#not really. it's more like vader is haunting luke (and leia's) dreams

[firealder2005]

A Month of Whump: Winter Whumperland Day 1. Shared Nightmares~PTSD~Stalking

Featuring: Leia Organa being the best friend and sister we all know she is.

the ptsd is mainly off-screen because Luke’s the one going through that, but you can tell he has ptsd. poor bby. 

don’t worry leia’s here to help!

@amonthofwhump here’s my day 1! :D

AO3 Link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/43351041

Enjoy!

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She fell onto the metal catwalk, pain flaring up her back as she glared up at the menacing form of Darth Vader.

“You are beaten,” the Sith Lord’s vocoder rumbled, pointing his red lightsaber at her “It is useless to resist. Don’t let yourself be destroyed as Obi-Wan did.”

At the mention of the man who saved her life when she was merely 10, she flung her arm towards him, lashing out with the blue lightsaber in her hand.

(Why did she have a lightsaber anyway? She wasn’t a Jedi…)

Getting to her feet, she ducked underneath Vader’s counterstrike, and met his saber with her own. As she ducked again, she swung out and nailed him in the shoulder before darting away as he let out a guttural sound.

He clearly hadn’t expected that from her.

Dashing to the edge of the catwalk, she swung herself over the railings, dodging another of Vader’s attacks, and saw the Sith’s saber violently slice through the nearby poles, causing sparks to fly everywhere.

Desperately, she met his next blow with her own, but he twisted his saber around - and pain erupted in her wrist, making her cry out.

(But the scream didn’t sound like her…)

Clutching her severed arm underneath her armpit, she watched with despair as her father’s lightsaber fell into the bottomlessness of Cloud City, never to be seen again.

She fell back onto her bottom, looking up with terrified eyes as Darth Vader approached.

“There is no escape,” he darkly promised. “Don’t make me destroy you.”

Shuffling back, she began to slowly scooch herself away along the few metal poles connecting the catwalk to the gantry.

“Luke,” Vader said, and she momentarily blinked, feeling confused.

(Her name wasn’t Luke, after all.)

“You do not yet realize your importance,” Vader continued as she scrambled backwards. “You have only begun to discover your power. Join me, and I will complete your training. With our combined strength,” Vader’s voice rose. “We can end this destructive conflict and bring order to the galaxy.”

Anger flooded her, and she roughly shouted; “I’ll never join you!”

“If you only knew the power of the darkside,” Vader declared, clenching his left fist together. “Obi-Wan never told you what happened to your father.”

She turned her head around, feeling righteous fury continue to rise in her. How dare he speak of her father - the man he murdered!

(But Vader hadn’t killed her father…at least, not directly. Tarkin had given the order to do that…)

“He told me enough!” The words sounded foreign to her mouth, but she managed to swing herself onto another part of the gantry, glaring up at Vader from her perch. “He told me you killed him!”

“No…” Vader rumbled, and she was confused at how soft it sounded, like the Dark Lord was attempting to console her.

And as Vader pointed to himself, Leia awoke with a start, breathing heavily. Blinking, she rubbed her eyes, and frowned.

It happened again.

For some reason she kept dreaming of Luke fighting Vader on Cloud City.

And she knew Luke was the source of the nightmares, for he constantly looked exhausted, barely ate, and subconsciously rubbed at where his prosthetic hand met his flesh arm.

Kicking the blankets off her, she pulled on a jacket, laced up her boots, and marched out of her room.

She had to find Luke, and get to the bottom of this.

And, if she was able, find a way to help him.

She stopped in front of the room he shared with Wedge Antilles, and peeked inside. Immediately, she saw Luke twitching in his sleep, muttering incoherent words.

Leia carefully stepped inside, mindful of Wedge’s passed out form, and gently shook Luke awake.

“Luke,” she whispered as his eyes snapped open. “It’s just me.”

“Leia?” he mumbled, rubbing at his eyes as he sat up. “What is it?”

“It’s about…” she deliberated. “We need to talk.”

Luke raised an eyebrow, but slowly nodded. “Okay,” he said. Leia passed him his jacket and waited for him to slip his boots on before they both crept out of the room.

“What is it?” he asked once they both settled on a mattress in the rek room.

Leia pinned him with her stare. “Your nightmares.”

Luke immediately looked away. “They’re nothing, I can handle it-”

“Luke, no,” Leia interrupted. “You’re not fine. I know Bespin…I know Vader is the one haunting your dreams - stalking them, really.” she sucked in a breath. “And I have something to tell you.”

At Luke’s wary, inquiring look, Leia confessed; “I think I’ve been experiencing your dreams - your nightmares of Bespin. Of Vader.” At Luke’s alarmed look, she added; “I don’t know why, and I don’t mean too, but that’s just what’s been happening.”

“What…” Luke looked almost sick with horror. “What exactly have you seen?”

Leia folded her hands together, and bit her lip. “Carbonite room. Underbelly of Cloud City. And when Vader…” she glanced down at his prosthetic.

“When he cut off my hand,” Luke finished quietly. He peeked up at her from underneath his bangs. “Any…anything else?” he asked hesitantly. Leia frowned slightly at his tenseness.

“No…just up to when he asks about your father.” she scoffed at the reminder.

Luke, however, seemed to be staring off into the distance.

“Luke?” she prompted gently. “Did something else happen? After that?” When Luke clenched his right hand, Leia knew something did.

Hesitantly, Leia slowly stood from her seat and sat down next to him, rubbing his arm. “Luke,” she began. “I don’t want to force you to tell me, but I can’t help if I don’t know what’s bothering you.”

Luke didn’t answer, nor did her look at her, but she felt him slowly relax. She reached her arm around his shoulder, and he rested his head on her shoulder, and Leia began to gently run her fingers through his hair until his breathing slowed and he nodded off.

Gazing at his face, she longed to know what was troubling her best friend, longed to know what Vader had said to him, but she knew she could not.

Not yet.

Leia was willing to wait for Luke to take that first step. But for him to feel comfortable to do so, she had to extend the offer to tell her this night.

But she’ll have to wait a little longer to find out.

For Luke wasn’t ready yet, and she had no desire to force him to relive something so traumatic.

His nightmares were torturing him enough for that.

[fwaooo]

Luke being haunted by Jedi younglings. The younglings on their own aren’t strong enough to form a Force ghost, but their combined pain has left an echo-like ghost. It doesn’t resemble a specific young long, rather it has a humanoid shape with every changing features. They continuously wail in pain and betrayal, stuck in that moment utter terror.

It’s Reva, haunted by her fellow younglings but never realizing their presence, that brings the echos to Tattooine. She’s able to let herself move forward from that pain, and that leaves the ghost untethered. But they’re drawn to Luke instead, partially because he’s so bright in the Force but also because he’s so familiar…

At first, the younglings continue to wail and terrorize Luke. They haunt his dreams, claw and scratch at him crying why, why, why did you betray us? Luke is terrified, and his Aunt and Uncle are worried that perhaps Luke is having nightmares of Reva. They do their best to help him, but Luke has difficulty explaining what’s going on cause he’s absolutely confused too. But one day, Luke remembers something Aunt Beru taught him. That sometimes, people hurt others cause they’re afraid, not because they’re actively being bad. So the next time the younglings manifest, Luke reaches out and gives them a hug. Whispers to them it’s all right, there’s nothing to be afraid of. The younglings are stunned and they flee disperse immediately.

Smol Luke persists though, and eventually the younglings come to realize that yeah Luke’s Force signature is really similar to the Scary Man but his is actually much brighter and kind. And honestly, they missed hugs… They stop wailing so loudly and lashing out, instead they trail behind Luke, wanting to be comforted. And Luke kinda likes it, after it can get lonely on a moisture farm.

As Luke comforts them, the younglings becomes more at peace, some of the pain passing into the Force. They become less of an amalgamation and more of distinct. They consider Luke one of their own, and even if he becomes older than them, Luke isn’t really a Knight, not even a Padwan, but a Youngling. Aunt Beru and Uncle Owen don’t understand, but it seems Luke’s imaginary friend (friends?) is harmless and makes Luke smile so no harm done.

Eventually time passes and Luke joins the rebellion. They reach out to Obi-wan, happy to see the kind Jedi again but sad when be don’t notice them. When they meet Leia, they vaguely remember her via their time with Reva but that time was a mess. They also notice how similar she feels to Luke… And when, Luke meets the Darth Vader, they know. They absolutely know who this is. And they aren’t going to let the Scary Man hurt another one of their own.

The image of Darth Vader being attacked by tiny feral younglings via Force. He can’t see them but be absolutely felt that kick to his shins when what the heck his legs aren’t real????? Luke sees it though and he’s torn between being terrified of Darth Vader or laughing at the image of his small but oldest friends rallying against the hulking Sith.

Also when Luke takes in Grogu, they have a youngling reunion and many tears are shed but it helps heal a lot.

[gffa]

