#you know Mace Windu master of Vaapad?

[happycattail]

Wheezing (if I don’t I may strangle someone instead). Got into a debate with an anti Jedi person about the Jedi code. Managed to get it across to them the code doesn’t fucking promote Jedi to become emotionless.

They then decided to take a different angle where they claim the code is wrong because it could be misinterpreted and that many council members misinterpreted to mean you have to be emotionless. I proceed to ask them to name me a council member.

Guess who they named guys? Guess which council member they named as someone who thinks the code means you can’t show emotions and abide by that interpretation?

FUCKING MACE WINDU.

[thought-42]

Somebody has to leave first

Star Wars, 1400 words,Ezra Bridger Something something growing up something something ded parent something something Ezra Bridger in the Chiss Ascendancy. I've never heard of canon in my life.

Ezra Bridger talks to dead people.

They do not, it should be noted, talk back.

He knows all things are possible within the Force, so he's always gotta keep in mind that his monologues run the very real risk of becoming dialogues, probably at the most embarrassing or inconvenient times, but honestly if a ghost has nothing better to do than listen in on his diary entries to the beyond that says more about them than it does about him.

He doesn't talk to Kanan. It seems like the obvious assumption, follow in the shuffling footsteps of Obi-Wan Kenobi and claw out frantically for a point of stability to serve as compass in a world gone upside down. And there was a time where a smile or a few words of pride from Kanan was all Ezra needed to reinforce his foundations and stand tall and ready. But the truth of it is, he doesn't know if Kanan would be proud of him, which would be less of a problem if Ezra himself had any uncertainty about his life choices.

Besides, even ten years on every time he thinks about that last glimpse of Kanan, wreathed in flames, he wants to dig his fingers into his skin and deeper and pull and pull until the memory and the sick feeling in his stomach are gone. He cannot think about it. It is an impossibility, it is not something his mind is capable of bearing, the idea of another living person who he loves burning and burning and burning is not something that can live inside of him sustainably. He thinks of Kanan and he feels sick and sad and selfish for not being able to focus on all the good memories.

No, Ezra doesn't talk to Kanan. Ezra talks to people he has only ever known in death.

He talks to  Master Mace Windu and tells him he wishes he knew how to see shatterpoints. Ezra is good at building connections, building bridges, yeah yeah yeah, but every web has one thread at risk, one point where a quick pull will unravel the whole thing. Ezra's had his entire life shattered twice before with no warning, he would really love to know how to prevent the inevitable third round. . Shouldn't this skill just come free with the lineage?

He talks to Thrass-- "can I call you Thrass?" Everybody says Thrawn needed a brother, and yeah, ok, his older brother died and Thrawn went off the rails there for a hot eighteen years, but Ezra's here now, reporting for little brother duty twenty years late with caccoleaf; but better late than never, right? It feels right, picking up Thrass's flag in the relay of Sky Walker investigation and running hard and fast with it as far as he can go. Feels kinda like when Zeb would start a repair project on the Ghost and then leave the second half for Ezra to finish off with no need for explanation or request, just the trust that Ezra knows what to do. ...Thrawn kinda feels like one of those handed off projects, too, but Ezra doesn't even say that part to the dead, just in case they really are listening and decide to tell on him. Ezra never had an older sibling by blood, but they seem to adopt him everywhere he goes. He figures it's his turn to adopt one back, even if it is posthumous.

He talks to Master Depa, because, as his grandmaster, she's legally required to think he's doing a great job. He talks to her about being a teacher on a warship, asks how she delt with knowing every time she ruffled Caleb's hair over breakfast it could be the last.

He tells her every time he wonders if he permanently stained his soul with the dark he remembers that she came back as strong a Jedi as anybody could ask, and it really does make him trust in himself.

He thanks her for raising Caleb, although would it have killed her to teach him just a biiiit of Vaapad?

He tells her he understands, fundamentally, like a burning cole lodged in his ribcage, her desperate need to protect her student, to die so that he could live.

He tells her she would be proud of the man Caleb became, but that it probably wasn't what she expected. Caleb didn't grow up into Caleb. Caleb grew up into Kanan, and secretly Ezra always wonders if Kanan would have been someone who would have fit back in with the Jedi of his childhood.

Ezra's cabinet of entirely metaphorical ghosts all roll their eyes at this transparent attempt at obfuscation, because all the ghosts Ezra has made up to talk to are assholes.

Ok, fine. So maybe Ezra's pretty sure that the found family who gave Ezra Bridger, Jedi Padawan a home might not know what to do with Stybla'ezra'bridger, Jedi Navigator.

It had taken Ezra and sacher actual months, long nights  of sitting at Ezra's kitchen table with big sheets of paper and cheap wine, tossing potential names for their brand new program back and forth. They settled on Jedi Navigator mostly because Thrawn told them they had three days before the official paperwork had to be filed, and they hadn't come up with anything better that they could both agree on. Ezra hit submit on his part of the project proposal and that night he'd laid awake imagining a scenario where he got to tell Hera and Kanan-- "See? Jedi Navigator. Something from each of you."

He's heard the war is over. The Rebellion won and turned right back around to build another Republic. He's heard there's another Jedi --not Kanan, miraculously returned like Ezra dreams at least once a month-- and he's going to start a new order. And he's tried to imagine himself somewhere in all of that and it doesn't fit. He fit on a bunk bed in the Ghost with his family around him, doing their part to beat back the constant press of fascism. But there's no more Empire, no more family all squished together in one little ship. Even if he wanted to climb back into that bunk he knows his head would bump the top now.

The space between eighteen and twenty-eight feels like a lifetime. At eighteen Ezra had just gotten all his clay together and ready to be moulded into a person, and then he'd flung himself half way across the galaxy and wound up being moulded and fired in a different kilmn entirely. There's an Ezra somewhere out there who grew and changed right alongside that cramped little family, who moved forward in their orbit, chose his path and his place on the same game board. He probably knows how to fit in. He's probably working at the Jedi school or part of the reconstruction efforts on Lothal or a commander on a Republic ship stamping out the last remnants of the Empire.

Ezra's not jealous of this other version of himself, this what-if world he built in his own imagination specifically to hurt himself. He expected to be struck by the longing for home, by the bitterness of lost possibility. He isn't.

He can't tell Thrawn this because Thrawn spent eighteen years becoming something monstrous, shredding himself and everyone around him in an increasingly desperate dancing of 'I can fix this I can fix this I can fix this' and when he’d come back the hole his departure had left had long since healed over.

He can't tell Kanan this because--- the force of the explosion, maybe, was enough to make it quick--

Hera's a General now, apparently, and Ezra's certain it suits her just as he's certain even in a world where he'd stayed he wouldn't be asking a General for existential advice at 3:00 AM. Every thing he learns about what's happening in Lesser Space is a double-edged blade.

They aren't really supposed to know much at all-- not relevant, but Theliva keeps offering Ezra little nuggets of info about the Spectors like an awkward stepparent offering candy to win affection from a recalcitrant child. To which Ezra says, 'did you know it was actually just so easy not to join the Empire?' If Ezra's parents had been alive and he could have carried on their family legacy-- well. Isn't that what his whole life's been about, at the end of the day? Hauling around other people's legacies, trying to build something new out of the scattered pieces.

He offers himself up, everything he is on open palms to the gallery of ghosts, living and dead:

This is all I have to offer. It is enough.

[cloudmancy]

clone wars era obi-wan voice: well killing yourself never solved anything, now did it anakin

also what do you think of au’s where someone else ended up being the one to take on anakin as a padawan? and i guess star wars canon divergence au’s in general

clone wars era anakin later finding out about the rako hardeen mission: 🧍🧍🧍🧍🧍🧍🧍🧍

I like canon divergence aus! ppl tend to like aus where qui-gon lives and becomes anakin's master as he originally planned but can I say something? that guy would've definitely fucked him up worse than obi wan 😭😭😭😭😭 I think anakin being given to a different master is interesting but realistically I can only see it working out with like... mace windu... obiwan is so lightsider I really do think mace windu could've connected with and understood anakin on a more visceral level and got him some coping strategies. anakin getting taught vaapad is so near and dear to me.

aus in general I love when people take a canon/extended universe book or event and tweak it juuuust slightly to detangle the collision course of everything that happens later... I love interesting 'what-if' plots I love minor canon events being changed just slightly in a butterfly's wingbeat sort of way I love time travel aus. star wars prequels is one of those tragedies where it's completely preventable from the outside but utterly unavoidable from the inside and that makes it really delicious to me. and because of that I will say I cannot understand when star wars fix-its have anidala happily stay together like sorry they're actively so terrible for each other 😭😭😭 get padme a divorce and custody of the kids OR talk about how absolutely miserable they'd be without The Horrors Of War! romeo and juliet was not a romance it was a tragedy... and I think that's true here as well.

this is a tangent but I'm like... genuinely really fascinated by every author's interpretations of anidala in most of the star wars books I've read. because it's some variation of 'I CAN fix him' or 'well I don't think I can fix him but I'm too invested to stop' or 'wow. he's got nobody but me :( nobody understands him but ME.' and it's all so incredibly funny to think about long term NEITHER of them have the foundations for a stable long term relationship with each other at all. padme is at her most fascinating to me when she's treating anakin sort of like a guy who finds a beautiful baby deer covered in the blood of 50 different people on the ground and takes it home and does not call a wildlife rehab center or leave it alone and then it grows up and starts killing people. but not her. so shes like ohhh this is rather worrying but he'd never hurt me and I like that (he does. lol!) it's genuinely very fascinating to me because both padme and obi wan are anakin's biggest apologists but to obi wan that's like... a puppydog he raised. he is not threatened by it and that thing is not going to bite him. for padme it's also a puppydog she raised but that puppydog was actually a wolf cub and she knows that but she's too enamoured with it to give it up and also it's too fucked up to go back into the wild now.

[sopherfly]

WIP Wednesday | 01-03-24 | temple mistress & sopherfly

Today’s WIP Wednesday is for a different pairing than usual, and @temple-mistress and I are very excited to share it!

