting her helmet on her head before looking around. she took obi wan’s wrist and pulled him into an alley covered by a battered and beaten tapestry. 

“i can’t tell you much. she’s working undercover with me. last time i talked to her, she was on jedha,” bo katan whispered. 

“jedha?” obi wan cried.

“shhh! what part of ‘undercover’ did you miss?” bo katan said, putting a finger up to his lips. 

“what the kriff is she doing there?” 

“i already said i couldn’t tell you much. in fact i’ve probably told you too much already,” bo katan sighed. obi wan looked around, eager to start his journey to find his grandpadawn. “listen to me obi wan,” bo katan started. 

“actually, it’s ben now,” obi wan corrected. bo katan scrunched her face up in confusion for a moment before disregarding the comment. 

“whatever you name is, listen up. if you do anything to compromise this mission, you will be joining my sister in the stars. got is?” the mention of satine sobered obi wan, who nodded. 

“thank you, bo katan. really,” obi wan said sincerely. she nodded, and without saying another word, took off on her jetpack. obi wan stood in a stunned silence for a moment, processing all of the new information that had been given to him. despite the deep seated sadness he felt for the actions that caused this situation to arise, obi wan couldn’t help but feel giddy with excitement. 

ahsoka was alive. 

he needed to find a ship to take him to jedha. he wasn’t sure how he’d be able to get one on tatooine- being a hermit didn’t exactly pay well. still, obi wan had been quite resourceful in his youth. then, there was the question of the young boy he was supposed to be keeping an eye on. watching over luke from afar proved to be a much harder task than he cared to admit- he wanted nothing more than to see the boy, all that remained of his brother and good friend, and teach him everything he knew. still, he knew better. he had seen what his love for anakin had done, and was terrified of doing the same thing to luke. 

he was sure that the boy, who was only four years old, couldn’t get into much trouble while obi wan was gone. of course, he was still anakin’s child, and obi wan could only hope that he took after padme when it came to his ability to create chaos. 

‘a ship,’ obi wan thought, remembering the task at hand. ‘i need to find a ship.’ he considered his options. he could steal a ship, sure, but obi wan liked to think that he still maintained some semblance of a moral code. he could buy a ship, but with his reputation and lack of funds, he was more than sure that anyone selling a ship would certainly take advantage of his desperate situation. his last option, and one that he desperately didn’t want to do, was to gently suggest to someone that they let him borrow his ship. obi wan had no idea if that would even work- he had closed himself off to the force months after anakin fell, their distorted bond too painful to bear. he hadn’t so much as mediated since that day. on top of that, if he was caught attempting to use the force, and he failed, he was certain that some bounty hunter wouldn’t hesitate to grab him and hand him over to the empire. 

but it still looked like his only option. 

he looked around for his target, somewhere isolated where he would risk the least if he failed. he found a small rodian unloading a small ship over by the back of the cantina. obi wan put his hood up and casually made his way to the ship. 

‘this is for ahsoka,’ he reminded himself. he walked up to the rodian and took a breath. 

“excuse me,” he said, getting his attention. 

“yeah? what do you want?” the rodian asked. obi wan sucked in a breath. “well? spit it out?”

obi wan held up a hand. “you will let me board your ship, and leave the planet,” he said, pretending not to notice the way he hand shook as if he were still a padawan. 

“what?” the rodian asked. obi wan felt his heart rate spike up. he swallowed the lump of fear in his throat, and raised his hand again, more confidently this time. he had been a jedi knight, a jedi master, and a general in the clone wars. he could do this.

“i said, you will let me board your ship, and leave the planet.” obi wan waited for a moment as the rodian stood up straight, and nodded. 

“i will let you board my ship and leave the planet,” he nodded, walking away without a second thought. obi wan breathed out a sigh of relief, and wasted no time running onto the ship, sitting down in the cockpit. he looked at the controls for a moment, and found himself, not for the first time, wishing anakin was with him. he was a good pilot, sure, but having anakin by his side always made him feel at ease. anakin was the best pilot he had ever met. 

