#this actually started because I was writing something about Depa and Caleb and then it kind of spiraled from there

[myhyperfixationisiforgot]

I like to dunk on the (watsonian) Jedi Council for giving Anakin a padawan so soon after he was knighted like everybody else but listen. I had to do some ~story math~ for a fic and Anakin probably isn't that far outside of the norm?

Like. He's very young for a knight, no doubt, and Ahsoka is pretty old for an initiate. Anakin is 19 and Ahsoka is 14 when they're assigned to one another.

HOWEVER - going off the idea that most apprenticeships are a decade or so and most initiates become padawans between the ages of 11 and 13:

Dooku would have only been 20 or so when he took on his first padawan. Depending on whether you go with Legends or current canon, it was either Rael or Qui-Gon. In Legends Dooku is only a decade older than Qui-Gon Jin (his first padawan who he takes on at the age of 10), while in current canon they're 20 years apart. However, in canon Qui-Gon is his second apprentice. Rael's apprenticeship would have taken a decade, putting Dooku at 20ish when he takes Rael on.

Quinlan Vos and Aayla Secura are only 9 years apart. Also based off the dates given on the wiki for Legends, but Quinlan finds Aayla during his own apprenticeship, and later takes her on. Even if Aayla had been 13 or 14 when she became a padawan, Quinlan still would have been 22 or 23.

Qui-Gon is interesting for a couple reasons: Feemor and Xanatos aren't canon, and Qui-Gon is 12 years older in Legends. So, in canon, Qui-Gon was about 35 when he took on Obi-Wan, his first apprentice. In Legends, though, Qui-Gon is 48 when he takes on Obi-Wan after 9 years without a padawan. Xanatos, his second, left the Order at 16, so we can assume that Qui-Gon trained him for 5 or 6 years, putting him at 33 when they start. Assuming that Feemor's apprenticeship took a decade, Qui-Gon would have been about 23 when he took on his first padawan.

Depending on how old Depa Billaba is and how many padawans Mace trained he was probably in his early 20s when he chose an an apprentice. Mace is 53 during Order 66, and he had to have taken Depa on at least 24 years ago (Depa has been on the Council for 14 years at the time of Order 66, assuming that her apprenticeship was 10 years. The number is probably closer to 28, given that Depa was a knight for a while before she was on the council) which puts Mace somewhere between 25 and 29. In Legends, though, Mace has had several padawans, which honestly doesn't make any sense on the timeline. So Mace was probably 25 or so, the same age as Obi-Wan when he took on Anakin.

Anyways, what I'm getting at is that Anakin isn't that much younger than some of the other Jedi who were knighted young. Dooku was almost certainly 20 when he took on a padawan, and Quinlan easily could have only been 20 or 21. Anakin and Ahsoka are both on the extreme end of their respective roles, but there would have been precedent for a brand new young knight being given a padawan right off the bat.

[gffa]

Hi Lumi, thanks for not turning off anons yet, I've wanted to message you for months but I am crippling shy and couldn't bring myself to do it off-anon, haha. I just wanted to ask, do you read any of the Star Wars comics? If so, can you recommend any? I am new to the fandom after The Mandalorian and I really want more Darth Vader content, if you have any recs I'd be very grateful! I love your blog and literally every piece of content you post! Thanks Lumi!

Hi!  I’m glad that I left anon on just for this then!  I do indeed read a lot of the Star Wars comics, though, I go in fits and starts with them, like a lot of people do. 😂 My recommendations are: - Star Wars 2015 (by Jason Aaron) + Darth Vader 2015 (by Kieron Gillen) - I put these two together because the first 6 or so issues are meant to be read concurrently, they’re events crossing over into each other and showing different aspects from different points of view, and I think it really helps to enrich both stories if you’re alternating between the two for at least six issues. Beyond that, they’re both just really, really solidly good comics!  They’re set just post-ANH, where Luke is discovering more about being a Jedi, where we see Vader discovering the identity of the pilot who took out the Death Star, where Leia is dealing with the political stuff of the galaxy, etc.  They’re probably still some of the best comics that SW has put out, imo! - Darth Vader: Dark Lord of the Sith 2017 (by Charles Soule) - This is the second Darth Vader comic series (so pay attention to who the author is--the current ongoing one is by Greg Pak, which is solidly good, but hasn’t yet hit the same heights as either of these, for me) and it’s set in the aftermath of Revenge of the Sith and this is easily my favorite SW comic.  Soule really digs into the connection between Anakin and Vader, how they are very much the same person, how the first volume of Darth Vader comics is about who Vader is during the OT, the Soule one is about flaying him open to understand just how he cannot face what he’s doing or the other choices he could have made. It’s over the top drama (it’s SO DRAMATIC and I LOVE IT) in a way that really highlights just how awful Anakin has become, that he is crushing even more of himself and you can see him losing still yet more and more, eventually leading to something like the OT version we know from later. - Obi-Wan & Anakin by Charles Soule - This is only five issues, as well as I generally recommend reading it two or three times, because Soule is actually pretty solid about not always spoon-feeding you everything and how the narrative arcs and parallels are more subtle than you’d expect from Star Wars.  The art in this one is stunning, the worldbuilding has a ton of cool details, you get to see bb!Anakin considering leaving the Jedi Order and why he decides to stay, as well as some really fascinating connections to how the Jedi see the galaxy and how Anakin sees it. - Age of Republic by Jody Houser - There are eight issues of this maxi series, each one focusing on a different character, and they’re all really interesting and have some amazing character moments.  My favorites are the Obi-Wan and Anakin ones, there’s a lot you really get to see about their relationship and how supportive it actually is, but all of them have really great looks at the characters they’re focusing on. - Jedi of the Republic: Mace Windu by Matt Owens - Okay, fair warning, the art for this series is not going to be for everyone, there are some seriously wonky panels in it, but the story itself is a great look at Mace’s character.  Both for the bits of backstory about him and for about how the Jedi look at the galaxy, that Mace Windu is such a rich, wonderful character and deserved a look at him like this.  Bonus, Kit Fisto is hilarious in this comic! - Star Wars Adventures by multiple authors - Basically anything in the Adventures line is worth reading!  Most of them are fairly light stuff, not super deep, they’re meant to be cute stories, but I’ve enjoyed all of the ones I’ve read and the prequels ones usually have some moment that’s completely batshit in a way that’s totally true to Star Wars.  They’re kid-focused comics, but really, really adorable ones. - Clone Wars Battle Tales by Michael Moreci - Speaking of dramatic fun, this mini series is just an absolute scream, they’re totally ridiculous in the way that I would read a hundred issues of them.  Plus, you get some really great Jedi moments or Anakin hilarity moments and I’m always down for that, too. - Kanan: The Last Padawan by Greg Weisman - Speaking of gorgeous art!  Never will you see a woman as beautiful as Depa Billaba in this comic, my goodness.  But you also get the story of bb!Caleb going through Order 66 and the trauma of running in the galaxy as a former Padawan who had their Master gunned down in front of them and, boy, did this comic know how to make it hurt.  There’s some cool worldbuilding in there, some amazing looks at the Jedi pre-Order 66, and just a whole lot of feelings. - Shattered Empire by Greg Rucka - This is a four-issue mini-series with a) gorgeous art and b) a whole lot of connective tissue/aftermath for the galaxy post-Return of the Jedi.  Rucka’s writing is solid here and you get a good variety of different characters and the paths they’re starting down and what they’re planning to do next, and it’s just a very solid read. - Poe Dameron by Charles Soule - I really didn’t expect to love this comic as much as I did, but Soule really knocked it out of the park and created a funny, moving, interesting journey for the character.  Even if Poe’s not your usual fave, the work this comic put into being interesting and connecting various things and telling a fun, actiony story really was good. - Age of Rebellion and Age of Resistance are both solid mini-series that I would definitely recommend!  My heart beats for the prequels, so I’m more focused on those, but if you’re interested, these are great looks at individual characters, too. HONORABLE MENTIONS: - The Princess Leia comic by Mark Waid is one I haven’t reread in awhile but I remember greatly enjoying it.  I’ve enjoyed Soule’s current 2020 Star Wars ongoing comic, though, because of the pandemic, it hasn’t had a chance to get a ton of issues out yet. I enjoyed the Darth Maul mini series by Cullen Bunn and, if you wind up liking Aphra from the first Vader comic, she gets her own spin off comic that’s really solid, too!