~

Knights Out: the hallowed—if somewhat underground—annual bash for all the Padawans who have ascended to Knighthood in the past year. (Not openly endorsed by the Council or any self-respecting and proper Jedi Knight.) It’s not uncommon to find Council Members and other revered Masters dancing on tables, participating in drinking contests, or sucking someone off in a corner at Knights Out. Organized by a semi-secret host each year, no one is actually ever invited to the party, but somehow word of the date, time, and venue always seems to fall on the right ears.

Ol’ Quinny’s missed you, baby. It’s good to be back.

Strolling through the venue, Quin takes in the raucous, hedonistic atmosphere with a huge grin.  Another year, another class of new Jedi Knights celebrating their promotion in every single degenerate way possible.

Quin wouldn’t have it any other way.

He’d missed last year, in deep cover for a weapons smuggling operation on Lothal, and by the looks of it, Knights Out is bigger and better than ever. Quin figures he’ll never tire of this scene, of watching all the outwardly prudish and repressed Masters and Knights of the Jedi Order let loose like it’s the last time they’ll ever get to drink and fuck. He likes to think it’s healthy, for the good of the Order and the Republic and all that, to work out that sexual aggression at least once a year. More fun than a trip to a mind healer, too.

Unless it’s that Chiss mind healer in the boots on Devaron…

He spots Fisto in a booth, boots propped up and spread out on the table while a familiar set of blue lekku pop up rhythmically into view. That’s my girl, Quin thinks proudly, giving the Nautolan a jaunty salute. Fisto smiles widely—all teeth—and Aayla pulls off long enough to blow Quin a saucy kiss. He isn’t jealous—he never is, sex is meant to be shared and Quin is generous—but it does quicken his step. 

He’s already had a couple of decent hookups tonight, but he’s saved the one he knows will be the best for last, and his cock jumps just a little in anticipation: Mace fucking Windu, the bald, grumpy-ass, Master of Vaapad, Seer of Shatterpoints, Deputy Grandmaster of the Jedi Order.  

Titles don’t do much for Quin, and none of them impress him nearly as much as the man’s thick, delicious cock, incredible stamina, and a nearly imperceptible refractory period. He also has to admit it doesn’t hurt his ego much that he gets to be the one to see Mace Windu sweat and beg and shout out Quin's name when he comes.

Quin scans the bar area, smirking when he sees that dumbass Skywalker pulling Kenobi into the back room behind the bar. He’s almost tempted to follow them, see if they’ll let him watch this time. Quin laughs at the thought, knowing better than to even hint at a joint maneuver—between Skyboy’s scowl and Sithy-Wan’s glare, it’d totally kill the vibe.

It was a good run with Kenobi for a couple of years, a casual fuck here, a hand job there—nothing serious, which was what made it perfect. Now that he’s got Skywalker, Kenobi is all heart-eyes and moonbeams, and, Quin shudders, monogamy. No, Quinlan Vos wants to fuck and be fucked and enjoy all the benefits of shared pleasure without limit. 

Not one to look too closely at a good thing, Quin nevertheless knows this arrangement with Windu is…different. It’s more than just fuck buddies, and not just because Windu would frown deeper than Kenobi does whenever Quin casually suggests a threesome at being called anyone’s buddy. Quin doesn’t know quite how it’s different, it just is, and he likes it. He likes knowing that Mace will stand up to him, tell him off, shut him down if he deserves it. Few are brave enough to try. Even fewer succeed, which makes Windu all the more attractive.

And a godsdamn good fuck.

[temporaryuniverse-writing]

Resilience

Written for the @kenobi-gen-exchange I'm just posting it sooooo late on here.

Pairings: None CW: None Characters: Obi-Wan Kenobi, Mace Windu Summary: Twelve years after his defeat at the Battle of Naboo, Obi-Wan's greatest enemy has returned from the dead. Obi-Wan has faced Maul and lost. Now it is time to face himself.

read on ao3...

--

Snippet:

“Your weight is too far forward,” a voice says, and Obi-Wan spins, startled, to the newcomer.

“What?”

Mace pushes off the wall he was leaning against and approaches.

“You’re putting too much weight on your leading foot when you land and it’s throwing you off balance.”

“Thank you for the advice,” Obi-Wan replies, and turns away to return to his exercise, hoping that is the end of it.

It isn’t, of course, because Mace is a persistent meddler who doesn’t know well enough to leave alone. He’s worse when he’s worried, which he is now, and he’s got Obi-Wan in his sights.

The Master of Vaapad steps forward again and plucks his saber hilt off his belt.

“Care for a spar?”

--

[nevertheless-moving]

oh. my. GOD.

HOW DID I NOT THINK OF THIS IT’S PERFECT

It would take a while to get there- Mace is really quite discreet and Anakin is working so hard to be discreet too as step one of his 312 step plan to make big, romantic Jedi weddings a thing. He’s motivated, okay? 

Anakin very gradually starts carpooling with Mace more and more often. They don’t tell anyone exactly where the bakery is and everyone’s so relieved that Master Windu finally found a way to get through to Skywalker that they don’t want to mess with a good thing thing by asking too many questions.

(Anakin is SO much more chill about a lot of things cause he’s not completely hopeless about the future and the possibility of being forced to choose between the people he loves. He’s also a lot less afraid for Padme’s safety while off world now that he know Master Windu is in the same building often. Whether or not his understanding of Windu’s relationship is completely accurate is questionable, but the effect it has on his mental health is real.)

(Anakin also starts over-sharing a little about his relationship with Padme to Mace, much to Master Windu’s consternation. VERY occasionally Mace will say something like “...Jar-Jar ended a pointless 3 hour senate commitee meeting by spilling something on Mas Amedda” and then they’ll rag on how phony ALMOST everyone in politics is.)

Obi-wan is going insane. Them bonding is...great. No one said Anakin couldn’t have other friends! Even if now they seem to have inside jokes that Obi-Wan doesn’t understand! He’s perfectly fine with that! He’s happy that Master Windu is taking some time to teach Anakin vaapad! Anakin’s clearly thriving, and Obi-Wan’s definitely not thinking that Anakin would have been so much better off if Mace had been his master instead! Obi-Wan's happy about all this!

But the fact that sometimes they’re disappearing together at midnight and coming back the next day in the same robes as the day before is driving him MAD. It takes him a really...really long to even consider the idea because OBVIOUSLY Anakin is infatuated with Padme but...he could have sworn Master Windu made a reference to Anakin’s tendency to toss around in his sleep (yay oversharing!) and WHY would Mace know that. Anakin is wincing to sit down and Obi-Wan just sort of assumed in the past that Padme was a little too rough (none of his business, he’d rather not speculate, and at least they can’t get pregnant that way) but now Mace Windu is smirking and in a good mood and looks exhausted.

Obi-Wan would get so protective. Eventually it all just becomes too much and he corners Mace after a council meeting:

“You’re a council Member! He’s barely even knighted! It’s an outrage! An abuse of power!” 

“...Master Kenobi, what are you talking about?”

“I’m talking about your little affair with my barely-legal padawan!”

Mace’s soul briefly leaves his body but look he didn’t stay a council member this long or become master of the order in the first place without an innate tendency to thrive on drama. You can not succeed on ANY council if you don’t enjoy gossip and shit stirring just a little. And he’s also tired by this war and needs to take his joys where he can. And right now he’s finding joy in Obi-Wan’s misplaced but actually quite noble indignation. 

“He’s not your padawan anymore, he’s a knight perfectly capable of making his own choices.” And Mace sweeps out, leaving Obi-Wan fuming. 

“HE’S JUST A BOY!” Master Kenobi shouts down the hall desperately, but Windu just keeps power walking. He’s got shit to do, okay? Maybe this will make Anakin talk to Obi-Wan about Padme instead of blathering on about her hair to me.

Obi-Wan, freaking the fuck out, starts asking Anakin leading questions, window open on his datapad for ‘signs of child grooming.’ 

"Was there an adult who you felt gave you special attention when you were feeling isolated or neglected? Someone who maybe made a point to find out what you liked and made sure to get it for you? Who maybe you felt indebted to because of this? Maybe who gave you gifts, or money, or flattery? Or just more attention and affection? Perhaps after that they told you that ‘they were the only one truly understand you’? Who made a point to spend time with you alone, without other adults or kids?”

Anakin (defensive): “Why are you asking me all these weird questions about the Chancellor? Palpatine is a great man and a loyal friend!” *storms off*

Obi-Wan has a heart attack and dies, thus bringing this au to an abrupt and tragic end.

No I’m kidding, obviously this is a fix it. Obi-Wan does have several consecutive panic attacks and briefly kidnaps Anakin.

[jekyllnahyena]

Had some Jedi Maul / Mace’s Padawan thoughts I thought you might like to hear.

Okay so I’ve been reading up on Mace Windu and Vaapad, the lightsaber form developed by Mace Windu. He developed the form as a way to channel his inner darkness toward greater purposes.

What if Mace chose Maul as his Padawan because he saw the same darkness he struggled with as a youngling in Maul. Under his training, Maul became a master of Vaapaad as well.

Anyway hope you enjoy some 1 am Maul thoughts. If not, feel free to ignore my ramblings.

ayo, sorry it took me so long! i wanted to answer today, but i kinda spent five hours on a hieronymus bosch puzzle. plus i really wanted to read up on Mace and Vaapad again before i say stuff. anyway

hmmmmmm, i as much as i enjoy the idea of Mace seeing Maul struggling and deciding to help him, but i have to say, to me, Maul isn't all that close to darkness in the AU. just very emotional. but yes, it ties in with him teaching Vaapad to Maul because i want those two to be an absolute and unstoppable menace .

