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emjenwrites · 4 years

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A Defense of Mary Sue OCs

This is a direct response to the post I just reblogged about the creator of a Mary Sue test denouncing the test. I was going to post this as a reblog, but then it got hideously long on me so I decided to post it separately. Here is the link to the Mary Sue Litmus test in question if you’d like to look at it (prepare to be horrified: it’s sickening).

Firstly, I did not know this test existed until I saw it tonight, however I did see the kind of damage this kind of thinking did to the fanfiction community on fanfiction.net in real time.

For some background, I discovered online fanfic through FFN and Wattpad around July 2013 (I know this because one of the first fics I remember reading was the fic “No Hiding, No Safe Covers” which was published then). I was active on FFN in some form basically from then until I made my AO3 account in July 2018. My FFN account still exists, though I haven’t done anything there since December 2019 according to the last thing in my Favorite Stories.

I was in the Star Wars fandom during my FFN heyday (this should actually not be surprising: I have never loved anything else the way I loved Star Wars). This was when the Clone Wars was airing so the fandom was massive, there were so many new fics everyday. There was always something new to read.

Only it wasn’t all good. We had a lot of people who would go around leaving hate comments (we called these messages flames). I remember there was this one person who started deleting the hate comments on their work. When the flamers figured out about this they dog-piled on this person screaming about how they were deleting comments to make it seem like people liked their work more than they actually did. I’m pretty sure this person eventually left the site.

But what does this have to do with Mary Sues, Emjen? Let me tell you. As I recall, this person was writing Self Insert fanfic. In fact, most if not all of the people who ran afoul of the flamers were. At the time FFN (or at the the Star Wars fandom) had a huge anti-Mary Sue culture. People hated Self Insert fanfic because all the characters were Mary Sues.

What they missed was the fact that most of the people writing these fanfic were, you guessed it, middle school kids. These kids had just discovered fanfic and they were just learning to write. They loved the Clone Wars and they just wanted to be part of it. They made characters who were like themselves only better; the sort of people they wished they were. There’s nothing wrong with that. There’s nothing wrong with getting yourself through the crap that is middle school by imaging that you’re amazing and powerful and and get to save the day. There’s nothing wrong with exploring how to write with characters people might not be interested in reading. Kids shouldn’t be attacked for that.

Also, I firmly believe that the “cringey” Self Insert OC phase is one all fanfic writers go through. I know I did. Hell, my username is the name of one of my Self Inserts. I’ve just sort of detached it from the character and began to use it for myself over the years because I like the sound of it, but that doesn’t change where it came from. The difference is that I didn’t start posting fanfic on the internet until I was sixteen and by that point I was well past that stage and into more “respectable” types of fanfic. My Self Insert stuff--like the series my friend and I wrote when I was in middle school featuring my older Self Insert Reba-Kah who was one of Anakin Skywalker’s best friends (**insert ironic aroace chortling here**)--will forever remain buried in the notebooks we wrote them in. So will the detailed character guides I wrote with some canon characters and all my OCs (I had OCs for basically everyone I knew including detailed backstories for each one). Maybe it was cringey, maybe it was poorly written, maybe the characters were too perfect, but that stuff contained every ounce of my middle school aged passion, and there was nothing wrong with it. Nothing about it deserved hate, and the same holds true for every other kid who has ever written fanfic.

So back to the anti-Mary Sue sentiment on FFN. By the time I started posting on FFN, I wasn’t writing Self Inserts anymore. At one point, I did write a fic about my friend’s (the one from above’s) OC, but that was only posted on my Wattpad. Tbh I can’t recall if I had my FFN account at that time, but either way no Self Inserts were posted on my FFN. I learned that no one liked OCs; that at best you wouldn’t get reads for fics containing them, at worst you would get hate comments about how they were Mary Sues. I actually had a thicker skin in high school than I do now (how did that happen?), but I still stopped writing OCs. I went from a girl who had literally hundreds of OCs (ask me nicely and I might screenshot the character lists from my Warrior Cats phase for you: its impressive), to a girl who wrote canon characters and canon characters only.

