#its not about the jedi its about the underlying thinking

[mid-nighttiger]

ok here's the thing when people talk about fandom genocide apologia. do we think that people who call for the eradication of a fictional culture actually for-real wish death upon us & those who practice a similar culture? no of course not, everyone knows that killing people in real life is bad

however, do we think that they are the kind of people who complain that [x] culture isn't western enough or doesn't fit their personal experience enough and is inherently inferior/oppressive/etc, a sentiment we do see quite often in real life? yes, and in that sense people's fictional opinions can mirror their real life ones. especially if someone proposes 'outlawing a culture until it is forgotten' as the 'good' alternative to physically killing all the members of that culture, apparently without the single whit of self-awareness that that is exactly what happened in several real-life genocides

[caughtthedarkness93]

Time for some more Acolyteposting! We're getting into episode 6 this time, so beware if you aren't that far.

It's interesting to see how well what I think this show's going for is working.

There was an interview creator and showrunner Leslye Headland gave after episode 5 aired where she talked about being seduced by the Dark Side. It's there. I can see it. And it's enthralling.

I'm seeing so many people who are so into our new Sith Lord. And with it, people seriously considering his opinions and attitudes. And what I see the show doing here is so very interesting. Because between the sexiness (to which I am immune), the sensitive bad boy act, the from a certain point of viewisms, there's a lot happening here. A lot of what Qimir's doing feels like it's designed to get Osha - and the audience - off-guard.

And given how popular the Qimir x Mae and Qimir x Reader tags seem to be, it's working.

Because here's the thing. We know Qimir is a remorseless killer. We saw him slaughter a whole field of Jedi just an episode ago. We cut back to the dead bodies of those Jedi in the midst of his interactions with Osha. When Osha brings this up, he tries to focus on how these people had personally not given her what she wanted. Your relationships with Jecki and Sol would never have given you what you wanted. You considered Yord a friend, but he tried to arrest you. He never even engages with the idea that these people didn't deserve to die. He's also holding her captive. He's not upfront about it, but he is. There is no feasible escape for her. He lies by omission constantly. Look also at the scenes with Osha armed and him unarmed go. Look at who's really driving the conversation in those scenes. It would seem like Osha really has the power, but Qimir knows she's not going to kill him no matter how much she threatens.

But here's the other thing. Qimir is a liar. His name isn't even Qimir. That's just what we're calling him out of convenience, but he's credited as The Stranger. He spends literally half the show lying about his identity, pretending to be some sleazy, mostly harmless criminal. Dishonesty is our first exposure to this man.

And there's something about this that's all really interesting because the show is both playing into that seduction while constantly reminding us of its artificiality. There's an underlying darkness to all these interactions with a surface-level softness obscuring them.

And boy howdy does it seem to be working well.

[warsamongthestars]

( ye gods, a "not just striking TBB again" post )

There is, in fact, a consistent flaw when it comes to Star Wars media outside of the two trilogies ( I will never count the quote "Sequels"--even then only reason Prequels matter is because of The Clone Wars ).

It keeps, consistently, popping up. Its a theme at this point. The only media outside of the trilogies that's reigned it in and played as realistically as possible, was The Clone Wars show.

Even occurs in my favorite bits of Star Wars extended media, like the Dark Forces saga (OG video game series) and KOTOR (Prequel era Video Games).

Its not just a flaw, its actually a story blight. Meaning, if it occurs, and the situation and consequences are not taken into account, and worse, if its glorified in anyway--You have run into False Star Wars.

Because the underlying ideas of Star Wars, which started in the OG and thus are undeniable, goes against this one flaw, this one blight, that keeps popping.

... and that's the idea of repeatedly killing people.

There is a reason why the Prequels go so hard about Anakin slaughtering bandits, when slaughtering bandits is just an every mission thing in video games.

By the very definition of the Force, Everyone Is Important because Everyone is apart of it. Life is Sacred. Does not matter if, by story standards, they're nameless, does not matter what side they're on, you are never just not apart of it. Even the Sith.

Wholesale slaughter, for any reason, goes against the heart of that.

Slaying the Villain, is not and never will be a truth in the heart of what it means to be a Jedi. If a villain has to be slain, it is because no other option exists.

Its why it was so important that Luke goes in peacefully, when he confronts Vader, and by extension Palpatine. Its why he never took a life if he could help it, even in self-defense, after Empire Strikes Back. He was still impulsive, a soldiering life alters think about situations, but that's where his character conflict could've been on-going after the main story.

Its why the concept of Star Wars goes in with the idea of "Life is Sacred and everyone is connected, but what happens when War comes?"

The Prequel trilogy tried, but didn't explain it well.

The Clone Wars series does try harder, and it gets the point across better through interactions with the Clones, but because of the nature of what it is (is a show that is meant for general audiences) and it repeatedly had this bad habit of never questioning the "Good guys" unless it was from an antagonist or villain perspective--it had the grasp of "life is sacred" but never fully leaned into it, asked it questions, and gave it complex thought.

You normally wouldn't give it complex thought. Everyone knows that "Life is Good and Destroying Life is Bad", and that's where the potential genius of Star Wars could happen, even without the fancy space battles and space magic:

Life is Sacred, but What happens when War marches in?

( What happens to the War Hero who used to think Life is Sacred, but has spent so much time killing it in the name of "Greater Good" that nothing is sacred anymore? )

Life is Sacred, but what if you're just saying that because its easy to say it now, when there's no conflict? That, upon confrontation with a a hostile force, you go in guns blazing and swords out? Can't say that life is sacred after you've beheaded someone.

( What happens to the space monks that can sense souls, sense life, even from lightyears away, that, upon being told to go to war, they go to war with the idea that it is the "Greater Good". What kind of people do you have to be, to claim that life is sacred, but then sacrifice countless troops to a nameless unliving enemy. )

Life is Sacred, but what if Politics starts telling you it isn't? What if it tells you that people aren't worth the food in their mouths or the roof over their heads? That life has to be given a driven goal filled purpose, or it is otherwise meaningless and useless?

( What happens when you get told you're special, and that you can be trained, but it comes at the cost of home, family, and connections?That it meant you have to leave your loved ones to horrible fates? Because they're not special, and you're not allowed to connect to them anymore. )

Life is Sacred, but what if it can be mass produced? What if you can have an entire generation do exactly as you want, no matter how dangerous? Who will dehumanize themselves, in order to complete the task at hand?

( What happens to the trooper, raised to be a soldier from birth, who is explicitly trained to go to war, who has been robbed of any choice or option, beyond facing the adversary. What happens when the space monks tell that soldier that he has to die for the greater good? But will preach about how wrong it all is, to that trooper's face, but then do nothing. )

What happens, when you allow circumstance to tell you that life isn't sacred.

Easy. That's the point where you Fall.

... And its the point where a lot of Star Wars Media becomes a hypocritical mess where the only thing special about it, is the flashy effects and the icons.

Don't worry, they've been fucking up their own message since the OG. Star Wars has always been bad at being the Star Wars it wants to be, but, if you're going to blame something for being bad at something--you might as well extrapolate on what that something is.

After all, there's no point in hitting the nail on the head if you miss the nail and lose the hammer.

[oreolesbian]

Let’s discuss two clips taken from a scene in Return of the Jedi.

The first thing to establish is the metatextual disclaimer that ROTJ was released in 1983. The prequel trilogy was released in 1999, 2002 and 2005 respectively. Because of this, it is important to note that most of the lore about the Jedi Order we know from newer canon does not apply when talking about this film in isolation. In an in-canon context discussion, this is irrelevant, but here I want to discuss specifically the themes and pivotal points to the characterization of Luke Skywalker as established by the original trilogy as a whole.

The entire ROTJ Dagobah sequence as it sits in the narrative is a direct response to the events of the ending of Empire Strikes Back, where Luke disobeyed Ben and Yoda’s instructions and abandoned his training to confront Vader and save his friends before he was ready. That scene in ESB on its own already establishes a rift between Luke’s values and the values of Ben and Yoda. However, it is heavily implied that Luke was wrong to do this because he loses to Vader on Bespin and nearly dies, just as Ben and Yoda feared. However, the revelation of Vader being Luke’s father changes the scenario drastically.

In the scene above and the scene prior to it (Yoda’s death), Luke directly confronts both of his teachers on being lied to about Vader’s true identity. Because up to this point, Luke knows he has been training to eventually kill Vader (and the Emperor). Not bring him to justice - kill him.

Luke, having idolized his father since childhood (as A New Hope establishes), is realistically troubled by the news that he now has to kill his father. So troubled, that he asks Yoda, “Is Vader my father?” just so he can be sure. Luke is visibly angry in this scene when Yoda insists that he knowing would have only made him act more irrationally and emotionally. That he wasn’t ready for the truth. But the underlying question remains, did Yoda or Ben ever really plan to tell Luke the truth? After all, Yoda is disappointed that Luke found out, because he knew it would create resistance.

Yoda and Ben are fearful of another Vader, and it’s why Yoda was reluctant to train Luke in the first place.

After this, Luke confronts Ben with the same question, upsetly saying, “You told me Vader betrayed and murdered my father.”

So now we have a second scene of Luke directly doubting his mentors’ motives. Whichever character you agree with being in the right as an audience member, however, is irrelevant, because in terms of character, Luke believes he is right, Ben believes he is right, Yoda believes he is right, etc. And instead of Luke blindly following the wills of his teachers, he truly starts to question whether being a Jedi for him is directly what Yoda and Ben want from him.

Ben laments in the scene above that Luke is their only hope and that Luke’s refusal to kill his own father without at least attempting to find the man he used to be is a doomed scenario. Ben and Yoda have every right to think this - they have seen Vader in both forms and have effectively lost hope in him. Luke, who has only seen a dark side of Vader, has more room for optimism to reclaim the Jedi Knight his father once was.

Not only this, but as a scene, Luke turning against Ben and Yoda’s wishes directly leads an audience to think: ‘Hmm. Vader went against the teachings of Ben and Yoda. Now Luke is doing it too. Is this his path to the Dark Side?’ Which is another narrative point to the scene. All of ROTJ is pushing this ‘what if’ now that we know Luke and Vader are related — all which builds to the ultimate climax of Luke’s decision in the final throne room fight.

“You cannot escape your destiny,” is what Ben says to Luke. But this is what Luke does.

He proves Ben and Yoda wrong.

He proudly proclaims that he’s still a Jedi, but in a way he believes in.

And it’s not even to say that he fully disagrees with Yoda and Ben, because he clearly respects them as his mentors. But Luke changes from ANH to ROTJ. He starts to form his own ideas about what a Jedi is to him, rather than what he’s supposed to do for the good of the galaxy. He makes a decision that he alone can stop Vader without killing him. That he’d rather lay down his life and die a Jedi than do what Yoda and Ben asked him to do (and ironically, what Palpatine also wanted him to do) and live as something he doesn’t believe in.

“Bury your feelings deep down, Luke. They do you credit, but they could be made to serve the Emperor.”

