Saga Ring of Fire - The Final Story in Anakin's Saga - Author's final replies and goodbyes 2/23

It's..... over....

Coherent response later.

 

Oh I loved it Geo, a happy open ended ending filled with hope and happiness. A wonderful ending to this epic sage that you have written. Congratulations on finally finishing, it's an amazing piece of work.

 

Post 100 on these forums for me.

As for this story - and the others in this saga - all I can say is bravo.

I've read them all and have enjoyed them thoroughly. It's been an epic saga and I'm only sorry that it's ended. I would have liked to see the re-union with Leia to round the family out and the clash with the Empire and Palpatine but you can't have everything. You've spoilt us all as it is.

However, if you do ever do a sequel you know you can add me to the PM list for it!

 

more coherent response later....

 

I left my heartfelt reply to the end of this magnificent story at ff.net. Again I can only say THANK YOU...........

Mo

 

My promised more coherent reply.

First, if you haven't yet, go read geo's "Brother Mine."

This is really just a magnificent way to end an extraordinary set of tales. Anakin is so real and human. It is something that few acheive, though many try. He and Padme make sense here, in a way they soemtimes don't. Also, I think that it had more OT references that almost any Au that I've read. N.B. the lower case u is deliberate. Think about it.

A long time ago, on a website that might not be actually too far away, a man in his thirties in whom memories of the enchanment generated by seeing ANH at not quite 8 years old had been revived by AOTC stumbled upon a set of Fanfic that enthralled him as much.

It moved him to tears and exhiliration...More importantly, it moved him to post. That first post lead to a free flowing exchange of ideas and philosophies that was just great fun. Of course, when he told the author that he was thinking of writing something, she told him that she'd stand in line to read it. So, you have Geo to blame for two novellas, a short story, a one shot and a novel about Ivo Arzhan...

So, I just want to thank Geo for providing a marvelous enchanting time and for being a valued, loyal, and supportive friend. In fact more loyal than I have been here at times.

Oh, and trust me on "Brother Mine."





BRAVO!!!!

 

The last chapter filled with imagination, grace and hope, is a fitting end to the saga. Congratulations to the author for completing this and all the best and most enthusiastic wishes for further writings within and without fandom.

 

Like the others, I will make a coherent reply later, when I feel ready to do so. For now I'm going to just pretend there will be more chapters.

I'll reply once I get out of denial.

---

I have returned.

I'm not sure what to say--I thought maybe giving it some time would make it easier, but I still don't know what would be the [i]right[/i] thing to say at the end of this. I came into it late, but I adored this story for its Star Wars-reality--how I could count on the characters to be real, every time. This ending was no exception, with everything falling splendidly into place. Padme was the Padme I'd hoped for. Anakin was Anakin. Typho came, Naboo had a place, Luke's appearance... everything was just Star Wars to me. I have the same kind of sadness I had after RotS, which was the only Star Wars movie I saw in theaters. I'm sad that it is over, and I'm even sadder that I didn't get to experience it all as it unfolded. But know that I loved it, really loved it, and I'm so glad to have gotten my Star Wars love extended a bit longer. For that, this story is special to me, even above and beyond its goodness. It made Star Wars stick around for me.

I really hope you're not going to fade away now, geo. I know how exhausting it is to finish epics--although I haven't ever done anything this enormous and complicated and intricate. I know you'll probably want to be done with it all, but I so hope you'll come back. Selfishly, I suppose.

Much [face_applause], geo--I'm honored to have gotten to enjoy this and I'm humbled for the work that went into it. I didn't have to do anything but just enjoy it... and that I did. I will again and again, too.

 

Astounding, amazing, incredible, compelling, fantastic, moving... BRILLIANT!

Oh, I have no more words to express how deeply this work touched me, geo! Honestly, it should be required reading for every Star Wars fan from here on out. It's clear that you created this with your entire heart and soul and reading it has been the greatest gift. Thank you for the hours upon hours of enjoyment you have given me and my other fellow readers!!!

