#and also because bail&breha and owen&beru

[antianakin]

My main problem with the idea of either non-Force sensitive people becoming Jedi or the whole "everyone is actually Force sensitive if you try hard enough" thing isn't that Force sensitivity is what makes the Jedi interesting, it's that this is what makes them JEDI.

There are TONS of characters in Star Wars who, if they were Force sensitive, would make excellent Jedi and I love quite a few of them. Just for a few quick examples off the top of my head: Bail and Breha Organa, Beru and Owen Lars, and Hera Syndulla (the Rebels version, not the Ahsoka show version). Sabine Wren, by the end of Rebels, would count on this list, as well (but not the Ahsoka show version). Jyn Erso and Bodhi Rook, especially by the end of Rogue One (Baze and Chirrut obviously would fit on this list, too, but they are already a part of their own religion that they might have chosen regardless of whether they were Force sensitive or not and I am choosing to respect that). Bix Calleen and Brasso from Andor. Greez from the Cal Kestis games maybe. And there's probably more that I am missing.

But the point I am making here is that none of these characters (bar Sabine in the Ahsoka show) are ever assumed to be Jedi. I don't think a SINGLE fan would ever try to argue with me that they ARE Jedi. And obviously it does not make any of them less interesting or enjoyable as characters to not be Jedi.

So if you're going to come at me with the accusation "How boring do you have to be to think the only reason the Jedi are interesting is because they're Force sensitive" then my rebuttal is this: Do you think all of the non-Jedi characters in Star Wars AREN'T interesting because they don't bear the title of Jedi? Does Sabine Wren suddenly become MORE interesting of a character when she's (theoretically) the exact same character, but now she gets to call herself a Jedi? Would Bodhi Rook or Brasso suddenly be more interesting characters if they called themselves Jedi but nothing else about them changed?

How boring do YOU have to be to think that the only interesting characters in Star Wars are those who call themselves Jedi? Personally, I really love that there are all of these characters out there with a bunch of different narrative paths open to them specifically because they AREN'T Jedi. Cassian Andor, Luthen Rael, Saw Gerrera, and Mon Mothma get to be REALLY intricate and morally ambiguous characters specifically because they are not Jedi at all. All the characters I listed above get to be these really lovely heroes for the little guy that showcase that you don't need to have cosmic powers and a laser sword and a fancy title to make a difference. There's a whole sort-of underlying side story within some of these stories about how the galaxy relied on the Jedi to solve all of their problems and how they're forced to step up and defend themselves for once after the Jedi are destroyed, leading to the introduction of all of these non-Force sensitive heroes, some more grey than others.

The Jedi are beacons of hope within the narrative, a model of selfless compassion to constantly strive towards. They are characters who consistently become their best selves through hard work and dedication. This is one of the MANY reasons I love them so much.

But I ALSO love that there are characters who AREN'T Jedi, characters who have no additional cosmic powers or knowledge, and have to figure out how to make the right choice instead of the easy choice ANYWAY, even when it's hard, even when it requires sacrifice. I love stories about the little people in the galaxy learning how to step up and emulate the Jedi when the Jedi are no longer there to be a bulwark between them and their own darkness. The beautiful tragedy of this entire side story lies in the galaxy learning the lessons the Jedi were trying so hard to teach them only after the Jedi themselves are gone due to the galaxy's selfishness. This is the bed the galaxy made for itself and now they have to lie in it. But they do! Eventually, person by person, they do.

And eventually, after many many years, just like their selfishness bore consequences, their selfless efforts also ultimately bring rewards in the form of the Jedi returning. And it's only once the Jedi and the people of the galaxy start fighting TOGETHER, the way they were always supposed to, that they're able to defeat the darkness. THAT'S the story. The Jedi and the people of the galaxy are in a symbiotic relationship with each other, a theme that doesn't work if you go for the concepts where everyone gets to be a Jedi. The Jedi are a specific group of people, they are the Force made manifest, they are beacons of hope, they are an ideal to work towards. This doesn't work with the "Jedi can also be people without Force sensitivity" or "everyone has Force sensitivity" concepts. It just doesn't.

So of course there are plenty of characters who aren't Force sensitive who follow Jedi philosophies or act in a way the Jedi would approve of. These people are the ones choosing to be in balance with the Jedi, which in turn is what brings balance to the entire galaxy.

If this interpretation of Star Wars and the Jedi comes off as boring to you, then, well, that sounds like a you problem and you're more than welcome to find a different corner of fandom to go spend time in and leave me to my corner.

[blade-liger-4ever]

Why the hell were the Solo twins and Luke's kid not named for the Organas/Lars?

If you wanna excuse Zahn for not knowing the Organas' names, that only works halfway. From what I understand, Breha's name was only revealed in Revenge of the Sith. So, there's a believable pass there.

It doesn't excuse not naming one of the boys Bail. And the reason for that is, Bail Organa was a name in the treatment and scripts for the original trilogy. Zahn should've asked around for her adopted parents' names instead of naming the girl Jaina and deriving her brother's name from his son's best friend (bias much, Timmy?)

Look, I love the Solo kids. But other than Anakin, their names don't make a lick of sense. I mean, imagine you lost your homeworld and family - wouldn't you name your kids after the people who raised you and made you the person you are?

Jaina being named for Han's mom is sweet, but that was retroactively added. Come on, let Leia recognize and respect what her adopted parents did for her instead of forgetting them entirely!

And, ignoring for a moment my hatred of Mara, Ben Skywalker being named for Obi-Wan?

Fine........BUT HIS NAME SHOULD BE OWEN, BECAUSE LUKE KNEW OWEN HIS WHOLE LIFE AND MADE LUKE THE MAN HE IS. HE ONLY KNEW OBI-WAN FOR LIKE A WEEK AND A YEAR DURING HIS LATER TRAINING!!!!!!!!!!!

Yes, I love Obi-Wan, but if Luke's gonna have a family (which he does in my AU, just without Mara), then the firstborn son should've been named Owen. It just makes sense, and makes Luke suffer the same laser-guided amnesia for cool factor that Leia does. Then you can have a second son of his named Ben, then give him a daughter to name Beru. Use your brains, people!!!!!

Alternatively, Leia and Han could've named the Solo twins for Owen and Beru, given Luke was still a bachelor at the time (supposing he didn't tell them "I appreciate it, but I want to use those names for my kids." Even then, the excuse still falls flat for the same reason as for the Organas.)

Just - come on.

And maybe let there be another daughter for Han and Leia? That's what I want to do, and I wanna call her Shmi Solo.

See, one reason I say that is because of how Leia named her second son Anakin. That makes sense because it signifies how Leia goes from despising her father, unable to see the difference between him and Vader, to realizing he used to be a good man and forgiving him. That's why, no matter how you slice it, Leia has to be the one between her and Luke to name a son after their father.

And if she had another daughter, she should name her Shmi because the whole reason Leia was able to forgive Anakin Skywalker was because of the journal Shmi kept detailing their lives together before the Jedi took Anakin in. If not for her grandmother, Leia never would have forgiven her father.

I'd also like Luke to have two daughters, and he gets to name the second Padme. The boy who doesn't remember her, but who inherited her spirit and hope, names his daughter after the woman who gave him life and the ability to save his father when she couldn't.

I guess I'm just trying to say that it's outrageous that Legends didn't find any way to keep the sense of family from the films intact, and just brushed aside the people who made our heroes who they are in favor of "cool" names.

If you liked this, thank you. It's a really good balm for my mind and soul right now.

[raointean]

I actually love the idea that Billy and William fused instead of just body-hoping. William would have died if Billy didn't come in and they fused! I love him saying that he has a mom because adoption right 🎉

Yes! The alternative is just too sad for me. As for the adoption thing, it's NOT just this fandom that struggles to understand bio vs. adoptive parents. I'm in the Star Wars fandom and there are SO MANY PEOPLE that refer to Anakin and Padmé as Luke and Leia’s "real" parents. Meanwhile, Owen, Beru, Bail, and Breha are called kidnappers or just ignored entirely (yes, I loved the Obi-Wan show. Why do you ask?)

I think the same problem is sometimes happening in this fandom too. We know Wanda and Vision as characters and we want them to be a happy family. We do NOT know Rebecca and Jeff Kaplan nearly as well, so there's a tendency to want to take the child from the characters we don't know as well and give him to the characters we know, like, and want to be happy.

On a slightly happier note, here's all my headcanons about Billy Kaplan's life (not Billy Maximoff or William Kaplan, but the entity that is both of them)

As William's heart stopped, his soul separated from his body and was on its way to wherever Jewish people go when they die

Billy M's soul, at the same time, was fleeing because it didn't have a body to support it

He found William's body easy enough to get into (because a soul had just left it) and close enough to alive to be fixed

However, William's soul was in between Billy M and the body

Billy M could have gone around and been the only soul in the body, but he was scared, okay?