‘snap out of it,’ obi wan reminded himself. ‘anakin is gone. but ahsoka may not be, and you need to find her.’ he pushed a few of the buttons, finding that perhaps not all of his knowledge that he had kept from his days as a general- knowledge that he thought he had shoved down to the darkest parts of his memory- were buried as deep has he had thought. obi wan felt actual joy as the ship sprung to life, and he set his course to jedha. 

the trip was going to be a long one, jedha was at least 5 parsecs away from tatooine, and he figured that, even while jumping to hyperspace, he’d be on the ship for at least a day. he set the course for jedha, and made the jump to hyperspace. obi wan leaved back in his seat, letting himself feel the full weight of the situation for the first time today. 

he was going to be seeing ahsoka. ahsoka tano, his grandpadawan, the girl who he let down, the girl who he loved as much as if she were his own padawan. when she had made the choice to leave the order, he had stood back and allowed anakin to talk to her, gave him time to grieve, but at night, when he was certain he was alone, would take his own time to mourn her. he and anakin may have had their differences in the way they showed affection, but obi wan would have done anything to protect that girl. and he had failed, just like he had failed everyone else. satine, padme, anakin, and ahsoka too; obi wan felt responsible for all of them. 

obi wan thought about what he was about to do. even if he did see ahsoka again, was he prepared for that? did he even have the words to tell her how sorry he was? and if he did, would it matter? what if ahsoka didn’t want to see him? what if she blamed him for anakins fall, for padme’s death. or worse, what if she did? obi wan wasn’t sure if he would be able to face her in the eyes and tell her what he had done. 

lost in his thoughts, and staring at the emptiness of space, obi wan fell asleep. 

[nevertheless-moving]

Suicidal Misunderstanding Part Three: SW Time Travel AU #27

Part One

Part Two

Obi Wan woke with a dry mouth and a moderate headache. A fairly typical morning these days. 

He peered around his bedroom in the temple confused. Wasn’t he just with Cody? Shouldn’t he be on the Negotiator? No wait, the war was over, Cody tried to kill him, and the Negotiator was a part of the Imperial Armada, of course he wouldn’t be there. He closed his eyes, snuggling back under the covers. Before he could drift back to sleep, his sluggish mind processed that last thought. 

He BOLTED upright in bed. The temple had been razed, his personal chambers scorched with particular thoroughness. Just being on Coruscant was an automatic death sentence. Faint tendrils of panic began to curl around his throat before he remembered his decision to give Spice a try. He had reasoned that he should probably find at least one pleasure in his new life, instead of focusing incessantly on what was lost. 

So what if he lost a few brain cells? Good riddance. 

Obi-Wan had been a bit nervous, but this had ended up being his best decision in years. His goodbye to Cody had been painful, but deeply cathartic. Spice Hallucination Anakin didn’t scream like Nightmare Anakin, and the color of his eyes was perfect. Far better final memories to cling to than reality- a reminder of the good times. Comforted, he relaxed backwards in bed, pulling his blankets back around him.

He LURCHED out of bed, covers tossed aside, movement a blur.

He was still hallucinating?!? Spice shouldn’t last in the system this long! He might’ve been uncertain about whether he was supposed to smoke or snort the substance but it was a well known fact that its exhaustive but rapid passage through the body was half what made it so addictive. If nothing else, his well-restedness and thirst indicated it had been at least six hours. He looked frantically around the room, searching for some thread of unreality to pull at.

This...was not good. Hadn’t the subconscious manifestations of his friends mentioned drugs that interacted poorly with force users last night? He had dismissed it at the time but...

He clearly was stuck in some sort of drugged fantasy combined with force-enhanced memory recall. Kriff, he had to wake up in the real world before he died of an aneurysm. Or just dehydration.

He sat on the ‘temple floor’ to meditate. This could be tricky as he couldn’t risk lowering his outer shields to reach out to reality. It would be deeply embarrassing as well as horrifying if the Emperor managed to find him and, by extension, Luke because he got stuck in a bad spice trip.

The door to his room clicked open quietly. 

“Oh! You’re awake. Sorry to come in without knocking, Master. I wanted to let you sleep, but I’ve been checking on you every two hours to make sure you were still, you know, breathing. You were...pretty out of it last night and I would be a pretty bad ‘best friend in the whole galaxy’ if I let you choke on your own vomit, right?” His blue-eyed Padawan explained with a grin.

Obi-Wan just stared. Oh this- this hurt. It was easier last night, when the whole fantasy had a kind of drunken blurriness. Sleeping and waking had brought sober clarity to the dream world. He could see the bags under Anakin’s eyes as well as the sheepish slouch of his shoulders as he instinctively ducked at the door frame. It was just so real.

“Obi-Wan? Are you feeling ok? Do you still feel drunk?” Anakin asked concerned.