Last time I went about five months between doing a set of STAR WARS fic recs, this time it’s only been three months! Hurrah! It helps that, as always, this fandom puts out an incredible amount of excellent fic, so I feel like I’m never hurting for fics I want to yell about and shove at people, which is something I continue to appreciate as it often feels like so much of the world is such a huge tire fire. It helps to be able to find fics to retreat into, to have fun with, to express joy and creativity with, and so many of the authors in this fandom are just so good at this! To the point that these sets sometimes take awhile because there are always more fics I want to add, until the post starts threatening to be overly long instead of a decent length–in my defense, no seriously, you guys are just too good! Also, I forced myself to stop at 69 fic recs, because yes I do think it’s funny. (Nice.) STAR WARS FIC RECS: PREQUELS RECS: ✦ a comedy in four acts by jesuisdeux, obi-wan & dooku & yoda & qui-gon & cast, time travel, 4k    This was what time-travel is: staring at the dark sockets of skulls everywhere your gaze lands on. Being haunted by ghosts long gone. The apprehension of the slow yet sure approach of the inevitable which is sending chills down your spine. ✦ No Rest for the Weary by Peach_Bitters (peachybitters), obi-wan & anakin & jedi & ocs, 61k    Needing a break from life at the Jedi Temple, Obi-Wan Kenobi and his apprentice, Anakin Skywalker, visit a Jedi AgriCorps settlement on the Midrim planet of Helia. There they encounter new friends, new enemies and have new adventures, all while attempting to navigate their sometimes turbulent relationship as Master and Padawan. ✦ Stars of Tatooine by Be_Right_Back, ahsoka & kanan & mace & rex & obi-wan & cast, 10.5k    After the end of the world, Ahsoka more or less kidnaps a child, has to air some old grievances, and tries to find whatever peace the universe can still offer. All paths in the Force lead home, eventually. ✦ Festival of Light by dendral, obi-wan & anakin & ahsoka & rex & cast, 8.7k    During his first year at the Jedi Temple, Anakin learns that even the Jedi celebrate holidays. ✦ the master, the padawan, the Force by skatzaa, depa & caleb, 1.4k    Caleb expects things to be different after Master Depa takes him as her padawan, but really, it feels like nothing really changes. ✦ desecrate my lungs by loosingletters, obi-wan & anakin & ahsoka & padme & cast, 16k wip    Time-travel fix-it in which Mustafar haunts Anakin decades after it happened and years before it would. ✦ Grace by dismantlingsummer, obi-wan & anakin, 2.3k    Shortly after Mustafar, Anakin realizes what he has done. He finds Obi-Wan to beg for death. ✦ Fifth Migration by wrennette, yoda & mace & obi-wan & ki-adi & yarael & coleman & plo & palpatine & cast, 2k    How about an AU where the Sith’s Grand Plan accounted for everything -everything that is, except the fact that the Jedi temple is actually an very ancient spacecraft and the second word got to the Jedi about there being clones on Kamino, all Jedi are called back inside and they take off immediately? Just imagine the dear chancellor’s face… ✦ fill pages with scribbled ink by magneticwave, obi-wan/padme & sabe & mace & quinlan & cast, 9.8k    A year after the Invasion of Naboo, Jedi Knight Obi-Wan Kenobi is invited by Queen Amidala to return to Naboo and participate in a rite known as the Night of Fireflies. Things kind of snowball from there. ✦ Mind Your Words by Peach_Bitters (peachybitters), obi-wan & anakin, spanking, 7k    Obi-Wan reminds Anakin that there are consequences for careless behavior for young Jedi on missions. ✦ (you taught me) the courage of stars by grumpyhedgehogs, obi-wan & anakin & ahsoka & cast, 5.1k wip    Ahsoka Tano flees after a warrant for her arrest is issued, but not before receiving aid from an unexpected ally. (Ahsoka proceeds to go on a road trip filled with a bunch of strangers who all say the same thing: Obi-Wan Kenobi is much more than he has ever appeared to be.) ✦ they faked it (guess everything’s complicated) by katierosefun, obi-wan & anakin & ahsoka, 4.5k    Ahsoka temporarily loses memories of the events of Obi-Wan’s fake death. To help with the healing process, Anakin and Obi-Wan have to pretend that they’re okay. ✦ programed to dream by ghostwriterofthemachine, obi-wan & anakin & ahsoka, body horror, 1.3k    The spaceship Comet-rider is the fastest, most efficient vessel in the galaxy, and is crewed by Separatist-funded pirates. Anakin Skywalker is missing. Unfortunately, these two things are connected. ✦ Unpleasant Truths by hellowkatey, obi-wan & anakin, 2.1k    Obi-Wan and Anakin are stuck in a room with one another while waiting for truth serum to wear off. ✦ moment’s silence by skatzaa, obi-wan & owen & beru & luke & leia (pre-obi-wan/beru-owen), 2k    Owen had long since resigned himself to trouble, whenever Beru got that particularly stubborn set to her jaw. ✦ hold gently and let go by shatou, obi-wan & anakin (pre-slash?), 1.7k    A troubled Anakin comes to Obi-Wan to discuss attachments. ✦ sun child by Ro29, obi-wan & anakin, 2.1k    (or; sometimes being so tied to the Force causes problems, Obi-Wan helps his Padawan as best he can) ✦ A Dinner Out by Peach_Bitters (peachybitters), obi-wan & anakin & cast, 1.6k    Obi-Wan can’t get his young Padawan to eat much, so he tries something new. But trying something different has unintended consequences. ✦ Shades in the Desert by loosingletters, obi-wan & anakin & luke & owen/beru, 10.8k    Not even from a certain point of view did Darth Vader kill Anakin Skywalker. He wished he did, but the specter of the Jedi’s light escaped before he could finalize his fall to the dark. Meanwhile, Anakin is raising his son on Tatooine. ✦ somewhere along in the bitterness by CallToMuster, obi-wan & anakin, major character death, 3.8k    It was probably the twelfth day floating alone in space that Obi-Wan and Anakin realized no one was coming for them. ✦ Songs for Little Jedi by soft_but_gremlin, mace & younglings, ~1k    The initiates are having nightmares, so Mace sings a lullaby to comfort them. ✦ atmosphere level by softredscrunchie, obi-wan/satine & qui-gon, 1k    As a joke, Satine tells Obi-Wan she thinks Mandalore is flat. He doesn’t take it well. ✦ on sith holocrons and misunderstandings by billowypants, obi-wan & anakin & mace & yoda & cast, de-aged!obi-wan, 7.2k    or, de-aged!Obi-Wan has the same Force bonds as adult Obi-Wan, and he does not react well. ✦ Perseverance & Resilience by loosingletters, obi-wan & anakin, 1.1k    In the aftermath of Naboo, Obi-Wan realizes he needs strength to protect his new Padawan. Growing up, Anakin needs peace. ✦ A Delicate Balance by Peach_Bitters (peachybitters), obi-wan & anakin & yoda & jedi, spanking, 9.6k    As Anakin’s skills grow, so too does his penchant for getting into trouble. After a training mishap, Obi-Wan struggles with his role as Anakin’s master. ✦ mirror, mirror by CallToMuster, obi-wan & anakin, 5.4k    Obi-Wan has been rescued by Anakin after being rather embarrassingly kidnapped on the remote planet of Ilnuria during his investigation of rumored kyber crystals deep beneath the planet’s surface. …But is all as it seems? ✦ Mace Windu Appreciation Week by Redminibike1, mace & obi-wan & anakin & ponds & cody & jedi & cast, 12.5k    Set of unconnected ficlets for Mace Windu Appreciation Week, because he deserves it :) ✦ begin again as a quiet thought by skatzaa, obi-wan/quinlan, d/s, ~1k    Cool, smooth leather touched his jaw—gloves. Because of course Obi-Wan had thought of that as well. ✦ Drunken Lullabies by Siri_Kenobi12, obi-wan & anakin & siri & quinlan & aayla & garen & bant & ferus, 6.5k    “Do I really have to go to this thing?” Fourteen year old Anakin Skywalker dramatically sighed. “It’s sooo boring!” ✦ heaven knows how I love you by the_13th_battalion, obi-wan & anakin & ahsoka, 1.2k    Anakin, Obi-Wan, and Ahsoka are stranded on an unfamiliar planet overnight. They spend their time exploring the community- and maybe they get a little closer to each other along the way. ✦ A Reckless Padawan by Peach_Bitters (peachybitters), obi-wan & anakin & ahsoka, spanking, 3.9k    When Ahsoka upsets Anakin with an act of reckless disobedience, it falls to her grandmaster to help her see the error of her ways. OBI-WAN/ANAKIN RECS: ✦ Too Hot by secretsolarsystem, obi-wan/anakin, NSFW, 4.8k    Too Hot: A game where two players kiss without stopping and without touching each other. If one player touches the other, that player loses. The winner gets to do whatever they want to the loser. ✦ Nostos by intermundia, obi-wan/anakin & padme, NSFW, 17k    Or, how Obi-Wan and Anakin discover that there are many ways to come home. ✦ to touch the light, darkest by treescape, obi-wan/anakin, NSFW, 1.9k    Obi-Wan begins to fuck Vader back to the light ✦ encode by loosingletters, obi-wan/anakin & padme & handmaidens & cast, 26.3k wip    Instead of being accepted into the Jedi Order at the age of 9, Anakin Skywalker became a ward of Naboo. ✦ Hunting the Homeward Light by GreenQueenofClubs, obi-wan/anakin & mace & ahsoka & shmi & padme & cast, 31.9k wip    When Anakin Skywalker was nine, he left his whole life and mother behind to follow Qui-Gon Jinn to Coruscant and the Jedi Temple. When Anakin Skywalker was twelve, he left his whole life and Master behind to follow Mace Windu to the Outer Rim and away from the Jedi Order. When Anakin Skywalker was twenty… ✦ use my body to break your fall by tennessoui, obi-wan/anakin & cast, NSFW, sith!obi-wan, 44.7k wip    Obi-Wan Kenobi is too good at being a Sith Lord general of the Separatist army. The Jedi Council approaches Anakin with an offer he can’t refuse. These things are, actually, related. ✦ Over and Over by obiwanobi, obi-wan/anakin, 1.4k    “I love you,” he blurts out, loud and impossible to miss. Obi-Wan blinks once, twice. And freezes. The first time Anakin tells him is a mortifying experience. ✦ Exceptions by rinverse, obi-wan/anakin & ahsoka & mace & quinlan & cast, NSFW, modern au, 23.4k    Young and brilliant, Anakin is the mind behind JEDI Tech’s latest innovation. Obi-Wan is the company’s perfectly composed Director of PR & Marketing. And last night, they were just two strangers at a bar, looking for something quick and easy. But life had other plans when it crossed their paths again the very next day. ✦ Here There Be Dragons by Ghost_Owl, obi-wan/anakin & ahsoka, 10.1k    Anakin knows why he can’t shift into his animal form like every other Jedi. It’s because he doesn’t want to, it’s because he’s had a vision of what he would become, and he doesn’t want it. ✦ Waiting in a Sea of Stars by Peach_Bitters (peachybitters), obi-wan/anakin, ~1k    Stranded in deep space, Obi-Wan and Anakin wait for rescue. ✦ Tristitia by JSwander, obi-wan/anakin & cast, NSFW, sith!obi-wan, 5k    An alternate timeline where Palpatine focuses his attentions on Obi-Wan Kenobi instead of Anakin Skywalker after the attack on Naboo. ✦ Prompted - Chapter 11: Communication, What Communication? by intermundia, obi-wan/anakin, NSFW, modern au, mobster au, 7k    a 7k obikin PWP that is somehow a prompt mashup of a mobster au, an accidental sugar daddy au, with a soupçon of an anakin never left tatooine au, and a pinch of qui-gon was anakin’s dad au ✦ who a person truly is cannot be seen with the eye by RexIsMyCopilot, obi-wan/anakin, NSFW, d/s, spanking, 3.6k    Anakin purposely avoids doing what Obi-Wan tells him to do. ✦ Prompted - Chapter 12: Potidaea, 432BC, obi-wan/anakin, NSFW, historical au, 4.3k    Here is a short smutty scene inspired by all those classics asks, Alcibiades praising Socrates in Plato’s Symposium, and this vase c.490-480 B.C. depicting standing, face-to-face intercrural intercourse between a bearded man and a youth, which as far as we can tell was the most common and accepted position for it in Ancient Greece. ✦ Prompted - Chapter 13: Minikin and Tiny-Wan by intermundia, obi-wan/anakin, NSFW, 5.4k    Happy May the Fourth! In honor of this happy day, I have written the fluffiest, crackiest, vanilla-flavored smut imaginable. Based on long discussions on discord with tomicaleto about her adorable Tiny AU. ✦ to hold until brightness by treescape, obi-wan/anakin, NSFW, 1.4k    Obi-Wan feared that it drew out the darkest in him, to bring Vader to these flashes of light, but it was a trade he would make again and again without hesitation. ✦ May Be Found, If Sought by ghostwriterofthemachine, obi-wan/anakin & mace & quinlan, magical academy au, 2.3k    In which Quinlan, Mace, and Obi-Wan teach Non-Traditional Magical Philosophy in an institution rampant with academic snobbery and discrimination, something dark is stirring in the nearby forest, and no one is ever prepared for Anakin Skywalker. A small story about first meetings in magical academia. ✦ infinitely varied by loosingletters, obi-wan/anakin & ahsoka, modern au, 2.2k    Also known as Obi-Wan and Anakin teach a tiny program called A.H.S.O.K.A. how to be something more than lines of code via the power of linguistics. ✦ recipe for disaster by tennessoui, obi-wan/anakin & ahsoka, modern au, 9.8k    When Ahsoka tells Anakin she doesn’t want to learn piano anymore, Anakin is heartbroken. He doesn’t care about the instrument, obviously, but he’s practically in love with her teacher. Obi-Wan offers up a solution to their impending separation, and it’s not dating like any normal person would suggest. Instead, he’s gonna teach Anakin how to cook. Except Anakin’s a pretty well-known chef, and Obi-Wan is absolutely awful in the kitchen. ✦ Pretty Kitty by GayCheerios, obi-wan/anakin, NSFW, 2.2k    “Master, you always take such good care of me,” Anakin says, a little chirp coming after his sentence, as his thumb rests on Anakin’s plump bottom lip. ✦ As One, Into Eternity by Pseudonymoose, obi-wan/anakin, force ghosts, 3.1k    Death comes, but the man who was, and is, and will be Anakin Skywalker is not gone. And in the Force, he will never be alone again. ✦ does he make you laugh? by y0u_idjits, obi-wan/anakin & ahsoka & cast, fusion fic, 3.6k    “Tell me it’s not about screwing the guy who’s screwing your husband.” ✦ Rotten Work by secretsolarsystem, obi-wan/anakin, 2.8k    Obi-Wan: I’ll take care of you. Anakin, with bloodshot eyes and a broken back from hours of terrible posture: It’s rotten work. Obi-Wan, who needs to bathe this man for his own sanity and health: Not to me. Not if it’s you. ✦ afterimages by shatou, obi-wan/anakin, 1.3k    Mustafar is nothing but a bad dream. ✦ understanding is honoring the truth beneath the surface by RexIsMyCopilot, obi-wan/anakin, NSFW, d/s, 7.3k    Anakin asks Obi-Wan to take control. ✦ The strongest stars… by Tomicaleto, obi-wan/anakin & beru & cast, NSFW, 7.4k    The war’s end seems to be close, with everyone looking forward to it. And when Anakin is doubting himself the most, an unexpected visit arrives at the Temple. ✦ home has a heartbeat by izazov, obi-wan/anakin, 5.6k    Or: Anakin and Obi-Wan are together, but there are still some things left unsaid between them. ✦ turn back now (i’m haunted) by tennessoui, obi-wan/anakin & padme & quinlan & ahsoka & cast, modern au, ghosts au, 25k wip    Anakin Skywalker’s house is haunted. Luckily for him, Padmé knows a ghost hunter. Unluckily for him, it’s the hottest, most english-professor ghost hunter he’s ever seen. And extremely unluckily for him, he’s starting to get the feeling he understands maybe ten percent of what’s actually going on here, not to mention what’s at stake. ✦ game plan by treescape, obi-wan/anakin, NSFW, 11.2k    Or, Vader keeps capturing Obi-Wan during the Wars. Obi-Wan keeps escaping. It’s kind of a thing. ✦ Provocation by ToolMusicLover, obi-wan/anakin, NSFW, 4.9k    Or: Obi-Wan and Anakin attempt to navigate their complicated relationship with barbed words and wilful ignorance. It wasn’t going well. ✦ Languages by Crowgirl, obi-wan/anakin, NSFW, 6.5k    So Anakin pulls out a map and makes a list. REBELS RECS: ✦ The Scent of You by ambiguously, kanan/hera & cast, a smidge of nsfw, 2.9k    Everything changes after Malachor, and Kanan has trouble finding his balance. ✦ Heard It in a Love Song (Can’t Be Wrong) by ambiguously, zeb/kallus, 2.7k    Kallus can’t quite figure out what makes Zeb tick, but he keeps trying. ORIGINAL TRILOGY/MANDALORIAN RECS: ✦ A Discussion of Choices by Peppermint_Shamrock, luke & mace, 2k    Mace Windu has traveled the galaxy since the fall of the Republic, keeping out of the Empire’s sight and teaching where he can. Upon the request of a ghost of an old friend, Mace finds himself instructing Luke Skywalker, who is still reeling from the truth of Vader’s identity. ✦ staring down the barrel of the hot sun by magneticwave, luke/din & obi-wan & grogu & mace & cast, 25.7k    “Gone to a Child of the Watch, the Darksaber has,” Grand Master Yoda announces in his creaky little voice. “Peace, there is not, and yet peace, there must be.” ✦ Released by Peppermint_Shamrock, cody & rex & luke & cast, 6k    Nearly two and a half decades late, Cody’s chip is finally removed. Adjusting to having his mind returned to him after so long takes time, and Cody struggles with questions of his purpose of the past, present, and future. Fortunately, he does not have to struggle alone. ✦ A Tatooine Rainstorm by skatzaa, leia & luke & shmi, 1.7k    Leia meets a ghost. ✦ Dealing with the Darksaber by Peppermint_Shamrock, din & bo-katan & cara, 1.3k    After her recovery, Bo-Katan contacts Din to challenge him for the darksaber. Din is still very much not interested in the whole affair. FULL DETAILS + RECS HERE

[swan-orpheus]

So I’ve been thinking about the Finale of Kenobi way too much, as to be expected I suppose. And the line that is haunting me is when Vader says, “The same way, I will destroy you.” They could have written that any number of ways but they chose this:

“You didn’t kill Anakin Skywalker, I did.”

“The same way, I will destroy you.”

Neither one was actually trying to bodily kill the other, despite appearances. and there is no way that Vader thought for a moment that he had crushed (physically), Obi-Wan when he was walking back to his ship because he would have felt him die. He was trying to crush him spiritually, to crush the light. When Obi-Wan has flashes of Luke and Leia, it is not because they need him. He does not move the rocks because he has to save them, I do not believe, as some folks have suggested. Leia is already safe, Luke is in no real danger. Reva, as we know, was going to put down her lightsaber and carry him back to the Lars homestead. And at this point, Obi-Wan cannot be certain that Luke is in any danger. He is only in one frame of his vision. It isn’t their ultimate safety that is at stake during this battle, it’s Obi-Wan’s.

The children don’t need Obi-wan when he is down in that dark pit struggling to hang on, he needs them. He needs them to turn on the light so that he doesn’t give in to despair. This entire time he has been depressed, alone and afraid. Qui-Gon seemingly won’t answer him, everywhere there is fear and sadness and people dying in part because of the jedi, and then he learns that his old pupil and old friend is still alive, dark and mangled, but living, after a fashion. The thought of seeing what has befallen him since their fight on Mustafar must be utterly terrifying. 

And as an aside, we know that Reva could sense a little of what Obi-Wan was going through when they speak at the wall. She wants to kill him and makes it clear at last, but she can feel that Obi-Wan does not want to kill, cannot kill “Anakin”. I think that Obi-Wan has been feeling extra guilty because even after everything Vader has done and will do to the people he sees around him, he simply cannot bring himself to kill him which must seem like a horrible betrayal of their trust in him. The least that he can do is to turn himself in. (My opinion of Reva honestly shoots up even more when you consider that she is particularly gifted at knowing what people are thinking and feeling and that she doesn’t blame him for not being able to kill his old friend, even after what Anakin did to her. Like at some point she really despised him, held him responsible, but I think she gets it now.) 

