#no i'm not one of those people who think the jedi were bad and deserved to be eradicated but they clearly needed some checks and balances

[des8pudels8kern]

If I were to write a Star Wars fic (which I won’t, as working full-time does not leave me with enough mental energy to be properly actively fannish), it’d be an epic AU where Obi-Wan also falls down the shaft at the climax of his fight with Maul, is presumed dead, and then pops up during the Clone Wars as a mysterious agent of chaos whose initial goal is just to rattle and provoke the Jedi into shedding at least a bit of their apathy disguised as serenity and their superiority complex (so, Obi-Wan choosing to help an entire planet of children caught in a horrific war was bad and aggressive, deserving of first repudiation and then probation, but when Knights and Masters order enslaved sentients into battle it’s duty and necessary to uphold the values of the Republic and thus Order?). He’s bitter, he’s angry, and he wants to destroy the Order. Well, the Order as it is. All talk, so little regard for actual decency, and no infrastructure in place to protect the children under their care.

There’d be a semi-humorous scene where Cody (who is... compromised, okay, he knows it, but this evil fallen force user is just different from the other evil fallen force users, okay) comes across Obi-Wan, bleeding from a fresh gash on his head (”What happened to you? - Oh, nothing, dear one; I just tripped.”) one eye clenched shut where the blood is dribbling down, yada yada, they do their usual song and dance about no, you question your allegiance and join my side, and then.

What’s that?

Cody bends down and picks up the thing that’s caught his attention. It’s round, and not quite flat, and ye--- yellow. He narrows his eyes at the infuriating pain in the ass in front of him.

“Tripped, huh? Deliberately, I assume?”

The man’s gaze flits down to the coloured lens balancing on Cody’s finger now, the exact same shade as his one open eye.

“When you arrived, the light of your presence overwhelmed me and caused me to falter. It can be quite challenging when one has delved as far into the dark as I have,” the fucker tries to lie to Cody’s face, voice as serene as the calmest of Jedi Generals fresh out of meditation, and maybe Cody needs to reconsider how trustworthy anything spoken in that tone really is.

Cody throws the lens at him, and the offending item manages to land on his chest, where blood has soaked into the shirt, and sticks to the fabric, staring at him accusingly.

“What kind of nerf-brained idiot fakes being a Sith? The entire Order is after you!”

The nerf-brain winces, then sighs and droops. He rubs a hand through his suddenly tired-looking face. The blood from his apparently actually self-inflicted head-wound that was meant to disguise the missing lens is smeared all over his cheek now, which looks ridiculous and is somewhat worrisome because Cody is used to bloodshed and knows that it’s usually not a good sign when people forget that they are bleeding. It does match the bone-deep exhaustion etched in the other man’s features, though, now that his mask of flirtatious nonchalance has dropped.

“In my defence, I honestly did not expect it to go this far.” He spreads his hands and pulls a somewhat forced-looking version of his usual boyish grin. “I assumed I would get in two, maybe three strikes before the Order went on alert and I got caught. When they didn’t, I decided to... provide further motivation.”

His right eye is grey-blue, as fathomlessly deep as the waters of Kamino, and Cody wonders what can drive a man to pretend to be evil incarnate to catch the attention of an organisation of essentially super-powered sentients in the middle of a war.

Another trickle of blood from the absolutely needless head wound snakes its way down the side of the man’s face, making it clear that, whatever his motivation might be it’s not a healthy sense of self-preservation.

Maybe Cody can get him to take out the other lens, too, so he can check his eyes for signs of a concussion.

And get a closer look at the colour.

...At least now he’s not compromised by a Sith anymore?

#not!fic #star wars #obi wan kenobi #commander cody #codywan #no i'm not one of those people who think the jedi were bad and deserved to be eradicated but they clearly needed some checks and balances #there are more than enough highly worrying events in obi-wan's backstory #and tbh anakin clearly would have benefitted from more mental health resources #ah i miss writing #can't i just win the lottery? #fake sith obi wan

[thehollowprince]

I've already said before how much I can't stand Screenrant, and yet I fall for this clickbaiting rage bait every time I see it among my Google recommendations. Seriously... every time.

And I don't make posts like this because I think it's going to change the minds of anyone who irrationally hates the Jedi because someone in the fandom convinced them too by using guiding terminology. No, I make posts like this so that when someone goes looking, they'll find opinions that differ from what's popular, as well as using facts from the source material to back up those opinions.

So we're just going to go through this, point by point, and highlight the flaws in this "argument."

The only question I have for this is Why?

Why would an organization dedicated to defending peace and justice throughout the galaxy not have a base of operations? This is a question I'll repeat later on for one of these other "points," but it just bears repeating. How is the populace of the galaxy supposed to reach out to these new Jedi for help if they can't find them?

And while it sounds nice on the surface to travel the galaxy and train padawans as she goes, it's totally impractical, considering she's the ONLY Jedi doing this. Like, do you have any idea how long it would take to train new Jedi this way?

Like, I'm all for Jedi traveling the galaxy to bring peace and all that, but to do that, you have to have Jedi to travel.

I know this point has been talked about repeatedly, but let's once again hash this out.

The Jedi did not forbid relationships!

Relationships happen all the time, from romantic to familial to friendship. The Jedi frowned upon attachment. And before anyone hops on this post or jumps into my inbox, please look up the philosophy of nonattachment as it pertains to Buddhism and Eastern Philosophy.

Also, look up the difference between an attachment and a connection.

A Jedi's whole purpose was to put the needs of others first. That's their whole schtick. And if a Jedi couldn't put their commitment to the Order and the Republic above their own wants and desires, they were always free to leave. There are plenty of other Force-based groups in the Galaxy that didn't frown upon attachment or relationships. I don't understand why so many people think that the Jedi should have to change their entire philosophy to account for a few selfish individuals.

Go back and read the books and comics from over the years. With very few exceptions, every time a Jedi tried to have their cake and eat it too, they fell to the Dark Side. So Rey's Order actively encouraging relationships (because that's what Fandom is about anymore) is just going to continue the cycle of the Jedi Order falling because "how dare this ancient organization follow its rules and not throw out their entire philosophy" and thus starting the cycle all over again.

Yes, because having multitude of voices with differing opinions and viewpoints is bad. They should all just do their own thing, Lone Ranger style, regardless of how such chaos defeats the entire purpose of the Jedi.

Side note: what movies was this author watching where they came up with the idea that the Jedi Council thought they owned the Force?

The ranking system was there for a reason.

Can you imagine a new initiate coming to Rey and saying, "Hey, I know I've only been training here for two weeks, but I deserve to look at that Sith holocron because I'm a Jedi and we're all equal members with no rank."

You want them to be vigilantes.

Just say you want them to be vigilantes.

The entire point of the Jedi being such a prominent part of the Republic was to avoid bias in justice. We've seen how Senators and politicians and law enforcement could be bought off, but that wasn't the case for the Jedi. They were impartial peacekeepers and their place within the Republic was a vital part of that.

To me, this feels like the author wanted the Jedi to say, "Since you're mean to us, we're not going to help you," which is the complete antithesis of what the Jedi stand for.

"I'm sorry, ma'am. I know your toddler is Force-sensitive, and your house falls apart every time they have a temper tantrum, but I can't help you. We don't offer training until they're older and have already caused massive damage. Best of luck."

Yes, absolutely. Because the defenders of peace and justice throughout the galaxy who should strive to remain calm and keep a level head in the heat of the moment should have LESS training. We just want cops with lightsabers, right?

The Jedi did not join the Republic as a military unit. All the times they acted as military commanders throughout their history was at the insistence of the Republic. Hell, they were drafted to lead the clone armies during the Clone Wars.

The Clone Wars, which I'd like to remind everyone, were orchestrated by several Sith Lords over the span of a decade, after decades more of destabilizing the galaxy. The Jedi specifically tried to stop the Clone Wars from happening, but the deck was stacked against them.

All of this blame on the Jedi for the failures of the Senate and the direct machinations of a Sith Lord who chested his way to the highest office of the Republic.

I highly recommend these people look up what George Lucas has to say about the Jedi and the Force. He specifically says that the Dark-Side is unbalance.

I'd also like to point out that the first mention of "the Light Side" was in The Force Awakens. There is no mention of "the Light" in the Original Trilogy or the Prequels. The "Light" is the balance.

This has been discussed multiple times by multiple people, but apparently it bears repeating.

When did they not "pay attention" to Force visions?

Because in both Attack of the Clones and Revenge of the Sith, when Anakin has dreams about his mother and Padme, respectively, he doesn't tell Obi-Wan or Yoda the full extent of them. If he had told Obi-Wan what his dreams were about, they probably would have gone to save Shmi. And it was Anakin's own actions that led to Padme's death, the very thing he'd been dreaming about.

Hell, even when Luke had his Force vision in Empire Strikes back, if he'd heeded Yoda and been more cautious, he wouldn't have lost his hand. I want to remind people that when Luke showed up, Han Solo was already frozen in Carbonite, and Lando was able to save the others without the Jedi. All Luke being there accomplished was him receiving an ass-whoopin' and the revelation that he was Darth Vadar's son.

I don't know why people are so dedicated to trying to smear the Jedi at any and every opportunity, but it's getting boring. Especially when all one needs to do to refute these claims is to just watch the movies.

Like I said in my earlier post, this author wants Rey to create an entirely new organization and just slap the name Jedi on it for branding rights.