Poor guy was only a couple days old, alone for the first time ever, and his mom had just kinda killed him and the rest of his family

Long story short, Billy M crashes into William and drags them both into the body

Billy M fixes the body just enough to keep living, but doesn't bother too much about the head injury

Meanwhile, William is stuck to Billy M like silly putty when you have two different colors and, by the time they get to the hospital, the two colors have blended entirely to form a new color

There's no way to differentiate one from the other

Billy Kaplan is born!

Because Billy M didn't fix the head injury, they both have amnesia

Billy K wakes up and it's literally "no thoughts, head empty"

(Except for some lingering sensation of loneliness... like there should be something someone? else there)

But not for long because he soon discovers he can hear other people's thoughts!

Which is really funny because he doesn't know that other people can't hear his thoughts

Poor guy genuinely thinks that humans communicate via telepathy for a solid 24 hours before he gets enough weird looks that he puts two and two together

(His parents are totally aware of this

There's only so many times your kid can answer exactly the thought going through your head without you catching on

Also, this is the Marvel universe!

Shit like this just... happens sometimes

They figure he'll come to them when he's ready, and until then they'll think nice thoughts and be supportive)

Billy K spends a solid four months trying to remember who he was before, stealing memories from his parents' heads, and pretending to recover from the amnesia

(Rebecca and Jeff try so hard not to make him feel like they're just waiting for their old son to come back but...)

Four months in, Billy's at the mall with his mom on some errands and that's where he sees it

Hot Topic

He begs his mom to go in there, and it's the first really normal teenage thing he's done since the car crash so she lets him

For the first time in four months, Billy forgets all about car crashes, and memories, and hospitals, and expectations

All that exists is spiky jewelry, ripped black skinny jeans, and a million of those cheap and hilarious pins

Over time, the family settles into his "new normal" and chalk most of it up to teenage experimentation

In that three year period though, Billy can't shake the feeling that something's still missing

He feels out of place in his body, even with the new aesthetic

(He sees that one tumblr comic about the coocoo bird and cries-- a lot. It's the closest he ever gets to telling his parents about his out-of-place feeling)

He doesn't tell them though

Instead, he digs and digs into the weirdest, darkest, most demented corner of the internet

Reddit

[fandomforg]

So, Your Child is Force Sensitive:

it’s a book written during the prequel era by some mommy blogger on a random planet. she’s got a set of force sensitive twin boys and she compiled her blog posts into a book all about raising force sensitives and choosing not to give them to the jedi temple.

the book is not super well known, it only ever sold maybe a few hundred copies, but it’s honestly really detailed. this lady did her research, but still is able to give her outside perspectives as a force null. she talks all about being pregnant with force sensitives, the babies special needs as empaths, the choice to raise them herself, interactions between force sensitives being raised together, the developmental checkpoints that are different from force nulls, and even how to deal with your moody and powerful force sensitive teens.

the book also talks a bit about jedi ideology and family structures (to help parents make the decision of whether to give the kid to the jedi or not) (it took her so long and so many space emails to the jedi to do that research)

the jedi themselves, however, are not too big of fans of this book because they think it’s probably for the best for force sensitive kids to be raised in the temple (and in some ways it is), but this mommy blogger advocates that with the right, caring parents and the right knowledge, force sensitive kids can do just fine being raised at home (and she’s also kinda right)

anyway, the book stays unpopular all the way up until order 66. then the book gets super-duper banned with all the rest of the reputable information on force sensitive people and the jedi. the mommy blogger stops posting. her and her now adult children drop off the map. her small (but devoted) following has no idea if they’re ok or even alive, but they go to great lengths to erase all of her personal information off the holonet if they can.

the galaxy keeps turning, and the mommy blogger stays missing, but sometimes her book (the few copies not destroyed) will end up in the hands of people who need it. people like bail and breha organa, owen and beru lars, kanan jarrus and hera syndulla, and even eventually din djarin.

even luke skywalker gets himself a copy when he’s suddenly responsible for having his own little force school. (at one point, din is reading the chapter on letting go of your kids when they leave the nest, while luke is simultaneously reading the chapter on how to calm an inconsolable youngling)

a lot of the research into how the jedi work and their ideologies are actually way more accurate, relevant, and recent than any of luke’s other ancient jedi texts, so that’s how luke’s jedi order rebuilding efforts become mostly built on one chapter of a book written by a middle-aged, force null, mother of two.

this mommy blogger may have started her blog just to document her journey in raising her twins, but she ended up writing a book that would help raise a generation of force sensitive children who had no jedi temple to turn to. her honest care spread farther than she could have imagined.

still, nobody could find out where she and her twins went, even after the fall of the empire when it was safe.

[marvelstars]

Does it bothers you when people are like "Leia is so Anakin coded" or "Leia is so alike both Ani and Padme" while completely reducing Luke to "Padme in a boy's body". I have seen a few edits of the twins on tik tok lately and always when the video is about the parallels between Anakin and Luke the comments go "No. That is wrong. Luke is like Padme and Leia is like Anakin", or "you get the twins right, anakin-Leia, luke-padme".

And I have tbh, that pisses me off a bit, mostly on Luke's behalf since he is my fave, cause while I totally agree Luke has a lot of similarities with Padme, he also is alike Anakin in so many ways. And it upsets me a little people just trying to erase everything they have in common just to support this narrative. (Main reason why I don't like the reverse AU, or Senator Luke fics. The ones I have read just straigh up pushed this narrative, putting his love to fly, his passion, and many things that makes Luke be Luke to the side only to make him be a version of Padme)

It is also upsetting for Leia, since she is far away from being 100% like Anakin. They are both passionate and determined people, yes, but this doesn't make her be "Ani 2.0". And this narrative also completely dismiss the existence of Bail and Breha on her upbringing.

Both twins share a lot of similarities with both of their parents in different and intricated ways, with a lot of their own personality on the mix, what makes them unique. It baffles me see them being reduced to charicatures of their parents.

I agree with you, I understand fandom wants to have fun with memes but sometimes they go too far, Leia and Luke ultimately are their own persons and tbh those takes also do a big disservice to Anakin and Padme characters´reducing their arc and personality terribly and ignoring Owen, Beru, Bail and Breha influence on the twins emotional development.

But I will focus on Luke and his relationship to Anakin here.

Luke is a strong force sensitive with a good aptitude towards mechanical work, he is passionate, short tempered, idealist, has big dreams for the future, excellent pilot and soldier who cares more than anything for friends and family and causes he considers just, he is also kind and compassionate even if this doesn´t come easily to him, just like Anakin was at his age.

That said, he is also down to earth, pragmatic and has a no non-sense actitude when it comes to other people, see his reaction to Han trying to scam them on their travel to Alderaan, he doesn´t suffer people trying to make him feel inferior because he knows his own personal value, those are characteristics he got for being raised by his uncle and aunt, sure they lived on a desert planet full of Hutts, slavers, criminals and bounty hunters but they lived an honest way of life and didn´t believe they owned either group an ounce of their honest work, they only ever owned it to their family.

Anakin´s experiences shaped him differently on this matter, given his life as slave his mother teached him the art of bend,dont break by keeping his identity intact, this made him more susceptible to be ordered around by the Chancellor, the Jedi Council, the Republic sometimes even Padme even if this meant sacrificing his original hopes of freeing his mother, the slaves of tatooine and having a family.

Anakin developed low self esteem issues when he got separated from his mother because he no longer had her unconditional support and knew the reason why he was trained by the Jedi was contingent to his habilities and what he could do for the Order, not because he as a person, was important or would have been chosen for himself as a Jedi if he wasn´t so strong in the force but he learned to keep his real self buried and protected from outside forces while using the systems controlling him to his advantage. Palpatine managed to break him but even Vader was able to keep part of his real self alive despite the Emperor´s many efforts to turn him completely to the darkside ,which Luke noticed thanks to his bond to his father.

Those characteristics Luke got from his Uncle and Aunt served Luke well when he confronted the Emperor, Obi-Wan and Yoda, he already was interested in being a Jedi because of his father but this didn´t mean he was going to blindly follow whatever order Yoda and Obi-Wan gave him as much as he personaly appreciated and loved them as people and masters in the force and he certainly wasn´t going to act as if the Emperor wasn´t trying to destroy his familiar bond to his father when he didn´t even know the guy, took his father from him before he was born and was the rebellion´s main adversary, all Palpatine was for Luke was an objetive to kill on sight and Palpatine knew this, that´s why he temped him to the darkside by giving him the oportunity to kill him. Luke is also of the mind that if he doesn´t agree with something and that something is the source of great pain for others he is 100% justified in destroying it, see Jabba´s palace, the death star, the Empire. Anakin´s style is more "I know the system doesn´t work, it sucks but I will be damned if I don´t try to fix it or work around it" because he often feel as if he had no other choice.