Obi-Wan’s earlier words to Leia about what the Force represents to him really stuck out to me as well. It exemplifies his fear of the dark, and peripherally his crushing guilt over Anakin. I always felt that if Obi-Wan had a flaw, it was his too firm adherence to the Jedi Council, to the rules. He was always wary of straying too far from protocol or orthodoxy unlike his master who balanced rules with intuition. Qui-Gon was mindful of the dark but he didn’t fear it. Obi-Wan on some level was always a little fearful of Anakin and desperate to stay within the light, to maintain control. And fear as we know is the path to the Dark Side. 

And you better believe that Darth Vader has been able to sense this fear the entire time -each time that they connect through bad dreams, the bacta tank, shared memories, or in battle. Darth Vader knows, and he is trying to exploit that. I think that the “weakness” he refers to in their battle is the lingering affection that Obi-Wan has for his old Padawan.  Darth Vader wasn’t out to kill his old master. He wanted to destroy Obi-Wan Kenobi and leave something else in his place, something dark and without hope, just like himself. 

I just like to think that they both showed up to this fight with similar intentions-to turn the other. 

On a final note (this is getting far too long lol), I just love the line “Then my friend is truly dead” mirroring what Luke said in Jedi, “Then my father is truly dead” because as we know, this line occurs shortly before Luke brings Anakin back to the light and it definitely left him with something to think about. 

I think this line is what causes him to really lose it and to start shouting “OBI WAAAN’ at the top of his struggling lungs. Somehow, his old master still hit him in a vulnerable spot. That vulnerability remains despite everything that Darth Vader has tried to do for the past ten years to kill Anakin and I think that this is truly the beginning of the end even as it marks the beginning of Vader’s true rise to prominence. I feel that when we see him in Rogue One tearing things apart and crushing people, or when he is savage af in ANH, it is the lingering rage from this battle we see in the finale, how for Darth Vader, at least, this conversation was never really finished and perhaps now never will be. I think it is amazing that he manages to hide this from the Emperor, the fact that Anakin is never completely gone.  This is the chink of light Luke needs later to turn his father. So from a certain point of view, Obi Wan really does help his friend in the end. 

“Then my father is truly dead” must have really hit him hard later on, reflecting back, again, on this fight. I am just so gobsmacked by how much this adds to the entire thing!! aaaahhhh, to the complexity of their relationship. *chef’s kiss* 

[jasontoddiefor]

Title: threads spun

Summary: In another life, Obi-Wan Kenobi would have fought plenty of other Jedi Masters for the right to train little Luke Skywalker. In this one, Luke is 19 and just lost his family when Obi-Wan teaches him how to do a proper Padawan braid.

AN: I’M BACK FROM NANO WITH NEW FANFICS.

The boy just lost his whole world, and he clings to Obi-Wan's robes with shaky hands. His eyes are bright blue, his hair a fair gold color, and for just one short moment, Obi-Wan isn't sure whether the child in front of him is nine or nineteen, whether his name is Anakin or Luke.

It is the reason he gave Luke to his family in the end, even when the Force and all his selfish desires were screaming at him not to. The newborn, the son of his Padawan, the child that was Luke Skywalker, had deserved better than a broken man who didn't even know who he was without a thousand lights illuminating him. A man who'd risk forgetting that he was not holding the child he had raised, the child he had left to burn.

Obi-Wan closes his eyes and the moment passes. 

He doesn't ask the boy if he's alright because it is obvious that Luke is not and it would be cruel to demand an honest answer. Luke can't be standing straight after he experienced such tremendous loss for the first time, nobody would, and Obi-Wan is saddened that he can't give Luke the time to grieve.

Despite all this pain, Obi-Wan still dares to hope for light and life.

He is relieved to see that Luke doesn't take all the hurt and anger to hide it within himself. Obi-Wan has never taught Luke a single lesson about Jedi philosophy, the way they grieve and handle all the emotions that are too large for this world, those that are capable of tearing the galaxy apart. And yet Luke controls his feelings exactly as a temple-raised youngling would, not pushing them aside or letting them overtake him. He takes timed breaths, centers himself on the world surrounding him and not on his anxieties. Pride fills Obi-Wan's heart as he watches peace and balance return to Luke's mind.

In another life, Obi-Wan would have fought plenty of other Jedi Masters for the right to train him.

He can almost hear his family laugh at him, playful jabs about him being so eager to train yet another Skywalker and see what colors they could draw nebulas in. It isn't Obi-Wan's fault; he has always loved a challenge, and Luke, racing in Beggar's Canyon at an age no boy should step into that death trap, would have certainly been a joy to teach and guide.

He could have taught him so much, so much he still needs to teach him, but the clock is ticking and time has always been a cruel mistress. Not purposefully, she wouldn't dare, but she is absolute and eternal, and like death, she takes.

Obi-Wan silently wonders how much time he has left. He knows exactly where they are heading and despite the legends he has wrapped around himself in his exile, he's neither crazy nor a fool. They are attempting to pull off a plan that they wouldn't even have dared to suggest during the Clone Wars, not with so many untrained people. He's been called reckless plenty of times, his ability to talk himself out of seeming like an adrenaline junkie being his only saving grace. Still, Obi-Wan is acutely aware of the danger they are in.

But they have no other choice. They may have the Death Star plans in their hands – and wasn't it utterly predictable that it would be Artoo to carry the plans for a weapon of mass destruction? – but Leia can't stay in the Empire's hands.

Luke and she were so strong in the Force at their birth already. While Obi-Wan is convinced that Bail must have taught Leia at least some shielding techniques, half-trained children can't withstand a Sith Lord for long. Should Vader or worse, Palpatine, learn what Leia could become capable of, they would have so much more to worry about in the future.

The Rebellion might as well be lost.

"You have grown into a fine young man, Luke," Obi-Wan tells Anakin's son instead.

"I have?" Luke echoes, curiosity coloring his voice, highlighting a cadence similar to Padmé's despite his heavy Outer Rim accent.

"I brought you to Tatooine," Obi-Wan tells him. The journey hadn't been an easy one. They had to change ships multiple times and every time somebody had mistaken Obi-Wan for Luke's father, he had wanted to stop and cry like the infant in his arms. "You were a very sweet baby."

"Oh." Luke falls silent again, but his hands have stopped shaking. In his dirty white robes, he reminds Obi-Wan just a bit of a messy Padawan. He wears Anakin's lightsaber well, even if he doesn't know how to execute even the simplest of lightsaber forms. Frankly speaking, it is a bit terrifying to see how quickly he picked up the weapon and had gotten comfortable with it. The Force curled around Luke's every movement, guiding him like a beloved teacher.

Luke will need a teacher if he is to face the darkness that would catch up to them soon.

Obi-Wan feels much older than he actually is. The fault lies partially with the harsh marks that Tatooine has left on his body, but also with the life he has led. He isn't sure if he can teach another student, no matter how much he wants to, but he has to try at least for Luke's sake. That is, if the boy truly intends to follow the path of the Jedi.

"Luke," Obi-Wan says seriously, thinking of the one who gives life, the name granted to such a young child, "Do you truly want to become a Jedi?"

"Yes." There is no hesitation in Luke's reply. "I want to follow my father's footsteps."

No, Obi-Wan wants to weep. You don't. You can't ask me to cut you down as well; I couldn't bear it.

"It is admirable to want to follow the path of someone you respect," Obi-wan starts carefully instead. He can't tell Luke what became of Anakin Skywalker. The child deserves better. "But I am asking about your own inclinations. The path of a Jedi is not an easy one, and you have to follow it for your own sake if you want to succeed."

Now Luke does hesitate. He looks down at his hands, curls them into fists and relaxes them again.

"Yes," Luke finally replied. "Yes, I want to be a Jedi."

"Then I'll hope you'll give me the honor of teaching you. I'd like to take you as my Padawan."

Obi-Wan had said these words over three decades ago to another lost blond boy, the language a little different, their surroundings certainly more peaceful than the ship of a smuggler. He tries to banish the image from his mind.

"Padawan," Luke repeats slowly. "What does it mean?"

You should know, Obi-Wan thinks. You should know what it means and be overjoyed and celebrate this day.

He can't hold it against this boy, not even against himself or, dare he think it, Anakin because choices had been made, but away from it all, Obi-Wan can only blame the Sith who ruined them, continues to hurt them.

"It means that I want you as my student, teach you all I know so that you may surpass me someday."

Bring us back to the light, rebuilt all that we lost. Obi-Wan is asking him for so much when just days ago it would have been enough for him to someday see Luke marry that boy he's been crushing on for years and live the rest of his days happily, far away from the war.

And now he dreams of home again, the rooms full of plants and droid parts, poetry collections, board games, and warmth so kind and all-compassing that no nightmares can haunt you.

"You'd really teach me?" Luke asks as if he'd be honored and the right to be taught not already something he possessed since his birth.

"Of course."

"I'd be honored to accept," Luke replies with a shy smile.

Obi-Wan returns his smile and reassuringly squeezes his shoulder once. Luke leans into the touch and so Obi-Wan lets his arm linger around the boy's shoulders as he continues to explain traditions long lost. "Traditionally, we would now braid your hair and put in the first bead."

"Braid my hair?"

Obi-wan nods and thinks of all the times his Master ran his fingers through Obi-Wan's hair, tugging at his braid and saying one thing or another he hadn't paid any attention to because he'd been too awestruck by the fact that he had a Master at all. "Yes, all Padawans of the Jedi Order have a braid. It shows your dedication to your studies and how serious you are about them. It means that you know that this is not an easy task or an easy path to take, but that you are willing to walk it anyway."

Luke thoughtfully looks at Obi-Wan, then he reaches up with his hand, putting a strand of hair behind his ear.

"My hair is not long enough to braid it properly," Luke mutters, dismayed.

He's pouting more than he is actually hurt by the thought. Nevertheless, if he lingers on it, he might ask more questions about what other chances life has denied him and because of it, Obi-Wan wants to distract him quickly.

The distraction comes at the price of remembrance, a fourteen-year-old Padawan clinging to what remained of his braid, burying his head in his Master's chest, and crying after enduring days of torment. Obi-Wan had fixed Anakin's hair then as well so he wouldn't have to deal with too many looks once they were back at the Temple. His braid had been short, but it had been there. For a moment, Obi-Wan tries to recall who had assigned that mission to them, whether Sidious had already sown his seeds of discord then.

He lets the moment go. "Don't worry, I can help you."

He had done plenty of braids during his as a Padawan and later as a Master. When the war had been going on, he had helped frenzied Padawans countless times with their braids.

There was an almost meditative process to the act of braiding and letting others braid your hair. It had soothed innumerous over the centuries and now it will once more calm another. Luke sits still when Obi-Wan begins to part the stray strands of hair on the left side of his head into three. Luke's hair really isn't all that long, but it is definitely more than enough to work with. Slowly and withs steady fingers, Obi-Wan braids another bond with his second Padawan. Luke is a kind child and this war will hurt him incredibly. Obi-Wan can only hope that what he will pass onto him will be enough to have him keep his path, to wander in the light even when the darkness reaches for him with the intent to consume.

Once Obi-Wan is finished with the braid, he reaches for his belt, takes an old leather cord from there, and wraps it around the tip of Luke's hair.

"And finished," Obi-Wan announces.

Luke, who had closed his eyes, opens them and immediately reaches for the hair, twirling it between his two fingers in a fashion reminiscent of Obi-Wan in his youth. He had only managed to get rid of that nervous habit after his won braid hat been cut. Whether Luke would act similar, Obi-Wan doesn't know, but the thought of seeing Luke ascend to the rank of Knight of the Order, no matter how small, splintered and broken it is right now, it makes his heart beat a bit quicker.

"How does it look?" Luke asks.

"As it is supposed to," Obi-Wan replies. "I believe Mr. Solo has a mirror in his fresher if you want to take a look."

Luke races off before Obi-Wan can say anymore. He returns a few minutes later, already with more color in his face than he had in the hours before.

"Thank you. Master." Luke tags on the honorific only belatedly, unsure whether it fits and it is all the convincing Obi-Wan could ever need.

"You are welcome, Padawan."

Obi-Wan Kenobi has a student once more and he will not fail him.

[levitatingbiscuits]

Bail Organa for the character asks!

my favorite thing about bail is his love for and absolute faith in leia. she was nineteen in rogue one but he had total trust in her and her capabilities. when i was nineteen my dad didn’t even trust me with his car lmao

least favorite thing about him is that during order 66 he just kind of watched zett jukassa die. no attempt to help this sixth grader fighting for his life, he just yells in dismay then flies away. i understand that bail is more of a politician than a fighter but cmon, he raised leia to be a rebel spy, there’s no way he doesn’t know how to use a blaster. but i think it’s an unfortunately realistic reaction for that kind of scenario, and the guilt and horror canonically haunted his dreams afterwards so i don’t hold it against him. and later on he was the victim of a very similar genocide, ALSO because of vader, so it’s not like he can’t empathize with the kid

favorite line is “I would trust her with my life” in rogue one uwu <333

brOTP is him and obi-wan, of course!

OTP is him and queen breha. the girlboss to his malewife <3 (OT3 is them and obi-wan because they strike me as a sexy swinger couple, but not like the gross kind that hunts unicorns on space tinder. they COURT obi-wan. they have wine and roses and everything. i don’t think they’re in love with him but they both care deeply for him and he kinda-sorta gave them their daughter so they joke that he was their surrogate.)

i don’t really have a nOTP for him? unless people ship him with jar jar or something. i certainly hope they don’t

random headcanon is that he and lando would’ve gotten on like a house on fire if they ever met. they’re both responsible leader types, lovers over fighters, and share an appreciation for capes

i don’t think i have an unpopular opinion about him but i think it would be funny if he was a girldad with a bunch of internalized misandry and that’s why he didn’t want luke. he’s a pickme boy.

song i associate with him: for some reason the first thing that popped into my head was long black veil by lefty frizzel. yeah i don’t know what my thought process is either

favorite picture of him: i hope it’s not cheating to have a couple!

the last one always cracks me up. he looks like he’s not even bothered. obi-wan looks like his disgruntled house cat being taken to the vet

[mightydragoon]

Luke and Leia vs the Galaxy

@silvereddaye 

.Our favourite Space Twins against the Empire with varying degrees of success. 

1. Legacy ---myrlendi (thehistorygeek)

Three months after the Battle of Endor, Luke Skywalker goes in search of a rumoured Jedi temple in a secluded part of the Mid Rim. He finds within the temple nothing but a strange artifact, which unexpectedly brings him much closer to the Jedi of old than he ever thought he would be.

When Luke fails to return from his mission, Leia goes after him, retracing his steps to the ancient temple — and to the past, to the time of the Clone Wars and the waning years of the Old Republic. Under suspicion by the Jedi Order, the twins struggle to find a way back to their own time while trying to keep their knowledge of the future from affecting the past.