#i hate screenrant #in defense of the jedi #pro jedi

[antianakin]

MY STANCES ON CONTROVERSIAL CHARACTERS ARE AS FOLLOWS

Anakin Skywalker: This one's fairly obvious, but I'm one of the people who doesn't see Anakin as redeemed by the end of ROTJ just because he saved one person he personally gives a damn about. My definition of redemption is about atoning and making amends, and Anakin has no possible way of actually DOING THAT for most of the things he's done, so there's no real way of acquiring redemption. He can be a better person, he can be forgiven by individual people for things he's done to them, he can keep choosing to be selfless instead of selfish, but none of that necessarily means he has to be considered redeemed. If you think he's redeemed at the end of ROTJ and that's what brings you joy in your interpretation of the story, great, I honestly don't care. But if you choose to come into my notes and get mad at me because I don't think the space fascist is redeemed just because he decides to save his own son, you will now be blocked on sight, I'm done having that conversation with people.

The Jedi As A Whole: Wonderful people with a beautiful culture that never did a single thing to deserve what was done to them. They were not corrupt, they didn't need to reform their culture in a single way. There was nothing more they could've done for Anakin or the Republic that would've stopped what happened. They don't steal children, they adopt them from parents who choose to let their children lead a better life, and become part of the large extended Jedi family. They are intergalactic therapists whose literal way of life IS therapy for those who choose to follow it. They were outplayed, but they did everything they could've possibly done. Sometimes, it is possible to commit no mistakes, and still lose. That is not a weakness. That is life. (Side note here: This is an incredibly pro Jedi blog, if you come on my blog and criticize the Jedi in any way, you will be immediately blocked, I am so done with this fandom's anti-Jedi sentiments, consider this your warning.)

Padme Amidala: Deserved better from the Prequels, has such potential and promise and I want so dearly to save her from her toxic ass marriage to a fascist MAGA manchild, but damn am I glad Luke and Leia didn't have to grow up with her as a mother some days.

Bo-Katan Kryze: I wish I could like her, but the writers are making it SO HARD. They don't seem to ever remember that she gleefully set an entire village on fire because they dared ask for their enslaved people back and to not be occupied anymore, but I do.

Satine Kryze: I wish I could like her, but I don't have enough nostalgia for her to overlook how bad the writing is for her. She treats Obi-Wan like garbage, brings out the worst in him, acts very arrogantly about just about everything and never has to take responsibility for her own mistakes so she gets to die a martyr.

Aleksander Kallus: Literally has to have his ENTIRE BACKSTORY retconned so he can be "redeemed" within the span of one episode. Also manages to "All Lives Matter" Zeb into thinking that judging Imperials for their fascist choices is the same as judging an ENTIRE SPECIES on the actions of one individual who was acting in self-defense anyway. Stop saying he's got the best redemption arc in Star Wars, it sucks fucking ass and he's not a fucking Fulcrum, he just stole the title from Ahsoka and didn't earn it and he was a shit spy anyway.

Crosshair: Bigoted dickhead who treats everyone like complete crap and then goes full fascist as a punishment for the world when no one wants to risk their lives to save him. His redemption arc was completely half-assed and he should've had to do a LOT more to gain people's forgiveness and absolutely no one should've been forced to apologize to HIM.

Bode Akuna: Basically just Anakin lite and we all know how I feel about Anakin. No sob story justifies anything he's done and I didn't find him all that interesting or sympathetic, personally.

Rafa and Trace Martez: I actually loved them, I thought they had an interesting relationship with each other and with Ahsoka, I appreciated how different they felt and the arc Ahsoka goes on with them. I don't mind that they used them to showcase the rising anti-Jedi sentiment among the citizens of Coruscant, I just wish their opinions hadn't been presented as though they were right. I love that we see they've joined a rebellion of sorts post-Order 66 and I wish we'd gotten to see more of Trace, Rafa, and Rex working together rather than the absolute trashfire that we're actually getting on TBB.

Ahsoka Tano: Relationship status: It's complicated. I DO like her, generally, but I REALLY dislike the way she's constantly written in later stuff to be better than everyone else and to have basically zero flaws so that she can end up like a messiah or a goddess of light reborn or something. It's boring, it's annoying, and it just isn't any good. I particularly don't care for how she consistently gets utilized to bash the Jedi Order and absolve Anakin for all of his sins. Ahsoka deserves better, but I'm also immensely frustrated with where her story's taken her and the way fandom tends to treat her. We also just straight-up need more main female Jedi characters and as long as Ahsoka's around it feels like it'll never happen. She's completely irrelevant to the story overall and I'm annoyed at how much Felony is trying to make her more significant than she is instead of just letting her stand on her own for once.

Sabine Wren: I love the Rebels version of her, but the Ahsoka show version sucks. I have decided it simply does not exist for Sabine. That isn't the real Sabine and it never will be. That's not Sabine's story, the real Sabine would never try to be a Jedi because quite simply she doesn't NEED to be. And the real Sabine would NEVER disrespect Ezra's sacrifice by undoing it and then leaving him to deal with the fallout. It's stupid, it's ugly, and Sabine deserved better.

Hera Syndulla: Much like Sabine, I love the Rebels version of her, but the Ahsoka version sucks. The Ahsoka version deserves to be kicked out of the army or whatever, she's a terrible mother and an even worse General and quite honestly not that great of a friend. The real Hera would NEVER act like orders didn't matter just because she doesn't like them or refuse to see the logic in letting go of Ezra after he's been missing for 10 years so that those resources can go to people who they can confirm are still alive.

Shin Hati: She's so so so boring. She has the personality of cardboard, it basically consists of "crazy eyes" and that's about it. She is pretty literally just Darth Maul but a girl. Like every single part of her character so far is indistinguishable from Maul aside from the cosmetic stuff. I hope she dies in season 2 and never gets a redemption arc. I'd say Sabine deserves better, but honestly Ahsoka!Sabine deserves her.

Grey Jedi: Stop trying to make fetch happen. It's not going to happen. Let Grey Jedi stay in fanon where it belongs, none of your faves are Grey Jedi in canon and they never will be.

#anti anakin #anti anakin skywalker #anakin critical #anakin skywalker critical #padme critical #padme amidala critical #anti padme #anti padme amidala #satine critical #satine kryze critical #anti satine #anti satine kryze #obitine critical #anti obitine #anti anidala #anidala critical #bo-katan kryze critical #bo-katan critical #anti bo-katan #anti bo-katan kryze #crosshair critical #anti crosshair #anti shin #anti shin hati

[jedi-enthusiast]

Me? Making another Hazbin post on my Star Wars blog? It's more likely than you think.

Tbh I'm probably just gonna post all my fandom stuff on this blog instead of limiting myself to having to post on separate blogs, which means I may or may not change my username, but anyways-

Getting back to the point, I can't believe I'm actually going to make a post defending people for liking Valentino, of all people, and also---apparently---Stanakins and anti-Jedi people, but here I am and here I go!

JUST LET PEOPLE LIKE VILLAINS, FOR FUCK'S SAKE!!!

I just got on TikTok- (which, yeah, always hosts the most rancid discourse, so I'm not exactly surprised) -to see that someone made a video basically saying- "if you like Valentino at all and don't just hate him, then you're bad/crazy/a horrible person/etc." -and like...y'all have got to get past this whole- "liking this fictional thing = excusing it irl" -because it's really fucking weird and it can lead to some very bad places.

This actually ties into two of my Star Wars posts, the one where I explain why I call out most anti-Jedi arguments as antisemitic and the one where I explain why you don't have to justify a villains actions to like them- (I can't find that post, it's too far back on my blog 😭).

-----

For the first one, the overall point of it was that I'm not saying that people who hate the Jedi are horrible people, or that liking someone like Anakin or Dooku or Palpatine makes you a terrible person, but that, firstly, yeah I'm gonna defend the Jedi and get passionate about it when someone comes onto my blog to argue with me about how "they were the REAL bad guys" but also---and what actually pertains to this post---that people are allowed to hate the Jedi and love the villains, so long as they're not perpetuating harmful bigoted rhetoric.

People want to hate the Jedi? People think they were arrogant and should've let people get married? People think they were emotionally stunted and "didn't let people love?"

Fine, whatever, if those ideas make you enjoy Star Wars more, then believe whatever you want!

People say that the Jedi- (who again, are based on Jewish and Buddhist culture) -"deserved their genocide?" People say that they "kidnapped kids?" People say that they "needed to be wiped out by Anakin because they had lost their way" and other such things that are literally taken verbatim from antisemitism 101?

That's where I take issue, because then you're just perpetuating bigoted beliefs about a culture based on the culture those beliefs are literally used against, only it's acceptable because it's popular to do so.

In that post I used the example of the difference between shipping a problematic ship, calling a fictional serial killer "babygirl," and writing about dark topics vs. the "angry black man" stereotype and the "cheating bisexual" stereotype. Something that doesn't cause harm vs. something that does cause harm.

-----

For the second, my point was mainly that people are just allowed to like villains and they shouldn't be judged for that, and the characters shouldn't be changed- (whether in the actual media or in fandom) -to make them "actually a good person" so that fandom purists find it "acceptable" for people to like them.

People don't have to "justify" liking a villain or only like the good palatable characters, and it's ridiculous to expect them to do so.

If someone likes Anakin? Likes Dooku? Maul? Palpatine? Tarkin? Thrawn?

Cool! Great! I'm glad they've found characters that they enjoy and find interesting, that's part of what makes being apart of fandom so fun! And they don't have to justify those characters' actions, just to be "allowed" to like them.

The Jedi don't have to be "the REAL bad guys," the Rebels and Republic don't have to be "just as bad," the Empire doesn't have to be good...people are, in fact, just allowed to like the bad guys and that doesn't make them terrible people.

-----

So yeah, my point here?

Is Valentino an abuser? A manipulative, toxic, asshole? A literal fucking pimp that treats his contractees like shit and takes advantage of them? Is he a heinous person and nothing short of a villain?

Absolutely!

But people are allowed to like his character design, or find his character interesting, or enjoy how he interacts with the other Vees, or whatever people find enjoyable about his character---because liking a fictional character does not equate to excusing their actions.

By all means, if people start saying that Valentino is "a good person actually" or start victim blaming Angel Dust, tear em apart! Have at it!

