#the twilight of the republic

[the-far-bright-center]

Dystopian themes in the Prequels

“Looking back is helpful in understanding his work. Lucas started out in the 1960’s as an experimental filmmaker heavily influenced by the avant-garde films of the San Francisco art scene. Initially interested in painting, he became an editor and visualist who made abstract tone poems. His first feature, THX 1138 (1971) was an experimental science fiction film that presented a surreal, underground world where a dictatorial state controls a docile population using drugs. Love and sex are outlawed, procreation is controlled through machines, and human beings shuffle meaninglessly around the system.”

—Anthony Parisi, 'Revisiting the Star Wars Prequels'

The bolded parts in this description correspond with the Coruscant Underworld, the Jedi Order’s code, and the creation of the clone troopers, respectively.

Notably, in THX 1138's setting, emotions such as love and the concept of family are taboo:

I’ve always found it so interesting that Lucas incorporated the dystopian elements of his earlier sci-fi into the Prequels, taking place as they do in the context of the final years of the Repubic, with all its colourful and sumptuous visual spendour. In comparison, the post-apocalyptic ‘Dark Times’ of the Original Trilogy would seem on the surface to be the more outwardly ‘dystopian’ setting of the two—however, the actual story of the OT is a mythic hero's journey and fairytale, complete with an uplifting and transcendent happy ending. The OT's setting may be drained of colour, and its characters may be living under the shadow of the Empire, but as a story it is far from bleak or dystopian in tone. Rather, fascinatingly, it is the pre-apocalyptic era of the Prequels that is presented as the more dystopian storyline:

“On the surface, [The Phantom Menace] is an optimistic, colorful fantasy of a couple of swashbuckling samurai rescuing a child Queen and meeting a gifted slave boy who can help save the galaxy from the slimy Trade Federation and its Sith leaders. But beneath that cheerful facade is a sweatshop of horrors.” —Michael O'Connor, 'Moral Ambiguity: Beyond Good and Evil in the Prequels'

This is referring to the state of the galaxy during the Prequels era, including the fact that slavery is known to exist, but is largely ignored by the Republic and the Jedi alike due to being too economically inconvenient to combat. It also refers to how the Jedi of the Old Order come across as cold and distant atop their ivory tower on the artificial world of Coruscant, far removed not only from the natural world but also from the true realities of the people they claim to serve. And then there is the additional revelation in Attack of the Clones that love and family are 'outlawed' within the Jedi Order, creating an environment in which their own 'Chosen One' is unable to flourish, leaving him vulnerable to the Dark Side. Finally, there's the fact that the characters end up so distracted by fighting a civil war (something that goes against their own principles and involves the use of a slave clone army in the process), that they are blinded to the entity of pure evil that is guiding their every move...until it is too late.

“Without a clear enemy, the Jedi Order, the Galactic Senate, the whole of the Star Wars galaxy bickers and backstabs and slides around the moral scales. But there is one benefit to Palpatine’s pure evil crashing down upon the galaxy; against its oppressive darkness, only the purest light can shine through.” —Michael O'Connor, 'Moral Ambiguity: Beyond Good and Evil in the Prequels'

If anything, the Dark Times allows for the OT generation's acts of courage and heroism to flourish and succeed, because they are not hampered by the Old Jedi Order's restrictive rules, nor by its servitude to the whims of an increasingly corrupt Republic—so corrupt, in fact, that by the time of RotS, it is practically the Empire in all but name. Indeed, one of the key features of the Prequels, and what makes them so tragic, is that the characters are already living in a dystopia...they just don't know it.

There is, paradoxically, a level of freedom to be found in the midst of the Dark Times which had not been possible during the Twilight era, which allows Original Trio to rise above the tragedy that befell their predecessors. They are able to act as free agents (not as slaves of a corrupt government), serving only the fight for the liberation of all the peoples of the galaxy (not just citizens of the Republic), and are likewise free to live (and love!) on their own terms. Free to act on their positive attachments to one another, without having to hide the truth of their feelings. It's particularly telling that *this* is, above all, what makes the Prequels era so dystopian—the characters' inability to freely and openly participate in normal familial human relationships.

[laurzzo]

Nemám slov

[comicwaren]

This week on Marvel Comics (17th January 2024):

Amazing Spider-Man Vol. 6 #042

Avengers: Twilight #001 (NEW!)

Black Panther Vol. 9 #008

Cable Vol. 5 #001 (NEW!)

Capwolf & the Howling Commandos #004 (Finale)

Daredevil Vol. 8 #005

Fantastic Four Vol. 7 #016

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 7 #010 (Finale)

Invincible Iron Man Vol. 5 #014

Jackpot #001 (One-shot)

Star Wars: Bounty Hunters #042 (Finale)

Star Wars: The High Republic Vol. 3 #003

White Widow #003

X-Men Vol. 6 #030

[jewishcissiekj]

The Stark Hyperspace War arc is so good I've gotta reread some Star Wars 1998/republic arcs

[yamikuruku]

pew pew!

My OC Ti’va in her old outfit

(march 2022)

[legendscon]

Panel Announcement: The Many Lives of Luke Skywalker

In the Legends novels and comics, Luke Skywalker's character grew to be something far greater than the Jedi Knight of the original trilogy. He fell in love multiple times, discovered how to use the Force beyond the Jedi way, and even (momentarily) embraced the Dark Side to learn "its secrets from within." Join authors Matthew Stover, Michael Stackpole, Barbara Hambly and Michael Kogge on a discussion of Star Wars’ most misunderstood hero.

Buy tickets now, and join us for a celebration of all things Expanded Universe in Burbank, CA on September 9th & 10th: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/legends-consortium-2023-tickets-541786186067

Full Schedule: https://legends-con.com/guests-programming/

[grapefruit03]

Some character design things I’m starting on. Patterns come from actual photos of Komi dresses and women from the of yarn and cloth post collection.

[miloscat]

[Review] Disney Infinity: Twilight of the Republic (PS4)

A nice little game in a messy package.

Disney Infinity was this particular mega-corp’s attempt to devour some of the toys-to-life market that Skylanders had created. Like all these attempts it eventually failed, but not before incorporating Star Wars in its third iterative release. Essentially there’s two halves to this game: the Toybox mode with its emphasis on crossover mashups and player expression, and the story sets where you play through a more focused scenario within one of the fictional worlds.

I’m not sure about the earlier versions, but for 3.0 a handful of studios were contracted to create the individual story pack content. The plastic lumps of content and character figures are getting more expensive all the time but the one I was most interested in happened to come with the starter set and so was quite cheap. Twilight of the Republic is its name, and Ninja Theory the developer behind it. I’m familiar with their work on Enslaved: Odyssey to the West, but their involvement with the overall game is deeper than creating this new Clone Wars story.

They were brought on during development of 2.0 to begin a big revamp to the combat system, incorporating their experience with character action games to make the battling deeper and more fun. Apparently the changes were significant and appreciated, and can be seen all across 3.0. Although my experience is limited, I did recognise touches that were familiar from Enslaved, like the clambering system or the cinematic slowdown on killing the final enemy in a group, and the combat is pretty decent for a kids’ game (Traveller’s Tales made similar changes in the Lego Skywalker Saga).

Anyway, my time with Infinity started with exploring the Toybox and its endless menus, tutorials, and loading zones. This mode is an evolution of Avalanche’s work on the Toy Story 3 game, but even after several iterations it’s a clunky mess. Game creation tools inevitably have some jank but I found this whole half of the game to be pretty unsatisfying. It’s too bad because I find the crossover aspect to be a fun idea but even in this sandbox it’s handled a bit clumsily. The more baffling thing about the whole Disney Infinity project to me is the disconnect between the Toybox’s attempt to mash up various properties and the utter restrictiveness of the story modes.

For example, you can either load into the Toybox or the current playset from the menu. Once you’re in the Star Wars mode, only the small handful of relevant figures will work... and even the other Star Wars figures have to be unlocked with collectibles before they’re allowed to participate! My Rapunzel and Merida figures had to look forlornly on as I played through the actual real game part of the game. It really makes the Disney Infinity tagline “play without limits” feel like a bold-faced lie. But accepting that, I was able to play this story campaign as Ahsoka and have a good time with it as a Star Wars game-ette. Like a novella for games.

Twilight of the Republic (or TotR) is an original story, unlike the other story packs which rehash the Original Trilogy and The Force Awakens respectively. It’s set in the Clone Wars and once again all the actors from the CG show reprise their roles, which I love. Ashley Eckstein’s Ahsoka, Sam Witwer’s Maul, Ahmed Best even returns as Jar Jar for more ridiculous antics! To be fair, the story is for the most part an excuse to revisit setpieces and locations from The Phantom Menace (like the podrace and Maul battle in Theed palace) and Attack of the Clones (Geonosis and Coruscant) but with Clone Wars stuff like Grievous, Cad Bane, and Maul’s Mando troops inserted.

