#anyway i think they could take on vader or at least have him on the ropes

[charmwasjess]

So, let's say George Lucas was more self aware producing/directing the prequels and hired you to reign him in/keep him on track. How would the prequels be different?

What a fucking FUN question. :D I've been chewing over this in my inbox for a couple days.

Honestly you couldn't pay me enough to write for Star Wars, and that's not just because I'd be fired on my second day for making it so gay. I think there absolutely are problems in the prequels, but I also think no matter what films they made, it was going to be a difficult tango of trying to keep an existing fanbase happy while attracting new ones, doing the old story homage but also not just retreading stale territory, and the fact that an entire generation came up with headcanons for what the Clone Wars or young Obi-Wan or Vader was like in that era, and no matter what you do, someone was going to be disappointed.

I also have a ton of sympathy for Star Wars writers in general - I see stories like Mike Chen who wrote the Brotherhood novel having to get the book together in three months over 11 drafts or the Rebels writers working unpaid nights and weekends to try to land the story they loved decently because they weren't given enough time or money. I don't know what it's like to write or create content for Lucasfilm, but I can't help but think of Warren Fu, who created the iconic General Grievous design for Lucas, later drawing himself as Sifo-Dyas being drained of blood to create Grievous. The metaphor he chose there is, um, interesting, to say the least, and I wonder how it reflects on his time at Lucasfilm. I see these anecdotes all the time of writers and creators working incredibly hard for little money or recognition and then their passion project gets changed or sidelined by the powers that be within the franchise.

ANYWAY THAT SAID HERE'S HOW I'D FIX THE PREQUELS- I think it's really a matter of redrafting what's there because so much of it is really good and has great potential. I just rewatched the Phantom Menace, so that's on my mind. Yeah, I remember being little enough that Jar Jar Binks was funny to me - I love Ahmed Best - but having just rewatched it, Jar Jar gets a ton of screentime and that could be better balanced. AND oofa-doofa, the racist accents/stereotypes. Cut cut cut. Rework.

Otherwise, I think there's a tendency - and some of it was the popular movie tropes at the time the films were going out - to rely on Idiot Plot. OOPS, Anakin didn't mean to go to the big space battle!!! He just won the day on accident!! To a lesser degree, many other characters make it through the movie by just sort of guessing and lucking their way into it as a narrative choice. Just going by the fact that the films need to be about the good guys losing because it's a prequel for a saga with no Jedi, I'd like a little bit more agency for them. More moments of saying "yes, I want to do this" and less "wow, what the hell is going on?!"

The other big change I'd make is give Obi-Wan a much larger role in the Phantom Menace, and Padme a bigger part in both AotC and especially RotS. (Actually, she really kicks ass in TPM. That moment where she shoots through the window and the duel of the fates music swells? Ascension guns!! I'm getting goosebumps just thinking about it.) I think Anakin is the most sympathetic when he's seen through the eyes of characters who love him and vouch for him. And Obi-Wan is honestly barely in TPM - it's all Qui-Gon, who I love, but I could see the film being really successful through him as our perspective/focus character instead. The way that Luke Skywalker takes us with him on this adventure and shows us the story. Obi-Wan could do that very effectively. And as much as the prequels are about Anakin's fall, they're also ultimately a story of Obi-Wan's survival.

And I'd cut Count Dooku, for no reason other than I don't like how weird I got about that guy.

[intermundia]

i have complicated feelings with the clone wars series. on the one part i like most of it and i think it's a pretty good way of expanding on most characters and get to know them. however, ive never liked anakin's arc of descent into the dark side. i feel like it was made too obvious (yes, im thinking about the mortis vision into the future). i also didn't like that he got violent with padme, since to me (1)

(2) the chokehold in mustafar is an important milestone, the first time he lets the dark side override his love for padmé. it's a big moment, the first time he lays hands on her, the first time she is no longer the most important thing. it does some good things, such as the deception arc ("what else has the council been hiding from me" yadda yadda), to show that anakin's disappointment and mistrust in the council is not a thing that appears in a single day, and it also shows all the different (3) ways in which palpatine has a hold on anakin and influences him, that's fine. but i didn't quite like how they turned something that was more of a "you're taking slow steps towards this direction and you're blind to it, you can't see it, and no one around you is seeing it or helping you with it either" into a "there have been multiple clues of what you'll become such as A LITERAL VADER MASK IN A VISION and you've ignored them i guess". also (4) i dont like the satine thing with obiwan, what do you MEAN you would have left the order for her you barely KNOW HER obi wan and you are the BEST JEDI EVER get outta here. never liked that. i liked her just fine, and loved their banter, just not that part of their relationship. sorry to burden you with this i send you way too many asks and tag you in too many things anyway i love you have a good day you're my favourite ao3 writer byee

yeahhhhh you've articulated a couple of my least favorite parts about TCW haha especially the clovis arc, since i agree anakin's violence was not domestic until he fell to the dark side. it was the last, most extreme, most clear evidence that vader had totally wiped away anakin and anakin's priorities, yk? satine is also so badly treated by the narrative, she could have been done so much better.

in general i just like the early seasons of the show better, like s1-4, but my frustrations with filoni are well known lmao and i think things were better when lucas was more heavily involved. he had a strong shaping influence early on and the result was a fun kids-action-adventure-genre tv with my fav star wars characters. he doesn't constantly frame the jedi order as narrative antagonists, lets put it that way haha

[hanasnx]

Hi! I just read the post you made about Anakin's kinks, that's awesome, I was so invested in the entirely thing lol, so, could you do a version of Vader's kinks? Just if it's okay for you ofc, thank you anyway and have a good day!

thank you for enjoying it i had a fun time reading through a bunch of kink articles 💀💀

funnily enough i’ve thought about this before and how much they’d differ! you know the drill, more under the cut

i feel like anakin skywalker is very sexually adventurous, and he wants to try everything. everything is exciting and new and explorable and enjoyable to him he really loves doing the weirdest sexual shit and i tried to highlight that curiosity in my original post here

i do wanna say vader’s kinks are going to differ because i believe vader is not as sexually adventurous. he’s done a lot, figured out what he likes and does not like, and therefore he’s decided his boundaries which are often unshakable. i definitely thinks he prefers to do things to you rather than the other way around as vader. being in chronically in control.

@wierdstrangee has a post on a list of vader’s kinks ! i just saw it today :) here

let’s see if i can add anything

anakin’s kinks revisited that would carry over but with a signature vader twist:

☥ more sadist than masochist when it comes to sex, he’s not as agreeable when it comes to receiving pain from you as much as anakin was. when you’re in charge, he much prefers a softer approach. to feel taken care of. (there might be exceptions). when he’s in charge, he enjoys your back talk, and putting you in your place.

☥ bondage: specially with the force since his skills are more fine tuned by now and it’s fun in the right circumstances when he has enough energy. otherwise it’s extenuating

☥ voyeurism: he’d make you give him a show. let you know he’s in charge. if you’ve had a disagreeable attitude because you’re horny, he’d sit in his thrown, spread and open body language, “show me how much you want me.” because the humiliation and frustration of fucking yourself in front of him, is all too sweet

☥ exhibitionism: he likes teetering on the edge of everyone on his ship knowing he’s fucking you. not too much, but just enough to have them questioning it with no evidence to prove it

☥ roleplay/kidnapping/corruption: like strangee said, he’d enjoy playing the big bad villain “tainting your purity.” i LOVED that line. y’all should def read strangee’s post ovmgmgmmg. he himself though doesn’t enjoy receiving it as much as he used to as anakin

some more vader’s open to but there’s no elaboration necessary:

dirty talk, humiliating (f receiving), degregation (m+f receiving), “daddy”, edging (f receiving bcos he honestly uses you to edge himself), breathplay (still holds his breath, and still likes to hold yours for you <33), impact play (m+f receiving), face/tit fucking, marking, dacryphilia, overstimulation (f receiving), breeding (f), trickery/coercion rp (f receiving), cum swap, bareback, thigh riding, sensory deprivation

anakin’s kinks vader is no longer open to:

☥ anal: is fine on you but he doesn’t want you to do anything to him, he’s not as open to it as he was before and it reminds him of how weak anakin was begging like that and being at someone else’s mercy in this specific regard.