For full context, Ben says this immediately after revealing Leia’s true identity to Luke - which leads us to believe that Luke’s care for his sister is something that could be used against him (as we see in the throne room fight when Vader threatens Leia). Luke cares for Leia and Han immensely, hence why he risks everything to rescue them on Bespin. And ultimately his fear of losing Leia is what makes him snap in his fight on the Second Death Star (which we later learn in the prequels, of course, as a direct parallel, is that Anakin’s fear of loss is what drove him to the Dark as well - so it matches up that Lucas is focused on fear as the emotion Jedi must control above all else, and interestingly enough, fear is driving Yoda and Ben throughout the duration of the OT). His feelings served what the Emperor wanted from him - to kill Vader and take his place.

But Ben also says - “[your feelings] do you credit.”

A simple acknowledgment that maybe, maybe Luke’s endless compassion and determination could change something. For the audience, who is fearful that Luke may fall Dark, and for Ben, whose last bit of hope is left lingering on a sentence. “You were our last hope.”

Luke Skywalker is hope. He’s hope. He’s Ben’s hope. He’s Padmé’s hope. He’s Anakin’s hope. He’s Han and Leia’s hope. He’s the Rebellion’s hope. He’s the Jedi’s hope. He’s the universe’s hope. He’s a New Hope.

He represents all of that in this film - in this few seconds, we get so much character.

And this - quintessentially - is why ROTJ is the perfect blueprint for understanding Luke’s character. How he interprets the Jedi way, how he has complicated emotions that both serve him well and lead him astray, and how he triumphs through hope.

So in full — Luke redefines what being a Jedi is for himself. In ANH, he expects it to be a whimsical adventure (it is not). In ESB, he expects it to be whatever Yoda and Ben have planned for him (it is not). And in ROTJ, he doesn’t know what to expect anymore, but embracing what he feels is the right thing to do is what pushes him forward.

He claims the Jedi title in a way that is fully earned and does not need the approval of his mentors nor the standard training (that he would never get in his era anyway). The Jedi return because of Luke - but they come back different. And not in a direct ‘the Jedi of old were all bad’ way, but in a ‘looking towards the future’ way. Because Luke believes in and values the idea of making your own destiny and the flexibility of the Force’s will. An idea which would inevitably pass to his students (who would then have their own personal interpretations of the Jedi way or even the Force in general).

So yes — writing Luke in a way where he teaches exactly the way the old Code would’ve gone without critical thought, or having him lose faith in a student over a single bad feeling, or disregarding him (meta-textually) as a Jedi, or presenting him as sticking to a very strict and specific set of rules for how training is supposed to work, etc., is all directly contrasting to the arc we are presented in the original trilogy.

[palfriendpatine66]

Writing Obi-Wan I got an amazing ask that has prompted your Pal to go on several rants so I’m breaking it into parts for readability.

An anon new to writing fanfic asked about characterizing Obi-Wan. They asked about his most important traits to include to really nail his characterization and most importantly:

"In particular, I'm confused about reconciling the (chaotic, dramatic, 10/10) Clone Wars happenings with the way he appears in some other stories (more, well, civilized)."

Well anon: ask and you shall receive. Find your pal’s beginner's thesis below, keeping in mind that there are many others in the fandom who are way more accomplished authors who are much better about characterization in their own works and are way more qualified to speak to this. I'm going to do my best!

I love this ask! Characterization is so important in fan fic as we take familiar characters in place them into different scenarios that we haven’t seen how they react and respond to, and yet want it to feel authentic. The best is when you read a chapter and think of course that’s how Obi-Wan would deal with this.

The first part to nailing characterization is voice. Not even the motivation aspects behind “he would not fucking say that” but I literally ask myself: can I imagine the character’s voice actually saying these things? If I can’t hear Ewan McGregor’s Obi-Wan in my mind speaking the lines of dialogue I’ve written, I know it’s not right. This isn’t something specific I could give you a How To on, it’s 100% based on vibe and feel, BUT. Listen to the dialogue in the movies/tcw/kenobi series. The words he uses, his cadence, his tone. Even if he's being written in an alternate universe speaking about something that canon Obi-Wan has never experienced, and never will, it should still *sound* like him. If I had to summarize his voice: civilized yes, and more mature or refined than Anakin’s speech patterns, but with the ever present threat of sass. Underlying almost everything he says is a sense of I can and will destroy you if you piss me off, so tread lightly.

That brings me to your point of reconciling the different parts of Obi-Wan. There’s a line in Stover’s novelization of Revenge of the Sith which (I'm paraphrasing) says: he’s a Jedi Master who deep down still feels like a padawan. To me, this is why he can be the cool, calm logical Jedi Master one moment and then impulsively launching himself out of windows to hang from a speeding droid the next.

He is the expert of Fake it Till You Make It. He was suddenly thrust into all these roles of responsibility before he was prepared for them, but has taken them on and is Doing His Best. He literally went from being a padawan to having a padawan overnight. He had no time to experience being responsible for himself before he was responsible for someone else. He’s the youngest member on the council and despite, you know, not being trained in the military he is like The Highest Ranking Jedi and in command of a frighteningly huge portion of the GAR. He *is* incredibly competent and good at what he does, but he feels like its a role he's acting. He is playing the part of the wise Jedi, modeling himself after everyone he respects and looks up to and thinks is doing a better job than himself, when a lot of times his personal instinct isn't to react with measured patience but rather Yeet! or Read This Bitch!

Always remember: this man contains multitudes. There is no One Right take on his personality. That’s why he’s so fun to write! And also why there’s so many different versions of Obi-Wan in fan fic, and yet most are able to feel right if they hit the voice. Authors lean into the different sides of Obi-Wan they want to bring out. Some are more into his Big Dick Energy, being a BAMF, having the answers, and being in control General Kenobi. Some relate to the more the anxious padawan desperate to prove himself. Some see the man tossing back shots in the Outlander and think to themselves “this ho has slept with half of Coruscant”. Any and all of these can feel true to the character when done from a place of love and understanding for our main man Obi-Wan Kenobi

[augustspage]

The current renaissance of star wars (Andor, Thrawn trilogy, Mandolorian) is because of rebels.

SW rebels was one of the first things to premiere after the legends purge, so salty fans attacked it relentlessly as they had no other outlet (until the sequel trilogy). As we get further and further from that time and canon builds up its timeline we can see the amount of worldbuilding the show did that provides the base for so many of the current shows, to work off of.

The darksaber and the mandolorian

The mandolorian is basically a spinoff of rebels with the amount of shared characters, plots and macguffins, but I'd like to focus on the darksaber.

The amount of weight that saber holds is established in rebels, "trial of the darksaber" while being an amazing episode for sabine establishes the history of the darksaber, clarifies how lightsabers work and sets up "the ducchess" very likely a superweapon thats gonna show up in season 3. without having g rebels to lean on the mandolorian would not feel as galaxy spanning and large.

Kenobi and Fallen order and the inquisitors

This one's pretty obvious the main conflict in the show and game revolve around a concept that rebels writers took from legends and refined. Inquisitors are potrayed as intimidating, but coming from sympathetic pasts (Grand inquisitor being temple guard), capable but falling to infighting (seventh sister and fifth brother) as well as their cool designs. (I really like the spinny blades okay)

Fallen order and kenobi build on these elements set up in rebels, to drive their plot, and use other ideas like vaders broken helmet for emotional moments (not to mention Cal's story being identical to kanan's current, hopefully it grows in jedi survivor) .

The ISB and andor

Rebels establishes the isb through Agent kallus, a skilled, menacing devious tactician, who is sympathetic, who is very capable of espionage, and is used to comment on the empires dehumanisation, sound familiar?

There are differences in portrayal obviously as ones for a younger audience but the underlying themes and ideas are the same. Andor used the ideas present to build its own story about a surveillance state, and the empires radicalisation off of the base ideas there.

Rebels brought thrawn back as a villan

I don't think I need to tell you how much fans like thrawn, but he was never a household name until rebels. It introduced thus awesome character to a larger audience, and gave Timothy zahn to take his character in new interesting directions basically doing whatever he wants, which people seem to like.

Importantly however rebels brought him back as a villan cause however fun he is as a Sherlock figure, thrawn is at his best as a intimidating smart villan, season 3 of rebels always had that looming feeling that the rebels are falling into a trap, which they were. Thrawn in the season finale was terrifying, one by one destroying all the ships the rebels built up, losing the people they worked hard to save and the base they got to rest at if even for a moment. This is where thrawn is at his best, and from the looks of it that's what they are gonna build on for the future of star wars as a whole.

This post is basically a reminder that current star wars is nothing without star wars rebels as a base and more people should know about it.

[high-mackrels-musings]

Populism and Demagoguery in the Star Wars Prequels

Star Wars has always been a political film, from the beginning the original trilogy was influenced by the political situation of the time, George Lucas has stated that he was influenced by the Vietnam War which was happening at the time. Lucas has stated the following regarding Palpatine in 1981 showing that Lucas was taking influence from some real-world events happening at the time.

he was a politician. Richard M. Nixon was his name. He subverted the senate and finally took over and became an imperial guy, and he was really evil. But he pretended to be a nice guy.”

Indeed, many who saw the Star Wars prequels when they were first released saw parallels and criticisms against the Bush administration at the time, Lucas himself came out to say the following about that:

"We were just funding Saddam Hussein and giving him weapons of mass destruction. We didn't think of him as an enemy at that time. We were going after Iran and using him as our surrogate, just as we were doing in Vietnam. … The parallels between what we did in Vietnam and what we're doing in Iraq now are unbelievable."

As such, one can reason that Lucas always wanted there to be a message against war, against empire building, against autocrats. But there is an underlying message that I think warrants some thinking as I feel it often gets overlooked. That is Lucas’ forewarning against populism and demagoguery as seen in the Star Wars prequels. Lucas forewarning in the prequels is about the fall of democracy, and how easy it is for people to replace a system for promises.

First of all populism itself can have multiple meanings by multiple people, and the term has been in use since at least the 19^(th) century, to avoid squabbling over terms and definitions for the purposes of this piece, I shall use it in its description from the Encyclopedia Britannica that is:

A political program or movement that champions, or claims to champion, the common person, usually by favourable contrast with a real or perceived elite or establishment

But Populism also often comes with the accompaniment and is indeed often conflated with demagoguery, following the definition from Merriam-Webster, a demagogue is a leader who makes use of popular prejudices and false claims and promises to gain power. Both tend to go together and in recent days they have been used together, either way I shall try to examine the Star War’s prequels and how they examine both.

I should also note that I am not a political scientist nor am I a scholar on the subject, so should certain inaccuracies present themselves it is through my own ignorance of the subject.

Using this definition though, we first see the elites in the form of the corporations, the Trade Federation in The Phantom Meance is the elite, a powerful force with a seat in the senate that has successfully blocked Naboo, a mid-rim planet with much less influence than perhaps some core worlds. The Republic is hopeless in ending this through public debate painting it as ineffective, the opening crawl tells us the Supreme Chancellor must secretly dispatch Jedi to hope to resolve the incident.