It took me a long time to start writing OCs again. Eventually, when I was college I started to feel like the hatred of OCs was stupid. Why did I have to avoid OCs just because everyone hated them and thought they were Mary Sues? I wrote original fiction as well as fanfic! Didn’t that mean that I knew how to write an OC without making them a Mary Sue? I decided I was sick of it so I wrote a fic flying in the face of all of it. That fic is about the Jedi Order during the Clone Wars, and its easily one of the artsiest things I’ve ever written. It’s structured as a collection of short scenes set from the of AoTC until RoTS. Each scene is in a different character’s POV and at least mentions the character who will be in POV character in the next one. The characters were drawn from canon, the old EU and my old OCs. Reba-Kah makes an appearance, and so does Emjen Enla (actually I think this might be the only time I ever actually wrote Emjen, but that’s another story entirely). I’m not going to link it because I wrote it a long time ago and I’m a much better writer now, but while writing this I looked back at it I noticed that I’d included an author’s note that talks a lot about the same things I’m discussing here, so obviously that was on my mind.

No one read that fic, but at least I didn’t get any hate on it. Still, it’s now 2020 and I’m writing the Fightingverse, which is a series where half the major characters are OCs. I’m pleasantly surprised with the responses that it’s getting, actually. I didn’t think anyone would read the first Baas POV fic (I hesitate to say Baas’s fic because that’s something else entirely), but people did and it has a fair number of Kudos so it seems people like it. Maybe things are getting better now (probably not, but I’m a pessimist, what do I know?).

On a more global scale, in my experience only two types of characters get nailed with the “Gross, a Mary Sue” bullshit. They are:

1. Characters who are women who inhabit roles that are considered men’s roles or who are badass and powerful in ways people think only men should be. (Rey from the Star Wars Sequels is an example of this.)

2. Self Insert OCs written by kids (usually girls, actually) who are just having fun imagining that they are part of the story and are cool and powerful and can save the day.

If you look at those two categories it becomes obvious that there is a lot more to unpack here than just whether someone who writes a “Mary Sue” is a terrible writer and deserves to be shamed off the internet. Actually, it becomes obvious that isn’t the problem at all (//sarcasm Oh, it looks like Mary Sue hate was just misogyny all along! Who would have thought? I’m so shocked!). It becomes obvious that Mary Sue is just a charge people level on characters they personally dislike even if the character is well characterized. (And yes I know a Gary Stu is a thing, but that term was never used with as much hate as Mary Sue is.)

To further hammer this home, out of curiosity I tried to fill the Mary Sue Litmus test linked above out on myself. I got a 20, which in fanfic terms means there’s a low-to-moderate chance I’m a Mary Sue (//sarcasm “but don’t worry this is generally a safe range to be in”). 😬The list contains traits possessed by many well-loved fictional characters including Katara, Toph and Aang from Avatar the Last Airbender. It shits on age-old tropes like the chosen one narrative. Your character becomes more of a Mary Sue if the other characters mourn them when they die (wtf?). If you only check a couple things your character is either a “Hood Ornament” (meaning you’re such a sucky writer you can’t even manage an active character so we’re going to hate you) or an “anti-Sue” (meaning you tried so hard not to write a Mary Sue you did the exact opposite and we’re still going to hate you). Above all you can tell that the list is based on one person’s opinion, and their arrogance oozes through every word of the stupid thing. It’s awful. I hate it. It’s a good thing the creator realized it was messed up, even if it’s too late and the damage is already done.

Basically where I’m going with this is that there’s nothing productive about Mary Sue hate. It always either demonstrates your prejudices or attacks younger writers (often both). People need the space to learn, and they can’t do that if they get attacked for writing things that they enjoy. Women chosen ones and women with badass powers are also things that should exist; they should not be held to standards that men in the same roles would not be. The Mary Sue label is not helpful and just gives people a convenient buzzword to use to spew hate.

tl;dr: The concept of Mary Sues in inherently flawed and based in attacks on young writers at best and outright misogyny at worst.

(Note: I deliberately did not touch on the genres of x OC and x Reader fanfic that is written by adults because I have very little experience with them. However, at casual glance, it appears the point is writing a character who is generic enough to allow the reader to project themself into the story, which changes the rules slightly as you could argue the writer is deliberately trying to write a character who would be considered a Mary Sue.)