☥ mechanophilia/technophilia: it’s eh. he takes himself too seriously to enjoy being degraded about this subject, and since he’s matured he looks down on his young self for even thinking something inanimate like that was in the least bit sexy. sex androids served purposes only to weak minded individuals, slave to their rawest and most animalistic desires of procreation. he’s high above that now, sex is no longer necessary for him. merely a simple pleasure

☥ knifeplay/gunplay: boring

☥ foodplay: too messy

☥ his other previous “no’s” still stand

kinks vader has discovered only just now with you:

☥ misusing his lightsaber. he really likes it when you hold his against him. the saber separating the two of you as you point it at him, threatening him to sit down and obey you so you can do whatever you want with him. use him for your basest desires. it’s something he’ll let you best him at every so often, just to keep your confidence high <3

no matter how much vader tries to be a different person than his former self “anakin”, he’s got the same shadow. as if “anakin” was merely a sheet of skin vader shed like a serpent. so there’s not a whole lot of new things he hasn’t tried and certainly now of all times he wouldn’t miraculously gain the kink. however, if you’re not satisfied, hit me up again :) i’ll look through the kink lists online again and see if there’s anything i missed and can dig up. i really enjoyed discussing his psychology in this one. thanks for the ask!

[al-astakbar]

I have a story idea for the Chiss “companion” of Thrawn. She was a navigator for one of there ships and they were sent to explore. Someone or something destroyed the ship and the Chiss reader was the only survivor but the attack left them with memory loss. Being found by the republic or separatists they were taken and now they are where they are now.

i'm sorry for taking so long to reply but i love this idea!! adding the element of force sensitivity (you mean the Chiss reader is a sky-walker, right?)

i feel like the reader being a Chiss might make Thrawn go easy on her… like he would respect her more, or be more protective, so it could be a real slow burn. although i do think Thrawn would really be touch starved after 10 lonely years. like yeah maybe he's had an encounter here or there but no intimacy. and suddenly the Empire has literally issued him a companion for exactly that purpose.

so anyway, with the reader being a navigator but not knowing it?? Thrawn would totally figure it out first… but not tell her right away. it would be a conflict for him knowing that he now has her as basically a resource, like a secret weapon. a force-sensitive girl that nobody except him knows is force-sensitive. but also, he would be doing the same thing as the sky-walker program, just using Chiss girls without regard for their autonomy. i am really not sure he would be self aware enough to realize his hypocrisy, or if he did, he would justify it to himself somehow. HIs younger self, back in the Ascendancy, might be forthright with her, but after 10 years with the Empire, as an older and jaded man who has been given power and command, i do think at that point he is quite ruthless and his pragmatism would win out over tender feelings… at least at first.

can you imagine though, Thrawn feeling like he has to do everything he can to help her have a sense of her Chiss identity and her absolutely not being interested. teaching her Cheunh (she'd be a brat about it and refuse to study).

oh and if she's force sensitive he would have to protect her and keep her secret from palpatine and vader... hmmm. i may need to write this lol

[gch1995]

Luke should have killed Vader in ROTJ. He should have cut off Vader's hand then said "you betrayed your friends, the Jedi who raised you. You broke Obi-Wan's heart and caused him to live in exile. You killed my sister's family and killed my mother and my aunt and uncle. And now you're going to pay the price, Anakin." And then Luke kills him.

Luke absolutely would have had every right to despise Darth Vader/Anakin Skywalker for all the atrocities he committed, enabled, and/or participated in against him, his adoptive guardians, his sister, Obi-Wan, the rest of the Jedi, and many others. I haven’t come across anyone in the Star Wars fandom who genuinely believes that Luke and Leia were in the wrong to have serious issues with their biological father’s atrocious attitudes, behaviors, and crimes. Not even those of us who are Anakin/Vader stans believe that his two children were somehow entitled to just blindly accept and forgiven him for every terrible thing he did to them and many others throughout the galaxy. Of course, they weren’t. Just because Anakin had a tragic backstory, constantly suffered under shitty circumstances of compromised agency under abusive, corrupt, and oppressive authority figures, felt guilt, and eventually felt inspired to at least partially atone for his sins by killing Palpatine to save his son’s life, it doesn’t mean that we think that invalidates all the loss, pain, and suffering he directly caused to both his children and many others throughout the galaxy by victimizing them as Darth VaderIt’s also true that he occasionally committed acts that he knew were wrong of his own volition. He also has occasionally committed crimes against some of his victims out of a personal desire for cathartic release, freedom, protection, and/or vengeance that he wasn’t pressured into doing by corrupt and oppressive authority figures. He occasionally made bad choices that he knew were wrong for himself.

Anakin became a horrendous villain, and, while the compromised agency and shitty circumstances that got him to that point in the first place aren’t his fault, it’s also true that he always retained enough rationality and conscience to know the core difference between right and wrong and feel guilt. Everyone in the fandom agrees that none of Anakin’s many victims were entitled to ever forgive him for his crimes against them throughout the galaxy. We just want it to be understood that it isn’t just his fault alone that he wound up becoming and remaining such a horrible villain.

That being said, committing murder or hurting someone for hatred and revenge vs hurting and killing in self-defense are two different things. While it is true that you are completely in your right to take a stand against abuse, crime, and oppression for freedom and protection, there’s also a line between doing what’s necessary to survive because there’s legitimately no other choice in the moment versus being willing to stoop to that adversary’s same level out of anger, hatred, fear, and revenge. In the prequels, we saw that Anakin went dark and struggled to come back because he fell into the same mindset as those who hurt him and those he loved of “Two wrongs make a right” and “I’ll coldly and indiscriminately commit and enable systematic abuse, crime, and tyranny as necessary ‘for the greater good’ if the authority figures, community, mentors, and politicians in these broken systems I serve tell me to because they don’t offer me much opportunity to feel adequately safe and supported standing up for what’s right within it in battle, anyway, since that would mean taking a risk to trust the other side.”

The feelings of anger, fear, and hatred from constant abuse, oppression, and trauma that never got fully resolved are justifiable on Anakin’s part. Palpatine, Watto, the Tusken Raiders, Obi-Wan, Yoda, Qui-Gonn Jinn, his other elders and mentors in the Jedi Order, and the Republic government he got recruited to serve before he could even have the opportunity to properly understand what he was being signed up for as a child definitely did both enable and/or perpetuate completely acts of systematic abuse, crime, elitism, oppression, and violence against him, his mother, his people, the clones, and their own recruits for their own benefit. Whether their intentions were pure or evil doesn’t matter. They caused a lot of harm and trauma.

It’s the horrendous actions that Anakin becomes willing to take in response to avoid having to deal with confronting those issues bravely, honestly, and honorably that are the problem. It’s not easy for him to do the right things, he has good reason to be angry, and you can make a valid point that many of the crimes he ends up enabling and perpetuating as an adult are things he learned from personal experience as a victim and witness of them from a young age.

Anakin is always at least partially oppressed by a corrupt authority figure. Palpatine pressure him to turn to the dark side by encouraging him to act vengefully to try to avoid and quash those feelings of anger, fear, and hatred that adversaries or potential threats trigger in him, rather than dealing with them. The Jedi he served under weren’t as harsh in their methods and intentions as the Sith. That “greater good” defense mechanism is something Anakin picked up from their teachings to justify doing terrible things out of fear of the unknown and pressure of corrupt authority. Their desire to have control to avoid the dark side and recklessness went into abusive territory multiple times throughout the OT and PT sagas because they became too afraid to actually take the risk to be the heroes for the galaxy they presented themselves as. They usually played the role of heroes in the old Jedi Order when they believed doing so benefitted their dictatorial military superpower organization’s ability to have total control in regards to all force-sensitive individuals and matters in the galaxy, their public reputation, their role as the Republic’s army, and their security. Otherwise, they ignored many of those in need, enabled, perpetuated whatever abuse of power and crime benefitted their “greater good.”

Nonetheless, as an adult Anakin became guilty of wrongdoings when he repeatedly decided to respond to all his anger, fear, and insecurities hypocritically by stooping to the same awful levels as his adversaries did with him and worse throughout his life. Thus, he actually res cycle of systematic abuse, crime, oppression, and vengeance continues with him because he decided to take the easier path of following it.