But, until then, y'all just have to accept that not everyone is going to have the same opinions as you on characters or have "totally pure fandom beliefs." Because perpetuating that sort of purity culture around fandom is how we get people justify villains and victim blaming, because y'all won't just leave people be about liking the bad guys.

Just get over yourselves and don't make me have to explain this shit again, for fuck's sake.

#hazbin hotel #valentino #star wars #fandom wank #fandom meta #fandom

[vetinarivimesy]

Gargh I genuinely wish I liked this show more - I like the returning characters, I loved all the intriguing hints of new lore stuff, aesthetically it looked fantastic... The casting was mostly perfection. I could even (mostly) put aside my increasing annoyance at post-Lucas-Star War's increasingly negative stance on the jedi that seems to be influenced by the fans who were adults when the Prequels/90s films came out who insist that those films were all about how the jedi were evil actually, when... No seriously those films were aimed at 12 year olds how did the very basic genocide is bad actually message fly over their heads so collectively?

​But ye gods I really felt the whole, Filoni's been working on 20 minute episodes his whole career with this one. 

I think the thing that properly tipped me over from, I'm enjoying this show, but it's frequently frustrating, because I am unfortunately a fan with opinions... into no, this thing is just frustrating as the finale rolled to its extremely predictable end that he'd not so much done an Empire ending, as promised, yet again, to answer the questions he'd been posing throughout next time... Only next time is hardly guaranteed, as sadly epitomised by the waste of Ray Stephenson's rather intriguing character - let alone the way both Claudia Black and Wes Chatham were essentially one step above being glorified extras.

Eh I liked Mando S3 and even BoBF I adored Andor and Kenobi - I'm hardly impartial. I even quite like Ahsoka for what it was, rather than allowing my sheer annoyance at what it wasn't get me too enraged at all the George Lucas never implied that moments with his worldbuilding - stated very publicly to be the opposite to Filoni's takes several times.

I loved the new galaxy, the Purrgils, getting to see the Rebels gang again, most of the Baylan and Shin stuff and Claudia Black getting to be a terrifying Nightmother, the Kintsugi troopers, and the extremely blatant Stargate type worldbuilding can I copy your homework stuff. Even Huyang in live action, as frustrating as the constant jedi-negging by proxy was... Ezra was perfect. Love the little crab people and seeing Chopper, as toned down for live action as he was.

But Filoni, Dave, Hat-Man, please, if you're going to do glacial and epic mysteries that end on an Empire style cliffhanger at least give us some reassurance that you have a plan and know how all the plot-threads are going to go? And that your worldbuilding is in fact internally consistent actually and not just based on vibes with some degree of yeah this does have coherence... The occassional utterly incoherent aside, for you to go oh yeah, the New Republic are all fucking terrible actually, as bad as the space nazis actually, moments were not reassuring. And in the hands of a different writer I'd have been fascinated by the Sabine getting the force stuff... But I really sincerely do not trust you with this.

You keep leaving extremely important character and worldbuilding moments off-screen, not even summed up, just stated in a sentence then rapidly glossed over. With excruciating lengths of time given to portentious dialogue and incoherent ramblings about how the jedi deserved their own genocide actually.

No? Too much to ask? One and a half plot-threads proved too much to keep spinning..?

Of which, admittedly James SA Corey/David Abraham/Ty Franck you are not you could barely keep one plot thread going coherently let alone the half-dozen or so they kept spinning all the way through.

Actually, no, you know what. Fuck it. This has annoyed me enough that I am going to go off and watch Wes Chatham not be utterly wasted in a glorified extra role, in a sci-fi series featuring mysterious rings and huge conspiracy theories by corporate and fascistic government powers alike fuelled by greed and capriciousness but above all about humanity overcoming.

At least that one doesn't flanderise its own characters and worldbuilding for the rule of cool, and the at times seemingly glacial (but not actually) very deliberately paced plot actually serves a purpose that comes together into something spectacular.

Its that or Farscape to wash the bad taste out. But that's another property heavy on the evil space fascists who never quite seem to get an in-universe comeuppance.

#ahsoka series #ahsoka spoilers #the expanse #star wars #fandom #fandom salt #every single damned episode of this thing felt like one of the twenty minute animation episodes streeetched out to breaking point #and thats being polite about it #order 66 #genocide mention #stop making the jedi the villains of their own genocide challenge

[blackkatmagic]

I want you to know that it is currently 7.40am and I happily gave up any remaining hope of sleep for the day when I got the notification for Dogma/Agen. Having read it, my eyes burn, my body feels like it might keel over any minute and I have to go to work in an hour. Zero regrets.

The fic is AMAZING. Like, I feel that way about all the stories I read from you, but this one. This one hit so many points. The pairing. They are so good, so perfect for each other. The parallels between how they see the world and how others see them make me want to cry.

Dogma deserves all the hugs, warm blankets, sunrises and Sex. Also: all the warm gazes go to him please. Him being so raw from being seen as a person - as somone worth saving, ad not just a clone, but as him, Dogma, with all the things people dont like about him being seen but not being condemned for it, but rather accepted, treasured even! Just. There are no words.

The smut was beautiful, it was all so raw, so desperate. Them being on the run but taking the time for it, because that intimacy is what is needed, so it is what they do.... perfect.

Dogma hating and blaming the jedi hurts, because it is so understandable. The jedi didn't save them, even though they were supposed to and so they are traitors. And Agen drawing back, once he realizes that... not knowing how to breach the subject that he himself is a jedi, but accepting the blame... my heart.

Every single clone hurts to read or think about. They dont have a choice, the only thing they can do is follow orders and hope that they wont have to suffer for it. But they are still trying to save their humanity, trying to make it as painless as possible for them to do their work and keep as many parts of themselves as they can save.

I love that it is Savage that sympathized with the jedi. And how, after not obviously caring for him, Maul obviously cares and goes after the one who by all appearances killed him, but let's up from it because there is a chance that Savage is still alive. Also, because Agen is the one of the most skilled sword fighters in the Jedis history and it is not an empty title.

Also. Just gotta say. I need that fix it for Kit. For Tan too, but Kit!!! If it were possible, I would wish for him to please be un-tortured and happy. Since that's not possible... blankets. Lots of them. All of them.

I am so utterly delighted you enjoyed it!! Agen/Dogma is on of those ships where their sharp edges all fit together in a way that's just - good, and I'm so happy to finally write them. Especially like this, in this sort of AU, where everything is hard and bad but they're both doing what they can to make the right choices.

Kit definitely will get a fix-it! And Tan will feature into it as well, and Rex too. I'm considering doing one for Savage as well, since he definitely deserved better.

#kat answers

[flopsy-art]

i am having much 309th brainrot and would love to hear some fun (or not so fun) facts about them i love them all so much

Oop welcome to the brainrot! I have alot of stuff about them cause they take up brain space

Most of the ✨content✨ is in the 309th tag. We got a couple fics and all my art :3

I'm gonna rant about Okuzy cause I love him.

Okuzy is quite a bad Jedi (lol). He falls in love easily and doesn't handle loss well. He originally wanted to become a medic but found he had major fainting issues whenever he saw blood and essentially gave up his dream. His master Sajnálja (shy-nay-a) saw something in his future and decided to take him on as a padawan learner. Yoda saw something similar in Okuzy's future but did not want him to gain any power from continued training. He urged Sajnálja to not take him as a padawan (and later to not knight him) but she refused. Okuzy is about the same age as Obi-Wan but is knighted much later than Kenobi is. (I imagine they're friends and at one point he meets Anakin and Kenobi and all Anakin has to say about Okuzy is "master, that person is strange" and Obi-Wan just has to sigh and be like "yes, my young Padawan. He is.")

Okuzy is knighted a few days before the first battle of Geonosis. This battle is where his master dies. He does not handle her loss well (despite his best efforts to bottle up his grief) and this causes the council to dislike him further. Eventually he is enlisted in the war effort but the council only give him Jedi Commander rank (a rank usually reserved for padawans) and placed in charge of the 309th. The 309th is a smaller reserve battlation filled with mostly older clones deemed 'defective' for one reason or another. They have no colour and only have 3 companies instead of the usual 4. Here he meets Sap. An overtly emotional and mildly disliked clone who changes his life.

Here's a fun little bit:

---

'but I know nothing of command, masters. How shall I hope to lead these troops with the capability they deserve, with the ingenuity we need to win this war?'

"Avoided this long enough, you have. You shall only be a commander, not a general. Which may ease your mind, Knight Zishral. Trust in the force."

'I will. I do. May the force be with you."

In all of the twenty eight years Okuzy Zishral had been alive, he had always thought he was meant for something else. Sure, the force provided. It flowed through his mindscape, an itch impossible to ignore. It was a part of him, as much as his marigold stiped montrals or his tendency for attachment. There was never a more omni-present sense of that lingering doubt in his life's voyage than when he was assigned military duty. Stationed on a cold, massive (apparently it was one of the smaller battalion war vessels, Okuzy could barely believe it) ship called 'Incredulity' that stank of inhumanity and disconnect. He did not know how to make it home. What was worse, maybe, than the open hallways and the slowly receading parts of his soul, were the troopers. All so different and wonderful. People that flowed through the living force in bright colours from pinks like a sunset sky to the ever present green-gray of herol tree bark. But they turned stoic and solid at his approach, introduced themselves with numbers and ranks and apologies for delay. It was mildy insane, he thought. To be regarded by people, who in all means where stronger and smarter than he was. Most Jedi in the temple halls barely gave him notice, or if they did it was with a mild scowl.

A muffled "Sir?" threw him from his stupor and he looked up to see more of those white plated helmets. He sunk his fingers into the hilt of his lightsaber and tried not to think too much about why.

"Excuse my impropriety," he said, glancing at the nearest helmet. It had a scuff of light blue just along the top dome. "I was lost in thought. Would you repeat the last of the conversation for me please?"