While the Congress of the Republic endlessly debates this alarming chain of events, the Supreme Chancellor has secretly dispatched two Jedi Knights, the guardians of peace and justice in the galaxy, to settle the conflict.

Of course, we the audience know the Sith are secretly pulling the strings to make the republic weaker, slowly weaking key institutions that could have otherwise resolved such incidents.

A populist and indeed a demagogue, will often point to the failings of institutions and systems to show that the will of the people is being ignored. Queen Amidala herself is young, and we often hear of the people of Naboo. Which leads us to our next display of Lucas’ warning against populism, Palpatine’s whispering into the ear of Padme. His influence on her is clear, especially as he rails against the Republic.

The Republic is not what it once was. The Senate is full of greedy, squabbling delegates. There is no interest in the common good. I must be frank, Your Majesty, there is little chance the Senate will act on the invasion.

Key words being used here by Palpatine such as the interest of the common good, and while Padme has faith in Valroum, Palpatine’s words quickly dissolve this trust with this as seen in the scene in the senate chamber:

Enter the bureaucrats, the true rulers of the Republic. And on the payroll of the Trade Federation, I might add. This is where Chancellor Valorum's strength will disappear … Now they will elect a new Chancellor, a strong Chancellor. One who will not let this tragedy continue.

Palpatine himself might have a point, the Republic is stagnant and rife with corruption, but the usage of half-truths, the promises of a stronger leader, and of course he is positioned as the replacement for a new chancellor himself. Lucas shows us the dangers of such leaders who will use real dangers and problems to gain power for themselves.

Of course, the problems of the Republic don’t come to an end because of Palpatine’s rise, by the time of Attack of the Clones the separatist movement has grown to include attempted murder of Padme, who’s first intent is to blame Count Dooku. Dooku himself might be seen as an example of a populist, his desire to reform the Republic was born out of a genuine place of concern, but it is easily manipulated by Palpatine evolving him into something much worse. Lucas foreshadows the dangers of political ideologies with populism by showing us how populists and demagogues might manipulate otherwise good meaning people.

Manipulation is something at the forefront of Attack of the Clones, Palpatine certainly has cultivated a sort of cult of personality that often comes with populist leaders as seen by real-life populists. Anakin shows signs of accepting the sort of populist message as well, as seen during the conversation with Padme at the lake. The two discuss democracy and when pressed on his beliefs on the subject answers:

 Padme: You really don't like politicians, do you?   Anakin: I like two or three, but I'm not really sure about one of them. (smiling) I don't think the system works.  Padme: How would you have it work?  Anakin:  We need a system where the politicians sit down and discuss the problems, agree what's in the best interests of all the people, and then do it.   Padme:  That is exactly what we do. The trouble is that people don't wlways agree. In fact, they hardly ever do.   Anakin:  Then they should be made to.   Padme:  By whom? Who's going to make them?   Anakin:  I don't know. Someone.   Padme:  You?   Anakin:  Of course not me.   Padme:  But someone.  Anakin:  Someone wise.   Padme:  That sounds an awful lot like a dictatorship to me.  Anakin:  Well, if it works…

The slow acceptance that for change to be made a strong leader must emerge, that only a strong leader can make such changes, we see it with Palpatine’s manipulation of Jar Jar, in the discussion with senators regarding granting the chancellor emergency powers, Jar Jar told that someone brave like Padme would propose such measures is quick to action, his emotions played on just like many populists do. Palpatine of course accepts the powers, with the clear vocal approval of most of the senate, he has gotten this far by manipulating people into giving him even more power now.

When discussing democracy George Lucas had the following to say:

All democracies turn into dictatorships—but not by coup. The people give their democracy to a dictator, whether it's Julius Caesar or Napoleon or Adolf Hitler. Ultimately, the general population goes along with the idea …

It should come as no surprise then that the third film continues this theme of this erosion of democracy, despite the continuing granting of powers to Palpatine he is still highly respected in the republic, this is further expanded in the novelization where Matthew Stover writes:

Palpatine of Naboo, the most admired man in the galaxy whose unmatched political skills have held the Republic together. Whose personal integrity and courage prove that the Seperatist propaganda of corruption in the senate is nothing but lies … Palpatine is more than respected. He is loved … Without Palpatine, The Republic will fall.

Revenge of the Sith has painted a picture for us of how well-beloved Palpatine is that he is essentially unopposed. Such is his power that only Palpatine can decide when the emergency is over and when he needs to give up the power, leading even the Jedi to worry about the state of the democracy, Ki-Adi to state:

If he does not give up his emergency powers after the destruction of Grievous, then he should be removed from office.

Of course, this is all part of Palpatine’s plans, as Lucas wants to show us the fall of democracies, Palpatine uses the Jedi’s attempt to arrest him to monger fear, he destroys his last opposition and gives a rousing speech to the senate:

In order to ensure the security and continuing stability, the Republic will be reorganized into the first Galactic Empire, for a safe and secure society, which I assure you will last for 10,000 years. An Empire that will continue to be ruled by this august body and a sovereign ruler chosen for life. An Empire ruled by the majority, ruled by a new constitution.

Palpatine has now successfully stoked the fears of the galaxy and of the senate to grant himself more power than any other being in galactic history. Leading Padme to say the following:

So this is how liberty dies. With thunderous applause.

The people and the government have accepted the stoking of fear by a demagogue and populist.

In a conversation with George Lucas, fellow director James Cameron discussed the aforementioned line about the fall of democracies and how George Lucas had contextualized the fall of democracies in a science fiction setting. Certainly, we see Lucas’ condemnation of populist messages.

I have stated before that the prequels are about greed, as opposed to the failure of the Jedi as is often believed by some. Lucas warns us of Anakin’s greed and of the greed of politicians, and corporations. But his condemnation of populism and the embrace of it by the masses might hint at a deeper greed, a greed for safety, a want to sacrifice liberty and democracy for the sake of safety, as Palpatine was always promising.

We perhaps never see Palpatine as a breathing fire branding populist, nor a conspiracy-laden demagogue, but the signs of a sly and well-spoken politician are something that Lucas wants the audience to be wary of and that is how easily such people may exploit the weaknesses of our democracies.

[ooops-i-arted]

Separate of feelings on tcw and its unending array of spinoffs (though honestly, day by day I find myself sliding closer to your attitude about them) I do think filoni and favreau's treatment of the Star Wars/Disney brand is worthy of an academic paper. Specifically looking at how allergic to consistency it all (including the sequels) is. Because again, regardless of feeling, I think there are some really wacky choices being put to screen that often contradict itself in ways that actively antagonises and alienates its audience. Because say what you will about the prequels, but at least they had a clear vision throughout. Personally I think they were the last time SW had any sort of clear vision but that might just be me being bitter about Din's treatment in s3... :P

Yeah, anyway, stopping before I get rambly-er...It was just something that sorta stuck me as I was backreading some of your clone wars critical posts.

The underlying problem imo is that Disney wants money, not a consistent story. George Lucas of course wanted to make money, I'm sure, but he had a consistent story and he stuck to his guns throughout. People hated the prequels when they came out, but George Lucas stuck to his overall story even if he tweaked things (like reducing Jar Jar's screen time). The sequel trilogy makes it abundantly clear that Disney changed things as soon as there was any sort of backlash and they risked losing money - Finn CLEARLY being Force-sensitive but shafted by the story and never allowed to be a Jedi with Incel Poster Boy Kylo Ren given all the attention instead makes it very clear that's what happened.

It's more than that with Filoni - at this point I think some of my students have more consistent storylines in their play than he does in his paid work! He drops anything like a hot potato when something more interesting to him comes along. I've been saying this since Rebels season 2 finale - half of your ensemble cast doesn't even feature in the season finale and the rest are shoved aside so your OC and Darth Vader can have a rematch that's meaningless to anyone that hasn't seen TCW instead?? That's fucking bad writing. It's a pattern that continued. TCW had a message of just because the clones look the same doesn't mean they aren't individuals with value - wait, no, we have the individualistic, specialier (whiter) Bad Batch butt in during season 7. Din and Grogu have a heartfelt separation that's for Grogu's benefit? Nope, he's back with Din in the next show. Boba Fett getting some good character development and becoming a leader? Nah, back to the Mandalorian. (I love Din, but again: fucking bad writing. Temuera Morrison has every right to be salty as fuck.) Din having the potential to be come the leader the Mandalorians need and can respect and follow? Nah, just hand the sword to Girlboss Barbie Bo even though she's lost it and we've done this arc already what, three times? Actually no, never mind the Darksaber, let's break it! Anyone wanna take a bet that it's gonna be reforged in Season 4?

[spokewar]

"Oh, good, you're right on time! I have much to explain." He didn't stop for a reply before retreating back inside to where he had a projector pointed at the wall, displaying a mess of to-do lists with several hastily drawn scribbles and blueprints overlaying them. It was similar to how he would have set up a war room, but far more haphazard and made without thousands of souls weighted over his shoulders. The air around him was content, but not without its own underlying current of anxiety, one not born from fear, but excitement. Despite the vast amounts of change Obi-Wan had seen over his life, he still did not take to it very well, always too worried for others' sakes to let himself adapt to the new mundane.

"If you have not heard already, I resigned from the Council today. Though, I did not wait for their reply, so I am unsure how they took it." Could they have rejected his resignation? He would have liked to think not, but Master Yoda was sure to try regardless.

"And here is my proposed plan moving forward; as you know I intend to establish the Wayseekers and, hopefully, within the next few years start assigning Watchmen as well." Unfortunately, there were more planets who needed them than they had Jedi to spare and the Order would have to take some time to heal itself before they could start helping others. In the meanwhile, Obi-Wan himself hoped to mitigate the damage around the outer rim while defining the responsibilities of his new faction. "Which we will be . . . uplifting from the Council given we'll be the ones with civilians on our team." Team being not quite the correct word, but he didn't like the idea of his project being labeled as a secondary council either. If anything, he liked to think of it as a committee or perhaps the in between of the Order and the Corps.

"Did you get the file I sent you earlier? About setting up base at the Lothal temple?" Obi-Wan hated to impose on Lahani's newly acquired free time, but he needed help if his ambitions were to ever get off the ground and trusted people were in short supply these days. He had considered asking Cody, but worried the man might have strangled him for taking on such an intensive project so quickly after ceasefire, and Lahani was much less likely to strange him, even if he decided to drop a year's worth of work on her.