Many fans take for granted the fact Luke forgave his father as his main personality trait when the opposite is the truth, Luke wasn´t a stranger to violence because he lived on a planet in which if you didn´t learn to take care of yourself you could die and as part of the rebellion he wasn´t a stranger to killing imperials and losing loved ones to the cause, the interesting thing about Luke´s CHOICE of saving his father isn´t that it was part of his nature all along, it´s the fact that´s pretty much agaisn´t his natural temperament, saving Vader went agaisn´t his natural care for family, Vader may be his father but he hurt his friends and Leia, saving Vader was the least pragmatic choice acording to his identity as a rebel and Jedi, saving Vader went agaisn´t his own feelings of abandoment and yearning for a father feeling betrayed by Anakin´s turn to the darkside.

Still Luke made this choice because he felt how utterly isolated and broken Vader was and he cared enough for the image of the father he never knew, a father he knew could still be there, to show him some uncomplicated, familiar love once again, the kind his aunt and uncle showed him, if only for Luke´s own peace of mind that he truly tried everything to make his father feel better, while his pragmatic side took care of things by letting Leia know about his mission and telling her they had to attack the DSII anyway even if he was there because the cause of freeing the galaxy from the Empire was still more important than his personal feelings and issues with his father.

The narrative gives Luke the victory, saving his father from the darkside which lead to the destruction of the Emperor and the Empire, for being loving and compassionate despite this not coming natural to him but as part of his personal grow and maybe, as the legacy of the two women who shaped his family without him meeting them, Shmi and Padme and the person his father used to be.

Luke and the Skywalker family in general are waaay more than some fans give them credit.

Thanks for the question anon

[shatterpoints-and-fractures]

They separate the children, because together they are a beacon in the force, and if there is any chance of these two surviving, they cannot be allowed to shine so brightly. This is also why Bail, when finds out that Ahsoka is alive, he keeps the two of them apart.

They tell no one, partially because they don't know if there's anyone left to tell, but because the security in secrets is their best defense and every pair of lips is a potential hole in the bulkhead. Obi-Wan tells Owen and Beru because they have to know, Bail tells Breha because there's no way she wouldn't find out, even if he were inclined to lie. But not Padme's family, nor the Handmaidens to who'd dedicated their lives to her, and undoubtedly her children.

Bail is in a risky position, in the proverbial dragon's maw, but guarded by his more peripheral connection to Padme and his known desire to adopt a child when the fighting ended, thus explaining the convenient timing.

Obi-Wan's plans nearly get him yelled at by both Bail and Yoda, but he knows, in his heart of hearts, that the empire would not search for him, and in that he is right.

[palfriendpatine66]

Actually. Also. 19.

Choose violence ask game

19. Best canon example of good parenting in Star Wars

Ah yes. You know me well. Buckle up everyone

In no particular order because I don’t think there’s a winner here:

Shmi “He Deserves More Than A Slaves Life” Skywalker. Anakin was literally the only thing she had in the universe. She taught him to care for others and stand up for what’s right. And she loved him enough to let him go. If Anakin had been able to follow her example regarding love the Galaxy would have been a different place.

Owen “He Is My Own” Lars and Beru “We’re Enough” Whitesun Lars. I could write an essay on them. They knew the risk, they knew the danger, and they took him in. More than that: they loved him. They taught him to work hard and do what’s right. They, too, loved him enough to let him go. Prolonging the inevitable as long as they could, sure, but weren’t going to hold him back from the life he wanted and squash his spirit by keeping him safe on the farm forever either (one more season!) They protected him and gave their lives for him.

Bail and Breha “You Are An Organa In Every Way” Organa.

In this house we stan Bail and Breha Organa. Far more than Owen and Beru could even begin to fathom they understood what was at stake. Bail witnessed the attack on The Temple with his own eyes and knew exactly what would happen if Leia was found. But he and Breha had already been fighting for what is right - been fighting the Empire before it was even formed. They were committed. And they raised Leia to continue that fight even after she had lost everything herself. They are the true embodiment of family being far more than blood and ironically, raised a daughter who would carry on the legacy of Padme and (Clone Wars General/pre fall)Anakin: Leia spent her life dedicated to the service of others and democracy and fiercely defended what is right.

[airandangels]

I was thinking after my conversation about “I Want” songs with my nephew about moments when there should be a song like that, and one example I’d given him was Dorothy singing “Somewhere Over the Rainbow,” so naturally I thought of Luke Skywalker on his little berm, and then I thought of the excellent idea I read somewhere that instead of Disney doing boring live action remakes of their great animated movies there should be animated remakes of live action movies, and those bumped together in my head to form Star Wars the Disney animated musical. Key points:

You are free to imagine the voice casting however you wish with one exception: obviously Ewan McGregor is playing Obi-Wan. Play him again and it’s a musical? Whoosh sound effect and a McGregor-shaped dust cloud as he makes for the studio.

Complete freedom to add scenes, and I don’t mean like the restored ANH scene where Han steps on Jabba’s tail - scenes exploring characters’ feelings through song! Including when they’re alone, which is the only way Leia would ever talk about her feelings.

Must look like classic cel animation. Character designs are inspired by but not required to be closely based on the actors (nor The Clone Wars). The animators will be instructed to draw the idea of Luke Skywalker, not Mark Hamill, if you see what I mean.

Mark Hamill can totally do the voice if he wants to though, obviously.

Definitely still have the stormtrooper who bonks his head on the door.

Examples (may not be in chronological order):

Luke’s “I Want” song obviously. Make it as “Somewhere Over the Rainbow” as you like.

Han gets an intro song making his way through Mos Eisley dodging bounty hunters. Make it as “One Jump Ahead” from Aladdin as you like.

“My Only Hope,” a song sung by Leia alone in her cell as she mourns for her planet and her parents. She falls apart in tears, then pulls herself together with a mighty effort and fixes her make-up with a little magic sci-fi device she had hidden up her sleeve and rises determined to stay in command of the situation and of herself - that’s her only hope.

“Your First Steps,” Obi-Wan’s big number while training Luke on the Falcon. A somewhat more comprehensive introduction to the Force than just trying not to get zapped by a training remote.

Other Stuff I Want:

Boba Fett cameo, because I love him.

Just as Leia cries when she’s alone, I need Luke to actually cry when he finds Owen and Beru’s bodies. Then, again like Leia, he pulls himself together and goes to do what he can. But he’s still sniffing and having to wipe his eyes with his sleeve as he drives back to Obi-Wan.

It would be corny but I’m not opposed to brief cameos, just background glimpses, of other characters who might be on Tatooine at the time during Han’s number. I mentioned Boba but we could also have Fennec Shand, Peli Motto and Cobb Vanth.

Before the medal ceremony ending (for which you’d better believe EVERYONE is singing, solos for the main characters and the entire Rebellion as a choir, the triumphal “A New Hope”) there’s a quiet scene with Alderaanian rebels raising a memorial stone to the people of Alderaan, and then anyone who lost someone on Alderaan can use a little laser pen to write their names on a small stone to place in front of it. Leia offers a stone and a pen to Luke, who demurs that he doesn’t want to intrude on something for Alderaan. Leia says, “I’m still the princess of Alderaan and I’m inviting you. You’re not intruding.” So we have a shot of their stones lying together on the base of the pile, inscribed “Breha and Bail Organa” and “Beru and Owen Lars.”

Yes in legible English (or substitute the local script for international release), I’m not doing Aurebesh.

When you use the Force your hair puffs out like a Studio Ghibli character.

Just go full 80s scifi anime with unlimited budget on the Death Star run scenes, obviously

[jadelotusflower]

Fic authors self rec! When you get this, reply with your favorite five fics that you've written, then pass on to at least five other writers. Spread the self-love ❤️

Thank you, my friend! I'm going to limit this to Star Wars fics otherwise it would be impossible to choose.

In no particular order:

The Lady of the Lake - part of my A Year in the Life series, and I think this is my favourite for a few reasons. It's the conclusion of the series and I love a happy ending, indulging in some of my greatest Star Wars loves - Luke/Mara, One Big Happy Skywalker/Solo family + the Naberries (SkySoloBerries), and particular writing interests - mythology and folklore which play a big part in this story, in particular I love the story of the singing swan (which I may repurpose in original fiction one day) and Nabéire and the Morrígan.

Turn Your Face to the Sun - Obi-Wan chronicles his life on Tatooine in a journal - which sounds banal, but I really love this fic even if it is unfinished (I'm close, only a few chapters to go). In a way Obi-Wan as a character probably aligns with my writing style better than others, and I really enjoyed fleshing out his character during this time, but also Owen, Beru, and Luke as a family. If you were disappointed by the Kenobi tv show, perhaps this may be of interest.

He ain't heavy, he's my brother - A little bit of a cheat, since this isn't technically a series but a grouping of one-shots about Luke and Han's friendship (or thematically adjacent) - one of my favourite relationships/dynamics! Set at various times and adhering to various canons, nonetheless something I always enjoy writing about. But if I had to only pick one from this lot, it would be He Will Not Encumber Me.