[meteor752]

I think Star Wars characters playing sports are my fav thing to write tbh, just because it makes me laugh personally.

So anyways Basketball!

We were eight (Or nine, but fucking Tilde refused to play that bitch), so it’s the Jedi gang again, which includes Kit, Plo, Shaak, Luminara, Aayla, Obi-Wan, Anakin and also Depa, who’s new.

The teams are Kit, Anakin, Shaak and Depa vs Luminara, Aayla, Obi-Wan and Plo.

And as usual these are all based on my actual class

So it started off as usual, choosing teams, getting small little bands in two different colors to signify who was on which team, all the betting and threats and taunting, you know, the usual.

Ahsoka, Nahdar, Barriss, and Caleb are all chilling on the side cheering, while also making their own bets on who will win.

It becomes chaotic very quickly.

Depa discoveres that she can’t manage to make a point, even when she’s just a feet or two from the basket, and Shaak is still very confused and would rather not touch the ball so that team already lost two players.

Anakin comes up with the strategy to climb the wall bars next to the basket and to have someone toss him the ball so he can place it in it. That goes about as well as you’d expect.

Someone on the other team: *Gets the ball*

Kit: *Screeches like hell to distract them*

Anakin starts grabbing onto Obi-Wan’s waist whenever he gets the ball in an attempt to stop him, which usually results in them both falling to the ground, laughing, and Ahsoka groaning on the side.

Plo and Aayla work well together, despite the fact that their strategy is that when one of them gets the ball, the other one just screams to get their attention so they can pass to them for a chance for a point.

Kit: Wait guys I wanna try something!

Everyone: *Freezes and then waits as Kit tries to score across half the field (and failing)*

Which becomes a joke, that when someone says that they wanna try something then everyone stops so they can try something.

They all end up hitting their feet at least once while dribbling so the ball bounces away, and they are all very annoyed when it happens.

Aayla: *Tries to dribble past Kit so she can score a point*

The ball: *Hits against her foot in an angle so it bounces back right in her face*

Everyone: *Needs to take a five minute break so they can stop laughing*

It does not take long for Aayla to start doing what Kit is doing, which is to just scream whenever someone on the other team gets the ball.

Because of Anakin constantly grabbing Obi-Wan which almost always results in them falling, everyone just stumbles over them all the time which leads to more people on the ground laughing.

Plo: Anakin I think you’re playing a bit foul

Shaak: Please, who isn’t doing that?

Kit: Umm, I actually play really nice thank you very much

Also Kit when Depa misses the basket again: *Screams every swear word in all the languages he knows*

Luminara is way too short for the sport, and she’s not having a good time.

Anakin has an issue when it comes to passing the ball, because instead of doing that he throws it as hard as he can which means everyone has to duck to they won’t have a limb cut off if it would hit them.

Anakin: Guys I gotta go grab some water

Anakin, two minutes later: *Comes back eating a chocolate bar*

In the end team Luminara, Obi-Wan, Aayla, and Plo win because they did “The last point wins”, but in general no one had any idea on who had the most points because they just stopped counting.

Also I don’t bother with tagging the previous Star Wars sport thingies, just go on my blog and search around if you want to read the clones playing Volleyball or the Jedi gang playing Floorball

[silvermoongirl10swfics]

Vopak AU series OC Padawans and their lineages part 1/3 - Yoda’s lineage

A picture of Yoda’s lineage as of 7972 CRC (5 BBY). Along with some background information about the new OC Padawans joining OC Padawan Aliyash Shudar in Yoda’s lineage. These new OC Padawans will be appearing in a fic in the series once I have finished writing it.  Characters without (OC) under their name are canon characters, the characters with (OC) are my original Padawan characters.