"It's out of public eye, defensible, and your favorite part, far away from here." Far from the Council, but more importantly, far from the Senate. Which Obi-Wan promptly demonstrated by gesturing how far the two planets were to one another (the holo was very much not to scale). "But I ah, I believe I will default to your opinion here, you're more equipped to assess the safety of this location." / @misfittcd

[phoenixyfriend]

Dear Creator Letter: Anakin-Clone Appreciation Exchange

Organized as:

General/Setting Likes

Gender Stuff

Setting AUs I like

About the ships

DNW with clarifications

General Likes:

Working with/around PTSD with each other

Asexual or ace-spec characters (doesn’t have to be explicit, just an underlying Vibe is fine)

hurt/comfort (NOT whump)

Generally I like ships being really sweet with each other, even when the sex or kink is rougher

I enjoy pretty much any kind of gender play, including:

Character is now Nonbinary

Trans (in the direction of canon)

Trans (in the direction opposite canon)

Questioning/Experimenting

Fluid

Magic sex swaps of the ‘woke up with my body a different reproductive setup, am learning the meaning of gender euphoria’ variety

Whatever the hell Ranma ½ technically is

Cisswaps (born a different cis gender) so long as it’s not used primarily to turn a same gender ship into a het ship

I do like AUs of all sorts, so long as the core of the character is intact, with vibes to match. This includes:

Time-travel, fix-its

Arranged/political marriage

Soulmate AU

Background or role swap AUs

Omegaverse (WITHOUT exaggerated omegaverse sexism or cissexism at all, and without mild/moderate sexism or cissexism as major plot points)

Modern AU - chill bakery/coffee shop/bookstore/beekeeper stuff - classy criminal playing cat and mouse with the FBI agent trying to catch them - “oh no, you’re my teenager’s English teacher and this parent-teacher conference just got very awkward because we started dating over the summer before I knew” - one of them is a celebrity - literally just whatever

Historical Fantasy (mostly for the fashion and/or if the author gets really invested in things like trade routes and agricultural pressures and inane tax law)

History AU, but only if you go the Bridgerton route of Fun And Funky Tropes Without The Racism

Royal Fantasy

Soulmate

Role Swap (does not have to be between the ship!)

Backstory swap (e.g. Never a Jedi AU, Raised a Sith AU, Senator of Tatooine AU, etc.)

For Want of a Nail

Faustian Castle AU

ABOUT THE SHIPS

These are not prompts! These are just me trying to explain why/how I ship them, the vibes I usually go for, or the kinks I associate with them.

Cody&Anakin or Cody/Anakin I think Cody is tentatively respectful and unimpressed by Anakin. I've got a whole post about it.

Rex&Anakin, Rex/Anakin, and Rex/Cody/Anakin I don't think Rexwalker needs much explanation. We all know the draw there. As for Codexwalker... I need them to share him. I need Anakin flustered. I need Rex flustered. I need Cody laughing at them.

Any given mix of Anakin with Fives, Echo, and Hardcase A ship of shenanigans! I do want Fives and Echo treated as a set whenever possible. Doesn't matter if they're both dating Anakin, or if one is dating him and the other is wingmanning like kingdom come, just need them to be A Set.

Fox&Anakin or Fox/Anakin Reluctance, suspicion, and a slow growth of trust is the name of the game. Fox is so very guarded and he is JUST as unimpressed by Anakin's nonsense as Cody, but with far less cause or inclination to trust or develop affection for Anakin.

Rex&Vader or Rex/Vader Bring that boy back to the light, baby.

Kix/Anakin or Kix&Anakin Not too grumpy of a medic, please. He's soft-spoken in canon, yeah? Also I like the idea that Kix is eager to prove himself to Anakin in non-medical settings. He's already proven himself as a medic! Let him prove his kissing skills!

Alpha-17/Anakin Alpha is challenging Anakin to prove himself. He is even less impressed than Cody. He is mean about it. I'm not sure if he'll ever like Anakin, but he might tolerate him long enough to have a grudging fondness after Anakin manically destroys a walker that was about to crush him or something.

Regarding my unwanted list/clarification on my DNWs

DNW that don’t need much elaboration:

incest (cloneshipping is fine)

bestiality

minor/adult ships - age difference of less than three years is fine - major age difference where both are adults is fine

Reader inserts, major inclusion of original characters

Lower body fluids (talking about blood or saliva is fine; excrement is not), vomit

Sick fic (injury recovery is fine)

IDK I just get nothing out of most sick fic

Non-canon Dark Histories meant only to make someone more sympathetic or pitiable (e.g. especially Rape as Backstory)

Downer endings (includes breakups that are not resolved)

Smoking/cigarettes/alcohol/recreational drug use

General sexism or bigotry as a major theme, or from one member of the ship to the other, as well as bigotry-based dirty talk

Moderate to extreme sexism or cissexism for omegaverse

anti-intersexuality bias, usage of 'intersex’ for dualsex (they’re not the same thing)

Misgendering

Particularly dark topics, including: - Noncon - major character death (I’m fine with “Tarkin died and that sure is impacting the war” but “the main character’s younger sister just died and the plot revolves around the grief” is a bit much) - underage sexual content - adultery/infidelity - whump - unresolved terminal illness - suicide - self-harm - domestic abuse - child abuse

To keep things simple, no nsfw for this one

Basic character/setting things:

Werewolf or folklore AUs.

No character bashing. I know the event already has this as a rule, but I want to make sure it's clear that I don't want ANYONE bashed, not just Anakin and the clones. - By this, I mean vilifying them based on negative fanon or otherwise non-canon actions or behaviors (e.g. Anakin mind-controlling Padme into a relationship), or stories that prioritize punishing a character for their narrative crimes in the plot, especially in a way that is inconsistent with the setting or characters doing the punishment (e.g. Padme or the Jedi being incredibly harsh with Anakin about the Tusken Massacre, despite Padme moving past it easily in canon, and the Jedi displaying extreme forgiveness and providing rehabilitation to other characters that Fall, like Quinlan). -The whole Anakin/Consequences movement is one that I dislike immensely. If you don’t know what it is, you’re probably not doing it. If you do know what it is, then you know what I mean here. - It is very common/popular to write Qui-Gon as a neglectful, cold, or downright abusive caregiver/parent figure to the children in his care. I do not like this in the slightest.

For some reason, a lot of writers are very casual about violating a character’s bodily autonomy “for their own good.” I don’t like this (unless it’s horror, but that’s a different topic), and ask that you refrain from having characters do something like that for a person’s own good unless there are some massive extenuating circumstances. Please, for the love of god, do not have characters nonconsensually drug each other with sleeping pills as an act of care unless it's meant to be a sign of how dark and fucked up they are. Like, if Vader is drugging someone 'for their own good,' that's one thing, but...

I’m pro-Jedi and pro-New Mandos. I do not want anything that suggests they: - deserved what happened to them - needed to change or learn to accept more militant values/that attachment is good - were stealing/brainwashing children or engaging in cultural genocide - Traviss-style Mando Supremacy is a no-go - This isn’t technically a DNW because it’s too difficult for the mods to enforce, but I’m not a huge fan of large amounts of Mando'a. If it makes sense for a scene (as in, characters are speaking Basic to one another and would include Mando'a for contextually necessary reasons) or has connotations that can’t be translated, then sure, but dropping in “ad'ika” or “gar gai” every few lines grates on me. Translation convention, please!

I do like the True Mandos but please don’t lionize them.

I have minimal interest in the Original Trilogy and no interest in the Sequels; my mind is squarely in the Prequels and pre-canon era. - That said, I do delight in having baby versions of the characters present; I am always open to toddler Skywalker twins cameo. - I’m not very into the Bad Batch. Cameos are fine.

No Barr*ssoka. No, not even as a background thing.

No Cod*wan. No, not even as a background thing. Preferably, no Jedi Master/Clone ships at all, but especially not Obi-Wan/Clones. (Knight/Clones is fine).

No Master/Padawan. I have exceptions when reading, but for an exchange, I’d prefer not to have any in my gift.

Vilifying Padme in the process of explaining why she isn’t with Anakin. She can be an ex, they could be in an open relationship, they could have not gotten in a relationship at all and just stayed friends, I don’t care, just… be nice about her.

The suggestion that Padme was mind-controlled into loving Anakin.

If you write Rebellion/OT setting versions of the ships, please don’t go hard on the clones being Old.

The word wh*re is considered a slur among many sex workers, and while I’m not among that category, I feel uncomfortable seeing it in contexts that don’t really justify it. If it’s a matter of characterization, to signify a character is a bad person, or part of a rougher underground community where it’s an in-group term, or a period setting, that’s one thing, but just as a part of dirty talk or an accusation or teasing? No, no thank you.

[cinciri]

Tagging: @weekofobitine

Day 5 prompts used: Qui-Gon, hyperspace, dreamer

Bonus prompts used: TCW Season 3

Certainly Obi-Wan and Dooku weren't close as Dooku and Qui-Gon were. Before his capture on Geonosis, they had never crossed paths, but Qui-Gon’s stories were enough to understand how strong their connection was. Actually, it was strong like a connection between any other Master and Padawan: two beings couldn't coexist side by side for decades and not create a strong emotional connection, no matter what exactly its was basis - friendship or hatred. And although attachments were unacceptable by the Code, and love for all creations, which underlies such important qualities of a Jedi as empathy and compassion, on the contrary, was encouraged, the connection between the Master and the Padawan was impossible to identify with one thing. It’s just that at some point each of them determined for himself what was most true according to his own feelings.

Qui-Gon's death undoubtedly crippled Dooku - for him, as for Obi-Wan himself, it wasn't just the loss of one of the Jedi, it was his personal loss. And even though the depth of their connections with Qui-Gon was the same, the conditions in which they overcame their pain turned out to be very different, and therefore the result was different. Obi-Wan, who took the oath with the last breath of his Master, couldn't think about anything for the first years except for Anakin’s training, and then between them was formed their own connection, and abandoning the boy felt like a betrayal of not one, but two close people. But Dooku… Despite the hundreds of brothers and sisters in the Force surrounding him, despite Yoda, trying to stay where nearby, he still found himself completely alone, and this loneliness even more strongly scattered the remnants of his faith.

After Dooku left the Order, Obi-Wan sometimes wondered where he would be if he and the Count swapped places - if Dooku had Anakin and he had no one. Could he find the strength to let Qui-Gon go, accept the fact that such a close person is now just a memory? Stop thinking about revenge at night? Stop blaming himself for not being fast enough, agile enough, strong enough… Or, having found himself too weak to the temptations of the Dark Side, just like Dooku, would he become one of the Lost Twenty? Or maybe, having rejected the Light, he would have turned away from the Darkness too, heading to where he had already remained in another variation of his life that never became reality?..

Continue read on ao3

[wanderingjedi77]

I am still mad about that dark saber transfer! We already did that with sabine?! Whole situation had so much potential too! Just imagine that transfer didn't happen, where din n bo had to work for night owls loyalty. All while they r bonding n shit. More they trust n respect each other, more drama resolution of saber has! Cuz they want the same thing! Din doesn't want the saber n from what we see on this weeks episode, thinks bo should have it. Likewise bo thinks she should have the saber. If it didn't have a myth attached to it, he would have given her the saber in an heartbeat. But myth exist so its a wedge between them. However close they become, they have to somehow resolve this issue.