This, however, turns out to not be as simple as it seems.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/15221810/chapters/35304947

2.  Skywalker Family Values- Ariel_Sojourner

Camp Chippewa is proud to be the Empire’s foremost camp resort for privileged young adults. Located on the picturesque forest moon of Endor, your child will have the opportunity to participate in wholesome outdoor activities and socialize appropriately with their peers. We invite your offspring to join us for the experience of a lifetime and a bright future in service of the greater glory of the Empire.

On opposite sides of the galaxy, on opposite sides of a civil war, Darth Vader and Padme Amidala unwittingly send Luke and Leia to the same camp during school break. Chaos naturally ensues.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/14258124/chapters/32883750

3. Back To The Future - PinkEasterEggs

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?

https://archiveofourown.org/works/22217674/chapters/53048092

(Part of the Back To The Future series. https://archiveofourown.org/series/1648657) 

4. No Time Like The Present - PinkEasterEggs

In a Galaxy where Princess Leia Organa and Imperial Prince Luke Vader didn't Time Travel to save their father's soul, a deadly discovery by their biggest enemy throws their entire lives upside down. Yet again.

Now on the run from the Empire, the Skywalker Twins find it their mission to bring peace back to the Galaxy once more. And with Darth Vader on their trail, that mission is far more complicated than they originally believed.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/24754825/chapters/59851300

(Part of the Back To The Future series. https://archiveofourown.org/series/1648657)

5. Great as the Sea-- Valkirin

Rescuing the last of Alderaan's survivors was an important duty, not an obsession, and Leia did not need to take a break. She did not have time to think about Darth Vader, the Force, or Luke Skywalker. It’s just her luck that the Force sends her with Luke Skywalker to a time where Darth Vader is about to rise.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/11384253/chapters/25491066

6. turn my sorrow into treasured gold - cosmicocean:

“It might be better for you to die,” Obi-Wan muses as she holds her children in her arms. Padmé looks up at him and arches an eyebrow.

“I didn’t mean literally,” he clarifies.

“I know what you meant. I’m thinking about it.”

Padmé survives childbirth, dies as far as the rest of the galaxy is concerned, takes her children with Obi-Wan, and runs.

Pay me back in kind and reap just what you sow.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/7435467

7. The Assassin's Blade - LadyVader23

Two years after Order 66, Padme is both an assassin for the Rebellion and a mother of twins. She will stop at nothing to bring democracy back to the Galaxy, even if it means killing Imperials to do it. But news of suspicious assassinations reaches Sidious, who dispatches Vader to hunt down this mysterious assassin. What Vader discovers will change the fate of the Galaxy.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/20432867/chapters/48475367

8. anything is possible the second time around cloverblob

Leia Organa is sure that she died. She laid herself down, ready to become one with the Force. Except that she isn't dead--she hasn't even been born. So how did she end up on Tatooine? And why would fate bring her right here, right now?

https://archiveofourown.org/works/21941050/chapters/52364929

9.  Influence of Time Cateyes1401 and  SkylaDoragon

A freak accident sends Luke, Leia, and Vader splitting off to different points of the galaxy, over twenty years in the past. While Vader is careful to correct any errors his sudden appearance may cause in the timeline, Luke and Leia are not so cautious.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/20333248/chapters/48211621

10.  Laying Down the Sand - Knitzkampf

An AU set at the time of ESB. Han Solo abandons Luke, Leia and Chewie to settle some unfinished business and sparks a series of events that challenges each one's destiny and the fate of the galaxy. An epic tale of friendship, love, family and lightsabers.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/9921947/chapters/22232960

11.  Binary Sunsets, Binary Siblings - Coffeesforcatchers

The projection was as blue as the Tatooinian sky, making it hard for Luke to discern its features. But as the audio began to play, Luke felt his heart seize in his chest.

"Help me, Obi Wan Kenobi, you're my only hope."

Luke stared at the droid, his mouth open. "That's my sister!"

https://archiveofourown.org/works/14111466/chapters/32514372

12.  Deja Vu - oncomingstorm42

Time travel AU fix-it wherein Luke and Leia are sent back in time to halfway through The Phantom Menace. They proceed to unscrew the timeline and save their parents while also kicking ass.

(note* Private story. To read you must have an AO3 account) 

https://archiveofourown.org/works/10408782/chapters/22984893

13. Heralding Home -planningconquest

Family can be what we make of it. It can be lost and found and comes together in strange and amazing ways.

(Note* Modern Au but still same principal applies) 

https://archiveofourown.org/works/17130767/chapters/40288283

14.  Like Fire in Our Bones --- acuteneurosis

With all of the most important things in the galaxy literally exploding around her, Leia is given the chance to go back and help keep a promise she never personally made.

But then, for Skywalkers, saving the galaxy was always a family matter.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/19735813/chapters/46710241

15.  I am as Strong as the Seas are Stormy (And as Proud as an Eagle's Scream)- RhiannonOfTheRoses

Leia Skywalker is only hours old when the Empire rises.

Leia Organa is twenty-three when it finally falls.

OR: The one in which Leia Organa is explored, and her life is uncovered.

16.  Of Queens, Knights, and Pawns chancecraz

I went to sleep on the worst day of my life and woke to find myself in the past on the second worst day of my life. As experiences go, I don’t recommend it.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/8543680/chapters/19586203

(Part of the Of Queens, Knights, and Pawns series https://archiveofourown.org/series/825216)

17.  Runaway SilverDaye

Imperial Prince Luke runs away from home to escape his overprotective father Emperor Vader. Jumping from planet to planet he finds himself creditless on Tatooine. While working for more money to leave the planet, Luke meets an old man named Ben Kenobi. But Luke knows he can't stay in one place for long for surely his father is hunting him down.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/14630196/chapters/33813027

18.  take the spade from my hands (and fill in the holes you've made) A_Different_Type_of_Flower

With her dying father's last request, eighteen-year-old Leia Organa sets out for the Outer Rim to find an exiled Jedi master and a brother she knew nothing about.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/9219026/chapters/20908517

19.  Sparks SpellCleaver

Vader had every intention of ignoring that petty—if notorious—burglar on Coruscant, until evidence suggested that this "Angel" had Rebel ties.

Meanwhile, Luke never expected his father to actively hunt him down, and he doesn't like it.

20.  the price of forgetting - surabayuh

 Vader always thought that epiphany would come in waves; in the middle of meditation, perhaps, or a dream while he was resting, giving him unimaginable glee and satisfaction at its revelation.

He’d never thought epiphany would sledgehammer him here, at cell room number 2187, in the middle of an interrogation session, with an unconscious Alderaanian Princess laying on the floor.

(Part of the  the bang the war-drums series) 

(Note* Read the rest of this series seriously its so good) 

21.  heirs of the desert -- surabayuh

There was something about her, something familiar beyond the hairstyle or the attire; It was like a hole in his chest mended back by her presence. They walked closer to one another, slowly, slowly—like a planet realigning to their axis.

Dreams of a different life, a different reality, haunting him for as long as he could remember. Dreams of lush greeneries, of clear blue waters, of a high castle, of a brunette with bright brown eyes crinkling with laughter.

Leia, her name was Leia and he felt like he had known her his whole life, as if he'd known her as old as he had known time.

Around them, the Force sang.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/22226950/chapters/53070706

(Part of the  the bang the war-drums series)

22. taste the regret (it's bittersweet.) - surabayuh

Han Solo didn't want much, really; he only agreed to pilot his way away from the grips of Jabba the Hutt, and maybe have a little adventure along the way. That was why he said yes to that old man's offer, back in Tatooine, why he came back to aid the Rebellion, back in Yavin.

But then again, who knew that somewhere down the line, he would have to be the middle-man in a galactic family drama that could determine the very fate of the universe?

Well; certainly not him.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/22452316/chapters/53646223

(Part of the  the bang the war-drums series)

23. Endings and Beginnings, and Everything in Between - ITookTheOneLessTravelled

Dad might be mad at them, but Leia doesn't regret it. Luke and Leia Skywalker might be only fifteen, but they'd never have left their Dad in an Imperial prison cell to rot.

OR: Anakin raises the twins. Everything changes, but also nothing does.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/6757639

24.  No Heroes on the High Seas - SpellCleaver

When Luke's aunt and uncle are executed by order of the Emperor's right hand, Lord Vader, he flees his home to search for his sister and the mother he never knew. But then Obi-Wan Kenobi stows away aboard the same ship, Vader gives chase, and Luke is dragged into a conflict that his family are at the very heart of.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/17092340/chapters/40194893

25.  Ad Utrumque Paratus - obeyingthemuse

It's hard to bring balance to the Force when the only method you've seen is your black-cloaked psychic cyborg sorcerer dad with a severe breathing problem throwing an old man down the Death Star reactor shaft. As much as Luke would like to see the not-yet-Emperor dead, he doesn't want to be arrested by his unusually attractive(?) war-hero dad and spend the rest of his indeterminate time in the past dropping Ewok beats in a jail cell. Also Leia would probably kill him. But not before breaking him out of jail.

So when the twins wake up on Tatooine decades in the past, they play it safe. They take over a planet, reconnect with their adoptive and real parents without weirding them out (too much), and accidentally cause the Chancellor perpetual near-death experiences.

Nailed it.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/7168628/chapters/16273712

Tags 

Leia Organa & Luke Skywalker 

[padme-amitabha]

The only Dyad in Star Wars is Anidala. I accept no other. (Seriously tho, didn’t they have a force bond - which shouldn’t happen between a force sensitive and a non force sensitive that they weren’t related too? Thus... Dyad. Now I need a bunch of Anidala soulmate fanfics...)

I don’t know about Dyads in the Star Wars Universe...the whole concept seems convenient and made up for the sequels but yes, I do think it’s they are the closest thing to soulmates/twin flames in gffa. I think they always had a connection, especially since Anakin in TPM knows he will marry her just after meeting her. In the movie, it seems like the kid only has a little crush but in the novelization, he also has prophetic dreams about the upcoming battle and also about an older and sad Padmé. Also in Queen Amidala journal, Padme remarks she knows their fates are connected. It may seem unrealistic for young kids to say that but I think their force connection explains it. Padme and Anakin could also communicate via the Force in the Ruminations scene. Her temporary force sensitivity is due to the twins and I think Padme could sense Anakin was in pain when he was undergoing the surgery which is why she asked Obi-Wan about him since she could no longer communicate with him herself after the twins were born. And one thing I particularly like is Anakin/Vader saying “Padme, help me” when the mask is being lowered. Padme wakes up in the next scene and tells Obi-Wan with certainty that there is good in Anakin/Vader. I like to think she did hear him in her mind, only she could no longer reach him so she shared this with another force-sensitive. 

Even though Padme didn’t have much screen time in ROTS, I think that scene was to reflect it’s not just Anakin going through emotional turmoil. A lot of people tend to be surprised as to why Padme lost the will to live but I think it’s because they felt the same sense of apprehension and uncertainty. The only difference is Anakin acted on it because it was too much for him to handle and Padme didn’t and stayed strong till she felt let down by everyone, even Anakin. I like that Vader could never forget her either and Padme haunted him for the rest of his life. She was never really gone just as Anakin was never gone, even in the suit. He saw her in Luke and Leia (in the novel Death Star, Vader thinks Leia’s as beautiful as Padme so she definitely reminded him of her). They were always destined to be together just as it was Anakin’s destiny to bring balance to the Force. Anakin could not achieve it without Luke and Luke wouldn't have been born without Anakin and Padme. 

A lot of people think they are too different (mostly due to TCW and canon interpretation) but I think Anakin and Padme shared a lot of similarities even with their different backgrounds. However, they were symbolically opposites. Not only are they based on Romeo & Juliet, but there are also parallels with Mars & Venus, and Cronus & Rhea. If Vader is the “Father” in the story, Padmé is the “Mother” (Padme’s surname Naberrie actually means Mother of Twins in Egyptian just like Vader is Father in Dutch). Besides, Anakin’s name comes from Ananke the goddess of inevitability, compulsion and necessity, and Padme is Sanskrit for a lotus flower that dies after it reproduces. Anakin’s story reminds me of Lucifer and lotuses are associated with angels too. Anakin and Padme’s character arcs are also opposites in the sense that when we meet Queen Amidala she is very much like Vader. As the story progresses, she becomes kinder and warmer. As we see in AOTC, Padme enjoyed being the more assertive one which even hurt Anakin (when they are visiting the Queen). But gradually, she lets Anakin make some of the decisions like in ROTS leading to a balanced relationship. Anakin, on the other hand, starts off as one of the kindest kids in the galaxy but gradually loses his humanity and becomes cold and distant. But I think deep down they are both very similar people who loved wholeheartedly, wanted a loving family together even if it meant sacrificing their careers and ambition (it must have been hard too as they were prodigies in their fields), and loved too unconditionally to address each other’s flaws (which is why in ROTS novelization, their thoughts about each other seem so worshipful). And Padme is an admirable woman so no doubt the Force chose her to be its son’s equal.

Also, does anyone have recs for Anidala soulmate AUs?  

[threadsketchier]

So I saw the prequels prior to the Originals and it always bothered me how Luke got dumped on a death planet of Tatooine considering the state of that environment and shot that when down in the previous films while Leia got a life of privilege. I was hoping Bail would argue against splitting the twins. I obviously knew why it had to go that route because it had to align and follow up with the Originals. I guess it came off that Luke wasn’t really wanted...?

I already wrote a ficlet somewhat addressing this misconception.

Also, frankly, I’m getting kind of tired of rehashing the same issue - why do people keep assuming that the Larses don’t matter and don’t have a right to be in Luke’s life just because they live on Space Australia?  Why do their feelings not count just because they’re low-to-middle-class moisture farmers who don’t live in a palace on Space Switzerland-Utopia?  Why the fuck do people assume that Luke wasn’t wanted just because the Organas have a personal preference that was obviously previously established before shit hit the fans and they wanted a daughter and Bail, as a senator and Viceroy - essentially co-leader of his planet - is a fucking rational guy who understands the necessity of making hard decisions dictated by logic over emotions?

The twins weren’t just “split up because that’s how the movies have to go,” it does make internal sense within the narrative that it was safer to hide them in vastly separate locations to prevent both of them from being discovered at the same time and thus lost together, or for their latent Force bond to make them a psychic target if they grew up together and established it, acting like a beacon for Vader and Palpatine and any minions of theirs.  It sucks, it’s painful, it has awkward consequences for them later on when Leia’s a bit too loose with her lips, but that’s why these movies have a tragic backstory.  It has to suck real hard before it gets better.