The short level snippets are sandwiched between some shallow spaceship traversal, the occasional planetbound vehicle sections, and the bit I most enjoyed: roaming the little hubs. Getting around with Force Jumps and mid-air dashes was great fun, and I loved exploring the toy-like towns to find collectibles and do sidequests for NPCs. Occasionally some minor goodies were locked behind having “tech” or blaster characters, but I still reached the level cap and got most of the stuff just playing as Ahsoka.

Just off the back of Ninja Theory’s improvements to the engine and the otherwise breezy pace, this might be the best Clone Wars game out there(!?); I certainly had a lovely time with it. And it is the only game that was made late enough to use Ahsoka’s superior post-Season 3 design. The greater package of Disney Infinity and how it’s put together is something I’m more inclined to turn my nose up at, just a real sloppy bundle of blah. Those figures though, it must be said the redesigns of the characters almost universally look fantastic!

[sheltiechicago]

Cesky Krumlov. by Rudy Balasko Via Flickr: Cesky Krumlov, Czech Republic at sunset. You can buy licences for my images at ... www.shutterstock.com/g/rudi1976?rid=576352&utm_medium... Instagram: www.instagram.com/rudib1976/ All rights reserved - Copyright © Rudolf Balasko All images are exclusive property and may not be copied, downloaded, reproduced, transmitted, manipulated or used in any way without expressed, written permission of the photographer.

[zachsgamejournal]

COMPLETED: Disney Infinity 3.0: Star Wars Twilight of the Republic

Something about these Disney Infinity games is just FUN. There's a simplicity matched with competent design and production that makes these games exciting and accessible. Similar to the Lego games.

Without really intending to, I beat this game in one sitting. And I surprised myself that I enjoyed it.

Unnecessary history:

For my 1st anniversary with my wife, we were broke, but we bought ourselves the original Disney Infinity for PS3. We're Disney people and like playing coop games. We tried out the Incredibles playset, assuming that our love of that franchise would make this playset the most enjoyable. While I appreciated that you could level up characters and assign points to skills, this playset was plain awful.

Disney Infinity is about collecting toys that you then get to play with in the game. So in-game, the characters take on a "toy" aesthetic. For the main characters and villains, this mostly gives them a stylistic, cartoony look: like Fortnite characters. This was fine cause we were used to Lego games. But the NPCs and citizens of the playset were basic, armless toy-people standing about a third of the size of real humans. And the "open world" city looked like it was designed in 10th rate level editor. It was like when LittleBigPlanet's story levels were all created in the actual level editor to show off the possibilities--but this level editor had one billionth the customization. It was just drag and drop the same five assets and buildings here.

I was so disappointed and thought we had made a big mistake.

Then I tried to the Pirates of the Caribbean set. I was instantly blown away. Probably because Incredibles was such a disappointment. You start off rowing a boat in the middle of battle--which was exciting. And then you move into a town that doesn't look like it was designed by a shitty level editor, but by actual designers and artists. If that's not enough, the game eventually lets you sail a pirate ship to other islands to do more quests. I thought it was great. And for some reason--that was the only day I played it.

Star Wars Rise Against the Empire

zip ahead years later and my kids are getting to an age when I can actually play video games again, I request Star Wars Rise Against the Empire for a birthday or Christmas. I enjoy it. What DI really feels like to me is World of Warcraft. In a sense, you level up your character and add skills and abilities like WoW. But really it's this idea of open-worlds with several quest givers giving you menial tasks that's some how relaxing and addicting. There's exploration, collecting, and all that good stuff. I enjoyed Rise Against, but I gave up on the side-quests. I thought I'd go back and replay--but I never did.

Finally Twilight of the Republic

So I was not interested in this playset. I would have been if I thought it were based on the prequel trilogy (which I like more than the original trilogy now), but knowing it was based on the Clone Wars series--I was less interested. (I was not impressed with what little I had seen of Clone Wars). But my son got really into Clone Wars and my daughter is excited by Ahsoka. So when they were in a Star Wars mood today, I tried to offer letting them play Twilight of the Republic. I really thought THEY would play it. But it didn't work out that way.

Less than 5 minutes in, my daughter (5 yr) said it was too hard. I think being shot at by robots on a cliff that could drop her to her doom was too anxiety-inducing. I get it. I ended up playing through the first Geonosis level. I wasn't super impressed, but I didn't expect to be. Rise Against's open-worlds were more appealing to me, and this level was very linear and mostly about characters I didn't care for.

When everyone in my household had something to do, I decided to play the game some more. That's when the FUN started to grip me. All the WoW vibes, and platforming, and charming art design hooked me.

As I played through I didn't get much of the story...but what I gleamed was...dumb. We go to Geonosis to find battle droids are being made: gasp. We then steal a robot to let us know who is making the droids...like, we know this is where droids are made. The Separatists are making droids and Grevious leads their army--what's the fucking mystery here? Eventually we learn that Darth Maul is behind and he's on Naboo trying to fuck things up again.

Ok...what-evs

But what was interesting about the path they take you through, you mostly get to play the prequel trilogy: especially Phantom Menace. You start on Geonosis, but go to Coruscant, Tatooine, and Naboo. And on Naboo you fight Darth Maul in the same area as the movie with crazy laser walls to break up the fight. While it's targeting the Clone Wars, it kinda felt like a Phantom Menace game.

I kinda wish more games played like this. There's a simplicity and depth at the same time. It's about adventure and fun, not dying over and over again. I played through as Ahsoka and got to level 12. I thought about doing the side missions, which was ok--but I got a little bored. So I switched to The Force Awakens.

I really hate that Disney screwed up the Disney Infinity stuff. It was really awesome and well done. I think they saturated the market too much. Given how long-lasting their films are, especially with the theme parks immortalizing many of their franchises, there was no need to bum-rush the market with everything! Take you time, like Nintendo.

Ah well...

I enjoyed myself, and if I get bored, maybe I'll go back and do some side quests--work on getting all the stars.

[itmakesssenseincontext]

Honestly I loved episode three. I loved the gaping hole Kanan left in the narrative. He's a ghost, he's right there, he never existed, he never left.

When Hera talks to Mon Mothma and the senators and Mothma asks about Jacen, and Ezra is mentioned by name, but not Kanan. Just 'I lost people who were like family' and the only person she can be taking about is Kanan but he is unnamed. We know. She knows. But the others in the scene cant. And the republic wouldn't really want to acknowledge that loss. A Jedi died fighting for them, and his wife is begging for help to find their Jedi adoptive son and there 'isn't resources' because there is never fucking resources for anything that doesn't line the elites pockets because under the veneer of space opera, capitalism is rotting and always will be.

And when Hera is talking to Jacen, and he's been playing with Chopper when he should be with his Dad or Ezra learning Jedi stuff, and when he ways he wants to be a Jedi and it just hangs there and Hera tells him she knows. How many excuses has she come up with to keep him away from the Jedi stuff because its safer for him to let his talent burn out and she just can't loose another person to that. She can't go through it again. How long can she keep him safe from it? She can't. He is Kanan's son as much as hers. Ezra will come back, but at least Ezra will Know. Will have known Kanan. Know what Hera fears.

And when Ahsoka talks about the force with Sabine and she says the same things Kanan did, and Sabine doesn't stop her because how would Ahsoka know? She barely knew Kanan. When she trains Sabine with wooden weapons and its the same way Kanan did. And when they do the blind drills, and she should have been learning to fight blind from Kanan. Even the mask Sabine wears looks more like Kanan's mask from 'Twilight of the Apprentice' than any of the other helmets we see used for the same drill.

Kanan left this huge absence in the show, that only exists for those who knew him, both in universe and those who watched Rebels. And I just think its fucking beautiful.

[wizard-finix]

LU Star Wars AU: Part 4

This time we got Twilight and Wild!

PART 1 | PART 2 | PART 3

Wild

Wild doesn't look very old, but he was actually a Jedi Knight in service to the Republic Army back during the Clone Wars. He worked closely with the other Champions at the time; the five of them were on a mission to protect King Rhoam and the royal family of a Mid-rim planet when Order 66 was enacted and the Republic Army turned on them. The other champions were killed, and Wild was nearly fatally injured.

In a last-ditch attempt to save his life, Rhoam and Impa used an industrial carbon-freezer to put him in a state of suspended animation and keep him hidden from any Imperial scanners. He was found and unfrozen many years later by Purah and Robbie, and the hibernation sickness on top of his injuries gave him some degree of amnesia.

0/10 experience, he would not recommend it.

Nowadays, he works closely with Purah and Robbie. Flora, who wasn't even born yet at the time of the incident, met him properly for the first time after he woke up again. They didn't get along at first, but after finding out she was Rhoam's daughter he's determined to stick by her side.