Maul grew up a lot happier and saver than before, but it doesn't eradicate the dramatics that are inherently Maul, you know? i think of him more along the lines off, 'can be very emotional and vicious and a bit mean and yes, enjoys the fight'. he's a deeply sarcastic person that will make it clear if he thinks you're an idiot and has a certain level of bite to him. and i've taken that viciousness and the enjoyment of the fight as my basis for Maul learning Vaapad. because it means he found the way to balance all that and be happy. which i like because i am, in fact, a softy

Mace uses Vaapad partly to channel his inner darkness and emotions, but also, from what i understand, the darkness of his opponent, which he loops back as boost to himself. it's a very fast and hardhitting technique while also feeling a bit like a mind game at the same time, because you could lose yourself in it. it also leaves one very open, but, well, Mace has the emotional control needed to pull back from that and bring himself into balance. so Mace has mastered all this before he would touch Vaapad (which is just. i love Mace Windu. he's so awesome.)

Ergo, Maul is in a safe and strong enough place to be taught.

so reason 1, Mace teaching Maul Vaapad (because yes, that was the plan from the start >:D) has the hard hitting enjoyment of the fight , partly because i say so, partly to have an active signs that Maul enjoys his life and work as a Jedi, as opposed to his abusive training by palps.

2, teaching him the most difficult and challenging way of keeping your inner control as a sign of trust, because Mace thus believes Maul to have the strenght to do so.

aaaaaand 3. Let them kick ass. let Maul be awesome and happy and be a dueling master. let Maul and Mace go off on weird missions where they just show up, wreck an army, quote some shakespeare and leave. i want Mace to be happy and show off his Padawans that are great and strong, while they sometimes look over at whatever the Yoda lineage is and go 'yikes'. (though i will say that Maul and Obes are tight tight friend/maybe lovers? not sure there haven't planned that out and Mace loses non existent hair over it)

So yeah, Maul most definetely learns Vaapad, but mostly because he's safe and happy and kicks ass :D

(he might not be all that big or strong physically but believe me, he will beat you. i wanna have him have a stare off with Pong Krell at some point and Krell just grumbles off. because everyone knows, you don't fuck with Mace and his lineage. they Will tear you apart while making you look ridiculous)

[mace-windu-appreciationweek]

Mace Windu Appreciation Week

Mace Windu is often overlooked, bashed, or villainized for no reason, so let's give him some love and appreciation!

The week running from April 25th-May1st will be Mace Windu Appreciation week.

Mace positive content, no matter what sort, fic, art, vids, fanmixes, meta/headcanons is welcome and encouraged.

For those who would like some direction a list of themes will be provided, but you don’t have to follow any theme so long as it’s positive Mace Windu centric work. 

Day 1, Sunday, April 25- Serenity: Jedi are generally calming and solid as a group. Let’s see Mace in a serene moment, whether this is meditation, a quiet moment with the council, or calm during battle. When, where and how is Mace serene?

Alt theme- Acting: The fact that Mace was a star actor before his seat on the council is a fun little tidbit. Let’s see him in his acting element, on stage on Coruscant, as part of a plan in the Clone Wars, or advertising some goofy product between late night holo-programs. Where is he acting, what sort of part?

Day 2, Monday, April 26- Vaapad/Shatterpoint: Mace is a fantastic Jedi with a lot of tricks up his sleeves. Shatterpoints lets him see important events, like flaws in a gem, where one strike might change the course of history. Vaapad is a form of lightsaber combat that funnels the anger or fury of the user and opponent into a faster, harder to combat style, it might look like his lightsaber is a blur or that there are several blades. Let’s see a piece of him using either of these abilities, or explaining or teaching them.

At theme- Color: Of course Mace is associated with purple, but that is not the only color you could choose. Maybe it’s monochrome, black and white with color additions. Maybe it’s the red sand of Geonosis, and the red blood of those who died, and the red rage that Mace might have to calm because of it. Maybe the calm brown of the Jedi temple, the solid brown of the earth and the life, the force Mace feels that runs through both. Maybe it’s a crest for Mace’s Jedi line with significance to the colors chosen. Let's see a work with a focus on color or colors.

Day 3, Tuesday April 27- Romance: Let’s see that shipping, maybe it’s a canon character, maybe it’s an OC, maybe it’s reader insert, but let’s see what a romance with Mace is!

Alt Theme- Crossover: There are plenty of interesting works of fiction and fictional characters out there, let’s see Mace interacting with one, or more! Is it someone from another sci-fi series? Or another Samuel L. Jackson character? The sky's the limit for who he might meet.

Day 4, Wednesday, April 28- Friendship: Who is friends with Mace, and what do they do? Is it all other Jedi? Or perhaps other people on Coruscant? What sort of friendship do they have?

Alt theme- Music: Whether it’s Mace listening to or creating music, or what music you associate Mace, let’s see what his (or our) taste in music is!

Day 5, Thursday, April 29- AU: Maybe the Jedi are fantasy knights, or Mace is a senator instead of a Jedi. Maybe the Republic won the Clone Wars, or Mace became a Sith. Maybe he survived his fall or is a Mandalorian, let’s see your favorite AU ideas involving Mace.

Alt theme- Padawan: Maybe it’s during Mace's time as a padawan, or involving his padawan, Depa, her padawan Caleb, or maybe he’s helping teach a padawan for a different knight or master. There are a lot of padawns out there, let’s see Mace as or interacting with padawans.

Day 6, Friday, April 30- Badass: We know Mace Windu is a grade A badass, but it never hurts to mention. Show us your favorite canon moments, or create your own badass Mace moment.

Alt theme- Memento: As a Jedi Mace has done a lot of things, gone to a lot of places, and met a lot of people. Let’s see a keepsake or a souvenir from some adventure he’s been on, and what it makes him think of or feel.

Day 7, Saturday, May 1- Free Day: Go wild, be the Mace Windu content you want to see in the world!

Alt theme - Humor: Let’s see goofy, jokey Mace, or Mace as the straight man delivering the punchline. Do you think Mace was perhaps the temple clown as a child? Or that he can and will joke so sly and sarcastic it takes a moment to process and get? 

[justjettithings]

So in the original trilogy it’s pretty well established that Leia is very passionate and headstrong, and that instead of letting her anger or pain consume her she used those emotions as motivation to lead the Rebel Alliance, to stop the empire, to help others. You know who did something similar? Mace Windu. He dealt with his anger by creating the combat form Vaapad (Form VII), which was a form that drew on passionate and angry emotions but never gave into them. Given the difficult headspace one had to put themselves in in order to master this form, Mace was very careful when deciding who should learn Vaapad, only instructing a small handful of Jedi in the technique (one of whom was his Padawan Depa Billaba). Since Leia showed an incredible amount of willpower and control, being tempted by the dark side over and over again and yet never giving in, I believe this makes her not only the perfect type of person to learn Vaapad but also the perfect type of person to be Mace’s padawan and that if things were different and he was alive he would immediately recognize her talent and take her under his wing in this essay I will- 

[sirikenobi12]

I did it!!! I did all the Jedi June prompts!!!! I’m so excited! Here is my final contribution - Intergalactic Therapists @jedijune2021​ @jedijune​

“I’m still furious with him.” Anakin said in a low tone.

“I know,”

“You’re not going to tell me to forgive him for lying to me about faking his death?” Anakin looked up at the Council Member in surprise.

“Not my place.” Mace shrugged. “That’s between you and him. You both will have to find a way to get through this. But for what it’s worth there are many Knights who don’t see their former Masters very often, even less often do they go on missions together. Worst case scenario we can just split up the 212 and the 501st.”

“...oh. Yeah, I guess that makes sense.” Anakin’s eyes immediately fell to the floor.

“Of course, that is an awful lot of paperwork for me to do on my end, so are you sure you can’t work with him anymore?” Mace asked with a slight tease in his voice.

(Or: Mace Windu helps Anakin process his emotions regarding the Rako Hardeen mission and Maul’s return using lightsaber forms)

[space-blue]

Day 2 - Vaapad and Shatterpoint

'Juyo?' Mace cut her short. 'Surely master Dralig isn't teaching you Juyo? What do you know of that form?'

'No he isn't,' Reidi said, tone wistful. 'But I've gotten lots of books on forms since forever. My old creche master always borrowed some just for me, and my favourite is about Juyo.'

Mace closed his eyes and chained swears like beads on a necklace in the privacy of his own mind.

He'd looked Reidi up after their first fateful encounter and not been surprised to find out she'd been raised in clan Vornskr by none other than Master Feemor. Although Feemor had not long been apprenticed under him, Mace was more than happy to put the blame squarely on Qui-Gon Jinn.

Even dead, the man managed to haunt the entire Order, his reckless ways passing from one apprentice to the next—

'It's called Studies On The Unwritten Forms Of The Way Of The Vornskr by Master Iriliki Dedika,' Reidi went on, 'do you know it? It's like, really old! With all hand drawn illustrations!'

There, precisely. Mace added a chat with Feemor to his mental list of tasks for the week. He had to squeeze it in somehow before he rejoined Ponds in the mid-rim. He couldn't let Feemor put more problematic books in the hands of children.

