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  1. In Memory of LAJ_FETT: Please share your remembrances and condolences HERE

Saga Saga - ST Saga - Legends On the Creation of Monsters [UDC X Response]

Discussion in 'Fan Fiction- Before, Saga, and Beyond' started by vader_incarnate, Aug 8, 2022.

  1. vader_incarnate

    vader_incarnate Force Ghost star 4

    Registered:
    Jul 29, 2002
    Week 4: Vader. I love him so much y'all.

    TW for canon typical child murder.


    16. Linger

    With the passing of the years, you lose your humanity like a leaking dam, watch it bleeding trickling dripping away until there is little left of what you once were at all, just a shattered soul and the pulse beat throb of pure power coursing through rotted and rotting veins.

    As for what lingers, you snuff out more with each swing of your lightsaber, each throat that you squeeze, because you must crush suffocate extinguish that searing flame of who you once were before it burns you again from the inside out.

    Anakin Skywalker is dead.

    You are what remains.


    17. Balm

    The Darkness is ravenous and insatiable; it desires pain and loves yours most of all. The floor may be covered in blood and slick with gore, but that is not enough: there must be blood on the soul, for the Darkness to wet its gullet.

    You would have been content to let your last life lie, but to feed the Darkness you pour salt on wounds that were hidden and left to fester.

    Power comes at a price, and a fire of this magnitude requires fuel, and to burn forever means the fuel must be everlasting, without balm or succor.


    18. Haven

    Once in the place between sleeping and waking, you saw her. “I loved you once,” the blue-tinted apparition said. “I know you loved me as well.”

    Impossibly, you feel the touch of her hand on yours. You know it must be a hallucination, a fever-dream, but you scrabble furiously for every memory you have of her small, delicate hand, desperate to recreate something good even for a moment.

    “Don’t leave me,” you plead, a raspy whisper without your vocabulator, even in the oxygen-rich atmosphere of the meditation chamber.

    “I was always there,” she said quietly. “But it was never enough.”


    19. Shade

    The Jedi call it falling, implying a loss of control: of surrendering to gravity and plunging every deeper into Darkness until you are drowning suffocating engulfed.

    But you know better. That each step you take is deliberate: a steady, purposeful march into Darkness so dense you can hardly remember the taste of the suns.

    You know you can never look backwards, because you can already feel the small hands tugging pulling jerking at your cape, the plentiful shades. A high, trembling voice - there are too many of them, Master Skywalker - and you can only grimly agree: there are too many.


    20. Breeze

    You know what it means to be damned, corrupt beyond all hope of salvation.

    You have lived a half-life for years, not-dead but wishing to be, in this prison of durasteel. Hell can hold no greater torment than this, and you are not nearly enough of a fool to believe that something as mundane as death can heal your twisted soul enough for a chance at redemption.

    “I will become more powerful than you can possibly imagine.”

    The robe is graceful in its collapse, fluttering to the ground like a petal drifting on a wayward breeze.

    There is no corpse.
     
    Last edited: Sep 2, 2022
  2. WarmNyota_SweetAyesha

    WarmNyota_SweetAyesha Chosen One star 8

    Registered:
    Aug 31, 2004
    Brilliant use of the prompts, and so insightful. Haven was especially heart-wrenching because of what she said: "I was always there." And "It was never enough." :( The second person point of view makes it even more compelling! =D=
     
    Last edited: Aug 30, 2022
  3. earlybird-obi-wan

    earlybird-obi-wan Chosen One star 6

    Registered:
    Aug 21, 2006
    Touching views of Vader, living a half life in his prison
     
  4. Gabri_Jade

    Gabri_Jade Fanfic Archive Editor Emeritus star 5 VIP

    Registered:
    Nov 9, 2002
    [face_rofl] [face_rofl] [face_rofl]

    The angst tag-teaming brings me immense joy, just so that both of you whippersnappers know :p

    YES MY DECADE-PLUS OF PATIENCE HAS FINALLY PAID OFF

    I love everything about this. Everything, I say [face_love] The ambiguity about titles is exactly the sort of thing that would trouble the elite of the Imperial Court. And in every reality Luke giving Mara a lightsaber will always be the perfect present. And the inlay matching his eyes, and the fire of them banked in her presence - inject this directly into my veins

    There can never be enough kintsugi in the world (I looked up kintsugi on Etsy and someone is selling a kintsugi pendant and I want it), and "borrowed blue danced in his eyes" *chef kiss*

    The almost-but-not-quite quality they both have here... :_|

    I can just see Mara doing this, too. Exquisite, flawlessly formal courtesy as a show of disapproval, it's perfect

    I am always here for Mara protecting children from her own fate

    Look at all this perfect canon smorgasbord [face_love] The post-ST rallying cry, Elli: canon is what I say it is

    :_| :_| :_|

    I shouldn't have laughed at that :p What a fandom we've chosen :p

    What was that you were saying about a list of terrible and amazing phrases for characters in weird mental states :p

    That was such a great moment [face_love] Excellent job echoing it here :cool:

    Look at you just scattering all this dark angst around like it's nothing

    WELP =((

    YES, THIS. Stupid LotF, acting as though even the most experienced Jedi simply won't have a choice about becoming a wildly dangerous Sith Lord if they take so much as one false step :rolleyes:

    HOW VERY DARE YOU, ELLI

    Look at you being the master of second person pov :cool:

    Right down to the end, Obi-Wan keeps the habit of dropping his cloak in the most dramatic way possible :p
     
    Last edited: Aug 30, 2022
  5. devilinthedetails

    devilinthedetails Fiendish Fanfic & SWTV Manager, Interim Tech Admin star 6 Staff Member Administrator

    Registered:
    Jun 19, 2019
    @vader_incarnate Great job with this collection of drabbles so far! You do an excellent job getting under the skin of these iconic Star Wars villains to really understand and explore what makes them tick in a wonderfully chilling way.

