Index Theed Palace, v. 2: Naboo Index/Discussion Thread.

It would simply be a matter of passing on the torch to the next idealistic young public servant and going on to have a life of one's own. Now and then there are exceptions - the likes of Vernua, Palpatine and Amidala, and if their own lives are any indications, these exceptions proved the rule.

That would be a good reason for why those young Queens have such short terms. It doesn't hurt to give four or eight years of your life over to the Naboo, when you're young and have no interest in marriage and children, at least not yet, anyway. Then you can move on, and do something else. It does seem the Queen would be held to more rigid standards than anyone else, including the senator.

As for Sola and Jobal-- I do know that Sola studied at University, and completed her studies there before she got married, so I'm assuming at least she had various interests. Just not politics. And Jobal did volunteer work.

The thing is, that ultimately, Padmé *did* try to do both--serve Naboo in the senate, and have a personal life with Anakin. Except that personal life had to be secret, which led to her isolation we see in ROTS, where she stays up in her apartment, hidden away, with only C3PO and Anakin for company. The handmaidens are presumably around, but in the few passages they are mentioned in the ROTS novel, Padmé is telling C3PO to tell them they're dismissed for the day, or dismissing them herself. Her deleted scenes show that isn't all she was doing, and that she was still active in politics, even if she had lost most of her power as a senator at that point.

I do still think it's old fashioned if Naboo indeed has such strict, and rather rigid, traditions for its politicians, even if it was a long, long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away. Also, there's that implication that settling down for Padmé can mean only one thing--getting married and having kids. Not entering another, less high profile, and less stressful career. (I don't think we actually really see any Naboo in other lines of work.)

So, let's say that Naboo politicans are discouraged (I don't think it would be outright forbidden) from having families, perhaps because this is not the image the Naboo want representing them in the wider galaxy. However, they are not expected to be celibate, and it is the Naboo tradition not to pry or interfere in their private lives, whatever they are, even after death. This does indicate, to me at least, that if Padmé had had a relationship with a nice, upper class Naboo man, and she didn't become pregnant, there would never have been any reason for the Queen to interfere.

I'm still not sure there is enough evidence to indicate they can't have *any sort* of personal life. The movies simply don't show that, but that doesn't mean that what you don't see doesn't exist. It simply isn't relevant to the story at hand. Really, we only see other politicans like Jamillia during conferences at work or galatic crises, where, if they did have families, those families would not be present, and their private lives would not be relevant.

Trust me, Jamillia has ten kids hidden away somewhere... Just kidding.

Whatever their expectations, whether a politican cannot know love or a family, and whether Jobal and Sola represent a significant proportation of Naboo society, instead of just their own personal views, at least the Naboo seem to have the same expectations for both women and men.

Ultimately, I do think that Padmé held herself up to even higher standards than most politicans. Even if it wasn't the Naboo norm, she would still decide to devote her entire life, everything, to politics, to the ideal of helping people. She would still feel there was no room in her life for a romantic relationship. I think in the deleted scenes, her mother and sister were trying to tell her there's more to life than politics, but it's been a while since I've seen them. Anyway, I'm just going to have to say I don't think this is a very realistic expectation for most people, no matter how idealistic. Even Padmé, the ideal Naboo p

 

I also find it very hard to believe that there'd be a law forcing politicians to be celibate. Gross. However if she were to commit to an official relationship - with a marriage and children, she'd probably be politely but firmly requested to step down for someone who had more of himself/herself to give the office. There's really nothing wrong with that.

Padmé isn't an entirely good example of how effective the Naboo system works. While Padmé is an idealist, she is not an idealistic politician. If that were the case, she won't have tried to eat her cake and have it: stay in office and be married to Anakin. She would have served her term in office, then settled down to her own life. Perhaps that was ultimately her intention when she eventually got pregnant. Alas, she did never got an opportunity to do so. Hence she became the exception that proved the rule.

 

My final thoughts on Naboo politicans and marriage.

However if she were to commit to an official relationship - with a marriage and children, she'd probably be politely but firmly requested to step down for someone who had more of himself/herself to give the office. There's really nothing wrong with that.

