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""Padawan" means "learner,” suggesting a deep philosophical foundation, encouraging Jedi to continually strive to learn and understand. A Padawan studies not only facts and information, but also the ideas of fluidity and flexibility, and the act of learning itself so as to be open to understanding. Some Jedi scholars consider "Padawan" to be a state of mind rather than a title. Many a Knight has found themself revisiting the path of the Padawan to recover the balance they lost or never really had in the first place." "Most non-Jedi do not realize that the title of Padawan represents the idea of learning and the many paths to learning. Knights and even Masters sometimes "become” Padawans again in order to get back to basics. To "open your mind as if a Padawan" means to rid oneself of preconceived notions or biases and to see things in a fresh, perhaps innocent, light. Although it is a metaphorical lesson, a few have taken this idea literally. All initiates hear the story of the Jedi Master Val Isa, who repeatedly took on the title of Padawan, often testing the patience of her Knights with annoying, “obvious” questions, only to come across a hidden wisdom, enlightening them both." [Star Wars: Rise of the Separatists] GOD THE PREQUELS SECTION OF THIS BOOK HAS SOME ABSOLUTE GEMS OF WORLDBUILDING.

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also: WHALE FALLS BUT IN SPACE? dead purgil and abandoned venator-class ships becoming sources of life for the Galaxy? giant creatures wearing lost ships as shells, learning how to use distress beacons to lure in more ships like angler fish coaxing fish into their mouths with their camouflaged lures? sentient races who do not use ships at all, but have tamed space creatures and live inside them symbiotically, using them as living ships????? there is SO MUCH YOU CAN DO IN SPACE!!!!

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I’m so serious, Star Wars as a whole would be significantly better if Cal Kestis found Huyang after Jedi Survivor.

Like, can you imagine these two nerds geeking out over sabers?

Huyang being simultaneously appalled and impressed by Cal’s constant tinkering and creating the most ridiculously versatile seven-stance saber Huyang’s ever seen.

Huyang and Zee bonding over being so old, reminiscing over Jedi they both knew.

Huyang being with someone who actually loves the Order he served for 25,000 years.

More thoughts and imaginings below…

It’s a rare day when Huyang doesn’t recognize a lightsaber. Though these days it’s rare to see a lightsaber to recognize. But he recognizes the man holding it.

Far from the gangly youngling that came aboard the Crucible almost two decades ago, Cal Kestis now holds a lightsaber that is not the one he built then. It’s a mixture of components from the hilts of Eno Cordova, Cere Junda, Jaro Tapal, and even Santari Khri and isn’t that curious. Huyang amends his internal assessment. It’s not Cal’s first lightsaber, but there’s no doubt that it’s his, not with the way he carries it. Carries himself.

There’s no mistaking Cal’s intentions as anything but heroic. After all, he’s risking his life for an ancient droid stranded in the midrim in a galaxy swarming with monsters hunting any force sensitive with an unbled crystal and he’s looking at Huyang with genuine joy as he rambles about the Path and a High Republic droid that located his signal and getting to his ship so they can be safe, the droid on his back chirping just as animatedly.

Still though, there’s something about Cal…he’s got a scrapper guild tattoo on his arm, a weight in his eyes, a blaster on his hip.

And a Dathomiri charm on his belt.

And that’s the most worrying one, Huyang thinks as he follows Cal to his ship. Huyang sees the charm before he sees the woman who gave it to Cal, but they get to the ship, the Mantis, and to her before he gets a chance to ask Cal about it. She’s a Night Sister, the once sworn-enemy of the Jedi who looks a little too much like a padawan from long ago who turned the saber he taught her to build on the galaxy.

Huyang distrusts her immediately.

For about ten seconds.

Then, Cal says her name is Merrin, she’s a Night Sister, in a tone that even Huyang can tell is an awed one, and that Cal is very much wanting to add but still definitely silently saying she’s the love of my life.

And Huyang’s distrust immediately becomes a healthy mix of fear and respect.

Even he, a droid, can recognize the way Cal looks at her, like he firmly believes that Merrin herself lit the stars with the green fire that dances on her fingertips. Can recognize the weight of the quiet way she murmurs to him, the meaning of her putting a hand on his cheek or shoulder.

———

They’re en route to Tanalorr (and it’s been centuries since that name came up) making sure they’re seen at a busier spaceport on the other side of the galaxy from where they’re actually going. On instinct, Cal saves a Miralukan family from bounty hunters aiding the hunt of Force Sensitives, and Merrin is at his side.