Twin Hearts of Kyber - This started out as a little AU where Leia made it to Tatooine to collect Obi-Wan, who of course insisted on bringing Luke along too. I wrote a second chapter because I really wanted Luke to meet Breha and Bail, and then intended to write a third and final chapter where the twins meet Han, however the more I thought about it the more I wanted to explore how the story could unfold from there (and maybe bring Mara into it as well), but alas remains unfinished even in my mind. But I still love it, and do want to finish it one day.

Red Five - At over 200k words, the longest fic I've ever written, started in those heady days after TFA where there was so much hope and theorising about where the story could go. While technically a Luke/OC fic, the idea of Valara was very much as a Mara expy brought into the new canon. Originally intended as a one-shot, the fic grew into a total AU backstory to TFA with Luke and Valara as an emotional slow burn, the birth of Rey and her subsequent disappearance orchestrated by Ben, and then AU sequel to TFA as Luke and Rey reunite and search for Valara. Heavy angst with a happy ending (eventually), I'm really very attached to this fic even if I have been soured on the ST as a whole.

[dameronswife]

🔥 ~ do your worst I love reading yours

heh, thanks Gate 💜 hmm, I have a lot of unpopular opinions as you all know lmao, but I have been mulling over something again today because of some discourse I've been seeing today on SW Twitter because of the ending of The Rise of Skywalker, and it's that I believe the fandom - especially two very specific segments of the fandom - are just perhaps a bit too comfortable with espousing eugenics leaning rhetoric while voicing their complaints about Rey accepting the name Skywalker.

There are plenty of extremely valid reasons to be upset about this to be fair! And I respect those reasons, of course, but a lot of the time I see a lot of talk about "Skywalker blood" as if it is something that is pure and needs to be protected and continued and -

Well, you see my point, right? It always leaves such a bad taste in my mouth; surely we can mourn what was lost, voice our criticisms of losing beloved fictional characters, without resorting to the barbaric concept of keeping any bloodline "pure". I really only ever see this with people that are either part of the fandom menace, or a certain enemies to lovers ship fanbase that seems to think Rey's One True Ending is to be a baby maker, and thank god for that because if it was more popular here on tumblr I would be losing my mind.

I also feel like, the eugenicist attitudes aside, it's....really misunderstanding what the Skywalker Family is, anyway? In Legends, Leia had about a fazillion last names because the "Skywalker family" became a huge, overlapping family, much like it is in canon? That family is clearly forged by choice, as often as this is stripped away from its members: Shmi had Anakin and then she fell in love and was wonderful step-mother to Owen, and loved Beru, and they later took in Luke and raised him as their own. Anakin fell and chose Padme, who was already friends and close with Bail and Breha, and it is them who chose to take in and raise Leia as their own. Luke and Leia choose Han, they choose Lando and Chewbacca chooses them all: when Kylo is born, he's given the last name Solo. It's as much him as Skywalker and Organa. Leia takes in Poe, takes in Rey, and Rey chooses Finn and Poe and BB-8 and Rose and the Resistance.

The Skywalker Family is huge. It encompasses so many people because every person in the Skywalker Family is like "do you have a family? yeah? you're free real estate anyway" because they have some of the biggest hearts in the fucking galaxy. Even if it's not by blood, and sometimes especially when it's by blood. Obi-Wan is part of it, the Organas are part of it, Ahsoka is part of it, etc etc etc etc etc.

I don't see the need to pit characters against each other, much less worry about keeping bloodlines "pure". It's gross, regressive, and I think a fundamental misunderstanding of practically every Skywalker there is, as if them having a bleeding heart and loving so fiercely and so much isn't at the core of the franchise.

Send me a “ 🔥 “ for an unpopular opinion.

[serendipity-by-chance]

said it before and i’ll say it again. luke and leia are the symbol of everything their parents stood for. ALL of them. you can’t ignore anakin and padme’s influence on them because anakin and padme was literally created based on luke and leia. and the same way you can’t ignore bail, breha, owen and beru because they helped foster those innate qualities in them and made them the kind and brave people that the kids are.

it’s insulting if you ignore one set of parents in favor of another. luke and leia fought for a better world just like their bio parents once did. leia also fought like both her parents who raised her did.

Leia following Padmé’s path in life and becoming a politician at a young age, and then eventually a Senator, a leader the people can trust, who pushes for what is in their best interest

Luke becoming a jedi, like Anakin before him, but learning their ways later in life than was typical, growing from that rocky start into the stuff of legend

Leia as the best parts of Anakin, fiery and ready to fight, a leader of an army fighting against injustice in the galaxy, confident in her own abilities

Luke as the best parts of Padmé, dedicated to making the galaxy somewhere where people can have hope, refusing to believe that the good in someone can just be gone, steadfastness in his beliefs

Leia having a big heart and steel in her spine and a commitment to the rebellion she got from Bail and Breha Organa, who she watches be annihilated along with the rest of her people (the way Padmé saw her planet get invaded when she was just a child, only Leia is unable to stop it from happening)

Luke valuing all people and entering the rebellion with hope and more than a little naïveté, developed from living with Owen and Beru Lars, who he returns home to find the bodies of (the way Anakin found Shmi, only Luke cannot get revenge in the moment, and so it simmers in him until it is transformed, slightly, from vengeance to a need for justice)

Luke and Leia as amalgamations of their parents—the ones who raised them and the ones who didn’t—fated to live in the echoes of their family history but not bound to repeat it.

Luke and Leia bringing hope to the galaxy which is so much like the hope Anakin Skywalker and Padmé Amidala brought, and yet simultaneously so different from it.

[lukeleiahan]

Ripped at every edge but you’re a masterpiece

I read an AU, and I had to follow up...

Essentially, the Empire falls when Luke and Leia are five, and now their parents figure out how to go from here. Lot’s of appreciation for Bail and Breha Organa and Owen and Beru Lars, a generous helping of Sabe, and precious baby!twins Luke and Leia.

Also on AO3, read the fic that inspirated this here.

 Five weeks after the fall of the Empire

It starts, like many great things, with a knock on the door.

(No, that's not right. It starts with an old man, who isn't really that old at all, bringing a baby in the middle of the night. Or maybe with a freedwoman dying in the arms of her son. Maybe even with that same slave woman, not free yet, giving birth to that same son.)

Beru is standing in the kitchen, preparing a small dinner for her family. Luke is sitting to her feet, quietly playing with the spare mechanical parts Owen organised for him. He likes mechanics, that boy of theirs. Likes playing and tinkerin g and building and fixing things. He's got a talent for it, like Shmi always said her son, Luke's father, had.

It's the thought of Luke's father that makes Beru tense up. She isn't really expecting anyone, and while that doesn't have to mean anything...

Well, Beru's never really been a trusting person. She's freeborn herself, but her mother had been born a slave, and she's never really felt safe from the slavers. And ever since Old Ben gave them Luke, that little boy that is both Beru and Owen's sunshine, and told them only that Anakin was dead and the Empire wasn't to know about the boy...

Well, Beru's tense. She wishes one of her friends was here, or Owen. But wishing for something won't make it true, and so she puts down the bowl and bends down to Luke.

“Stay here, darling, please. I'll be right back.” She tells him. He nods, and then he smiles at her. He shines, whenever he smiles, that precious boy, and Beru drops a kiss on his forehead.

The woman at the door doesn't seem particularly dangerous, but that doesn't have to mean anything. Her clothing is dark blue, practical but with intricate details that remind her of water flowing. It's a beautiful effect, and one that immediately makes it clear that this woman is not of Tatooine.

Then Beru's eyes reach the woman's face, and she gasps. She's staring, she realizes distantly, but this... Old Ben said...

“I'm not Padme.” The woman says, sounding both resigned and sad, as though this is not the first time she's said it. “I know I look like her, a lot, but I'm not. She was a dear friend of mine, though.”

That's why she sounds sad, Beru realizes, and tries to get herself under control. It can't be easy to look so much like a dead friend.

“Come in.” She says, and steps aside. The house seems so small, so dirty and cheap, with this woman inside, but she doesn't seem to notice it. Now that the first shock has passed, Beru can see the differences between this woman and Padme. Padme had been... less purposeful in her movements, maybe, and her face hadn't seemed quite this sharp.

“What is you name?” She asks, once the woman is sitting down at the small table and she's brought her a milk. Luke is still in the kitchen, playing quietly. She doesn't want him to come out. Not yet.

It might not be the fair, or even particularly likely, but it has always been Beru's fear that one day, one of Padme's family would come and take Luke away from them. He's her boy, her son in everything but name, but she is very aware that there is no official adoption, nothing to stop rich offworlders from taking him away.

But that's not a reason to be impolite, at least not yet. So she smiles and sits down next to the woman.

“Sabe. Sabe Nertay.” The woman says, taking a polite sip of the milk. Her face is like a mask, completely unreadable. Then she takes a long breath, and looks Beru in the eyes.

“The Empire has fallen. I don't know if you've heard about that, out here, but it has. The Emperor is dead, and so is Lord Vader.” She says it in a rush, as though she has been waiting for a long time to say these words.

Beru has heard rumors, of course she has. But there are always rumors. She doesn't usually put much stock into them, and this time... well, it's not like life was so different under the Empire than it was under the Republic.