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@mace-windu-appreciationweek

[softieskywalker]

Mace Windu world between worlds AU where Ezra saves his great grandmaster from falling and Mace is suddenly thrust into a world where the entire order has been dead for years but there is Ezra who is still so bright and good even through hardship and also Ezra deserves vaapad

this is such a galaxy brain concept. imagine mace shows up in the middle of the siege of lothal. sadly kanan is already dead but mace takes one (1) look at ezra and decides My Padawan Now. don't worry kid grandpa windu is on the motherfucking case. ezra doesn't have to yeet himself into the unknown regions because mace takes them together to thrawn and kicks his blue ass. they take thrawn hostage and after being defeated by a teenager and a time traveling jedi master he's like "clearly this is too fucked up" and tells them about the death star and anakin being vader. mace is still debating if spacing thrawn is worth it. and of course skywalker's unstable ass went sith, mace TOLD THEM he was dangerous the second that punk showed up but NoooOoo they had to respect qui gon's last wishes. now they're all dead. and he's missing a motherfucking hand.

he teaches ezra vapaad and how to balance his darkness, and he's SO PROUD of his connection to living creatures. honestly if they had this kid back during the zillo beast incident maybe a lot of things would have gone differently. ezra is very sad about kanan but in constant awe of how competent his great grandmaster and now master is. like Holy Shit his lineage is awesome.

after they save lothal and rejoin the main rebellion mace finds out about kenobi from bail organa and flies to tatooine to kick his ginger depressed ass. kenobi you absolute IDIOT can you Please Make Sure the sith lords you battle are actually dead when you LEAVE???? obi wan cries for an entire day after mace tears him a new one. oh and SURPRISE skywalker had a kid, worse VADER has a kid, but luke is way too much of a sunshine to pose a real threat of falling so mace decides My Padawan Now. yes kenobi you heard me sit your ass back down. no i don't care about the only one padawan rule there's about 5 jedi left in the galaxy thanks to your padawan and i'm the grandmaster of the order now so the rules are whatever the hell i decide they are. what do you MEAN yoda is still alive??????

cut to mace flying to dagobah with his new two padawans luke and ezra –who are getting along a little too well– to kick yoda's green ass and drag him out of exile. yes you crazy ancient frog we're leaving this place and organizing how to fuck palpatine up. i don't care if you're old and decrepit we're dragging you out of here.

at some point yoda decides if mace gets two padawans he doesn't want to be left out and starts training leia. now imagine the sheer power of padawans ezra luke and leia during the rebellion era. also mace makes sure to tell luke the fucking truth because he's not lying to his fucking padawan, that's how you get them to resent you and murder the entire order, kenobi. so when vader captures luke or leia and wants to have his dramatic reveal of i am your father they're like we know bitch also look behind you and mace is there ready to cut off vader's hand, fuck you skywalker an eye for an eye.

they capture vader and mace is like you better start paying child support you fucker or we're unplugging your ass. vader is very ashamed. leia effectively kicks his ass. luke is just happy to have a dad.

in the end mace, yoda, obi wan and vader take down palpatine because the kids are still kids and we're not sending them to fight the creepy old bastard. the end.

[nevertheless-moving]

Star Wars AU #20: MacenJar AU

Inspired by this meme and with permission from @simpskywalker

This au is dedicated to everyone who told me that this concept ‘gave them a headache’ or ‘psychic damage’. Especially that special someone who begged me to ‘please stop’ because ‘i hate this, i hate this so much’ and told me ‘please don’t say more words about this.’

Crack Lies Ahead, enough to consume a man. I have spoken.

“Ani. Ani. Anakin Skywalker.”

“Hmm?” The dulcet sounds of Padme calling his name dragged Anakin from sleep against his will. 

“Anakin, you have to get up.”

He groaned, rolling over. “...here’s my face...I’ll...be awake in a second...just sit down...I’m awake...”

“No, Anakin you have to leave, remember. You have a 5 AM take-off scheduled, and you made me promise I would get you up early this time, come on.”

She cruelly yanked the covers away. He gasped in betrayal. 

“My own wife...how could you.”

“Anakin if you’re not out of bed in the next 30 seconds the next time you beg to stay the night because ‘you can get up early, you swear’ I am kicking you out before anyone sits anywhere near anyone’s face, do you understand.”

He sat bolt upright and stumbled out of bed. “Ok, Ok, I’m up I- Padme!”

“Yes?” She asked sweetly, brushing her hair at the vanity. 

“It’s 3 AM!”

“Yes I know, you were going to stop at that bakery I recommended, remember?”

“You woke me up an hour and half early so I could stop at a bakery,” he asked, disbelieving.

“Yes, Anakin, it was your idea. It was going to be your cover, in case anyone wondered what you were doing in the building.”

“That is-” before he could call it the stupidest idea he had ever heard, the memory of promising Padme that staying the night was a good idea because it would facilitate his cunning ruse (he was distracted, ok? Padme was wearing a lot of layers) came rushing back.

“-right,” he finished lamely.

Padme just hummed and began braiding in her cosmetic forcefields. 

Anakin managed to stretch, complete his morning refresher run, and arrange his robes in a suitably decorous fashion by the time Padme had established the base layer of her hairstyle for the day.

A quick kiss- no goodbye, it hurt too much to say goodbyes in war - and Anakin was out the door. 

He idly scratched his chin, vacantly looking out the lift and vaguely considering growing a beard. The pre-dawn view was quickly replaced by metal walls as the ride dropped below the skyline.

The transparisteel pod began to slow scarcely one third of the way down. Anakin suppressed a groan and tried to arrange his expression in Jedi-stoic manner, hoping that whoever got in the lift with him would be too intimidated by seeing a Jedi close-up to think about what they were doing in a Senatorial Apartment building at 3:15 in the morning. If they ask, I’m visiting the famous Bebbisun Bakery. Bennison? BELLASAN. I’m visiting the Bellasan Bakery.

Actually, anyone getting into the elevator this early was probably also doing the walk of shame so it’s probably fi-KRIFFING SITH SPIT THAT’S

“Master Windu!” Anakin cleared his throat, trying to lower his voice an octave. “Good- Good Morning!”

Windu’s eyes widened almost imperceptibly. “Ah. Knight Skywalker. Good morning to you as well,” he replied, stepping in the elevator, doors closing behind.

The lift descended as Anakin’s heart rate skyrocketed. This was it. Windu had to be here for Anakin. What other possible explanation could there be? WHY WASN’T HE SAYING ANYTHING?

Wait.

What other possible explanation...could...why wasn’t he saying ANYTHING?

Anakin scrutinized Master Windu out of the corner of his eye. Were those...the same robes he was wearing yesterday? They looked like the same robes but then again...pretty much all robes looked the same so this was probably a stupid way to figure things out. Fuck, it was too early for this.

Unsurprisingly, he couldn’t get a sense of the Master’s surface emotions. But his underlying aura seemed...happy? Typically Windu's serene presence had a tinge of righteous fury (something that had frightened him back when he was a child). But now that ever present vaapad edge was... softened? Anakin wracked his tired brain for a more reasonable explanation than- than the obvious but obviously impossible. He had to projecting. Right? Then again...couplings weren’t forbidden (even if Anakin couldn’t quite understand how people enjoyed just- having sex without any attachment).

The corners of Anakin’s lips twitched. The Master of the Order. Getting laid. Master Windu. In the Senatorial apartments. Mace Windu. What level had he gotten on? Above aides...diplomats probably. Should he ask? Force, this was too good- he couldn’t not ask.

Windu stared at him cooly and the knight instantly sobered. What was he thinking? Windu was obviously trying to trick him! If he said anything, Windu would turn it against him! Well, he wouldn’t be fooled so easily. Anakin spent the next several levels of descent staring forward, determined not to be the one to break the silence. 

He was so focused that he didn’t notice the lift slowing prematurely again until the doors opened; an elderly Rodian hobbled in. The two Jedi moved even further apart to allow the man some space.  The lift closed and newcomer glanced at the humans curiously. 

“Aren’t you Jedi? What are two Jedi doing here so early?”

“Bakery,” Mace and Anakin responded in unison, heads snapping to stare at the other in surprise.

The Rodian chuckled. “Oh, that Bellasan place, right?”

“Yes,” Windu replied smoothly. “They have a famously unique caf blend.”

“And you can’t get Sweesonberry rolls anywhere else,” Anakin added quickly, not letting the opportunity to firm up his cover go to waste.

“You mammals and your carbohydrates,” The elderly reptilian clucked, bemused.

Knight Skywalker and Master Windu exchanged wary looks. The door pinged open on level 4848. 

“Enjoy!” the overly entertained Rodian called out as they stepped out from the closing doors.

Anakin cleared his throat. “After you, Master Windu,” he said politely. CHECKMATE FUCKER.

But Windu just nodded serenely, striding confidently ahead, past the checkpoints and into the attached upper-crust market. After a very short walk, Anakin found himself in line behind Mace Windu at a pastry shop in the basement of his wife’s apartment building.

Anakin blearily thought that sentence through again, then subtly pinched the inside of his arm.

Nope, he was awake.

Every second that passed Anakin had to fight the steadily increasing urge to blurt out something stupid, and possibly incriminating, if not both. Just say something bland! Nothing about why they’re both here so early. Nothing about coming here before. Something casual.

“Smells good,” Anakin said.

Nailed it!

“Indeed,” Mace replied.

I’m a genius! He actually thinks I’m here for the bakery! He’s never going to suspect a thing! He was probably here for some boring pre-dawn meeting, and now I’ve got the perfect excuse to come visit Padme whenever! I can probably start sneaking off more often, I’ve just got to remember to bring back a pasty or something. And he can’t even say shit about un-Jedi like consumption!

“Skywalker-”

Oh no. Please be about the bakery. Pleasebeaboutthe

“Believe me when I tell you that I’d rather not ask-”

Oh NO. THIS ISN’T GOING TO BE ABOUT THE BAKERY. I’M AN IDIOT.

“-But did you fly here in a temple speeder?”

Cold sweat started to trickle down Anakin’s back as they shuffled forward automatically in the surprisingly long queue. Guess that’s why Padme woke me up so early.

“Knight Skywalker? Did you hear me?”

“Yes, Master Windu, sorry- I was, uh, distracted by the specials board. I, um, have my own hoverbike. Built it myself. No temple resources involved.”

“Sounds...distinctive.” Windu’s tone seemed neutral, but the way he pinched the bridge of his nose was obviously irritated. They stepped forward again. Why are so many people at this bakery so early? Guess we’re far enough down that day/night cycles don’t matter so much. Oh kriff, he’s massaging his temples now. Why is he mad about the bike? Is he going to ask where I landed it? Fuck.

Anakin swallowed the lump in his throat. “I- I thought it would be better to take personal property. Since this isn’t exactly order business.”

“That’s very responsible of you. Such...separation of personal from professional is an important skill for a Jedi.” 

The trickle of sweat down his spine increased. The Chosen One discretely wiped his sweaty palms on the inside of his sleeves and prayed that his outer robe was hiding any growing pit stains. 