Does it seem crazy that Leia wound up raised in such a screamingly obvious position as daughter of a then-Imperial Senator and princess of a highly prominent Core world being trained to follow in her biological mother’s footsteps and become a senator herself, thus occupying a very exposed role in the Empire, right under the Emperor’s and Vader’s noses?  Yeah.  But also remember that the Superman/Clark Kent illusion can actually work in real life.  Assumption is a powerful thing.  Your average Joe Citizen would assume that someone as otherworldly as Superman, an alien with the ability to fly, strength to bench-press skyscrapers and jumbo jets, heat vision, and other amazing things, would never stoop to living as a normal, humble, inconvenienced human being.  It’s not merely the hiding behind a pair of glasses and hunching over a little with a nerdy tone and habits - it’s the entire idea that a Clark Kent could even exist in the same person of Superman.  They don’t understand that he was raised as a human and actually desires this life, and doesn’t feel the need to lock himself away permanently in his dope Fortress of Solitude and never interact with the very people he wants to save and protect.

Vader was lied to by Palpatine about the nature of Padmé’s death, but there was no disputing that she actually died.  In his crushing despair, Vader accepted with heaps of self-flagellation that his child was dead.  He didn’t even know he had two children.  In his mind, whenever he saw Leia - surely they were in each other’s circles at least at a distance before Rogue One and ANH - even if she reminded him of Padmé six ways from Sunday, he would not assume she was his daughter, because as far as he was concerned his child was dead.  The OT establishes that latent Force-sensitivity also does not automatically make two related Force-sensitives consciously aware of each other until they mutually know one another as being related and Force-sensitive, so not even torturing Leia revealed this to him.

But I’m going off on a tangent.  Let’s break this down:

Tatooine is nothing but a source of anguish for Anakin and his personal loathing for the place made it ideal as a hiding place.  And no, I’m not just haha joking about sand.  He was a slave there and buried his mother there after slaughtering an entire village of natives he knew in his heart that he shouldn’t have.  It holds nothing but misery and failure for him.

Yes, Tatooine is abso-fucking-lutely a galactic cesspit.  It’s ruled by the most vile mob boss in the galaxy, is rife with nasty wildlife that’s out to kill you, and is haunted by the troubles brought about by strife between colonizers and the native population.  It is indisputably a dangerous place.  But it wasn’t Tatooine that killed the Larses.  It was the Empire.  Just because they look like Soft Folks™ doesn’t mean they were - Owen and Beru knew how to take care of themselves, and they certainly knew how to take care of a child in this environment.  They survived to middle age just fine, and would’ve kept going if it wasn’t for those fucking stormtroopers.  Just because they didn’t live a life of luxury also doesn’t mean they were dirt poor either.  When we meet Luke in ANH, he’s a healthy young lad who still has the privilege to fuck off with his buddies around his farm duties.  Life may be tough but it’s not squalor and deprivation for him.

But honestly, even if they WERE dirt poor, they’re still Luke’s family, and they very obviously loved him.  I almost feel like I shouldn’t have to restate it, but I will: Owen and Beru loved Shmi, and upon hearing that Anakin died and left behind a baby son, why wouldn’t they be moved and compelled to take Luke in, and why wouldn’t they deserve to have the chance to raise him in their memory?  Even though they’d be sad that Luke was orphaned, they might even see this as a blessing to be able to raise Shmi’s grandson and Anakin’s son.

As much as he bitched about chores as a teenager, Luke learned damn valuable skills growing up on a Tatooine moisture farm that, coupled with the Force, saved everybody’s asses at the Battle of Yavin, and went on to make him an ideal squadron leader.  Wealth and privilege are not always the best foundation, or at least certainly not the automatic one, for a person to learn good character either.

The Organas are human too.  Faced with a difficult choice, they decided to take this poignant opportunity to fulfill a dream they’d been deferring for some time.  Sometimes parents wish for a specific child, and that’s their prerogative (except IRL they don’t actually get to pick, they get whatever kid they gestate).  If they’d taken Luke and let Obi-Wan take Leia, we’d be having the same argument about Leia growing up on Tatooine.  There was no inequality in this decision.  Bail and Breha wanted a daughter, there was a daughter present among the twins, so they chose her.  This does not mean they valued Luke any less.  Since the twins couldn’t be raised together for their own safety, it might as well have come down to a coin toss.  Bail isn’t evil for exercising a shred of his personal emotions and desires in a situation where he otherwise knew he’d have to restrain himself.  Also, he’d be smart enough to respect the fact that both children had actual family elsewhere in the galaxy and wouldn’t think any less of the Larses just because they live on Tatooine.  The only way his decision would be careless or heinous was if he knew Luke was being taken to people who were abusive or so destitute they couldn’t even care for themselves, much less a third person, and he did nothing about it - but we know this is not that situation.

How do you feel about non-wealthy people living in harsh places here on Earth raising their children?  Would you expect all the rich people in the world to go take those children away from them and adopt them just so they could grow up “privileged” instead?  Think about how that sounds for a moment or two.

Honestly, if Bail had tried to argue about taking both twins because he felt taking Luke to his legal family on Tatooine was “cruel” or “neglectful” because of the planet’s “risky environment and poverty,” I’d hope either Obi-Wan or Yoda would have enough sense to smack him upside the head for being so thoughtless as to insult these people for being seemingly beneath him.

There is more to life than money and power/prestige, and Leia’s upbringing wasn’t all it was cracked up to be.  She was no pampered, air-headed royal spending her days sitting idle being hand-fed space grapes while her “poor” brother ate sand cookies.  She had to undergo intensive academic, political, and physical training from young childhood in order to prepare her to become a covert Rebel agent while she was still a teenager, as if being a child senator wasn’t already stressful and demanding enough.  Sure, she never lacked for anything, but that is an incredible amount of responsibility to saddle on someone who wasn’t even an adult yet (like her bio mother).  Luke was blessed with far more freedom and peace in his childhood than his sister.  And him living on Tatooine with his father’s surname wasn’t nearly as dangerous as Leia existing within the heart of the Empire while actively engaging in Rebel activities that could have cost her her life, even without getting into the whole “daughter of Anakin Skywalker” business.

Also, just because we joke about Tatooine being Space Australia doesn’t mean every single day of Luke’s childhood was THAT eventful.  It was more likely 80% dull farm life and 20% mayhem, and that 20% would be mostly Luke’s fault for being a crazy nut like his parents and getting himself into trouble he could have avoided in most cases.  In other words, growing up there might not have been nearly as “deadly” as we make it out to be.

[feminist-propaganda]

The Star Wars Saga Is A Meditation On Single Motherhood

It recently dawned on me that the entire story line of the Star Wars saga is built on the lives, loves and tribulations of 3 generations of single mothers. There are monsters to slay and aliens to find and planets to explore, yes, but if you think about the powerful message in the movies, you’ll come to realize it was mostly a reflection on the status of single mothers, the outcomes of their offspring, and the conflict that lives forever in their descendants.

Each trilogy, once reframed, becomes the story of one woman, who finds herself in a situation that is as old as time. She is with child, but the person who planted the seed in her is not by her side.

Shmi Skywalker or The Good Single Mother

In the Phantom Menace, Jedi Knight Qui Gon Jin meets Anakin Skywalker, a slave boy with a talent for repairing machines. The Jedi knight is impressed with the child’s abilities. He’s knowledgeable, intuitive, and most importantly he’s also kind and thoughtful. When a sand storm threatens the group of travelers, Anakin takes them to his own home and offers them shelter. 

We meet Shmi Skywalker, who in many ways is the archetype of the good single mother. She is not just quiet. She has completely erased herself. She has no personality, apart from being Anakin’s caretaker. She expresses no needs, no desires, no dreams. She simply loves Anakin, and when she sees an opportunity for him to leave the desert planet ruled by the Huts, she doesn’t stand in his way. 

In a now famous scene, Qui Gon asks her about the child’s origins and Shmi famously responds “There was no father”. The line continues: “I carried him. I gave birth. I raised him. I can’t explain what happened”.

The immaculate conception myth refers to the idea in Christianity that Mary, much like Shmi, was impregnated by some magical force, a holy spirit. Both are parabols: images we use to discuss painful topics. Single motherhood has probably always been a part of the human experience. Jared Diamond explains in “Why Is Sex Fun?” that in terms of evolution, it is more rewarding for human males to be “super spreaders “ rather than “good fathers “ . The “good father” gene does not pass down to future generations, because in effect, not sticking around to raise the child is a better strategy for a human man to pass on his genes to the next generation. Not convinced? Just count how many women have been impregnated by a rapper like Future (8 last time I checked). If you’re not into hip-hop, you can think of the offspring of the Mongol Genghis Khan

The purpose of the parabol is to provide an image, to extract ourselves from the technicalities of onr person’s story and to instead talk about all single mothers at once. Indeed, single mothers come in all shapes and sizes. Some are widowed, some are abandoned, others are lied to, and some run away from abusive environments.

Shmi raises her son the best she can, and her love for him is unconditional. She doesn’t bat an eye when he is freed while she is to continue her life as a slave. She doesn’t even seem to mind when Anakin leaves the planet and never returns to free her, even after he marries into some serious money. 

But the story of Star Wars tells us that Shmi’s relationship to Anakin, because it was so fusional, because it was all that he had, led to his undoing. In Episode 2, when he senses she is in danger, he jeopardizes his mission to protect Padme to go rescue her. When he eventually finds her, he is so upset about her ultimate death that he commits mass murder, targeting the Tuskan riders of the sea of Dunes.

When Yoda first lays eyes on Anakin, he senses Anakin’s pain, he is just a child whose been ripped away from the only human that’s ever cared for him deeply. The turmoil inside the boy is palpable, and Yoda advises against training him. 

Padme Amidala or The Bad Single Mother

Anakin develops feelings for Padme, and in Episode 2 the pair decide to secretly get married in the lake district of Padme’s home planet Naboo. Their relationship is very intense. Both share a strong sense of civic duty: Padme was elected queen of the Naboo when she was just 14 &  Anakin is a keeper of the peace. They care deeply about issues such as how the galaxy must be governed, how much action needs to be taken versus when diplomacy must be prioritized. 

Their strong sense of service has made them lonely young people. They’re far away from their families, surrounded by advisors, servants and droids - not friends. 

They jump into their relationship with an eagerness that suggests it is their original caretakers they crave for.

Padme becomes pregnant while the Clone Wars are raging, and immediately Anakin begins to experience trouble with his sleeping. He imagines Padme is dying in childbirth, and the visions haunt him during the day. His fear that she will die ultimately leads to his decision to join the Dark side of the force. Senator Palpatine has manipulated him into believing that Sith Lords have discovered the power to prevent death itself. 

Just like his mother before him, we need to look at Anakin’s story in terms of symbolism. It isn’t really about his specific experience with fatherhood : it’s about the universal conflict that men feel towards their own offspring. Even the way it is announced to him, in the Senate chambers, barely hidden from the rest of the Coruscant elite, implies some sort of entrapment. The columns around them seem to be like a cage that is closing in on his life. He is in the middle of the Wars - he should be celebrating his victory over General Grivious, but instead he is stuck with his wife and he has to absorb her anxiety & reassure her. 

Anakin makes a weird, forced smile and says : “This is a happy moment.” But neither Padme nor the audience believe him. Nothing about him feels happy, he isn’t relaxed: he is tense.

At the end of Episode 3, Anakin attempts to kill Padme when she condemns the mass murders he’s committed against the younglings in the Jedi temple. Hr uses for the first time his “strangling” trick, which becomes his signature move in the original trilogy. 

Palpatine makes Anakin believe that he’s killed Padme, but the truth is somewhat more nuanced. She dies of heartbreak shortly after giving birth to twins. For anyone who thought this was corny, it’s actually been proven by the scientific community that heartbreak reduces your life expectation (it diminishes the size of the telomeres in your body cells, which is the molecule that helps replicate your DNA). 

As Lisa Feldman Barret wrote in How Emotions Are Made: 

Emotional harm can shorten your life. Inside your body, you have little packets of genetic material that sit on the ends of your chromosomes like protective caps. They’re called telomeres. All living things have telomeres—humans, fruit flies, amoebas, even the plants in your garden. Every time one of your cells divides, its telomeres get a little shorter (although they can be repaired by an enzyme called telomerase). So generally their size slowly decreases, and at some point, when they are too short, you die. This is normal aging. But guess what else causes your telomeres to get smaller? Stress does. Children who experience early adversity have shorter telomeres. In other words, emotional harm can do more serious damage, last longer, and cause more future harm than breaking a bone

More severe cases involve patients actually dying of a broken heart, the myocardia just collapses under the weight of the sadness the human feels.

The original trilogy should be re-viewed with all of this new information we have. In the 80s, when Empire Strikes Back came out, the “I am your father” line became instantly iconic. But the plot twist was more like an “Oh My gosh!” moment rather than a profound reflection on fatherhood. The audience sympathized with Luke not because his father had been absent and negligent, but because his father’s job was to serve a fachist leader. It was the actions of Darth Vader as a political servant that were questioned, not his refusal to nurture a smaller being. 

Padme is the opposite of Shmi. She is the archetype of the “bad” single mother. The bad single mother is the single mother who can’t deal with the situation and checks out of it. She collapses under the weight that she feels on her shoulders. She can't get over the heartbreak, she can’t find the will to live. 

Society tends to punish the Padme’s just as much as it praises the Shmis. Television programs like “Teen Mom” are set up to shame the young deviants into adopting the correct behavior. The purpose of the show is to judge these young women into becoming self-sacrificing mothers.

Leia Organa - The Non-single Single Mother

Leia Organa is Anakin Skywalker’s daughter. She is raised by an adoptive frailly on Alderaan after she’s separated at birth from her brother Luke. Much like her mother, she becomes a dedicated public servant, a trusted leader and a beloved public figure. 

She is raised by a wealthy family in the central galactic systems. The Organas teach her the ways of the elite political class. As an adult she serves the cause of the Rebels, and when she meets Han Solo in Episode 4, the mediocre smuggler fascinates her. 

In the now famous scene from Hoth in Episode 5, Leia declares her love for Han Solo right as he’s about to be frozen in carbonite. The ultimate bad boy responds his chilling, because realistic  “I know”.

Han is nothing compared to Leia. He drives a broken down ship, doesn’t have any morals or even a simple code of conduct, much less a cause that he’s dedicated his life to. He has nothing to offer her, and is definitely not in her league. But still, in Episode 6, the pair become an official item.

The last Trilogy was an opportunity to explore Leia’s experience with motherhood. By now we know that Leia’s grandmother was a “Good single mother”, she completely sacrificed herself to protect her son & more importantly she never questioned her status of sole caretaker (remember the “there was no father“ line). We also know that Leia’s mother was a public servant, and a passionate woman who allowed herself to fall deeply in love with a sensitive young man with a non existing support system. Leia’s mother was the “bad” single mother: driven only by her career (Queen of the Naboo, later a Senator of the Old Republic) she did not step up to the task when her destiny revealed itself to her.

Leia seems to share her mother’s taste in reckless young men with a lot of attitude and no emotional security to offer. It’s the excitement she craves, not the tranquility.

Her fate will be the same as her foremothers. She has a child with Han, but when she sends him away to be trained by Luke, she loses them both.