    Some parts in particular that stood out:

    This does feel true to how Sidious like to guide and manipulate the young and the innocent. Having him reflect on it here is so eerily effective.

    This does a brilliant job of connecting the threads of the PT to the ST.

    Ooh, yes, I could totally see how it would rankle with proud old Sidious to have the galaxy forget about him and the Sith. Dismissing him and the Sith as irrelevant.

    This also rings very true to the mindset and nature of Sidious as I envision him to be. He really does seem like the persistent evil. The enemy across many generations of Star Wars heroes, and you capture why that is the case so well here.

    And I think this line just encapsulates the links you were very deftly able to make between the PT, the OT, and the ST with this set of drabbles. So I wanted to highlight it and give it a little shout-out.

    I think you capture Obi-Wan's character and voice perfectly in this single line of dialogue!

    And I also appreciate that you chose to focus Dooku! It always feels like not enough stories focus on Dooku, who can be a bit of an enigma!

    Awesome job with these drabbles! Keep up the good work! Bravo!=D=
     
  6. ViariSkywalker

    ViariSkywalker Kessel Run Hostess Extraordinaire star 4 VIP - Game Host

    Registered:
    Aug 9, 2002
    Apparently your drabbles gave me those feels, too. Who knew? :p

    [face_laugh]

    That's a whole lot of denial there, Dooku. o_O But really, I love this whole drabble; it was so unexpected, but at the same time it fits.

    Totally agree with Gabri, I love "Qui-Gon's boy".

    Well look at this A+ insight. Dooku isn't wrong about Sidious, and he does perceive certain things more clearly, but it's also interesting how he picks and chooses which truths he wants to see.

    I love this, because yeah, he's not wrong, is he? Like... I felt kinda guilty for enjoying some of the "Jedi General" aspects of canon after reading this. :p

    Ugh, gut punch with that once beloved. :( I've never delved very deeply into Qui-Gon and Dooku's relationship, either in the old EU or the new canon, but I've always felt this to be true, that Dooku genuinely loved Qui-Gon in his own way, and you hit such a perfect note of a lingering, bittersweet yearning and regret with this drabble.

    Wow, the metaphor is strong with this one. The imagery of the reaping, just... yeah, what you said, about it not being fun to kill them anymore. Dooku's darkness and his cold detachment from the younger members of the Order is on full display here, isn't it? [face_plain]

    Omg this is gorgeous, Elli. [face_love]

    brb, laughing forever because Obi-Wan is the best and also because Dooku is finally, finally impressed. [face_rofl]

    YAAAS, this is the quality crack!fic I'm here for, in between all the angst. [face_laugh] [face_mischief]

    [face_rofl]

    I love being such a positive influence. [face_mischief] [face_batting]

    YES, LUMINESCENCE, I'M READY, ELLI [face_hypnotized] [face_love]

    All the best sorts of things. [face_mischief] And isn't reassigning SW dialogue to other characters and stealing parts of the ST kinda like kintsugi in a way? *meta* [face_thinking]

    Ooh, I love this, "banked, in her presence, but never extinguished". And this broken mirror version of the canon gift of a lightsaber is just perfect.

    Gah! "Borrowed blue danced in his eyes" is fantastic. Seriously, you always have such unique phrasing that I adore. [face_love] And then the last line is beautiful writing in itself, and also a deliciously dark and yet hopeful sentiment. So good. [face_love]

    I really enjoyed Luke's cagey nature here, and also that brief moment of almost giddiness as he realizes that his twin has had twins of her own. Give me all the Luke & Leia feels, even when they're dark and twisty. [face_love] [face_mischief]

    lolol, I am always here for the disdainful use of "my lord" when referring to the Sith. [face_laugh] [face_mischief]

    Mara would absolutely do whatever she could to prevent a child from suffering the fate and upbringing she did. :(

    Canon mash-up at its finest. Just stick all the canons in a blender and press puree, I'm here for it. Well... maybe not puree. What's a less mushy blender setting? Chop? There we go, stick canon in a blender and chop it all up. 8-}

    I LOVE this. [face_hypnotized] [face_love]

    I am very eager to learn more about Mara's relationship with Luke in this 'verse, whenever you're ready for more. [face_batting]

    Just so matter-of-fact and simple. A perfect end to her message, I love it.

    If I'd had a drink in my mouth, I would have done a spit-take. I should not have laughed, Elli, but I did.

    I probably could have just quoted each of these drabbles in their entirety because I love them so much... but I've tried to restrain myself just a bit. :p But this... my gosh, it's just SO GOOD. I can't even pick it apart, it's just so perfect and awful and beautiful as a whole, eeeeeeee. [face_love]

    That moment, the unmasking... look, I love so much about the Obi-Wan show, and I love all the Leia stuff, and everything... but the unmasking and the moments after were probably my favorite part of the entire show. I get chills just thinking of it, and I love that you called back to it here. =(( [face_love]

    (Also? I love that you went all in on the second person POV for this entire set. *chef's kiss*)

    So visceral and awful and I LOVE IT SO MUCH.

    Whew! You've just completely knocked it out of the park with this set of drabbles in particular. The imagery and self-loathing and disgust and hate and rage and sickness is palpable and unrelenting, and I'm running out of ways to tell you how excellent it is and how much I love it. [face_love]

    =(( =(( =((

    THIS. And I'm sure in certain moments there is a sense of surrendering to gravity in choosing the dark, but it's still a choice, and Vader knows it. The wording here was fantastic.