When Luke was in altercations with Darth Vader where there seemed to be no other way out, he would have been completely in his right to immediately end the duel by swiftly killing his father in self-defense when he had his light saber poised with the threat to kill him. Sure, by the end of ROTJ, we know Anakin’s heart wasn’t really in it to kill Luke for Sidious, if he refused to turn, but he was still threatening to. However, once Luke disarms Darth Vader/Anakin of his mechanical arm and lightsaber, he has the advantage over his father. The self-defense law can only be used when there is absolutely no other way to escape or survive under an adversary or threat in an active altercation. After disarming Vader, the immediacy principle of the self-defense argument is lost for Luke because he’s mitigated the threat of him. It could no longer be the justified as theonly thing he could do to survive because there was no other way to stop him in their altercation when .

What’s more, Luke doesn’t even attempt to kill him out of a sense of duty or protection at all at that point in ROTJ. Luke starts taking a needlessly cruel route by briefly choosing to start beating his disarmed father up with his fists out of feelings of anger and a desire for revenge when he gets the upper hand, which is why Sidious points out “Yes, yes, you’re becoming like him.”

While we’re never obligated to forgive, trust, or take back those who hurt us terribly in relationships, it is also true that most adults who grow up to be enablers and/or perpetrators of abuse, crime, and tyranny against other people had to have the influence(s) to be that way built up from within them over time in relationships with others, which often began throughout their childhoods or very young adulthoods. Hurting people will become increasingly willing to hurt others needlessly, as they have been hurt by others, if they repeatedly decide to deal with their anger, insecurities, and trauma under shitty circumstances and adversity by stooping to the same level as those who hurt them to try to maintain and take control back because it’s easier than taking a risk to do the right thing by being vulnerable.

Luke caught himself before it was too late when Palpatine pointed out he was “becoming like him,” but giving in to an desire for control, revenge, and/or security by stooping to the same level as those who hurt you when faced with the opportunity to do so because it’s easier than actually taking the risk to address those issues and face them bravely, honorably, and openly, is what creates very angry, broken, controlling, dangerous, hateful, and insecure abusers and criminals down the road. They see that it’s such an easy feat to commit acts of “necessary” abuse, crime, and revenge to immediately avoid and shut down anyone or anything that acts as an adversary or potential threat to themselves or those they care about, but they only gain a short-term sense of catharsis in the heat of the moment. In the long-term, though, their anger, depression, hatred, insecurities, and trauma hasn’t actually been resolved at all by their decisions to stoop to their adversaries levels to completely avoid, control, and/or destroy everyone and everything that causes those issues in the moment. Instead, they end up making things worse for others around them, and end up hating themselves more in the long run. Yet, they keep allowing for and doing terrible things that can/could allow them to avoid conflict in the short-term as the years go on because it becomes an addiction that keeps getting enabled by others in Star Wars until Luke comes along. It’s what happened to Anakin in the prequels. It’s what happened to the overall Jedi Order and Republic of the prequels with their increasingly obsessive and unhealthily “greater good” and “us versus them” mentality.

No one in the SW fandom on here has ever blamed Luke and Leia for having serious issues with their biological father’s many atrocities, regardless of his constantly tragic and shitty life circumstances. Aside from the fact that they see he’s Sidious’s attack/guard dog, for the most part, they never even witnessed all the abuse, loneliness, oppression, and trauma he experienced before he fell to the dark side. Even with that, though, the point is not that Luke and Leia are supposed to excuse Anakin for all of his crimes and wrongdoings because he is their biological father who they eventually learn suffered constant tragedy under lifelong shitty circumstances from which safely escaping was always compromised. The point of Luke ultimately choosing to stop angrily and vengefully beating Anakin/Vader to a bloody pulp before he can kill him after he gains the upper hand in their duel in ROTJ is about breaking the generational cycle in his predecessors of enabling and perpetuating rampant “necessary” systematic abuse, oppression, violence, and vengeance without much hesitation at all costs to gain short-term catharsis, peace, and security against any and all conflict or potential conflict, which actually led to greater conflict in the long-term instead because they all became too afraid to actually risk doing the right thing most of the time under pressure with shitty influences and limited to nonexistent healthy support options outside of these broken systems they grew up in and got recruited to serve under pressure until then.

[mirastark]

Overcoming Fears

Darth Vader x Reader

Chapter Seven

- I didn’t think this chapter would take this long, but anyway, please enjoy!

—————————————————————

The next morning as you got into your uniform, you planned out your day in your head, thinking of what you had to do today. There was only one thing. At the end of every week you had to take any plans you had made to the grumpy old man who was in charge of a few tie-fighter squadrons. Whatever they were called. You could never remember but didn’t really mind. Only having this one task today technically meant after you finished it you could have the afternoon off.

You hurried out of your room, and to your office to get the plans. From down the hall you could see a figure swaying impatiently outside your office door. It wasn’t Lord Vader for sure. Maybe your boss finally decided to show up, although that was unlikely. As you approached the door you saw Perseus turn to meet your gaze. “Good Morning, General

L/N.” He smiled.

“Good Morning, Officer Perseus. Is there something I could help you with?” You replied as you stoped a few paces in front of the man.

“Yes, actually, I got my tasks from my boss earlier and there are a few places on here that I need to check that you didn’t show me, and he said to come to you and you would show me around for the day.”

This was great, all you wanted was the afternoon off and now you have to show him around, again. “Very well, and what is your repairing in these places?” You replied turning to punch in the code to your door.

“Well, most of the machines have either messed up and need repair, or they simply just need to be checked up on to make sure something isn’t going on that they don’t know about. Such as a part falling out of place or anything else really.” The door slid open. You stepped in, walking around your desk.

“I‘ll show you around, Officer, I just need to run something to Captain Acer first.” You took file disk out of your drawer. “What places are on your list?” You asked, looking back up to him.

He looked down to his holo pad. “It says there is a messed up targeting system in an older tie-fighter, a unit in Room S.U.25, and S.U.17. Whatever those are.”

“Well you can look at the tie fighter when I go to see Captain Acer. He will know which it is.” You walked pass him out the door, closing it as you went. He followed you down the hallway as you both headed for the bay.

“Where are the other rooms?” Perseus asked, breaking the silence.

“I don’t remember those exact room numbers but the S.U. means Sith Use, so it is probably one of Lord Vader’s rooms. Did you get a door key?”

“They gave me two, and what do you mean by one of his rooms?”

“He has his own personal quarters, it is his castle after all.”

“Well, like what?”

“If your that invested in his life, why don’t you ask him yourself.” You snapped. Yes, it was rude. But you were still waking up and we’re grumpy this morning.

“Sorry, General.” He shifted his gaze to the floor in front of him. You scoffed as the two of you walked through two large doors and into the fighter bay. You approached an older man, with light grey hair.

“Captain Acer?” You asked. The man turned to you, he looked just as tired as you were. “Here are the files and this is Officer Perseus.” You handed him the file, glancing up to Perseus who was standing at your side.

He looked over to him. “Officer Perseus, nice to meet you.”

“He is our new mechanic. He will be fixing that ship that has the targeting problems.”

“Ah, well come this way, Perseus.” He turned on his heel heading to one of the ships with Perseus following him. It was at least one minute until they returned.

“Well let’s get going.” Perseus said as he walked back to you. You turned with him walking towards the door.

“How did you fix the ship that fast?” You asked.

“That was an older ship, as I said, and has been crashed before. I’m assuming during the crash the pilot messed up the settings. It was just a few button mashes to fix.”

“That’s good. May I see the holo pad? I think I can find out where those rooms are.” He handed the pad to you. Pressing a few buttons you brought up at map, which marked the rooms. You turned down a different hallway, following the map. You still didn’t know which room was which. You only remember when you arrived to the room. Both Sith had their own quarters with their own personal rooms. Vader and Mira had a meditation chamber which no one was allowed to enter, especially while they were in there. You had been taught to stay away from these rooms, as they were the Sith’s personal quarters, which was the only reason you knew about them. Yet this time, you were allowed to go in. It was Perseus job.