Their dialogue in Episode 7 goes like this: 

Han Solo : Listen to me, will you? I know every time you... Every time you look at me you're reminded of him.

Leia : You think I want to forget him? I want him back.

Han Solo : There's nothing more we could have done. There's too much Vader in him.

Leia : That's why I wanted him to train with Luke. I just never should have sent him away. That's when I lost him. That's when I lost you both.

The last trilogy develops Leia’s character in a way that allows her to be something else than just a single mother. She loses her husband, she even loses her son to the dark side: but she never loses herself. Leia doesn’t allow her condition to define her. She becomes a leader of the Resistance even if it means going after her son’s New order. 

In Episode 9, Leia even destroys her son to protect Rey - the symbolism is that she’s overcome her role as a mother, she’s rejected the notion that she must sacrifice everything for her son even if it goes against her own self interest (like Shmi). She also rejects the idea that her partner abandoning her is the end of her. It isn’t. Unlike her mother, she finds the will to live, and to lead the next generation of freedom fighters and peace keepers.

The saga ends on a hopeful note for all of us single mothers out there. It comes with a message for us : we don’t need to choose between the austere Shmi and the weak Padme. We can instead decide that this “single mom” problem is kind of like beauty : it lies in the eyes of the beholder.

Single moms don’t need to think of themselves as failures, they don’t need to live in modest conditions, they don’t need to beg society's forgiveness for merely existing. They don’t need to be ashamed. 

Single moms don’t need to erase their brains and their lives, and sink into an ocean of denial either. They don't need to be obsessed with their careers or caught up in romantic entanglements that are only going to exhaust them.

Single moms can just decide that they’re women, with beautiful, inspiring personalities and kind, loving hearts. Mothers are first and foremost, the leaders of the young, the protectors of the realm and the makers of the future. It’s not that it doesn’t matter that they’re alone. It’s that they don’t have to be alone at all.

[politicalmamaduck]

Mother of the Rebellion

Padme Amidala survives Mustafar, and goes on the run with her babies.  With the help of her four dearest friends, they sow the seeds of rebellion across the galaxy. Read it on AO3 here.

Chapter: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4

On Imperial Center, the being who was once Anakin Skywalker destroyed yet another team of medical droids for their failures. 

What was left of his broken, natural vocal cords screamed in agony. Every remaining organic cell in his body ached with no respite.

His every moment was a living nightmare; what remained of his organic body constantly felt as though it was on fire, as if it never healed from Mustafar’s lava. 

Last night he dreamed of Padmé again. 

He would have wept, were it still possible for him to weep, for in his dreams they made love while the moons and stars glistened above Coruscant as it was but just a few months ago. 

He would never make love to Padmé again, never feel her soft skin beneath his fingers. 

He had no organic fingers left with which to feel her, even if she still lived. Though his Master did not approve, he watched the holovids of her funeral on Naboo. 

She was still pregnant when she died.

He allowed his pain to fuel his anger, for there was much work yet to be done. Imperial Center needed to be rebuilt in his Empire’s image. The war caused much damage, and there were memories of a Republic yet to be erased. 

There were still troublemakers in the Senate--the usual suspects, his dead wife’s former friends--and pockets of the galaxy that continued to fight the Empire’s will.

He would do as his Master bade: stamp out the rebels, rule with a durasteel fist, ensure that the galaxy’s newly born Force sensitives would join them. 

He would not allow himself to consider that it was all for nothing, because Padme was gone. He gave his life over to his Master the way he had given himself to the Jedi Order: completely. He lived to serve, as he always had. 

There would be no future without his Master by his side; the Emperor was wise, and had the gift of foresight. 

Together, they would learn Darth Plagueis’s secrets. Together, they would continue to improve and develop treatments for their decaying bodies. 

Their bodies were no match for their minds or their powers. They had to ensure the Empire long outlived them. There would be no mistrust or mistreatment, the way the Jedi Council failed Anakin Skywalker. No, the Emperor trusted Darth Vader, Dark Lord of the Sith. He was the Emperor’s right hand, his loyal apprentice. He had more than earned his title, and the Emperor valued his contributions.

And Darth Vader would not fail his Master. 

…

After her dreams of Anakin, Padmé knew she could no longer linger where she was. She was no expert on the Force, but she did not doubt that the Emperor would never stop hunting her as long as she lived, even if Anakin--Darth Vader--believed her dead. 

She needed to move, and she needed eyes and ears on the ground. 

She fed her babies, holding them tightly to her, then packed everything they possessed as quickly as she could while they slept. It would not be hard to find a nondescript transport back into the wider galaxy, and she still had access to her private credit accounts on Naboo, though carefully disguised and hidden under various layers and names. 

She knew Pooja was already working to rebuild the resistance structure they used during the Trade Federation’s invasion; she would not risk comming her family yet. They knew it would be a long journey ahead, with infrequent communication. 

Despite the need for the utmost secrecy, there was, however, one person she very much did need to comm. 

Padmé took a deep breath, and pressed the encryption scrambler, then a private frequency that was known only to a select few others. 

“Obi-Wan?” she asked, and prayed he would answer quickly.

…

On Tatooine, the twin suns were setting. 

Though Obi-Wan adjusted quickly to the solitude, he still had not entirely adjusted to the heat. The desert was dangerous; only the foolhardy attempted to cross it in the midday heat, and so he went into town only in the early mornings or evenings. He did not wish to attract attention to himself, and only bought what was absolutely necessary to sustain him. 

After cleaning up from dinner, he was about to settle in for the evening with a new book downloaded to his datapad, when he received a comm signal. It couldn’t be from Sabé. It was too soon. Her last comm was just a few days prior. She would not take unnecessary risks by comming again, in case anyone was watching the frequency or attempting to listen to her on Alderaan. 

Obi-Wan did not need the Force to tell him who it must have been. He took a deep breath and steadied himself in the Force nonetheless, praying that it would give him the strength to train Leia and Luke Skywalker when they were old enough. 

He would do it, and hopefully not fail them as he had their father. 

“Hello, Padmé,” he said, looking into her haunted brown eyes. She looked exhausted, a state in which he had never seen her as either Queen or Senator. 

He imagined twin babies were exhausting, but there was more to her mental and emotional state than adjusting to motherhood. She fought for her own life just as she had for her childrens’ when she gave birth. The medical droids discovered almost too late the injuries she sustained at her former husband’s hands on Mustafar. 

Sabé also told him of her worries for her best friend’s mental state, alone in the middle of nowhere. 

They all needed to rely upon each other, for there were few left they could trust, and they were all Imperial targets. 

Obi-Wan would do whatever he could to bring justice back to the galaxy, even if it meant facing Vader again. His best friend, his worst enemy--if Obi-Wan was struggling with pain and guilt, he imagined Padmé struggled with those burdens, too. 

“Obi-Wan,” she replied, relief evident in her voice. “I can’t stay here,” she said, softly and quickly. “Last night I dreamt of Anakin again. It was too--” she paused, swallowing. “It was too realistic. It almost felt like he was really here. Will you meet me at the Ring of Kafrene? I should be able to find a cheap transport there.” 

She did her research well. Obi-Wan nodded. “It won’t take me long to pack,” he said. 

“Me either. In two standard days?”

“Yes. I’ll let our friends know.”

“Thank you,” she said, and Obi-Wan could feel her relief in the Force, even across the galaxy. 

It was time.

[iamreykylotrash]

Have you ever heard the tragedy of the Skywalkers?

It was a bloodline that was tainted by a phantom emperor who wanted nothing but to rule the whole galaxy and engulf it in darkness. He created Anakin Skywalker in the womb of his mother, Shmi. Later in his life, Anakin met and fell in love with the beautiful queen, Padme Amidala. They got married and Padme had become pregnant. Anakin was happy that he was going to be a father. But one day, he dreamed of losing his true love in childbirth. He became afraid and the emperor used this fear to lure him closer to the darkness. It worked. The queen later died, not cause of childbirth, but because the loss of her husband was too much for her heart to bear. And once her husband found out of her death, and knew that he was the cause of it, his heart would be struck with intense grief. Anakin Skywalker died that day, but that same day was the birth of Darth Vader, the man who would become the most feared sith lord in the galaxy.

But years later, on the sandy planet of Tatooine, there lived a reckless and stubborn boy who knew that he had a greater purpose in his life. That boy would be known as Luke Skywalker. He wanted to become a Jedi, knowing that his father was one. But he did not know the dark truth in his family. He would later confront Darth Vader, who told him that he was his father. Luke did not want to believe it, but deep down he knew that it was true. Then Luke would find out that he had a twin sister. It was the princess that he rescued, Leia Organa. Even though she did not complete her Jedi training, Luke vowed to protect her. In the last confrontation with his father, the emperor tried to tempt Luke into killing him, but he did not let the darkness win. Then the emperor, knowing that he would not be able to turn him, tried to kill him instead. Darth Vader saw his son cry out to him, begging him to save him, and he did. He threw the phantom emperor to his “death”, saving his son but he was not able to save himself. Luke knew that even though his father committed horrific acts, the light still shined through him at the end of his life.

Then as the years passed, Leia Organa would have her own son with Han Solo. She named him "Ben" after Obi-Wan Kenobi, who she considered her only hope at the time when she greatly needed him. Ben Solo, the grandson of Anakin Skywalker, was a happy little boy, wanting to be just like his father. But when he grew older, the darkness was growing inside of him. He was sent with his uncle to train to become a Jedi. But eventually, Luke would see the darkness that his nephew had and he feared it. He took out his lightsaber, thinking that killing Ben would be the only way to stop it, but he immediately regretted it. Then he saw his nephew look at him with shocked and afraid eyes. That day would be the birth of Kylo Ren, the Jedi Killer. 

Kylo Ren was ruthless and feared by everyone. He was a man who intended to get anything that he wanted and if he didn't, there would be consequences to those who did not accomplish their orders. One day, he heard that there was a girl with the droid that held the coordinates to the location of Luke Skywalker, who was in hiding. He found the girl and took her, thinking that she would tell him about the droid, but she fought, locking him out of her mind and exposing his fear of not becoming strong as Darth Vader was. But Kylo, being focused on the power that he wanted, ultimately led him to kill his own father, who wanted nothing more for him to come home. Kylo knew that the girl held power and that would be confirmed when they fought for the first time and she beat him. Then they would be bonded by the Force. Of course, at first, they did not want to speak or look at one another. But the more they connected, the more they knew that they were the same. Kylo began to fall for the girl and she for him. Kylo and the girl defeated the person who supposedly haunted his mind and they fought alongside each other. The girl, thinking that Kylo changed back to Ben Solo, saw that he wanted nothing to do with the Resistance or with the Sith. Instead, he wanted to bring a new order, but with her by his side. She refused and left him. That same day, Luke Skywalker died.

Now being the Supreme Leader, Kylo Ren went to look for Emperor Palpatine, who eventually admitted creating Snoke and being the person who was haunting Kylo’s mind. Palpatine tried to lure Kylo to his side by tempting him with power if he killed the girl, but in reality, that isn’t what he wanted. Kylo went to look for the girl, knowing who she really was and the power that she held. But after chasing her for so long, they both confronted each other and fought. But when she was on the ground and he was about to strike again, he heard his mother call out to him, and he knew that she was dying. In that moment of distraction, the girl stabbed his own lightsaber through him, but immediately regretted it and healed him, telling him that she wanted to take Ben’s hand. Moments later, after she left, he would still be on the wreckage and then see a memory of his father, who ultimately would bring his son back to the light. Then, as the fight raged on Exegol, newly redeemed Ben Solo would go there to save the girl that he cared so much for. He would fight his way through, not caring who stood in his way. But then, at the moment he needed her, they bonded and the girl saw the man that she had fallen for. 

He would go to her and they would see each other face to face and prepare to fight the ultimate evil that stood in front of them. But Palpatine threw Ben down a pit, leaving the girl to fight alone. The girl won but the overwhelming exhaustion was too much for her body to bear and she fell over and died on the concrete floor. But Ben Solo would climb out of the pit and go to her. He held her in his arms and then embraced her lifeless body, feeling as if his life was not more important than hers. He placed his hand on top of her stomach and transferred his life force into her, reviving her. The girl looked up at him with sparkling eyes and smiled at him. His eyes gazed around her face, focusing only on her. Then she said his name and he smiled. The girl hesitated at first, but then placed her lips on his, giving him a loving and passionate kiss. And when they broke apart, she grinned and so did he. Suddenly, his eyes closed and he fell to the ground, his life leaving his body and his body disappearing all at once. 

Emperor Palpatine was responsible for creating this family and he succeeded in destroying it, which is exactly what he wanted.

The Skywalker bloodline is no more.

[femalechibiblogger]

My Top 10 Most Tragic Villains

1. Anakin Skywalker/Darth Vader

Anakin Skywalker is one of the most important characters in the Star Wars franchise. In the first movie, Anakin is only mentioned and is described as being a skilled Jedi Knight, a good pilot, and was also a good friend. Even in the prequels and cartoons that came years later, Anakin is shown to be kind, caring, and determined to save those closest to him. However...no one would have expected a great Jedi and friend to become the most infamous villain in the series. Anakin’s darker feelings, such as anger and jealousy, made him vulnerable to the Dark Side of the Force. When he has visions of his pregnant wife, Padme, dying in childbirth, Anakin is determined to do anything that he can to stop his vision from coming true...including betraying his friends, killing children, and helping a Sith Lord conquer the galaxy. However, Padme still dies, and Anakin becomes the Sith Lord: Darth Vader. Anakin had lost everything...his friends, his wife, everyone...and now all he had left was Emperor Palpatine and the Empire. But for many years, Anakin was unaware that his children had survived: His son Luke, and his daughter Leia. In the end, Anakin chooses to save Luke from Palpatine, and dies knowing that his son never gave-up on him. 

Despite Darth Vader having been a villain, he is only a villain because he was deceived and tormented until he lost everything and everyone who loved and cared about him. For many years, Anakin was haunted by his past actions, and lived in great regret of what he had done. But in the end, we see that he still had some good left in him, as Palpatine could never destroy Anakin’s love for his children. 

2. Arthur Fleck/Joker (2019)

Arthur Fleck is the main character of the original DC Comics story in the movie, Joker. Arthur is shown to be a mentally ill man who suffers from uncontrollable laughter due to a brain injury, who lives with his delusional and emotionally disturbed mother. Arthur worked as a clown, but his dream was to become a comedian. However, Arthur had been mocked by many people in Gotham, which caused him to kill three men who were harassing both him and a woman on a train. Arthur’s actions cause an uproar consisting of people who are either poor, unemployed, mentally ill, or all of the above. As the story progresses, Arthur discovers from shocking truths about his life: His mother had lied about him being the illegitimate son of her former boss, billionaire Thomas Wayne... His mother was actually his adoptive mother, and that he allowed her boyfriend to abuse Arthur...abuse that had caused him his head injury which is the reason for his uncontrollable laughing. Tired of being lied to and ridiculed all his life, Arthur kills his mother, dresses up as a clown, and kills people on live television. Not only that, but the protests that Arthur had unintentionally caused resulted in the murder of Thomas and Martha Wayne, whose murders were witnessed by their son Bruce. 