I have to admit, I do see something wrong in that scenario, if it's true. We'll just have to agree to disagree on that.

I just feel that we're handed these assumptions about Naboo--starting with Padmé's belief that she doubts the Queen will allow her to continue to serve in the Senate--without any cultural context to explain why this is so. I can see what Padmé says, but I remain unconvinced about what, exactly, it means. Oh, well. It is only fiction.

I think before Padmé was reunited with Anakin, she was that ideal politician. Once she allowed herself to acknowledge that yes, she did want more, she did want to both have and eat her cake, she couldn't go back. I think she would have always wanted to be in some sort of public service, even if in a less visible way than politics, regardless of her married state. But, since she died, we'll never know what she might have done. Hopefully, as my brother just suggested, she would have taken some time off, or a self-imposed maternity leave. She's earned it.

--

Moving on...

Cordé

Since I wrote a fanfic about Cordé last year, I rather feel I've said just about everything I can about her. I will say that it was Cordé, along with Dormé, who is responsible for starting my interest in the handmaidens. I first saw AOTC last year, and I can still remember the first time I saw that opening scene, and the decoy, whose name I didn't yet know, lying on the platform. How the camera focused on her face, so you could see who she was. Her final words an apology to the woman she had died for.

Even now, I'm bothered, and confused, by her lines: "Milady... I'm so sorry."

And: "I've failed you, senator."

What was she apologizing for?? She had taken on the role of decoy to, even in the abstract, die for her lady, and she had. As Tyhpo says, "Cordé did her duty. Now, you need to do yours." (Or something to that effect.) I didn't understand it then, and I'm not sure, really, that I ever will. It is possible that the cause of her final words is a missing scene before the movie, though even that is just a guess. Or maybe she felt she failed because she wasn't able to stay in position until Padmé was safely back in her apartments. That's what one of my brothers has suggested. I haven't heard anything better.

I do think that Cordé's death made the dangers of being a decoy truly real to Padmé for the first time. There's no indication that, prior to this, her decoy had died in the line of duty. There had been danger enough in TPM, but in the end, everyone came out okay. Sabé may have had a bull's eye on her forehead most of the movie, but if she was a target, she was never hit. I do think Cordé's death had an affect on both Padmé and Dormé: Before, the decoy plot's true purpose had always remained abstract. Not anymore.

I suppose if I wrote my fanfic now, I would portray Cordé differently. But at the time, I went on the few minutes she has in the movie to decide what she was like. I saw her, because she apologized in her last moments, as someone who, though loyal (very much so) and brave, was perhaps too selfless. That is, without a self. She was devoted to Padmé, and really, she wanted, and needed, a position where she could show that devotion to someone, because she didn't feel enough confidence in herself. She thinks of herself as a little teapot, a nobody, who can, however, serve someone greater than herself, in any way needed. Yes, I guess I do feel that if you crawl into someone's psyche, it will get sticky messy. There's a reason we don't really want to know what someone else is thinking.

But then, I haven't read my story for a while, so maybe I did something entirely different.

 

I will say that it was Cordé, along with Dormé, who is responsible for starting my interest in the handmaidens.
I could almost say the same thing. AotC was actually the first Star Wars film I watched from start to finish. the two handmaidens left an impression on me. I also found Cordé's apology puzzling and (as I mentioned earlier) it led me to spin a whole missing moment plot, which sadly, I never got round writing. This discussions are making me more and more inclined to go back to my old notes on this subject. Thanks.

I know. It's fascinating all the same. It's always interesting to speculate about the movies, and even more fascinating to read other people's opinions on the things I usually take for granted. Particularly in fanfiction-dom, this enlightens me as to the recurring themes/motifs used and understood by writers and readers.

 

Yes, those final words Cordé was given really, really bothered me the first time I saw AOTC. Not only are they puzzling, but it seems to add insult to injury. Not only was Cordé invented as a character merely to die within her first moments in the film, she had to utter those lines. Well, let's just say that anger on a character's behalf can be a good motive for writing the fanfiction.

I think that had she said something like "You're safe, Milady... That's all that matters," it would have worked better. Made more sense. It would have shown her concern for her mistress, but also her acknowledgment that she had fulfilled her duty.