    Gonna echo Gabri again: HOW VERY DARE YOU, ELLI.

    Gaaaah, it's so good, everything is so good, I love it all, and I can't wait to see where your angsty muse takes you next! [face_mischief] [face_love] [:D]




    I was going to post the quote again, but I'll spare you for once. :* [face_batting] I am really proud of the line though. Maybe too proud? [face_thinking]

    Oh man, if it's really that bad, you guys, maybe I should tone it down a little...

    [​IMG]

    [face_tee_hee] [face_devil]
     
  7. vader_incarnate

    vader_incarnate Force Ghost star 4

    Registered:
    Jul 29, 2002
    Anidala is tragic because they have so much potential to be wonderful together but canon absolutely smashes them. =((

    Thank you! @};-

    Oh good. [face_laugh][face_devil]

    I don't know where I've built up my headcanon of the Imperial Court being kind of ... space Game of Thrones, but with the Force instead of dragons? I don't know if this is actually canon, fanon, or my brain connecting disparate threads together. But yes that's what I imagined.

    :bluesaber: They're almost the L/M we know and want and love but also I love every variation of their dynamic including this one and I need to build out a world to showcase it :p

    Oh man I might get that. Etsy [face_love]

    I think it started out in this universe as a way to emotionally distance herself from decisions she didn't agree with, and then it started happening so often it became a reflex

    IT IS. WHAT IS THE ST ANYWAY

    There's an AO3 tag for canon typical genocide! Yikes but also sigh, Star Wars

    Vader's entire existence is a weird mental state and my muse loves it :vader:

    Well not nothing. :p I wrote the canon typical child murder drabble first and then had to match the tone

    It was in the warning! Maybe I should make a less humorous warning :p

    Look at you dropping this magnificently humourous headcanon in my angst bomb :p

    Twice is a coincidence, three is a pattern [face_thinking]

    I'm pretty ambivalent about the ST overall, except to mourn all the great concepts they left untouched, but I'm happy to explore some of those concepts that they graciously left for me!

    Thank you! [face_party]

    I had just finished listening to the new canon Dooku audio play when I'd written these! It's fun, especially the early parts which are focused on his youth in the Temple. I really liked seeing the slice of life in the Temple during peace time, which made the eventual heel turn we all knew was coming more painful.

    One of the things I like about Dooku is that even though he's obviously set up as a foreshadowing of Vader, he's been a Jedi for way longer and would be even more entrenched in Jedi beliefs and tradition. So he knows even more than Anakin the culture and beauty that he's committed to destroying

    There's a great moment in the new Brotherhood book where Obi-Wan makes Dooku flinch by bringing up Qui-Gon

    He's SO CLOSE to getting the whole picture, and also SO CLOSE to turning back around because he doesn't have all of Anakin's well groomed baggage. He told Obi-Wan so much in AotC but no one believed him [face_worried]

    I kinda picture him as maverick who proudly trained another maverick and then was so disappointed to find the by-the-book Kenobi had sprung from his line, because he didn't know about the lightsaber nunchuck incident :p

    UM YES I LOVE THAT. And bind it all together with beautiful prose and witty dialogue

    I love the phrase "broken mirror version," yes that's it exactly

    [face_blush]

    I love this universe that I constructed twelve years ago and all the fascinating implications but I really wish I'd kept Leia alive longer :_|

    He's being a butt and he knows it and she knows it and she's gonna let him know :p

    SLAP CHOP[​IMG]


    They're my favs, Vi, and I have so many of their moments planned out and waiting for me to construct a larger story around them

    Calling it like it is :p

    I love this sentence so much and I'm glad you do too :_| It's body horror wrapped in angst with a bow made of "more machine than man" on top :vader:

    Sometimes I write in second person by default and go back and change it later. English wasn't my first language and I find the verb tenses easier to work with :p

    Luke is my favorite because he suffers so prettily, and Vader is my favorite because he suffers so nastily :_| Why am I like this

    I love him so much, he's my tragic war criminal baby and he makes the worst decisions that are entirely his fault but also he could just not and that would be better for everyone. Other Jedi fall to the Dark side and it's awful but largely fine, but he does it and just breaks his universe

    [face_rofl] Maybe I need to make the TW less accidentally humorous to adequately convey the incoming angst

    Oh man she's on a weird trip down a Wikipedia hole about the French Revolution and trying to convince me that what Luminescence really needs next is guillotines
     
  8. vader_incarnate

    vader_incarnate Force Ghost star 4

    Registered:
    Jul 29, 2002
    Week 5: Vader (again)


    21. Nuance


    Your optical scanners wreath your vision in shades of blood, but in the sanctum of the qabbrat, you can remove the helmet and truly examine the boy's appearance. You study the nuances of his projected face with an acute devotion that for the last twenty years has been reserved for the worship and glorification of war.

    Skywalker has your eyes but his mother's jawline, and you idly trace a gloved hand along the contour, the ghost of reverent memory making your touch unnaturally gentle.

    You know that this, too, you will destroy. As you destroy everything else that you touch.


    22. Duress

    He is not lost to the weaker side of the Force, your son, or the grip of your corrupt and decaying emperor. You offer him power beyond comprehension, a place as your apprentice, ruling the galaxy as is his birthright.

    Yet he refuses. Chooses to fall to what may well be his death rather than accept you as his father, take his place by your side.

    Before he falls, you see something in his eyes: a hint of heaven, a glimmer of hell, a flicker of gold and hatred and dying, and you know that you will make it yours.