This is one of the few stories that actually features Joker’s backstory. This movie is not based off of any comics, and is therefore an original story. While Joker is one of Batman’s most dangerous villains, this may be one of the greatest portrayals of his former self. Arthur Fleck had suffered his whole life, until he snapped and would become one of the Gotham’s greatest threats.

3. Simon Petrikov/Ice King

The Ice King was the main antagonist of the cartoon, Adventure Time. Throughout the series, Ice King would attempt to kidnap princesses, especially Princess Bubblegum, and would often fight the two main protagonists: Finn and Jake. However, Ice King’s past was unexpectedly revealed in the episode, Holly Jolly Secrets. At first the episode is comedic and shows videos of Ice King’s hilarity...but it all becomes serious and sad near the end. Ice King is revealed to have once been a human named ‘Simon Petrikov’, who specialized in mysterious, supernatural artifacts. Simon had a great career, and was madly in love with his fiance: Betty. But one day, Simon found a mysterious crown buried in ice and snow. When Simon put it on his head, it gave him visions that made him act insane without him even realizing it. This drove Betty away, and Simon began to slowly change physically, emotionally, and mentally. In the end, Simon was driven completely insane and lost all memories of his past. His obsession with princesses is because he used to call Betty his ‘princess’...though he did not remember calling her that. In the series finale, Simon is freed from the crown’s power and is returned to his old self.

While Ice King was introduced as a comedic villain, and was the main antagonist for most of the series...he is still a tragic villain do to him once being a sane man with a good life, but began to lose his mind because of the crown’s magic. At least he was transformed back into his old self, in the end. 

4. Mr. Freeze

Mr. Freeze is one of the most famous and tragic villains in the Batman universe. Mr. Freeze is, of course, a villain who uses the cold in his crimes. But in the past, Mr. Freeze was a scientist named ‘Victor Fries’ who had a loving and caring relationship with his wife: Nora. Victor loved Nora more than anything in the world. But at some point, Nora was diagnosed with a fatal disease with not long to live. Desperate to save her, Victor had Nora cryonectically frozen in order to keep her alive until a cure for her illness was found. Unfortunately, however, the equipment malfunctioned, causing the lab to explode in ice with Victor in it. Victor survived, but the explosion caused his body to only be able to survive in extremely cold weather. Nora had also survived...but her condition was even more serious than before. Victor created a suit to help him live, and began to commit crimes so he could continue keeping his wife alive.

Mr. Freeze’s motive for his crime spree is his wife’s life. He would go to extreme lengths to save her life...even if it meant becoming a bad guy.

5. Zack Foster and Rachel Gardner

While number 5 on the list consists of a duo...Zack and Rachel make one heck of a team. Zack and Rachel are the two main characters in the anime, Angels of Death, in which all of the characters are, in fact, mentally unstable individuals who like to kill people. 

As a child, Zack had lived with his mother until her boyfriend set him on fire for his own enjoyment. While Zack survived this attack, his mother abandoned him at an illegal orphanage, where many other orphans were mistreated and starved by the couple who owned the orphanage. Zack was forced to bury the bodies of the orphans who died there, and was treated as a pet by the couple. One night, Zack watched a slasher film, which gave him the idea to stab the couple to death while they slept. Afterwards, Zack left the orphanage and was soon taken in a blind, homeless man who was the first and only person to ever show him kindness. However, the man was killed by a couple of sociopaths. Zack found out and killed them. For many years...Zack would kill people who were ‘happy’ and lied to him, thus earning him the title of a serial killer. 

Rachel had lived with her parents before the start of the series. Rachel’s father was a cop who had a drinking problem, which resulted in several fights between him and his wife. Both of them blamed each other for Rachel’s lack of emotions, but only stayed together because of Rachel. Rachel’s father saw her as an insane girl, and her mother hated her and would even beat her. One day, Rachel found a stray puppy and wanted to keep it, but her parents wouldn’t listen to her and just kept on fighting with each other. But later on, she went back to where the puppy was and it bit her. This caused Rachel to blackout, but when she came to...she saw that she had killed the dog without even remembering what she had done. She then “fixed” the puppy by sewing it back together, thus “making it her’s”. When Rachel returned home with the puppy that night, her father snapped and stabbed her mother to death. Rachel witnessed it and ran back to her room, with her father chasing after her with the knife. Rachel took out a gun that her mother had hidden from him, and shot her father in self-defense. Rachel then sewed her parents’ bodies together, as her way of “fixing” them and creating her “perfect family”. A week later, the police arrived at the house and saw Rachel with the sewed up puppy and her parents. The police thought that Rachel was a surviving victim who was in shock, and was sent to a mental institution for treatment. 

Zack and Rachel are quite complicated, as they have both protagonist and antagonist qualities. They both kill people and use each other to escape a building full of death traps and killers...but they also care and understand each other, as they have both suffered years of abuse to the point of developing murderous instincts.

6. Dr. Doofenshmirtz

Dr. Doofenshmirtz was basically the main comedic-antagonist of the cartoon, Phineas and Ferb. Doofenshmirtz is the arch nemesis of Perry the Platypus, and is always making some kind of ‘inator’ device to conquer the Tri State Area...though many of his “evil” plans backfire and are not really THAT evil. Though the reason why Doofenshmirtz is an evil genius, is because of his bad childhood. 

Both of his parents neglected him, he always lived in the shadow of his younger brother, his only friend was a balloon, no one ever came to any of his birthdays, he was forced to wear dresses after his brother was born, and he was even disowned at one point and was forced to live with ocelots. So, yeah...it’s no wonder he turned to a life on crime. 

Doofenshmirtz is quite hilarious and not very evil...but his terrible childhood makes you wonder how he hasn’t killed anyone! At least his arch nemesis and teenage daughter care about him. 

7. Denzel Crocker 

Denzel Crocker is one of the main antagonists of the cartoon, Fairly Odd Parents. Crocker is a fourth grade teacher who is obsessed with catching fairies...which makes the people around him see him as crazy. Of course, there is a reason for his obsession with fairies.

When Crocker was a child, his single mother worked two jobs and left him with an abusive babysitter. Because of this, he had fairy godparents...just like Timmy Turner. His life with his fairies was the only time in his life when he was happy. However, after Timmy went back in time and accidentally revealed that Crocker had fairies, his fairies were taken away from him and his memory was erased several times. People even forgot all of the good things that Crocker had done with his fairies, and was now hated by the townspeople. Because his memory was erased more than once, his appearance changed...but he still did not forget the existence of fairies, only forgetting that he himself had fairy godparents as a child.

Crocker’s obsession with proving the existence of fairies has caused him to become a laughing stock, to the point where he was expelled from Harvard, was denied funding for his fairy research, lost his girlfriend, and he never moved out of his childhood home. Crocker is capable of building extraordinary machines and is quite smart, but he wastes his talents on trying to prove the existence of fairies. If only Crocker had never became obsessed with fairies, he may have been able to live a normal and decent life.

8. Wellies

Wellies are the residents of Wellington Wells in the game, We Happy Few. Wellies are known to be decent citizens in Wellington Wells...but their minds and emotional states are from from decent. They kill or throw out anyone who becomes a Downer (a person who either won’t take Joy, or cannot take Joy due to having a bad reaction towards it). But their villainous characteristics are all caused by denial and drug usage. 

In an alternate timeline, England surrendered to Germany during WWII and the citizens of Wellington Wells were forced to send their under 13 children on a train to Germany. The children never returned, even after Germany lost the war, and all of the townspeople were so traumatized by what had happened that they now rely on a drug: Joy. Joy is a pill that makes people forget the past, and put them in a state of constant happiness. The Wellies are addicted to this drug, as they cannot bear to remember what had happened to the children. To make matters worse, their whole civilization is now on the verge of collapse due to many problems caused by them always being on Joy: Broken machinery, plagues caused by pollution, towns beginning to collapse due to poor maintenance, starvation due to lack of food production, and a government who cannot bear to face the reality of their situation and would rather be on Joy than solve the problem. 

Because of their reliance on Joy, Wellies are completely unaware that the town is collapsing, and would rather be in denial than face reality. 

9. Mary

Mary is the hidden antagonist in the game, Ib. At first, Mary appears to be an innocent girl who claims to be trapped in the Fabricated World like the main protagonists, Ib and Garry. However, it is revealed that Mary is actually a girl from a painting who wants to escape the Fabricated World by replacing either Ib or Gary in the real world. 

Depending on the game’s ending, Mary either replaces Ib or Garry in the real world by leaving one of them behind in the Fabricated World, or is defeated by Ib and Garry and remains trapped in the Fabricated World. 

Mary was the last painting made by the artist: Guertena. She saw him as her “father”, because she was created by him, and was devastated by his death. Mary is very lonely in the Fabricated World, and wants so desperately to exist in the real world. Mary would do anything to become real and have a friend and family of her own. Years of loneliness can make a person desperate and insane.  

10. Zombies

Zombies are always the villains in anything zombie-related. They are undead humanoids who eat human flesh, and drive survivors to do questionable things and fight for survival. 

However, there is something that some people seem to forget: Zombies used to be normal, ordinary humans who did not become zombies by choice. They were turned into zombies either because of a mysterious virus, or a nuclear weapon that mutated them into creatures of the undead. 

Zombies do not remember who they once were, and some even end up killing and eating their own loved ones without even realizing it. They have basically been ripped of their humanity and are now walking shells of their former selves.

[thegreatmercutio]

It’s Star Wars Day...so I thought, I’ll do a random rant reflections:

I wonder how much time has past? As you can see, he has his Sith iconic lightsaber. In which, if you read comics...depending which comic...he had to hunt down a Jedi, killed the Jedi, take his saber, take the crystal...and then he has to make it bleed...turning it red, Sith red.

These are the early days...when there are still “traces” of Anakin lingering in him. However, in my perspective, Anakin was always there, just hidden away behind the persona of Vader.

Depending if you want this, canon or legend...which to me is very disrespectful to just disregard years of comics and novels written by multiple writers with the approval of George Lucas...just because Disney has their own agenda...but whatever. That’s me. I personally, treated every thing that was officially released as canon. Disney doesn’t own my “point of view.”

What’s so interesting and very heartbreaking...is during the early years of Vader...which I really wanna see either in films or a live series (like The Mandalorian) or a movie...was his desire to resurrect Padme.

If you played the game, Vader: Immortal...in the game he tried to bring back Padme from the dead...by literally draining the life forces from all the living beings on the entire planet (there’s lore to it, Vader did his research...it’s fascinating, look it up) and he was willing to kill off more beings if needed. Also in the comics, he built his Vader’s Castle (the one you see in Rogue One and Lego’s) was to create a portal to the afterworld...so he can bring back Padme. And the thing is...to get to her, he had to kill every Jedi he has killed and any important figures (such as Yoda) and also re-live the key moments in his life—both the good and bad, both still hurts (and haunts) him. It’s really dark. It’s just rage, anger, pain, and death.

While all this is going on...he’s hunting down the Jedi’s and taking control of the galaxy for The Empire. And the one that’s on top of his kill list is sadly Obi-Wan. He blamed Obi-Wan for everything. He also blamed and hated Palpatine. Plotting constantly on how he could kill him. That’s the way of the Sith. You kill your masters.

The thing is...which poetic and tragic...was all he every wanted was Padme and his child. He just wanted her back. He turned to the dark side to save her. He sold his soul to protect her. And yes, he also wanted power, but power of the force. He has no interest in being an emperor. Honestly, in a dream he had while he was Vader...Padme was the supreme Chancellor...that’s what I believed he wanted, kill off Palpatine and give the Empire to Padme and he will be her reinforcement.

He really loves her. Love can make you very foolish, desperate, vulnerable,...and dangerous. He really means it, he can’t live without her. As Vader, he was constantly in pain (physically and emotionally) and enslaved and abused by Palpatine. It wasn’t really a life. Very depressing. He was more machine than human.

However, the tragic is...even though it hurt him, losing her and ‘constantly’ being haunted by her...gave him pain and the pain made him...more powerful as a Sith.

In honestly, he could have killed Palpatine so many times...but even so, he had nothing to live for...so like a machine, he just live on autopilot. Doing what he was made to do, but these early years...there was still hope and determination in Vader...very dark and Sith inspired determinations. And he also took in an apprentice, Starkiller...training him to one day, help Vader kill Palpatine. Look at all these potential plots.

For me, Vader would be a great new path. I know, some people don’t want it. Want him to stay kind of a mystery...but he really isn’t. He’s in 6 films and his present echoes in the 3 sequels, especially in Ben Solo/Kylo Ren. And those 20 years in between Revenge of the Sith to the New Hope are already told in the novels and the comics.

All these is a making of a potentially very good series or movie. These so much more we can do. Just hopefully, it will be done right.

...the one he sees Padme. I love it. He has been destroying and killing everything in his path...in his reality and in this dimension...yet the moment, he sees her...he’s Anakin again. He’s gentle, hopeful, and loving. He said this to her, “I can save you, I can save US both.” I interpreted it, by saving her...he will be saved too. He needs her. She has always been his anchor. Without her, the storm will consume him more. Of course, later...he is saved by his son. And in the one of the novel The Rise and Fall of Darth Vader, as Palpatine is killing Luke, while he’s watching it...he thinks of her...his thoughts were Luke is my son and Padme’s son.

Padme’s Son. In a Korean Web comic, retelling...the Return of the Jedi. As Anakin is dying, he thinks of her.

Side note, one of things I dislike about the sequels...is lack of any acknowledgement to Padme. Between Luke or Leia.

And sad thing is, no one ever really knew why Anakin turned.