You stepped to the large door staring at it for a moment. “Hand me the key card.” You commanded, handing him back the pad, he gave you the card. “This room is Lord Mira’s Meditation room, so if you want to live, don’t mess up anything. Although she shouldn’t be in there, so it should be fine.” You tuned back to the pad scanning the card. The door hissed as it slid open.

Perseus stepped in first, glancing around the room. You followed him looking to the large dome in the center of the room. It was closed. That’s just great. You had to wait on Perseus to fix a unit with a Sith Lord in the same room who was trying to meditate. Perseus stepped to the unit on the wall near the door. “Wait.” You demanded, your eyes still fixed on the dome.

“What is it.” Perseus asked, turning back to you, then to the dome.

“Should we at least tell her we’re here?”

“Well it’s only polite, this is her Meditation room isn’t it.”

“Yes, of course.” You walked toward the dome. With a sigh you knocked on the outer edge, stepping back and tucking you hands behind your back.

———————————————————

Lord Mira opened her eyes, startled by the knock. Being in her dome allowed her to channel the force much more than it would in an open area. Doing so, she was able to effortlessly hold herself up in the air with the force, along with her stacks of books. She stared at the edge of the dome for a moment before lowering herself to the floor, stacking her books in the far corner. She winced as she landed, her leg had not healed yet, and was still visibly bandaged up. Her eye had healed a bit but there was still a bad scar. She sat in her chair facing the back wall as she opening the dome with the force. The top hissed open, lifting up before the rest. She reached behind her head, unhooking her mask as it was lifted up and behind her by a cord. Her chair spun around to the entrance of the dome where you stood.

“Ah- General L/N, what is it you need?” She asked, her voice low and somewhat confused.

You bowed, “My Lord, Officer Perseus was tasked with checking on a unit, and we thought we should inform you we were in the room.” Her gaze shifted to the tall man, waiting patiently next to the unit he was supposed to inspect.

“That is acceptable.” She replied, looking back over to you. “Thank you for informing me.” You nodded, turning back to Perseus as he knelt down and began taking apart the unit. “Another question, General.”

She spoke.

“Yes, My Lord?”

“This is most likely something I should know, but how did you two get in this room?”

“Officer Perseus’ supervisor gave him the key to your quarters so he may be able to inspect the unit.”

“And what is it you are doing with him?”

“I am tasked with showing our new Officer around. He was transferred just yesterday.”

She glanced between the two of you for a moment. “Very well. Take no heed of my presence.” She pulled her injured leg over her left, turning in her seat to grab her mask behind her. You slightly turned toward Perseus, stepping back from the dome’s entrance. She turned her face, breathing in from the mask.

“I wonder what she’s breathing.” You asked yourself, “Did she have a lung problem too? Or maybe there wasn’t as much oxygen in her cube.” You caught yourself staring at the sith, quickly turning your head down to Perseus and praying She hadn’t noticed herself.

“Peppermint Scented Air, General.” Mira spoke, replying to your thoughts as she let go of the mask, having it raised up behind her.

“My Lord?” You looked back up to her, having no idea of what she said.

“Peppermint scented air,” She repeated, “It is supposed to be- calming…” she scoffed.

“Oh- I see.” She nodded.

“Oh, and before I forget.” She spoke, pushing herself up from her seat. Before taking a step, she glared down at her bandaged leg. She sighed, sitting back in her seat, looking back up to you. “Bring me both keys you got from Officer Perseus’ supervisor.”

You nodded, taking the second key from his bag and the other still in your hand, you walked up the ramp into her dome, stopping in front of her. You handed her the keys, turning back to stand by Perseus.

By the time you reached Perseus again, he retightened the last screw on the machine, standing up next to you. “My Lord, I still have to check a machine in a room that required that key. If you would rather me not inspect that unit just yet, that is perfectly fine of course, but if so, I will need to finish it today.” She stared at him for a moment.

“Which room is it?” She finally asked.

“Room S.U.25, My Lord.”

“You won’t be able to get in there.” She snapped, “I will have a word with your supervisor- Take tomorrow off, Officer Perseus.”

“Thank you, My Lord.” He bowed.

She nodded with a smirk, shifting her gaze to you.

“If you are finished, I believe we should be going.” You added, turning to Perseus.

“Yes, of course.” He turned, kneeling down to collect his things. You looked up to Mira, bowing once more before you turned to the door, waiting on Perseus. He gathered his things, standing up next to you. You opened the door, stepping out, waiting on him to close it back. Perseus bowed to Lord Mira with a smile, then following you out.

“Officer Perseus.” She spoke before you could close the door. He turned to her once again.

“Yes, My Lord?” He asked.

“Welcome to Mustafar.” She spoke, the top of her dome came down once again as her chair spun around. You closed the door, looking up to him as you both started back to your quarters without another word.

[kitkatt0430]

“The Jedi in the Carbonite”? 👀

Ah this one, I do love this WIP. And I thought it would get written relatively quickly once I started on it.

Haha, what does the person with time blindness know of setting accurate deadlines? Nothing.

Anyway, this is the fic where Anakin is discovered in carbonite a few years into the Imperial rule, revealing that at some point he was replaced with a clone who then became Darth Vader. Meaning that the person Obi-Wan fought on Mustafar was a clone and he never realized, giving the Jedi who already has a massive guilt complex (and drinking problem) a completely different guilt complex on top of the first one.

Anakin - If only smacking you repeatedly would fix things, like percussive maintenance...

Anakin, of course, doesn't blame Obi-Wan for not noticing that the Anakin Skywalker who fell to the darkside wasn't the OG Anakin because though clones all do have unique Force Signatures... they're still pretty damn similar and the dark side makes everything fuzzy on top of it all. But Anakin is focusing on Obi-Wan to avoid grieving for his wife - who was not a secret, the Jedi are literally set up for supporting one another, their children, and their spouses, there's no reason to deny Jedi the right to marry if they so desire, avoiding unhealthy attachments is what mind healers and couples counseling is for - and the fact that he knows he can't take his children away from the people raising them to raise his kids himself because it will put them in way too much danger.

Bail is there, along with a trans woman clone, and a few others to help their favorite Jedi sort their shit out.

I do want Anakin to at least meet his kids but those might have to be follow up fics.

This one has stalled out because Obi-Wan's grief is difficult to write. And I haven't really gotten around to even starting to address Anakin's grief yet. Bail is just kind of wishing he had Rex and Cody on call.

“That... I can’t be sure until we unfreeze him,” she said, checking the life support controls for the carbonite slab. “Though he is alive, so we’ll want medical facilities standing by if we do unfreeze him. But I think that is General Skywalker.” “The hero with no fear.” The team lead sounded awed. “We’ll need to alert command. And pull Kenobi from wherever he’s been stashed. If this really is Skywalker...” If this was really Skywalker, then he could change the shape of the war.

I'm bringing in some Legends canon here with Mount Tantiss and mentions of Spaarti vs Kaminoan cloning techniques, but this is mainly going to stick to Prequel territory character and tech wise.

[galactic-pirates]

Oh boy. Ok episode 9 where do I start?

Spoiler alert as always.

Ok let’s start with the positive.

Data’s line and delivery of “I hope we die quickly” was hilarious.

I loved how Seven was the first to fight back and get a phaser with an elbow to the head.

Raffi going “not a chance” and striding forward shooting because she wouldn’t leave Seven was totally badass, and warmed my shipper heart.

As for everything else…

Oh boy.

In my theorising I said maybe the changelings wanted Jack to do his mind control whoo whoo, and form a ‘collective’ as a way to bring totalitarian order/control the federation which the changelings want.

But actual Borg? Actual Borg passed down because of Picard? That was a crack theory that I thought we were all laughing about. For once I take no pleasure in having saw this coming a little bit. ESPECIALLY to be honest because there is no explanation just a “the changelings were working with the Borg all along” erm how? Why? What do they get out of it? How did they even find the Borg given that clearly…

This season has a huge problem with time and relative distance. I know space is vast and all but for them to be jetting around to all the various places those places must be within half a light year or less. I mean I looked this up when I was comparing hyperspace travel times for Stargate and warp 9 is like 2 light years a day.