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anotherhawk · 6 years

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Dust Fatigue - Clone Wars Fanfiction

Cody woke to all the expected alarms and notifications plastered over his helmet display. The atmosphere on this sith-sent moon was light on oxygen and heavy on toxins and corrosives. Oh, and dust, mustn't forget that. Thick, grey, ash-like dust that smothered their armour until he could barely pick out his brothers from the rocks around them, barely tell which of them he was talking to. The grey covered over white and gold, leaving them all as identical as the day they were decanted. If he was the sort to be unsettled, this would unsettle him.

With a concealed sigh, ignoring the ache in his head and his back, he sat up, cancelling the alerts. After three standard weeks he knew the dangers well enough.

“Commander!” Drifter sounded relieved and he looked over to find a small group of his vod gathered around an abandoned helmet. He looked around the cave quickly, searching for whatever unfortunate vod had been stupid enough to disobey orders and take off his helmet. They had already lost a squad to this storm. He wasn't going to lose another brother to the kriffing weather.

“The general stepped outside for a moment,” Drifter went on, talking quickly. “And he left this behind.”

Of course. He should have known. His brothers had a sense of self-preservation – unlike their Jedi.

He made sure not to let his frustration leak into his voice. “I see. When was this?”

“Twenty minutes ago? Tinhat went to check on him but he said he was fine. Just meditating.”

Cody nodded and took the general's bucket from Drifter's hands, his brother obviously all too eager to pass the problem up the chain of command. “Jedi can handle hostile environments for longer than we can,” he reminded them – needlessly, he suspected. If it was a vod who had removed his helmet and wandered outside he was certain that they would have been tackled and wrestled back into it long before now, regardless of rank. He really didn't want to try doing that to the Jedi. Best call that plan b.

Away from the shelter of the cave the wind picked up immediately. The dust wasn't as thick as it had been when they'd first arrived though, which could mean the storm was dying down at last – or it could be something to do with the man sitting cross-legged on the cliff edge to his right.

“Cody,” Obi-Wan greeted him without opening his eyes.

“Put your bucket back on. Sir,” he said, holding the helmet out.

Obi-Wan made no move to take it. “I'm filtering the toxins out of my lungs. I can manage without it for a while longer.”

And he wondered why he had a headache. With an effort he reminded himself that the Jedi didn't get the same training as them. The clones could practically live in their buckets, but as far as he could tell before the war no Jedi had even wore one, which, considering that the vast majority of them came from species that would die from a single head shot, was insane. “You're worrying the men.”

As he expected Obi-Wan sighed and immediately reached for the helmet, checking the filters and seals as thoroughly as any brother fresh off Kamino. “Would you care to sit down?” he invited, and the slight distortion from the helmet didn't stop him from sounding just as polite as though the two of them were in some high-class Coruscant club.

Cody took the invitation, sitting on the cliff edge and peering out into the storm, searching for any sign of clankers.

“The droids are likely to be even more inconvenienced than we are,” Obi-Wan observed.

“Unless they've had upgrades,” he said, as much for the sake of an argument as anything else.

Obi-Wan tilted his head to the side doubtfully. “They would have to do it themselves. We're the only living organisms on this moon.”

Cody glanced sideways at him, confident the movement was hidden by his helmet. “Is that a problem, sir?”

He gave a slight chuckle. “Well it does mean we don't have to worry about collateral damage. We should have sent Anakin.”

“No, I mean with the force,” he hazarded, hoping he didn't sound too ridiculous. After all, something had driven his general out here to meditate without his helmet. And the force was a connection between all living things, by his understanding anyway. Though how that let his general throw clankers around with his mind was something no one had ever managed to successfully explain to him.

Obi-Wan turned to look at him, and Cody thought he might be smiling. “It's fine, Cody. The force feels different here but it's not painful or uncomfortable. I would have told you before now if it had been a problem.”

Cody just looked at him. He might not be able to stare the Negotiator into submission, but he could at least make his incredulity plain. Off the top of his head he could think of dozens of 'painful' or 'uncomfortable' problems that Obi-Wan had chosen not to tell him about.

By the stubborn tilt of his head, Obi-Wan was well aware of what he was thinking.“I tell you if something is going to affect the mission.”

“Your health affects the mission, sir,” Cody told him every bit as dry as General Kenobi himself. He was fairly certain that Obi-Wan wanted to argue that it didn't, or perhaps that it shouldn't, but he looked back out across the moon's surface instead.