"Sir," the closest nodded. "The commander has arrived shipside and is waiting for you on the bridge, sir. He told me to fetch you, since you have not yet received a commlink."

Ah. A commlink.

"Very well. Thankyou for informing me, take care," and then he was down the hall. Clenching and unclenching his hand like his life depended on it. He tucked his fingers together, hid them in his sleeves and breathed

---

Okuzy and Sap do survive order 66. However the lead up and follow through on that is quite horrible (Sap looses his leg to an infection and Okuzy temporarily looses his connection to the force.) During the empires reign they work as underground medics, Okuzy using his healing abilities to calm and Sap doing the more practical field medicine.

I have more omg I could talk about each individual clone for hours, thankyou for your interest ehehhehe 😖😌💕😀😁😘

#309th battalion #i love them so much you shouldnt have gotten me started #starwars

[djemsostylist]

No. What happened to Jacen was NOT better than Kylo Ren. Comparing the two is comparing the Titanic to the Hindenburg. Both are disasters. And Kylo at least had the advantage of being an original character whose fall to the Dark Side was there from day 1 as opposed to genuine character assassination.

Yeah alright, I'll give you this one. I actually went back to read my original post and was like "Damn Djem, you really said Kylo was worse?" because you are 100% right. I still have absolutely NO idea what they were thinking with Jacen's entire arc--character assassination is the perfect way to put it. Taking the Jacen Solo who went through the Vong War, especially with the way he ended a truly beautiful character arc, and then doing...that. Honestly, everything from his daughter (who legit made zero sense) to him becoming a GA officer to a sith--god, it was just so BAD. Although, to be fair, anything post NJO was just awful. Character assassination abounds. Having Jaina have to go learn how to fight from a fucking Mandalorian--she literally accidentally killed Tsavong Lah, I don't think she needs any assistance in the "how to kill people" department. And having her not be a pilot anymore, but just like, a random Jedi?? And I'm not even gonna touch the shit they pulled with Jag (although I'll grant you that is probably not high on anyone's priority list). Tbh the only thing worth reading post NJO is the Legacy comics about the Fel Empire--those were fantastic start to finish, and honestly did a better job with the Solo family legacy than any of the crap the books were churning out. It was straight up garbage, and deserved to be treated as such.

Disney is trash, but in a different way. Disney is trash in an uninspired, boring, corporate trash kind of way. Post NJO was just incompetence combined with shitty teamwork and bad authors (Karen Traviss was a fucking joke, lbr.) I still don't know wtf Troy Denning was smoking for the bug trilogy either. It was just...bad.

#star wars #solo children #jaina solo #jacen solo #mea culpa #anyway read old Bantam and then anything up to the Vong War and it's aces #and i will defend it to my dying day #post NJO Del Rey shit is just...shit

[separatist-apologist]

i'm still mad about how john boyega and kelly marie tran got so much hate and that disney did nothing about it. they literally threw them to the wolves. finn's character was done so dirty and he had so much wasted potential. i just can't get over how much finn was shafted in these movies, from a promising start to being another jedi to being a side character doing nothing but screaming "REY!!!" also, the fact that kmt was completely sidelined in tros and had like 2 minutes of screentime.

John Boyega was right when he called out Disney and those same fans who spent half a decade saying the most vile, hateful shit turned around and called him ungrateful. Ungrateful for WHAT? For having to tolerate easily the worst fans in existence, for not being happy with the verbal abuse from adults who will never realize nothing can touch the magic these movies held for them as children BECAUSE you saw them as children?

And the whole thing with Rose. People were mad at her for *squints at notes* being the victim of a bad script and being a WOC who thought she deserved space in what a lot of men believe is a franchise only for them.

Adam Driver escaped all the criticism of these films and people LOVE to say it's because he's a good actor instead of using their brains. What do Kelly, Daisy, Oscar and John all have in common, pals? And I'm not saying he's NOT a good actor, but he got a total pass while Daisy and Kelly were bullied off the internet and John faced endless racism the studio turned a blind eye to. Kylo's arc was just as obnoxiously awful and while I don't think Ben should have lived (it's the genocide for me. I know people wanted Bendemption but he was headed for a republic work camp after the Hosnian disaster), .6 seconds of his on screen redemption before death was cheap and yet no one was mad at Adam for it.

But Rose rescues Finn from death on Crait and we all need to personally punish Kelly for it.

OK

#obviously not all sw fans #but TOO MANY #Are overtly racist #proudly racist #and too few call it what it is

[the-blackest-spider]

The Angst Meme

Accepting | Open

@agentjjkelly left a message:

👿: What are your muse(s)’ fatal flaws? Any wishlists to do with them?

😁: So, the muse(s)… do they deserve the angst?

👿:

One of Natasha's fatal flaws is her believing she's expendable.

In the MCU/Marvel this belief comes from the Red Room and the fact all Red Room operatives were treated as weapons, and weapons could be replaced, they could be remade, and they could be fixed if damaged. She learned from an early age that her life was not her own, it belonged to the Red Room, to Mother Russia. In some ways, she did unlearn this, at least to the extreme, but she still believed she owed SHIELD, Nick Fury, Clint Barton, and the other Avengers, to name a few, that she would easily, and gladly lay her life down for and ultimately did end up doing, for the entire universe.

Natasha's fear of losing the people she cares about is also a fatal flaw, which works in tandem with her belief of being expendable. She lost so much in her life already that the sheer idea of losing anyone else, anything else important to her or that matters is unbearable. It's why she made the sacrifice she did, and she would do it again, however many times necessary to ensure that what needs to be protected is.

These beliefs also extend into her Final Fantasy VII Turk verse, where her loss of memories and the work she does for Shinra makes her feel she doesn't have much to lose as far as herself, if something happens to her, it happens, but she refuses to let anything happen to those she's come to care about in that verse. Unfortunately, as with the MCU/Marvel she's had to go through losses that had profound effects on her, the disappearance of her mentor, the Before Crisis incident and that fallout (if I'm writing her post that), and depending on when I'm writing her when she learns the truth about how she came into Shinra's employment, which tends to fall into anything post Dirge of Cerebus.

In her Star Wars verses, this also carries; in her Imperial Assassin verse she lives and exists according to Palpatine's whims, and she's lost a great deal beyond her life not being her own, and in her Outcast Jedi verse, she's lost and trying to find her place in the galaxy, and has nothing to lose if she has to give her life protecting others who cannot protect themselves as a Jedi would do.

On the flip side of her expendability, loyalty, and fear of losing important people to her, is the fact she is willing to do what needs to be done, even if it kills a part of her to do it. I also feel like this is a fatal flaw, her being so dedicated to doing what she feels is right, even if it means having to take down someone she cares about because they've given her no other choice. Doing so means she's making herself experience one of her worst fears, and having to deal with the aftermath of what that will do to her.

The ultimate fatal flaw, which is the cornerstone of all of these things is her stubbornness. Being stubborn can be a good thing or a bad one depending, and she's very much about sticking to her principles and her own code of ethics and morals, very stubbornly so. Once she's made her mind up, good luck getting her to change it, and she's deceptive, you won't know she's made the decision she has until she springs it on you, and she will fight to see it through (i.e. Vormir in Endgame).

As for a wishlist? Look I've been dying to do something with Natasha's current situation in the MCU (my Nat's anyways) and have her get killed only to come back to life. Also, more stuff to deal with the truth about her in her FFVII Turk verse, and similar stuff with her Star Wars verses, her doing something to save someone she cares about, but maaaaybe let it end happily somehow. XD

---------------------------

😁:

I'm going to be bluntly honest with this and say yes. Sometimes she absolutely brings the angst on herself tho. It's very rare for Natasha to do anything without thinking it over first, analyzing it, and pretty much going through it with a fine toothed comb, she's known as a master tactician for a reason because she can understand what will get the best, and most needed results in a situation. So, she knows exactly what she's doing, and what the plausible and most likely outcome will be in the end. She can be ten steps ahead of you and you have no idea. For example, in Endgame, when Nebula is talking about Vormir and that Thanos came back with the Soul Stone without Gamora, Natasha instantly clued into what it was going to take to get that stone. So, before she and Clint even talked to Red Skull, she already had her game plan and knew what needed to be done, and what she ultimately needed to do.

But sometimes, no she doesn't deserve the angst. As much as I enjoy angst, I also very much enjoy Natasha getting to be happy and have nice things and be able to hold onto all of that and not have to constantly look over her shoulder to make sure her happiness is safe.

#widow responses #widow ooc (cat speaks) #widowcanon

[gffa]

No, I mean, I know Lucas' opinion on the matter, but Dave Filoni has been quite critical of the CW era Jedi (well, Lucas also once said that the Jedi were corrupted by the war), and I think it shows the most in the 7th season of TCW (which I'm not that big of a fan)

Ah, I see what you mean! I guess, with s7 of TCW, I know Filoni's opinion, I just don't think it actually gets reflected in the work as the Jedi being corrupt and hypocritical because we have the context of the set up and you just kind of can't make them the bad guys when you've already established the trap they're in. The things that get thrown at them in s7 are ones that are even said, in the show, to be unfair, that Ahsoka wants them to say "sucks to be you, I guess, lol" the people of Coruscant who are in danger to help Mandalore instead (despite that we just saw Trace and Rafa as part of those people???), we saw Ahsoka herself walk past slaves and do nothing, which establishes that you need numbers and support for going up against that kind of thing, that we don't even know what Luminara was supposed to do for Rafa, like, was she supposed to be her social worker, too? Etc. For me, I follow Lucas' view because, yes, the Jedi are being dragged into this war and being ripped apart by it, but Lucas also points out that they were drafted, that everyone's going to die and all their morals will be pointless if everyone's dead, so what is it that they're supposed to do here? And season 7 fits well enough with that, especially because this is really close to Revenge of the Sith where the galaxy hates the war enough to blame the Jedi for it and are willing to go, "Yeah, I know they killed the kids, too, but the Jedi kind of deserved it." The people of the galaxy have to believe Palpatine's propaganda in order to get to ROTS. Further, s7 also shows that Ahsoka wanted to go back. The Jedi can't have been the worst or whatever if, once the war stopped putting them in compromising positions, she really, really wanted to be with the Jedi again. Ultimately, s7's not my favorite, I think even setting aside the Jedi stuff, it was really badly paced and favored a little too far towards Filoni's faves, but I see it in context of everything that's come before and everything Lucas has said about the Jedi's philosophies being the way Star Wars and the Force works, so I'm fine with it!