Make it make sense.

So for Jack to get to the Borg in a shuttle which I am guessing was probably not warp 9? In a matter of a couple of hours it seemed, the Borg were basically hiding out for a decade in the heart of federation space? I know Jack said “transwarp portal?” but that sounded more like a question so I guess the Borg could have warped into that nebula. But I don’t know I thought they were supposed to require some proximity. I swear what was a thing re: transmitters on Voyager. I could be mistaken though I guess.

Also what the hell with the “Borg haven’t been seen in 10 years?” I guess the friend Jurati led Borg don’t count? I mean ok separate collective but it would have only been one extra sentence to explain that and then we wouldn’t be going “continuity? I don’t know you”.

At least I guess they explained how Jack could control the younger crew members due to the implanted Borg DNA. But that raises some major questions about the transporters. Pulaski was so right not to trust them because if they can materialise people with different DNA… I mean I know this wasn’t done with Federation approval but for that capacity to even exist within the technology… I watched SNW and that has Number One being arrested for being Illyrian (genetic modifications) and then the StarFleet transporters can alter genetic code. I mean ok yeah it’s a couple of hundred years later but I don’t know feels hinky. Wouldn’t people have got sick or died? I mean tampering with DNA seems super dangerous. I get that it’s all handwaved science because it’s science FICTION but it should still seem plausible.

I just don’t get it. It’s just so weird from start to finish. Like are all XB’s modded like Picard? Have none of them reproduced in the past 30 years? Why mod Picard like that anyway? The Borg don’t reproduce like that. I think I am trying to make sense of something that is just so strange.

Anyway I am momentarily amused that my pet theory that the Borg came from contamination from the killer robots in the season 1 finale, could have further weight as that’s when Picard’s brain exploded. Could it be contact through the open space portal to killer robots was trying to transmit/receive and basically getting an error message which fried his brain?

Aaaand back to episode 9. So Shaw’s probably not dead. I mean he might be but from some of the tweets I read I am doubtful. I would like him to be dead. “Redemption through death” is a time honoured trope. I don’t know if it was invented by Darth Vader in Return of the Jedi, or just popularised, but it is a big thing. Shaw was a bastard who I wanted to throw out an airlock. In his final moment finally giving Seven the respect she deserved after his petty bullying abuse of power. That’s Redemption though death.

I am concerned though that if they given Seven and Raffi anything to do in the finale, it might be dragging Shaw to SickBay to revive him. Cortical stimulation etc. forget the fact that the Galaxy is on fire. Shaw probably wouldn’t even be grateful and instead lecture Seven on priorities again. In that case he would be right as risking their lives to bring Shaw back would be insane given the state of things. Especially as I don’t think it’s guaranteed that people can be brought back. Not killing Shaw when there is only a handful of seconds to think, is very different from deliberate choice over and over when he’s technically already dead.

Speaking of that scene though I get they wanted to isolate the TNG crew so they could be heroes, but Raffi stunned the last attacker. They couldn’t wait 2 seconds for Raffi and Seven to join them in the escape shuttle? Instead they left them behind to be killed. I mean that is basically what happened.

Make it make sense.

I dislike that the ‘face’ of the Borg control on the Titan is an alien, and the most obviously an alien. It feels like they didn’t make it one of the LaForges because obviously they will get saved and it’s to keep the impression of victims rather than the enemy. Also let the enemy be alien rather than human as that’s very othering. Humans are good guys right? /sarcasm. I mean it is so rare to see a non-human (unless it’s a Vulcan but that is quite rare too) sit in the Captain’s chair so of course it happens when they are the bad guy.

Fireworks in space. How does that work? I mean there is no oxygen. Technically this means all the glorious explosions of ships probably shouldn’t happen either? Clearly I am willing to overlook it in some cases but those fireworks did look weird. Dodgy CGI or…?

I am sure I am forgetting lots of points.

I think I have said a few times that this season has had a pacing problem. Never more so has that been true than now. As a writer I can tell you that on the story beats list this would be the doorway of no return which separates Act 2 from Act 3. That means there should be 25% of the story left approximately. So paced properly this episode should have been number 7, and possibly given everything they crammed in 6+7 expanded. That’s probably why we got such a glossed over “the changelings have been working with the Borg this whole time” with no explanation or curiousity as to why or how. I really can’t see how they can wrap this up with any degree of satisfaction within one single episode.

You know at the end of this ramble I am still stuck on how the crack “Borg baby” theory turned out to be true. I mean that was like the most “yeeeah it’s not going to be that” level of stupid and then they actually went there. Crack theory = canon and I still can’t believe it. I mean to be fair Trek did have the lizard baby episode on Voyager, so there is precedence for insanity, but that was a single episode, easily ignored and forgotten - not built up to over a 10 episode season establishing lore that anything that comes after will have to live with.

Is that what they call irredeemably jumping the shark?

As for the Enterprise-D I am picturing Geordi as the dad tinkering in his garage repairing his classic car on weekends now. Mostly though I am stunned that they went to the trouble/expense of replicating the bridge set and it will be used for all of one episode.

Oh! Hahahaha. So that’s where the lighting budget went? Finally something that makes sense.

[magnetarbeam]

Thinking more about my developing ideas for a Kesselian variant of the Tatooine slave culture of popular fanon, and how I hope to use it in the AU where Kyp gets off Kessel early (although he's a bit older) and ends up as a Rogue Squadron pilot.

Fair warning: This probably will make no sense at all without at least a casual understanding of the stuff that's already out there about that fanon.

I'm thinking that in this AU, Kyp's four years older, so he's Gavin's age. The reason he ended up in the mines was that his parents were protesting the destruction of Alderaan, so I could similarly move his ending up there to pretty soon after that, and I'm pretty sure it wouldn't break anything important (Whereas in JAT he's been there eight years by the time Han and Chewie find him in 11 ABY.)

Because my hope is for this to be mainly spun off from X-Wing, there's a payoff I can find in drawing connections between Kyp and other characters who were on Kessel at the same time. Primarily, Lujayne and Inyri Forge.

The idea is that the Forges are acting in the same kind of role as the wise woman who reminds Anakin of his true heritage in the first Double Agent Vader story. They're charged with knowing the stories of the Amavikka, and passing those stories along. In canon, Lujayne mentions having multiple sisters and brothers in her spiel to Corran where she accuses him of thinking less of her because of where she's from and stuff.

I think when Kyp shows up, Lujayne offers the mythical origin story of the Maw, and he hears it. Kyp's ten at this point, so it's not the same as if he was born into it (as Lujayne was), but in a lot of respects one could say he was raised as Amavikka.

The reason why the Maw's origin story is always the first one people hear when they arrive on Kessel is because the Maw is a complete mystery even to people who were brought up with high technology, maybe especially to them. This is an Imperial prison colony, so there would be a lot of people with that kind of upbringing. And those people, who otherwise might dismiss the stories told by the slaves as the pathetic imaginings of poorly educated minds or something like that, are inclined to give them more credit because it's not like they understand this cosmic anomaly any better.

Whether or not Kyp believes the stories - and I think he does, soon enough - he definitely takes heart in one of the most important points of the whole thing:

You own yourself.

Kessel isn't a planet like Tatooine that's been revisited far too often in official Star Wars stories, so there's not an abundance of native/introduced animals that I can use in the myths, nor would there likely be. In FotJ they do talk about some vanishing avian species around the tombs.

Of course, this is related to the version found on Tatooine, so a lot of that would probably cross over.

The fact that they do all their work in total darkness invites so many opportunities for various symbolism. I have yet to have any very distinct ideas for what the stories are.

Anyway, some of the background for this verse is that when they were both on Kessel, Lujayne took a liking to Kyp in particular, and kind of took him under her wing. When she manages to get out, she can't take him as well, so she and Inyri (another relationship I need to flesh out more) do the counterpart to that oath where you mix your own blood with water and sand (does that have a name?) to promise that if Inyri's ever able to escape, she'll get him out with her. This is the context in which Kyp gets out and meets the Rogues.