It's going to be hard to say good-bye to these characters. I've grown so attached to the way you write them. If you ever happen to find the urge to write a sequel, will you let me know? Obviously, I wouldn't want to miss a moment.

Again, my sincere appreciation for writing one of the most captivating stories ever told in the fanfiction universe. Bravo!

It's been an honor, my friend!

 

So what does one say about the end of a saga? "Beautiful work" ? "Take a bow" ? It all seems a bit inadequate.

I think I'm just going to treat this like any other chapter for the moment.

I found the mystique around Anakin fascinating. I'm actually quite drawn to the idea of this almost shambling wreck of a man running things from within the shadows. Someone easy to misunderstand, someone easy to fear. I think the great difference here between this Anakin and Darth Vader of canon is that Padmé survives and remains his touchstone as she never really could be in canon. This is the logical outcome of the events you set in motion. I'm glad that you didn't feel the need to do any serious plot gymnastics to force it to fit into a predetermined outcome. As you said before, sometimes you have to let things go their way.

And boy, have I enjoyed following along!

Dellia's daughter as the new Sith apperntice was pretty inspired and it made me LOL with a sort of wicked glee. I wouldn't really wish that on anyone's child, but Dellia was such a wench! Besides - there's always Luke out there to perhaps make her see things differently.

So what you've left us with is an open ending. I can already imagine all the possible outcomes of the demise of the Emperor. It's fun to ruminate on all the possibilities. The real ending here was with the coming together of the family. Really the most important thing - we get the feeling the Leia aready has a sense of this and now Padmé has Luke and Anakin together, soon they all will be. Whatever else happens is truly incidental (although it would make a wonderful story) what matters is that love is triumphant.

Congratulations geo, I don't think I've ever seen anything like this done before. It has been a delight to be a part of it.




PS - I couldn't find a GIF with champagne and confetti - I'm sorry - but I do my best with these:

 

What an incredible, imaginative and intricately contrstructed ride you've taken us on over the last 2--or make that 4+ years! I guess the inevitable question is, will there be a sequel? Will we get to see the geo-verse saga come full circle by a re-telling of the OT?

By the way, I like the way you managed to inject the Vader suit. I don't blame Anakin for not wanting white. He always did look hotter in black. ;-)

Beautiful story, geo3

 

Geo3, it has been my profound honor and visible joy to contribute in some small part to your epic. As time goes on, I hope you'll be able to look from afar and realize just what an immense accomplishment you have in these stories. They are not only expansive and complex, but intricate and delicate, brash and brave, masterfully woven.

You stand as a bright example to other authors, of how to write and how to be.

Congratulations on your remarkable achievement. I don't issue fencing prime-salutes to hardly anyone, but you definitely deserve it.

 

So here we are, at the end - or perhaps the begining - perhaps you should have titled this chapter Ouroboros? But before I delve into the usual acolades and final applause that accompanies the ends of all stories, let us concentrate on the here and now.


So bitter sweet to see Aeron back - now the last Senator of Alderaan - we are left to wonder, did he go home after the fact? Did he die on Alderaan (indeed, did Alderaan survive in the Geoverse?) A tale for another time perhaps...

***

?When you can best me,? he hissed, ?then you can call yourself powerful. Until that time, you still have much to learn.? Ahhhh, these aprentices! Nice (?) to see the years have been kind to our favorite Master of Evil.

***


?I was followin? orders,? Pell responded calmly. ?I was told to fetch ?im, an? I did. Per orders,? he emphasized again. Oh Pell! You haven't changed (but for becoming so 'real' - you know him as soon as he opens his mouth...



Of course, she also wanted him to be patient and just and honorable, but that was a near impossibility. Anakin could not have built and ruled the New Independent Territories without availing himself of the all the resources available to him.

Don't think I didn't notice that particular emphasis (italisised in the story, bolded for reference). ALL the resources... It seems that Anakin was irreparably changed by that last encounter after all. And yet, at his heart he still remains, Anakin...