Mace’s line:

Raarkoo – born in 7953 CRC. Made a Padawan in 7965 CRC aged 12, becomes Depa’s second Padawan. Female Wookiee with brown hair and green eyes. She has a blue lightsaber. Raarkoo loves joining in with the cuddle piles hosted by the men of the 126th Attack Battalion and her older brother-Padawan Caleb. She is adopted by the 126th as their vod’ika, and she loves hugging them to cheer them up when she senses they are sad at how fast she and Caleb are growing up. The men of the 91st and 126th went to Mace and Depa for lessons so they could speak to and understand Raarkoo as they didn’t want to rely on translators, Raarkoo loves them so much for doing this.

Eldann Thul – born 7956. Made a Padawan in 7967 CRC aged 11, he is Caleb’s first Padawan. Male Zabrak with orange skin and blue eyes. He has a green lightsaber. At the start of his Padawanship he was very exicted to meet the men of the 126th Attack Battalion, everyone is excited to meet him and happily tells him stories of his Master as a young Padawan. But while the 126th are excited, Grey is distant, so Eldann thinks Grey doesn’t like him, but he then finds out that Grey has been distant with him because he is busy as he researches what Zabraks can and can’t eat because Grey wants to look after his vod’ika’s first Padawan. Eldann loves spending time with the 91st and 126th, both units fight over who is Eldann’s favourite. He loves them both equally. Eldann and Raarkoo love spending time together as they are similar ages, this friendship gives Ponds and Grey something to stress about because the two Padawans are like Caleb and get themselves caught up in chaotic situations. If Caleb can’t find him, it’s because Styles and Stance have taken him for ‘training’, which is a codeword for Padawan bonding time combined with cuddle pile time. Caleb feels wistful about this because not so long ago he was the one being taken off for ‘training’ with the 126th. Eldann’s Padawanship actually makes Ponds feel a little old, because not so long-ago Caleb was Mace’s only Grandpadawan, now Mace has a great-Grandpadawan.

Obi-Wan’s line:

Nyra Marr – born 7956. Made a Padawan in 7967 CRC aged 11, she is Obi-Wan’s third Padawan. Female Rodian with green skin and starry eyes. Nyra was Initiate Clanmates with Feevo Tana (Plo Koon’s third Padawan), both of them were taken as Padawans on the same day. The first time Nyra met her older sister-Padawan Aliyash, her sister joked that Master Obi-Wan got empty nest syndrome within a day of her being Knighted and took Nyra as his Padawan in what must be the fasted turnaround between Padawans in the Order’s history. Nyra has a green lightsaber. She enjoys story time with the 212th when they tell her many stories of her Master and the men of the Battalion. Alpha-17 is very soft and caring with her as he has not spent much time with Rodians before and doesn’t want to accidentally hurt her, which shocks everyone in the 212th and jokingly complain that Nyra is Alpha’s favourite. She totally is. Due to Aliyash’s friendship with Diamond squad they spent a lot of time in Cody and Obi-Wan’s living quarters, so Cody asked her if she was moving in with a cadet squad of her own, she was very confused, because no? It was just her moving into the Padawan bedroom. Aliyash laughed and then explained to her why Cody was asking that. Anakin loves having another little sister and spoils Nyra like he did a younger Aliyash. Anakin hosts film nights and sleepovers in his quarters and his sister-Padawans always have standing invites, which later includes Aliyash’s Padawan. Obi-Wan personally taught her how to fly, because he was not having Nyra corrupted by chaotic pilot influences like Aliyash. Cody cackled as he told Nyra the story of when Obi-Wan discovered Aliyash’s pilot skills and learned who taught her. Cody introduced himself as her technical advisor, which she thought was funny and kind. She loves training with her Master and Cody. She also loves watching them banter with each other.

Myri Veng – born 7959. Made a Padawan in 7971 CRC aged 12, she is Aliyash’s first Padawan. Female blue twi’lek with green eyes. She has a blue lightsaber, she secretly wanted a purple lightsaber blade like Aliyash, but still thinks it’s great that her lightsaber matches Obi-Wan’s. Myri can be quite hyper, which causes the men of the 212th to have to chase her to get her to work off her excess energy. While on missions Myri does not take kindly to people who mock her Master for talking slowly, Myri will often do something passive-aggressive to teach those people a lesson. In this is she is always supported by Meli, her Master’s best friend and mission partner. Myri loves going on missions and spending time with Meli, he spoils her much to Aliyash’s pretend annoyance, but Aliyash is actually glad her best friend and Padawan get along. The men of the 212th teased Aliyash and Myri that Myri’s addition to the lineage made Cody a grandfather. Myri thought this was hilarious, but she will never call Cody that to his face. She has learnt how to pilot a ship from her Master, much to Obi-Wan’s utter grief and disappointment. Once Myri flew around Vopak with Cody supervising her, Cody soon regretted his part in getting Anakin and Garen to teach Aliyash to fly a ship, because even after Myri stopped flying, Cody felt sick for an entire day. Obi-Wan called it revenge, even if revenge is not the way of the Jedi.

[bedlamsbard]

About 950 words written today, concept writing -- I’m just tired and stressed and doing comfort writing, which is just weird AU stuff that probably won’t get posted in full.  (Literally immediately AUed my own last AU.) Very tired, very stressed, as I’m waiting on university e-mails and didn’t sleep well last night. Baked bread today, that was nice, it’s always good to remind myself I know how to do it.

Snippet from hidden temple AU concept 1.

Master Unduli bit her lip, hesitating over the words.  When she finally went on, Hera suspected that it was less because she actually wanted to talk about it and more because there was no way not to say.  “The traitor Jedi – they’re starting to be called Inquisitors now – took prisoners, mostly younglings, some initiates.”  A muscle in her jaw worked silently before she went on. “Caleb is the only padawan we know of who was taken; one of the traitors had an – an obsession with him.  His master was killed.  We were able to rescue some of the younglings and Caleb a few weeks ago.  The physical injuries are one thing,” she went on. “Except for the broken bones, they’re mostly healed now.  But he’s hurt inside, very badly, and nothing any of us can do can get through to him. Master Billaba said that you two had a connection during their last mission to Ryloth.”

Hera hesitated, uncertain if Master Unduli’s delicate phrasing meant she knew that they had had an affair. “I’m not a Jedi.”