Maybe there was a missing scene that gives sense to her lines. If you do write a fic about that, I'd be curious to see how it goes.

A few thoughts:

I wonder if Cordé's death would have affected how Padmé felt about the decoy plan. Of course, she does use it later on in the same movie, when Dormé stays behind as her decoy when she leaves Coruscant, but as a plot device, anyway, the decoy plan seems to have run its course. It doesn't appear in ROTS (though, neither do the handmaidens. Hmmm. I do sense a connection. While she apparently does use the decoy plan at that time, it's not in the movie, only the visual dictionary, and it's not, shall we say, in a life or death matter. She's not putting her decoy at the risk of possible physical harm.)

But I do think that seeing someone die in her place would have affected Padmé. I don't think she would willingly want to send someone into that situation again. Padmé's always been willing to take her own risks, instead of staying where it's safe.

 

Just wanted to let you know that I finished my handmaiden fic.

Here's the link: A Third Mother to a Rebel

 

Catching up:

Good to see your challenge entry, Alishu06. I'll reply at more length in the thread. And I may still come up with something myself. I have to choose which handmaiden to write about, and oh, have a story to go with her.

Oh, and going way back to an earlier discussion about Naboo and handmaidens in the EU, I dreamt recently that the EU did just that, and delivered a handmaiden book. Okay, it was really mostly about Padmé, but Dormé was a significant secondary character. I recall that in the dream I was surprised, but pleased. And then I woke up.

--

New topic.

This time, we'll be discussing: Moteé and Ellé, the ROTS handmaidens.

These are the two handmaidens known mostly not for what they do or say, but by their near total absence. While Moteé at least got to show up and look serious whilst Palpatine declared himself Emperor, poor Ellé's scene didn't even make the deleted scenes on the DVD.

What can you tell from two characters who are an absence, rather than a presence?

Let's talk.

 

Cordé

I always found her really perplexing. It really always bothered me (and still does) that she apologized. IMHO, it should be Padmé apologizing for putting Cordé in such an awful situation, which basically gives me the impression that Cordé is worth less than Padmé.

Then I get ticked off and think of something else for a while.

In a more distant way, I found the character of Cordé to be very... convienent. She did what she was supposed to, both as a character and a plot device. She amplified the danger for Our Heroine. She was the reason Our Heros came into the story and re-met-up with Our Heroine.

As for how Padmé feels thereafter about the Decoy plan... part of me really wants to believe it made her realize that not everything was going to turn out Okay. Like Pandora said, we've no indication that any other Decoy ever died for Padmé, and this one did. I'd like to think that Padmé had a light-bulb-on moment and decided if she was going to put herself in a risky position, then she would meet those risks and not hide from them.

However, then we learn that she's leaving Dormé as a Decoy (which is puts Dormé at a higher risk than Padmé if you think like Typho and don't know that Palpatine is behind it all and knows exactly where they are going). And then we learn in RotS that Padmé's sending Moteé and Ellé to be her decoys so she can get it on with Anakin. I find that extremely irresponsible, but that's a whole other rant waiting to happen.

Anywho, I think that any deep thoughts Padmé had pertaining the Decoy plan were not that long lasting. True, she was not putting the girls (except Dormé - or so she thinks) in any danger, but throughout the story Padmé (and therefore George) sort of treats the Decoy plan as some sort of convienence or gag.

Anywho.

Moteé & Ellé

These poor girls are given so little screen time that they don't even get individual topics. Poor dears.

Anyways, I kind of liked that they were in RotS so very little. I think it really shows how withdrawn Padmé has become from - er- almost real human contact. Anakin is the only one she can be 'truthful' with anymore, and Threepio is the only "person" that she seems to hang out with because Anakin built him and gave him to her. It's true that they do some Decoy work for her, and therefore (unless they're reallllllly stupid, and I think that's a long stretch) they know that she's married secretly.

So Padmé probably trusts them, or has to at least, because they know her Big Secret. Perhaps that's why she pushes them away. She fears them knowing *too much* about her. These handmaidens, more than any of the others, seem to have less of a friendly and more there as an employer/employee relationship.