Obi-Wan shook his head. He hesitated, before deciding to just go along with the interaction. He didn’t want to risk his subconscious throwing a less idylic scene at him by pretending to ignore this one. And besides, last night had been, all totaled, a huge relief- an unburdening of things left unsaid. This was probably the closest thing to therapy available to him these days, he might as well take advantage.

“I’m just...processing. Not to mention dealing with some mild dehydration.” He finally answered.

“Processing, huh? So does that mean you, uh, remember last night?” Anakin asked nervously.

“I do.” Obi-Wan smiled gently. As heart-wrenching as this was, it was also adorably sweet. Maybe it was worth it to push off waking for a little while. He could get some closure, maybe even work through some of the past to see where the two of them had gone wrong. It might even be helpful for Luke! Force willing, he would probably end up training Anakin’s son someday.

(the boy wouldn’t have many masters to choose from)

If this dream world could help him figure out specifically how he had failed as a Master, then he owed it to the galaxy to see it through. Satisfied, he resolved to let the fantasy play out. At least for a few more more hours. And...he had missed what Anakin had said. Wonderful start.

“I’m very sorry, Anakin would you mind repeating that? I was still a little distracted, but I promise, I’m focused on you now.”

Anakin shuffled nervously. “It’s nothing.”

Obi-Wan tried to project reassurance without actually projecting. “Please Anakin, I’d like to hear what you have to say. I know I wasn’t the most observant or approachable Master, and I’m sorry for that. But I have always cared about your thoughts and feelings.” It was a struggle and the words caught in his throat, but the raw burn of the apology was cleansing in an almost addictive way.

Anakin flushed. “Did you mean everything you said?” he asked nervously.

“I’d...rather not talk about seeing the destruction of the temple, seeing you... Maybe later...but please, I just don’t want to focus on it while I’m sitting here, looking at you,” Obi-Wan said quietly.

“That actually wasn’t what I was talking about,” Anakin responded quickly. “I mean, I do want to help you with that at some point, but I get not wanting to talk about visions, even if you should probably should. Of course if you do want to talk about that stuff, that’s more important, but since you don’t we can talk about the other stuff you mentioned. I was more referring to, you know, us, and what you said about our friendship?” his voice got progressively higher the longer he rambled. 

Obi-Wan thought back. “Well some of it is a little hazy, but overall yes. I...for a very long time I’ve considered you my best friend, and its not so easy for me to let go of my affections. I miss spending time with you; there are times I turn to say something and am still shocked you’re not there. I’m sorry I didn’t tell you, with real words, how much I cared. I’m sorry I didn’t hug you as much as I wanted, looking back that was a nonsensical Jedi custom. It’s not in the code; it’s just an affectation of dignity. All things considered, the fact that you often snuck out to see Padme doesn’t really bother me.” He paused. “Was that everything?”

“Oh. Yeah, that pretty much covered everything.” Anakin looked embarrassed, but happy. “I wasn’t sure if you were just saying that stuff because you were drugged, or really drunk or something.”

“No, I meant what I said. I suppose it just took an altered state for me to relax enough to actually say it instead of just thinking at you and assuming you would know. I must admit, its difficult for me to maintain this emotional honesty without feeling drunk, but it’s good. This is good.”

“Ah, that’s... wow. So you weren’t drugged? Cody was concerned you seemed to off for much you actually drank.”

Obi-Wan frowned. Hadn’t that been a trip? Vision blurring from desert hovel to some nameless Catina he once visited with Cody. The continuity since then was almost unsettling. But, then again, Obi-Wan always did have a remarkable talent for self-delusion, didn’t he. He waved away the concerns.

“My substance consumption was entirely deliberate and exactly what I needed. There might have been some unknown additions with some unforeseen after-affects, but like I said- I’m not drunk. I’m clear minded and in full control right now and I knowingly accept the current fallout from whatever I took. I could meditate and force purge to completely recenter, but I think it would be far wiser to just see where this goes. Do you disagree, Anakin?”

Anakin grinned widely. “Whatever you say, Obi-Wan. Just remember this is your idea. Also, I’m taking you to the healers tonight if you’re not completely back to yourself.”

Obi-Wan signed, “If I’m not back to myself in 12 hours, than I fully agree that’s a problem worthy of the halls of healing.”

“Right,” Anakin nodded decisively, “I’ll go get you some water then comm Cody to tell him you’re still alive.

Obi-Wan smiled weakly in response. This wasn’t just a hashed up memory; the responsiveness was more that. He quickly got dressed, hands lingering over soft fabrics and sand-free linens.