    23. Astray

    He walks the line between salvation and damnation, and you will guide him to the Dark, lead him from the path of sunlight until he has grabbed hold of the Darkness that awaits his command. And with him, you will seize control of this Force-forsaken galaxy. As father and son, as is his destiny.

    You will break him, remake him, expunge his fragile purity and replace it with something harder, colder, more enduring. And after that - you won't miss this child who looks at you with sky blue eyes the color of an unattainable salvation just beyond reach.

    You won't.


    24. Temerity

    You are forced to take notice when he and his princess dare to slay the Hutt.

    This is what they call him on Tatooine: the Jedi who came to free the slaves.

    Have you come to free us?

    No, I'm afraid not.


    You vividly remember the day that Qui-Gon darkened your mother's door, the lies and half-truths the old Master fed to another callow youth. It was a prophetic dream with a promise still unkept, and you wonder for the first time if the promise yet lives in this idealistic youth and his audacious dreams of a newly born Order.


    25. Perception

    "Sister! You have a sister."

    You have been in this moment. You have stood where he stands now, and you recognize, with insight born from intimate experience, the key that will unlock his wrath. Your son inherited your anger along with your eyes, and the abyssal rage that dwells within the depths of your soul has a match in his, and it will only take a push, now - a push, a threat, a promise - to send him tumbling irrevocably over the edge.

    You hesitate only a moment.

    "If you will not turn to the Dark side, then perhaps she will."
     
    Last edited: Sep 6, 2022
  9. WarmNyota_SweetAyesha

    WarmNyota_SweetAyesha Chosen One star 8

    Registered:
    Aug 31, 2004
    Superb insights into Vader's feelings and motivations! =D=
     
    Last edited: Sep 6, 2022
  10. devilinthedetails

    devilinthedetails Fiendish Fanfic & SWTV Manager, Interim Tech Admin star 6 Staff Member Administrator

    Registered:
    Jun 19, 2019
    @vader_incarnate Your recent drabbles from Vader's perspective are wonderful as well. Your use of the second person point of view is particularly strong and packs such punch. It's clear from your writing that you understand what makes Vader tick. With your Vader drabbles, I am reminded of the section of Stover's ROTS novelization where Vader is in his suit for the first time and learns that Padme is dead, and that is a huge compliment coming from me since Stover's ROTS novelization is one of my favorite Star Wars books! I also continue to appreciate how deftly you weave together the different Star Wars eras. Such as with Vader remembering Qui-Gon. It just makes the Star Wars eras feel interconnected and as if they are truly telling one long, epic story. Which can sometimes be a hard feeling to convey. Especially in the limited space of a drabble. Well done! =D=
     
  11. earlybird-obi-wan

    earlybird-obi-wan Chosen One star 6

    Registered:
    Aug 21, 2006
    Vader and his thoughts on how to turn Luke and Leia, great
     
  12. Gabri_Jade

    Gabri_Jade Fanfic Archive Editor Emeritus star 5 VIP

    Registered:
    Nov 9, 2002
    No, you should absolutely be proud of it. It's just deeply traumatic, is all [face_skull]

    I knew that was going to be the gif under that spoiler :p

    Yes, I completely approve of this sentiment, I want mooorrrrrre, Elli

    A BUNCH OF PRETTY VISUALS AND MISSED OPPORTUNITIES

    Welp

    No, no, the warning was adequate, your artistry just broke my heart, it's okay, it's fine

    He is a chaos gremlin, after all :p

    [face_rofl]

    LIGHTSABER GUILLOTINES, ELLI, LIGHTSABER GUILLOTINES

    And the actual update (hey, I got there eventually :p ):

    I need to sit down now

    Okay, I am sitting down, but still. Effective line is effective

    Genetics are honestly pretty fascinating that way. Also, dang, such pretty writing [face_love]

    =(( =(( =((

    I'm not okay, I just need you to know that, Elli

    Mira paces when a piece of writing is particularly effective. Me, I'm more the "lay flat on the floor and gaze at the ceiling until the feelings stop" sort of person.

    In other news, guess what I'll be doing once this is posted

    I really, really love this interpretation. I've seen it mentioned elsewhere on occasion, fic, meta on Tumblr or Twitter or whatever, and I honestly don't know what's canon or fanon here, but I love the idea that Luke, son and grandson of Tatooine slaves, knew exactly what he was doing at Jabba's. But even then, for the handful of other mentions I've seen, I don't recall seeing before this any take on what Vader's reaction would have been upon hearing of this, and I love it

    Anakin should have had enough evidence to disbelieve the lies Palpatine fed him, but you know, there were certainly enough failures on the Jedi's part for such a master manipulator to work with there, and Anakin had some pretty gaping emotional wounds that were never fully faced up to, let alone healed.

    Look, I don't have any words to do this justice, you just get to know that my feelings are well and truly eviscerated, and I will be muttering "but it was so artistically done" while I stare at the ceiling
     
  13. DaenaBenjen42

    DaenaBenjen42 Jedi Grand Master star 5

    Registered:
    May 15, 2005
    I am, bit by bit, being able to read SW again, if not watch it. (Part of why I have a story stuck on Bespin, actually, is that I couldn't even try to work on it. Gah.) And this... oh... my... gosh.

    Week One: Sidious... is at once relatable, elusive, and outright scary. But then... he's a Sith. He's supposed to be at least two of those things. Usually not relatable, but it was the 'darn it, I should have done such and so' things that got me to there.

    You know, I input "Sith Imperial Princess fluffy dress" into an AI art generator, and I don't hate it.

    [face_laugh][face_laugh][face_laugh]

    Week Two: ...wait. It's Dooku? Suddenly I feel like an idiot, because I saw Tyranus up on the first post and thought it was an unknown character. (How out of snych am I? Ha!)