His old lightsaber is broken beyond repair, so he picked up a habit of collecting various weapons. He's also wanted by a group of bounty hunters known as the Yiga.

Twilight

Twilight is from a backwater planet in the Ordonian system, working as a rancher in a farming village. He met Midna when Zant came to the planet and forcibly tried to take over.

Long story short, the kids of his village went missing, and he ran across some of Zant's forces in a bad way. He actually came in contact with a dark Twili artifact that granted the user the ability to change shape and got stuck. Midna, being a shapeshifting Twili, bailed Twilight out of trouble and taught taught him how to change back, but to do that he had to learn the basics of the Force. (It took a while. He's not very good at it, but he can do the basics.)

In exchange for her help, Twilight helped her with her own goals along the way; eventually, he learns that the reason Zant showed up is because he followed Midna's trail there. With the help of some local Resistance members, they eventually even managed to get rid of Zant.

Somewhere along the way, Twilight and Midna followed a rumor of an old weapon hidden deep in the woods on the planet. Eager for any advantage they could get, Midna insisted they find it; they followed the trail until it eventually led them to an old intact lightsaber that had been deliberately hidden away there.

Midna left very suddenly after everything with Zant was over. Twilight decided to look out for her through his new friends in the Resistance, and eventually came in contact with other members of the Chain that way.

[gffa]

I've been a little slow on getting out new STAR WARS fic recs out, but in my defense it's because I've been reading a bunch of longer fics lately. In the spirit of "there's a special feeling to those fics that consume you and make you stay up until 3am because you can't put them down", here's a list of some of the ones I've loved or am in the middle of reading and they are haunting my thoughts and I need to inflict that on everyone else. Whether you're looking at a long upcoming trip and need some good reading material or avoiding your feelings by sinking into fic or just because you like reading, I hope you'll find something here! Including a bonus underrunning theme of throwing in a bunch of Jedi-loving fic to continue my agenda of making Jedi-centric fandom a more fun place to be. 30k+ is the minimum and this isn't all of my favorites, but it's a great list of "I have a week off to kill and I want to be in a fic coma by the end of it".

STAR WARS FIC FOR WHEN YOU NEED TO KILL ABOUT TEN HOURS WORTH OF TIME AND WANT TO HAVE FEELINGS ABOUT FICTIONAL PSYCHIC SPACE WIZARDS WHILE YOU'RE AT IT:

✦ Out with Lanterns by SkyeBean, mace & ahsoka & plo & shaak & cast, 312.5k     In another universe, Jedi Masters Plo Koon and Depa Billaba decide a Padawan could do Mace some good. It takes a while, but he eventually agrees. When he takes Ahsoka Tano as his Padawan, Mace knows that he's broken through a Shatterpoint and changed the course of a life. How, he doesn't know. ✦ Reprise by Elfpen, obi-wan & qui-gon & mace & yoda & anakin & cast, time travel, 558.9k wip     Ben Kenobi dies aboard the Death Star in the year 0 BBY. He wakes up shortly thereafter in the Jedi temple in the year 41 BBY. Haunted by memories and regret, Ben must forge a new path for himself in the Jedi Order of his youth while navigating the murky waters of time travel. Crafting a better future from bitter experience is hard, but learning to heal is even harder. ✦ Take it from the top and try again by mauvera, obi-wan & qui-gon & anakin & padme & mace & shmi & dooku & cast, time travel, 112k wip     Five years into his self imposed exile on Tattooine, Obi-Wan Kenobi is gifted the chance to go back and bring hope back to the galaxy. With hindsight on his side, he fully intends to save his master, save his padawan, make some new and old friends again, prepare the Jedi for a war they’ll hopefully never see and begin to pull apart all the many tangled threads of the Sith Lord’s plans. Should be relatively easy. Right? ✦ Post Order 66 Exile AU by Livsy, obi-wan & anakin & cast, 46k     Alternatively: after a failed order 66, in which many Jedi still died but the Sith were defeated, an exiled warrior and a boy wander a distant planet and attempt to get along. ✦ Remedial Jedi Theology by MarbleGlove, obi-wan & anakin & jedi & cast, 51.3k     Let us consider the fact that the Jedi Order is a monastic religious organization based out of a temple, with five basic tenets of faith. ✦ Supreme Chancellor Obi-Wan Kenobi by stonefreeak, obi-wan & anakin & padme & yoda & palpatine & bail & dooku & mace & quinlan & vokara & ahsoka & cast, 124.5k wip     By an old Republic law, all members of the Jedi High Council are senators in the Galactic Senate, and can thus be voted in as chancellor. A Senator from a less prominent planet has had enough of Chancellor Palpatine's incompetence and calls for a Vote of No-Confidence and the installation of Jedi Master Obi-Wan Kenobi as Supreme Chancellor of the Galactic Republic. This one action becomes the catalyst that changes the direction of the galaxy. ✦ What We've Become by Vinyarie, vader & ahsoka & cast, 82k     Darth Vader and Ahsoka’s fight on Malachor takes a different path, and Ahsoka actually is able to save her master. Or rather, she’s able to convince him to save himself. Diverges from canon in the last few minutes of Twilight of the Apprentice and goes increasingly AU from there.

✦ time to change the road you're on by wreckageofstars, obi-wan & anakin & ahsoka & luke & leia & han & ghost crew & cast, time travel, 93.6k wip     The end of the Clone War is near - the fall of the Republic even nearer. Anakin Skywalker, caught up in the events that lead to the rise of the Empire and the loss of everything he holds dear, finds himself sent nearly two decades into the future. Ahsoka Tano, still coming to painful terms with the true fate of her former master, is - not exactly happy to see him. But the Force works in mysterious ways - and the future is not nearly as set in stone as they've been lead to believe. Multi-chapter AU, Rise of the Empire/Rebels-era. ✦ narrower than a razor's edge by bereft_of_frogs, obi-wan & dooku & qui-gon & anakin & sidious & cast, 30.2k     Dooku tips his hand ten years earlier because he can't stand the thought of his former apprentice's murder, and that might just be enough to save everyone...if it doesn't get them all killed first. ✦ soften every edge by gigglesandfreckles, obi-wan & ahsoka (& anakin), major character death, 48.1k     "Rejoice!" the galaxy says, in the wake of war and the dawning of peace. "How?" Obi-Wan asks. "No," Ahsoka says. (or: Obi-Wan & Ahsoka learn to live on.) ✦ hunting toward heartstill by blackkat, mace/cody & plo & fives & shaak & obi-wan & anakin & rex & cast, 207.2k     Plo has an idea. Mace agrees, and everything snowballs right into hell from there. (Or: Mace and Cody get married in order to give the clones citizen status. Before they can focus on that, though, they're going to have to deal with ancient Sith artifacts, evil prophets, plots to overthrow the Supreme Chancellor, lost planets, monsters warped by Sith alchemy, inconvenient , and Darth Sidious turning his eye on a potential new apprentice. Just...not in that order.) ✦ Cataclasm by dendral, obi-wan & anakin & ahsoka & waxer & cast, 63.1k wip     For reasons unknown to all but himself, Obi-Wan Kenobi has left the Jedi Order in the midst of the Clone Wars, taking with him a single clone. Anakin Skywalker has been unofficially tasked by the Order to find Obi-Wan and bring him home. Unfortunately for Anakin, it seems his former master is always ten steps ahead of him. ✦ Unexpected Awakening (The Rewrite) by Rhiw, obi-wan & qui-gon & anakin & feemor & bruck & jango & cast, time travel, 135.1k wip     The life of General Kenobi is cut short at the hands of his Padawan, but the sight that greets his eyes upon awakening is not that of blinding light of the Force, but the Jedi Temple he knew when he was still a youth. As he struggles to understand the path laid out before him, Obi-Wan unwittingly captures the attention of a singularly unusual Temple Guard, and that of a reluctant Qui-Gon Jinn.