Are we...actually talking about this? Is he going to admit to having an affair? Is he going to tell me to keep this quiet? I CAN BARELY KEEP MY OWN RELATIONSHIP SECRET! Does he know about Padme? Does he know we’re married? Is this conversation still about the bakery visit? Is HE married?

“However...such a vehicle might not be the most discrete. And discretion is also an important skill.”

Is he giving me permission to use the temple landspeeders to visit padme? Is he telling me to take the bus? WAIT! IS THIS A METAPHOR? Is he telling me to come here less? Is this still about the bakery? Did I actually check that I wasn’t still asleep or did I just dream that I checked?

“Do you understand, Knight Skywalker”

“I- uhh. I mean- well, ummm- OH look, it’s your turn to order!”

Master Windu stepped up to the counter. 

“Hello, again! Same as last time?”

OH FORCE GODS HE’S A REGULAR. THIS IS IT. I’M NEVER GOING TO GET TO SEE OBI-WAN OR ASHOKA AGAIN AND PADME’S CAREER IS GOING TO BE RUINED AND

“The same blend please, but please add on one of your Sweesonberry rolls- a friend recommended them.”

...Did Mace Windu just call me his friend?

“Excellent choice! Your friend has good taste!”

Mace Windu stepped to the side and Anakin Skywalker stepped up. “...I’ll have what he had.” 

A minute or two later, they were walking back to the lift, matching disposamugs and flimsibags in hand. 

To try and delay the inevitable, the pale and now very sweaty young Jedi took a sip of caf. He raised both brows involuntary. “This is...really good. Holy kriff. I don’t usually drink caf for the flavor but...wow.”

“Worth the trip?” Windu asked. Anakin choked a little but successfully managed to swallow. He took another sip to avoid answering. 

Windu took a bite of his roll, making a small noise of appreciation, “The pastry is also excellent. I don’t have much of a sweet tooth but this is remarkably smooth...I can’t say I’ve ever had anything quite like it.”

“Floral, right?” Anakin said, grinning into his cup. 

“Yes, that’s a good description.” Ha! I told Padme I was paying attention.

They drank companionably as the lift indicator dinged closer. 

“Skywalker...you’re parked on 4970, right?”

The knight nodded, too afraid to speak. The force seemed to swirl at the precipice of something. 

The Master sighed. “Look- I’ve got an unregistered van- this one time only, stow the speeder, and I’ll give you a ride back. If you’re visiting the bakery in the future- please take something with a closed cab. Last thing we need is the tabloids wondering where you’re going...”

Anakin nodded again, more eagerly again. He was practically being given permission to visit Padme! That was totally worth an excruciatingly awkward flight back to the temple! He just had to chew slowly so he couldn’t blurt out anything marriage related! He was a genius!

The lift opened.

“Jar-Jar!” Anakin said, surprised and pleased. “Wow, are you also here for the bakery? This place really is popular!”

“Ani! Little Ani! Wassa you doin here?” Jar-Jar looked around wildly, then stumbled out, foot catching at the gap. Windu darted forward and effortlessly saved the Gungan before he hit the floor, while Anakin stuck his arm forward to catch the closing door.

“Bakery, Jar Jar!” he said as he stepped inside. “I’d love to talk, but we’ve actually got to get back to the temple!”

Windu struggled to untangle himself from Jar-Jar, who was being particularly unhelpful about it, even for him. Wow he’s even clingier than usual this early in the morning. It’s nice how patient Master Windu is being; I feel like even Obi-Wan can be too hard on Jar-Jar sometimes.

“Actually Skywalker, why don’t you go on ahead and stow the bike- I just remembered I meant to pick something up for Council; I won’t take long.”

“Uh. Alright,” Anakin said, catching the keys. I guess I can’t really be late if I arrive with Master Windu.

“Ossa no!” Jar-Jar exclaimed sadly. “I was justa saying to Macey lassa night thatsa I missed talkin wit little Ani!”

Anakin smiled reassuringly as the lift began to close. “Don’t worry Jar-Jar! We’ll- catch uh-HOLD ON did you say LAST NIGHT?!”

Mace’s eyes closed in resignation as the door shut on the pair, Jar-Jar still tangled around the Jedi.

AND MACE WASN’T EVEN TRYING TO PUT HIM BACK UPRIGHT ANYMORE HOLY KRIFF JUST PUT THAT TOGETHER.

Anakin stared blankly at the metal walls as they rushed past. The lone Jedi Knight took a long sip of caff, then carefully placed the pastry bag and drink on the floor. He systematically wadded up the sleeve of his robe and shoved in his mouth. He then spent the next few minutes squealing with unholy glee while literally bouncing off the walls in a manner only accessible to a force sensitive in an elevator. He was still panting slightly when the lift opened on the primary parking level.

We can double date! Padme and I can host! I can help Mace and Jar-Jar plan their wedding! We can reform the order to allow for romantic love! I can be Jar-Jar’s best man! Padme and I can have another ceremony and Obi-Wan can give me away while Mace officiates and  and then we’ll all have sweesonbury cake and Jar-Jar can help teach our kids how to swim! 

With those dreamy thoughts running through his mind, it was child’s work to follow the the force to the unremarkable hovervan. He was humming to himself when Master Windu opened the door. 

He beamed at the older Jedi. Windu scowled in reply. Anakin smiled wider, unintimidated. He genuinely liked the Gungan, but anyone who could spend hours with Jar-Jar had to have a soft side.

“You know, Jar-Jar is a long time friend of Senator-”

“No.” Windu cut the eager words brusquely. 

Anakin shrank back, a little hurt.

(Maybe a lot hurt.)

Mace glanced over at the obviously crestfallen young General and sighed before amending his words.

“Not- Not right now, alright? Maybe if you’re miraculously more discrete about this than you are about your affection for Senator Amidala, then we can talk, understood?”

Anakin nodded with absolute determination, glimmering images of fairytale weddings visible once more. Distant, perhaps- but the chance was worth any amount of tongue biting. Now that there was a real, possible future where he could have it all, now that he knew Windu had a heart somewhere under his robes- he could be patient. 

He could be very patient.

Anakin calmed his grin down to a smaller, more Jedi-like smile, taking a sip of the cool but still really good caf. He channeled Obi-Wan’s most neutral diplomatic grace.

“Thank you for the ride, Master Windu. I appreciate it.”

Windu gave him an approving glance. “You’re more than welcome, Knight Skywalker.”

Feeling bold, he continued on with his best non-mocking impression of Obi-Wan.

"Have you had a chance to read the latest report on helmet redesigns? I think they might really improve peripheral vision without compromising concussive resistance.”

Mace hummed thoughtfully. “I have. I’m somewhat concerned about deploying such a radical change mid-campaign. Even better gear requires an adjustment period, and I’d rather minimize needless deaths while the troops readjust to hud flow.”

“Yes, that’s a reasonable concern, I was talking to Captain Rex-”

They spent the remainder of the flight chatting comfortably about troop safety and absentmindedly eating (or possibly stress eating in response to the prolonged absence of interpersonal conflict) the box of pastries Mace had picked up. When they arrived at the temple, they divvied up the remainder between them, quietly agreeing that there weren’t enough to share anyway. 

They continued their conversation, Master Windu accompanying him to the orbital loading bay. 

Obi-Wan rushed over in alarm at the sight of them approaching. “Anakin, there you are- I was starting to wonder if you’d make it. Terribly sorry Master Windu- I hope he wasn’t too much of a bother-”

“He’s not your padawan anymore, you don’t have to apologize for him. Though I do appreciate the reflex.”

“I suppose the concern isn’t completely baseless.” Anakin said, tone deliberately mildly. Mace chuckled slightly and Obi-Wan took a step back, slightly frightened by the sudden camaraderie. Anakin pretended to take a sip from his now empty disposamug to avoid fist pumping the air or cheering.

“I- Yes well- the important thing is you’re here in time for departure. What- what is that in the bag.”

Moment of Truth. Don’t freak out. Focus. Prove you can be discrete, THEN double dates, THEN Jedi Wedding Ceremony.

“Sweesonbury Roll,” Anakin answered placidly. He pretended to take another sip of caf. “Master Windu was kind enough to give me a ride from the bakery.”

“That’s- I’m sorry, what?” Anakin bit the inside of cheek to keep himself from reacting to Obi-Wan’s palpable bewilderment.

“I had to double back and get more, but we came straight here after,” Mace added helpfully, with zero hint of intentional mischief. “Oh and Skywalker- you can call me Mace if we’re not discussing temple business.”

Anakin SCREAMED (internally, of course). Outwardly, he simply bowed politely. “And you’re welcome to call me Anakin, of course.”

He deliberately avoided looking directly at Obi-Wan, his former Master’s bug-eyed reaction already pushing him to the edge, even just visible as it was out of the corner of his eye.

Windu nodded in return. “Safe travels you two. May the force with you.”

“And with you.” Anakin replied.

“May the force be with you,” Obi-Wan rushed to say, after a short delay.

Master Windu turned and exited the cargo bay doors. Anakin threw out the mug in a nearby bin, pulling out a roll and biting into it before turning to face Obi-Wan. They made eye-contact, each waiting for the other to break first. Usually that would be Anakin, but he had goals now. The Knight chewed. His Master’s eyes narrowed. The older man (who may have aged significantly in the last 5 minutes) finally broke.

“Who are you?”

Anakin just sighed, maintaining the Kenobi impression. “Come on Master, we don’t want to keep the troops waiting.” With that, he walked forward, hiding his smile as Obi-Wan followed closely at his heels. 

“Since when does my apprentice visit bakeries with Mace Windu?” Obi-Wan asked, almost desperately.

“You’re making it sound like a bigger deal than it is.” 

Master Kenobi sputtered as the pair opened the airlock for the short-range shuttle. 

Anakin mustered up an earnest smile. “Master? Would you mind flying- I’m still eating and-”

Obi-Wan made an incoherent noise of horrified outrage before fumbling for his communicator. 

“What are you doing?”

“NOTHING IS MAKING SENSE RIGHT NOW. EITHER YOU AND MACE NEED TO GO TO THE HEALING HALLS OR I DO!”