When she was with him, he deferred to her in everything.



And:

Not a droid ? something whispered faintly in the back of his mind? a knight?.


And here, we see the core of "uncle Owen"...

?You abandoned him with us, brother. That was your choice.?

?You have been well compensated, Owen. I have made you a rich man, or have you forgotten??

?You think that matters? Do you think I wouldn?t have taken him anyway, and done it gladly??


***

And this...


Anakin slowly raised one arm. As his hand rose up, so did a dense column of sand and dust from the unremarkable landscape beyond. There was no wind; there wasn?t a breath of air to explain it. ... the sand simply skittered away from it so that the stone marker became accessible from all sides.

This is a prime example of how lyrical your stories always have been - just so.


***



Ouroboros

Back to the begining:

I would close this with a pithy, 'goodbye' filled with endearments and insider remarks that would remain meaningless to those who are on the 'outside', but I feel that it would be an injustice to everything that has been written here.

There are no endings. There are only beginnings.

Indeed, this is only the closing chapter of ONE story, or of many - perhaps the last 'chapter' of the geoverse fan fiction where you as an author have a direct hand. Perhaps not. For here there are always more tales.



Ouroboros, the circle starts again...

 

So, you gave us a happy ending, you marshmellow, you! Excellent. What a fantastic way to finish the saga off. That was beautiful.

It feels strange to me that it's all finally finished, and I didn't start reading even close to when you began this very long journey. You should be very proud of what you've written. Thank you so much for letting us follow you around in this world you've created.

I'm still a little stunned that it's over. Hopefully I'll get over my shock and be able to say more.

Now, onwards!

Brilliant. Also, that great "Luke, I am your father" line you threw out there. I've really appreciated all the throwbacks to the movies you've been sticking in throughout your trilogy.

I'll miss so many of your characters. Your OCs ring absolutely true to the universe, and that's something that quite a few writers have difficulty with. I'll miss Pell, Poulin, V'ar...heck, even Lon.

Thanks again for the journey! I can honestly say that this is the best fic I've ever read.
I hope this isn't the last we'll be seeing of you and your writing.

 

I'm stunned! I just read it, and emotions are all over the place. I had no idea the end was so near, but what a beautiful way to end the story.

I see pretty much eveything has come full circle. The spawn of Lon is now a Sith Apprentice! It's funny in that context, but it's actually quite a tragedy for her - whoever she is, she's had no exposure to or understanding of love. Just another tool of Palpatine's.

There is so much to digest, so much to say...I'll just outline some of the lines that I really enjoyed:

Good! Anakin thought with satisfying hostility. Since he couldn?t be angry with Padmé, he had to turn it on someone. Be afraid! Be very afraid!

?I?m not going to put something like that on! Are you mad?? I could just picture it...

?That,? Anakin grated, ?is the best news you will ever receive. She is the Lady Padmé ? your mother ? and she more than makes up for me.? This was nostalgic for me; since seeing ROTJ I've always been enchanted by the twins and their mother, and the tragedy of it all. Very powerful line, and a beautiful scene.

And so it ends. Kinda hard to believe it's over. Like others have said, this is bittersweet. Pat yourself on the back, geo3, cause you've created a fantastic piece of work here. You should be very proud. Best of luck to you in any future writing endeavours!

BTW, brilliant title for the final chapter.

 

Beautiful. Leia won't be quite as accepting, I think. But Luke and Shmi's grave and all of that was a very nice valentine.


Thank you Geo. You have made something wonderful, and gave it to us.

 

I know completed threads don?t generally get read again, but I just wanted to leave a heartfelt ?thank you? to everyone who stopped by with comments, just in case you do stop back. I appreciate each and every one enormously, and will treasure your warm wishes and generous praise always. Thanks also to those of you who pointed out specific things you liked in this last post ? I?m always so curious!

You are the best readers ever, and I will miss you all.

 

I suppose that all good things must come to an end....