Imagine this season being about this underlying problem. Just watching small set of characters dealing with this. Cuz the cast as is rn *can* have interesting opinions about this. First of all, bo left the deathwatch cuz maul had the saber. So, she shouldn't think sword is somehow magically choose its wielder (its an jedi artifact so it might be instrument of force n actually choose its wielder through destiny n shit). Paz outright think he should have the saber cuz its just an family heirloom, he wouldn't care if their ruler has it or not. Armorer already supported bo before she had the saber. N she commanded night owls without the saber for awhile. There is a precedent for leading without the saber.

Even if its ultimately impossible to unite everyone without it, I would love to see bo n din trying that! Cuz it actually works well it the shows main theme. These season could have been about examining how this grand myth that feels bigger than all, effect our two lead characters. It could have been about bo's past coming to hunt her. It could have been about din's ignorance of whats going around him n how it effects grogu. It could have been about small group of people near extinction, desperately holding onto their ever fading tradition thats actively hurting our main characters.

The solution is simple anon.

Throw the darksaber in a volcano.

[eorzeashan]

Iokath + Traitor Arc Shenanigans

Eight: [Flirt] We should've teamed up sooner. I could've used a strong warrior like you at my side.

Theron: I'm going to be sick.

Lmaoooo, sorry Theron but it's not like that-- little known fact, but Eight flirts with people whose vibes he doesn't like in an attempt to make them less abrasive to him. It's not true of every situation and he uses it far less than his Nine self, but if he's uncomfortable and can't find footing with someone, that tends to come out.

In this case, the Supreme Commander of the Republic and Jonas Balkar were both people he had zero frame of reference for (not to mention Jonas' "what's up traitor" immediately insulted him) so he flirted with both.

Eight: Why suffocate them slowly when it's so much more satisfying to crush their windpipe?

Eight, that's your legacy force choke speaking. He doesn't even use the Sith ability right.... maximum killing efficiency instead....

Lana: Other top suspects include the Shroud, Darth Jadus, a rogue agent inside the Republic's Strategic Information Service...

Theron: Let's not rule out Sith Intelligence.

Has been contacted by the Shroud, works for Darth Jadus as his Hand, is a rogue double-agent for the SIS, was former Intelligence...wait a minute, that's me!

I get they were trying to do a clever nod to the entirety of the Imperial Agent story, but the context for this gets a lot funnier if you consider Eight is also in on Theron's betrayal so they're listing every exact trait he has while not breaking eye contact with one another.

Lana: who could the traitor be...

Theron and Eight:

Fast forward ahead, and we come face-to-face with Tyth. Eight's first impressions of the giant droid were "huh. it's kind of cute?" which probably sounds insane, but he tends to find weird entities like this endearing.

Eight: All right, Mister Rage. Can you drop the act and point me in the direction of the superweapon?

Tyth: [Scans] CALM. PEACE. IT DENIES FURY. A SACRIFICE MEDIOCRE.

Eight: (offended) I didn't come here to be poked and prodded.

I'm guessing the game was going off of his LS 2 gauge, but Eight always gets so mad when someone points that out, even if its true. XD How dare you call me mediocre....and nice to boot! Take that back at once! I am not a Jedi!

(Probably got so offended he woke himself up from the fever droid dream).

Lana: I know. You've been talking in your sleep.

Theron: I almost had to stuff a sock in your mouth.

Eight wakes up with drool coming out of his mouth, immediately snaps awake at Theron's comment before a shit-eating grin overtakes him. "Theron...I wasn't aware you were into such things!" Props himself up on one elbow and flips onto his stomach, "Want to shut me up, do you? With a gag, even? You naughty boy."

Cue Theron backtracking into nonsensical stuttering, with Lana wishing she had something to drink. There's probably some kind of joke you could make here about flirting with every male Shan he came across, but admin is too stupid right now to think of it.

Big steppy

Theron: But the Alliance outgrew you. Now it's rotting from the inside, the galaxy's fighting back, and you've become a symbol of oppression. So much for your dreams of peace.

Yadda yadda generic villain speech and Eight is technically supposed to be on the other side of this forcefield (Jadus moment), but keeping that in mind it kind of felt like Theron was saying this with the underlying meaning being I see exactly how this duty has hurt you so that's why I'm doing this as well.

Because his words do ring true. He was never its leader with the duty itself rotting him from the inside, the galaxy's back to a time of turmoil, and he became someone else's saint of murder for the entirety of this war when he originally struck out in search of the peace Keeper wanted for him. Not to mention the fact that he's the Outlander in this Alliance at all means this galaxy had no heroes to choose from-- absolutely none. It was already doomed.

And then the rest of this plays out as you expect, though in this AU they both ditch Lana here....which, makes me sad to imagine, but I can also see Lana being like "Eight....why? You were our Outlander--we were a team! Whatever he's said to you, don't listen to him: he's lying, I know it."

And he just smiles and says, "I'm sorry. I don't want to do this anymore." leaving her to jump out of that train alone with only her hurt and her vengeance.

[lightsiided]

i really can't deal with this alone. (from..... babyg frigga 👁👁)

* closer memes | accepting

     emotion tightens her throat, prickling warningly behind her eyes. it isn't just FEAR and PANIC that grip at her, but pain, too -- pain that her wonderful daughter could ever, for a single moment, think that she might have to fight such a terror alone.

gently, rey strokes frigga's hair, pressing them closer together. they are navigating uncharted territory together. leia never had such an issue; rey was always amazed by how UNBURDENED she seemed. given she was born amidst its resurgence, she grew up unbothered by the dark side of the force.

frigga has not been as lucky. though it started creeping in slowly, rey is intimately familiar with what she has described: the dreams, the visions, the voices. the way they seem to know your DEEPEST fears and all that troubles you. the terror of feeling like someone or something else lurks inside your own mind.

"you're not alone," rey promises her. she drops a kiss against his temple, squeezing her tight. "you'll NEVER be alone. your father and i will fight this alongside you. we'll fight anything that threatens any of you. no matter what it takes, we would never leave you to deal with this alone. i promise you, frigga. i swear it."

her voice is emphatic, despite the desperation underlying the words. loneliness is a slippery slope; rey knows it well. she knows how it can eat away at you, how it can distort what you are until you no longer recognize what you've BECOME. but she will not lose their daughter this way. she will do whatever it takes to make that so.

perhaps it is the talk of jedi paths that has worried her. frigga has always been interested in growing into a strong jedi, and they've spoken much about how everyone has their own. how personal it can be. while it's true rey can't CHANGE the course of frigga's -- only she can do that -- she can certainly provide guidance, aid. long ago, she resolved to be the best mentor to their children possible, better than anyone she ever had herself. if it means she will overstep, then so be it.

as she rubs frigga's back, rey feels her distress start to ease -- only slightly, but enough to slow her rocketing heart rate. when she glances up, she sees thor lingering in the doorway, an answering WORRY etched into the lines on his face. rey nods to beckon him closer, into the empty spot at frigga's other side on the edge of the bed. "we love you so much. we'll never, EVER leave you alone."

@othunderous

[cosmicmordecai]

I can fully acknowledge that Anakin could definitely have some reservations about Windu and that it’s to his perspective & it’s valid.

But i’m also super sick of the underlying racist connotations associated with the character. Literally no other Council character gets dragged or characterized in such a bad light then Windu and his side or any other perspective not Anakin is rarely explored and at the end of the day, Anakin is a unreliable narrator about other people’s character.

I’d love me some interpersonal conflict but with Windu, its like he’s always angry, disappointed, condescending, or intense and then you have media showing him doing the MOST with Clones and JAR JAR, making the sound decisions & hard decisions fandom THINKS Obi-Wan or Anakin makes, and do his part to saves lives all the fucking time with the little bit of screen time he gets. And fandom has the GALL to say he caused his own genocide because he wasn’t nice enough to that one Jedi.

Everyone can misremember every “bad” moment consistently but can’t remember the typical good shit he does because he isn’t all smiles.

[whatanoof]

A Push in the Right Direction

Rating: Explicit

Pairing: Cal Kestis x Reader

Word Count: ~7.6k

Warnings: fluff, smut, swearing, sexual tension, rough sex, sex pollen so by default it's dubcon, pining

Summary: Healing injured patients? Psh, easy stuff. Force healing? A little more tricky. Confessing your crush to your very close friend? Damn near impossible until a flower bush shoves you in the right direction.

A/N: Happy birthday my friend @marvelassassin221b!! I hope you are staying safe, and that your birthday will bring happiness and wisdom to your life. It's been a blessing talking to you and laughing at memes together <3 Thank you for giving me the push to get this fic done and posted, I couldn't have done it without you. Enjoy some of our favorite redhead Jedi ;)

You’ve always been terrible with directions. Like, it’s a miracle you haven’t gotten lost in more dangerous settings, but even your Jedi Master used to shake their head when you had survival exercises in your Padawan years. Greez too, makes comments about how atrocious you are at navigation. You hadn’t been allowed back to the holomap since a disastrous set of directions landed the Mantis on the more unfriendly side of the Outer Rim.

But even with all of your shortcomings at mapping, you have a solid crisis mode. You need to have one as a medic. It’s not a good idea to freeze when a patient is bleeding out on the ground in front of you, there is only one way that is going to end, and it’s not going to be a happy ending. Under pressure, all of the unsureness that surfaces during your attempts at navigation vanishes, and your body is moving before your mind even consciously thinks to. It’s your zen mode, almost your place of meditation, where you give into the inner instinct and allow the Force to guide you through the process. Too bad you can’t reach that state in any situation other than emergencies, maybe you would be able to navigate your moves in confessing a crush.

You had met Cal Kestis on Bracca. He’d cut his hand open on a jagged edge of wall paneling, and Prauf brought him to you, one of the few healers among the scrappers. You couldn’t tell what exactly it was that gave him away to you, but the instant his eyes met yours, you knew where he had come from.

Of course, you waited until Prauf had gone back to work to reveal yourself. Healing through the Force decreases the chance of infection, is painless, and is essentially instantaneous. While your normal supplies would have done the trick, the drama queen in you realized this would be the perfect way to show Cal he wasn’t alone. Force healing is tricky, but you’d had a surprising knack for it ever since your youngling years. The Order had trained you up in the way of Force healing and given you the tools to take advantage of your aptitudes. Cal’s face had been priceless when you simply waved your hand over his, and the wound closed within seconds.

There was a certain comfort in knowing you weren’t alone. Admittedly, in the long years after the Purge, you’d toyed with the idea that you had been the only Jedi to escape. Those had been dark days, where you could barely scrape together the energy to forage for food and water, laughing that the Jedi Order would die with a single Padawan who had lost her lightsaber along with everything she had known.

But then Cal stumbled into your little cordoned off area. You’d become close friends from that moment to the day Prauf died and the Ninth Sister shoved you both off of the cliff and onto the freight train below. The Mantis crew was surprised, to say the least. They had gotten reports of a single Jedi wreaking havoc on Bracca. But they welcomed you aboard and you had become the team medic, patching up Cal when he got back from missions and finding time in between to try and recover the Force abilities you had lost to time.