AWwwwww! Well, at least you dreamed about it! I think that's the best we'll get from the "professional" authors right now at least.

~Obischick~

 

A few responses:


Cordé

It really always bothered me (and still does) that she apologized. IMHO, it should be Padmé apologizing for putting Cordé in such an awful situation, which basically gives me the impression that Cordé is worth less than Padmé.

That's interesting, Obischick.

As I've said before, Cordé's dying words have always bothered me. They have always struck me as selfess, that is, spoken by someone who literally lacks a self. Who knows how to think about others, but not herself. This is a quality that is usually seen as admirable, but like anything, without balance, it can go too far. I do think that Padmé is shocked in that scene--it does take her a few moments to react when Captain Typho urges her to leave. In a way, maybe she thinks the worst has already happened.

But, in the films' narrative, it is not even a possiblity that Padmé might apologize to the woman who died for her--and really, if you look at it one way, because of her. Because, as far as the narrative, and the characters are concerned, Cordé is worth less than Padmé. All of the handmaidens are.

This is never questioned. I have to admit, (and Satan sends his love), that during ROTS, when Anakin was killing all those people, including little children, just so one person, his wife, wouldn't die in childbirth, I found myself thinking in disgust, "How many people have to die for this woman?"

It's not that Padmé herself ever seems to want this sacrifice that others are willing to give for her in all three films. But somehow, she inspires it. She's the Queen. The Senator. The person who matters. Cordé? She's a redshirt. She dies, because someone has to, and Padmé still has another two movies to go.

Yes, I'm in treatment for my Rosencratz and Guildenstern syndrome.

I'd like to think that Padmé had a light-bulb-on moment and decided if she was going to put herself in a risky position, then she would meet those risks and not hide from them.

I would like to think that Padmé had that light-bulb moment after Cordé died. It's hard for me to imagine that someone who is supposed to be concerned for others could see her decoy die in her place and *not* be affected. But you're right. She uses the decoy plan again with Dormé. I know that, apparently, they wanted to give the appearance that Padmé was still on Coruscant, but apparently, just taking some time off, since Jar Jar is taking her place in the senate (cough). So I suppose Dormé just sits around in the apartment all day?

Ultimately, the decoy plan has become too convenient. Padmé (or rather, the plot) keeps hauling it out, instead of actually considering alternatives that would, gasp!, not put another person's life at risk.

And then we learn in RotS that Padmé's sending Moteé and Ellé to be her decoys so she can get it on with Anakin. I find that extremely irresponsible, but that's a whole other rant waiting to happen.

Oh, I agree. And I'd like to hear that rant.

I've made no secret of how much I loathe the use of the decoy plan in ROTS, so I'm going to try to avoid going over that myself. Well, I'm just glad that it didn't make it into the movie itself.




Moteé and Ellé


Despite their near total absence from the movie, I do have a sense of what Moteé and Ellé might be like. Moteé just strikes me as very secretive, almost sly. Her face doesn't have that open, earnst quality that Dormé, for example, has. You can see the concern, the love for her mistress in her eyes. Moteé doesn't show very much. In the still photos, she has a calm, but almost slight, mysterious little smile. She could be thinking almost anything, and no one would guess what it was.

Ellé strikes me as younger than Moteé, a good, earnest, well-meaning girl. Perhaps she feels a little uncertain at times. I suspect that she has only served Amidala for perhaps a year or so. After all, we don't know when Dormé resigned or left for unknown reasons. Ellé does not resemble Padmé at all. In fact, when her picture first came out,

 

Mad props to whoever put together the handmaiden banner for the Fan Fiction Resource!

 

Bale made the banner.

It is quite shiny.

Now, I really wish I had checked the boards this morning before (cough) w***. I've been waiting for this banner to go up for a while now.

Is there another reason for this post?

No, not really. I just wanted to post whilst looking at that banner.

--

Oh, and another thing:

As you may already know from The Royal Handmaiden Society, officialpix is selling handmaiden pictures. I ordered some a few weeks ago, but I haven't gotten them yet. Yes, you can imagine that last sentence spoken in what is approaching an AOTC Anakin whine.