#jedi order #meta

[padawanlost]

Hi! So I've just started to watch the clone wars and I must say just like every single star wars content, it's fun but it also infuriates me. The way the clones are treated is appaling, the fact that nobody cares that they are slaves for the republic and that nobody gives them a choice to fight or not makes my blood boil, every single clone trooper deserves better. The way the show handles some of the episodes as well is what makes me angry cus they had that one episode where one of the troopers was a spy and then when he had that heartbreaking speech about just wanting freedom and to have a choice they framed it as something bad and tried to turn it around and say, he betrayed his brothers so everything he says is automatically bad. I'm conflicted on how to feel about the jedi cus most of them are shown to care about the clones in their divison and not wanting to leave anyone behind and what not but they also are complicit. Anyway, idk where I'm going with this, I'm just really angry about the clones treatment and had to share with someone.

Hi! Don’t worry, I know exactly how you feel.

The clones situation is dire. They are objects, property, not free men. Definitely not citizens. Yet, our heroes do nothing to change their situations because they have ‘bigger worries on their minds’.

And that’s the point.

The fact it makes you uncomfortable is a good. A really good thing because it means you are sensible enough to notice something about the what’s happening is wrong. That some lines are being crossed, shouldn’t have been.

The story being told in ‘Star Wars’ is a classic one. Every few hundred years, the story is retold because we have a tendency to do the same things over and over again. Power corrupts, and when you’re in charge, you start doing things that you think are right, but they’re actually not. – George Lucas

Slavery is wrong. Not ifs, not buts. The same goes for war crimes. The moment you start to think *maybe* some level of enslavement/crime should be allowed it makes you already lost your way.

[The Jedi] sort of persuade people into doing the right thing but their job really isn’t to go around fighting people yet there are now used as generals and they are fighting a war and they are doing something they really weren’t meant to do.They are being corrupted by this war, by being forced to be generals instead of peacemakers. – George Lucas for E! Behind the Scenes - Star Wars Episode III Revenge of the Sith

As George himself has said, the Jedi were being corrupted by the war and the acceptance of a slave army was one of those ‘little evils’ they tolerated in the name of the ‘greater good’ that ended up blowing up horribly in their faces.

As I said, that’s the point. the Jedi Order was being pushed into making horrible decisions, and every time they went along with – out of fear of losing their political influence, out fear of losing the war, out some misguided attempt to save ‘everyone’ – they inadvertently added to the evils of the galaxy, making themselves weaker and Palpatine stronger. It’s not just the clones, it happens during Ahsoka’s trial, it happens when they enforce the Palpatine’s rule to prevent peace negotiations, when they don’t tell the public the truth about what Obi-wan uncovered on Kamino, etc.

“All of these things that are wrapped up in Ahsoka’s story, which ultimately make her realize what the audience realizes. “I love the Jedi Order. They’re very important to me, I’ve always respected them. But there’s something wrong here, and I need to walk away from it to assess it.” It all feeds into Revenge of the Sith when the chancellor says, “The Jedi have just made an attempt on my life.” When you see these four episodes, I think you have a better understanding of how he gets away with all of that, because you see how compromised the Jedi Council is.” Dave Filoni

“In Obi-Wan we really see the Jedi because he is compromised. Obi-Wan doesn’t believe Ahsoka is guilty of these crimes, but he has a very hard time arguing politically that the Jedi Council shouldn’t do what they do to her. He trusts in the Force, which is what they love to say when they don’t know what they’re doing, and they expel her.He can’t argue the logic. He doesn’t like Tarkin’s logic [but he can’t argue] that they can’t try her within the Jedi because the public, which we show in this episode arc, who are losing faith in the Jedi, would cry foul ball. “How can you put her on trial? Of course you’ll find her innocent. She’s a Jedi and you’re a Jedi.” So they expose themselves, and we see how they’re exposed.” Dave Filoni

Again, the treatment of clones bothering you is a good thing because you should be bothered by it. the point here is that ignoring little evils is exactly the sort of behavior that allows bigger evils to thrive.

#ask #anon #sw meta #tcw meta #clone troopers #meta: clones #gffa slavery #txt #jedi order #jedi politics

[tilltheendwilliwrite]

Star-Crossed: Bound by Blood

Chapter Two

Master List / Read on AO3

Previous Chapter

Pairing: Mando/Din Djarin x OFC Baast’Mal

Warnings: I’m making this up as a go, Canon divergent from the series during chapter 13, mild violence

A/N: I make this stuff up as I go along, if I screw something Star Wars-y up, apologies in advance, I didn’t do it on purpose, but I’m new to this Fandom. I will be cross posting this story between AO3 and Tumblr except the smutty bits. Those chapters will only be available to registered users on AO3. (I’m trying something new for people who want to read here on Tumblr, but to also avoid the smut for minors controversy. We’ll see how it goes.)

*I do not have a tag list* Please follow the story on AO3 if you want email updates, or follow @tilltheendwilliwrite-library where I post the new/latest chapters of all my stories.

***

Baast woke to the scent of cooking meat. It made her stomach rumble and mouth salivate but also confused her. There had been no one in her life for many years. There should be no one to cook. Her eyes snapped open, prepared to fight whoever had found her.

Then her eyes fell on Din playing with Grogu, and it all came flooding back. He spoke softly through the modulator, encouraging the boy to float the small silver ball from Din's hand to Grogu's.

When the child succeeded, Din whispered a pleased, "Dank farrik!"

Baast almost purred, watching him with the child. He made an excellent father, and she was of an age to desire a mate, a home, a pride. But a warrior like him deserved someone better than a broken Zentari. It mattered not that her soul cried out whenever he touched her without the barrier of his gloves.

He'd stripped them off yesterday, and she could smell him—the spicy scent of masculine soap blending seamlessly with the musk of a man warm in his beskar. But the underlying scent of Din Djarin was that of the sandy dunes of her homeworld. He smelled of warm winds and dusky plains, of tall grasses whipped by fragrant breezes. 

He smelled like home. 

The stars were cruel indeed to drop her in the lap of the one made for her.

She watched them for a time as he encouraged Grogu. Their bond was strong, too strong if the Jedi were to be believed. Such attachments bred fear for the one they loved, and fear lent itself to the Darkside. 

The idea of Grogu's pure soul becoming tainted made her ache, and though she said she couldn't help them, Baast knew she must. Grogu deserved a chance to grow up on the side of good. 

She sat up, drawing Din's notice, the man turning toward her across the fire. 

"Morning."

Baast wondered at the voice behind the modulator. Would it be deeper? More robust? Would it be even more pleasing than this one that stroked fingers of violent want through her blood?

"Good morning," she murmured, voice husky still with sleep. 

Before she could ask, the canteen he carried on his belt was in his hand. "Drink?"

She nodded, catching it easily when he tossed it to her. "Thank you. I'm not used to morning conversations anymore. Or any conversations in some years."

"You've done well, evading capture until now. Now, the Tribe will help."

"The Tribe," she whispered. "I've been alone for so long." The idea of being part of something was both appealing and terrifying. "I look forward to meeting your Alor."

"She will be glad to meet you. They all will. Everyone will hope-" He cut himself off, busying himself with the lizard cooking over the fire. 

"Mando, they should not hope for what I do not think I can give," she sighed, lifting Grogu to her lap when he shuffled over.

"You don't know for sure you can't bond, Baast. Give it time."

Time was all she had. Life was a long thing for a Zentari alone in the universe. 

Small green hands gently touched her cheeks, causing her to look down at Grogu. He cooed a sweet noise as she gazed into big, dark eyes. They were expressive in their own right, and she felt herself falling, diving once more into his mind. 

The images came fast and furious. Din running, fighting, killing, but almost always alone. 

Baast closed her eyes as pain washed through her for the Mandalorian. "I cannot," she whispered to the child. "It would not be fair."

Grogu frowned at her before squealing loudly. More images filled her mind, these of a man reckless with his safety, one who had little to nothing to live for. 

She gasped and wrenched her face away from his hands, but it didn't stop the flow of ridiculousness. Kriff! The man had a death wish!

When Grogu disappeared from her lap, only then did he release her from his grasp. 

Baast sent the green menace a glare. "That was entirely rude."

He smiled and blew a raspberry. 

"I'm sorry," Din murmured, holding the child away like Grogu was a danger.

She held up her hand, continuing to glare. "Do not apologize for something he did. It sets a poor president. Invading my mind is bad manners, little one. Disregarding another's desires is a step down a dark path. This will not be allowed."

"Dark path?" Din asked. 

"The Jedi and the Sith. One force believes in peace and passivity. The other wants power and are often corrupted by that passionate desire, both use the Force. He has the potential to be extremely powerful, but with that power comes responsibility. It is a razor's edge to walk, one I am not confident I have the skill to help him navigate."

Din straightened, but his shoulders lowered, relaxing his posture. "You'll help him? I didn't want to bring it up, but I'm running out of options."

"Yes," she sighed. "I know of one who may be able to help him, but I do not know if he will come at my call. Where is your covert?" He said nothing, and Baast tilted her head in apology. "That was an improper question. Forgive me."

"Always," he murmured.

She wondered if that would still be true should he learn what Grogu already suspected. "If I am to make contact, it must be from Tatooine."