“He doesn’t need another Jedi,” Master Unduli said, sounding very sad and very tired. “He needs a reason to live.”

Hera looked up at her, horrified.

The Mirialan gave her a weary smile and then started walking again.  Hera followed her, feeling a little sick. “I love him,” she said to Master Unduli’s back, glad that she wasn’t looking at the woman’s face; she knew it wasn’t the sort of thing that the Jedi approved of, though Depa Billaba had never protested it. “Maybe he loves me.  We didn’t talk about it when he was on Ryloth.  I didn’t ask him to leave the Order; I wouldn’t have.  I know how much it meant to him.”

Master Unduli looked back at her. “That doesn’t matter anymore,” she said wearily. “There are enough of us dead that if something will keep one of us alive, then we’ll take that chance.”

[gffa]

I had planned to do a different set for this week for STAR WARS recs and I wanted to give myself a chance to build up a few more fic recs before posting again. But then this week had some amazing fic and I couldn’t pass them by because they were so incredibly good and I had to flail immediately. ✦ Split the Night by Zinga763, obi-wan & anakin & ahsoka & maul & some anakin/padme, 7.8k wip   Darth Maul knows exactly how to break Kenobi. In which Maul targets someone other than Satine, and it changes Obi-Wan and Anakin’s lives, along with the galaxy’s. ✦ untitled Supreme Chancellor!Obi-Wan fic by stonefreeak, obi-wan & anakin & ahsoka & yoda & palpatine & cast, 4.2k   So here we go, updates about the Inhibitor Chips, more about what Palpatine does and does not know, Obi-Wan being Tired™ and needing a damn nap, and Anakin and Ahsoka having a good time and discussing the Order as it is and once were. Enjoy! ✦ Broken by lilyconrad, obi-wan/anakin & ahsoka, NSFW, sith!obi-wan, dark themes, pay attention to the warnings!, 38.6k   The Twins are unstoppable enforcers of the Emperor’s will, the sun and moon that hang in the black void of his rule. It is said they are not the same age and that under their hoods they do not look alike, but they fight as one entity, silent and terrible as an eclipse in a spring sky. ✦ Stoking the Hearth by ilyena_sylph, Merfilly, obi-wan/anakin/padme, NSFW, 8.4k   Finally, all three of them have time and the ability to get away and share one another. ✦ Tired Soldiers by LibraryMage, obi-wan & ahsoka, 1.4k   After leaving Malachor, Ahsoka goes to Tatooine to find Obi-Wan. ✦ Caleb the Fool by ambiguously, kanan & ahsoka & luke & leia & hera & depa & cast, 37.6k   Fourteen years have passed since Anakin Skywalker killed Chancellor Palpatine then fled into sanctuary with his wife. Now the Skywalker twins have come before the Jedi High Council to request training in their powers. This is only the beginning of Caleb’s problems. ✦ Abduction by Mishael, thrawn & eli, 26k   After the battle of Atollon, just as Thrawn is mourning the absence of a trusted companion, an unexpected opportunity presents itself. But that’s not the only unexpected thing he will have to face. ✦ Patience, Anakin by Icse, obi-wan/anakin, d/s, assassin’s creed fusion, ~1k   Anakin wants attention and for once he chooses to do it the right way. SW/AC crossover, but you don’t need to know the AC universe. ✦ untitled by glare-gryphon, obi-wan/anakin, modern au, sugar daddy au, 1.3k   Anonymous asked: No no no. By all means. Write a sugar daddy! Obi one shot. With sugar baby!ani I’m assuming? Oh dude. Definitely do it ✦ No Regrets by Icsek, obi-wan/anakin/padme, 1.4k   Prompt: Give me the au where Padme and Obi-Wan are planning on getting rid of Palpatine but Anakin beats them to it first and everything is okay and nothing hurts and Anakin gets to be happy. ✦ Failures of Rhetoric by Mithrigil, obi-wan/satine, nsfw, 3.2k wip   Diplomacy is an art that requires years of refinement. Satine doesn’t appreciate Ben’s many failures. Or, five times Obi-Wan Kenobi should’ve kept his trap shut. And once he should have said something, anything, anything at all. ✦ untitled by delicatefury, obi-wan & anakin & satine, ~1   She takes a moment to look at the blue projection of a waiting Jedi padawan before entering her private comm room. ✦ To Find I’m Not Alone + Wrestling the Angels and the Devils in my Head by MorganEilish, obi-wan/padme & luke & leia, 6k   Padme survived Anakin’s betrayal, faked her death, and fled to the distant corners of the galaxy with Obi Wan to raise her children. ✦ Pillow Fight by Liana-chan, obi-wan/anakin, ~1k   ObiWan is tired. And all he wants to do is go to bed. But something is wrong. Terribly wrong… full details + recs under the cut!