Cal, Huyang learns then, is a very skilled fighter, effortlessly switching between forms and saber stances thanks in no small part to the ever-changing, most ridiculously versatile hilt Huyang has ever seen and finds simultaneously impressive and appalling.

But then he remembers Cal’s Gathering, remembers the hyperactive youngling, listening in rapt attention, climbing all of the Crucible’s shelves, eagerly examining all the components, and rebuilding his hilt five times. So maybe he shouldn’t be surprised.

The city is immediately swarmed with Purge troopers hunting a Jedi, so Cal, as easy as breathing, brings his poncho hood up and passes his saber to Merrin to keep safe in the shadows. She’s waiting for them on the Mantis, engines warm, saber safe, and bacta ready to patch Cal up.

And Huyang decides he adores Merrin.

Even if she prefers her magick dagger to a light saber. (He offers to help her make one. Cal’s eyes light up and he offers to help her make it spooky because he adores all of the things about her that scare everyone else. She laughs and declines).

———

Still, Huyang doesn’t exactly approve of Cal’s blaster, or the light saber stance he’s created around the uncivilized weapon, just as he doesn’t approve of Cal and Merrin’s romance. He nearly chides the young man a few times early on, because he knows better, knows that Jedi can’t have attachments.

But more and more, Huyang wonders more and more if that’s just a result of his programming.

Cal’s created a blaster stance, he’s got a scrapper guild tattoo on his arm, and a childhood scar across his face from a soldier meant to be his ally.

And there’s a family that’s alive because of him and Merrin.

Any peculiarities aside, Cal carries himself steady, wields the Force like any seasoned master of old. Especially when Merrin is at his side.

Jedi can’t be orthodox anymore. Not if they also want to draw breath, as organics must.

Besides, Huyang is a several thousand year old droid. He can adapt.

———

They reach Tanalorr, the refuge Cal is building in the walls of an ancient temple.

Cal asks Huyang to tell him about the Jedi. Things he’d forgotten from history class because paying attention was difficult and it was over a decade ago. Things he hadn’t had a chance to learn. Going forward doesn’t have to mean forgetting after all.

The Mantis Crew listens intently to stories of Jaro Tapal, Cere, and Cordova’s Gatherings. Even Trilla, Masana, and Bode if they’re up for it. When Huyang tells the story of Cal’s gathering, Cal laughs too, even of he turns the same color as his hair.

Cal swears Huyang must run off of an ancient kyber crystal. He has never been disabused of this notion because no matter how talented Zee swears Cal is, Huyang performs his own maintenance thank you very much.

———

One day, Huyang explains to Merrin just how sacred a Jedi’s saber is. And Merrin remembers a nineteen year old boy tossing her his sword of light. And suddenly it isn’t only a treasured memory where he offered his trust and only weapon (to someone who tried to kill him three times), but the moment he handed her his life. He never said it, they aren’t quite that sappy despite what Greez says, and she never asks him about it. She doesn’t need to. But from then on, when Cal discreetly tosses her his saber to keep safe or hands her half the hilt and ask if she’ll practice sparring with him, she’ll understand what that means.

———

And of course, it’s Huyang who guides Kata through the construction of her first light saber. He’d stashed away a few components, kept them safe in his chest plate and pack all these years without ever knowing why. He’d chalked it up to his programming, but he knows now it was actually for this.

He gives her the same speech he gave Cal. And Cere and Jaro Tapal and Eno Cordova and thousands upon thousands of younglings before that. The speech he hasn’t given in over a decade. The speech he’d never thought he’d give again.

And as Cal listens to Huyang, watches Kata slot the pieces together with the Force he taught her to trust in, something in him heals. All padawans once guided a group of younglings to Ilum then the Crucible, and Cal had been looking forward to it, but never got the chance. He finally gets to do it now.

Cal told Huyang once that if there hadn’t been a war, he would’ve begged be able to be first Jedi to be stationed on the Crucible permanently. Huyang had tutted that that’s not how things were done. But as his photoreceptors meet Cal’s eyes over Kata’s head, he hopes that he would’ve allowed it in that other life.

Because Huyang feels complete again too, because this was quite literally what he was built for all those thousands of years ago.