They also have pictures of other Naboo characters, such as Captain Typho, and a few of the pilots and Royal guards, if you're interested.


*several edits to fix links.

 

Time for a topic change.

So far, all the Naboo characters we've discussed have been female. Hmmm. Naboo, in general, seems to be regarded as quite feminine, partly because it's Padmé's homeworld, and partly because of the nature aspect.

And no, I won't go in the nature=female direction.

Yet somehow, the male characters of Naboo tend not to get very much attention. They're mostly not young or conventionally attractive. Except for that Lt., but he hasn't got a name and dies right away. (Oh, it's a big world out there. I betcha that, hard as it may be to believe, someone thinks Governor Bibble is a fine man.)

Really? I blame the wardrobe. No one can compete with Queen Amidala's wardrobe.

--

This time, we'll be discussing:

Captain Panaka

He is Queen Amidala's loyal head of security, a post he continues to hold, apparently, under Queen Jamillia. He has a first name; we just don't know what it is. He has to speak the line "We're sitting ducks!"

The EU has him tattling on Padmé and Anakin to Palpatine, and becoming an Imperial Moff.

Any thoughts?

 

Panaka's "defection" has always intrigued me - particularly as I don't really see it as one. He was in the military on Naboo during the Republic-era, probably served in the Clone Wars and earned his medals, was honoured when the Wars ended and the Republic changed its system of government to Empire, and continued his already rising career to Imperial Moff.

It's the personal betrayal I don't understand - and not just because it seems odd that he would be "chummy" enough with Palps to discuss a former Queen's extracurricular activities. I simply don't understand why Panaka of all people knew of Amidala's marriage. It would make better sense if it were Captain Typho.

 

My thoughts on Captain, and later Moff Panaka:


It's pretty clear who Captain Panaka is in TPM. He is Amidala's chief of security, and in many ways, he is what a knight would be to a medieval king. As far as I know, he hasn't sworn a sacred oath to Amidala, but I think, in his mind, he might as well have. He seems to have dedicated his adult life to serving the Naboo ruler, as he was a Lt. under King Veruna.

But while Panaka is loyal, he is not an idealist.

I've begun to think that while the Naboo prize idealism, even naiviete in their rulers, they understand that these rulers need older, more experienced, occasionally even cynical people around them for support and advice. Panaka would be one of those people. He's the one who realizes that some battles might not be won. Well, I have heard that optimists need pessimists to balance them, and vice versa.

We know nothing of who Panaka is as a person, outside his job and duty. Of course, it's not relevant to the movie. I do think it's interesting that Typho is presented as his nephew. It indicates that Panaka has a life, and connections, outside the palace.

Then, we have the story the EU gives him.

I can see Panaka becoming a Moff, since he is very much a loyal, rule following person. Loyalty rewarded, indeed. While he was suppposedly Queen Jamillia's chief of security, we don't actually see him in this role in the movie. So, after that? Obviously, he continued to be involved in Naboo's defense. I'm not sure when he becomes a Moff, but I do think, personally, that he had already risen in rank from his position in TPM. That's quite a leap, to go from Captain to Moff, and, for me, not a believable one.

And maybe, for him, being a Moff, and playing within the Empire's rules, was a way of keeping Naboo safe from the inside.

As for his tattling to Palpatine about Padme and Anakin's marriage? I'll be honest. I don't buy it. For me, there's just too much about it that doesn't make sense.

I agree with leia_naberrie that it seems odd in the first place that he would be close enough with Palpatine to even discuss what Amidala does in her free time. Panaka is not Palpatine's friend, and he is definitely not his equal. Palpatine has no friends, not real ones, or equals, and that is how he likes it.

And second, it seems odd that he would even know of the marriage. Obviously, someone in Amidala's retinue would have had to tell him, as Panaka isn't on Coruscant or in contact with her, where he could, possibly, figure things out for himself. Captain Typho does seem the most obvious one to do that, since Panaka is his uncle. But that leaves another question: Why would Typho tell Panaka?