    Battlefield: Of course not, Mr. Former Jedi, Sir. This wasn't you honoring them. I believe it. (No, no I don't.)

    Opponent: That's an interesting viewpoint. I love it.

    General: It's not that they didn't see it, it's that they didn't know the enemy was behind as well as in front.

    Knight: Young Soldiers as seen by an old warrior... interesting.

    Ceasefire: Loved this, with Dooku seeing Obi-Wan's fire and MAYBE a hint of Qui-Gon out there.

    And... angst! Yay, hello to the Angst! Pretty sure I've never read that Darth Sol story, but I loved these drabbles. :)

    Vader Drabbles... is it wrong to happy sigh when it's Anakin in denial of himself in favor of the dark? No? Good. **happy sigh**

    Perception: Were you TRYING to piss off your son, sir? Because that's how you piss off your son.


    Love these. So, so much. :)
     
    Last edited: Sep 10, 2022
  14. ViariSkywalker

    ViariSkywalker Kessel Run Hostess Extraordinaire star 4 VIP - Game Host

    Registered:
    Aug 9, 2002
    Sort of wandering off topic, but as I came back to write these replies, I was struck dead center with the realization that my wildly depressing Enter!verse is my own literary kintsugi. :p I've spent countless hours and countless words trying to explain why the heck I wanted to write a story using canon elements that I hated when I could have just ditched them completely, and then how in the world I ended up loving the story I created so damn much... and kintsugi sort of perfectly captures everything I've been trying to articulate. [face_thinking]

    lolol, I can relate to this! :p You'll just have to go back and fill in all the gaps where she's still alive! ;)

    Pretty sure I laughed for a solid minute when I first saw this response. [face_rofl]

    And I'll be here for all of it! [face_dancing]

    Ask Gabri how many times I've asked her that exact same question, lol. 8-} Also, I LOVE THIS! [face_hypnotized]

    LASER GUILLOTINES, ELLI. (Could also be lightsaber guillotines, I'm not picky. [face_whistling])

    [face_hypnotized] Well that's just a beautiful and awful sentence right there.

    I love how you narrow in on Vader's devotion throughout this piece; the intensity immediately takes me back to his love for Padmé, and it's so very fitting, but also so very tragic. =((

    There's an almost... majestic quality to this introspection that I just love. That flair for the dramatic cropping up there. [face_love] :p

    Tell yourself enough times, maybe you'll believe it. [face_plain]

    I really love the idea of Vader finding out about what went down on Tatooine. [face_mischief]

    Gaaaah, what a line! One of my favorite moments of the entire saga, and you captured it so succinctly and yet so poetically. [face_love]

    Another fantastic outing, Elli. I can't wait for more! =D= [:D]
     
  15. Gabri_Jade

    Gabri_Jade Fanfic Archive Editor Emeritus star 5 VIP

    Registered:
    Nov 9, 2002
    Many times, is the answer. And I'm just as amused every time :p Be confident in your angsty ways, girls. Clearly they're working for you :p [:D]
     
  16. vader_incarnate

    vader_incarnate Force Ghost star 4

    Registered:
    Jul 29, 2002
    Thank you! @};-

    Thank you! I love Stover's novelization; might be the best novelization of all time, and definitely among the best SW books. Vader's been living in my brain for a few weeks, and it'd be nice if he could like, clear out and make space for another character, but he pays his rent in vigs and drabbles, so I don't need to evict him yet. :) I still have so many thoughts I want to explore about how Anakin's childhood slavery shaped Vader's later life and perception of ... everything.

    Thank you! @};-

    Gabri, do you remember when you saw RotS for the first time and they lowered the helmet onto Anakin's face?? And we saw the red optical scanners? I was wrecked.

    [:D][face_batting]

    *hands you a pillow*

    Hard same. I have the vague idea that Luke seemed to know enough about crime on Tatooine that when he was told to wipe the clearly stolen C3PO and R2D2 he did it without question - so clearly he must know there's crime afoot, right? And then surely everyone must know about slavery on Tatooine. And I just want to see that Tatooine slavery thing explored so much more thoroughly; they left it hanging after TPM and touched on it in the new canon Queen's trilogy, but ... can we fix it? There are slaves on Tatooine, this is unquestionably bad. Maybe the Book of Boba Fett touched on it since that is on Tatooine, too, but I haven't watched it yet?

    Gaping emotional wounds and also physical ones, wow his inter trilogy existence was bleak. I think he just hated everyone at this point. Equal opportunity hate.

    :D

    Thank you! I'm pretty ambivalent about the ST, but Sidious' inclusion gave me something I could work with.

    Yes, it's Dooku! Tyranus is his Sith name, which was mentioned like, twice in the movies. :p He's kinda the outlier in the movie!Sith being more commonly known by his not-Sith name? I had fun with these! I'd just finished listening to the new canon Dooku audiobook, which fleshed out his character a lot.

    He's my evil fallen Luke Skywalker who I wrote 12 years ago and haven't finished the story for. :p

    Thank you! :D And yes, he was definitely trying to piss off his son, and he of all people knew the absolute most reliable way to do that. :p

    I feel that so much. Like, I don't even necessarily hate aspects of, say, the ST, I just wanted them used differently?

    I feel like you can also relate to this - and also it's so difficult to create sympathy for your villain who's already murdered his twin? :p

    Oh I'm so glad, because I wasn't sure how coherent that was vs. how much of it was what my brain just ... felt.