"Why Tatooine?"

"Because it is the planet we agreed upon." She turned toward the fire and the spit of roasting meat before looking up at Din. "Have you eaten?" 

The movement was subtle, a single negative action.

Baast hummed and reached for the cloth that tied her pants' to her calf and began to unwrap it. 

"What are you doing?"

She ignored him and continued until her pant leg fluttered free. The cloth was only a couple inches wide, but it was long and thick enough to make an adequate blindfold. 

She lifted it to her eyes, only for his hand to shoot out and grab her wrist. It felt odd for him to touch her with the slightly cracked but soft leather of a glove now that she knew the feel of his skin.

"You don't need to do that."

Baast blinked slowly, gaze drifting to his hand before returning to the visor where his eyes would be. "It is not a need but a want. I will do this, Din Djarin, so that you may eat freely with the child and I. This is the Way."

"It is unnecessary."

She unfolded, rising gracefully to stand before him, wrist yet held in his grasp. "When last did you eat?"

He said nothing.

She tilted her head and held out the cloth. "I have not shared a meal with another in many years. I would share this meal with you and Grogu. Allow me to honour your Creed."

There was no sound, no movement beyond what Grogu contributed to the conversation in small burbles of noise. The Mandalorian was still and silent, a hunter in all things.

Baast waited, quiet, calm. After so many years in a cell, the forest gave her peace, but those years had taught her patience. She could wait for eternity for his decision. She had the time, after all.

What went on behind the helmet, she couldn't know, but eventually, he set Grogu down, released her wrist, and took the blindfold. "Turn around."

She did so, pushing her hair back to uncover her ears. "If possible, try not to cover them. The tips are sensitive, and the fabric will feel abrasive."

The cloth came down over her eyes, hooked behind her ears, and crossed at the back of her head. 

"Again," she murmured. "I can still see."

Twice more, the fabric circled before he tied a knot. 

Her senses heightened, hearing, smell, and the sixth sense that had been with her all her life. The Force resonated in every living thing, glowing and pulsing, connecting all of them. She could see it like an orange glow, thin lines and thick, veining out around them. 

"Good?"

"Yes." The heat of the fire warmed her skin, but before she could move, Din took her hand and elbow. 

"Kneel. I'll get you some food."

Baast followed his direction, aware of the bright light that was Grogu coming to her side. He placed his hand on hers, flooding Baast with a gentle apology. She turned her hand over to hold his little claws.

A quiet hiss filled her ears, causing her to turn toward Din. The beskar blocked some of his energy, the Force somehow muted by it. Then he lifted off his helmet. 

It took every effort to restrain herself from gasping. He glowed white, the shining brightness of a sun. Shock left her mute as she tracked the supernova that was this Mandalorian as he set down his helmet and removed the spit from the fire. He pulled off a piece of meat, maybe a leg, she couldn't quite tell, and brought it to her. 

"Here." The deep baritone was like the softest of silk to her senses. 

Baast held out her hands for the meat. His bare fingers grazed her palm as the hot meal hit her flesh, and grease trickled through her fingers. 

"Thank you," she managed to force from a throat gone tight with emotion. 

"It's hot. Be careful."

She stuffed down the aching need to reach out and feel the lips that produced such a voice and smiled crookedly instead. "Too long have you travelled with only Grogu for company."

He chuckled. "Perhaps."

Another wave of needy desire hit her, but Baast fought it off. She would not doom him to a half-life with an unfinished bond.

She ate and made sure he ate once Grogu was fed, asking questions about the child and how they came to be together simply to keep him talking. His voice was a balm to a soul grown used to silence.

When they finally finished their meal, she waited for him to return his helmet and come to release the blindfold. His hands were deft, skilled, and careful not to pull her hair.

Baast blinked to adjust to the quickly blooming daylight, then retied her pant leg as Din smothered the fire. She reached for Grogu and stood, ready to leave. 

"I can carry him."

She tilted her head, already missing the gentle ebb and flow of the Force from him, now encased in all that beskar. "Do you object to me carrying him because you think I am weak or out of principle because he is your foundling?"

"Uh…"

She arched a brow. "Do not underestimate me, Mando. I live because I am jatnese be te jatnese. The best of the best."

"I know what it means," he huffed.

"Then stop being ori'buyce, kih'kovid," she smirked. "I will care for the child as you have cared for me."

"Atin," he muttered. 

She didn't protest because, yes, she was stubborn.

"Fine." She could almost hear a pout in his modulated voice as he turned and marched out of their temporary camp. "And I'm not all helmet," he grumbled, likely thinking she couldn't hear him.

Baast smirked and gave Grogu a wink. "Come along, ad'ika. We weak ones best keep up with the big strong Mandalorian," she teased.

"I will leave you behind."

She grinned at his back. "No, you will not."

***

By the time they reached the Razor Crest, he was sweating in his beskar again, but with the luxury of the fresher within sight, Din didn't let it bother him.

He disarmed the ground defences and lowered the hatch, heading inside to get them underway. He wanted off the planet before anyone else thought to come looking for Baast'mal. 

Hopefully, the Alor would know who to bribe to falsify a new chain code for her. Either that, or there would be an all-out war to eliminate the threat and bounty on her head. Or, she would spend the rest of her life hunted by the Empire.

He hated that thought. Baast was not a creature who should spend her life hiding. She should be allowed out into the light, a creature of hope and beauty. 

Though he hadn't seen the true colour of her eyes, the rest of her was so mesh'la, when he'd removed his helmet, it had momentarily taken his breath. And without the helmet, her scent had filled his nose like something he'd loved and long forgotten. It was warm, soft, and decadent, all things a Mandalorian put off when he put on the beskar. 

It was getting harder and harder to keep his hands to himself.

She closed the ramp and followed him to the ladder, climbing up with Grogu to slip into the seat back and to his right.

"Once we've left the atmosphere, you're welcome to the fresher, food, whatever you need," he offered, getting them airborne.

"Do I smell?"

He froze. "That wasn't what-"

Her laugher, that throaty purr, cut him off. "It's fine, Mando. An actual fresher after years of lakes and waterfalls will be pleasant."

"Hm. I have to make a stop on Nevarro, then another before we go to Tatooine. Is there anything you need?"

"Clothing. A cloak. And a weapon."

They cleared the planet, and he made the jump into hyperspace before turning around. "What kind?"

"Short sabres or staff will do."

He watched her pet Grogu's ears, gently using those long claws in such a fashion the kid was almost comatose in bliss. She sat with one foot propped on the seat, comfortably leaning on the armrest. He wondered if her skin would begin to lose its sun-kissed nature now that she was off-world.

"How did you learn to fight?" he asked, forcing himself not to think about her skin and how soft it was. 

"Mandalorians are not the only warrior race. Zentari are taught from birth; the rest I learned from the idiots who held me captive. They sought to make me a weapon or a slave, with that came training, but Zentari are not so easily coerced, nor do we forget the slaughter of thousands. I am no weak-minded individual to be controlled by some Sith," she spat.

"Sith?" He knew next to nothing about Force-wielders and felt the lack of knowledge acutely. 

"They oppose all things the Jedi stand for, desiring power over peace or balance. They corrupt what they touch.."

"And how does a Zentari hold out against someone so powerful?" He didn't wish to insult her, but surely a child against a master Sith couldn't win.

She sighed and looked away, watching the lights of hyperspace. "Zentari are neither good nor evil. We are Force neutral. The blood bonds distinguish much of our future. To avoid creating bonds with those that would bring harm was why Zentarus was so well hidden. But someone betrayed us. They used to brag about it, the Imps. How one who we trusted gave us up to the Empire."

"If you are Force neutral, why allow Mandalorians to know of Zentarus? Why let us come seeking mates?"

She shot those vibrant eyes back in his direction. "Because the Way was honourable once. Perhaps, at some point, Mandalore was led astray by their leader, but that was not our doing. Those that came to us knew the Way. They humbled themselves before us, and if they were denied, they left knowing such was not their destiny. Those who came knowing not the Way… did not leave Zentarus alive."

"Then I am glad I knew the Way," he murmured, wondering who would have won between the two of them had she not revealed herself.

"As am I," she nodded, looking as regal as the Sand Panther she claimed in her blood.

"Were the Jedi not part of your Way?"

She scowled. "The Jedi saw us as a threat. Naturally born Force users who required little training to do much of what they could, who lived for generations, and who were neither good nor evil. They feared what would happen if we were corrupted. An attempt was made to wipe us out. It failed, and we Zentari veiled Zentarus from those who knew not where to look."

"And that's why you didn't want to help us," he sighed, realizing the untenable position he'd put her in.

She stood, placing the sleeping Grogu down on her seat before taking the step she needed to stand between his spread knees. Her hands lifted to land lightly on the sides of his helmet, gliding over the metal. "It is no longer a want but a need. I will not watch Grogu fall to the side of the Sith because of my fear of the Jedi. He must be trained."

She leaned down and rested her forehead against his helmet as long lashes veiled her eyes. "This is the Way."

Without his permission, Din's hands found her hips and drew her incrementally closer. "I will protect you, Baast."

"We will protect each other."

He hummed his agreement and wondered at the low ripple of sound vibrating through his chest.

Next chapter

#Star-Crossed #the mandalorian #the mandalorian x ofc #star-crossed:bound by blood

[alrightsnaps]

some Episode IX positivity

So I watched The Rise of Skywalker and...it wasn't as bad as I expected?? The spoilers I'd read had pretty much prepared me for a disaster but (especially with the traumatizing GoT finale in mind) I have to say that, bar the way they handled Kylo Ren’s storyline and the horrifying moment they made Rey kiss her abuser, they created a pretty epic conclusion to the Star Wars series.

• THOSE LEIA AND REY SCENES

• I swear I could feel my heart swelling with love every second these two interacted

• Rey calling Leia “Master”

• their final hug that was shown in the trailer, with Leia caressing Rey’s hair....that's the daugter our Space Princess General deserved

• THE!! TRIO!! MOMENTS!!