The local Kessel counterparts to some of the Tatooinian symbolism pose some deep questions. I'm currently thinking that the belief on Kessel is that light is sacred in the perpetual darkness of the mines. Obviously, it's not quite as important as water is in the deserts of Tatooine, but the constant darkness has a huge impact on how they need to develop their senses and stuff. This also means I can make the bogeys have all kinds of meaning.

I don't buy that nobody knew of the energy spiders until JAT.

Most or all of the plot of Wedge's Gamble is probably getting rewritten here anyway. He's not going to join the Rogues until probably towards the end of Krytos Trap, but it is pretty important that he spend a lot of time around some of them before then.

Particularly, I want him and Corran to actually be friends. I don't think that's too hard to believe in this context.

Kyp, at some point: I don't trust Erisi.

Corran: Why not?

Kyp: I don't know. It's just a feeling.

Corran: My father always told me to trust those feelings.

After Corran escapes the Lusankya, Kyp can now share his culture and stuff with him because now Corran's been enslaved.

I have much more to say about this, but I'm sleep-deprived and this is probably going to start being really stupid if I keep going.

[worfianism]

Ahsoka Ep 7

Spoilers ahead

- oooo sassy hera

- always so funny when star wars characters are like this sounds like a fairy tale and im like yes buddy you are indeed in a fairy tale

- C3P0!!!! On behalf of LEIA 😭😭😭😭😭

- Senator Organa is Senatoring

- see I get it. Senator Xiono being wary because Hera does read like a military woman stuck in a war but he's very reticent which along with the fact they pointed out that there is ex-empire at all levels in the new Republic make me distrust him

- 😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭 ANAKIN

- at least he's self aware 😂

- SKYGUY STILL TEACHING SNIPS 😭😭😭😭😭

- Awh buddy. You know what I think Good Master is pushing it but I get it. I really do think he tried his best when it came to Ahsoka especially since they were at war but he still let his selfishness get in the way of being a truly good master.

- Huyang I LOVE YOU. David Tennant I LOVE YOU.

- sometimes I forget that Ahsoka was apprenticed to arguably the best pilot in the galaxy

- did he not know this? Or is that he knew that Anakin was Vader but not that Ahsoka was apprenticed to Anakin?

- YOU KNOW WHY JEDI HAVE HAD TO HIDE FOR YEARS?????? (Order 66 mention im sensitive about that)

- I do get why people enjoy Thrawn as a villain

- I love that we go from space battle to idyllic little ride with ezra and sabine

- Zeb mention!!!

- OMG HE DOESNT KNOW ABOUT JACEN!! DAVE YOU BETTER GIVE ME THAT REUNION!!!

- Ezra 😂😂😂 "Really? You???"

- Oh Sabine. You know you messed up. But you can't admit it and you can't fix it.

- ARE THEY CANONISING FORCE TRAINING BONDS????? I thought they were entirely headcanon? (I mean I know Rey and Kylo ren had a force bond but I thought master-padawan bonds were something the Internet made up) also sabine is basically force-null so could she have a training bond anyway?

- UH OH

- damn Baylon Skoll essentially gives like evil Obi-Wan Kenobi vibes but anyway I wonder what he's up to

- COME ON DAVE GIVE ME EZRA WITH A LIGHTSABER, GIVE MY LITTLE JEDI BACK

- omg the little guys trying with a slingshot

- Ezra's ability to care about literally anyone I love him

- COME ON GIVE THE BOY A LIGHTSABER SABINE I KNOW YOU HAVE HIS

- Sabine saying she's like you but lacks your sense of humour about Shin I can't 😂

- omg they just dropped the soft Ahsoka theme very randomly

- I wonder who did the music for the show

- EZRA TAKE THE LIGHTSABER BABY PLEASE

- THE FORCE IS MY ALLY THAT IS ALL I NEED

- EZRA USING THE FORCE 😭😭😭😭😭

- the little guy just threw a pan I love it

- AHHH LEAVE HIM ALONE !!!!! HIM AND HIS LOVELY HAIR

- oh ezra how do you not know that you can't say stuff like that it's basically asking to jinxing it

- HUYANG TO THE RESCUE!

- Oh god for a moment I forgot that troopers were now clone troopers not stormtroopers so for a second I was like yay they're being rescued!!

- EZRA LIGHTSABER PLEASE

- hes so ezra

- Huyang you have to outlive literally everyone

- I'll give that to Thrawn, they are kind of like Jedi of old

- uh ohhhh

- Ahsoka 🥺 offering to help a darksider back to the light

- EZRA AHSOKA REUNION HUG IM IN SHAMBLES 😭😭😭😭 AHSOKA'S LITTLE LAUGH

- OH EZRA MY HEART IS BURSTING WITH LOVE FOR YOU

[this-acuteneurosis]

I've always subscribed to the idea that "child stealing jedi" was more of a rumor planted by the Sith? Doubt there's much support for either idea in actual canon, but I think it would be neat to have Leia learn that they talk to the parents about how Raising Force Sensitive Kids is hard and then the parents decide if they should/shouldn't go with them?

It could lead to her realizing that even if she knows Palpatine's game, she's not immune to his* manipulation, which would be interesting.

*his being Sith in general, since it wouldn't have been started by Palps

(not that you'd have to! I'm just rereading and had Thoughts)

That's...not really an idea I have much interest in. I have very specific Thoughts about the behavior of the Order across 1,000 years and how they were perceived by the public (both generally and specifically in relation to taking on initiates).

I don't really talk about it much because, well, any mention seems to summon the exact sort of people I was afraid I would encounter when I started writing in a fandom as large as SW for the first time (very angry, very very vocal about it). Aside from my general disinclination to fight with strangers on the internet because that never goes well, I also know how little canon material I've consumed relatively speaking, and it's pretty clear to me from the lurking I've done more recently in SW fandom spaces that I...do not consume the media like most fans? Or at least, not the most vocal ones. So fighting seems doubly not worth it. We can just enjoy our own spaces.

Anyway, if any well intentioned Jedi ever sat Leia down and explained to her how reasonable the process was for taking in children and why it was so valuable, she would have two immediate thoughts, mostly emotionally driven.

How dare you dismiss my parents, they raised me Just. Fine. In full view of a Sith Emperor!! And Vader!!!! And

(Recalling what Shmi has told Leia of how Anakin was taken) If Qui-Gon Fucking "Ends Justify the Means" Jinn were alive right now I would kill him again...

No matter how many objective facts you threw at her, Leia would look at the situation that harmed Her Family and led (ultimately) to the destruction of Her Planet and be Very Unimpressed with anyone's arguments.

(Could she believe that Palpatine took rumors of Jedi stealing children and leveraged them to further isolate the Jedi, sure. But Leia of DLB didn't hear that rumor from the Empire. The person who suggested it to her was Luke, and whatever biased or faulty information he might have had, Leia knows governments well enough--even well intentioned ones--to be suspicious.)

[cienie-isengardu]

Obi Wan Kenobi episode 6 (that I’m gonna ignore as the whole series LOL)

I'm truly grateful to Disney that Hayden and Ewan were brought back to Star Wars and I don't think anything will change this statement. But I'm also so SO GLAD the Obi Wan Kenobi show finally ended and hopefully ended for good. No sequel(s), please, I barely survived this six episodes’ lack of common sense, narrative wise and unnecessary drama that doesn’t add much to established Original Trilogy, including the two duels between Obi Wan and Vader, dragging 10 years old Leia into pretty traumatic mess and Bail having like zero understanding how secrecy works? Sorry, not what I need in my (star wars) life. 

Seriously, though the Obi Wan Kenobi TV series has its good moments and elements (hello, Third Sister, to some degree), it is another reason why Disney!Star Wars doesn't work for me. And yes, I'm aware that some previous animations, movies and other media weren’t always the most coherent sources in regard to logic and world-building (I mean especially TCW / Sequels, bear with my bias), but the whole deal of Obi-Wan's need to sacrifice himself for the rest of group so their ship had time to run away is so SO STUPID. There is a reason why TIE fighters are stationed on big ships, ya know? Tie squadrons should be on the enemy ship's tail from the start (and before anyone will tell me that Vader may have wanted to get Obi-Wan alive then shooting from main turbolasers would not work either. TIEs actually could disarm/damage the ship so that it can be boarded to take people in custody). Even when Obi played the decoy, Vader didn’t need to choose between Jedi and the “rebels” (not mentioning him choosing to destroy a civilian ship would be actually a better choice to hurt Obi-Wan, if he was willing to massacre a village just to get him last time?). Vader could board his own TIE / Lamba class shuttle and simply go after Jedi while leaving rest to the navy. I’m pretty surprised he wasn’t in TIE personally shooting the enemy ship but I guess, that way Obi-Wan would not have a chance to survive LOL.