Anakin dropped off a cup of water; Obi-Wan sipped at it hesitantly. Dear force, this was dangerously vivid. It actually felt like a relief in his parched mouth. Clearly his subconscious was pulling out all the stops to trap him in this soft delusion. He would have to deal with the thirst and hunger until he woke up- it was probably the firmest link he had to his real body.

He took one last look around before rushing out of his room, eager to take advantage of the time.

Anakin looked nervously up from the comm when Obi-Wan started pulling his boots on. “You’re not going out in the temple like this, are you?”

“Of course! I want to visit the gardens and the Room of a Thousand Fountains. Not to mention spend some time with a few of the other Jedi. You might still be the dearest being in my heart, but there were other Jedi that I care for, and dammit I’m going to tell them that.” He finally finished lacing up his left leg and moved to the right.

Anakin was dumbstruck, presumably as burnt by the ‘dearest being’ comment as Obi-Wan was. Then he rallied, “Wow, wow, No. You are not running around the temple drugged so you can, I don’t know, give Mace Windu a hug. I thought when you said you were going to ‘deal with the fallout' from whatever the kriff you’re still on, you meant you were going to lounge around the quarters all day!”

His former padawan physically blocked the door when Obi-Wan started to leave, sounding vaguely hysterical, “You can’t run around loopy! You’re a High Council Member!”

“Not anymore,” Obi-Wan replied bitterly. 

“What do you mean not anymore,” Anakin said fiercely, grabbing on to his shoulders . “Did they kick you out? Is that why you’re acting crazy? Did you resign?”

Obi-Wan responded by pulling Anakin into a hug, which was immediately returned, “Of course not, don’t be absurd. Fine, I suppose I’m technically still a high council member, it just seems like a bit of a moot point.”

“What the kark does that mean? You used to dream about being on the council! You’re the wisest Master in any of those stupid chairs!”

‘Master of the High Council’ Kenobi just sighed heavily in response. He maneuvered around the confused errant Knight and into the hall. 

"Obi-Wan wait! At least eat something first! Or let me put my shoes on!”

“Very well, you have one minute to make yourself presentable. I only have a few hours before I’m going to need to get back to reality, and the longer I linger the more I fear extreme measures may be necessary.”

“What does that mean?” Anakin shouted from inside. “Extreme measures sounds really ominous, you know.”

“I’d rather not get into it, alright? Let’s just enjoy the here-and-now, eh, ad’ika?

Anakin crashed out the door with less than a second to spare. “What did you just call me?"

“Ad’ika,” Obi-Wan answered, striding down the hallway in the direction of the hanging gardens. “Surely you must have picked up some Mando’a from the troopers?”

“Yeah, but I wasn’t sure if I heard you right, bu- um- ori'vod,” Anakin fumbled out. “Uh, you’re not going to call me that in front of anyone else, right? You do remember that the council already gives us the side eye for over-attachment right?”

Obi-Wan hummed thought fully in responded. “There are far worse things a Jedi could do than admit to affection they already feel. Maybe if I had been honest about my attachments, they wouldn’t have ended the way that...” he trailed off quietly.

“The way that what,” Anakin asked frustrated. “You’re really giving me some emotional whiplash over here, and I’m starting to think that putting off dragging you to the healers is a stupid idea.

“There are far stupider things a Jedi could do,” he responded cheerily. “Oh look, there’s Plo Koon. MASTER KOON!” He shouted, startling the Kel Doran Jedi.

“Yes, Master Kenobi?” He replied slightly concerned as the two human Jedi came jogging over.

“I just wanted to say that I consider my former padawan my family. I raised him, I care for him deeply, and I don’t want to let go of those feelings.”

Plo Koon nodded seriously in response. “I feel just the same about my former padawans, and the Wolffe pack, of course. Denying my attachments isn’t, personally, a practical way to handle them. I’d rather honestly live as an imperfect Jedi than pretend to be a perfect example of the code. If I must have some imbalance, I’d rather it be an excess of compassion than a dearth,” he replied earnestly.

“I always admired that about you,” Obi-Wan replied ruefully. “This might be a little odd, but could I have a hug? I hold you in the highest regard and I’ve realized that there are so many Jedi that I never directly expressed my affection for and...”

Plo Koon didn’t wait for Obi-Wan to finish before wrapping his arms around him. “Of course, dear boy. You’ve had such heavy burdens placed on your shoulders during your life, especially in the last few years; it saddens me to see how deeply they’ve weighed you down. If there’s anything I can do to help, in any way, you simply have to ask.”