• the love and care and protectiveness and mutual support between these three... I'm emotional okay????

• Finn’s “You are going alone Rey. You're going alone with friends.” reminding her that she's never going to be alone again

• my son Poe Dameron being his usual sassy self deserves a mention of his own because I love him too damn much

• LANDO CALRISSIAN

• everyone's reactions to seeing Lando, the respect in their eyes and voices upon meeting such a legend, DISNEY IS SPECIFICALLY TARGETING MY WEAK NOSTALGIC HEART AND I'M EATING IT ALL UP

• “Give General Leia my love” “You can give it to her yourself”

• Zorii Bliss y'all

• “Not that you care, but i think you're alright.” “I care.” I FOUND MY REY SHIP PEOPLE

• C-3PO’s “Taking one last look, at my friends”

• FLIRTY POE DAMERON I STAN SO HARD

• Bill Weasl–ummm sorry *checks notes* General Hux revealed as the Resistance spy in the First Order and being like “I don't care if you people win. I just want Kylo Ren to lose” because honestly MOOD

• the trio meeting the gang of First Order defectors that joined the Resistance

• Jannah

• sorry but I just have to add Leia sacrificing herself for (what she hopes remains of) her son and Han’s conversation with him (imaginary as it may have been) because I may despise that little piece of shit with all I have, but the whole sequence simply screamed Leia-Organa-and-Han-Solo-too-fucking-noble-and-good-for-this-world

• I just love Leia and Han so goddamn much and they deserved more than anyone a son like the glimpse we got of Ben Solo fighting for the Light (except they got a Neonazi asshole that murdered his father and then was granted an unearned redemption for some reason...... fuck fuck fuck I'm angry crying again they really did my parents dirty)

• Poe crying by Leia’s body, knowing that as her second in command he has to power through his grief, and wondering how he'll ever live up to this incredible woman he respects and looks up to and loves so much– THIS IS THE ONLY SON OF MY PRINCESS I'LL EVER RECOGNISE

• THE EMOTIONAL IMPACT OF LEIA’S DEATH TO CHARACTERS AND AUDIENCE ALIKE

• Chewie’s cry when they heard of her passing just fucking broke me

• JODIE COMER AS REY’S MUM

• That Luke/Rey “It is our choices, Harry, that show what we truly are” Moment™

• JEDI LEIA JEDI LEIA JEDI LEIA JEDI LEIA JEDI LEIA JEDI LEIA

• the incredibly beautiful and so quintessentially Star Wars “rebellions are built on hope” message

• Lando reminding the Resistance that back in the first war the rebels were also just a bunch of kids that poured their heart and soul in their fight and won against all odds

• seriously seeing the Resistance defeated and wretched and so tragically helpless drawing hope from their predecessors and letting that hope fuel them as they go against the Final Order?? What could possibly be more star wars than that???

• “It’s not a navy. It's....People.”

• Lando fucking Calrissian

• I can talk about the battle scene and all those glimpses of the Resistance members we've grown to love giving their everything even when they know this may as well be a suicide mission, for hours

• FORCE SENSITIVE FINN SENSING REY’S PAIN AND ANGUISH AND WISHING TO RUSH IN TO PROTECT HER

• Rey singlehandedly defeating Palpatine on her own... you have no idea the stress I was under since Kylo Ren turned into Ben Solo or whatever. By the way the plot was playing out at that point in the movie, I was 90% sure they'd have him step in and save the day or something, in some big Redemption™ gesture. And instead we got fucking badass Rey Skywalker bringing down Palpatine with Luke and Leia’s lightsabers?? Just when all hope is lost having her hear the voices of all the Jedi knights within her, encouraging and reassuring her they're by her side?? Yup, this is absolutely 100% what I signed up for!

• The Resistance celebrating their victory with love and laughter and joy in their eyes.... and the nod to the original trilogy finale... good gods, I'm such a slut for nostalgia 😭

• DID I MENTION LANDO CALRISSIAN BECAUSE SERIOUSLY I CAN'T STRESS ENOUGH HOW MUCH I LOVED HIS PRESENCE IN THE FINALE

• lesbians in space! (....for two seconds or so, but I'll take what I can get, don't judge me!)

• THE TRIO'S FINAL HUG BEAMING AT EACH OTHER WITH SUCH HAPPINESS AND LOVE

• Rey burying the Skywalker twins’ lightsabers in the Tatooine desert

• Rey taking up the Skywalker name as she sees Leia and Luke in the distance (Ben?? who again???) cementing the notion that we are not our genes and can choose our own paths and become our own persons

• THAT POETIC LAST SHOT OF REY LOOKING INTO THE TATOOINE SUNSET BRINGING THE STORY FULL CIRCLE

To conclude, the Reylo kiss was pure cringe and Kylo Ren sure as fuck didn't deserve redemption, yes, but overall the movie's callouts to the original series, seamlessly bringing past and present together, and the way the central theme of hope shone through the movie, not to mention the palpable suspense and epicness and heart it radiates makes it a beautifully fitting conclusion to the nine part saga.

#star wars #the rise of skywalker #tros spoilers #swtros #leia organa #rey skywalker #poe dameron #finn #luke skywalker #han solo #lando calrissian #anti kylo ren #I'm being optimistic in light of the new decade #but also I'm always game when it comes to trashing kylo ren and calling out Disney for making rey kiss her abuser #FUCKING DRAG DISNEY STAR WARS FANS #cause they deserve it

[fialleril]

Please feel free to ignore this if you don't have anything you feel like parting with at the moment, but I'm having a bad mental health day and would really appreciate a snippet. I don't have a preference for anything in particular, except maybe something where someone is justified in their anger (aka like 3/4th of everything you write, which tbh is probably my favorite part of your fics - I love it when characters are allowed to be angry). I'd be happy with anything though really

Hi anon! I’m really sorry I’m replying to this late, but I hope you found some good coping strategies and I hope that you’ll still find something good in this snippet, late as it is.

Also I’m both amused and delighted by your description of my writing priorities. :)

So this is a bit from fairly early on in Anabasis, though it’s a bit spoilery for all that.

I’ve posted a lot of the bits with Anakin being angry, so here for a change of pace is some angry Padmé.

In which Padmé confronts the Jedi Council and meets Shmi and Kitster.

There’s nothing at all explicit here, but just to be safe, warnings for implications of harm to children and slavery.

The Council was still gathered when Padmé burst through thegreat doors, trailed by two distraught Jedi padawans, still trying to convinceher that the Council Chamber was off limits, and by a resigned Obi-Wan Kenobi.Sabé followed after them all, managing to keep up without breaking her leisurelystroll.

The five other members of the Council all looked up at herappearance, their eyes narrowing in disapproval, all except for Yan Dooku, whowas openly smirking. But all of Padmé’s attention was for the two who stood inthe center of the room, the woman and her son, who spun now to face her, swiftand silent in a way that was all too familiar.

Padmé stared at the woman. She was worn and drab and hereyes held an anger and a sorrow so deep that it had turned to silence. She hadAnakin’s face.

Her eyes were brown, not blue, and her hair was darker whereit wasn’t grey, but the resemblance was unmistakable. It was like looking atAnakin through a strangely distorted mirror.

Behind her, Padmé heard Sabé’s faint but audible sound ofsurprise. There could be no question about who this woman was.

“Most irregular this is, Senator Amidala,” said Yoda,frowning.

Padmé drew herself up with her most regal bearing and glaredat each of the Jedi in turn.

“It seems, Master Jedi,” she said, “that you have beenwithholding information relevant to my investigation.”

The atmosphere in the room grew distinctly colder.“Cooperated fully with the Senate, this Council has,” said Yoda.

“And will continue to do so,” added Mace. His eyes narrowed.“What is it you believe we’ve withheld, Senator?”

Padmé glanced at Shmi and Kitster. They were standing stiffand straight, close beside one another but not touching. It was a protectivestance, defiant but not afraid. These were people used to having the worldagainst them.

“It’s come to my attention,” said Padmé, “that the Jedi wereaware of Anakin’s presence on Tatooine. That he was identified as a child byMaster Ki-Adi-Mundi, and left there as a slave.” She paused, swallowing backthe horror of her own reflection, and met Master Windu’s eyes unflinchingly.“It’s my belief, based on the available evidence, that Palpatine was able todiscover Anakin because of the Jedi’s report.”

Shmi stiffened, her face turning to stone. Kitster claspedher hand and stared at Padmé with wide eyes.

“Palpatine?” Shmi whispered. “You mean the Emperor? The Emperor took my son?”

The Jedi looked at one another, but they said nothing.

Padmé met the other woman’s eyes with compassion, but herwords were cool and clipped. “Yes. He did.”

She turned on the Jedi, her eyes blazing. “Did you everintend to tell me, Master Jedi? Or did you think this was somehow irrelevant tothe Senate’s investigation?”

Mace Windu’s face was thunderous, while Yoda’s eyes hadnarrowed sharply and Obi-Wan looked openly distressed. Madame Nu and MasterGallia held more neutral expressions, yet they too seemed disturbed. But it wasDooku who spoke.

“I think you give us too much credit, Milady,” he said, notunkindly. “The vergeance that Master Mundi encountered on Tatooine was, forbetter or worse, merely a footnote in his report. I don’t believe anyone hasconnected that child with our Sith Lord until this very moment. Are youabsolutely certain they are the same?”

Padmé opened her mouth, ready to present her evidence, butbeside her Shmi had tensed and stood now thrumming with barely controlledemotion.

“Of course I’m certain!” Anakin’s mother snapped. “He is my son. I knew him then, and I know him now,even if he doesn’t remember me. I will always know him.” She trembled as shespoke, but her voice was steady and hard as steel. “I wanted a better life forhim. He deserved better than a slave’s life. And when the Jedi sent MasterMireus, when he said they’d reconsidered,I sent Anakin with him. I wanted him to be free.”