✦ Split the Night by Zinga763, obi-wan & anakin & ahsoka & maul & some anakin/padme, 7.8k wip   Darth Maul knows exactly how to break Kenobi. In which Maul targets someone other than Satine, and it changes Obi-Wan and Anakin’s lives, along with the galaxy’s.   Chapters 3-4: I continue to metaphorically shove this fic in my face every chance I get because, yessssss, this is what I am here for! The promise of Maul taking Anakin instead of Satine, the effect that will have on Obi-Wan and the relationship between them, that definitely keeps me eagerly reading this one, but also that I’m enjoying the angst that comes along with the ride before that–that Anakin is so angry and closed off, that he’s distant and won’t open up, that Obi-Wan is trying, just wants him to be happy, but doesn’t know how to reach him, that their relationship is so complicated and difficult, even when they care so much about each other. Chapter 4 has a really great conversation between them where you see that they’re both trying, that this isn’t something either of them want, that on some level they do want to fix it, but it’s hard for both of them, and it just makes me love them both so very much all over again. And then the end of that chapter is where shit has hit the fan and it’s genuinely creepy, ahhhh, I am so ready for more of this, SO READY. Especially because the characterization has been really lovely so far and I can feel how much they both care, how much everyone cares, and that gives me a warm feeling, even as I am ready to lose my mind over the suspense! XD ✦ untitled Supreme Chancellor!Obi-Wan fic by stonefreeak, obi-wan & anakin & ahsoka & yoda & palpatine & cast, 4.2k   So here we go, updates about the Inhibitor Chips, more about what Palpatine does and does not know, Obi-Wan being Tired™ and needing a damn nap, and Anakin and Ahsoka having a good time and discussing the Order as it is and once were. Enjoy!   This is part of a larger universe of Obi-Wan accidentally becoming Supreme Chancellor of the Republic, but you can read it on its own, you have context enough just from that, if you wish! And, oh, this fic was so gorgeous and heart-warming and well-written and beautifully characterized, it’s spot on to each one of these characters, and so incredibly engaging. This entire fic series has been wonderful, it’s one of the best things in fandom, to see circumstances not piling up against our heroes, to see them have better options and how they grab onto them with both hands, and this fic shows how this world is easing towards something better, how it feels better just in the air around them, in a way that is so spot on to canon. But it’s more than that, too, it’s just plain entertaining, it has great bits of worldbuilding from canon and then expanding on those in delightful and hilarious ways–I literally had to put my reader down to laugh for a minute about Anakin’s first mission, just picturing the imagery there has me grinning all over again.   It’s a great example of how much I love Anakin and Ahsoka sitting around with the clones, trying to explain the Jedi and their ways, and it’s this really joyful scene that made me fizzy with delight, but also HILARIOUS. Or getting a chance to see Obi-Wan working himself so hard, but also stepping back to get some sleep, which is building on pieces that have come before, that the Force feels not quite clear enough to guide them again yet, but a little better, enough that even when something immense is looming on every sense he has, he has the support to take a break, to find the peace of mind for it, and that’s so much better, because they have breathing room now. And, of course, Sidious’ pov is always a delight because he’s such a great menacing villain and his hatred for Obi-Wan Kenobi is always a joy because he just hates him sooooo muuuuuuch. Everything about this was wonderful and I encourage the reading of the whole thing, but also you can start here just to have a fun, hopeful fic that made me happy, even when I know shit’s about to go down soon. ✦ Broken by lilyconrad, obi-wan/anakin & ahsoka, NSFW, sith!obi-wan, dark themes, pay attention to the warnings!, 38.6k   The Twins are unstoppable enforcers of the Emperor’s will, the sun and moon that hang in the black void of his rule. It is said they are not the same age and that under their hoods they do not look alike, but they fight as one entity, silent and terrible as an eclipse in a spring sky.   Chapter 9: This is an update rec and will focus on this chapter, rather than the fic as a whole. So, this was the final chapter for this fic and it’s just as sad as I expected, it was exactly what was coming the entire time, and yet I thought I was prepared. But between letting go of this particularly story and the actual events of it, yeah, okay, I was definitely crying by the end. But I wouldn’t have had the story end any other way than what it did, after the previous chapters had the resurfacing memories the way they did, there was never any other way this could have gone, not really, and given that it was a satisfying ending, that it went out as it was the entire way–a story about how broken these characters wound up being, that they loved each other so much and that allowed them to survive, that there was so little beyond that bond that could reach them anymore. But Ahsoka was there and they remembered her and it was so satisfying for that. But also that, ultimately, this was a chapter about Obi-Wan and Anakin and this awful thing that had happened to them and the swirls of beauty that they’d made of it. It was about these characters resurfacing again, not just the good but all the bad that Sen and Koh had done as well, that they could find the strength to rise above it one more time.   The balance between saving Ahsoka and what they had to do for themselves, between their fury at the world around them and the clones trying to attack them and the good they struggled to find in themselves, the balance between fear and peace, all of it was just exactly what I hoped for from this final chapter. That it touched me as a fan of these characters, their relationship, and this author’s work. It was a satisfying ending in that it went exactly how it had to go, even if it was sad and brought tears to my eyes, it was beautiful and heartbreaking at the same time, that there was peace and hope even amongst all the tragedy of what had happened to the two of them. And, oh, if I hadn’t been there before it, the epilogue absolutely would have brought tears to me as well (and it did), because the galaxy keeps moving forward. And, for all that this was a horrible situation for them, the fic does such a gorgeous, gorgeous job of how they were together in this, that it saved them from something that would have been worse, in a different way, that it’s not entirely awful (the clothes gave me so much hope, that warm touch of comfort that I needed not to be an emotional wreck!). The ending was beautiful and bittersweet and hopeful and sad and absolutely everything it needed to be. Such a lovely experience of a fic! ✦ Stoking the Hearth by ilyena_sylph, Merfilly, obi-wan/anakin/padme, NSFW, 8.4k   Finally, all three of them have time and the ability to get away and share one another.   