Obi-Wan sniffled slightly into Plo’s Shoulder while Plo rubbed soothing circles over his back.

A few passing Jedi gave the embracing Masters uncomfortable looks before hurrying on their way. Anakin stood slack-jawed.

When they finally pulled back, Plo Koon hesitated before finally asking, “I don’t mean to pry, but what brought all this on? I can sense much grief from you, even through your impressive shields.”

“It’s a long story,” Obi-Wan replied, wiping at the corner of his eyes. “I’d rather not get into it.”

“He’s high,” Anakin offered bluntly. “He took something last night and won’t go to medical wing.”

“Ah,” Plo said. “Is that true?”

Obi-Wan looked a little embarrassed. “I have the situation under control. My connection with reality might be...slightly altered right now, but my emotions, and what I chose to do with them are my own. I’m just, taking advantage of a unique opportunity to express myself.”

Plo Koon seemed to scrutinize him intensely, “If you’re sure this is what you need, than I support you. Just don’t do anything too foolish.” he finally offered.

Obi-Wan beamed. “I appreciate you saying so, I thought you would be supportive. Farewell, Master Koon”

Obi-Wan offered a respectful bow and then turned to walk away briskly. Before Anakin could follow, Plo rested a claw on his arm. 

“Feel free to comm me if his behavior reaches a point where you think he truly needs a healer. I’m happy to help you drag him there if need be. A little cathartic release isn’t in of itself such a bad thing, but if he starts acting too out of control...”

Anakin nodded in acknowledgment, then ran off to see who else Obi-Wan had chosen to throw himself at.

Part Four

[anakinskywalkher]

Palpatine raises the twins and accidentally activates Anakin’s dadmodus - An alternative Star Wars plot.

@jasontoddiefor: Palpatine raises the twins & angst w/ Vader not knowing who the two are @dlegohargreeves: im gonna fuck shit up

written together on WhatsApp while listen to crack music.

------

(Barbara) Palpatine has long before he declared himself emperor abandoned the ways of the Sith. He uses them to create utmost loyalty to himself but he will not abide to the rules of his predecessor, one Palpatine would’ve defeated had he been around at that time.  People, be they sith, jedi, or other are all moldable to whatever he wants them to be.

He tricks Padme with sugar and soothed spun words, manipulates Anakin with spice and presses on his rage ("the jedi forbid you from loving your mother thats why you couldnt save her. i would never")  -- Palpatine is aware of the long game, but he has eternity. He’s a god, no one will be able to withstand him.

What Anakin never realised was that he wasnt the actual chosen one, Palpatine had seen in his vision that Anakin's children were in fact the chosen ones, and so when confronted with the soft boy he molded him into this shell to avoid his vision from happening,.... and yet these damnable children are still born. Palpatine is terrified that he wasn’t the only one with the true vision and firmly believes that owning the twins would be the least risky choice. (like he owned anakin, who long ago posed a risk)

He hunts them down, -- while anakin/Vader is completely crippled by his mental breakdown about "murdering" Padme and his child. Palpatine smiles and lets him wallow, for what Vader doesnt know is that Palpatine the God poisoned padme once he found out about her pregnancy.

Palpatine finds them, born hours ago and already pulsing brightly with the power of the force. Obi-Wan puts up a fight but Palpatine strikes him. He gloats to Obi-wan, brags about killing Padme, about manipulating Anakin (”I have taken everything from you, and now I will take your life) and takes the children. He leaves Obi-wan to bleed out by his stomach wound a faraway galaxy          (Palpatine reasons that Obiwan deserves it for this is how he left Vader to die. )

And so Palpatine at the rise of his galactic empire ends up with a crippled sith boy (not a man no matter what anakin thought), and with two babies who are most powerful force users in history. (now were shifting to meta instead of story telling lmao)

Palpatine has a god complex, he doesnt actually believe he would ever die, such petty thing is only for the unfortunate. even if his body would succumb to age, his mind through the force would rule forever -- he is unstoppable. To rule however even a godlike emperor needs tools, and while Vader is to be his guarddog the twins he believe can be shaped and molded into his personal hands, amplify his reach across galaxies.