    There's this moment in the RotJ novelization where Vader makes the realization that if someone good like Luke had somehow sprung from him, then maybe he has some good left in him, too. And it's lovely and it comes at the eleventh hour, but I just think of Vader, before that, thinking of Luke purely as Padmé's child. And then being just driven to reclaim this piece of Padmé, whatever it takes.

    One of the things that's fun to write about Vader is how BIG he thinks, and how everything is an absolute, and grandoise, and universal. He's so extra, all the time. :p

    My only regret with the scenario is that he doesn't have the chance to learn that his daughter strangled a Hutt, he'd be so proud. [face_laugh] I guess ghost!Anakin will have to be proud instead.

    That parallels!! How Anakin in RotS has this moment where he faces the reality that this Sith he's been doggedly fighting against and has committed to destroy is someone he loves like family, and then he forces Luke into that same realization in ESB. And then how with his threat to Leia, he has been in that position before and remembers being in that position before and he knows what it took for him to make exactly the wrong choice - the threat to someone he loved. Did Vader know? Did he do it on purpose? Of course he did, he must have; I need to dig into that, probably in more than 100 words
     
  17. vader_incarnate

    vader_incarnate Force Ghost star 4

    Registered:
    Jul 29, 2002
    [​IMG]

    Order 66. Sorry, y'all, we're seeing Order 66 from the perspective of this youngling crew from TCW. Left to right that's Byph, Katooni, Ganodi, Gungi, Petro, and Zatt.


    26. Rumble

    “I told you it wouldn’t work.”

    “Well - we all knew it wouldn’t work. We just wanted to know exactly how it would fail.”

    “The first rule of engineering: try different things until it explodes.”

    “You’re making that up, that’s not -”

    “Avoid anything made by an engineer who doesn’t have all his fingers?”

    “That’s not fair to Master Skywalker, he -”

    “What’s that?”

    “What’s what?”

    “The rumbling.”

    “Maybe it’s the sound of your spectacular engineering failure.”

    “Cheese doesn’t rumble. Not even lightsabered cheese.”

    “You don’t know that, no one has even made lightsaber cheese before -”

    “Stop! Listen. It sounds like ... footsteps? Marching.”


    27. Rattle

    It had been Gungi’s idea to check - what about the youngest?

    The nursery was always bustling with activity, and that was what Katooni noticed most: the unnatural silence.

    The door opened, and an abandoned rattle rolled slowly out, the toy’s tinkle echoing eerily in the empty hallway.

    Gungi collapsed, crushed under the weight of his grief. Byph and Petro tried to pull him away, but they could hardly be expected to lift an unwilling Wookiee.

    “We have to move,” Ganodi said finally. “But maybe - maybe he’ll be safe here. Maybe they won’t come back. Since the babies are already dead.”


    28. Thump

    Zatt had always been good with electronics, and that was what saved the rest of them.

    “I’ll seal them off,” he said, as his fingers danced over the screen of his datapad. “No one will be able to get past, unless they have the master code for the Temple. And only someone on the Council would have that.”

    “But you’d have to be on this side of the door to do that,” Petro objected.

    Zatt didn’t even look up. “I know.”

    The door shut with a thud, and it was solid enough that they heard nothing from him after that.


    29. Flutter

    Katooni’s senses were already on edge, the Force pinging and bursting with sharp alarm, like needles driving into her brain. There was too much chaos to pinpoint the location of the danger, but she could feel the lifesparks of the Jedi - her family, her friends, her mentors - winking out, like candles being systematically snuffed. The circle was closing, and they were surrounded.

    But suddenly, she felt a familiar presence, and for the first time that night her heart fluttered with an almost forgotten sensation - hope.

    “Wait, you guys! I think - we need to go this way. I sense Master Skywalker.”


    30. Crackle

    Something infinitesimal shifted in the Force.

    It was slow enough that Katooni almost didn’t notice it, the temperature dropping by fractional degrees, wisps of wrongness coalescing slowly around their savior. But as she watched, the stormcloud grew and grew, until Master Skywalker was surrounded by a sickening aura filled with crackling sparks.

    No, that wasn’t quite right. Maybe he wasn’t surrounded by it. Maybe he was emitting it.

    It felt - he felt - she realized, like the shadow Master Yoda described, hanging over the Force. Clouded by the Dark Side.

    “You’re not here to rescue us, are you?” she asked slowly.
     
  18. DaenaBenjen42

    DaenaBenjen42 Jedi Grand Master star 5

    Registered:
    May 15, 2005
    Yes, I was aware Tyranus was his Sith name. ;) Did I remember that it was? No, not until it was explained.

    Sorry, y'all, we're seeing Order 66 from the perspective of this youngling crew from TCW.

    I'm in. I haven't watched The Clone Wars, but I'm in. (I did not have control of the remote.)

    This... this was a journey thru the horror of that day, in a way I hadn't considered, from characters whom I don't really know, but liked. Well done.

    :eek: :eek: :eek: :_| :_| :_| :_|
     
  19. earlybird-obi-wan

    earlybird-obi-wan Chosen One star 6

    Registered:
    Aug 21, 2006
    The horror of order 66. Great way to show it through the younglings
     
  20. Gabri_Jade

    Gabri_Jade Fanfic Archive Editor Emeritus star 5 VIP

    Registered:
    Nov 9, 2002
    *shakes a fist to the heavens*

    lol

    lightsabered cheese [face_rofl]

    YOU SAID IF I STOPPED READING AFTER THE FIRST DRABBLE IT WOULD JUST BE YOUNGLINGS MAKING GRILLED CHEESES, THE INEFFABLE ANGST CLEARLY STARTS BEFORE THE FIRST DRABBLE ENDS, I WILL NOT FORGET THIS BETRAYAL

    OH MY GOD ELLI

    *stares @ you*

    ~ d e s p a i r ~

    TIMEOUT ELLI. TIMEOUT.