Yes, people do tend to be very interested in politicians' private lives, both in the GFFA and our own world. But considering a war is going on, I would think that Typho and Panaka would have better things to do than peek into Amidala's bedroom and see who's in there with her. And if they did have moral issues with her marriage to an off-limits Jedi, they should have taken it up with the Queen. There was just no reason to involve Palpatine.

Personally? I think the person most likely to tell Palpatine about the marriage is Anakin himself. Remember, he told Palpatine about his massacre of the Tusken raiders, something he doesn't exactly make public knowledge. He trusts Palpatine, who has befriended him and told him what he wants to hear since he was nine years old. And Anakin is not the sort of person who likes to keep secrets. He would have told Palpatine about the marriage, because he would think Palpatine would do what the Jedi could not do, understand him, and not judge. And you know, I can see why. Palpy's Nice Old Naboo Grandpa act was good, too good.

It would be interesting to see how Moff Panaka dealt with the end of the Empire. Who was he more loyal to at that point: The Empire and the Emperor, or Naboo? I think the answer to that would determine his choices.

--

It's been a month now, so I should be putting up a new topic soon

 

Not to sound like a shameless self-promoter, but my one and only Panaka related fic, Panaka's Promotion, pretty much sums-up what I felt were Panaka's motives toward the end of the Republic.

 

As promised, here's an update, of sorts.


First Challenge Index

Duty by Obischick

A third mother to a rebel by Alishu06


This challenge is still ongoing, for anyone who might be interested. Presently, I am not planning to have another one. This challenge was sort of a trial run, and I've decided that, for now, there is simply not enough interest to warrant running a challenge here.

That said, I want to thank Obischick and Alishu06 for their entries. Good show!

--

It's been quiet here.

I have only added one story (and that one happens to be mine) to the index lately. I think I got spoiled by all the good Naboo stories that were posted last year.

Oh, and I wanted to point out this story from fanfiction.net. It's part of a longer piece, "Requiem," about various characters reacting to Padmé's death, and is part of the genre I call Padmé's Funeral Angst. This chapter, which is really a vignette that can stand alone, focuses on Queen Apailana. And while I've seen other fanfics where she was close with Amidala, this is the only one that has really, truly convinced me of this.

--

Time for a new topic.

A few days ago, I found a story on the boards where Sabé, for various reasons, turned on Padmé. This involved her manipulating Anakin into believing that Padmé and Obi-Wan were having an affair. I won't give away any more, but since I've been feeling lately, it gave me an idea for a topic...

Handmaidens Gone Bad, or Darth Dormé

While there is not much information about Amidala's handmaidens, they are considered, generally, to be "good" characters. Yet what does that mean?

Like Padmé, they are known for their loyalty, selflessness, and sense of duty. But these traits, though usually seen as admirable, could easily be twisted, and used for a darker purpose. What might a handmaiden be willing to do, in the name of loyalty to queen/senator and planet?

Under what circumstances might she even turn on the woman she serves? It might seem impossible, but it could happen.

Here are a few possible questions to start with:

Under what cirumstances might a handmaiden turn against the woman she serves? Or how else might she turn down a dark path?

And of Amidala's handmaidens in the prequels, which one would you have turn dark? How do you see this happening? Explain why.

 

During a google search today, I found this: Ultimate Naboo Timeline.

I'm not sure what, besides the movies, the author used as sources. And he/she admits that most of the timeline information about the handmaidens' lives after Padmé is conjecture. But since the official material gives us nothing about them, at least it's something. So, yes, read this with a grain of salt, but still, as a whole, it's very interesting.

Personally, unless I saw it in the movies, I'll take what I like or think works, and leave the rest behind. My EU policy, for what it is worth.

Oh, and the lil' icons to represent certain characters are rather cute.

 

Since I came up with the current topic, I may as well share my thoughts.


--

Since I made up a story for one of my fanfics about an OC Queen whose handmaiden, for reasons known only to herself, turned on her and killed her, yes, I do think that a handmaiden could go dark. Yes, it would be unlikely, given what we know of Padmé's handmaidens, which is then applied to Naboo handmaidens in general. They are known for their loyalty unto death, and they are considered to be, mostly by assumption, to be "good." After all, Padme is also "good", and the handmaidens are considered to resemble her not just physically, but character wise as well.