Holy hell, this fic was amazing for me, it absolutely ruined me for the night and was beautifully written and practically could have been targetted to my exact wants and desires. It’s definitely a happy fic, it’s pwp but with really beautiful characterization that is just dead on to what I’m looking for from this fandom and all of it was really, really ridiculously hot. But it’s also that it balanced the dynamics of these three characters, that it’s somewhere between Obikin&Anidala and Obianidala, that when Obi-Wan and Padme interaction, there’s a spark of real appreciation for each other there, but it’s also largely about Anakin, that they’re both so in love with him. When Padme and Obi-Wan work together, it’s about Anakin. When Padme is riding his face and turns back to watch Obi-Wan gently opening Anakin up with his fingers, then pushing into him, she loves the way he wants Anakin, the way he turns his full attention on her husband and lifts his hips to a better angle to fuck him properly, and she enjoys that, too. It’s just the right blend of how these characters interact, that Anakin is the center of them, even as they lightly touch and connect with each other. But, oh, the sex, when it starts with laying Anakin out on the bed, how he is pinned down by their weight and they take care of him, that it combines with Padme on his face while Obi-Wan is inside him, that it’s just this side of sub-space and he’s so happy and content there, that he loves them taking pleasure from him, he loves being so full he could burst, that he can feel how much they enjoy fucking him, that’s it, that’s what I want a thousand times, especially when it’s as ridiculously beautiful and hot as this one was. I read the whole thing practically tripping over myself to get to the next page, because I loved how affectionate and warm and loving this was in the way they touched Anakin and cared for him, the way he could settle because they were paying attention to him in the best way, because he was wholly and completely theirs. This is definitely getting a reread at some point in the future, just because it made my heart and id so happy. ✦ Tired Soldiers by LibraryMage, obi-wan & ahsoka, 1.4k   After leaving Malachor, Ahsoka goes to Tatooine to find Obi-Wan.   This was a short but very lovely look at two people who have been through so much, who are two of the few people left who really know what these losses mean, yet there’s something of hope and comfort here between them. Both in that they’ve found each other again and that there’s hope for the future, that their grief can be shared and lightened for the help. It’s simple but carries such weight, it’s so kind between them, as there’s so little of that left in their lives, and I loved it a lot. ✦ Caleb the Fool by ambiguously, kanan & ahsoka & luke & leia & hera & depa & cast, 37.6k   Fourteen years have passed since Anakin Skywalker killed Chancellor Palpatine then fled into sanctuary with his wife. Now the Skywalker twins have come before the Jedi High Council to request training in their powers. This is only the beginning of Caleb’s problems.   I have a brief caveat in that the ending of the fic is complicated, that it’s one that took me a bit of time to sit with to feel the resolution of it, but the longer I did so, the more I thought that it couldn’t have ended any other way, and so I would advise against going into this fic with expecations, even once you start reading. I realize that’s vague and potentially unhelpful, but without getting into spoilers, that’s the best I can do! And my caveat is not meant to turn readers away, but to put them in the right headspace, because I really, really enjoyed this fic a lot, it was a fascinating look at a universe that went differently for the Jedi and where that path led them. That the Republic survived, the Jedi retreated due to mistrust from the public, and suddenly the twins of the recently dead Anakin Skywalker show up on the Jedi’s doorstep to learn. This tumbles Knight Caleb Dume into a situation that he’d never expected, to be asked to train Leia Skywalker, and then where shit starts hitting the fan from there. It’s a very engaging story about a plot that’s simmering in the background until it explodes on the reader (more than once), that it’s all about Caleb feeling out of his depth, but being exactly the right person for this story anyway. I love the use of the characters and the different paths their lives took here, that there’s a reason for everything that’s happening that you won’t understand until later, and I thought the build-up to that plot and those reveals was very nicely done.   I would have read this fic just for the plot, just for Caleb teaching Leia while Ahsoka teaches Luke, because those elements were a lot of fun! But it’s the characters that are the other half of the heart and soul of this fic, that Leia is so Leia in her interaction with Caleb, that this is absolutely a Kanan I can recognize, even as he’s on a vastly different path in life, that he’s still somehow the guy I remember from Rebels. There’s really great Kanan/Hera interaction, that they manage to gravitate towards each other without overtaking the story, it’s exactly the right balance and true to the spirit of their relationship, too. The fic achieved exactly what it set out to do and, boy, was I reading in a hurry for the entire last quarter of this fic because I couldn’t stop turning the page! It’s a great fic for if you’d like a divergent timeline or AU scenario, but also it’s a great fic if you like these characters, especially if you wanted to see Caleb as a full Jedi. Or if you just want a cool little plotful story to read! ✦ Abduction by Mishael, thrawn & eli, 26k   After the battle of Atollon, just as Thrawn is mourning the absence of a trusted companion, an unexpected opportunity presents itself. But that’s not the only unexpected thing he will have to face.   This is a WIP, but it only has one or so chapter left to go, and most of the resolution has already happened, so I’m choosing not to mark it as a WIP here and I would recommend it to those who are gunshy about them usually! And, oh, I really enjoyed this one a lot! It’s a solid plot story, about a mystery that Eli and Thrawn find themselves wrapped up in, complete with a mysterious alien threat and lots of excellent character whump! And the fic really strides the line between friendship and maybe something more with the characters, that you could read it either way if you wanted, and that it goes hand in hand with the plot being told here. It’s one of those that’s just an incredibly solid read, it devotes the right amount of attention to the worldbuilding it’s doing and the right amount of attention to the characters’ reactions to each other, and does a really good job with both aspects! I had no trouble seeing the characters from the book or the setting of Star Wars and it was just really nice to read an adventure fic combined with whump fic! Definitely a good read if you’re interested in Thrawn fic, all the more so given how rare it can be to find fic that captures him well. ✦ Patience, Anakin by Icse, obi-wan/anakin, d/s, assassin’s creed fusion, ~1k   Anakin wants attention and for once he chooses to do it the right way. SW/AC crossover, but you don’t need to know the AC universe.   