✦ Knightrise by deviantaccumulation, obi-wan & ahsoka & satine & yoda & cast, 89.4k wip     There is no battle on Mustafar or in Coruscant's senate building. Instead, a small but still alive Jedi Order rises from its ashes on Mandalore. ✦ Fire and Ice by Yesac, obi-wan & anakin & cast, 111.9k     Anakin wins the duel on Mustafar, but doesn't kill Obi-Wan. Along with Padme, Obi-Wan finds himself living in a chaotic world where the man he thought he knew has become the thing he swore to destroy. Can Anakin be turned back? If so, what then? ✦ Better That a Millstone by Icarus_is_flying, obi-wan & luke & anakin & leia & cast, 86.7k     Vader discovers Luke and Obi-Wan on Tatooine when Luke is one year old and attempts to reclaim the family he threw away. Obi-Wan is less than pleased, and Luke and Leia? They have their own ideas about how their future should play out. ✦ Bloodlines by KCKenobi, obi-wan & anakin & dooku, 35.8k     When an explosion traps them in the same doomed escape pod, Obi-Wan, Anakin, and Dooku are stranded together on Tatooine. The goal is simple: cooperate long enough to survive, and not a second longer. But a shared past has a way of connecting the people we think we know—and bloodlines run deep. [or: your classic family road trip across a desert planet, except your grandpa is, you know, a Sith Lord. And now he's sort of starting to bond with your Jedi dad. And that might be an issue.] ✦ When Darkness Seems to Hide This Place by IllyanaA, obi-wan & anakin & ahsoka & rex & cast, 136k wip     After killing three of the Jedi Order's best and brightest, Palpatine's fight with Jedi Master Mace Windu goes shorter than expected. Afraid he's lost his chance at recruiting a new apprentice, Sidious unleashes Order 66 across the galaxy, but, per their programming, the Clone Army is not to harm Anakin Skywalker. After witnessing the most painful loss he's ever experienced and injured at the hands of his captors, Anakin is ready to die like the rest of the Jedi, though not before getting his vengeance. ✦ Precipice by shadowsong26, obi-wan & anakin & padme & luke & leia & bail & ahsoka & rex & cast, 253.6k     An AU in which Anakin Skywalker does not follow Mace Windu and the others to Palpatine’s office after they leave to arrest the Chancellor. As a result, he doesn’t get that final push over the edge, and doesn’t Fall. ✦ Averting Galactic Destruction by kj_feybarn, obi-wan & anakin & quinlan & rex & cody & fives & dogma & wolffe & plo & shaak & dooku & sidious, time travel, 44.3k     AKA The Time the Force Sent Obi-Wan Back in Time and Quinlan Vos kept him from Going Kamikaze because let’s be Honest, Being Forced to Come Back in Time Would Suck.

✦ Into the Archives by skygawker, obi-wan & anakin/padme & palpatine & cast, 104.9k wip     After hearing the legend of Darth Plagueis the Wise from Palpatine, Anakin decides that his best chance to save Padme is to break into the restricted Holocron Vault of the Temple Archives to search for information about Plagueis. Predictably, all does not go according to plan. Revenge of the Sith AU. ✦ Live To Fight Another Day by raemanzu, spica_tea, cody & rex & jesse & kix & obi-wan & anakin & fox & cast, 396.9k wip  ��  Clones have their place in the universe, beyond the schemes of Palpatine. Events conspire to place Rex on the path of a new fate, one which will affect the future in ways not even the Jedi could foresee. Loyal to source material and characterizations. Canon-divergent. Starts between seasons 5 and 6 of TCW and explores Rex’s reaction to Fives’ dying words and subsequent events building toward Order 66. Variety of canon characters. No ships. Very Ace and Aro. Strong focus on certain friendships (Rex and Cody, Jesse and Kix, etc) with those friendships playing major roles. Thematically about how the clones navigate loss, trauma, the concept of their enslavement, their identities, etc amongst the larger active plot threads. Content warnings for war-related PTSD, trauma, combat injuries, and all around war-related angst etc in later chapters. ✦ Life and What Comes After by Ibelin, obi-wan & anakin & ahsoka & padme & cast, 177.2k wip     Obi-Wan dies on Jabiim. Anakin blames himself, doesn't know how to go on and yet - he does. Maybe the Force rewards that kind of thing, or maybe he just gets lucky, but when a mission lands Anakin on a vaguely familiar planet, he gets a second chance to do what he knows he should have done in the first place: save his master. (And maybe a chance to save the galaxy, too.) ✦ Knight-Errant by zinjadu, anakin & ahsoka & obi-wan & padme & rex & jedi & clones, 315.8k     AU - The Jedi Who Knew Too Much. Rex decides to stay "in pursuit" of his Commander; he jumps. Now, with backup, Ahsoka navigates the lower levels and deals with Ventress. Meanwhile, Anakin takes the Order to task, finds a little more support, and things turn out a little differently for everyone. And this is just the beginning. ✦ the massive machinery of hope by Killbothtwins, obi-wan & qui-gon & anakin & shmi & jedi, time travel, 150.1k     After the end of the war with the Empire, Obi-Wan wakes up in his twelve-year old body. Now all he needs to do is convince everyone he's psychic, trick his Master into taking him on before he's sent to Bandomeer, redeem a few bad guys, and try not to have a nervous breakdown. Pretty easy. It's not like the Sith are lurking on the horizon, waiting to devour the Jedi Order.

✦ The Exchange by MissLearn, obi-wan & anakin & qui-gon & ahsoka & padme & cast, time travel/body swap, 120k     The Daughter has a bad day and it irrevocably changes the fate of the galaxy, twice over. Or; ROTS Obi-Wan and Anakin are swapped with their younger, TPM, selves. It changes things, in both parallels. ✦ In All The World by Kjellarnen, obi-wan & anakin & cast, 144.8k wip     The story of how Anakin Skywalker and Obi-Wan Kenobi tamed each other, from Naboo to Anakin's early days at the Temple. ✦ In Another Life by KCKenobi, obi-wan & anakin & ahsoka & padme, time travel, 52.3k     Eleven years after the rise of the Empire, a favor to a friend sends Obi-Wan traveling through the multiverse. He encounters different versions of the galaxy and of himself—including one in which Anakin never turned to the dark side. Obi-Wan and this Light Anakin are forced to work together to stop the creation of a disastrous Empire weapon. But as they move through different versions of reality, the timelines become more and more twisted—and the harder it is to distinguish who they are from who they might have been. And—to find their way home. ✦ The Intruder by Hollyoakhill, obi-wan & original clone characters, 82.5k     When a vicious attack from a strange, indestructible monster traps them on a derelict star destroyer, a young clone trooper fresh from Kamino join forces with Jedi General Obi-Wan Kenobi to find a way to escape. ✦ Conceal Me What I Am by Himboskywalker, obi-wan/anakin & padme & yoda & mace & palpatine & quinlan & cast, omegaverse, NSFW, 108.3k     Separatist Propaganda is turning the Republic against the Jedi Order and the Senate sees no choice but to join in a political alliance to fight dissent on a unified front.An alliance is proposed through an arranged marriage,between a Jedi Knight and Republic Senator. Anakin Skywalker and Obi-Wan Kenobi are chosen as representatives of the political union by Darth Sidious, meant to bring ruin to the marriage and the public's support of the Jedi,for Obi-Wan Kenobi is not the Beta he claims. But even Sidious does not know of the secret Anakin Skywalker keeps, that he is not the Alpha the galaxy believes him to be. ✦ Equinox by lilyconrad, obi-wan/anakin, NSFW, 95.9k     During the Clone Wars, Obi-Wan and Anakin crash on a remote planet and take shelter in the ruins of a grand estate only to find they are not alone.

✦ Invictus by Himboskywalker, obi-wan/anakin & cast, NSFW, 40.3k     "He is the balance, the other half, the completion to Skywalker’s soul, a perfect dyad in the force. But while Kenobi is a simple answer, the force also sees the difficulty of the pair coming together in balance. The foundations of the galaxy they exist in pull at them, threatening to intervene in their unity. But this is also a simple problem, for the force is far greater than the foundations of a single galaxy, for it is the foundation of all. So the force enacts its will, to bridge the pair over a span of moments, of years, of eternities, and Anakin Skywalker and Obi-Wan Kenobi will fall in love, have fallen in love, and are falling in love." ✦ Neutron star collision by thedunesea, obi-wan/anakin & cast, NSFW, 121.2k wip     In the aftermath of Order 66, Anakin Skywalker's miraculous survival after his confrontation with the new Sith Apprentice Darth Vader ignites a sparkle of hope in the remaining Jedi, in the fledgling rebellion and, above all, in his former Master, who thought he had lost everything to darkness. But darkness is generous, and it is patient. ✦ Lex Talionis by intermundia, obi-wan/anakin & ahsoka & dooku & rex & cast, NSFW, 187.1k     The ancient Galactic Republic is dying slowly—an ugly death of corruption, sprawl, and decay—with the sin of slavery hanging over its every triumph. The beleaguered Jedi Knights are too few to adequately patrol and police the entire Republic, and are faced with complacency and greed at every turn. Born into a crumbling and stagnant galaxy, Obi-Wan Kenobi and Anakin Skywalker are faced with the greatest challenge of all: themselves. Obi-Wan likes rules and control. When the galaxy around him stops playing by the rules, what is a Jedi to do? Anakin needs rules and restraint. When the galaxy around him conspires to set him loose, what is his Master to do? Falling slowly or falling fast, falling through lust or falling through wrath—it all leads to delusion and moral decay. What can be born from the ashes? ✦ Atlas of Our Ruin by Ripki, obi-wan/anakin & cast, NSFW, time travel, 230.8k     Both the past and the future casts long shadows. Obi-Wan and Anakin learn that the hard way, when a mysterious holocron flings them backwards and forwards in time, forcing them to confront painful truths. But the time-travel is only the beginning… ✦ Seed by bell (belldreams), obi-wan/anakin, NSFW, 44k     When Anakin falls prey to a lethal poison, Obi-Wan has no choice but use all his resources to heal him-- no matter how reluctant he is in administering the antidote.