Padmé breathed in sharply, and at the sound all the rigidityseemed to melt from the older woman’s bones. Shmi gasped, her legs staggeringbeneath her, and Kitster caught her and held her against his chest, though hisown arms were trembling. They held each other up, shaking and sobbing like twotrees in a storm, and Padmé watched them, all her words forgotten.

“I sent him,” Shmi whispered, over and over again, a brokenlitany. “I sent him.”

Padmé started forward, and caught herself. She thought ofthe little boy in Senator Palpatine’s apartments all those years ago, with hisstrange and terrible eyes and the blood on his hands.

There was nothing she could say to this woman.

“Very troubling, this information is,” said Master Yodasoftly. “But deceit is the way of the Sith.”

Padmé tore her eyes from Shmi and Kitster Banai and turnedto stare at the Jedi. She hardly recognized the emotion that was roiling in hergut, but a laughing little voice in the back of her mind that sounded far toomuch like Anakin told her the Jedi wouldn’t like it.

Master Yoda was watching her closely with slow blinkingeyes, compassion gentling his aged face. The others appeared equally concerned,and equally removed. For the first time, Padmé realized that they might not betroubled for the same reasons she was, and the thought burned in her.

“And inattentiveness is the way of the Jedi, it seems,” shesnapped, too tired and far too horrified to hold her tongue. “If you’ll excuseme, Master Jedi, I need to make a report to the Senate. And this time, Anakin Skywalker will be morethan a footnote.”

She turned on her heel and stormed toward the door, ignoringthe words of the Jedi that followed her, ignoring the footsteps that indicatedObi-Wan, at least, intended to see her out.

But she stopped at the door, caught and held by someinvisible bond, and looked back.

Shmi and Kitster still stood in the center of the Councilchamber, looking small and alone in that immense space, their frail figureshaloed in the midafternoon light streaming through the many windows. Shmi wasshaking still, but Kitster had turned to watch Padmé, and his eyes met hersnow, dark and knowing.

If Anakin had been a footnote, these two had been utterlyforgotten. She was not about to make the same mistake.

“I would like to speak with you both,” she said, holdingKitster’s eyes and willing him to understand. “If you’re free?”

“This audience hasn’t ended, Senator,” said Mace Windusharply, but Kitster was already nodding.

“I think it has,” he said, speaking over his shoulder to themembers of the Jedi Council. “Come on, Mom. We won’t learn anything else here.”

“Padmé,” said Dooku, almost apologetically, but Padmé turnedaway from him and all the Jedi and marched out the door, Sabé falling in besideher and Kitster and Shmi following. Obi-Wan would follow too, she had no doubt,but she would deal with him later.

The corridor outside the Council chambers was deserted butfor a young Togruta girl who stood huddled into herself under her traditionalJedi robes. Padmé’s gaze lit on her briefly, and the girl looked away,something flashing in her eyes.

“Ahsoka,” she heard Obi-Wan say behind her, “you shouldn’t behere.”

If he was distracted, all the better. Padmé spared a silentthanks to the young padawan, and sped on down the corridor, wanting to lose herJedi escort. It was probably hopeless, but even a few moments might allow herto collect herself.

“Thank you,” said a quiet voice at her side, and Padméturned without slowing to find Kitster Banai walking beside her. To his right,Shmi Skywalker watched her with raw, reddened eyes.

“It’s Senator Amidala, isn’t it?” Kitster asked, smilingpolitely. But there was something guarded behind his gaze.

“Yes,” Padmé said, offering a warm smile of her own. “Andyou’re Kitster Banai. I saw you in TheTragedy of Darth Plagueis the Wise.” She hesitated. But after all, howcould it hurt? “Anakin loved that play, you know.”

His eyes widened and his smile warmed. “Oh,” he murmured. “I– yes. I’d forgotten he saw it.” But then his face twisted, the smile becominga rictus grin. “I didn’t recognize him. My own brother, and I didn’t – ” Hechoked, and stopped.

Padmé had no idea what to say to him, or to the woman besidehim with her carven face and her shadowed eyes. “I’m sorry,” she said inanely,and then, “The hangar is this way.” It was utterly inadequate, but whateverelse she might have said, she couldn’t say it here.

Shmi seemed to understand. She nodded at Padmé, and now itwas she who took Kitster’s arm. They made their way to the hangar in absolutesilence. Even when Obi-Wan joined them once more, he said nothing, and Padméwas grateful.

#replies #anon #i write things #star wars #anabasis #because this is from an early-ish chapter it's a little rough #and may change a bit when i post the final version #in other news can you imagine yoda giving testimony to the senate #i bet he'd sound like jeff sessions played backwards #'recall that i do not' #is his answer to everything #padme amidala #shmi skywalker #kitster banai #harm to children #slavery #anabasis spoilers

[shadowmaat]

First up, I'm really overprotective of clones. Like, it legit hurts me to watch the Umbara episodes of Clone Wars. With that said, is it just me or was the way the Jedi treated Boba ridiculously messed up and disturbing? I rewatched those episodes recently and was just like..."wait...but he's an eleven year old. ELEVEN, you monsters. Get him some help instead of sending him to an adult prison."

Yep, it was horrible and chock full of more of their sanctimonious BS. They were “justified” because of what Boba did. Except, y’know, he’s still just a kid. And they still tossed him in a maximum security prison rather than trying to help him or finding a better alternative.

What’s that? Boba was belligerent and uncooperative? How shocking. Gee, I wonder why that is. Maybe we should look into that. And maybe, instead of pinning the blame for everything ON A CHILD we should look for his accomplices and find the person who would send a youngling on a mission like this.

Sometimes I wish there was a story where Ahsoka, for all that she’s super loyal to the Jedi, has serious qualms about seeing this tiny angry bean in such a horrible place and decides to help him even if he doesn’t seem to want it and even though her Masters are very adamant that he deserves every terrible thing that happens to him. And I want the clones to help. Boba may have killed brothers, but he’s still one of them even if he says he isn’t. He’s angry and broken and they are desperate to help him.

I’d also like to know what kind of crazy fucked-up worldview the Jedi have that they think it’s entirely normal for an eleven year old human to survive completely on his own. When Mace realized that in killing Jango he left a small child orphaned in the middle of a battlefield, did he care? Did it matter to him at all what he’d done? Did he even try to make up for it? Nope. He just threw the kid in prison and said good riddance. This is one of the reasons I have such a hard time liking Mace. I feel like I should like him and he’s certainly badass and has a purple lightsaber (my favorite color) and all that good stuff, but he also sees nothing wrong with putting a child in a maximum security prison and that’s a bit of an issue for me.

Mind you, I’m not saying Boba was some perfect Golden Child or that he was a complete innocent. But there are layers and meanings that go beyond the surface evidence. I’m tired of Boba always being the “Bad Guy.” Even as a kid he’s “bad” and it’s so damn frustrating. His life is full of tragedy- watching his father get murdered, being orphaned, losing his father’s ship, being taken in by a murderous cutthroat like Aurra, being THROWN IN PRISON by the man who MURDERED HIS FATHER… all the way up to his jetback malfunctioning and him maybe dying in the belly of a sarlacc. There are very few if any canonically happy things that happen to him. Heck, if you go with the EU stuff he gets married only to have his wife turn on him and his daughter grow up to despise him. But he’s a bad guy so all of that is OK, right? He deserves it. *eyeroll*

One thing I find interesting is that animatic clip they showed at the Star Wars Celebration where Boba was trying to help people and faced down Cad Bane in the process. It shows that he wasn’t always the heartless monster that so much of fandom (and canon itself) thinks he was. At some point he did choose to do the “right” things regardless of the money. But of course that would be a nice thing, so it doesn’t last and he still grows up to be the “ruthless” bounty hunter we see in the OT.

You know what I find interesting? In the OT you have two characters who are more interested in money than in morals. You have two characters who both work (or have worked) for Jabba the Hutt. One of them has those facts routinely overlooked or ignored while the other is constantly condemned for it. The difference is that Han finally found a cause to believe in while Boba had already learned the danger of believing in causes.

You know what else is funny? The fact that a large chunk of fandom inadvertently reflects the Jedi attitude towards Boba. They don’t care about the reasons he does anything. They don’t care about his story. They condemn him for shallow surface reasons. Although in fandom’s case it isn’t even concrete actions that earn their antipathy, it’s the fact that they hate his fans. Fandom hates Boba Fett because the fanboys are a bunch of entitled jackasses. And they don’t even care that those entitled jackasses only like the “stoic white badass” of the OT and wholly reject and despise everything that happened in the PT. The prequels and TCW “ruined” Boba and made him into a “sissy.” Worse than that, they made him into a nonwhite sissy. And so they come up with headcanons about how the bratty little Space Maori died some grisly and humiliating death and made way for some Awesome White Guy to steal his armor and go on pretending to be Boba. Ugh.

Pretty much everything about Boba’s story, his background, his treatment by a callous and hypocritical Jedi Council, his treatment by the various factions of fandom, and his supposed demise in the sarlacc pit, frustrates the everlasting hell out of me. Imagine how different his life might have been if someone (other than his dad) had actually cared about him and tried to help instead of either using him for their own purposes or tossing him away as a criminal unworthy of help or salvation.

For all of that bullshit about “only a Sith deals in absolutes” the Jedi sure as hell have a lot of absolutes, themselves. Dip once into the Dark Side and you’re forever Dark. If you are Dark there is no hope of saving you. And if you’ve committed a crime you deserve full punishment regardless of your age. What a bunch of sanctimonious assholes.

#Anonymous #I really need to get back to work on that Han/Boba fic #where Boba's mission is to rescue a kidnapped girl #just because you're doing things for money #doesn't mean they can't be GOOD things