Anakin burst out laughing. “Relax Obi-Wan, I’m messing with you, holy shit. Obviously I’m flying.”

Obi-Wan slumped into the co-pilot seat, rubbing at his eyes. “Don’t do that Anakin! My nerves are stretched thin enough by the war as it is-”

“Sorry, Sorry!”

They strapped in and took off, Anakin still chuckling occasionally, Obi-Wan scowling in irritation each time. 

They ascended above the towering skyline alongside the first rays of sunlight.

“So you didn’t go to a bakery with Master Windu this morning?”

“Uhh-”

[val-aquenta]

Mace Windu Appreciation Week for the prompt: Vaapad and Shatterpoint. Fun fact I had no idea how to spell vaapad xD

Here on ao3

Mace moves the lightsaber in a familiar pattern, the kata’s he has created coming forth in his memories easily. The purple blade lights him up, giving his face and his clothes a purple hue. The colour is not the most special thing. Purple blades, indeed blades of any colour have been wielded, even the long-ago stolen darksaber with its unique colouring is not exactly novel. A result of an interesting crystal-Jedi pairing combined with the technology of the time resulted in the now unique colouring and sound. Mace’s blade being purple is not the most special thing. Jedi have wielded purple before. The kata’s though, those are special. Cyslin had called it a result of his ‘overeager imagination’ paired with his ‘dissatisfaction with the traditional forms.’ Perhaps she is right, she often is.

He swings the blade down in an aggressive strike before stepping back and twisting into a more defensive position. The form itself is neither focused on defence or attack, as it changes with almost every user. It is simply a way of focusing, of redirecting something not wrong or unhealthy, but sometimes unwanted, into something helpful. It is not limited to fighting, in this sense, but it also spans into everyday life. 

The door swishes open, and Mace sees a robed figure in the corner of his eyes. “You’re late.” Obi-Wan sighs, undoing the brown cloak and neatly folding it onto the benches. Mace stops for a moment, taking a small breather. 

“I know.” The contrite expression turns to him. “I am sorry, I had to help Anakin with his… never mind. It was a battle, to say the least.” The not exactly anger, but almost anger sparkles around him, crackling slightly in the Force with an unpleasant feeling. Obi-Wan jumps into some warm-ups, stretching his back and muscles when he’s done. Mace joins him. He calls the lightsaber to his hand, a bottle of water close behind. He takes a sip, offering some to Mace. Mace turns it down. He knows that if he drinks too much, he will end up vomiting at some point during or soon after the spar. 

“Ready?” Mace asks, settling into the familiar starting stance, the hilt held loosely to his side. It is not confidence or arrogance in his pose, it is simply a man who is aware of himself and, to a degree, of his opponent as well as their respective skills. With the frequent sparring and their growing friendship, Mace would like to think that he knows Obi-Wan’s skills decently enough. 

Obi-Wan smirks. He is not arrogant either, though there is a spark of confidence in his eyes. He knows, perhaps he won’t win, but he might, and he might as well have fun along the way. “Of course.” His blade springs, a bright blue hue, similar to the old crystal he had lost on Naboo. It lights up his face with a blue shade. The blade swings, humming as Obi-Wan shows off some ornamental twists before settling into his typical two-fingered soresu stance. His feet are on the floor, ready to move should the need arise, but also ready to stand firm. “I think it better to ask you if you are ready to lose, Mace.” The confidence is there, though Mace is unsure exactly how much is real and how much is part of the odd facade the man puts up during spars and fights. It is aggravating sometimes, but amusing most of the time. He can easily see how an opponent might get frustrated with the strange behaviour.

Mace snorts unimpressed at Obi-Wan's unnecessary twirls as well as his words, “We shall see who loses this match.” He thumbs on his blade, his lightsaber’s low hum joining Obi-Wan’s. “Wouldn’t want to get too cocky, would you?” He questions teasingly, a familiar smirk settling onto his face. 

Obi-Wan does not exactly laugh, but he might as well. The humour and delight sparks around him in the Force, soothing the jagged edges of frustration. “I’m not cocky, simply aware.” And with that, they clash. Mace rushes forwards, as he often does, keen on finishing the job right after it has begun. He also knows Obi-wan, with his form of soresu, won’t move to start the spar. The blue and purple clash with a sharp familiar noise. The crystals sing, a joyous song at the happiness and delight sparkling around them. It has been too long since they have sparred. There is a quick flick of the wrist, his blade falling away from the clash to counter Obi-Wan’s short jab at him. The jab turns defensive as Mace goes for a sweep. 

“Getting ahead of ourselves, Knight Kenobi? I did not take you for offensive measures.” Mace flips back, the blade coming around to take a jab that is deftly pushed to the side. Obi-Wan’s hands are somewhere above him. Any swings from the side are quickly blocked by quick flicks of the wrist. Indeed, Obi-Wan has become a Master of soresu as was his goal. Mace steps back for a moment after a few fruitless clashes. He takes a deep breath and really falls into the familiar feeling of vaapad. 

Nothing much negative exists to fuel his fight, but he would be idiotic to not be able to fuel his fight with positivity too. He channels the happiness at this spar into the fight, hoping to prolong the fight to reach a nice satisfying end. Obi-Wan’s eyes narrow, his long hair slicked slightly with sweat. He knows what Mace is doing and, before Mace goes any further, Obi-Wan is jumping forwards with a bold attack, more like his older ataru style. It is a high jump paired with a downwards slash, truly a clean show of acrobatics and stead practice in ataru. It, however, is easily blocked. Mace has sensed it before, has seen the move not exactly telegraphed by Obi-Wan’s body, but due to Mace’s friendship with Obi-Wan, visible from the bright blue eyes. 

Mace blocks and moves to the side simultaneously, humming as he wants to go up to the platforms suspended from the ceiling. He takes a lead up, effectively blocking the strikes aimed at his legs as Obi-Wan jumps up, jostling the thin platform as he lands. They trade blows, shifting back and forth in quick small steps. They trade barbs too, harmless ones filled with subtle joking and humour. Obi-Wan allows Mace to dictate the fight, and so he follows the man when he moves backwards onto a larger, more stable platform. “Scared of losing your balance, old man?”

Mace responds with nothing, narrowing his eyes. Talking during a fight, when not necessary like now, is not exactly something Mace loves. He aims a blow, packing a punch behind him that Obi-Wan struggles slightly to block. Obi-Wan takes steps back, pushed backwards until his feet tip at the edge. Looking backwards for a second, Obi-Wan takes a breath and pulls himself away, landing lightly on another platform, thin too and similarly jostling as Mace lands, not far from Obi-Wan. “Running away, are we?” He teases, pairing it with a heavy blow. 

“No. ‘Course not.” Obi-Wan gasps a bit, the hair turning a rather dark brown. Obi-Wan has supreme balance, as all Jedi do. There is a familiar hum as they draw on the Force to keep on the thin platform. They trade blows moving forwards and backwards. Soresu suits Obi-Wan, his blade easily blocking the heavy blows that rain. It would seem effortless if not for the evident fatigue on his face. Mace has had decades of training and perfecting his art form. Obi-Wan, not so much. His opponent has not spent enough time mastering his form, and it shows in the occasional slips to ataru. He’s not entirely… comfortable in this new form. Mace spots the final tell, a small slip that leaves him open. He takes advantage of it, rushing forwards and disarming the man with a quick flick of his blade. There is a stop, their heavy breathing filling the air around them while Mace falls down from the slight high that comes from the joyful fight with his friend. Redirecting the joy, it leaves him somewhat euphoric. It is not something he has a problem with during a real fight. 

“You’re getting better,” Mace says, thumbing off his blade, the purple light disappearing. While the blade was not at full intensity, it was still unnerving to have one close to one's neck. Obi-wan wilts, breathing heavily. “You’re still not fully comfortable though.” He notes. 

Obi-Wan nods, a little bit of annoyance at himself evident in the furrow of his brow. “I know. I’m just… used to ataru.” He takes in a deep breath, calming down his racing heart. Mace clips the sabre to his belt, smoothing out some of the wrinkles on the looser tunics he wears to spar. “Thank you, Master,” Obi-Wan murmurs, bowing in thanks. Mace looks at him, blinking in slight surprise. While he is a Jedi Master, it is novel that Obi-Wan refers to him in this more personal manner. It is significant, judging by the way Obi-Wan’s eyes search his, looking for the response. 

“It is my pleasure, Obi-Wan” Mace responds with a soft smile. Obi-Wan had wormed his way into Mace’s heart as a youngling once, then again as the student of his friend, and now as an equal. Obi-Wan smiles, his presence tangling with Mace’s, a happiness pulsing through the air. Something shifts and another shatterpoint forms at the cracks of another, hovering between them. He grunts a bit, hand reaching up to pinch the bridge of his nose. Obi-Wan’s joyful face falls to confusion and worry. He steps forwards, a bit closer, his hands reaching out to rest on Mace’s. 

“Are you alright?” Mace nods tiredly in response. He’s used to it. It has been part of him his entire life. That doesn’t mean the ability is a pain to have on certain occasions. “Is it… another one?” Obi-Wan asks. He doesn’t fully understand Mace’s ability; it is hard to explain to someone who does not have the ability. Both able to see the cracks on physical objects, like the weakness within a transparisteel glass, but also sense the cracks bending towards important events. Anakin, Obi-Wan's padawan has many such cracks pulsing powerfully through the Force. The crack between them, a promise of something important sits like a ticking time bomb between them. Mace does not know if it is a bad thing or a positive one. He hopes the latter, for both his sake and Obi-Wan’s.

“Yes,” Mace responds, sighing deeply as the pain of a new crack forming falls away. 

Obi-Wan looks down nervously, hands fiddling in front of him. Usually, the long robe would hide it, but without the robe, the fiddling is evidence. “I’m sorry, Mace.” 

Mace shakes his head, “It is not your fault, my friend.” He reaches out and lays his hands on Obi-Wan's fiddling hands, stilling the nervous movements. They stand for a moment, calmly breathing. “Come on, my friend, I find myself in search of tea.” 