✦ wicked thing by imaginarykat, obi-wan/anakin & ahsoka & cast, nsfw, sith!obi-wan, 124.2k wip     There are rumours of yet another Sith Lord hiding among the Separatists. The Council sends Anakin to investigate. Anakin has a bad feeling about this. or, the story of how Anakin exists in a perpetual state of intense embarrassment, Obi-Wan is enjoying it a little too much, and everything is, generally speaking, a gigantic mess. ✦ Rulebreaker/Wildheart by chapstickaddict, obi-wan/anakin & ahsoka & luke & leia & barriss & cast, NSFW, 230k     Darth Vader, the strong arm of the Sith, held loyal to his Order since they took he and his mother from slavery in the deserts of Tatooine. Until he became convinced they killed his wife. He abandoned his Order and disappeared in the chaos of the Clone Wars, presumed dead by all sides. That young Skywalker is known around town as a widower and homesteader; a Nabooian who emigrated to avoid the trade blockade; a father of overly-energetic twins and warding a Togruta war orphan; a decent mechanic if your farm equipment or maintenance droid is acting up. Anakin is a paranoid, over-protective hot mess doing his best to raise his weird pack the way Padmé would have wanted. How the hell is he supposed to do that when his kids and not-apprentice make him haul a half-dead Jedi Master home like a lost pet? ✦ more than a candle by jenmishe, obi-wan/anakin/padme, NSFW, 50.3k     "The dark is generous and it is patient and it always wins – but in the heart of its strength lies its weakness: one lone candle is enough to hold it back. Love is more than a candle. Love can ignite the stars." Or, a few thousands of words of how Anakin, Obi Wan, and Padmé realize many things, which include, most notably, how they feel about each other and how to handle said feelings. Oh, and in the meantime, they deal with a megalomaniac Sith Lord. ✦ Anamorphosis by avocadomoon, obi-wan/padme & anakin & mace & corde & qui-gon & cast, 33.5k     noun, plural an·a·mor·pho·ses [an-uh-mawr-fuh-seez, -mawr-foh-seez]. A distorted or monstrous projection or representation of an image on a plane or curved surface, which, when viewed from a certain point, or as reflected from a curved mirror or through a polyhedron, appears regular and in proportion; a deformation of an image.

[homestuckphobia]

The biggest tragedy of Star Wars is that when the twilight of rhe republic seemed all but inevitable, Mon Mothma didn't use her secret Force powers to become Mon Mothra and eaten supreme chancellor Palpatine. Now I'm not saying she could have defeated him this way, but I'm pretty sure it would have at least made him Think Twice.

Cos let's face it, in the contest of evil space wizard vs. fairy nature kaiju I think we all know who we'd bet our imperial credits on.

[bsof-maarav]

I truly feel like I'm living in the twilight zone when other americans expect that someone in my position as a Jew, a lesbian, and a woman, would just naturally be on a campaign against Israel right now in favor of uplifting the Islamic Republic and its various terrorist proxies who would love to eliminate all Jews, gays & lesbians, & subject all girls and women to unspeakably brutal forms of oppression...do they think I have a death wish and also a deep hate for everyone remotely like me?

And these are the same groups of americans who pride themelves on their sensitivity to identity politics down to the level of caring about the subtlest of microaggressions??

Chaverim, I simply cannot get my mind around this shit.

[phoeebsbuffay]

Imagine when the Republic falls and your life is deeply affected by it. Your husband is no where to be seen and you fear the worst might have happened to him, specially after news regarding Order 66 have reached you. Despite the bad omens, however, you decide to look for him. And what you might find will surprise you.

Warnings: drama, explicit smut, violence, angst, unburnt Vader.

Warnings 2: this got long. 👀🤭

Recommendations: “The Ghost of You” by My Chemical Romance.

No minors.

***

Intro.

It starts to rain and you are on the market when the hologram pops up. Whenever it happens, great news are expected to be told. You are standing amongst the crowd as a black hooded man is seen.

“Greetings to all, citizens. We salute you. News ought to be delivered in regard to the present situation concerning the clonic wars…” And here he tells how the Jedis are guilty for treason because they played a major role throughout the conflict, often betraying the Senate purposes.

“For this reason, as the common law dictates, every Jedi is a traitor and treason is punishable by death. However, in order to prevent chaos, if you spot a Jedi, communicate us as fast as possible.”

He goes on in announcing himself as Emperor, welcoming now the citizens of Coruscant as citizens of the Galactic Empire. Once he ends the communication, every one is mute.

What had just happened?

You fear for your husband. Having him in your mind, you drop your basket and leave your things behind. Discreetly, you pass through your neighbors and others and start to increase the rhythm of your pace.

You hear noises. Chaos finds you. Next thing you see is some sort of riot happening, sounds of blasters, screams of people, making it difficult to distinguish what they are screaming for.

Where are you?

You push these people aside, trying to make your way to the ancient Jedi Temple located at a farther spot from the center of Coruscant. You don’t mind the troopers, you don’t mind people. All you want to know is if he survived.

Perhaps it is fortunate that you are an invisible woman to all, a being who is unworthy the attention of the troopers. You remain ignored as you walk back your home, eyes already puddled with tears.

How many times did you not wish to be a Jedi? How often didn’t you wonder when he was away what would be like to follow him in his dangerous missions? How regularly haven’t you spent your nights wide awake praying for him going back safe and sound to your arms?

And he would frequently go back to you. He always kept his promises. But you don’t have enough time to think about it for you are forced to retreat back to your home since getting to the Temple Jedi is proving an impossible task. Once you do, though, he isn’t there.

He is not coming home. He is not coming home.

You refuse to take these words as part of your reality. You’ve heard whispers concerning the Order 66, whose main objective was to destroy the Jedis.

No. You are coming back to me. You are.

You start looking for him in every spot of your house, but he is no where to be seen. He is nowhere to be found.

As you stay outdoors watching the end of world, your knees weaken and you fall down. You burst into violent tears. Somehow you know. Somehow you become another loser of this war. You look up at the darkest skies and you sob.

“I’ll get my revenge, Emperor. Even if I die trying, I’ll get my way to you.”

And so you cry.

***

Flashback.

• The Twilight of the Clonic Wars (I) •

You are but a librarian who has nothing to do with the Force or the Jedis working at the temple. It’s a nice job, suit to your passion for knowledge. You love reading, it is how you’ve been raised by your parents: if you want to be free, Y/N, read; if you want to fight for yourself to get what you want, sharp your mind; books are any human being’s best friend.

It’s what your parents used to tell you. They were neither rich nor part of the lower class of Coruscant. They didn’t have the Force, but were an average part of the population. Nonetheless they were great parents who always sought to give you and your brothers everything you deserved. You couldn’t complain for having a nice life.

You fondly remember them as you organize the shelves. Because of the clonic wars, war eventually found a way to drag your father to fight for the Republic and your mother would follow him. Not too long after that, your brothers parted to serve too. In short years, this job was everything you had.

Despite the sadness of the situation, you are in peace with it. So here you are, moving on with your life. You are very thankful for Master Windu arranging this job for you. But your routine does not necessarily lead you to the Jedis. And you are fine with it. All you desire is to be occupied.

That is the context when he comes to find you. A tall man dressed in black robes, dark brown hair falling over his shoulders, who possesses the brightest pair of blue eyes you’d ever seen tumbles against you.

“I’m sorry, sir.” You are quick to apologize despite the fact he is the one distracted. You take the books and prepare yourself to leave, but you miss the amusement in his irises.

“What for? Hey, are you new here?”

You look back, barely blinking. Is he talking to me?

As if reading your thoughts, he smiles at you.

“Yes, I am talking to you.”

You blush, feeling awkward in interacting with others, a trait you’ve never truly developed well. At least not during the war anyway where you lost your family and friends to it.

“I… Well, sort of. I’ve been working here half a year now”, you tell him. “Do you need my help, sir?”

The male finds you adorable to behold, intrigued to find a non-possessor of the Force right in the library of the Temple Jedi. You are shorter than him, your y/c hair is tied in a bun and the round glasses you wear hide the color that paints your eyes. Your face is covered with simple make up, an indicator that you are concerned with your public image. You dress a nice white blouse and black jeans.