Still, as happy I am for you that you've completed such a grand work, I am sad to see it end. And what an end it was. I thought it was a quite unique stroke to have 'the suit' as the means for Anakin to fulfill his destiny. I liked the symmetry with canon and thought this was nicely done. I especially enjoyed reading about the encounter of the Skywalker family at the Lars farm. The possibilities you've set in motion are absolutely endless. I too hope you don't disappear into oblivion as I would love to read more from your skilled pen.

Thank you for the kind mention. I'm happy to have helped in whatever minor way throughout this labor of love. This story reflected the time, dedication and skill you possessed and it would be a real shame if others were denied reading such a wonderful tale. I've truly have enjoyed this series as it has opened my eyes to looking at things in canon and the AU in much different light. I commend you on your fine work and wish you well on your next venture!

 

So this is goodbye?

I hope you?ll indulge me for a few brief moments as I share my thoughts on both this most recent chapter and then the series as a whole.

There Are No Endings, Only Beginnings

From the title alone, I felt a sting of pain coupled with a joyful sense of hope. It would be the theme for me as I read on.

On the day when Democracy finally died in the Galactic Republic..[]

What a punch in the gut! I mean, I knew it was coming. You perfectly laid out in the last few chapters that this was inevitable?but?yeah?

In amazingly few words you succinctly told us that the Republic that had been rotting away from within for so long was gone. But even worse than that?

It didn?t matter. Who would take note, or care? A Senator already was a thing of the past, and of no consequence.

*sigh*

Your second scene was kind of a fanboy thrill for me.

I got a kick out of the notion that Dellia?s and Lon?s daughter is now the future of the Sith. Perhaps it?s the sadistic side of me?

Something struck me and if it were anybody else?s story I?d dismiss it as a coincidence.

And the hair ? well, it had seemed darker, with glints of red that he didn?t remember Dellia?s hair having.

?

The irritation came from the child?s continued breathtaking indifference to the reverence and the protocol due his august personage.

?

Her eyes glinted with the green fire that lit their depths when she was in the grip of powerful emotions

?

He had found her screaming in a pile of the dead, and immediately had understood her potential ? she was strong with the Force but too young to have been ruined by the Jedi.

Red hair, green eyes, beautiful, powerful in the Force, and completely irreverent? Sounds like a certain future wife of Luke Skywalker.

Cool!

And then I was back to being sad again.

Typho hurried to the container and fumbled with the seals. The lid hissed open and he pulled out something that at first glance looked like a Clone-Wars era armor of the kind issued to the cloned troops. It appeared to be a molded white full-body armor of some kind, but the resemblance ended quickly upon closer inspection. The breast plate looked like some kind of a control panel. The interior was a mass of circuits, wires and tubes whose purpose Anakin didn?t want to imagine. Typho laid it out on the floor piece by piece. It looked like a fallen soldier, complete from high neck to boots to gloves ? only headless. Anakin stared. When Typho retrieved an odd, almost bell-shaped helmet and face mask combination from the container and added it to the assembly, Anakin lost control.

Actually, this whole thing made me more conflicted than sad. I was initially pleased that Anakin had escaped the living tomb he in which he had been imprisoned in canon and yet, here it was again rearing its ugly head.

But then, there?s a difference this time. Now Anakin has a choice. He is not being imprisoned. He can choose. He has taken the third way and that has given him the opportunity to decide his fate as opposed to being trapped by it.

So?I guess I like it, then.

Not a droid ? something whispered faintly in the back of his mind? a knight?.

Yeah?that just made grin!

Sidebar: ?What exactly do you expect me to do?? Anakin rasped. His shoulders were so tight with tension they trembled. ?Go down to Owen?s farm and say, without explanation or apology, ?Luke, I am your father?? Are you serious??

Nice!!

Without hesitation Luke held out his other hand to her.

Padmé took her son?s strong hand, marveling at his straightforward, unabashed acceptance of the truth.

At long last, she felt at peace.