And as Cal saves more and more force sensitives, brings them into the cradle of the world protected by a dangerous nebula that to them brings light, Gatherings become more and more frequent. They’re not on Ilum anymore but there’s kyber crystals on Tanalorr and what good is an architect droid if he can’t design some skill testing puzzles for the younglings?

———

As a droid, Huyang can’t use the force. But even non-organics start believing in a higher power, especially ones like Huyang who spent all of their existence around beings powerful enough to make light itself tangible. So knows that when, inevitably, the Empire falls (they always do) Cal will help build and even stronger Jedi Order, one that will still be standing in several thousand years.

Huyang remembers every Jedi he’s ever built a saber with. But certain memories surface more often. He has no doubt that in several thousand years, Cal Kestis, will be one of those more frequent memories.

———

A few years down the line, Huyang is giving the speech again, this time as he helps Cal and Merrin’s children construct their lightsabers. Children who aren’t just Jedi in training but have green fire in their eyes and hands too, and always gather around to hear the architect droid’s stories of a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away.

Maybe some things about the Jedi way are changing, but the best parts are still around, still surviving.

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How Chewbacca and Han Solo know each other in By The Skin of Their Teeth:

Mallatobuck: My heart, what do have there? Chewbacca, with the Corellian street rat who tried to pick pocket him tucked under his arm: A smoothie.

Yes, Han Solo is Chewbacca's adopted son. In their capacity as freighter pilots and navigators they end up associating with Cal Kestis and Tionne, and thus, Luke.

Luke tells Leia about their Wookiee pilot friend and his adopted human son, but Leia never meets them until around the time A New Hope would have happened.

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I am sleep deprived and have Jade-Skywalker kids on the brain:

In SDTCI, they don't really plan on having children. However, they make the rookie mistake of fooling around way too close to a Dathomiri fertility ritual (Kirana Ti and Merrin can only blink and say 'well, it worked'). And thus Ben comes to be. Shmi, by contrast, is much more planned following a few years of galactic peace and a quiet admittance that yeah, they want another kid.

I also had the idea of them having a daughter with a star based name, such as Estel, Esther, or Aya. Maybe in the future of By The Skin of Their Teeth?

Other than that, I'm of the personal opinion that they would adopt (Again, if they decided to have children of their own).

But in a Trans man Luke AU, I can imagine the following:

Luke: Hey, Han. Wanna be the man who got both Skywalker twins pregnant? Han: Say what now?

In this case, I think it'd be fun if Jacen and Jaina were Lukemara children by Han.

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More 👏 Old 👏 Clones 👏

I got that bronchitis and every time I’ve had like a shred of energy to draw its been of old ass clones.

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okay this is dubious canon at best but the idea that all rebel pilots are constantly on stimulants does make sense to me because of well. the history of warfare. it then totally paints esb in a new light because imagine you're luke skywalker, in active withdrawal from your army-mandated uppers, and some fucking frog wizard shows up

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actually i think the clones are kinda scared by the concept of a nuclear family. they were raised by several hundred beings, almost a hundred of them from a culture that values childcare above all else, so the idea that just two people are supposed to be responsible for the entire family of kids??? two??? are you fucking good besties?????? you need at least four parents like a squad has?????? they're relieved to learn about polyamory because finally someone has the proper number of parents

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literally every jedi: we are encouraged to love, just not to be possessive of people. we are encouraged to be in touch with our emotions, just not to let them control us

manipulative villain who hates the jedi: the jedi are cold and unfeeling and don’t want anyone to love or have feelings ever

the fandom: hmm… who to believe about jedi teachings?

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I saw so many people saying terrible stuff about Rebels on another social media and I just wanna say that it's still the most complete and fulfilling Star Wars to me. The Ghost crew is the best team we ever had to the point I can't even choose a favorite sometimes. The way it deals with loss and family is so beautiful. Ezra Bridger is the most well written protagonist of the franchise. The way everything converges into the battle for the soul of his home planet is PERFECT, it's unforgettable. JEDI NIGHT is the biggest gut punch, nothing can prepare you for it even if you watched it knowing what happens in the end. I've watched this show many times and every time it was extremely rewarding and it is THAT GOOD. Every writer, animator, director, voice actor, artist COOKED REALLY FUCKING HARD.

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Happy Star Wars Day!!🌟

テイルズ・オブ・アンダーワールド面白かった!!!