[darthvader-love]

Insomnia AU part 2

Sleep at your own risk: Part 2 Noise… Beeping... What was the noise in the background? The beeping? Was it his alarm? What did it mean? Luke didn’t know, and he did not care much, as he was comfortable in the bed he was lying in. It’s soft mattress being very comfortable, he wondered how his bed had suddenly changed, or maybe he had been given an upgrade? Maybe this was their medbay, and Luke just didn’t remember he got there. The rebel didn’t know or really care. At some point, Leia would come and wake him up from his dreamy, half-asleep state, and tell him to get up as there is a war to fight. That they needed Luke’s help to win. Luke was quite surprised actually how they had gotten him, he didn’t even remember. Maybe the crash had really knocked the lights off of him. He did remember his sleep was not so very peaceful. He kept waking up in these weird half-asleep moments. The first time it happened he was floating in what he thought was a bacta tank. Luke remembered his last visit in one, and he had panicked a bit as he was disoriented when he woke. But then, in his dream, Vader walked into the room Luke was in, and that’s where it ended, he fell asleep again. It happened again later, while he was being transported somewhere, he woke up, for just a moment, only to fall asleep again when Vader appeared in his dream. His dreams were very strange indeed. He wondered this was because of all the nightmares he’d usually have of the sith, and their encounter on Bespin. It had haunted him to that day. Something nagged at him though, as he laid in the comfortable bed. What was he not remembering? Leia… Han… What was it? Luke thought hard until... He suddenly remembered. With a loud yell, he sat up straight, groaning in a bit in pain as his head and his chest hurt still a bit. Vader had captured him, now he remembered their encounter, his ship exploding and Luke passing out. He searched for his lightsaber, but Luke, of course, didn’t find it anywhere near him. “Kriff” The young man cursed out loud, feeling a cold presence return around him. Vader was aware Luke was awake. Luke, on the other hand, realized he was in a medbay, but it didn’t look especially imperial. The walls had a yellow color and the room looked very pleasant, raising Luke his suspicion that this medbay was probably a local one on the planet they had crashed on rather than one on Vader his battle cruiser. That meant Vader hadn’t been able to get him there yet. Good. There was still a chance to escape. Looking around, he also realized he himself had not been tied down or restrained in any way, which surprised him. He would have thought Vader would be more careful around him, or did he think Luke was still weak after their last encounter. Just as Luke plopped off the bed, the door opened revealing the very familiar Sith Lord, who walked in calmly as if nothing was wrong at all. “I see you are awake, young Skywalker.” The sith lord commented to Luke, who glared at him. “No thanks to you.” Luke snapped back, standing his ground, feeling way more energetic and strong since last time they had seen each other. He only now realized how big of an effect the sleep deprivation had had on him. “Where are we?” “We are where you left us at, my son. It seems your rebel friends have made it quite impossible for a retrieval party to come and retrieve us.” Vader explained to him, sounding quite annoyed. Luke could almost feel it roll off of him in waves. Luke clenched his fists at the word us, but tried to show no emotion. They were not an us, and Luke would do anything to keep himself from falling into enemy hands. “Is that so? I am afraid you have already fallen into enemy hands, my son.” Vader suddenly spoke, causing Luke’s eyes to widen, he could read his mind? “Get out of my head.” Luke just told him, and watching as Vader crossed his arms. “I apologize for your inability to shield your thoughts, my son. You are showing them to me willingly.” The sith almost seemed amused. Luke wanted to continue arguing until Vader was faster than him, again. “How long has it been since you have slept?” It was more like a command to answer than a simple question. And Vader’s emotionless mask, just staring at Luke didn’t make it any less uncomfortable, because Luke was sure Vader knew the answer already and was just testing him. The rebel, at first, didn’t want to answer, but as the silence continued, knew Vader would not leave, nor tell him anything if he didn’t answer either. Lying wouldn’t be an option either. Yoda had explained you could tell through the force if someone was lying or not. So he took a deep breath and looked to the floor as he answered, crossing his arms. “Since Bespin.” Vader thought about the answer and nodded. “I see.” Was all he said. He then proceeded to pace around the room, seemingly in thought. After a few minutes of pacing, Luke couldn’t stand the silence anymore. “What?” He asked, a bit annoyed, he wanted to get out of there, or for Vader to leave so he could continue his escape. Vader’s force presence made him very uncomfortable. He stopped and looked at Luke, still silent, before coming closer to him, slowly. “It seems to me that your ability to sleep, in an unknown way, has been linked to my physical presence,” Vader said slowly, giving Luke time to take it all in and think about it. “That’s impossible.” The younger Skywalker commented back. “I thought it would be, however, I tested it. While in your deep sleep state, I decided to take my leave, and see how you would react. The instant my presence left yours, you regained consciousness. This happened several times until I would return and you would continue sleeping peacefully.” Vader explained, leaving Luke quite baffled. It wasn’t Vader, Luke told himself, it was just him being exhausted. He didn’t want it to be Vader who helped him sleep. “It is obvious to me, you need time to accept this fact, young one. However, as this is the case. I would strongly advice against escaping, as a lack of rest as you have had over several weeks can be quite damaging. It would be in your best interest to stay by my side.” Vader added, finally becoming silent. Luke pondered it all before looking up and glaring at him. “No. That’s impossible Vader. I will never join you or the dark side. I am a Jedi.” he told him stubbornly, the passion in his chest driving him forward. Vader didn’t seem very moved by the statement. “As you wish, however, it was no request. You are not free to move about my son. This medbay is well guarded and they know to arrest you the moment you leave. So do not get any ideas of grand escapes, as they will fail.” there was an undertone there that Luke couldn’t identify. Was Vader concerned about him? “We will see,” Luke said back, and Vader just turned around and left, but not before clarifying. “I will be contacting the executor, our transport will arrive soon.” The door closed behind him after that. Luke stood there a moment longer, thinking about what Vader had said, what if he was right? What if he did need Vader to sleep, and he wouldn’t sleep again after he ran? Just as he thought that he shook his head, it didn’t matter, he knew what Vader would do if he stayed, and he would be dragged before the emperor. He had to get out somehow, but How?

Note: This is the second part of my insomnia AU called: sleep at your own risk. So if you haven’t read the first part, it’s on my account as well!

Otherwise, have fun reading!

[alpha-centari27]

If you’re unhappy with The Rise of Skywalker, and hoping that the holy grail of the #AbramsCut will make you feel vindicated, here’s some relevant news: The Abrams Cut is probably bullshit, but there might be yet another Colin Trevorrow and Derek Connolly script for Episode IX, that could be the answer to everyone’s unrealized Star Wars dreams.

According to writer and Hollywood insider Robert Meyer Burnett, at least one version of Trevorrow’s unfilmed Episode IX was called Duel of the Fates, and, even if you loved Rise of Skywalker, this leaked script sounds pretty incredible. On Monday, Burnett dropped a lengthy description of the unfilmed, alternate Episode IXon YouTube, and the details are compelling.

The trouble is of course, in determining the validity of the script Burnett claims to have read. Published on his YouTube channel, “Robservations,” Burnett talks for about 18-minutes about his background before getting into the nitty-gritty of the alleged Duel of the Fates script. Presumably, Burnett is making it clear that he’s been in and around Hollywood for a long time, and it’s not that weird to get your hands on an unfilmed script.

“Everything is gettable,” he claims, pointing out that after a movie is actually made, the interest in unfilmed versions of the movies is less important to the general public. Historically, he has a point, but relative to Star Wars, there’s obviously a huge interest (particularly now). Burnett also goes out of his way to sort of obscure how he got ahold of this supposed early Trevorrow draft of Episode IX, and even “jokes” at several points that “maybe I made this all up.”

On paper, the fact that Burnett cops to maybe inventing the script could scan as an admission that the whole thing is fake. But, the problem is, Burnett’s background indicates he has no reason to lie. Unlike full-time leakers like Jason Ward or infamous fake-Star-Wars-news guy, Mike Zeroh; Robert Meyer Burnett is a legit filmmaker who’s worked in Hollywood as a director for a long, long time. Along with Mark Altman, he co-wrote and directed the 1999 film Free Enterprise; a romantic comedy about two Star Trek fans who happen to meet William Shanter IRL. (It’s a pretty good movie!)

Burnett also is known for his work on DVD and Blu-ray special features and if you own any of the Star Trek series on Blu-ray or DVD, the chances you have at least one or two mini-documentaries produced and directed by him are pretty high. He also appears regularly on the podcast Inglorious Treksperts with Mark Altman (a huge, and respected journalist and producer of sci-fi/fantasy shows like The Librarians and Pandora). So it’s not like Burnett is a fanboy. He may be outspoken about his opinions on the directions of various franchises and has frequently tweeted out scathing viewpoints on the direction of Star Trek since its relaunch on CBS in 2017.

I don’t share Burnett’s viewpoints on Discovery, but even if he’s not everyone’s cup of Earl Grey, the reality is, he’s a guy who has worked in Hollywood for a long time and knows a thing or two about sci-fi franchises. So, the question with this Star Wars Duel of the Fates leak is: Why would he make this up and risk ruining his reputation?

Inverse has reached out to Burnett for clarification on a few aspects of the Duel of the Fates script and he has yet to respond. We will update this piece when he does. But for now, here are six major differences between the alleged Duel of the Fates script and The Rise of Skywalker.

Spoilers ahead.

6. The title and crawl

First off, you can tell right away this would have been a different movie. “Duel of the Fates” obviously references the John Williams composition of the same name, which was such a big deal in Episode I: The Phantom Menace. Here’s the alternate crawl:

The iron grip of the FIRST ORDER has spread to the farthest reaches of the galaxy. Only a few scattered planets remain unoccupied. Traitorous acts are punishable by death.

Determined to suffocate a growing unrest, Supreme Leader KYLO REN has silenced all communication between neighboring systems.

Led by GENERAL LEIA ORGANA, the Resistance has planned a secret mission to prevent their annihilation and forge a path to freedom…

5. Luke Skywalker’s role was much bigger

In this version of the story, the ghost of Luke Skywalker would have had an ongoing role throughout the film, and he wouldn’t just have been helping to train Rey. In this version, Luke’s ghost haunts Kylo Ren, too. In fact, Kylo Ren’s very first scene in the movie would have involved the ghost of Luke chastising him for going down the dark path. According to Burnett, Luke’s ghost says: “This is where the dark path leads; an empty tomb.”

This is pretty interesting, and clearly is a direct follow-up to Luke’s threat to Kylo Ren in The Last Jedi: “If you strike me down now, I’ll always be with you.” So, in the Duel of the Fates version, Luke takes that pretty literally, following Kylo Ren around, bugging him about being evil.

Luke also trains Rey in this script, (who is rocking a double-bladed saber from the very beginning) and even has a debate with her about the nature of the “balance of the Force.” In what seems like a meta-criticism, Rey questions Luke’s credibility in a pretty awesome exchange:

Rey: Balance? The dark suffocates the light, light extinguishes the dark. Over and over and over again. How is that balance in the Force?

Luke: I know that anger. My father had it too.

Rey: So says my master and his master before him. A thousand masters so eager to tell us how to live.

This is clearly very different than the chummy Luke and Rey we saw in The Rise of Skywalker. 

4. Palpatine is in one scene and he isn’t Rey’s grandfather

The dead speak! Only this time, it’s through a hologram. Just like in The Rise of Skywalker, Kylo Ren does return to the planet Mustafar, but it’s to get a Sith Holocron, not a “Wayfinder.” In this scene, the Emperor reveals to Kylo Ren that he had a back-up plan for Darth Vader if Luke and Vader ended-up being the last two Sith standing. In this recorded message, Palps tells Vader to go the planet Remnicore because there’s a secret Sith master hiding there named Tor Valum.

The Emperor is not alive, and Rey is not related to Palps in this version of the story. Also, the version of Mustafar that Kylo Ren hits-up is very clearly Darth Vader’s castle and not the random woodland area of the planet we got in The Rise of Skywalker.

As for Tor Valum, secret Sith Lord, it’s not explained how the existence of this new character would have been reconciled with the Sith “rule of two,” if at all. But Burnett does say the script describes Tor Valum as “7,000 years old” and “an alien of unknown origin [with] spindly, intense sinewy muscle…very Lovecraftian.” So, basically, a Sith monster.

Notably, Kylo Ren’s face would have been badly scarred by the Sith Holocron and he would have been forced to wear some kind of new mask that was partially made of Mandalorian armor.

3. Duel of the Fates would have returned to two hugely important Star Wars planets

According to Burnett, Unlike The Rise of Skywalker, the important events of Duel of the Fates would have taken place on two very pivotal and famous Star Wars planets: Coruscant and Mortis. In this version, the First Order has constructed a galaxy-ruling citadel on Coruscant, with Hux serving as Supreme Chancellor.

Thanks to Luke Skywalker’s journals, Rey discovers a “Force Beacon,” hidden deep within Coruscant, which would allow the broadcast to be sent out to all the possible allies of the Resistance. A subplot involves Rose, Finn, C-3PO, and R2-D2 heading to Courscant to “light the Beacon.” This feels like Lord of the Rings: Return of the King, which is weird, but also pretty cool. It’s very clear Rose had a bigger role in this movie as well. (Burnett claims she’s a major character, but based on the summary it’s hard to see how much more dialogue she has. She certainly has more to do, though!)

Meanwhile, Kylo Ren and Rey would eventually get to the planet Mortis, where they would basically battle to try and balance the Force. At other points in the script, Luke would point out that Rey was “something new” and not related to anyone and that the “Force chose her” for a higher purpose. 

2. Kylo Ren wasn’t redeemed

Although Burnett says Luke, Yoda and Obi-Wan’s Force ghosts would try to “release Ben Solo” in one scene, they aren’t successful and it doesn’t seem like Ben gets redeemed at all. There’s also no overt romance or kiss between him and Rey. It’s also revealed at one point that although Rey’s parents were “nobodies,” that Kylo Ren is actually the one who straight-up murdered them because Snoke told him to do it. (Snoke is not a Palpatine puppet in this version either.)

It’s tough to really see how Kylo Ren would have been redeemed or become the heroic guy we saw in The Rise of Skywalker. Basically, in this version, his journey ends as a giant bummer and in total tragedy.

1. The basic ending would have been similar, but for totally different reasons

Finally, Burnett notes that the idea of “good” Stormtroopers coming to the aid of the Resistance originates in this version of the script, but also says that it’s handled a little more organically. Another subplot early in the script involves the Resistance stealing a Star Destroyer, complete with AT-ATs and TIE Fighters, and then needing an army to operate them. Apparently, the rogue Stormtroopers help fix part of this problem, but, in the end, Lando rounds-up a bunch of smugglers and that fleet of ships seems to help turn the tide against the First Order. Which, though is similar to The Rise of Skywalker, happens for seemingly very different reasons.

Unsurprisingly, the First Order still loses, but the overall conclusion and climax to Duel of the Fates still feels murky. It’s not clear if he only had part of the screenplay or just chose to summarize the ending (or if the whole thing is a hoax) but at this point, it seems like one could imagine a similar ending to The Rise of Skywalker in terms of a space battle, just happening over a decaying Coruscant instead of Exegol (which sounds way cooler).

Is any of this legit? Does it matter? Right now, we don’t know, but if any aspect of what Robert Meyer Burnett presents as Duel of the Fates was ever really under consideration to be the real Episode IX, you have to ask yourself: What happened?

Was Lucasfilm totally against Kylo Ren ending up as such an irredeemable character? Was their pressure from elsewhere to bring in Palpatine back as a legacy villain? For the most part, for all of its specific differences, the broad strokes of this story are relatively the same, at least in terms of the larger galactic politics and the eventual balance of the Force. So we’re in a situation where the Dark side was in the details, and for whatever reason, those details caused a civil war inside of the Disney empire itself.