Beautiful, beautiful, beautiful!! There is so much in this chapter I could comment on! I?ve only touched on some of the more wonderful moments for me. It was completely and utterly satisfying endi?err?beginning.

The Anakin Saga

How does one sum up a story that has spanned 4 real

 

Jeez, geo, you keep surprising me! Did not think that you would end it this way, but really, it all fits perfectly. Anakin in a dark suit. Shmi's grave uncovered. Padme this crazy leader that always gets her way. Mara the new Sith. All very nicely tied together!

I gotta say, though... something about this not-actually-totally-resolved ending does kind of scream "Luke's saga!"

 

Dear Geo,

Thank you so much for writing these stories. Through your writing, you've knitted together a community and given us a project to share. I always looked forward to each post, and to the dialog that went with it. Being able to go chapter by chapter and hear other's insights is an amazing thing, but then being able to hear your responses adds to the experience in a way that I'd never imagined. What a treat. What a gift from you.

It stuns me that a real, live author would share and talk with readers as she wrote. To me, when someone writes a story, it's just pure magic. It stuns me that stories can be made up and written. I've always been a reader, but never got to see so close into the creation of a story.

So besides absolutely loving the stories themselves, I also want to thank you for how deeply you shared of yourself during the birthing process. You allowed me a unique opportunity, and I'll never forget it.

Thanks,
Annette

 

---

Dear Geo3 -

All good things do not come to an end. This story and its last scene are forever sculpted in my memory. The story and its characters were alive as it was being told, and are alive today - days after the end of the tale.

What I am grateful for is to have read a story that is and remains alive because somehow, in ways that I yet do not understand, it fired a light ? an inner light ? that just like those glowing rocks in the novel are linked to something beyond the words on the screen.

Bravo for capturing the spirit of Star Wars and enlivening the Saga where the movies failed. Bravo for sharing your ideas and storytelling with us. Bravo for your responses and attention to your readers. Bravo for creating an inner glowing memory that persists beyond the end!

 

I just want to let you all know that proper replies are on their way. They're taking a little time because I want to give each and every one of your treasured comments its due. In the meantime thanks and hugs, and check back soon!

 

"There are no endings; only beginnings."

Beautiful, and it sounds like it could come straight from the Jedi Code.

I actually avoided logging in and checking messages for quite some time, because I feared seeing a PM and, thus, the story's finale. It's hard to bid farewell to such an enjoyable story!

They promote everyone lately. Next thing you know, they?ll be commissioning pirates and farm boys.

I loved that. There were many such moments like this for me in the chapter, moments when I could laugh and grin slyly over a moment of Star Wars nostalgia. Ditto for the "Luke, I am your father" and "he had a very bad feeling about it" moments. Awesome.

As usual, I love the Anakin that is shown in this chapter. He is powerful, big-hearted, larger-than-life...but so quintessentially human, with real human flaws and foibles---flaws and foibles that both drive to distraction, and evoke warm chuckles. In other words, just like a real person. Multi-dimensional, living, breathing characters are one of the zillions of reasons I love this story so much.

By the way, I saw the nod to Dune, back in Ch. 40---Anakin transforming the face of Tattooine with greenery. Don't think I didn't notice. I thought that was pretty neat, and very apt---I'm a huge fan of Dune; and Anakin and Paul, in my opinion, have a lot in common. And Dune, like the GFFA, deals with timeless human themes, the mysteries at the heart of the universe, as it were---destiny, power, goodness, evil, love---as does Ring of Fire. One of the other zillions of reasons I love this story so much.

Thank you, geo3, for gifting us with such an enjoyable story. When I first stumbled into the early chapters of this story, nigh on a year ago, I was idly browsing and had no idea what was in store for me. I am grateful that I was able to be here to the end, to find out. I join the other readers here in hoping that there may yet be more to the geoverse---additional novellas? some vignettes? maybe some stories by other authors, like the ones that were posted in this thread? I still have unanswered questions! (E.g., what's the deal with the firestones, anyway? They remain a bit of a mystery...)