This is a short fic and one of those that hit me right in the iddy wants, where Anakin wants attention and is fidgety about it and restless and his head is full of whirling thoughts, so he kneels and waits for Obi-Wan’s attention, lets everything else slide out of him and a quiet steal over him, that it’s peaceful like that. And I enjoyed it for that, I would read so many fics just exactly like this one for that moment where Anakin Skywalker finds quiet. ✦ untitled by glare-gryphon, obi-wan/anakin, modern au, sugar daddy au, 1.3k   Anonymous asked: No no no. By all means. Write a sugar daddy! Obi one shot. With sugar baby!ani I’m assuming? Oh dude. Definitely do it   I did not know how much I apparently needed this AU until I had it, because it’s so much fun and it’s surprisingly almost sweet and soft, because it hits on that element of how Anakin has always wanted someone to follow, to guide him, to take care of him. And it’s really kind of hot, that there doesn’t even have to be anything explicit, it’s suggestive at most and it’s more about the initial attraction, how brilliant and shining Anakin is, how attractive he is, not just physically, but that I felt that sort of pull to him, that pull between both of them, as Ben has this incredible solidity and presence and desire to grab hold of this shining star and take care of him. It’s one of those that hits on a lot of feelings I have about Obi-Wan’s care for Anakin and then dresses it up in a hot AU that hits my id just right. ✦ No Regrets by Icsek, obi-wan/anakin/padme, 1.4k   Prompt: Give me the au where Padme and Obi-Wan are planning on getting rid of Palpatine but Anakin beats them to it first and everything is okay and nothing hurts and Anakin gets to be happy.   [Or you can read on tumblr!] Oh, this was just such a happy place for me when I read this, that it’s not a sugary happy everything is perfect AU, but instead a softer, kinder universe where things go right for these characters, where Anakin Skywalker is still the mess he’s always going to be, he’s terrified and reactionary and emotionally unstable, but Obi-Wan and Padme love him and he’s better at accepting that love, and everything is just really kind on my fannish heart. It was warm and good and just the right amount of sweet for me, it hit my “FIX EVERYTHING AND LET ANAKIN SKYWALKER REALIZE HE’S LOVED (even though he’s kind of a dip sometimes, but in the most adorable way)” button straight on. I enjoyed it really so much for that! ✦ Failures of Rhetoric by Mithrigil, obi-wan/satine, nsfw, 3.2k wip   Diplomacy is an art that requires years of refinement. Satine doesn’t appreciate Ben’s many failures. Or, five times Obi-Wan Kenobi should’ve kept his trap shut. And once he should have said something, anything, anything at all.   Chapter 3: This is an update rec and will focus on this chapter, rather than the fic as a whole–though, as each chapter is a stand-alone in a series, you can read this the usual amount of lack of spoilers. Oh, I really am enjoying this fic, I love how many sharp edges there are between these two, that it feels so spot on to who they are, that there’s such attraction and pull between them, how much they care about each other and yet how they clash against each other, too. It’s an extension of their relationship in the show, that I see what draws them to each other, yet also what pushes them apart from each other. And, oh, the way they crashed together, the way there’s such understated but there passion, the way Obi-Wan kisses her like a storm, the way he fucks her up against the wall, the way she is so sharp and complicated, they’re both such intense people, and it’s beautifully written. This is the Obi-Wan/Satine fic of my heart, this is what I’ve been waiting for. ✦ untitled by delicatefury, obi-wan & anakin & satine, ~1   She takes a moment to look at the blue projection of a waiting Jedi padawan before entering her private comm room.   This is a follow-up to the Hello Again verse (here and here), which should probably be read first, but either way, this was a short but lovely look at Satine’s pov when Obi-Wan calls her with some important news. It’s about the fun dynamic between them, how they have these sharp edges along this such deep affection and care, how they banter and how they have these soft moments, all of which fit them very nicely here! But it’s also about something so incredibly important that Obi-Wan wants to share with her and, oh, my fannish heart. ✦ To Find I’m Not Alone + Wrestling the Angels and the Devils in my Head by MorganEilish, obi-wan/padme & luke & leia, 6k   Padme survived Anakin’s betrayal, faked her death, and fled to the distant corners of the galaxy with Obi Wan to raise her children.   Rec #1: I read these two fics together last night and they’re a little more Obi-Wan/Padme-centric than I usually go for, but there’s enough of Anakin’s ghost between them that I can see this, and it’s just nice to read something where they have a long, slow heal together. It’s one of those fics for when you want Obi-Wan and Padme running off together, away from the fight against the Empire, because there’s nothing left in them, only enough to raise and love the two new little lives they’re protecting. The story is told in monologue form much of the time, but it does well with cramming a bunch of really engaging, interesting details into the story, the little moments of them learning to live again instead of just survive, that the twins are growing up and the life they’re all settling into, the little things they discuss about what to do or not do next. There’s an ache throughout the whole thing in exactly the way it should be and it’s a lovely set of fics for this pairing post-ROTS and how much they’ve both lost and are slowly gaining back.   Rec #2: I’ve only read the first two fics of this series, so this rec will be based on them, but I believe it’ll hold true for the greater series. This is definitely a series where you’re reading for the ship, because Obi-Wan and Padme run off together, they flee from the Empire and fighting back against it, as well as they’re entirely wrapped up in each others’ characterization, but I’m not saying that as a nitpick, instead that that’s the headspace that works best for this story, one where you go in wanting them to find something good together again. The fic is solidly written and the highlight is in how many little details are packed into the story, even as it’s told in a sort of montage/bird’s-eye-view style, moments across the years they spend in isolation together, just them and the children. The fic has a strong sense of them building something together here, the little touches of what they do on this remote planet and the little scenes between them and how they inch ever closer to each other. The fic also does well with how this isn’t a happy universe, even if they’re finding something of that together, but instead it’s very underlying sadness permeates everything kind of fic, that slowly dissipates–but it’s very slow, just as it would be. It does well with how these are both traumatized people and that that’s something they’ll never entirely, fully, wholly come back from. ✦ Pillow Fight by Liana-chan, obi-wan/anakin, ~1k   ObiWan is tired. And all he wants to do is go to bed. But something is wrong. Terribly wrong…   This is short and super fluffy, it’s basically Anakin stealing Obi-Wan’s pillow, who goes to get it back, and of course they end up tangled in a heap and Anakin curling up against Obi-Wan to use him as pillow instead. It’s one of those that I read while having so many other angstier fics also on my plate and made me feel that much more soothed, because it’s entirely soft and happy and adorable and fluffy, just as I wanted.