Anyway, the start of Obi and Vader duel was pretty nice but then the show of course needed to go with destroying Vader’s mask and armor and I guess this was supposed to be the oh so big emotional moment? But that shock value meant something to me after the first or second time I saw unmasked Vader (and the first time was Purge comics, I think?) but after years of Disney/Marvel maiming Vader on every fucking occassion, I feel only irritation, leaving bad taste in mouth. Ahsoka did so in Rebels. Obi did it here. Comics did damage to armor like, at least once per every Darth Vader run lately? It doesn’t feel special. It feels like just standard Wednesday for Vader at this point. And after this supposed emotional closure in which Vader… suddenly doesn't blame Obi-Wan for Anakin’s death/own suffering??? (“I am not your failure, Obi-Wan. You didn’t kill Anakin Skywalker. I did.) in contrast to the previous episode (I am what you made me?) but it doesn’t lead to anything really? I mean, yes, of course, they couldn’t make Obi Wan killing Vader in this scene but him walking away and leaving (again) dangerous Sith to terrorize galaxy for the next decade is so… I’m lacking a word for what it is. It only makes me feel definitely sure Obi Wan and Anakin should have never met between RotS and ANH and the last two duels were unnecessary and done only for drama. I understand why Kenobi didn’t (couldn’t) kill Anakin on Mustafar but here, him walking away and dooming galaxy is just so, dunno, selfish and fucked up?. But yeah, why not, the new hope (Luke) will be there to ask to finish the job LOL.

(Oh, and don’t let me start about how Disney/Marvel use Vader’s amputated, wounded body for shock value and the feeling of horror. I’m really, really tired of new canon maiming Anakin on screen and comics pages time after time.)

I also finally figured out why seeing Vader sitting on the throne bugged me so much. In previous episode(s?) it felt unusual (unnatural) for him to sit in anything beside his meditation chamber, or even to want to have a throne. But this time, when he is speaking to Darth Sidious, his Sith master? Vader sitting doesn’t make sense. Vader was usually kneeling or simply standing while talking to Palpatine. Here, him sitting set him as either equal or at a better position than Sidious and this doesn’t feel right at all.

Okay, I was ranting long enough to draw the picture that Disney!star wars doesn’t work for me, not in the context of established sources like the Original Trilogy. The Obi Wan Kenobi TV show demands of me too much mental gymnastics to believe in its narrative or logic, or even care emotionally for what is happening. I guess, if that was a stand-alone, not connected to anything else than RotS series, my feelings would be different but alas, it is as it is. 

For those who enjoyed the show, I’m glad for you. Me myself is going to simply ignore it as much as possible, as I’m ignoring lately a lot other pars of new lore like chips in clone brain, domestic abuse in regard to Anakin and Padme, TCW’s portray of Anakin, Mandalorians with aristocracy and Darksaber as their main power symbol. Yeah, lately I’m pretty good at ignoring stuff.

[ocd-kenobi]

I actually forgot that tumblr has that option too until i saw the post has a read more 😂 They should add that option on mobile tbh. Anyway! After rereading your post again, i wanted to ask, would you like to elaborate more on the “If Darth Vader kept him in subspace constantly then he would be cured :))” point? I think it’s a very interesting dichotomy to think of considering vader non existent respect of boundaries and terrifying force (ha, pun intended) yet that also what could help obi wan

Oh goodness haha. I will attempt to elaborate, but please do assume that everything I'm saying has a bit of tongue-in-cheek about it! I mostly just think it's hot. And the word "cure" is definitely facetious; I image it's more of a nice break.

I want to emphasize that it's Obi-Wan being kept in subspace that would feel good. Like, if Vader pushed his boundaries and Obi-Wan wasn't in subspace, it wouldn't work the same. I just happen to imagine Obi-Wan very easily slipping into subspace with Anakin/Vader. Submitting is how he interacts with the force and he equates Anakin with the force. He also has a punishment/penitence-seeking streak around Anakin that might manifest as pleasure in giving himself over completely.

Okay, but the OCD. On the most basic level, say Obi-Wan reaches for his beard. Alone, Obi-Wan would have to tell himself "don't do it," physically restrain his own hand from moving to his chin, and probably think for several minutes, "don't touch it, don't do it, or you're a bad person who can't control himself" while his brain was simultaneously telling him, "touch it, do it, you have to, you have to or it's wrong." There's not really a big "positive" reinforcement possible here; either it feels wrong or he feels like a failure, and it takes a long time to repeat it enough that he feels the payoff.

BUT if Anakin/Vader saw his hand twitch toward his face and said, "Don't touch your beard," then the usual thought process is interrupted and altered; now it's "I'm not allowed to touch my beard, external rules say so," and it allows the rush of winning the approval/completing the task for someone who is invested. There's still the discomfort of not being able to satisfy the itch, but there is at least the immediate payoff of submission to a lover's will (if you imagine him as capable of enjoying this submission.)

I guess I just imagine Vader would be more focused and attentive to these things than Anakin, just because he spends millions of taxpayer credits to get his torture toy, and has nothing else to do that he actually cares about. (Anakin cares about a few things.) Humiliation could potentially be a part of the whole mess, too, but I'll not go into that right now.

So basically, it's not that I want Vader to force-hold Obi-Wan's hand away from his beard. It's that I want him to give Obi-Wan commands that interrupt Obi-Wan's OCD thought processes. I hope that makes sense!

Oh and this is another thing i know @predator-padawan has written into fic!!!

[legobiwan]

Would Vader's death make a big difference in the grand scheme of the Empire? Sure, he's powerful but most of the Jedi hunting is dealt by the Inquisitors. Palps seems to be looking for an excuse to trade in for a newer model. Yes, he rules the Inquisitors by fear but I'd argue his temper/emotions are too big a liability to the point Palps threatens/cuts off his power/influence. Leia even comments on Tarkin holding Vaders' leash. A more clear headed Sith could do more damage.

Honestly, this is an excellent question and one I've personally mulled over time and again.

I mean, what exactly was Anakin's role in the Empire? Enforcer, ghost story, Jedi hunter...

The thing is, I guess you could argue that Anakin's most influential act was his massacre at the Jedi Temple. After that point, the Empire was more or less a juggernaut (and let's be honest, the political chess game had been in a suspended checkmate long before Order 66 reared its ugly head) until it ended up eating itself, Ourborous-style and fell to the Rebellion.

So what exactly was the advantage to Palpatine keeping Anakin on a leash all those years?

Anakin gets to hunt Jedi and put down any hints of Jedi sympathizers/rebellion with an iron fist. Useful to put the fear of...well, whoever, into the local populace and ensure the Jedi can't rise again.

But as you rightly state, the Inquisitors fill much the same role, albeit without the urban legend, the specter of "Vader" haunting any malcontent's doorstep. And yes, a more clear-headed Sith probably could figure out a way to, if not take out Sheev, at least form a splinter group and be a massive pain in the ass.

And when you go at it from this direction, it actually makes Palpatine's manipulations of Anakin even more creepy and flat-out evil. I mean, Palpatine is a guy who just craves power for power's sake. (It's like if Mitch McConnell actually had any kind of Force abilities). You have to wonder if he just...enjoys keeping Anakin around on a leash, subservient, the supposed "Chosen One" (although I doubt Palpy really gives the prophecy all that much credit) at his beck-and-call. And yeah, he'd turn on Anakin for less than a cracker, which is exactly what happens in RotJ once Luke comes around.

It's...really kind of gross when you think of it that way.