---

“Hey.” You look up from your work. Medical supplies lie strewn across the floor of your part of the room, bandages unwound and your meager supply of medication stacked methodically in the corner.

Cal looks down at you from the doorway, a streak of something across his cheekbone. You want to wipe it off, but you just smile back, “Welcome back. Find anything cool?”

His happy grin only widens, “You’ll have to come and find out.”

“What?”

He beckons you towards the main hull, “Come on!”

Cere and Greez are already there and seated around the meal table, and BD is perched on the table, chirruping animatedly as if talking to Cere. You take your place with them, noting the empty chair to your right. Merrin is back on Dathomir, searching for ancient texts about Nightsister magic and rituals. She’s been gone for several days, but you still find yourself seeking out her snarky comments and cool confidence.

“Okay.” Cal stands at the head of the table, rubbing his hands together in a way that makes him seem as if he is playing the adult. “I’m willing to bet you're all wondering why I’ve called you here today…”

“Spit it out Cal, you woke me up from a nap for this.” Greez eyes the redhead grumpily, and you fight to hide a grin. Cere also looks mildly amused, if slightly impatient.

Cal rolls his eyes, but continues, “Cordova left a message, saying something very valuable to our quest is locked in a vault in the Zeffo caves. I found the vault today and it matches Cordova’s description, but we need two Force users to access it.” He nudges BD, and the little droid projects an image of the vault door. It’s massive, with gold decorations swirling across it, and two obvious indents in the ground on either side for said Force users.

Everyone’s gazes flit to Merrin’s empty chair. It’s without question she would have been the best fit for this mission. Her combat style complements Cal’s perfectly, and Cere is still hesitant to use the Force.

Realization strikes you, and you glance up to see everyone’s eyes are now trained on you. You begin to shake your head. “That’s a bad idea--”

“We’ll be fine. I’ll lead us directly to the vault. I have my saber, and you have your Force healing. Worst case scenario, you have to patch me up in the field.” That is definitely not the worst case scenario, but there are no other options. This mission is time-sensitive, and you can’t wait for Merrin to get back from Dathomir.

You fix him with a stern glare. “I will come. But--” You hold up a hand when Cal opens his mouth. “You have to stick with me. No disappearing and popping out to scare me, because I will get lost We go in, and we get out.“

“I wouldn--” Cal protests.

“You would.” You snap.

“Yeah, he would.” Cere agrees.

“Sounds like something you would do.” Greez nods.

BD beeps cheerily from its place in the center of the table, clearly in agreement with you.

Cal shuts his mouth with an audible pop, and you cross your arms while staring him down. Yes he would.

“I need BD back here on the ship. I’m running diagnostics on the navigation programming, and I can’t do it alone.” Cere speaks up.

Cal hesitates. You understand; he never goes on missions without BD. The two are a package deal, but everything needs to be running at peak efficiency before you go to the Fort Inquisitorius. And there’s no way you’re willing to deal with a navigation error en route.

You speak up, “Yeah, it will be fine.”

Cal looks at you, “We need BD to unlock a shortcut. What happened to in and out?”

You wave him off, “We’ll take the scenic route. Cere needs BD back here, and we can manage without. We’ll have our comm units, it will be fine.”

---

Do you know that saying, “Famous last words?”

Yeah. You hadn’t realized just how famous those last words could be. It started when Cal realized he’d left his comm unit on the ship in the charging port. But it was fine, because you had yours. Until you dropped it into a puddle after tripping over a tree root.

The scenic route involved passing through the outskirts of a forest, and the terrain was a little trickier than you had been prepared to handle, obviously. So, commless and armed with a single lightsaber and two shared brain cells, you travel towards the entrance to the Zeffo caves.

A flower bush catches your eye. Its leaves are a shocking shade of red, with gorgeous blue flowers that seem to call you over to them. Cal keeps walking even as you stop and reach for the bush. You pluck the flower in the fullest bloom and turn it over in your hand, admiring the veins of deeper azure spider webbing across the petals.

Cal says your name behind you, “We have to keep moving if we’re going to get back before dark.”

Turning to face your companion, you tuck the blossom behind his ear and step back to admire how the blue contrasts against his hair. The word slips out almost without you noticing. “Cute.”

It’s almost comical how quickly his face blooms red. “Guh--”

“It’s a good look.” You reassure him quickly. “Adorable. Pretty. Cute.”

“--Thanks!” He ducks past you to the bush. “I’m just going to grab a seedling for Greez. He’ll like this one.” Cal grabs one of the large pods and breaks it open, removing a seed and sticking it into the pouch on his harness. “Okay, ready.”

But you’re distracted by the red pollen that explodes in a cloud around his head, dusting him with a fine mist that leaves scarlet traces on his face and shoulders. “What’s that?” You step forward and run a finger across Cal’s poncho, collecting the dust and rubbing it between your fingertips. You hesitate, then raise your hand to your face to smell the substance. The sickly sweet scent and underlying current of spicy musk sticks in your lungs. The back of your throat tickles, and you sneeze.

An echoing sneeze draws your attention. Cal leans against the flowering bush, one arm clamped over his nose as he sneezes over and over again. He glances up at you, coughing with watery eyes, “Wha--”

A spike of dread pierces through you. ‘Stars, was it poison?’ He won’t stop coughing, a dry rattle as his body tries in vain to purge the intruding red dust. You fall to your knees beside him. Panic fills your mind, blotting out logic and reason and you place your hands on his body, intent on Force healing him even though you don’t know what is wrong with him. Then, just as suddenly as the coughing started, it stops and silence rings through the trees.

“Cal!”

You're shoving your hand underneath his poncho in an instant to feel for his heartbeat. You hold your breath. You can’t feel a pulse. You scramble to rip his poncho off completely, dragging it over his limp shoulders and head. You shove your fingers against his throat again. There!

His heartbeat flutters delicately, beating a rapid tattoo against your fingertips. You allow yourself to breath. He’s alive. But his pulse is fast, too fast. You rip open his tunic, though you’re not entirely certain what it is you’re searching for.

Just as your fingers brush over his skin, Cal bolts upright with a gasp. “Wh-- where...?”

You swear you almost pass out from the relief that slaps you across the face. “Stars, I thought you were dead. I’m so sorry about the flower bu-- mmm!”

Cal smashes his lips onto yours, pushing you onto your back with the sheer force of the kiss. His tongue dips into your mouth, searching and probing and damnit you can’t breathe when he’s this close to you, this desperate. His hips jerk against yours with an unpracticed, aborted motion, dragging a very prominent erection against your body that makes you jerk back in surprise.

You push him away from him for a second, propping yourself up on your elbows as you search his face for some indication of… you don’t know what. But this isn’t like him. “Cal, what--?”

“Need you.” He groans, his hands roaming over your body without fear or shame and inspiring a wave of pleasure as he squeezes your breasts. “Maker, you feel so good. Smell so good.” You bite back a moan. This really isn’t the time, not in the middle of an Imperial occupied forest. But to be completely honest, he feels really good too.

You’d imagined this before. Well, not these exact circumstances, but the idea of being under Cal. You’d imagined the feeling of his hands scraping over your skin and squeezing your body wherever he would like. You’d imagined his lips on yours, and other places for sure. But you’d really only ever been able to envision Cal as a gentle lover, all quiet moans and hesitant movements and unsure expressions. But this rougher side? You moan raggedly against Cal’s mouth as he shoves a thigh between your legs, rubbing up against your clothed sex. This is amazing.

Streaks of heat flash through your body, converging between your legs. Everything is amplified, the sounds around you, the grass beneath your knees, the blueness of the sky overhead. But it all seems to pale when your attention lands on Cal, who’s more flushed than earlier. You feel the heat beneath your skin too, but he’s got to have it worse right now, because you’re not the one sweating like you’re stranded on a desert planet. Maker, the pollen was some kind of--

His name escapes your lips in a tiny whisper that morphs into a moan halfway through. You allow your head to fall back, and it thunks against the spongy moss across the ground, knocking you back to the present. Cal’s lost in you, his nose buried in the crook of your neck as he ruts weakly against your thigh.

You shake off the haze clouding your mind, crisis mode kicking into full gear. You have no comms, one horny Jedi, and a completely hopeless sense of direction. “Cal. We have to move.”

He whines high in the back of his throat. “No.” It’s almost pleading, but there is an undercurrent of steel that makes you pause.

“Cal. We’re out in the open. Troopers co-- could--” Stars, you can feel the lust pumping under your skin, so close to the surface that it could burst out at any second. But fear hovers on the edge of your mind, pressing in and suppressing the need to jump Cal and reminding you of the certain torture and death that would occur if you were caught.

Cal doesn’t seem to have any of the same restraints as you. His fingers are carding through your hair, “Just wanna feel you. Maybe more.” His teeth latch into your neck, and the dull pain pierces through the haze more firmly.

He got dosed more heavily with the pollen. You resist the urge to curse as you gently detangle from Cal and sit up, biting back a sigh of relief as his teeth leave your skin. “We have to find shelter.” You begin to look around, but all you can see is the forest. You need something better, a place where you can figure out what exactly is wrong with Cal. You try to stand.

“Noooo…” This isn’t going to work. You actually do curse this time. How are you supposed to find effective shelter while dragging a full grown man around hostile territory without compromising stealth, all while your libido is cottoning to the edge of your mind, clouding your judgment?

“Come here…” Cal’s arm wraps around your neck, dragging you back down to the ground even as you try to stand. Okay that’s enough.

“You’ll forgive me later, Cal.” You press your thumb to his forehead and concentrate. His skin is dry and burning to your touch, and your brow scrunches. That’s going to be an issue. You reach to tap into the Force, but you pause. Your Force connection is… foggy. That’s the only way you can describe it in words, but it’s muted and dimmer than usual.

Your Jedi Master taught you a metaphor for using the Force: a barrier exists between you and access to the Force. It’s a wall, and your mind must become like a sharpened sword to pierce through and reach the Force. You can feel the barrier, just as always, but it’s like a second layer exists around it. If the normal barrier is made of thin glass, the new layer is crafted from paper; it’s strange, and thicker than usual, but still easily pierced with extra… force if you can say that without making yourself laugh at the pun. You summon the strength and press your mental sword forward through the barrier.

Rest. Cal’s eyes roll back in his head and he falls asleep with a gentle exhale. He relaxes against you, and you relax in turn when you see the pained lines smooth out of his forehead. Jedi healing includes your own personal anesthesia on demand. It will keep him under for a little bit, though you can’t tell what kind of effect the pollen will have on the Force sleep.

Through some feat of the stars themselves, you struggle to your feet. Cal’s arm is looped around your neck, and you want nothing more than to just sink down to the ground again and give into the weakness and lust pulling at your legs, coaxing you to collapse and take your pleasure. And stars, Cal’s heavier than you expected him to be.