[bedlamsbard]

I know you have had a lot of little ideas for random Rebel's AU's that haven't made it past concept writing -- is there a reason that Backbone made too full story vs any of the other concepts? I know time can be a huge limiting factor for which ideas get more fleshed out so I was just curious. How do you pick which stories to write full out when you have so many awesome ones?

This is actually a weirdly complicated story because it depends on a lot of factors, of which the various concepts are the least of them.

Back in late spring/summer 2015, it was either going to be Backbone or Trade All Your Tomorrows, the Kanan and Hera time travel story, which actually preceded Backbone’s earliest concepts.  (You can still read the Tomorrows concept writing, if you like.)  Checking the dates, it looks like I started doing concept work for Tomorrows right after the Rebels S1 finale aired.  (And my earliest Rebels fic was a follow-up to Call to Action.)  There were a couple of stories I started but didn’t go anywhere -- a Kanan and Hera story set after AND, and then the werewolf AU, which was just for fun and which I never intended to potentially fill out into a full story.  There was another story about Kanan having to go undercover as an Imperial officer that never even made it to the concept stages.  (You can find any of the posted concepts in my cut scenes and concept writing tag.)

Now, what was going on at the time is that Queen’s Gambit was actually still in progress, because I didn’t wrap up Gambit until June 2015.  As I recall, I wrote about 30K of Tomorrows in March 2015, then dragged myself out of Rebels hell because I needed to finish Gambit.  This was in about late April.  The earliest Backbone stuff I started doing was in late May, and then Gambit wrapped up at the beginning of June.

I had always intended to take a break between Gambit and Watchtower, and there is actually a completely different story I meant to write then, because as originally planned, Gambit was going to wrap up around the end of summer 2014.  Now, obviously this did not happen, because I moved cross-country and started graduate school.  The story that I had planned to write was a TCW AU where the chip triggered early in a lot of clones and Anakin ended up framed for that and had to go on the run with Rex.  Well, Rebels started airing in fall 2014, and over the course of the following eight or nine months I got really into Rebels, and in the run-up from Call to Action to FatG I decided that I really wanted to write an Inquisitor!Kanan story, somehow, someway.  But I just didn’t really have a route to that that I was really interested in at the time.

In late May 2015, as I was half-crazed from (a) finishing Gambit and (b) taking a summer course in French, I had my “wait, what if it is ISB Agent Hera and Inquisitor Kanan?” breakthrough.  So I was turning that over and turning that over and talking that out at various people, but at that point I still intended Tomorrows to be my next big story.

In the meantime, several different things happened.

Lords of the Sith came out -- well, it actually came out in late April, I just did not read it until the end of May.  “Siege of Lothal” aired at Star Wars Celebration Anaheim, and I got a friend who had attended to tell me how much it contradicted the Tomorrows and agents of the Empire concepts.  And, most crucially for Tomorrows, Kanan - The Last Padawan began in April 2015.

Now, if you’ve read the Tomorrows concepts, you know that Depa Billaba’s clone troopers play a major role.  However, because I did up all the Tomorrows concepts before TLP came out, those clones are all OCs.  TLP also very plainly lays out how inexperienced Caleb was at the time of Order 66, so all my background for Caleb and my clone OCs all got very quickly jossed by canon in one fell swoop.  I did keep working on Tomorrows for a while after that, but I really dislike writing at a moving target, which TLP was at the time, and then Tomorrows got set aside so that I could finish Gambit.  I’d also done some plotting and some concepts for something that was called the post time travel story, which dealt with Caleb and Hera and the repercussions of their time travel years after Tomorrows had wrapped up.  (It looks like the latest dates on that are mid-April 2015, so about the same time as Tomorrows.)

When I finished Gambit I was still weighing Tomorrows and the story that didn’t yet have a title, but which I was calling the agents of the Empire AU.  Now, Gambit isn’t a time travel story, but its prequel, Wake the Storm, is, and I was really unwilling to write two time travel stories so close together.  (Wake wrapped in February 2014, but Gambit is essentially a straight continuation of Wake.)  And the other thing is that with Tomorrows while I had the concept, I actually did not have an action plot.  I like action plots.  I like them a lot.  It’s really hard for me to write a story without one, and Tomorrows was essentially a whole mess of emotions but no plot.

However, I did have an action plot for the agents of the Empire story.  (And this plot has actually consistently remained the same for the past two years, though it got filled out a lot.)  And I also had people who were willing to talk about it, which is a really good way to get enthused about a story.  For a while after Gambit wrapped I was alternating working on Tomorrows and agents of the Empire concept writing, but Tomorrows eventually trailed off as I got more into the agents of the Empire story, and eventually it got shelved entirely and I dug into what later became On the Edge of the Devil’s Backbone.

Now: a lot of things that were originally written for Tomorrows ended up in Backbone, like Alecto Syndulla, her sister Clotho, and I believe that Cham’s sisters Seku and Aleema were originally conceived of for Tomorrows as well.  Tomorrows was written with a much darker backstory for canon!Hera that involved her entire family being murdered, and for those that were in the Rebels fandom back in S1 and before the bulk of S2 aired, you may remember that there was a lot of discussion about what Hera’s backstory actually was -- if her father was dead, if she had been enslaved and that’s where her markings came from, what had happened to Ryloth after LotS, and so on.  If you look at the Tomorrows concepts, you can see some of this there in the Hera scenes.  When I was doing the backstory for Backbone, I didn’t want to go with any of that because I am a pretty contrary person and it had just tipped over from “plausible” to “I am very contrary and am going to do the exact opposite.”  Which is why Backbone!Hera’s mother is still alive while Tomorrows!Hera’s mother is dead, along with most of the rest of the family.

Now!  “Homecoming” didn’t air until February 2016, and if I remember correctly, the S2 trailer that aired in summer 2015 didn’t feature Cham Syndulla, though I think the special features from the S1 DVD/Blu-Ray release mentioned that we would see Cham Syndulla in S2, but that wasn’t until September 2015, at which point Backbone was already in progress.  The omnibus Rise of the Empire, which includes Tarkin and A New Dawn, also includes a short story about a fifteen-year-old Hera, but that didn’t release until October 2015.  Backbone started posting in July 2015, and at that point between LotS and AND there was NOTHING that dealt with Ryloth, so I had a relatively free hand to work.  I wanted to do some things that I knew canon would never do -- I mean, beyond the fact it was an Imperial AU -- which is why the Free Ryloth fleet exists and why Hera’s extended family is featured so prominently.

So that’s the backstory for Backbone.

Now, over the past year and change I’ve done a lot of smaller concepts, and none of those were ever intended to make it to a full story stage, because if you look at them closely, you’ll notice that they’re all actually Backbone AUs in one variation or another.  I don’t multitask well, which is why I haven’t done any concept writing for Watchtower yet and why I haven’t done any concepts for non-Backbone-based Rebels stories.  Like, do I have some that I have ideas for?  Sure; there’s a “post-AND Kanan and Hera meet Baze and Chirrut on Jedha and have an adventure” story that would be cool, and there’s a “pre-Wrong Jedi arc Caleb drags Ahsoka and Rex into an adventure on Coruscant” story that would be adorable.  But if I do that, knowing my brain, there’s a really good chance that I won’t go back to Backbone, and come hell or high water I am going to finish this story.

(There is one piece of concept writing for the sequel to Backbone that will not be written, but I try not to do sequel concepts because things change in progress.)