But what does it mean to be "good"?

Here, it's defined as being selfless, and thinking of others more than yourself. And while these can be good, like any quality, they can be a weakness as well as a strength, and can be used badly.

And remember, we know very little about the handmaidens. Their loyalty and devotion to Padmé are quite clear, especially with Dormé in AOTC. But we don't know, really, who they are, and what motives them. And though official sources and fanfic alike both believe that they are close friends with Padmé, it is not an equal friendship, and it cannot be. The handmaidens give everything to Padmé, including their own lives and identities. Presumably, they receive a salary, but their job would be a stressful one, for which they receive little or no recognition. They are invisible, whether they are hooded or not.

Is it possible that, after years of self denying, endless service, ignored in the background, a handmaiden might finally have enough? Might finally snap under the stress? Maybe it's unlikely. Maybe it's impossible.

Then: If Padmé is dark, her handmaidens are also a more twisted version of their movie selves. I noticed this in several stores during the recent Dark!Padmé challenge at WQGL. A dark Padmé would then, perhaps, have dark handmaidens, as the circumstances which would change her, might also change them.

We say that the handmaidens are loyal, but loyalty can be twisted. What might a handmaiden do in service to her mistress? Anything? How far would she go?

Finally, what if a handmaiden were to see her mistress changing, or making decisions she does not approve of, or that she finds unethical. I've always thought that a handmaiden remains loyal to her mistress because she is the Queen, even if she were completely undeserving of that service. Yes, I'm sure Naboo had some corrupt leaders, as any society does. If a handmaiden had to choice between her loyalties to her Queen or to her planet, she might side with the greater good. Like the handmaiden in my story might have done, she might kill her corrupt Queen to stop the greater evil.

These are just possiblities, of course. The only place we will see Padmé, or her handmaidens, or any handmaidens go dark is in fanfic. (Let's face it, the only place we'll see handmaidens do *anything* other than sit behind Padmé and look serious is fanfiction.)

Personally, I think it would be easier, or more freeing, to write about an OC handmaiden going dark, rather than one of Padmé's. People have very set ideas about who Padmé is as a character, and what her relationship with her handmaidens is, and would find the idea that one of them could turn hard to take. (Though, granted, it's been done. I'm certainly not telling anyone not to try it.) With OCs, you have more freedom to examine the relationship between a handmaiden and her mistress, and how her loyalties could be twisted or go sour, without the weight of those expectations. My 2 cents, no more.

And the handmaiden I would like to see go dark?

I'll be honest: it's Dormé. Yes, I'm evil. But there's just so much that's mysterious about her, while, at the same time, she's the handmaiden who shows the most personality in the movies. There's the contrast between her soft, gentle voice, and what she might be capable of doing. And I can just see people underestimating her as a helpless lady's maid...to their peril.

 

The index has been updated.

Mostly new stories, and a few older ones I found deep within the Saga board with the help of lazy's link machine.

It's been quiet in here. But I think that's to be expected. The movies are over, and unless Naboo makes a big appearance in the EU or the upcoming television series (which, to be honest, I don't think it will, but I've been wrong before) I don't expect this to change.

But I will continue to update the index, so that will still be an on-going thing.

(And if anyone wants to talk about anything, well, go ahead.)

 

My latest story, Warm Feelings, takes place some 830 BBY and is about King Jafan ushering in the "Great Time of Peace." An ancestor of Padmé has a small role and even Yoda makes a cameo.

 

The index has been updated.

*

Also, the Naboo Lt. from AOTC now has an official name and backstory, courtesy of Hyperspace's What's the Story?:

Lieutenant Theomet Danlé

I have to admit that when I first heard about this, I was rather dreading the results. I was afraid they would pick something really lame. And now that I've seen the chosen backstory? I'm not entirely certain that I like it, and yet, it's more interesting than I thought it would be.

Apparently, they were also going to develop backstories for the Naboo holyman and Teckla, the servant girl at Varykino. I haven't heard anything else about that.