But getting back to the original impetus for this ask (I'm assuming). What would Obi-wan killing Anakin have accomplished? Well, aside from putting Anakin out of his misery, which at this point, considering just how twisted the Anakin-Palpatine relationship is, would be kinder than leaving Anakin to eventually get his shit together in the Hail Mary-est of all Hail Mary passes by the end of the OT...

Anyway, aside from that. Vader's death would be a morale blow to the Empire, at least until Palpatine could conjure up another Big Bad(tm) to play boogeyman. And if nothing else, Anakin was good at wanton destruction. Would his death have saved more lives or would the Empire just kind of carpet-bombed their way through civilians? Not really sure how to answer that.

It's tempting to say that Obi-wan sees the long view during his second duel with Anakin, that he knows it's futile to kill Anakin because one thousand evils would just replace him (maybe he even fears he would be one of them, if he gave in to the idea of killing Anakin). But considering he asserts that, "One of us will die today," I don't think that's exactly where his head was at. Not on Mustafar, and certainly not the second time around during the Kenobi show.

And so while Obi-wan's inability to kill Anakin is not the sole reason the Empire rose (not by any means. Even if Anakin had never turned, it's likely some form of the Empire would have risen considering all the politics and how the war was manipulated), I don't think Vader being dead would have been a bad thing, per se, as he was insanely powerful and killed a lot of beings during his time as a Sith.

(Which kind of leads me down another rabbit hole of thinking if Luke had failed and turned, then what? Would the Empire have survived? The fight outside Death Star II was politics and it was the Rebellion that truly won the day. The fight inside Death Star II was for souls. The Empire may have been toast anyway, no matter what went down in that throne room).

All this is to say, anon, that it's a fascinating question and one that I don't have a clear answer to. I still contend that Obi-wan not killing Anakin was crueler than letting him live (whether you look at that from a wider political level or just Anakin's quality of life), but Obi-wan would never do it. And never did it, choosing to die by Anakin's hand before raising his own against him. Like I said, fascinating stuff.

[insane-mane]

When it comes to Vilgax... how would you make sure he's still the intimidating Darth Vader-like threat in your take? OS and some parts of the Reboot has the best versions of Vilgax there. It baffles me so much how come UAF and OV misuse him (with UAF Vilgax being SO DIFFERENT from OS and OV Vilgax being scared of Ma Vreedle... ugh.). Just curious how would you make sure to keep Vilgax very intimidating.

Well for starters I would never have him open with “Ben 10 I’ve come to kill you and conquer your world”. Felt like I was watching a parody when he said that. I think some of his coldest lines comes from OS and that might purely be due to Steve Blum’s performance. He just has a great demeanor and deliver that really sells what he’s saying. If I had to recast him, I feel the only person that could match up while still doing their own thing would maybe be Ron Perlman? I love the idea of him doing a gruff and gritty yet cold and calculating version of Vilgax.

I feel like setting him apart from notable “Big Bads” really just relies on motivation.

I don’t fully dislike making him a Darkseid pastiche since he’s supposed to be another big intimidating villain, but UAF paid less attention to aspects like him having a level of honor and even mild respect when dealing with his enemies and more on giving him pseudo omega beams. But even then, having him care for his home world’s inhabitants feels wildly out of character for the world-conquering warlord we’ve known him as. It would’ve made more sense had he just lied about that to get Ben to follow him and later find out he was treating his subjects as slaves. Feels more in character, but Ghost Town is one of my least favorite episodes anyway so who cares. I think Vilgax could operate on a code of ethics but only in that “You’ve fought well. I’d be impressed if your death was not imminent” sorta way? His ruthlessness and want/need to be the most powerful is what drives him and makes him intimidating.

[wantonlywindswept]

mando liveblog 3.7 ( ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ )

i am both mad and disappointed, if ultimately entirely unsurprised

oh good, we get to watch bo-katan get the darksaber again

oh right gideon’s bullshit

still calling that they’re going to take all the storylines into other series and turn the mandalorian into a ‘din and grogu run from gideon’ thing bc that’s what worked for them before

oh god are we on coruscant again? with the imperial bitch? ughhhh not againn

he’s already got his outfit back? lame. you just got busted out of prison, suffer bad clothing choices!

oh no he actually looks MORE vader-y, what a poser

i do hate (which i understand is irrational) that the show has to be beholden to the sequels, bc. well. the sequels sucked.

PROJCET NECROMANCER ASDKLJFSG

oh so if gideon’s interest wasn’t in the clones shenanigans does that mean i can fuck around with him wanting to become the next dr demagolka? Forcibly Assigned Jedi At Experimentation

yeee bitches feel fear at thinking about mandalorians

‘the spies’ oh no

poor nevarro civvies, ‘ah shit not the empire again’

i wanna know how painting that giant mythosaur on the underside of the cruiser worked

ARE WE FINALLY GONNA SEE WHAT THE WHOLE WALKING TWO WAYS BULLSHIT WAS ABOUT? INDOCTRINATION YEA OR NAY

ahh hordes of mandalorians my beloved

din. din get on the side of the covert. din.

‘paz bout to start shit TIME TO USE THE TALKING HAMMER’

oh god the droid we all forgot about. again.

OH NOT A DROID IT’S A FUCKING JAEGER IM FUCKING CRYING ASLDKJADG

OH IT’S FOR GROGU??? IM FUCKIN

oh lord baby with a murder exoskeleton

OH

ONIDSFJAG

LETS THE BABY SPEAK???

runaway baby so happy ‘yessss i can murder now!!’

okay i know this is supposed to be funny but clearly the baby should not have the exoskeletON ARE THEY ROASTING THE BABY BIRDS???

man they just got a home and they’re already needing to leave again?

i’m sorry GROGU AS WELL? what. what. YHOW DOES THAT MAKE ANY SENSE NEVARRO WAS SUPPOSED TO BE SO THEY COULD KEEP THEIR KIDS SAFE

big spartacus vibes here

oh ho ho, the armorer too?

lmfao everyone chillin and then there’s paz with his ginormous gun, love that for him. also wonder if my hc about him never actually setting foot on mandalore before despite being a vizsla is correct?

did we. at least land somewhere significant? and not just in the middle of nowhere?

ah good on top of a city at least.

oh

oh my heart

‘do you have food’

the first question asked

mandalorians have been here all along??

okay this hurts me but i feel like not for the reason they want it to, bo-katan DID abandon you in the end

are these the spies, this is going to Hurt Me

oh she admitted it

wait did we know about this deal before or is this new info? bo-katan cut a deal with gideon? i have not watched any of the animated series

oh thank christ finally confirmation the tribe is against Death Watch, even if descended from it

hmm does sound like a good reason for joint leadership

I SERVE YOU? WHAT?

what are these vibes my brain suddenly just sidestepped into the Mad Max universe

is the armorer gonna die to traitors

lmfao paz fucking down to fight over fucking checkers im sobbing

really ‘primitives’? i know we’re supposed to be like ‘oh assholes on both sides’ but paz is like 100000 times better than woves

BABY????

the fuck DID he learn from you then, din

oh wait

i know there’s the assumption it was din (and i mean. fuck yeah dinluke. but.)

what if all the stuff about grogu learning things

was from kelleran?

mythosaur?? pls??

no mythosaur :(

PAZ MAKING SURE THE BABY GOT OUT

what is it with mandalorians and giant lizards anyway

MY HEADCANON IS CORRECT, PAZ NEVER LIVED ON MANDALORE GO ME

nope not survivors

bigger vibes that they were led here THEYRE WEARING WHAT. FUCKIONG IMPERIALS IN BESKAR?? FLAMES! ON THE SIDES OF MY FACE!!

vanguard paz my heart

yeah this was totes a trap

OH SHIT DIN SEPARATED FROM THE BABY

wow the worst vader wannabe

...din forced down on his knees doe unf

somebody cut off this dude’s head

I WAS SO RIGHT HES THE NEXT DEMAGOLKLA PUT TOGETHER IT ALL AND YOU GET JEDI MANDO...clones? something. w/e

UH YEAH, YEAH YOU SHOULD HAVE BO

ah paz it about to die isn’t he

sigh

oh for fucks sake it wasn’t even a smart death you coulda closed it and then gone through

oh fake jedi bitches

i know this is supposed to be a badass honorable death but i’m too busy being mad about it