So to mold them into his tools, Palpatine believes in starving them for love, only ever receiving ounces of recognition and pride. always craving his acknowledgment -- and it works, the twins once old enough to have actual brains (according to palpatine) he removes their wetnurses and gives them teachers, makes their training cruel and harsh and make them compete for his gaze. And it works till a certain extent, but Palpatine’s god-complex makes him blind to things he deems unneccessary, And thus he misses how the mourning of Vader for his family, turns him into a guilt-ridden man who believes giving these children some form of attention and care as penance for his own misgivings. And thus without meaning to Vader gives the children the love Palpatine tries to deny them (accidentally shifting their loyalty on the long run)

Elias: Vader hates the kids at first, with them reminding him of everything he lost and could have had, but at the end of the day, after some aggressive introspection, he gets that they’re just kids and probably starts projecting a lot the longer he’s exposed to them -- Vader, guilty, sneaks them candy and gives them stuff that’s kinda useless (like books that are not about politics or war or economics and and and) and he doesn’t think it’s much but the two would kill a man for him and probably have done so. ((Palpatine tries to break apart the codependent twins, forcing them apart for weeks, but the Force, unlike anything is a tool in hands of desperate children with a bond so strong it connected their mind)) This is not healthy, Vader thought, recalling decade old lessons from the Jedi. The twins rarely spoke, never mind both at the same time. They’re asked for their opinions, echoes of the Emperor’s wishes, and only one of them replies. They always moved at the same time, terrifying weapons of perfect synchrony, constantly aware of the other’s presence. They were living at least half in each other’s mind, even when the Emperor depraved them of contact for weeks. They were clingy afterwards, holding each other’s hands and wrists until they bruised, but Vader knew their minds were never separated. Luke slammed their teacher’s (victim’s) head to the ground as Leia kicked away his feet. They didn’t need any call signs, or training in coordination, one moved and the other followed. During battles, the twins’ dependence was a huge advantage. “Again,” Vader called out and the two of them fell back into the first Kata, the bleeding teacher still lying on the ground.

Barbara: However once the twins are older they need to learn through missions, so Vader has to take them along for missions  (once Palpatine believes they wont connect with Vader) - it starts normal but Vader slowly starts to make the missions longer, gives the kids downtime, lets them free and just engages small talk with them, he can’t face himself if he doesn't let them be actual children. But the twins are suspicious believing theres a catch but Leia, the master mind realises that theres none and so they accept reluctantly, and slowly but surely they learn how to be children under Vader’s tutelage. It takes time and dulling a sharpened blade, but the moment, that first time when the twins laugh and seem actually happy, its that moment that Vader decides, he has to become Anakin again, because these children are his second chance - And so he starts planning.

(insert a bit of crack:

Elias: Firmus: Lord Vader, are we to expect you and the Operatives back tomorrow? Vader: we haven’t finished the mission yet -Leia and Luke like 12 or so, in the background yelling in excitement bc idk they got a game, neither are in uniform- Firmus: Of course )

Barbara: Anakin: "i made sand castles when I was young" Leia: “that structure seems awfully unstable for a house”

But ever since Vader mentions the sand castle, the usually more mature one Leia clings to the idea and while he wishes he could show her, but his suit and wounds cant handle the sand. And when he explains Luke goes " well lets get u a proper suit then" and vader goes " im a moron" (leia in the back: yes duh) So Anakin looks into the treatment he’s still receiving to see if he can make it so that his breathing machine could withstand the sand and realises that Palpatine is actually keeping his body weak, he has no need of the breathing machine because its that actual machine thats poisoning his lungs. So of course Vader does a lowrisk experiment and turns off the machine and he can actually breath fresh air in 12 years (the rage controlling Anakin is one different than those before, for it is ice in his veins instead of fire. And it makes him tactical instead of foolish for once). Soon after that Vader catches some rebel transmission and  finds out that Obi-wan is alive and looking for the twins and its that moment that Anakin 'kills' Vader, believing that Obi-wan can save the twins in a way he can't.

Anakin takes the kids to fight the rebels on Palpatines order but he seizes the chance and instead he shows them his face without the mask (lets ignore the idea that hed be bald bc i hate the uglification of ani) and Leia goes: You look an awful lot like luke Anakin who hasnt actually seen his own image for 12 years, realises that luke is a spitting image of himself as a child, and leia who is glaring at him, he realises, is a carbon copy of Padme. BUT anakin thinks hes projecting and doesnt follow up with it.