    You should know that I'm not just lying on the floor looking at the ceiling; I now intend to crawl under my bed and maybe never come out again
     
  21. Mira_Jade

    Mira_Jade The (FavoriteTM) Fanfic Mod With the Cape star 5 Staff Member Manager

    Registered:
    Jun 29, 2004
    I have sat down a good dozen times this month, intending to leave feedback on your drabbles, but I never quite followed through like the true mook I am. I'm fixing that now, but this review is unfortunately nowhere near as comprehensive a review as you deserve. These drabbles have all been gems - every last one of them. Painful gems, yes, but still gems, nonetheless. [face_love] =D=


    So, going all the way back to . . .

    My goodness, but I want so much more of this AU! [face_hypnotized]

    I LOVE EVERYTHING ABOUT THIS. The inversion of the classic L/M lightsaber gift; the kintsugi metaphor; the borrowed blue dancing in his eyes. *chef's kiss* This was a master drabble from start to finish. [face_hypnotized] =D=

    Grinning foolishly was the detail that really got me here. There's that boyish sort of earnestness that is so quintessentially Luke Skywalker, except not in this AU. :(

    =(( =((!!

    Get him, Mara. [face_bleh]

    This tossed me back and forth from all the lovely H/L feels, to the wonderful Luke and Leia feels, except of course not, again, and then -

    Mmmhmm. This ST mashup, I like. [face_mischief]

    Right in the feels, my gosh! Especially in the wake of the Obi-Wan show. :_| =((

    Welp, but wasn't this a dark and twisty interpretation of Haven if ever there was one? In even this one place where Vader can be free from his suit, he's not free from himself. And these memories/hallucinations are a blessing as much as they are a curse. =((

    THIS. THANK YOU. *side eyes LoTF*

    This is not the spirit *hee* I intended with Shade for a prompt. [face_waiting] My gosh, but this was awful but gorgeously written. (Especially since reading Mourning and your Order 66 set, too.) I mean: there are too many was just a gut punch. :_| :_|

    Anakin Skywalker does nothing by halves, including fall to the Dark Side. :p

    PERFECT PROSE IS PERFECT. [face_hypnotized] Honestly, I could have quoted every word of your two Vader sets, they were filled with spot-on glorious writing in every way. The second person POV was particularly effective, as well! ^:)^

    Vader pulled no punches with that line, and neither did you. [face_plain]

    [face_laugh] I feel like this is something Anakin would say. :p (Which just hurts with the rest of the set in mind! :_|)

    *wheezes*

    Look at how quickly you took us from one end of the spectrum to the other. I'm rather in awe, here. [face_hypnotized] :p

    &
    These details were devastating. [face_plain]

    =(( =(( =((

    This darling grew up too quickly, and all for nothing. [face_plain]

    Your descriptions of the Force, and how Order 66 would feel to a Jedi, were visceral here and painful for being so! =((

    That hope - dangit, the ninjas are here, chopping their onions! :_|

    The "cold" was such a great detail - TESB!Luke was right there for me, by the cave on Dagobah.

    =(( =(( =((

    Welp, but wasn't that the cherry on top of this angst-tastic Sunday? :_| You better still be in your timeout corner, thinking about what you've done. ;)

    But in all seriousness, the quality of your writing was amazing in this set! So, so well done! =D=


    Nope. There was no walking off these last few sets, not even for me. Instead, I was more or less . . .

    [​IMG]

    :p [:D]



    (Also, would you mind if I called you Elli, too? I didn't want to be presumptuous and assume, but at this point, all the angst and timeout shenanigans later, I would consider it an honor. ;) [:D])
     
  22. vader_incarnate

    vader_incarnate Force Ghost star 4

    Registered:
    Jul 29, 2002
    I wrecked myself a few days ago when I realized these specific younglings are on the cover of the Golden Book I am a Padawan. Canon hasn't told us what happen to them yet ... but it doesn't look good.

    EDIT:
    I have been informed that one or more of them is in the Bad Batch trailer!

    Thank you!

    I HONESTLY FORGOT it's like 90% cute? [face_beatup]

    [face_whistling]

    I'm working on my Angstmonger Atonement fic to get out of the timeout zone but honestly I'm having a much harder time on that one than all the ... other angsty stuff in working on? 8-}

    I do too!! It's the epitome of a meme I saw recently that was something like, "the exact fanfic I want doesn't exist, I guess I'll have to write it myself." But right now it only exists as an outline and in my head and ONE DAY it will be fantastic

    Thank you!! @};-

    I have two ongoing dark! Luke projects that I'm working on simultaneously and this guy is codenamed the Sun Lord and the other is of course the Black King, and I just love them both so much because they're still Luke under everything :luke:

    :mara: : yes I know she isn't a smilie:

    There are just a few aspects of the ST that I love, and I'm stealing General Organa

    Yes exactly! My favorite hate wizard. And of course everything that happened to him was utterly preventable most of all by himself - but it's still so tragic :vader::padme:

    Thank you!! This was the one that I wrote first for this set, because it hit me like a thunderbolt that shade had two meanings :p

    [face_rofl] overachiever

    The youngling banter was so fun, I love writing banter [face_love]

    Oh absolutely :p I'm a chemist, we love explosions

    Once again, I started this drabble set from the most ridiculously depressing starting point when I realized that rattles are a baby toy and canonically the Jedi Temple must have had at least a few babies :_|

    Yes, please do! [:D]
     
    Last edited: Sep 24, 2022
  23. vader_incarnate

    vader_incarnate Force Ghost star 4

    Registered:
    Jul 29, 2002
    Lady Lumiya.