There is something about you that, although at first sight might mistake you to a common lass of Coruscant, sparks an interest in the man. He is intrigued by you. Your presence is like an electric field against which he has little power to be apart.

“I do, yes.” He clears his throat, dismissing his first impressions. “I am not so sure you’ll know what I’m talking about, but are you familiar with the book ***? My Master recommended me to read it but I can’t seem to find here.”

You surprise him when you say:

“Oh yes, I know which one. Let me see in what shelf is in. New copies arrived yesterday, these are new editions with updates moves and instructions of how to use them.”

The man raises an eyebrow at you.

“You don’t have the Force”, he observes, his eyes glued at your back.

You smirk.

“No, I don’t.”

“How do you know about it then?”

You finally stop and turn at him. It is comic how this tall man, whom you promptly see as a Jedi, looks at you and you stand there with a hand on your waist.

“Just because I am not a Jedi doesn’t mean I cannot read about the Force or how the peacekeepers fight.” You tell him.

He chuckles.

“Very well. I am impressed.”

You side smirk at him.

“You don’t strike me as one who is easily impressed.”

Another laughter. You like the sound of it.

“No”, he agrees. “I am not.”

You offer your hand for him to shake.

“I am Y/N Y/LN. I am the librarian and I pray I can be of your use.”

He takes it before giving a shake, with a smile dancing on his lips.

“And I am Anakin Skywalker. A pleasure to make your acquaintance, miss Y/N.”

As you give the book he requests, you realize your eyes never for once left those blue of his.

***

Present Days.

It is difficult to pursuit the path of vengeance, to be bent to an unending grief in spite of an inexplicable feeling that he is out there, somewhere.

Perhaps you are waiting for me anywhere, Ani. I will find you, though.

You are wearing a dark cape over your shoulders and black robes as a result. You carry yourself a blaster, but you don’t use it. You walk amongst others as if you are a ghost. You even suspect the Empire has no records of you, otherwise why didn’t they come for you?

It shouldn’t be a surprise to anyone that I am Mrs Skywalker. Why didn’t they come to end with my life?

How suspicious. But you don’t waste your time thinking about it. You should be looking for Obi-Wan Kenobi or even Ahsoka Tano, but where would you look for them, assuming them to be alive?

In my heart I know nothing is lost. These three haven’t died. My love hasn’t been demised to the Order 66.

You steal a ship. Memories hurt you as when you remember the day Anakin taught you how to pilot one. His laughters and amusement at your primary attempts in doing so and how at each time you hit the ship bring you back to tears without your notice.

The salt there is in them reaches out for your tongue, a taste that has long been familiar to you. Once so patient and resigned, you are tired of sitting and waiting for things to work.

So you start piloting the ship, leaving Coruscant behind once and for all. You are clueless as where to go, though, and this only makes you desperate. It’s when you are soon reminded of something about Mustafar, the last planet where Anakin told you he’d go to. Perhaps that is where you should head to.

But how? You don’t know the routes, you’ve never dared to pilot into the galaxy before. It is when you recollect the day Anakin taught you how to contact the Force.

“All you have to say is: I am one with the Force and the Force is with me”, he instructed you. “But you have to say believing it, patiently. Otherwise you will not be affected by it.”

“Shouldn’t I possess the Force to do so?” You remember inquiring him.

He’d laugh and stroke your cheek before saying:

“No, angel. The difference between you and I resides in the fact that you were not born with it. But if you train it patiently, you’ll be able to fix it.”

“With you as my husband, I don’t think I am able to concentrate.” You said maliciously, earning some cuddles and tons of kisses from him, which made you beam.

But this is not the moment nor the time to dwell in the past, as tempting and comforting it is for you. What you have to do is check your emotions and try to follow your husband’s meditation’s exercises.

You take a deep breath. You close your eyes, emptying your mind in the process. It’s difficult for you, though. The tension makes your heart race and a lot of preoccupations mixed to anxieties seem to stand as impediments for you to reach the Force.

The words come out of your lips as you were once taught by Anakin, but every time they are pronounced, your thoughts dealign with your heart. You don’t know how much time you take, maybe some hours, but when you are exhausted… is when you finally succeed.

“I am one with the Force and the Force is with me.” You whisper like a small prayer, prompted to sleep in this ship, floating on the center of the dark space.

It’s when you begin to feel the weight there is in your heart to lighten, the burden you carry on your shoulders to be removed. A very strange sentiment that no words can translate it takes over you.

The more you repeat, the more you sense it showing you bits of different scenarios; until eventually you see through your eyelashes a masked man.

“By the Maker!” You yell at yourself, jumping out of seat.

You are scared. It feels like you are awaking of a nightmare. In situations as these, where old traumas came uninvited, Anakin would hold you close. He would fight away your fears and console you.

But he isn’t there to do that, is he? You swallow your tears and press the button of hyperspace. You have a bad feeling about what’s to come…

***

Flashback.

The Twilight of the Clonic Wars (II). •

He comes to see you again and again. You start to feed expectations, aware that you are being unreasonable and creating illusions. You tell yourself that Anakin Skywalker is a Jedi, a General this close to be given the title of a Master. This means you are not only lower than his station, but also you forget that one simple rule you know so well: Jedis cannot form romantic attachments.

This is what you are thinking about, lamenting for it when you hear his voice:

“Do you realize that I can actually hear your thoughts?”

You freeze. Little by little you turn around and spot Anakin standing before you. Your face has never been so red as it is now. Worse, he is entertained at the cost of your embarrassment.

“I-I-I…”, you clear your throat, avoiding his gaze. “I really don’t know what I was thinking. I have just finished a novel and…”

Anakin laughs. Aren’t you adorable when you lie? He crosses his arms, resisting the impulse to touch your cheek, wondering if your y/c skin is smooth as it looks.

“For someone who reads a lot and spends a considerable time in between books, you surely are the worst liar I came across with, Y/N. Come. Do you have time for a coffee?”

You are suddenly shy right under his gaze. Something about how he looks at you makes you flustered. But you smile back at him.

“I have, yes.”

And the next thing you know you are at a nearby coffeeshop with him. It is easy to forget that there is a war going on out there when the two of you are talking amenities and other things too.

So that afternoon, Anakin and you discover the many tastes you have in common. He does appreciate your wit, how passionate you can be when talking about the little things you love and what have you accomplished with your studies.

It starts like that. Small talks, small encounters, coffee breaks. Before you know, you are anxiously waiting for him. And worrying for him too.

“Ani. People talk about your recklessness again.” You are not usually one who gossips but you have ears. And they more than frequent capture things that set your heart at an uneasiness. Like, for example, when you heard someone saying that he flirted openly with Senator Amidala, which still sends waves of pain to your heart, however hard you dissimulate it.

“There is little need for you to worry about me”, Anakin tells you, cocky as he usually is. This day you have been released earlier from your duties so he took you for a stroll around the gardens. “I often know what I’m doing, honey.”

He smirks at the facility with which he makes you blush, lowering your eyes and smiling in secrecy, hoping he does not see you in such state. But Anakin does, and sees right through you. It makes his heart melt and his eyes are all over you.

“Even so”, you raise your face at last. “I do worry for you. I have read how dangerous and deadly are the missions you are assigned to. You may not give the worth my heart deserves, but believe me, it is far too sensitive to bare the idea you might not come back and…”

You suddenly realize what you are saying and quickly you shush. Anakin is smirking again as you just openly admitted that you are in love with him. He leads you somewhere away from the prick ears of the gossip Jedi that might be out there, so he can have an instance of privacy with you.

The sun is setting in the horizon in a most romantic scenario when he lifts your chin, searching for your eyes. This time you don’t part the gaze. You also take sudden notice your fingers are locked with his.

“You have every reason to be concerned. I would too if I were in your shoes.” He then uses his metallic hand to caress your cheek and he smiles when you lean into it. “But I will always go back to you, angel. I do cherish your heart and give the worth it deserves. Now I see I took too long to make it obvious.”

“And here I was thinking you were openly flirting with certain Senators.” You cannot help yourself, distrusting the words that reach your ears.

Anakin throws his head back and laughs, much to your embarrassment. He then cups both cheeks and, resting his forehead against yours, says he:

“You are the only one I have eyes to. There is no one else that could capture my heart the way you do, Y/N. I love you, always and for ever.”

You smile brightly, placing your hands over his shoulders.

“I love you too, Ani. For as long as I breathe and even beyond, this heart beats only for you.”

That being said, he kisses your lips passionately.

***

Present Days.

You land in Mustafar after a while in a state of exhaustion, both mentally and physically. Nonetheless, the pursuit for Anakin continues. You are scared, naturally, and fear follows your steps.