But it is important to the woman in front of her, and it caused her to come all the way to Tatooine, so Beru stays quiet.

“Padme... she fought the Empire, you know. She fought it before it had ever been founded, and she died... It was clear that the Emperor, that he'd want to use the kids, and Vader...”

Sabe stops for a moment, trying to regain her composure. In that moment, Luke comes in, smiling at Sabe, but heading for Beru.

“I made something for you!” He says with a smile, handing her the mechanics he was tinkering with before. They fit together, somehow, and when Beru takes it, she realizes it's a small holo recorder. She doesn't quite know how he made that out of some small junk parts, but that's her boy.

“Thank you so much. It's amazing!” Beru tells him, hugging him close. She is very aware of Sabe's eyes on them, but she doesn't look. She just looks at her boy.

“This is Miss Sabe Nertay.” She tells Luke. “Say hi to her.”

Luke goes over to Sabe, holding out his hand to great her. “Hi Miss Sabe.” He says, smiling. The woman seems shocked for a moment, then she takes Luke's offered hand, and smiles at him. It looks fairly honest, too.

“Hi Luke. It's nice to meet you.” She says, something almost... amazed in her voice. Luke looks at her. Beru doesn't know whether he realizes the tension in the room, the weirdness of this woman here in her kitchen, but she thinks he might. He's five, but he's also a perceptive sort, her boy.

“It's nice to meet you too.” He says, shaking her hand seriously.

“How about you go get your uncle, darling?” Beru says, and Luke runs off. Sabe looks after him, that amazed look still on her face. Beru can relate.

“He has her smile.” Sabe whispers, almost to herself.

She debates staying silent. Sometimes, she knows, listening is the best thing to do, but yet... she has to know.

“Are you going to take him away?” She asks, voice steady. She's not going to let the woman know her terror.

“No.... no, of course not. I would never... you have raised him for five years. He's yours. I'm not … I'm not going to steal him... He's Padme's son, but he's... he's yours, too.” Sabe says. She seems... insecure is the wrong word, but she doesn't truly seem to know how to handle this, either.

“Is he safe?” Beru asks. Another terror rises. If Sabe is not there to take Luke away, then why is she here? Is there anything else, something more terrible than even the Empire, coming for her boy?

“Yes.” Sabe says, louder than she was probably intending. She looks Beru in the eyes. “He is safe. Vader... Vader was the danger. Vader and the Emperor. They're dead now. They can't get him. They're dead.”

It shouldn't cause so much relief, Beru thinks, that this stranger, this offworlder, tells her Luke is safe. But it does.

“Why are you here, then?” Beru asks.

“I think... I think your husband should be here to discuss this?” Sabe sounds insecure now. It causes Beru's nerves to ratch up again, but she tries to control that. She thinks of what Shmi would have done.

“How did you know Padme?” She asks. Luke has asked about his mother. Not that often, but it's natural for him to be curious, and Beru knows so little.

“We were little girls.” Sabe says, sounding grateful to have something to talk about that she is comfortable with. “On Naboo, we do our civil service young, you know? We elect our princesses when they are about twelve, and out of these prinesses, we elect our queens.

“I started training as a handmaiden at the academy when I was twelve, and two years later I was sworn in to become handmaiden to the new queen. That queen was Padme. She was fourteen, like me, and she took the ruling name Amidala.”

“That's very young.” Beru can't help but say. Fourteen. She remembers being fourteen. She'd been a child. Of course she'd been. To imagine being in charge of a planet at that age... it's terrifying.

“It's how we do it on Naboo.” Sabe says, sounding unconcerned. “You have noticed we look the same. That's why I was chosen to be one of her handmaidens, you know? Us handmaidens, we are not just there to help the queen with her clothes and hair, we are also there to be decoys in dangerous situations. I was always the one who looked the most like her, so I was usually the decoy.”

“That sounds dangerous.”

“It was, I suppose, but I knew what I was signing up for. It was a huge honor, you know. To impersonate the queen. And it was an amazing thing to share, with a friend such as Padme. She wasn't just the queen to me. We were all close, all of us handmaidens and Padme, but the two of us, she was... I never had a sister, but Padme became my sister. I served as a handmaiden for both her terms, and we stayed friends afterwards. She still had handmaidens as a senator, but... I left the service. I became a teacher. I've always wondered.... if I'd stayed...”

Beru takes her hand. There isn't really anything she can say. She wants to tell this woman it's not her fault, but she doesn't even know how Padme died. It would feel like lying to promise something like that.

The door opens, and Luke's chatter fills the room. He's telling Owen about building the holo recorder. Owen is listening, but he's also looking at Sabe with suspicion. Of course he is. Strange offworlders appearing isn't usually a good sign on Tatooine, and he's just as afraid of someone taking Luke away as she is.

“How about you look at those vaps in the garage.” He says, voice gruff but affectionate, running his hand through Luke's hair. Luke grins and runs off.

“So, what's going on.” He says, looking at Sabe. He's not quite glaring, but it's a near thing. Sabe does not seem intimidated, though.

“The Empire has fallen. The Emperor and Vader, they are dead.” Sabe says, looking him in the eyes, the way she did with Beru.

“So what? You gonna take Luke away from us now? 'Cause that's not happening.”

“No. Nobody is going to take Luke away. You are his family. But...” Sabe looks like she's trying to find the right words.

“But what.” Owen says flatly.

“He has a sister. Luke. He has a sister.” Sabe says, and she's looking at both of them now. Beru covers her mouth with her hand.

“Leia.” She whispers. Sabe's head wips around to her.

“Obi-Wan told you?” She asks.

“Old man told us jack shit.” Owen gruffs. He is willing to be nicer, though, now that Sabe told him she's not going to take Luke. “It's a Tatooine thing. Twin names. Luke and Leia... they're only given together.”

“We thought she might have been stillborn. Or died later, something like that.” Beru adds. Luke has asked for his sister. He has asked for her a lot. He was convinced she was there with him, he's dreamed of her. She thought it might be the knowledge that she had existed at one point, or that touch of the desert that allows him to see things others don't, allowing him to communicate with his dead sister. To know she lives...

“I didn't know that.” Sabe says, looking slightly fluxomed. “The thing is... I'm here because it's safe now. As long as the Emperor and Vader lived... if the twins had met, the danger was too high they would have found out.”

“So you do want to take him.” Owen says, defensive again. Beru hears the fear, but she doesn't think Sabe does.

“No! But … they are twins. They should be able to meet. Just meet. Bail and Breha... Leia's adoptive parents, they understand. Leia is theirs, the way Luke is yours. They'd never expect you to give him up. But we thought... we thought they should meet. They have a right to know the other exists. And Leia... she's asked about him. About her brother.”

“Luke's asked, too. About Leia.” Beru says, before Owen can say anything. His hand finds her, warmth and protection and safety.

“We thought they should meet. If you agree. You could come visit, bring Luke. Bail and Breha would be happy to welcome you. And Obi-Wan, of course.”

“I don't see what the old man has to do with anything.” Owen growls, but there is considerably less bite in it. A second set of adoptive parents... Beru can believe they understand.

Sabe seems confused. Beru wonders whether it's the hostility towars Old Ben, or the fact that they refer to him as an old man. He isn't, not really. Beru doesn't think he's much over forty, but he holds himself like a man at least twice his age. He behaves like that, too, so to think of him as Old Ben just feels more natural than anything else. And well... Owen's never liked the man. Too close to Anakin, to the Repbulic, to the sort of things and people that would endanger Luke. Beru doesn't share the dislike, but she understands it.

“He doesn't have to come. You are Luke's parents, not him. But he is an old friend of Bail's so I'm to invite him as well.” Sabe says diplomatically. For a moment, there's silence.

“What is she like, Leia?” Beru asks, and for the first time since Luke left, Sabe truly smiles. She takes out a small holo, places it on the table and let's it play. A small girl, Luke's age, with dark eyes and brown hair in braids, is sitting on the floor, flipping through the pages of a book. After a moment, she looks up, smiling at whoever is recording the holo, and Beru's heart melts. That's Luke's smile on that girls face.

She looks at Owen, and knows that they've both decided in that very moment.

     Four weeks after the fall of the Empire  

It's a day of celebration. It should be, by all rights.

The End of the Empire, and the Beginning of the New Republic, capitalized for importance, and what it means, now, after a month of celebrating and working and organizing a new government, should be a celebration.

And yet, the mood in Bail's brand new chancellors office is somber. They've all seen too much war, lost too many friends.

“To the lost ones.” He says, raising his glass. Breha, Mon, Carlist, Garm Bel Iblis and Sabe mirror the gesture silently, each of them deeply in thought.

The new government is running, sort of. Bail has been elected the new chancellor, more or less happily. The senate has it's old powers back, and there are three different motions started that should, if they go through as planned, at least put up some strong protections against another Palpatine. Nothing is guaranteed to stop a determinated, manipulative, powerful being like Palpatine to come and take over again, but at least with these new laws it should be more difficult. Bail hopes.