Instead he asks them (and for leia this will always be the most important part), he asks them if they wish to stay with Palpatine and do his bidding or to dissapear with him -- and well the choice is easy right, Luke&Leia don’t actually like Palpatine, because despite everything, the force made them sensitive and they feel so much (the despair of the people, the sadness of Vader, the greed of Palpatine)

So they leave for Tattooine, the one place where Palpatine would never look because he never found out that Anakin realised his suit was a boobytrap. The wanted pictures of the twins (both bald shaven and in uniform) nor the one of Anakin (known as Vader, with the helmet)  soon dont match the long haired white dress wearing twins and the blond haired bronzed man.

and so Anakin and the twins go into hiding, but guess whose on Tatooine? Thats right -- ObiWan

[kalinara]

So I saw an interesting post about Rey’s parents and how they’re horrible no matter what, because they had options besides just selling Rey into slavery.  For example, they could have told SOMEONE that Palpatine was still out there.  They could have told Luke and Leia, for example.

Their points weren’t terrible, but to me, that’s the genius of having Palpatine be the villain though, because this is the one scenario where I can actually buy that someone who is a half decent person might do this.  

There’s no scenario that I can imagine Emperor Palpatine having sex for pleasure.  IMO, he’s not the type.  He gets his kicks from more general domination and power games.  So IMO, the fact that he conceived a child was probably intentional.  Which means he would have had control of that kid from the very beginning.

And we’ve seen the kind of mind games that he pulls.  I mean the whole prequel trilogy involved him not only manipulating and gaslighting Anakin Skywalker, but the whole Republic into its downfall.  Attack of the Clones was particularly good at this: by the end of the movie, the JEDI ORDER was willing to agree to incorporating a slave army into the defense of the Republic, PADME AMIDALA had put Palpatine into a position of even more power because it appeared to be the right decision at the time.  These are very moral and intelligent people who fell for his schemes.  A child, IMO, wouldn’t have a chance in hell.

Now Rey’s father is played by an actor who would have been 28-29 at the time of filming, per IMDB.  That doesn’t necessarily mean he was that age, of course, but for simplicity’s sake, let’s go with that (If anything the actors in Star Wars tend to play characters a little younger than their actual ages).  Rey is nineteen now, she looked about six there.  ROTJ was thirty years before present day.  So this guy would have been around 13 when ROTJ happened.  Still a child.  We don’t know if Palpatine still managed to retain control of this child at the time, but if no one ever knew that the child existed, then it’s very likely he would have.

(I’m assuming Palpatine’s kid was Rey’s dad, only because I thought I heard a line to that effect, and Palpatine seems like the sexist sort that would favor a son.  But the same applies to her mom, really.)

Assuming Palpatine still has control of him, this kid is growing up as one of the only people who knows Palpatine is alive, and in his direct power.   And I agree that he should have told someone, but it’s not clear that he would have had access to anyone that he could tell.  Assuming he had some kind of proof, because it would be a wild claim.  He might have even tried.  He might not have.

I definitely think though Palpatine would have, both before and after ROTJ, told a LOT of lies about Luke Skywalker though.  And while WE know that Luke and Leia are good people who would never hold being Palpatine’s kid or grandkid against Rey or her dad, he may have been led to believe otherwise.  He may have genuinely believed that giving Rey to the Jedi would be giving her to people who would hurt her as revenge against her grandfather.  (It’s not like Palpatine is against targeting the children of his own enemies after all)   Or he may have believed that this would be the first place Palpatine would look for Rey, and thus Luke even if not malicious himself would be a sitting duck.

We know next to nothing about his spouse: she might be an ordinary person from the Republic.  She might have been raised by Imperial fanatics like Hux was.  She may or may not have access to any better, truer information than Rey’s father does.

All of this is conjecture of course.  Rey’s dad could also be a completely terrible person in his own right.  It could be that his ONLY redeeming factor was that he didn’t want Palpatine himself to get his hands on Rey.  But Palpatine is the one type of threat where I could buy that a decent person might be both desperate enough and ignorant enough to go the route of hiding Rey on Jakku, with the idea that this is going to be an awful life for her, but far far better than the alternative.

[thehollowprince]

I will maintain til my dying breath that Rey was supposed to be Luke's daughter, and the sequel trilogy would have been about two cousins fighting over the Skywalker legacy (she wouldn't have been able to be his sister a la Jacen and Jaina. Ben and Han and Leia would have known her immediately, but her being his cousin would have made them not really knowing her but knowing her make sense) Hell the script sets it up with Luke, knowing who she is (so say her mother/ Luke's SO took her away - 1/?

her way from the Jedi Temple because she feared Ben, and then something happened, and she was killed on Jakku, and like her death hit something Luke in a force wave and that’s why he can’t sense Rey is his daughter or whatever - look I reject the Sequel trilogy and replace it with my head canon okay?- all the callbacks: including the way Rey resembles Padme, Leia and Shmi- would have made sense. Her being a Palpatine doesn’t. But when Rian made her a “nobody” and stared pushing Reylo and 2/? all the mainstream commentators started talking about their connection ( isn’t it interesting they ignore that Finn was set up as Rey’s love interest? I wonder why),it does feel like J.J was forced into a corner, and this was the mess he came up with, cause I don’t know how he could have fixed the mess that TLJ was

Sorry I didn’t answer this right away.  I got these at the end of my night shift and I wanted to be rested and awake before I answered it.  With that, let’s get to it.