But you shake yourself awake. Can’t get distracted. You glance at Cal’s drooping head. He’s been strong for you this entire time. The least you can do is be strong now and find some shelter. But where?

Voices filter through the trees, and your head jerks up towards the sources.

“Yeah, she told me to take the bucket off, or she would charge the full payment and…” Stormtroopers. Kriffing hell.

“Come on.” You hiss underneath your breath. You gather your legs underneath your body and push. Your muscles scream in pain, but they ultimately obey and you stumble to your feet and begin to move away from the approaching voices. Cal is dead weight over your shoulders, pulling and urging you to rest. It would be so easy to give in, to sink back to the ground and let Cal do what he wants.

The trees blur together as you move through the forest. The stormtroopers’ voices are getting louder and you grit your teeth. You don’t know their patrol route. How are you going to avoid them? All you can do is place one foot in front of the other. Then the mossy ground turns to stone underneath your feet, and you slow. Caves. Perfect.

You hurry inside, fatigued legs forgotten in your relief. There’s a bend directly beyond the mouth of the cave, and you gently lay Cal against the wall. You’re completely hidden from anyone looking from the entrance. You sit opposite him, your head falling forward to sag against your chest. Now what?

Your comm unit is busted, and Cal’s is sitting back on the Mantis, so you can’t contact the crew. You hold a hand to Cal’s forehead. His temperature is getting worse. You don’t know what infected him, so your Force healing is out of the question. The only bright spot is you’re pretty sure the stormtroopers won’t find you. They’re not exactly recruited for their brains, and you’ll be able to sense their muted Force signatures if they get close.

Speaking of…

You trail off, contemplating Cal’s unconscious face. His head sags against the rock wall and there’s a line of drool leaking out of the corner of his mouth. His brow is finally relaxed, his breathing deep and even and it strikes you that this is the most peaceful you’ve ever seen him.

You reach out through the Force. It has become a habit for you, Merrin, and Cal to find peace in each others’ Force signature. Whether nightmares or difficult missions, the others would be there as a silent comfort.

Merrin’s is a mixture of whites and creams swirling against a dark maroon background. When she uses her Force magic, there is an unmistakable green tinge through it. Hers is powerful, with a sense of underlying safety in her strength. True to form, Merrin has been a protector figure in the Mantis.

But Cal’s is more diverse, a blend of warm colors against a grey background with blue tinging the edge. But while the colors are chaotic, Cal keeps a firm hold on his Force presence at all times, never allowing it to surge violently from emotion. He does not suppress it completely anymore, but you know he has the ability to make it nearly disappear from the senses of another Force user. You should know, because you can do the same. Merrin grew up without fear of having to hide her Force sensitivity, but you and Cal survived the Purge. You both have firm grasps of your thoughts and emotions projected through the Force. So in Cal, you found a kindred spirit that understands you better than almost any other person in the galaxy could. You’ve become more familiar with his presence than even your Master’s before the Purge.

But now, your brow furrows as you search for his Force presence over and over, pushing into every crevice of the surrounding environment without violating his privacy. You’re not mistaken. It’s gone, almost as if he has been turned into a droid before your eyes. Every living thing has a Force presence, no matter how minute. But Cal’s comforting whirl of light is gone, vanished as though he is no longer connected to the--

Cal’s eyes fly open and he sits forward with a quiet gasp. You jump. It’s worn off then. You secure his body with the Force, holding him loosely so as not to cause any lasting damage. You would have to tackle the Force connection problems later.

“I need you to focus.” He pushes against the bonds with a whimper, and you bite your lip as you struggle to hold him still.

“Cal!” Your Force bind tightens, and he stills with a grunt. “Talk to me. Fight through it.”

He shakes his head, eyes screwed shut. “Hurts.”

“What hurts?”

“Every-- ah! Everything. Can’t-- can’t th-think. Only thing-- makes it better… you.”

What? Your concentration lapses and the bonds loose. He lunges forward and buries his nose into your neck again, inhaling you as his hands scrabble at your clothes. “Hurts less with you. Smell so good--soft. Please?”

Stars, you can’t think straight with him touching you like this. You bite back a moan as his hands roughly squeeze your breasts through your shirt. Surely, it wouldn’t hurt to give in. Just for a little. Indulge, and then you can figure out a way back to the Mantis. Then Cal raises your shirt and licks a long stripe up your neck, and that’s all the convincing you need.

You melt into his mouth, your hands running under his shirt and harness. His chest is just as feverishly hot as his forehead, but you can’t bring yourself to care when he swings a leg over yours so he’s hovering over you, knees planted on either side of your body. His hands shove your shirt over your head before setting to work on the button of your pants. You raise your hips to allow him to pull your pants under your butt. Your own hands yank at his clothes, silently begging him to strip with you.

But he doesn’t. He kneels between your legs and pulls your underwear to the side, exposing your wet folds.

“Cal--!” You’re cut off as he drags his tongue over your pussy, flicking against your clit at the end. Your stomach muscles contract, and it’s all you can do to keep quiet as he licks deep into your core.

---

The world is blurred. It’s like something crawled into his head and messed with his brain, dragging his focus away from more important issues… he can’t seem to remember right now. He can’t even feel the Force. His connection is compromised, the colors of the world are off, and there’s this bone deep ache within his body urging him closer to you. And as he’s drinking in your taste, the pain subsides and he can breathe again.

What is this? What’s happening to him? It has to be the pollen, it has to be its effect on his body, that’s why he’s lost all control over his mind and self. It’s why he can’t hold himself back from your body and you.

You’re all he can focus on; you’re so beautiful writhing under him as he tastes you. He’s never done this before. He can’t figure out why he hasn’t done this sooner, because you taste amazing right now and how you sound as he slides his tongue through your folds is doing things to him that he’s never experienced before.

His hips are dragging against the floor unintentionally. The friction of his dick against the rough material of his pants is a small slice of heaven, and he whimpers at the pure electricity spreading down his spine. He doesn’t want this to end so soon, but his body is shoving him towards the edge of release and the relief he knows is going to come with it.

---

A moan keens high in the back of your throat as Cal’s mouth presses against your soaked core. It’s sloppy and clumsy, but Maker if he doesn’t make up for it with enthusiasm. The only sounds coming from him are tiny moans and grunts and you shudder as his fingers dig into the pillowy flesh of your thighs, leveraging them apart and holding them there firmly. Of their own will, your hips roll up into his face, chasing after his touch.

You’re completely unprepared for Cal to growl when you do so. His grip tightens, and you squeak as your thighs are spread even farther apart and his mouth completely envelopes your clit.

Is this what heaven feels like? You can barely manage coherent thought when his tongue is devastating you like this, but thequestion rotates around your lust dumb brain as your toes curl and your back arches. Your release rushes up and sweeps you away, your core clenching as waves of pleasure wash over your body. You hear Cal whine as you cum, and you hear your own moans as you ride out your orgasm.

---

Stars, why hadn’t he done this sooner? The sounds that he’s pulling out of you right now could make him come in his pants on the spot, and the taste of your release has him rutting against the ground all the more insistently as he chases his own high.

But he doesn’t want to come in his pants, he wants to be inside of you. He wants you, your body squeezing tight around him, to feel the wetness seeping around his tongue rather than tasting it, even if it tastes divine.

He grabs your hips and yanks you down so your crotch is flush to his. He nearly loses his mind when your soaked core meets the bulge in his pants. Fuck, he thought he could wait, but he can’t.

But--something is still off with the world’s coloring. Where is the Force? The comforting pressure is gone from the back of his mind, the constant reminder of balance that keeps him in tune with his emotions and surroundings. Panic edges around the perimeter of his mind. In an act of desperation, he reaches for the Force, searching for the whispers of memories that accompany his world. They’re gone. Where did they go?

You whisper his name again, and this time his eyes meet yours.

---

You watch Cal carefully. He’s flushed, trembling as he hovers over your body, hands bare centimeters away from your skin. His eyes are desperate, and you can feel the pain in them as clearly as if it was your own. A bead of sweat tracks down his temple to soak into the collar of his harness, and he fumbles to rip the rest of his clothing off, discarding it on the floor as though it burned against his flesh.

“Cal.” He looks back at you. “Take what you need.”

It’s all the permission he needs. Relief and something else flashes through his eyes before he looks back down and fumbles with his pants fastening. His cock is flushed dark red, and his hands tremble as he pulls it out of his pants, jaw clenched as he lines up with your entrance. He slides into you with a bone-deep sigh of relief, and you cry out at the stretch. Every inch sparks pure electricity up your spine, and your eyes roll back in your head. He bottoms out, and for a heart stopping moment you feel a connection to him you couldn’t describe in words. Your hips roll against his, grinding the head of his cock up against something heavenly. Light explodes behind your eyes at the movement, arching your back and curling your toes.

Cal chokes, a beautiful sound you’ve only heard a few times before; the one that sounds like its been pulled from the deepest parts of his being, like he’s just ascended to another plane above the physical. It’s gorgeous and so insanely hot you’re completely unprepared for his sudden movement when he lunges forward.

Cal’s hand shoots out and presses against your neck, effectively pinning your upper body to the hard ground. You inhale shakily through your nose, but his grip does nothing more than hold you. You can still breathe, but the pressure on your throat sends a shock of heat between your legs with the reminder of the control you just relinquished.

“Stop that.” His other arm slams onto the stone beside your head, and your eyes lock. Cal’s pupils are blown, so dark you can almost see your reflection in the dim light of the cave as he glares down at you.

He doesn’t give you time to respond before he drags his hips away from yours, inch by painstaking inch and rocks back into your body with an easy roll of his hips. He exhales gently as he bottoms back out inside of you, a low moan rumbling out of his throat when he reaches that same depth within your heat.

It’s the eye of a storm; a hurricane you hadn’t known you’d entered. He rocks back and forth again, only there’s fractionally more force and speed to the motion this time. Again, and your body shakes with the force. Another, and you have to bite your lip to stifle the scream when he slams back into your body. It’s like the tide, coming in gradually, but more and more with each passing moment. The force swells, each thrust pushing into you a little harder and making your body shake a little more with each thrust.

A shuddering groan rumbles out of him as he finds the rhythm. The hand not pressed delicately around your throat slams down on the rock next to your head. When you look up towards the cave ceiling, Cal’s flushed skin and tousled hair fills your vision.

His hair, which is usually swept out of his eyes. Cal’s hair has always been so well cared for, usually brushed and slicked back so it doesn’t dangle in his eyes. Now, it’s soaked with sweat and falling into his face as he stares down at you like you’re the only star in the sky.

---

Take what you need? Holy stars, he can barely think enough to comprehend it, but some inner part of him aches at the sentence.