He'd once thought that there was no way for the republic to fall, either, and he'd been wrong. He won't let himself be sure of anything like that anymore.

“Padme should be here.” Mon says, looking at the empty spot at their table wistfully. They always leave a space for her, when they're together like this. The Empire tried to ignore her, but they won't. They won't forget her.

“She knows. In the Endless Sea, Padme knows what has happened.” Sabe says, a quiet conviction in her voice. It's a Nabooian belief, the Endless Sea of the afterlife, but Bail has always found comfort in the idea that Padme is there now, watching over them.

“She deserves her rest. Her and all the fallen.” Garm says.

 For a moment, they all stay silent, remembering all their lost friends. Too many of them, Bail thinks. Too many good people died in this fight. Then, Garm gets up.

He looks tired, Bail thinks. They all do, tired with exhaustion and grief and a sense of fear that doesn't seem to want to disappear, even though the Empire is defeated. And his marital troubles won't have gotten easier, either. How someone so passionate about democracy could marry a supporter of the Empire, he'll never understand.

It makes Bail all the more happy about his own marriage. He smiles at Breha, and feels warmth in his heart when she smiles in answer.

“I have an early morning tomorrow. The Imperial forces don't decomission themselves, after all. I'll turn in. A good evening to all of you.”

“Don't remind me. I'll come with you. Good night.” Carlist sighs.

“I'll go, too. My son has been having nightmares these last weeks, all the changes, probably, and the battles, and I promised him I wouldn't be out too late.” Mon says, standing too. “Winter and Leia don't have that problem?”

“Not yet, though it might still come. Currently they're still fascinated by all the changes, especially Leia.” Breha says.

“Consider yourselves lucky, then. We'll see us in the morning. Good night.” She says, smiling, and together they leave.

Bail waits until they're out of the room, then he stands up and picks up one of the holos of his daughters he has standing on his desk. Winters white hair shines next to Leia's brown, and both their smiles glow. They're healthy and happy and safe, he tells himself, just a few rooms down, guarded by Artoo, in hearing distance. Protected by Artoo and two guards in the corridor, to make sure no vengeful imperial gets any ideas.

“There is something else we have to do.” He says. It's been on his mind since the Emperor and Vader died, and now is the time to start doing something about it.

“Luke.” Breha says, putting down her glass. Bail nods.

Sabe seems confused. He never outright told her about Leia's biological parents, never sat down and told her the whole sad story of Padme's last days, but he didn't have to. Sabe knew Padme so well, knows him so well, had prepared Padme's body for the funeral, and Leia just looks like Padme. It wasn't difficult for her to piece it together, as he knew it would be.

But because they never talked about it, she doesn't know about Luke. Doesn't even know enough to suspect anything like this. Maybe he should have told her, but … well, people have always said that the Jedi can read minds. Obi-Wan had denied it, when Bail asked, years ago, but nobody ever truly explained the Sith to him, either, so he couldn't be sure. And though he trusts Sabe with his life, and more importantly with both his daughters lifes, the first rule of espionage still holds: One can't reveal a secret one doesn't know.

Breha knows, though, because she is his wife and he could never keep something like this from her, and she takes the lead.

“We need to call Obi-Wan.” She says.

“What are you talking about?” Sabe asks. She knows Obi-Wan, of course she does, but neither Bail nor Breha ever corrected her assumption that he died with the rest of the Jedi.

And she'll have assumed they'd contact the Naberries first, probably. They'll have to do that, too, Padme's family has a right to know, but it can wait a bit longer. Just a bit.

“Luke is Leia's twin brother.” Bail tells her. Sabe stares.

“It wasn't... it wasn't safe, to raise them together. Obi-Wan and Master Yoda... they said something about... I don't know, combined Force presence? It didn't make very much sense to me, but they were absolutely sure that if the children were raised together, the Emperor and Vader would find them. So Obi-Wan took Luke to be raised by Anakin's stepbrother and his wife on Tatooine.”

“Leia has... Padme had...” Sabe stumbles over her words, clutching her glass of wine as though it would provide her safety. Breha walks over to her, wrapping an arm around her shoulder.

“Twins. Yes. Now that it's safe, they have a right to know.” Bail says. They had a right to know since the beginning, he thinks, but now is the first time since their birth that it's a possibility.

“Are we sure? That it's safe. Are we sure?” Breha asks. Her voice doesn't betray it, but Bail knows she's scared. He is, too. Leia has never quite been safe, never really been out of danger. Neither of their daughters have, on account of being the princesses of Alderaan and the daughters of two rebels, but with Leia it has always been more immediate, the danger. The thought that she might be safe now is so strange. What if they've overlooked something?

“As far as we know, the only people who would pose a direct threat to Leia and Luke due to them being Padme and... Anakin's children are Vader and the Emperor, and they are dead.” He hesitates over Anakin's name, only briefly, but Sabe notices. Of course she does.

“What about Anakin? He died when the Jedi fell, did he not?” She asks. She's not asking whether he is Luke and Leia's biological father. Of course not. She'd known of Padme and Anakin's relationship before even Bail had. But there are things he'd never told her. Things he never wanted to speak about to anyone. He takes a deep breath, seeks stability in his wife's eyes.

“No.” He says, and tries not to get caught up in memories.

(Fire and smoke, Padme on a table, a child being murdered by clone troopers, Obi-Wan and Yoda suddenly broken old men, a newborn's cry)  

“Anakin Skywalker did not die when the Jedi fell. He died with the Emperor, a month ago.” Bail says. No one knows exactly how those last hours went inside the Imperial palace. All Bail knows is that the Alliance forces won the battle against the Imperial forces, and that when they came to clean up the palace, Vader and the Emperor had both been found dead. Bail himself had done the identification.

Anakin Skywalker had looked somehow both so old, scarred and tired and dead, and so very young. He'd only been 28 years old.

“What are you talking about?” Sabe asks, shouts, really. He's happy that the girl's room is far enough away that they won't hear. They're too young for this conversation. Much too young.

He should have explained all of this to her before, but he hadn't dared risk it. Hadn't dared take the risk that she'd get caught and talk, hadn't had the strength to deal with it himself.

He's only ever talked about it once, when he told Breha the day he brought Leia home. He'd broken down then, completely, and he hadn't ever talked about it again.

But he'll have to do it again. Now, and then at least once more.

“Vader. Anakin... was Vader.”

“What? How?” Sabe is pacing, he notes distantly. Breha has moved to stand by his side again, a supporting presence he's grateful for.

“I don't know. I thought … I thought, when Master Yoda called, that we were there to pick them up, Padme and Anakin and Obi-Wan and even Master Yoda. They survived the … the purge, they're calling it, aren't they? They'd survived, and when Master Yoda called I thought I was going to pick them up, and we were going to figure out what to do next.

“But then... Padme was giving birth, and when I asked Obi-Wan about Anakin, all he would say was that he'd 'fallen'. That was the word he used, 'fallen'. Didn't really understand it until I was introduced to Vader.

“And Padme... the med droid said she was fine, you know? I kept asking, because she was pale and so damned silent, but the med droid kept insisting she was fine. She named Luke and Leia, and then she... I don't know. She slipped away.” There are tears in his eyes, and he can't break down again, he can't. He focuses on Breha's hand in his, willing himself to focus.

“Slipped away? What does that mean?” Sabe asks, tears running over her cheek, but she's refusing to break down, too, just like Bail, and isn't that a testament to how much they're all politicians, all spies, that they won't let themselves break down over the death of a friend?

“Master Yoda said she 'lost the will to live'. As though that's a cause of death. I … you and Dorme and Yane, you were the ones who prepared her for the funeral. You saw how... you saw that there were no obvious injuries. Nothing to indicate what could have killed her. I still don't know how she died.”

It's something that's been bothering him since that day.      Lost the way to live    , what      bullshit    . Padme was desperate, and she was grieving, and she might have given up, but one doesn't die of that. Not without other things happening. And the med droid said she was fine...

And yet, the Sith... He's never voiced this thought out loud, but well... the Jedi were never open about the extent of their powers. And the Sith are supposed to be worse...

“That doesn't make any sense!” Sabe yells, throwing her hands up.

“We've been puzzling over it for years.” Breha says, calm and compassionate. “There is no answer we can see, but we can't help her now. We can help her children, though.”

 There's a long silence. Then.

“Where is he?” Calm. Focused. She was a handmaiden to the warrior queen Amidala, a spy for the Rebel Alliance against a fascist empire. It shows.

“Tatooine. Beru and Owen Lars are his parents now, at least that's what Obi-Wan said he was planning. We'll have to talk to them, make plans with them.” Bail says.

“I'll go. I'll talk to them. Bring them here.” Sabe says, running her hand over her dress. She wipes the tears of her face, resolute in the face of having a mission. Bail knows he won't talk her out of this, and he doesn't want to. He can't go himself, the new chancellor leaving would be seen as weakness. And Breha as the queen of Alderaan would draw way too much attention. Sabe though, a gouverness and former handmaiden, she can go wherever she wants whenever she wants.