The ginger perks up, “I got a new sample of Felucian tea. I think you’ll like it.” Obi-Wan chatter excitedly, wiping at his face with a towel and pulling his lightsaber to himself and clipping it at his belt. “I don’t recall the name of the flower in it, but it’s named sweet tea. I haven’t tried it yet; I wanted to share a pot with you. It smelled heavenly though.” Mace listens, bemused, to the chatter about tea. “That is if you want to share a pot?”

“Of course I would.” Mace nodded, folding his outer robe over his arm, and following Obi-Wan out the hall. 

[narkinafive]

if you're feeling so led, hit us up with some of your fave Shatterpoint Lineage headcanons. (I've just been thinking about them a lot and how tragic it is that Mace and Depa didn't get to meet their [great]grand-padawan)

mace windu used to lead storytime in the creche but he would get too into it (especially the scary parts) and traumatize all the children. you can take the man out of the theater...

i’ve said it before and i’ll say it again, grumpy master windu with cute great-grand-padawan ezra. “i am a jedi master of the highest order. i am a paragon of objectivity and rationality. please ignore the small child currently riding around on my back”

incomprehensible meme culture ezra, except for depa billaba, who totally gets it

speaking of deba, she sees tiny initiate ezra following around caleb and is just like *grandson acquired*

variation where ezra is a former protege of maul’s who was cast out/ran away/found his way to the jedi order, and caleb is of course the Best Master Ever but sometimes (a lot of the time) he just doesn’t understand what it’s like to be a recovering dark side user because he’s so damn good, so vaapad lessons with master windu

did mace teach depa form vii? anyway her too

post-nightmare hugs. so many post-nightmare hugs like you don’t even know. ezra is one clingy bitch

how to deal when your master is flirting hardcore with the ship captain that helps you out on missions, master billaba, please, help me

[mangobilorian]

deception | (gen)

Pairing: Toddler! Ahsoka & Mace Windu

Genre: Fluff

Words: 3368

Summary: Ahsoka dashes from the wall and runs at full speed, throwing a toothy grin at him. She grips his lightsaber in her hand and zaps away. Well, if that’s the game, Mace will play. He can be a damn good hunter after all.

Or: Ahsoka tricks Mace into acknowledging his emotions and having fun for the first time in forever.

Ahsoka scares Shaak. Seriously. Togrutas are born hunters— they have to be since the akul rule their homeworld—but she’s never met one as terrifying as Ahsoka Tano. Force, when she was an Initiate herself, all those years ago, Shaak had the demeanor of a predator too. She’d stalk around teachers, tear into meat, jump at small creatures and fight at large ones. But at least she didn’t have the absolutely insane urge to chase High Council members for fun.

Everyone thought that Ahsoka would always be Plo’s little one. She followed him everywhere, and he let her. When not napping on top of him, Ahsoka could be found wrapped around the edges of his robes or clinging to his chest. Things changed when, on a regular, unassuming day, Ahsoka ran into Adi Gallia’s legs and didn’t let go. Adi had tried walking away, telling the little girl that she had important Jedi Master stuff to do, but Ahsoka was relentless. Adi even tried handing her off to Plo who attempted to sway his foundling back to him (a useless endeavor). It took a long game of hide and seek to pry Ahsoka off of Adi and back into Plo’s arms.

The next week, it was Yaddle. They had quite a nice time around the Temple, and Yaddle even invited other younglings to join. They didn’t play much; Yaddle taught Ahsoka a few acrobatic moves instead (which Ahsoka later employed upon an unsuspecting Oppo Rancisis).

Eeth Koth served as the next victim of Ahsoka’s gaze, and she had forced him into a game of pretend. He was the princess and even had a paper crown while she served as the knight, a practice saber clipped to her side. The “dragon” had been Ahsoka’s stuffed akul. Instead of stabbing her stuffy with the saber, Ahsoka made peace with it and successfully rescued Eeth from his bindings. To this day, no one knows how a youngling tied and restrained a Jedi Master with bedsheets, and Eeth doesn’t like talking about it. After that encounter, Ahsoka stuck to Plo when she had the chance. The Council thought she got tired and preferred her founder’s presence once again. It was a welcome reprieve (namely for Eeth and Oppo).

Until, out of nowhere, Ahsoka declared that she wanted to play with Master Windu. That caused quite the ruckus in the chamber. Some, like Plo and Yaddle, advocated for it. They said it would create more trust and connection between Masters and Initiates. Others like Eeth declared that Ahsoka was a menace but a cute one and should be experienced at least once. The last group consisted of those who decided that Ahsoka should be stopped from causing even more disorder, but they didn’t want to spend resources on that endeavor.

Which leads to now. Shaak stands next to Ahsoka who tugs at Plo’s taloned fingers. She admits that Ahsoka is quite cute but everyone knows to never underestimate her.

“Master Windu is here. I know it!” Ahsoka beams, and Shaak smiles at her. Force, she is adorable . Big eyes, stubby montrals, grinning lips. As a member of the same species, she’s filled with a surge of maternal warmth. Shaak always wondered why Ahsoka never clung to her then realized that Ahsoka “attacks” members she wasn’t familiar with. After spending a lot of time with her and Plo, Ahsoka probably filed Shaak as a member she knew well, a thought that makes Shaak particularly happy.

“I don’t feel him here, little ‘Soka. Why don’t we try the next floor?” Plo says, guiding his foundling with a gentle hand. Shaak loves watching after Ahsoka and other younglings, but in some instances, she needs to curb the girl from causing damage.  

“Don’t you have homework, Ahsoka? Master Koon and I can take you back to the crèche,” Shaak says with a smile, but Ahsoka blinks slowly at her.

“No homework,” she says, pouts. She tugs harder on Plo’s hand, “He’s here! I can feel him.” Shaak shares a look with Plo who turns the other way. If two Jedi Masters can’t feel Mace, how could Ahsoka?

“Master Ti is right. Even if you don’t have homework, we can do other things. How does hide and seek sound?” Ahsoka frowns.

“Yes, Ahsoka. The three of us can play hide and seek like Master Plo said. Is that good?”

“I wanna play with Master Windu,” she says and stomps her foot on the ground. Oh dear. It’s tantrum time. Shaak opens her mouth but Plo speaks first.

“We’ll look around this floor then leave. Okay?” Shaak glares at Plo whose Force presence radiates cheekiness. Shaak feels slightly betrayed.

“Yay!”

Mace isn’t hiding. He isn’t . Why would he— Jedi Master, Vaapad creator, and the Order’s champion— hide? Nothing on Coruscant could scare him enough to make him hide. Not even massive, terrifying beasts or ancient Sith ghosts strike fear through him. If he were to see an enemy, he’d take them down immediately, seeing the shatterpoints and taking advantage of weakness. He is Mace Windu , for Force sakes and-

Well. The point is that Mace isn’t hiding because there’s nothing to hide from, and he’s better than that anyway. Mace simply wants to sit in a little corner of the Temple, content to be alone. Yes, he prefers peace and quiet over the long, boring Council meetings (which, as the Master, he probably shouldn’t say but kriff it). His little corner is tucked away in a mostly unused hallway. In the middle of the day like this, most Initiates attend classes, Padawans train with their Masters, and Knights rest or prepare for missions. Only the occasional Temple Guard plows through. Mace has enough control with the Force to conceal his signature and not bring suspicion to his… unusual relaxation spot.

He closes his eyes and controls his breathing. The corner is a far cry from his own quarters (which aren’t that comfortable anyway), but it’s a moment of isolation at least. For each feeling and thought at the forefront of his mind, he assesses them then lets go. Some feelings are easy to drop. The slight flare of annoyance at the lack of special pastries in the mess hall flies away without hesitation. Others, like his frustration at today’s meeting, are harder to release. Kriff, why did Qui-Gon and his Padawan have to overthrow a monarchy? Sure, they got the mission done but seriously? Mace doesn’t know whether to be angry at his friend or the Council or himself.

Regardless, Mace pushes all feelings away, and his mind clears. It’s comforting to have an empty head, a place where his thoughts are just that. Thoughts. Nothing real happens in one’s thoughts except for self reflection and, in Mace’s head, shatterpoints.

All the shatterpoints he sees are simple possibilities, what-if scenarios that may never come to fruition. It’s difficult sometimes to see people as who they are , and not what they can do. After decades with the ability, he still struggles with separating the two. It’s especially harder when a growing darkness looms over Coruscant. The Force is cloudier than he’s ever felt it. Maybe that’s why he has such a cranky demeanor. Or maybe his peers are just too damn annoying, and sarcasm is his only coping mechanism. Well. Whatever. With those thoughts, he releases them into the Force and continues breathing.

Mace hears footsteps, ceasing his meditation. He reaches out and curses at what he finds. There, glowing in the Force, Plo Koon, Shaak Ti, and Ahsoka Tano walk towards him. He opens his eyes, scanning the area in search of an escape route. Well, not an escape route, just… an alternate pathway for him to continue his search for peace. After looking around, he slumps in his position. He, with a great amount of ignorance, trapped himself into his corner. How wonderful. Mace tries again, almost with an air of desperation as the sound of footsteps increases in volume, but there’s nothing. There’s no way out of his little corner without revealing himself which is the main pur- one of the main purposes he sought the corner for.

The footsteps stop a few feet away from Mace, and he curls impossibly tighter. Kriff. At this distance, he can hear everything the trio says.

“Right here! It's glowy and stuff.”

“There’s no one here, little ‘Soka. It’s an empty hallway.”

“Master Plo is right. We should hurry and get some food from the mess.”

“But-”

“Trouble, there is? Frustrated are you?” Yoda’s voice inserts into the conversation, and Mace sighs. Hopefully Yoda will spare him and allow Mace to leave in peace.

“Master Yoda! Where’s Master Windu? It’s play time.” Mace can hear her pout the last sentence.  