You throw your hood to omit your face, grab enough credits you have and carry two blasters with yourself. Your heart races against your chest to the point of aching.

Like a phantom, you leave the ship and try to ignore the unbearable heat of the volcano planet. The atmosphere burns your nose, making it difficult to breathe, and to worse all it is not welcoming you. Somehow it feels like death, it smells so.

Unbeknownst to you, this is the planet where Anakin fought Obi-Wan; where other Jedis were sent to die, where hell breaks loose. Whilst you think yourself to be a coward, moved by a sense of injustice you are desperate to amend whatever it takes, your bravery goes beyond your limitations.

In truth, you ignore you’ve been followed in secrecy by the same masked man who’s been haunting your dreams. You overlook the possibility that your steps are not covered, that insignificant as you see yourself, the Empire knows who you are and where you are. It is only a matter of time until you find this out.

“Anakin”, you mutter under your breath. “I know you are out there. I am not giving you up.”

You wish at times that the Order 66 would have taken you to death if this meant you’d never lost him. Your eyes blurry as you begin to wonder how could you have let that happen.

You feel you are being followed but thrice you check and there is no one to see. It is you and your shadow, you, in the depths of hell. Something about the lava captures your attention. It seems so tempting…

“No.”

You say to yourself. The pain the planet seems to plague at you becomes unbearable. You feel as if you are about to go mad. You retrace your steps, going back to your ship when you hear a very strange noise.

“Holy shit”, you curse.

Whatever it is out there, you sense it’s coming after you. At the end of the world, this is not the last thing you want to see if your final destination is the inevitable death.

I know you are alive. I know you are, Anakin.

You manage to reach your ship despite nearly tumbling in the rocks. You are shaking when you get to it. You turn it on and after a few tries, you manage to leave it right before a creature that is close to octopus but in a gigantic and devil form is about to take you.

You have little time to breathe relieved: electric storms are coming for you. Despite your fears, you find the boldness there is in you.

“Fuck it. If I am to die, here is a great moment to do so.”

You push the control and you scream loud. But you successfully cross through these dark clouds and leave the planet. You don’t find him there as you expected. Your heart weights with grief, you have no idea where to look for him now.

You stand there in the middle of nowhere, surrounded by darkness. Hopelessness takes grip of your heart. Where to go now? You try not to feel discouraged, but you end up going to the next planet. You end up flying to Y/C, where you remember that Anakin went with Ahsoka.

As you finally find hope within you, after calming yourself in this complete mess, you begin to pilot away. It is when you spot this ship. At first you think it’s coincidental to find a black ship where you are now, but you realize you can’t pilot away. It soon engulfs your ship. You panic when you realize you fell in a trap.

Initially you fear you are about to be a victim of pirates, which means your fate will be either death or slavery. You start to get resigned at this prospective.

However, when you find the masked man of your nightmares standing in the ship where yours is being dragged into, you freeze.

Y/N, you hear the voice in your mind. We finally meet.

You pale. The voice sounds familiar to you. And when you are about to pick up the pieces of it, you get overwhelmed. Before the door is open, your mind is blank and you past out.

***

Flashback.

The Twilight of the Clonic Wars (III). •

You wait like always. But this time when he lands in Coruscant, he finds you at the place you both call home. You have just put your pajamas when a knock on the door is heard.

Who might that be? It is the first thought that occurs you, finding strange that at such an hour you get a visitor. So you throw over your shoulders some robes and go attend the door. To your delight there is Anakin.

“Oh my darling!” You beam before throwing your hands around his neck.

There is nothing better to him than being greeted warmly as he is by you. When he is engulfed in your arms and he holds you close, listening to your heartbeat, smelling your scent, reading your thoughts—how you longed for him, how you missed him, how you ached for him.

“I missed you, Y/nickname”, he kisses your cheek, then burying his head against your neck, his arms around you. “I missed you so damn much.”

“You came back to me”, you don’t intend to speak it, but these words roll out your tongue. “You came back, Ani.”

He gently parts the embrace to look at you. He cups your cheeks and smiles at you.

“Of course I did, my love. I am always coming back to you.” He takes your hands and presses a kiss in each, never letting go of them. “You know wherever you go, I will follow you.”

You two just have been recently married. When Anakin took you for a surprise travel to the galaxy—you’ve never been up at the space before and have always wondered what it was like, to see the countless planets and an infinite number of stars—, he landed you to planet Y/C, the most beautiful you’ve ever seen and there you were proposed. The following month, he surprised you by taking to a planet you longed to know—and that was where you married him.

15 months later and here you are, at your new home with the man you love.

“As will I”, you pursuit his lips in a tender kiss. “My heart is yours to command.”

Anakin sighs in content. He’s been having a couple of difficult weeks with the Jedis, culminated with Ahsoka’s trial and her refusal to go back to the Order.

You are aware of what’s been happening and it doesn’t help that you’ve been witnessing the arrogance of the Jedis even at the library. You don’t judge his sufferings and he appreciates you’ve always been there to console him, to listen, to give fairly good advices.

But tonight is not the moment to spend in stressing himself. He kisses you eagerly, willing for more. Anakin feels your lips twitching into a smirk, a move he does too. The connection one has with the other is evident.

You gently part the kiss, locking hands with him as you take him upstairs.

“Let me tend your needs, darling.”

He side smirks at you.

“When you start saying things like that… By the Maker, what do you intend to do with me?”

“You wait and you will see…”

The door closes and the night is about to start for you two.

***

Present Days.

Lord Vader is breathing mechanically, standing not too far from where you are. He senses your moves, an indication you are about to wake up. He is relieved for seeing you well, although this is rather questionable.

When he investigates your thoughts, he finds anguish clouding the sweet woman with whom he fell in love in the past. The memories he sees leave him baffled: where there is fear, there is sadness, angst and more. Vengeance paves the path for your suffering. The nights spent in tormented tears…

I should have come for you. I thought you’d deserved better, Y/N. Fuck. What have I done?

His gloved hands search for yours and you almost unconsciously lock your fingers with his. When you awake, you are perplexed to see it’s Anakin. You are quick to stand in the bed it was prepared to receive you. You don’t even realize your clothes are changed: Vader made sure you were well looked after.

You don’t care about it, not when you see Anakin standing right before you. His hair is slightly longer than the last time you saw him; curls dropped to his shoulders and when you placed one behind his ear, his eyes turn to yours: they are painted in yellow, no more the tempest blue that once dragged you to him.

You don’t mind that, despite placing your hands to cup his cheeks, but there are tears in your eyes.

“Anakin, It’s you.” It is only by feeling his skin against the touch of your hands that you know it’s him. You sob. “You are alive. You are not a ghost, you are here.”

He doesn’t respond, but he involves you in his embrace. The sound of your tears breaks his heart, it contains such a depth of anguish that reminds him precisely the day he fought Obi-Wan and rose to become a Sith Lord. He senses the same magnitude of pain that hisses inside you, but he does not wish to see you following the same path.

“I am not Anakin anymore.” Words come out in a whisper, but you still hear them.

You are pulled away from the embrace by your embrace.

“What are you saying?”, you ask, confused. “Is it related to the yellow that colors your eyes?”

Your innocence is painful for him. He easily forgets that you are not involved in this world where there are Siths and Jedis, even if you at times felt excluded from it—a sentiment he always tried to placate.

“I am a Sith Lord now”, he tells you, stroking your cheek, his hand moving to your neck. “They call me Darth Vader, Y/N. You deserve a better husband.”

He watches you intently, waiting for your reaction. You are processing the informations, recollecting with what you’ve read in books—though you’ve read not many that discussed the Siths.

“How… How long have this been going on?” And without your notice, you sniff. “Is it something I’ve done? Have… Have you found a-a-another wife?”

Vader is taken aback by your thoughts. He tells you he is a Sith Lord and all you care about is whether he found a new wife?! He looks at you in a mix of astonishment and amusement.

“No, my darling. I love you with all my being. Fuck, you are the only one who softens me.” He whispers. “You are my weakness, you are the best part of me. You are the desire of my heart, of my soul…”

You like how possessive he is to you, how possessively he searches for you, his face now so close to yours, his fingers moving from your neck to your sides. You are strangely aroused by it.

Vader senses it too, a sly smirk twitching at the corner of his lips as he spreads your legs to get himself in between. But his eyes remain glued in yours.

“You know I feel the same”, you whisper, your fingers playing with his curls before stroking his cheek and moving to his neck and shoulders. Then almost unconsciously you start working at his fabric. “Why did you leave me behind? Why did you let me believe you were dead? Why did you never tell me any of this? All of those things you’ve never told me…”

You choke with the salt of your tears. A mix of feelings rises like volcano. Anakin watches you with interest all the while he helps to remove the shirt you are wearing.