As soon as he realized his heart jumped every time you smiled at something, or that his brain short circuited at the sound of your laugh, he’d sworn he would keep it under wraps. He’d promised himself he would wait until after the galaxy finishes imploding and collapsing around your heads. The first time he’d jerked off to the idea of your body, he vowed to satisfy himself with his hand until it was safe. He’d wait until after the holocron is safe and there’s nothing to worry about, because relationships are messy and complicated and--

Fuck, he doesn’t care. He doesn’t care about that promise, because how can he regret being balls deep in you while you’re whining and squirming underneath him, when you look at him with such trust even as he pins you to the floor by your throat? His eyes gravitate to the mark on your neck, red and irritated with the indent of his teeth, and he feels his cock twitch even as he continues to pound into you. He likes that.

The promise didn’t keep his eyes from wandering to your face at any opportunity. It didn’t prevent the pressure in his chest from growing over the weeks and months. It definitely didn’t keep Cere and Greez from noticing, and that was a conversation he would rather have scrubbed from his mind.

Take what you need. That one sentence is spinning his world on its metaphorical finger. Take what you need. As if he didn’t want it, but he needed to do it. In all honesty, it had really felt like he was going to die. The burning in his throat that caused the coughing fit, then the racing heart and the overheating; he thought he wasn’t going to make it unless he--

Well, unless he fucked you.

But even if he needs it, he wants it even more, had wanted it for too long. But everytime an opportunity presented itself, he pulled back. He remembers how he threw away the flowers he gathered on the mission instead of bringing them back to you on the Mantis. He remembers every time he denied spending time with you, because his emotions were too raw and close to the surface, and he couldn’t predict his control over his own tongue. Because he didn’t think he could have handled it if you didn’t want him back.

But you had offered to help. Maybe you’d wanted it too, because the whole galaxy could be shoving you in one direction and you would defy it. Nothing can make you do anything you didn’t want to, and that applies to Cal Kestis too.

---

Your orgasm swells up sharp and sudden, gripping you in its claws and shoving you into the attack of muscle spasms and searing pleasure that punches into your abdomen. Your body arches, accidentally hitting your head against the ground.

Cal’s rhythm stutters and his hips jerk forward. His hand leaves your throat as he drops to his forearms. His head drops down to press against yours gently, even as he whimpers and continues to grind forward into your soaking heat.

“Fuck.” Cal gasps, eyelids fluttering rapidly. “Fuck. ‘M gonna cum.”

There’s no time to respond before he’s drawing up and tensing against you. His hips piston in and out once, then he’s cumming and all you can do is lie there and take it. Fuck that’s hot.

You can feel him spilling into you, every warm spurt of cum and every twitch of his cock as he spends himself. Even better is the drawn out groan that trails into his upper register, ending in a tiny whimper. The tension drains out of his face and he sags down, sweaty skin pressed against yours. His arms wrap around your body and he hoists your limp body up as he rolls over. He sits against the wall of the cave, seating you on his lap, cock still firmly buried inside you.

You allow your head to sag back against his shoulder, relishing in the feeling of his body pressed so closely to yours. His hand paws weakly at the fabric of your shirt, and you raise your arms to slide it off. It’s better like this, skin to skin contact seems to calm him down. He buries his nose into your bare neck and mumbles something you can’t make out.

You nudge your head against his gently, “Hm?”

“Thank you.” His lips ghost over the delicate juncture between your neck and shoulder. “Thank you thank you thank you...” He continues to mutter the phrase into your skin, tickling your skin as he nuzzles closer to you.

You should say something. Confess, maybe, everything you’ve been hiding. “Cal, I--” You shift slightly, and something feels off. You furrow your brow and glance downwards at your joining point, “Cal are you still hard?”

He props his chin on your shoulder. “Uh--” He thrusts shallowly up into you, and you stifle a whimper. “Ye-yeah. Sorry?”

“N--” You gasp as his cock twitches. “No. Don’t be sorry. Do you need to go again?” Arousal stirs in your core again, burning a slow path through your nerves and reigniting the flames that had dulled to embers. Your breath catches in your chest and you grind your hips back into his.

“I--I think so.” His voice is strained and his breath comes in short gasps next to your ear. “Not-- not as-- as bad though.”

“That--ah!” Cal chooses that exact moment to pick a spot on your neck and latch on. He nips at the skin before soothing it with his tongue. His hands, roughened with callouses from his saber, climbing, and tinkering, scrape over your skin with just the right amount of friction. You bite your bottom lip. “That’s fine. Should I move?”

His hands find your hips and hold you firmly in place. That’s a no then. His hips rock up into yours gently, and you feel your cheeks warm at the wet sounds of your combined release. Cal grunts, “Let me.”

So you do. You lie back against his bare chest and just take what he gives you, whimpering whenever he brushes against that spot inside you that sends electricity up your spine. You’re gripping his arms so hard you’re sure he’s going to have bruises in the shape of your fingers.

---

Stars, you’re fucking perfect. Just lying here and giving yourself to him. He can feel the Force dimly, but it’s there. The pollen is leaving his system as he slowly fucks you on a cave floor in the middle of a dense forest while stormtroopers patrol outside.

You cry out with his next thrust, the head of his cock striking something inside of you that must feel good because you clench around him and--

Did you just come again?

The additional lubrication only increases the lewd squelch with every thrust, the mixture of his cum and yours only making sliding in and out of your channel easier. He can still feel the effects of the pollen at the back of his mind, and it keeps him hard and sensitive as he continues to fuck you.

He’s aware he should be at least a little worried about the implications, starting at the top with how he’s going to complete the mission and ending with what exactly fucking on a cave floor means for your relationship. Somewhere in the middle is the stormtroopers and the pollen, and the oath of the Jedi Order forbidding relationships. But he can’t grasp it.

Even if there are more pressing concerns, all he can do right now is continue pushing his hips up into your soaking core painstakingly slowly. He wants to enjoy this while he can, while he’s able to fool himself that you want him back. Unless…

---

The only solace you could find in the situation was that you could have Cal, even for these few short moments. Because as much as you may want to convince yourself, a tiny voice inside your head keeps whispering: it’s all the pollen. That’s the only reason why he wants you. And you force yourself to believe the voice, because it’s easier to block off any chance for pain and rejection.

But you know you’re in trouble the second Cal opens his mouth. The words are a harsh whisper, rasping out of his dry throat into your ear, “Beautiful. So gorgeous, giving me what I need, what I want.”

You arch against him and stifle the whimper rising in the back of your throat. His mouth is right next to your ear, so there isn’t anywhere for you to escape from the words that rumble into your brain; words you try to convince yourself are empty. You shove your hand against your mouth rather than allow any sound to escape.

He moans, “Want to do this again. Don’t want this to be just once.”

“Th--that--that’s the pollen talking.” You gasp when you feel his fingers graze over your clit, your own hand drifting back to latch into his hair.

Cal hisses when you tug with a little more strength than necessary, but he doesn’t tell you to stop. One hand supports your weight as he moves you up and down on his dick, the other rubbing little circles around your clit. His hips make up for the lost strength everytime they drive up into you at the lowest point of the rhythm, squelching with every thrust.

“Not--not the pollen. All you. All me.”

You blink, all temporarily forgotten when the words register in your hazy mind. “...What?”

“Wanted this. Wanted this for a while.” Cal finds your clit with his fingers, and you can’t prevent the way your legs jerk and your body seizes against his.

Fuck you’re going to cum. If the first orgasm was a flashfire, this one is a slowly simmering blaze. It creeps up slowly, burning a hole through your abdomen, curling around your ribs and inching down your legs. Your eyes roll back, and your head falls back against Cal’s shoulder.

“Cal. I--I thi--” You try to warn him, you really do. But words aren’t forming correctly right now, and it’s all you can do to hunker down and try to prepare yourself for this truly devastating crest that’s preparing to launch you over the edge.

If Cal gets your warning, he doesn’t show it. All he does is turn his head to the side, press a light kiss to your cheek, and groan, “I think I love you.”

Oh shit. Cal’s timing couldn’t have been more perfect if he planned it. Before you can respond, hell, before you can even begin to fucking process that last sentence, you’re coming hard. Maybe it’s the whiff of pollen you got earlier, or the fact that Cal is the one fucking you so sweetly and thoroughly, or the thrill of being mere steps away from discovery, or a combination of all of it, but this orgasm certainly feels like the most intense of your life.

Spasms ripple outward through your belly, curling you up in Cal’s lap as you ride out your high. Your legs straighten and your toes curl and you clamp down hard around Cal’s cock.

Cal shouts raggedly in your ear, pulling your body close. But even as you whimper and shake on the end of his cock, you remember that you can’t make too much sound.

As if he heard you, Cal burrows his face into your shoulder, his teeth once again finding a place in your skin to muffle his voice as he cums deep inside you once more. His body shakes as he spends himself again, the spasms slowly subsiding with every jerk of his hips into yours.

‘I did hear you.’ There’s a tinge of amusement to the nonexistent voice that echoes in your mind, and you relax back against Cal.

‘Feeling better?’ You nudge him back through the Force, revelling in the feeling of his colorful presence swirling around you once again. The pollen has worn off.

He doesn’t say anything in response, only pulls you close with his arms around you. His mind pushes at yours, and you let him in. You’ve done this a million times, usually on the tail end of nighttime panic attacks, but this time is different. This is the most loose he has ever been with his Force presence, and you allow it to fill the empty parts of your mind. Wait, he loves you?

He rushes over you in the same way the tide comes back to land, calming your fear at finally understanding the weight of his last confession. He’s relaxed, and the familiar energy has a new angle to it, a new emotion you hadn’t felt before in another’s Force signature. You grasp it gently, turning it over and admiring it in the eye of your mind. What is it?

The answer rushes to you just as Cal mutters against your skin, “Love.” The same thing you’d been feeling in the pit of your heart every time you looked at Cal, everytime he kept you safe from the nightmares in his arms and stayed with you until morning, every time you made him tea and did maintenance on his gear after a tough mission.

“I love you.”

You blink up at the ceiling of the rock cave, mouth open with the words just on the tip of your tongue. But they won’t come. The words are stuck in your throat, and try as you might, you can’t make yourself say them.

“Hey.” Cal whispers in your ear, and you shut your mouth. “You don’t have to say it back. But you know that I do, and I know a little of what’s going on up here.” His finger taps the side of your head lightly. "You don't have to figure out where to go from here. I'll navigate."

‘Thank you.’ You send the words through the Force, and he acknowledges them. Yeah, you're shit at knowing where to go when it comes to feelings. But at least with Cal, you won't have to worry about getting lost alone. You sit in peaceful silence for a few minutes, before a thought occurs to you.

“Cal.” His name is little more than a weak rasp off your tongue. You clear your throat and try again. “Cal.”

He grunts unintelligibly.

“Don’t bring that seed back to the Mantis.”

A/N: I will be the first to admit that this fic was hard, because I wanted to incorporate some previous feelings into this to make it less dubcon, and I didn't feel that all plot holes were filled. But that didn't make this any less enjoyable for me, and it was fun to explore a new facet of Cal's character.

Thanks for everyone who gave me inspiration and motivation to keep pushing this through the old brain up here. Smut isn't the easiest for me:)

Taglist: @alliterative-albatross