“Bring Obi-Wan too, if he wishes, but the important ones are Beru and Owen and Luke. We need to figure this out, all of us. We're in this together.” Breha says, equal parts queen and friend.

Sabe nods.

“I'll be leaving in the morning.”

      Six weeks after the fall of the Empire  

The air is tense when Sabe leads the Lars' through the halls of the chancellors residence.

They had considered having Bail, Breha and Leia meet them at the shuttle, but it had been decided that it would be less weird for the children, if they didn't meet each other for the first time in a crowded and busy station. Not to mention the possible media attention that would be the new chancellor of the brand new New Republic, his wife the queen of Alderaan and one of their daughters meeting a family of poor moisture farmers from the territories.

Beru and Owen are holding hands, and every now and then they whisper in a language Sabe doesn't understand. She's fairly sure that they're talking about the wastefullness of such grand halls standing empty. If this were Naboo she'd argue, probably, if only out of patriotism, but after having seen their home on Tatooine, warm and small and lovely and      enough    , she can't quite disagree with them.

Luke, though, is running around them, always either a few steps ahead or behind them. He sticks close enough to them that Sabe always has him in her sights, and she knows that Beru and Owen, too, always watch him, but he doesn't seem to feel the tension.

He seems so fascinated, by everything, just like he'd been on the flight here. Sabe's ship, Nabooian build but stationed and customized on Alderaan for the last few years, had interested him just as much as the grand houses here, and the art that decorates the wall. He's staring at it all in childlike wonder, and Sabe can't help but smile at his genuine amazement.

Finally, they reach Bail's office. She opens the door and let's the Lars' go in first.

Leia is sitting on the floor, a book in front of her. Sabe wonders whether she was truly reading it, or whether she was just pretending. Leia is good at picking up on tension, so she might have just been trying to put her parents at ease. She's looking up now, though, staring at Luke.

It must be so weird for her, Sabe thinks. Five years old, and suddenly she's moving to another planet, and the Empire is gone, and her father is the new chancellor, and on top of that she now has a brother whom she's never met.

Then again, it must be quite weird for Luke too, to suddenly leave Tatooine, if only for a week, and visit a sister he never knew about on Coruscant. Though... he had been so excited about it. She turns to look at him, and finds him clutching his aunts hand tightly. He looks shy, suddenly, in a way he hasn't been with her … ever, she thinks. Maybe it's because she came to him, to his planet, into his house, and was offered milk and hospitality by his aunt. Maybe it's just this place that must be so strange to him.

“Welcome to Coruscant.” Breha says, straightening and holding out her hand to Owen and Beru. For a tense moment, they don't move, then Owen takes the hand. Sabe breathes a quiet sigh in relief.

“I'm Breha Organa, I'm Leia's mother. This is my husband Bail, and this is our daughter Leia.” She says, smiling at Beru and Owen. She offers her hand to Beru, and Bail steps closer.

“I'm Beru Whitesun Lars.” Beru says, her voice not betraying any nervousness. “This is my husband Owen, and this is our nephew Luke.” She shakes Bail's hand, too, and Owen follows suit.

There's a silence, again, and the Leia moves. She's up to her feet and running to Luke before anyone truly notices, and then she's hugging him. It's an absolutely adorable sight, and Sabe has to bite her lip not to break out in tears.

Padme would have loved this, she thinks. Padme would have loved seeing her children together.

“I'm Luke.” Luke tells Leia, looking at the floor, mostly. He doesn't seem to be too scared, though, and he's let go of Beru's hand when Leia hugged him.

“I know that.” Leia says, smiling, her eyes warm. Any worry about how they'd get along disappears in that moment, and Sabe feels a little bit of the tension leaving the room. They're all different people, from completely different backgrounds, but they'd all do anything to see these two children happy. It's quite something.

Leia takes Luke's hand and starts showing him around the room. Luke let's her. They'll be best friends before dinner, Sabe thinks. She hopes Winter won't be jealous. But then, she's spend some time with Luke now. He'll be Winter's best friend, too. At least he'll try.

“Come sit with us.” Bail says, leading Owen and Beru towards the table. There are some refreshments there, water and wine and some biscuits. “Did you have a good journey?”

Owen's not looking too happy, grim and worried and probably scared, but it's Beru who speaks.

“Yes. We have never been off Tatooine, and Luke has been fascinated by it all. And Sabe has been very kind.” It's awkward. Incredibly awkward. But Luke and Leia are running around the room together, holding hands, so... that's that.

Bail doesn't ask after Obi-Wan, and Sabe is glad for it. It had been strange, to realize just how much Beru and Owen distrust Obi-Wan, but Sabe accepted it. She'll have to ask about it at some point, but she had been relieved when Obi-Wan had decided to stay on Tatooine for the moment, to make plans, he'd said. He'd probably realized his presence at this meeting would only make things more difficult.

“What's your plan here?” Owen asks, gruff and hostile. He's scared, Sabe thinks, terrified of losing Luke to some rich coreworlders he doesn't know and doesn't care about. She hopes that Bail and Breha see it too. But she shouldn't have worried.

“For the moment, just to let the children play.” Bail says, looking at them. “For the future... that's for us all to discuss.”

“We're not taking him away from you.” Breha says firmly. “He is yours, like Leia is ours. But they are siblings. Twins, even. They have a right to know each other.”

It reassures Beru, Sabe thinks, though Owen is not quite convinced.

“What does that mean? Are we supposed to come live here? Because I'm not leaving Tatooine, that's for sure.”

“You don't have to.” Bail says. “Nobody would ask that of you.”

It would be easier, Sabe thinks, if they moved here, and closer to Naboo, too, but it wouldn't be fair. They have their own lifes, and nobody is expecting Bail and Breha to move to Tatooine, so why should the Lars move?

“We could just have them visit. Every few months, at least, you bring Luke here or we bring Leia to you. And com calls work too. We could set up a permanent holonet connection, so that the kids can talk to each other as often as they want.” Breha adds.

“We don't have to decide now.” Beru says, taking her husbands hand. “We're here for the week, and we've had a long journey.” She looks at the kids, talking quietly. They're still holding hands, and are intensely focused on some game Leia is showing Luke. They look different, blond and blue eyed with tan skin to brown hair and eyes and pale skin, but their expression is the same. It's one of Padme's expression, the one she always had when reading some complicated law proposal. For a moment, the resemblance almost takes Sabe's breath away.

“Luke asked after her, you know. Leia. He's asked after her since he could talk, and the last few days, when he knew she's alive and there and he can see her... he's only stopped talking about it once we reached Coruscant.” Beru says, her eyes never leaving the children.

“Leia too. I don't know how she knew... she's always talked about her brother. We didn't tell her, but … she'd dream about two suns and the desert, and her brother. We never knew what to tell her.” Breha says.

“Now we can just tell them the truth.”

                                                          xxx

The adults are still talking, important things and meaningless small talk, but that doesn't matter.

 In a corner in Bail Organa's office, two children sit, a girl and a boy, a princess and a farmboy, twins. They have never met each other before today, yet they have known each other their entire life.

They hold hands, and soon they will not need words to communicate anymore. At the moment, though, they still do.

“I missed you.” One of them says.

“I missed you too.” The other answers.

They are five years old, and yet, for a moment, they are more wise than any of the adults.

“We're together now.”

[marvelstars]

Agreed completely.

The Organas are used to be obeyed and Alderaan´s prosperity is good enough that they don´t question it and so their family are the uncontested leaders of the planet with the seat on the senate that comes with it.

On Leia and the Organas, I believe the backstory of them not being able to have kids on their own makes all the difference in their relationship to her compared to Owen and Beru relationship with Luke.

Bail´s words when Yoda asked for homes for the kids were "I can take her, she will be loved with us" he didn´t mean to share with her or others her connection to her biological family, he meant to adopt her fully as his daughter and that´s all right, that´s awesome because they truly loved her as their own and their privilege and power could keep her protected, Palpatine didn´t dare going agaisnt Alderaan before having the death star, he is a politician and going after one of the most powerful core worlds wasn´t in his best interest at the beggining of the Empire.

Unfortunately, Bail´s wish to make Leia fully his own daughter, also meant Leia never learned much about her biological family, not even her mothers name or about her family on Naboo, on this I believe their love also cut possibilities for Leia but it wasn´t malicious, just some selfishnes on their part because Bail and Breha are human and used to get their way.

Leia from the beggining wasn´t chosen the be a jedi, she was adopted 100% while Luke was chosen to be the one who would oppose his father, the one chosen to kill him if neccesary, Obi-Wan´s thoughts were "Anakin survived Tatooine, so Luke will as well" and so he was send to Tatooine, to Anakin´s family.

This is why I like to compare the Organa´s with Uncle Owen and Aunt Beru because they had very different povs.