“You deserved someone better than I. I was trying to protect you.” His hands begin to untie your bra, and there is something about how he speaks to you that leaves you soaked in between your legs. And when his gloved hands stroke your exposed nipples, you throw your head back and moan loudly.

“I don’t want to be protected from my own husband.” You lean back and have your hand finally under his pants. Whatever sadness there is in your eyes, there is no more. You smirk when sensing his subtle erection pumping into your delicate fingertips. Never before you felt so naughty. “I want you, as you are. No more, no less.”

He groans before pursuing your lips hungrily, a hand caressing your right breast all the while using the other to pull your hair. You have missed him for a very long time and now, Sith Lord or not, he is going to compensate for the misery you’ve been through.

You are momentarily distracted from what you are doing when his lips move to your neck, leaving bruises with his teeth in your skin before slipping his tongue to your breasts. To each, he takes your nipple with a devouring mouth, all the while he gives another use to his free hand, abusing the Force to remove the pants you’ve been wearing.

“Oh my Maker!” You squeak when you see the buttons flying to the floor. And you cry out when his metallic hand finds the way to your womanhood.

“All wet for me”, he hums against your skin. Vader smirks at how you are easily overpowered by him. “Oh the days you always succumbed to me…”

You are going mad with his treatment to you, your cries going louder as a result. You don’t think about anything that is not the husband you missed. Whatever identity he is now, he remains the same to you.

“Fuck me.” You curse loud, feeling his two delicious fingers moving inside you in back and forth moves before inserting a third one. It doesn’t help he uses the Force to you too. Your moans have never been so…loud. “Oh my husband, I’ve missed you!”

When opening your eyes and meeting his, you see he is now on his knees. Bloody hell. The mere sight of lust in his irises, mirroring the sly smirk you are so familiar, are enough to make your nipples harder than before and bring you to the core of your orgasm.

“I see you still succumb under my touch.” He says, arrogantly so.

You spread your legs wider, not minding begging to him for doing other things to you.

“Please, my love.” You beg him, eyeing his well built muscles and his erection that is close to leave the pants you unbuttoned.

Vader feels what you feel. For once he is complied to be told what to do. Usually the one who does so, only his wife could actually have such an accomplishment.

He feels his cock throbbing against his leather pants, but he doesn’t pay that mind to it when he is concentrated in giving you what you need. Soon where there had been his fingers, there is his tongue.

Your legs shake at the mere feeling of his tongue in there. You had missed how heavenly torturing was when he did these things to you. The first time he did it so to you, you were secretively making out at the library. He had to hide away when a Master came in—because your relationship was a secret back then—so you went behind a desk all the while he went under it and took the opportunity. After that, he would joke to you about how addicted you’ve become to it. You’d blame him for being so good in making you come undone.

You are also reminded that he liked to tease you in public, testing your limits. In a feast where Obi-Wan kindly invited you, Anakin made sure to eat you out when he took you to the gardens of his household.

And just like this… you are ruined again. Except you are allowed to scream loud. So as you ride his face, your juices get to his mouth and he swallows all of it.

You are still heavily panting when he rises and pulling you on your back, he is ready to dominate you as prompted as you are in being dominated when you feel his manhood throbbing into your pussy. Your husband pulls your hair back all the whilst his hand is holding your hip, occasionally slapping your buttocks.

“Did you miss this?” He asks you in a husky voice, his eyes eating you out. You feel yourself wet once more.

“Yes.” You answer breathlessly. “Oh yes, my love.”

You meet his gaze, kissing his lips hungrily before you turn against him and push him to the floor. And right there you mount his cock like you used to.

“You’ve never fooled me.” He whispers against your skin, bathed in sweat, hot as fever. “You are just like me.”

You moan loudly, partially aroused by his words, but more so for how righteously he fucks you.

“You are my other half.” You tell him, leaning forward to bite his bottom lip, digging your nails against his skin as you pull him closer to you.

He looks at you softly. He is still your Anakin, and to see that makes you smile. Vader knows it, hence why he kisses you passionately as you two slow down and make love on the floor.

*

But there is still a problem to solve, though. You know he is conflicted and your thirst for revenge is only half satisfied. All of the journey you’ve been through had the single purpose to find Anakin and arranging the death of the Emperor. Although this second option is as suicidal now as it was the day you formulated it, you are still unsure about giving it up.

“I know I am asking you too much.” You tell him. “In truth I don’t care what you are as long as you are happy, my darling. Is serving the Emperor contenting you?”

He stands at the window, contemplating the view of his quarters. In silence there he stays, so you stand and move to where he is.

“Vader or Anakin, I love you the same.”

“And if I kill him? What will be of us?” Vader asks you, insecurity remaining in his painful eyes to see.

You cup his cheeks and lean to kiss his forehead.

“We will be in peace, living the life we want it, far away from it.”

He hesitates, but when looking at how loving you are to him, when remembering the journey you’ve been through to find him… Every sacrifice must be rewarded even if you don’t expect it.

But for you both revenge can only be sealed with the Emperor’s death. It is only then peace can be purchased.

He takes your hand and looking right into your eyes, Vader kisses it. An unspoken vow is made by you.

***

Epilogue.

Anakin watches you play with your children at the farm you all live at the planet Y/C. By his side, the brother that was always like a father to him as well: Obi-Wan Kenobi. After a dramatic reconciliation post Palpatine’s death, the two reunited after you encouraged your husband to do so.

“Five children in five years.” Obi-Wan says impressed. “By the Maker, how you and…? Oh, I don’t think I want to know.”

Anakin laughs heartily, but he is distracted when Luke comes for him.

“Daddy! Can I go pilot with Ben?” He has his younger brother by his side.

“Uh, no?! You are barely six years old, young man.” He is on his knee to match the children’s height. “I can, however, take you for a ride… If your grandpa Obi-Wan here cares to join us.”

The boys chuckle because they know “grandpa Obi”, as he is affectionately called by the Skywalker children, is not very fond of flying with their father.

“I thought I have already cleansed my sins.” Obi-Wan sighs dramatically.

“Please, grandpa Obi!” Luke pulls his long sleeve. “We won’t let daddy fly very fast.”

Obi-Wan gives a quizzical glance at Anakin, who struggles not to laugh at the man’s expression.

“I doubt that, young man. Perhaps next time.”

In the meantime the young sons of Anakin are still trying to convince Obi-Wan to fly with them, the daughters you have with him are disputing who would be a better apprentice to Ahsoka in the future.

Anakin’s former Padawan, who is like a sister to you—the two of you bonded overall in the moment where she was obliged to spend a considerable time in the library—, has too been reconciled with your husband. And she is gladly now by your side, though she is usually out there helping to reestablish the Republic.

“Ahsoka is not taking any of you to be her apprentice”, you are telling Leia, Jeyne and Margery. “By the Maker, you are all very young for that. Leia, would you please stop pulling your sister’s hair?”

Ahsoka chuckles at the situation.

“Perhaps when they are older.” And giving you a look, she adds in a whisper: “You know your offspring has the Force.”

You sigh dramatically.

“Don’t bother reminding me, Ahsoka. I wish they did not, but look whom I married to.”

The two of you exchange looks of complicity and burst into giggles. In moments like these, time doesn’t feel like it’s passed.

Later that day, after the visitors left and the children are clean and in bed, you and Anakin finally have a moment to yourselves.

“My, the day was long”, you are telling blissfully as you put your nightgown and let your hair down. “Finally we live the life we want to.”

“It is a good life, isn’t it? I am surprised to actually content myself with it, although to be fair I am considering going back to the field.” He gets from you a long look. “What? Babe, you know quiet is not too much for me.”

You sigh heavily.

“You know, I am not surprised.” You take a seat next to him. “If it’s good for you, it works for me too. I think it’s time to get our lives back from what it used to be anyway. I’m considering doing something different now, though. I might invest in becoming a teacher, although this is hardly glamorous compared to you, the Jedi Master who is the chosen one.”

You snort, but Anakin holds you close and says:

“I don’t fucking care about any of that, love of my life. I want you to be happy. I want us to work together and have a functional family for once. Whatever is good for you, it is for me too. We are on this together.”

He begins to kiss your shoulder and then your neck, smirking when seeing the shivers that run in you.

“Are you sure?” You hesitate.

You tilt your head to the right, side eyeing as he puts the strap of your nightgown down, slowly working to remove the rest of it, as he kisses the back of your shoulder and neck, placing your hair aside.

“Yes. Are you?”

“Mmhm.” You gently spread your legs as he rests a hand in your thigh. “Oh Maker. I always fail in resist your seduction tricks. Little wonder why I get easily pregnant. Who would resist you, Anakin Skywalker?”

And that is how this time you dominate him and he gladly complied to your horniness, much to his delight.

“I am yours to command, Mrs Skywalker.”

And that night’s just begun…