As I and others have said before, the geoverse, to me, feels quintessentially "Star Wars" to me in a way that few other things do---including some professional fiction and even, ahem, some films. If geoverse movies are made, VA_Parky will have a lot of company as she waits in line.

I'd also like to give a shoutout and thanks to the readers who posted in this thread. There were many insightful comments and thoughtful discussions---as well as some great jokes and fun games!---and I very much enjoyed reading it all.

As for me, I can now finally turn my attention to reading the earlier works in the geo3 saga---unlike many readers here, I have not read them, and have long looked forward to it. So, Jedi Master geo3 is right---truly, there are no endings, only beginnings.

 

Feeling sad at the end of this journey and knowing full well how quickly threads die at the end of a story, I was going to slink away into the ether, having persuaded myself that if I did reply at length to your last comments, no one would be there to read them.

I repented after a couple of gentle nudges from DarthBreezy,GunraysLawyer and Souderwan, and especially after dietcokeani?s lovely post made me realize that what I?m really grieving for is the end of the thread and the little community around it, rather than for the end of the story. And since you have all put such love and care into your final replies, I can?t possibly vanish without one last long, wordy response! So here goes.

And then? my keyboard died! Apparently I wore it out! I can?t believe it. I?ve only had it for four years or so. I got it right around the time I began the Anakin?s Saga stories?

Oh.

Oh, my.

I think it?s time to put this endlessly long, keyboard-killing thing to bed once and for all

So once more, with feeling:

Art-Of War It's..... over.... Coherent response later.

I?d love to see it if you ever get around to it. My ATN on this thread doesn?t run out for a while yet. Either way, thanks so much for reading and for your bouts of quite exorbitant praise along the way, which invariably left me dazed?

FitJedi Oh I loved it Geo, a happy open ended ending filled with hope and happiness. A wonderful ending to this epic saga that you have written.
Congratulations on finally finishing, it's an amazing piece of work.

Thanks so much ? I?m glad the post felt hopeful to you. And thank you for being such a faithful reader!

DarthSilious Post 100 on these forums for me.

Congratulations! May there be many more!

As for this story - and the others in this saga - all I can say is bravo. I've read them all and have enjoyed them thoroughly. It's been an epic saga and I'm only sorry that it's ended. I would have liked to see the re-union with Leia to round the family out and the clash with the Empire and Palpatine but you can't have everything. You've spoilt us all as it is.

I?m thrilled to know that you?ve been reading the stories and that you have enjoyed them. It always makes my day to hear that! And yes, the story could have gone on and on but that was part of the point of ending it the way I did ? with the idea that stories like this do never really end.

However, if you do ever do a sequel you know you can add me to the PM list for it!

Thanks!

MoAngel I left my heartfelt reply to the end of this magnificent story at ff.net. Again I can only say THANK YOU...........

I saw and loved. Thank you so much! I love that you?ve loved the stories. That?s the whole point of writing them ? to share.

GunraysLawyer First, if you haven't yet, go read geo's "Brother Mine."



This is really just a magnificent way to end an extraordinary set of tales. Anakin is so real and human. It is something that few achieve, though many try. He and Padmé make sense here, in a way they sometimes don't. Also, I think that it had more OT references that almost any Au that I've read. N.B. the lower case u is deliberate. Think about it.

Thank you, although I?m not sure about the number of OT references throughout the saga; I know authors who sprinkle them around like salt and pepper But if you mean here in this last chapter, that was quite deliberate, and I had fun with it for sure.

A long time ago, on a website that might not be actually too far away, a man in his thirties in whom memories of the enchantment generated by seeing ANH at not quite 8 years old had been revived by AOTC stumbled upon a set of Fanfic that enthralled him as much?.

It has been a lot of fun and a great run, my friend!

Oh, and trust me on "Brother Mine."

OK? well, thanks for this, but what, if anything, did you think of