Uncle Owen and Aunt Beru not only shared with Luke his father´s name, they allowed him to keep it and probably would have told him their mothers name if they knew it, they probably suspected but were not sure Padme was his Mom. The reason is simple, they loved Luke but also loved Luke´s family, they knew Shmi, they loved and respected her, the first words Owen tells to Anakin are "I guess we are brothers" Owen wanted to be Anakin´s brother mostly because of Shmi telling him about Anakin and Anakin thought they were good people but his connection to the Order didn´t allow for a closer connection, So Owen and Beru are Luke´s family but tried not to keep his past from him and so were able to share with him the little they could share, because they wanted him to know his family. They adopted Luke because he was family.

I believe both did a great job raising the twins but the Organas did it differently than Owen and Beru for very personal reasons.

Your choice of 4, 21, 25 for the choose violence asks!

What’s the worst part of fanon?

that Anidala would've been bad parents. like i dunno where it came from and i do not like it one bit. like what goes on, how did people reach this conclusion.

Best canon example of a healthy relationship in Star Wars?

taking this to mean all relationships not just romantic ones.

anakin and r2d2. the organas (they're adorable as fuck)

What’s your opinion on modern AUs? What makes a good one?

I love modern aus. im a slut for everything tbh. all of the modern aus i've read are amazing!!! but something that really hammers it in is when authors still use gffa places? like tatooine and stewjon and naboo are diff cities and the story is set in them. its not a deal breaker if people make anakin from us and obi from britain or whatever cus i love that too. but its nice to read the use of gffa places too!

[buckybarnesss]

agree with you when it comes to misogyny in the fandom (and in general lol) and shipping etc and I wanted to dump this here because it's been bugging me and I have nobody to talk to about it irl that hasn't heard me muttering about it before but why do people seem so anti-romance in general? I see 'Star Wars doesn't need romance or a love story' all the time and I can't help but feel like it falls into the misogyny category a little because romance is seen as something inherently feminine or 'for the girls' ig so people think it's an unnecessary addition to a plot but it can actually affect a character and how they act/think etc so much whether that's for good or bad, hope that makes sense?

obviously not every character needs a great romantic love and Din-doesn't-need-or-want-love enjoyers do your thing but even in the first season he clearly considers Omera and seems open to the idea at least, so people being against Bo just doesn't make sense to me? has she done bad things? well yeah but what character hasn't in Star Wars? and even if it's not Bo I still see it thrown around that Star Wars doesn't need a love story but why? what's wrong with romantic love? there are other shows that they're making/have made that yeah shoehorning in a romance would've made no sense (i.e. Kenobi, I mean I've not watched it but I can't imagine a love story working in that) but the Mandalorian hasn't set itself up to be a show like that?

I hope this has made sense but I basically wanted to air that out and it just came to me reading your answers to other questions that it's probably at least a little misogyny that plays a part in that anti-romance feeling going around or that makes sense in my head anyway

(also Jyn and Cassian soulmates truther here so if people wanna beef about them pls consider not doing that or I'll cry, they're basically built to be perfect for each other so???)

i wanted to publish this before tonight's episode (i just woke up for work 😂).

i agree. it's always when there is some prospect of romance for these kinds of female characters that the "we don't need romance" brigade comes out. like, there's nothing inherently wrong with romance nor is there anything wrong with not wanting romance. it's preference. but c'mon it's not star wars even has a lot of it on screen for major characters. at least healthy relationships or ones that don't end in untimely death.

i can name the actual romances on one hand probably and further discussion is going under a read more out of sake for length and because some minor spoilers for clone wars and rebels.

padme amidala and anakin skywalker ends in tragedy, the eradication of the jedi order and the fall of the republic. anakin turns into darth vader.

hera syndulla and kanan jarrus again ends in tragedy. he sacrifices himself to save hera, sabine and ezra.

bail and breha oranga perish in the destruction of alderaan.

obi-wan kenobi and satine kryze never officially get together as she's dutchess of mandalore and he's a jedi knight. she's murdered by maul to spite him.

vel sartha and cinta kaz external circumstances and cinta's devotion to The Cause of the Rebellion put them on shaky ground.

han solo and leia organa are depicted as a kind of volatile relationship and we never actually really see them be a couple on screen besides some crumbs. by the sequels they are separated.

cassian andor and jyn erso dead before they could really have a relationship.

galen and lyra erso ends in lyra being murdered in front of galen.

owen and beru lars seem to be a relatively normal married couple but than they get brutally murdered by the empire so.

so where's the over abundance of romantic relationships in star wars?

i'd like one couple in star wars that doesn't end in a tragic demise or a "casualties: everyone in the local vicinity" type of scenario.

besides a "strong female character" doesn't have be devoid of romance.

allison argent still says it best "can't i be strong and go to prom?"

[gffa]

maybe im being dumb but im starting to wonder why obi-wan ever needed to watch over luke? we're seeing that he honestly couldnt do much to stop the empire if luke did end up on their radar, he certainly wouldnt be able to stop inquisitors or vader with how rusty and cut off from the force he is, so aside from taking out or warning of a few troopers or tusken raiders...what can he do for the boy? and why? wouldnt the best roll of the dice be to stay far away since jedi = danger? or have luke and leia both be adopted by bail and breha? ik at the end of the day its all retroactive justification for the lineup of the OT but as a writer im starting to feel it doesnt make the best sense, or maybe im missing smthn idk

Hi!  I think it's a combination of factors and part of it is that we're seeing Obi-Wan at his lowest, where he isn't an asset to Luke's protection at this point, but that ultimately it doesn't matter because it's about character motivations. When they set up the situation, Obi-Wan was still in tune with the Force, at that point he could have helped fight off the Empire, at the very least long enough that it would allow Luke and Owen and Beru to get away. Or he could have been watchful enough that a fully grown, adult Jedi would be able to curb certain abilities away from being displayed in public (and thus put on Sidious' radar), or could have saved Luke from the things he wanders into because the Force is calling him--we see some of that in the Star Wars comics, where Luke gets in trouble and Obi-Wan is there to help him because he can feel when Luke is in danger. The twins absolutely had to be split up because even one of them being found by the Empire would have been a disaster, but if both of them were found, they'd all be turbo-fucked, and with two children together, it's very possible that their Force abilities would have been bouncing off of and feeding each other, to the point that they would have been impossible to keep hidden. Obi-Wan is there because he made a promise and he's trying to train to reach Qui-Gon's spirit, and eventually he plans to train Luke when he's old enough that he can hide his developing abilities from the Empire. There's an interesting thing that seems to happen in a lot of the stories we see of Padawans in the middle of their apprenticeships, like look at Ezra: He has just enough abilities to really do some damage, but not yet the discipline of years of self-mastery to fully control it, it's a vulnerable time for Jedi learners. Luke doesn't have the advantage of doing so in a community full of other Jedi in a Temple where he's safe, he has to be taught at a point in time where he can fully grasp the severity of the situation, even if that means sacrificing the incredibly important, necessary discipline that comes with starting them when they're young. Between that and Obi-Wan's respect for Owen's decisions, it makes sense that he’s still there watching over Luke even when he’s not allowed to train him yet.  He’s waiting for a time when he can.  Even if he’s cut off from the Force, he still knows what a Jedi Master knows, he still plans to be able to teach Luke what he needs and then possibly send him on to Yoda on Dagobah at the right time. So, Obi-Wan watching over him is because he should have been able to sense when there was danger on the planet, he should have been able to sense when the Inquisitors were coming or been allowed to help teach Luke what his abilities meant and how to keep them quiet, instead of potentially displaying them for everyone to see, like Anakin did when he was that age and racing in podraces. But also it's just... I think of it this way: Each of these characters is making decisions on their own. When they set up the plan at the end of ROTS, it was with the idea that Obi-Wan could protect Luke and he had no idea how far he would stumble. But now that he has stumbled, it's still his own choice to stay there and watch over Luke because he made a promise, it's not like Yoda's there to say, hey, come join me on Dagobah or even just to tell him to leave, it's Obi-Wan who decides to stay because this is his last responsibility to his life as a Jedi, his last connection to Anakin. It doesn't have to make sense from a strategic standpoint, it just has to make sense from a character motivation standpoint, even if the characters aren't making decisions based on logic, but on trauma that they've chosen not to deal with. These are all characters who are making choices in the moment without the foreknowledge that we have of how the galaxy will turn out, they're sometimes making choices based on their emotions rather than on logic, they're making choices because they're hurt and have nothing else to support them or they just don't know better options because the galaxy is a big, dangerous, looming question mark and they can only do what they can do. Obi-Wan stays on Tatooine because he feels its the last tie he has to the life he used to have and he feels responsible for it, it doesn't matter how good he would be at fighting off stormtroopers or Inquisitors, it's that Obi-Wan feels it's the only thing he has left and the only thing he can do for anyone anymore, so he stays.

[palfriendpatine66]

i kind of want to write an in universe Obi-Wan takes the twins and raises little baby rebel Jedi in secret, because fuck those sith, but also I don't think I can disrespect Bail and Breha / Owen and Beru like that 🤔