    Or: I've been stumped on these drabbles all week and then suddenly I was hanging out in the WR tags thread and my brain did a thing, and it went like this:

    BRAIN: Man, those Jaina ship wars were crazy.
    BRAIN: But those were just like, just over the course of the YJK and NJO. Luke had almost one love interest per book in the Bantam Era. Not to mention the comics. Remember Shira Brie?
    BRAIN: It's funny how her last name is a kind of cheese. You should rewrite her death scene and present it to Gabri as "the time Luke lightsabered a Brie."
    BRAIN: See, this right here is why you like Rogue One Vader's dad jokes so much.
    BRAIN: But if it was a contest, and it isn't, Luke's potential romantic pairing list would completely overwhelm both of Jaina's and Obi-Wan's put together.
    BRAIN: Quick, write this down, write this down.
    BRAIN: No no no, do not attempt to write Luke/Lumiya just to request the creation of that tag, get back here I swear to -


    TW: Sacrifice by Karen Traviss. :p And also a wildly OOC Lumiya and Luke in comparison to how Traviss writes them because I guess my Lumiya is meaner, and I'm having a really hard time handling Luke extrajudicially executing an unarmed prisoner even after Mara's death and do you know what I am just never ever going to revisit LotF again after this


    31. Obstruct

    "Hello, lover," she purred, and punctuated the greeting with a crack of her lightwhip that sizzled across the distance to tangle teasingly with the Jedi Grandmaster's blade. "I always knew you held a torch for me, but I never thought you'd seek me out as soon as you became a widower, and your late wife could no longer be an obstruction to our love."

    She tried to sneer the last, but her cybernetic lips had not been adequately designed to convey contempt.

    "But surely there's a proper period of mourning to be observed, Master Skywalker. Or else people will talk."


    32. Infuse

    He made no response to her taunts, and she didn't bother to quash her irritation at that, but used it to fuel her, infused her lightwhip with her fury and her thirst for vengeance.

    Skywalker was the reason she had to live like this. More machine than flesh, denied the simplest pleasures of living.

    Their battle was quick and furious, his emerald blade whirling impossibly fast, quicker than her eyes could track - but her lightwhip was faster and he struggled to keep pace.

    Until suddenly it was over - her weapon falling from the cliff as she teetered on its brink.


    33. Obtain

    "Wait!"

    To be Sith was to inherit the knowledge of all who had come before, to study their lore and their wisdom - and their falls.

    To be Sith was to be ambitious, and though her legacy was secure with the Solo boy she couldn't help even in these last moments but covet this unattainable jewel that neither Sidious nor Vader had managed to corrupt.

    "Do you know the tragedy of Darth Plagueis the Wise?" she wheedled. "He learned to prevent his loved ones from dying. It might not be too late for her - through me, you may obtain that knowledge."


    34. Immerse

    Impossibly, he smiled, sad and understanding - and forty years suddenly dropped away, and for a moment they weren't Lady Lumiya and Master Skywalker but just Shira and Luke.

    "You forget that I studied under the Emperor, too. And the reason I don't choose to immerse myself in the Darkness - it isn't a lack of knowledge.

    "I know the story of Plagueis. And I know the story of my father's fall, and the temptation he faced to try to save my mother's life.

    "I know the story of Vader's fall, but also that of his redemption. It's not too late, Shira."


    35. Squander

    He was trying to - what, redeem her?

    Redeem her?

    An avalanche of fury crashed into her, birthed by his presumption, his naivete - and she leapt on him, newly intent on ripping his throat out with her teeth -

    The plan had never been to kill Skywalker; it would ruin the plans of Solo boy, and his plans for the Galactic Alliance and the Jedi and the galaxy would be squandered - all for naught.

    But in that moment she didn't care, and the Dark side sang to her a promise of blood -

    His strike, when it came, was an act of mercy.
     
    Last edited: Sep 25, 2022
  24. Gabri_Jade

    Gabri_Jade Fanfic Archive Editor Emeritus star 5 VIP

    Registered:
    Nov 9, 2002
    Of course you are :p

    Now I'm picturing you on Mythbusters, and honestly, it is delightful

    [face_rofl][face_rofl][face_rofl]

    The Jaina ship wars were crazy, and they were nothing compared to Luke's potential love interests, and I'm still giggling over "the time Luke lightsabered a Brie" and this is exactly what talking to my sister is like, if only my sister was as well versed in the EU and wrote fanfic, and I'm going to be laughing at this whole thing completely out of the blue for weeks

    You mean your Luke and Lumiya are actually in character, because LotF was - well. You know my opinions there.

    I'll kill her for you, Luke!

    But you know what, this is in character for Luke, because not even with a taunt like that so soon after Mara's death would Luke ever just straight up murder someone. (Looking at you, LotF)

    *thinks about tipping Lumiya over the cliff edge with the touch of a single fingertip, à la old Bugs Bunny cartoons*

    That's our boy [face_love] (Also, super Sithly outlook here...)

    :eek:

    Okay, this is actually touching, stop messing with my emotions, Elli *shakes fist*

    Aw yeah, you go with your indefatigably optimistic self, Luke

    I get an uncorrupt Luke, Lumiya's gone, and it was all done in service of a dad joke and an obscure ship tag, this is almost as good as the Angstmonger Atonement fic :p
     
  25. earlybird-obi-wan

    earlybird-obi-wan Chosen One star 6

    Registered:
    Aug 21, 2006
    Love the word jokes and Luke handling Lumiya. Vader is the Dutch word for father and Brie is a very tasty French cheese