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Maybe unpopular opinion, but I actually do like the way the whole “oh yeah, sometimes Jedi fuck” stuff is presented in recent books, because of course, the emphasis on it being a personal, individual choice, but also the implication that many Jedi do not fuck. Not because sex is forbidden or shame-based in the culture, but because within the Order, people more often choose not to, to the point that the footnote mention of “oh, but some do” needs to exist in current canon. 

It’s a society of communal living. Everyone pitches in on everything from childrearing to food growing to medicine, regardless of interpersonal relationships. Titles like father or wife that tie reproductive/family cycles to lifetime connections or property don’t exist. I love the idea of many Jedi choosing celibacy happily, and the Temple being a great place to live a lifestyle where your connection to others are expressly not dictated by a romantic or sexual relationship. And the inherent, platonic intimacy of a psychically-connected community. I really love thinking about it.

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ye olde Duke Kryze design has been going around again so I figure I should post the redesign i'm using more recently! partially due to @glimjack writing a Wonderful description of his armor:

His armour had been made along similar lines to Jaster’s, but had been enamelled a fathomless blue where gold hadn’t been inlaid. A heavy cloak, yellow-gold, snapped at his heels and a fur mantle tickled the cheeks of his helmet. A brace of knives hung at his belt, a blaster against the other thigh, and his kute was the colour of drying blood.

The "Duke" outfit is based on my initial design, while "Alor Kryze" is Kalevalan style, based on Finnish Sami people's traditional outfits, since the word 'Kalevala' is Finnish.

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vader saying "he was an old man who thought he could help gifted children" in gillen's darth vader run vs obi-wan breaking down in the desert saying "i only wanted to help." vader knowing that obi-wan had wanted to help him, and killing him because he couldn't stand knowing he never let it happen. the short story where all yoda can sense from vader after obi-wan dies is unfathomable loneliness. obi-wan agonizing over the fact that all he wanted to do was help a lost and gifted kid he met by chance, and he doesn't know where the cracks showed up. in the ROTS novelization, obi-wan's first statement after watching the security tapes of anakin slaughtering jedi, and his first statement is wishing someone had shot him before he could see, and the next is wishing he never brought anakin to coruscant.

it's preteen anakin in rogue planet earnestly telling obi-wan he's the best jedi ever, and obi-wan stays silent. it's later in that same book where obi-wan looks at his sleeping charge and wonders if the affection he feels is how fathers feel about their sons. it's anakin saying obi-wan is the closest thing he has to a father, and then in the AOTC novelization obi-wan asks him, "then why don't you listen to me?" and the comic where obi-wan tells anakin he thinks anakin is part droid, and then tells him it wasn't a compliment. it's anakin feeling like obi-wan was holding him back because anakin just wants more and more. it's obi-wan in jedi quest letting his thirteen year old drive. it's anakin in the gambit duology watching obi-wan be emotionally loving to taria and getting wickedly, viciously angry because obi-wan's love is lying to him. it's obi-wan defining himself by how much he believes in anakin. it's obi-wan in labyrinth of evil joking that qui-gon should've left anakin in slavery. it's obi-wan offering to leave the jedi order just to be with anakin, if that's what anakin needed. it's anakin losing faith enough in obi-wan that by ROTS, palpatine is the father he chooses, when obi-wan still believed in him. it's the force showing vader that if he went back to obi-wan, obi-wan would still call him anakin. it's also me fucking crying in this bitch

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Plus, "Hostage Crisis" is even more Die Hard than canon.

The more I think about an AU where Anakin doesn’t become a Jedi, the more I think he just becomes Han Solo but all the jokes/theories about Han being Force Sensitive are true.

The shot to the hyperdrive doesn’t connect, Jedi & Senator alike escape, but a boy on Tatooine never glimpses an angel or wins a podrace for his freedom.

He gets out anyways, of course, he finds that whenever he truly sets his mind to a task (like robotics, or freedom) it tends to work out. Maybe the Lars family has a hand in it, maybe they don’t, either way he gets out and resolves to see the stars, to truly embrace the name Skywalker, even if less than legal means are required.

Cut to a decade later, and smuggler Anakin Skywalker (going by Nik Lars to divert some heat on his tail at the moment) ends up being shanghai’d by Jedi and Senator in their attempts to escape an early grave…

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Master Luke!

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ArmourforthegirlsArmourforthegirlsArmourforthegirls🗣🗣🗣