“Hmmm, yes. Talented Jedi, Mace is. Good at hiding. Here, you will not find him.” Mace breathes out. Thank the Force for Master Yoda, the ever wise and forgiving Grandmaster. He feels Ahsoka’s presence plummet into disappointment and frowns.

“A few feet away, however, he hides. In a corner, he is.” Wait, what?! No, no, Yoda did not just-

“Master Windu?” Ahsoka Tano’s big eyes stare at him and his coiled body and tilts her head to the side. He sees the pure shock on Shaak’s face and the unwavering rolls of smugness from Plo. Mace composes himself.

“Greetings, Initiate Tano. I’m simply meditating.” Ahsoka nods but her eyes are trained on Mace’s side. What- oh. His lightsaber. Her hand reaches out, and Plo moves to place a hand on her shoulder, stopping her sticky hands from nearing Mace.

“Master Ti, Master Koon, come with me, you must. Many things to do, there are. Will of the Force, this is,” Yoda says then cackles. Mace restrains himself from showing visible signs of anger. Shaak breaks away first, shooting Ahsoka a small smile before leaving. Plo glances at his foundling and speaks up.

“I told you she’ll want to play with you. I’ll see you later, little ‘Soka.” She beams at him then turns her full attention to Mace once Plo leaves.

“So.”

“Hi, Master Windu! Can I see your saber? Pretty, please?” Mace sighs and brings his lightsaber out. The sooner she’s satisfied, the faster he can have some peace. He ignites it, the purple sheen illuminating her eager face. She admires it with little coos then pouts when Mace turns it off. That should be enough entertainment.

He stands up from his position, Ahsoka still watching. “Well, Initiate. You saw the lightsaber. Run along now,” he orders, shooing her away with a hand. She nods, still frowning, but her eyes make Mace pause. There’s a brief flash of something predatory, something hungry. He brushes it away. She’s just a kid, after all.

Mace turns around, eager to return to his duties. The little pitter-patter of skips ring from the opposite side of the hallway, and he sighs, relieved. The last time he had to contend with her had been nothing short of a nightmare. Mace swears he’ll never let a youngling take a nap on him again. Just as Mace reaches the end of the corridor, he feels around his belt to adjust his lightsaber.

Except there’s nothing but air. His fingers graze an empty belt. No familiar metallic hilt, no gentle humming from his crystal. He fumbles around, almost frantically, but his lightsaber really isn't there. Which means…

“Ahsoka Tano,” he mutters. Mace turns around to find an empty hallway, no sign of the pesky thief. He curses under his breath and hurries his pace. There aren’t many places she could hide, and when he reaches into the Force, there’s nothing there. Kriff. How can she hide her signature completely? Mace knows she has a lot of potential with the Force but this? Performing an advanced Force technique as a youngling?

He breaks into an almost-sprint and feels the eyes of passersby stray to him. At least the Temple guards have masks. After a few more minutes of searching, there’s still no visible sign. No inkling at all about Ahsoka’s whereabouts. Already, he mourns for his lightsaber. He’ll get it back regardless, but who knows what damage a crazed youngling could do to his precious weapon?

He feels a small nudge in the Force and chases after it. Mace controls his steps then— like a whisper in the wind— he hears a muffled giggle. Mace stops, straining his ears. The giggles remain, and he follows it to a small alcove in the wall. As he nears, he can feel the gentle, comforting presence of his crystal. Almost there…

Ahsoka dashes from the wall and runs at full speed, throwing a toothy grin at him. She grips his lightsaber in her hand, and zaps away. Well, if that’s the game, Mace will play. He can be a damn good hunter after all.

He sprints after her, arms pumping at his sides. He’s faster than her, but she’s much too agile and flexible for him. She dashes between random people, jumps over stairs, slides under benches. It would be too much for anyone else, but Mace is not some random Jedi. No, he’s the Master of the whole Order. A Togruta child is no match for him.

Ahsoka leads him into a public, outdoor area, scores of Jedi milling about enjoying their day. Most stop to see the commotion then freeze at the sight. Mace pays them no mind. Ahsoka darts in between stray obstacles, and Mace admires her strategic chase. She’s clearly using her strengths to her advantage, utilizing the Force to quicken her reflexes and distracting him. Ahsoka even howls in glee and taunts him, sticking a tongue out at one point. Of course, he can see her vulnerabilities and weak spots; his shatterpoint ability shows him all. A gentle Force push, and she’d trip with enough momentum to release his lightsaber. There are multiple ways to get it back. As Mace mulls over his next decision, Ahsoka runs.  

Mace lets her. If he were to go full speed, she would be no match for him. He sweats, not because he’s tired, but because the sun is out. Besides, the exercise is enjoyable, possibly even fun. He hasn’t run like this in a long time. Mace spies Ki-Adi Mundi up ahead and slows a bit. “Stop her, Mundi,” he barks. “She has my saber.”

Ki-Adi looks at him with pity and shakes his head. He hears Ahsoka giggle. “Sorry, Master Windu. There’s nothing I can do.” Next to Ki-Adi, Saesee chuckles. Amazng. Mace loves his loyal Council members.

No matter, Mace continues his chase. Ahsoka leads him back into a mostly empty hallway. Her steps slow, and her breathing grows heavier. Mace admits that he’s a tad more tired than before. Without warning, she halts, and Mace almost careens into her.

She turns, grinning, and hands him his lightsaber without hesitation. He takes it and doesn’t know whether to scold her or walk away and spare himself more interaction with the girl. Before he can decide, Ahsoka hugs his legs.

“Thanks, Master Windu,” she says, her voice muffled against his robes.

“What-”

“For playing tag. I love tag! You’re good. Like Master Plo.” Mace shoves the image of Plo running away from Ahsoka out of his mind and thinks instead about the situation. They were playing tag . Stealing his lightsaber was a ruse, a manipulation technique. He feels tricked. Deceived. A pawn in Ahsoka Tano’s game. The idea is jarring, and he’ll never admit it. So he sucks it up and regains his composure.

“Yes, I’m very good at tag. I was the best in my clan,” he says then pauses. He didn’t lie, but it’s been quite a while since he thought about his clan mates. Mace always beat Qui-Gon in races (the other was more content to sit in the dirt), and his only real competition had been Eeth, and the man was a Zabrak for Force sake. His childhood feels so far away now, a distant memory.

“Really? That’s cool,” Ahsoka says, breaking away. She holds her arms up in a universal sign of “hug” but Mace knows the truth; he’s seen Plo do this many times before. Sighing, he picks the girl up in his arms, and she curls into his chest. The top of one of her montrals almost stabs his eye, and he stomps down a flare of annoyance.

“Tired,” she says, snuggling deeper into the embrace. Mace rolls his eyes, and begins walking towards the crèche. He can see her in the Force now, and reaches out. Mace senses a calming tiredness and an overwhelming amount of satisfaction. Well.

“Next time, don’t steal my lightsaber,” he scolds with the same voice he uses to scare Knights. While they cower, she simply hums.

“Next time? More tag?” She asks, pulling back from his chest and looking up. Mace didn’t intend to insinuate another game of tag, but she looks so damn hopeful that he sighs.

“If I’m not busy, then we can maybe play tag again. Is that clear, Initiate Tano?” She nods with a toothy grin. Mace can’t deny that she’s adorable. Adorably scary. Ahsoka doesn’t say anything more, content to cuddle against Mace. He hasn’t hugged someone like this in a long time.

Mace thinks of Depa and how she was probably the last person to hug him. He remembers how young she was when he rescued her from pirates. When he took her on as his Padawan. Now, she’s a capable Master with a seat on the Council. He feels a lot of pride when he looks at her and hears of her achievements. While he contributed greatly to her learning, Depa’s success is entirely her own.

Sometimes, he acknowledges that he misses her. He shouldn’t; attachments are forbidden. But- he’ll always see Depa as a daughter even if it’s wrong. There’s a large part of him that’s empty, that’s stayed empty since she passed her Trials and became a Knight. Now, they barely see each other outside the Council meetings. She’s a busy person and has only taken on more dangerous missions as a Master. Depa will do great things in her career (has done great things), but he worries about her nonetheless. She walks the Light and Dark like him, yet there’s always the temptation of Falling. Mace will never surrender himself to darkness, but the same can’t be said of Depa.

He’s scared that if she Falls, it will be because of him. That it’ll be his fault because he taught her Vaapad; he showed her the temptation first.

Mace shoves that thought out. Depa will never Turn if Mace has any say in the matter. Never. He nears the crèche, arms still cradling the girl. Ahsoka fell asleep a while ago, her little snores muffled into his robes. The situation reminds him of when he found her sleeping atop Plo in the Room of a Thousand Fountains.

As he enters the crèche, the other younglings turn to him with awe, a tinge of fear, and a lot of confusion. He gently lays Ahsoka down, careful with her lekku and montrals. She holds a hand out, reaching for him, then drops it to her chest. When he looks at her, he sees Plo’s reflection. For a while, Mace considered confronting Plo about his attachment. Attachments lead to obsession and fear and the Dark Side. But Plo’s relationship with Ahsoka is so pure and full of Light that he never bothered with the conversation. Already, the pair have the makings of an incredible bond that could last decades. The Force sings whenever they’re together.

When he sees Plo and Ahsoka hugging, Mace thinks of Depa and himself.

Mace tucks Ahsoka in, not bothering to acknowledge the many eyes following his every action. Against his better judgement, he rubs a gentle hand along the side of her face, and she nuzzles into it. He whispers a small goodbye, projecting a wave of calm through the Force. As he leaves the crèche, Mace decides to contact Depa soon. And Eeth. And Qui-Gon. Not for official Jedi business but as family.

After all, attachments are forbidden but love is not.

a/n:  Yoda totally wasn’t the one leading Ahsoka to Mace and also never hid Ahoska’s force signature. Nope ;) I know Shaak wasn’t on the council during/ before Phantom Menace, but I wanted another Togruta there for some representation. Also there isn’t as much cute Ahsoka stuff but she’s the cutest when with Plo and a terror with everyone else so…