The problem with Disney’s acquisition of Lucasfilm back in 2012 was first and foremost the fact that they completely disregarded and dismissed the thirty plus years of extra material they had in the form of books, comics, television shows and video games.  We had so much material to draw from for this sequel trilogy - George Lucas was even still alive so they could have consulted him on any kind of plan he had for his supposed nine film arc.

Even if we were to just focus on the material we got post-RoTJ, we still have so much to draw from.  As you mentioned, Jacen and Jaina Solo, or Luke’s relationship with with Mara Jade, Jacen’s fall to the dark side, the Yuuzhan Vong war or even venturing further into the future to look at the rise of the One Sith, and dealing with Cade Skywalker’s flirtation with the dark side.

The fact that Disney discarded all of this and then cherry-picked from it to Frankenstein together some of these characters for the sequel trilogy.

For example, and as you and many others have pointed out since The Force Awakens, Kylo Ren/Ben Solo is just a cheap version of Jacen Solo from the Expanded Universe/Legends continuity, with some added elements of Darth Revan from the Knights of the Old Republic and a hint of Cade Skywalker from the Legacy Era, particularly this last little bit involving Force Healing at the eleventh hour.  And in a similar vein, Rey is based off of Jaina… to an extent.

I don’t think their intention was ever quite so simple as a copy-and-paste by taking those two characters and making them the center of this new trilogy.  If anything, watching this new trilogy, it’s very clear that they never had any plan for all three films.  Disney went into this knowing they were going to be producing a trilogy, but approached it more like the original, on a movie-to-movie basis, pretending that they weren’t going to move forward unless the first one (TFA) was a success, which as we all know is bullshit.  They ended that movie on a cliffhanger with the company announcing the Episode VIII before Episode VII even aired.  So, while I believe that maybe someone on the production team, maybe J.J. or Kennedy or someone else high up came up with these characters that were mosaics of their Legends characters, that was only for that first movie.  Then Rian did what he wanted with them, until we got to this last film where they were their own “fleshed-out” characters, while still relying heavily upon the original source material.

Personally, I would have loved for Rey to have been Luke’s daughter, though I don’t think Disney ever would have gone the route of your theory.  If there’s one thing we’ve learned from them since they took over all of these big franchises, its that they don’t care to put much thought or effort into it.  Everything is the cheapest and laziest writing possible, taking the quickest and easiest path to the end without putting any actual thought into it, just imagining all the zeros on the check they’re trying to get.

Having her and Kylo/Ben be cousins would have nicely mirrored the original franchise where the father and son (Vader and Luke) were both trying to turn the other to their side.  That would have been a nice parallel for these films, given how much they went out of their way to make these new characters being just copies of the originals.  Kylo was obviously supposed to be Vadar, with Rey being Luke, Poe being Leia, Finn being Han, BB8 being R2, Hux as Tarkin, etc.  It was fairly evident that not a lot of effort was put into this series aside from an effort to grab money.

Even the big reveal that Rey was a Palpatine was cheap and lazy, an attempt to walk back The Last Jedi, but still give those loud and annoyingly persistent Reylos what they wanted, even if only the briefest of moments.  Although J.J. coming out later and saying the kiss was like that between siblings was weird and I’m begging him to shut up.

At the end of the day, all we can do is either accept this steaming pile of garbage as canon, or rely entirely on our own headcanons.  Despite how lazy Disney and Lucasfilm was when it came to the creation of these new characters, I, like many others, latched onto them.  I connected with them and I’ve decided to completely ignore what I don’t like about canon, something I do quite a lot anymore in this era of “subverting expectations”, and just use them how I want.  In my headcanon, Luke didn’t give up and become a Space Hobo like Rian made him.  Finn was the protagonist along with Rey, as well as being in a relationship with Poe.  Rose had a prominent role in the story and Kylo died unredeemed.  I’m planning on doing what I started to do with the MCU’s Civil War and I’m going to try and fix it to match what I feel like it should have been originally.