“Some Jedi have a stronger connection to the living force than others. My master was such a one. He would have struggled on this moon. But I don't have that powerful connection and so the council picked us for this assignment.”

“Lucky us,” Cody returned, inwardly wondering. He very rarely heard Obi-Wan mention his master. Strange considering by Rex's account General Kenobi was one of General Skywalker's favourite topics of conversation – right behind Senator Amidala.

“Lucky us indeed,” Obi-Wan agreed. “Not that there is any such thing as luck, of course.”

“Right,” Cody said grimly. “If the force intended for us to end up on this dustbowl, I've got a few words for it. Sorry, sir.”

“No, no,” Obi-Wan said lightly. “I often think so myself. Particularly in such...inhospitable conditions.”

That was certainly one way to put it. He rolled his shoulder a little, trying to ease the knots in his back. It wasn't his place to question, but they were the only living things on this moon, and that made it a little hard to see just what it was they were defending. Palladium mines, sure, but all the miners had been evacuated before the separatists took it.

“The mines support the economy of Kestilia,” Obi-Wan told him. “Their situation is already precarious – they import most of their food and without the income from the mines people will starve.” Cody stiffened slightly and Obi-Wan ducked his head. “Apologies, Commander, you were thinking very loudly. And one of the admitted disadvantages of the lack of the living force here is that there's less, ah, 'noise', so to speak. I'll try to do better.”

There was genuine apology in his voice and Cody nodded. “It's fine,” he said, and at least it was good to know that they were fighting for more than credits in some rich industrialist's pockets. “I don't normally question our orders,” he added defensively.

“I know,” Obi-Wan said, as though there wasn't a doubt in his mind. “But we've lost so many.”

He nodded again, looking out into the storm, in the direction that they'd lost Whistler and the shinies. “I can't decide which is worse. That they died without choosing their names, or that some of them had found their names and now no one knows them.” The squad had been at the landing zone on their own for four days and a handful of skirmishes before the storm moved in. That was more than enough time for a shiny to name themselves. He didn't like hearing designations in the litany. It meant that his brothers hadn't lived long enough to find out what made them unique. It meant they hadn't had a chance to live. It meant he'd failed.

He felt the comfortable weight of his Jedi's hand on his shoulder, a silent offer he was more used to receiving after battle. Still he nodded – accepted - and he felt a wave of comfort and compassion sweep over him through the force. It didn't take the pain away of course, but his mind was soothed and just knowing that his general shared his grief and his guilt helped somehow.

“They are one with the force, marching far away.”

With the tension across his shoulders lessened he felt a twinge of regret. “I'm sorry. You shouldn't have to waste your energy like that.”

“My master was always fond of saying that no act of compassion is a waste,” Obi-Wan replied, and that was twice now that he'd mentioned his master and that had to mean something.

“He sounds like a fine man,” he tried. “I'm sure he would have made an amazing general.”

Obi-Wan gave a wry laugh. “Hardly. He would never stand for the Order leading an army. I have no doubt he would see this whole war as my...as our failure.”

Cody didn't miss the quick correction. “Are you alright, General?” he asked tentatively.

“I'm fine,” Obi-Wan said, predictably, but he hesitated and Cody waited patiently. “I was checking through the latest casualty reports. General Zanedi died over Wusmyneides.”

He couldn't put a face to the name. “I'm sorry. Did you know them well?”

“Not well, no,” Obi-Wan said. “But we were padawans at the same time, and though she was a few years older than me we did share one class. Advanced Cross Cultural Mediation. I was reminiscing, and it suddenly occurred to me that there isn't anyone else still alive from that class. Just me; the lone survivor.”

His Jedi's voice was light. Cody reached out and gripped his forearm, concentrating on feelings of sympathy and support. If he was 'loud' he might as well take advantage of it.

“Thank you, Cody,” Obi-Wan said in a low voice gazing out into the storm once more. “Sometimes I wonder what will be left of us all once this war is over.”

Cody tried not to wonder about that. He and his brothers had been made for war.

Obi-Wan stood up quickly. “Come on. Let's wake the men. The storm will end in an hour and we need to be ready to move. I want to clear the mines and call for extraction before the next one hits. The sooner we're back home the better.”

Cody moved to follow him, wondering when Obi-Wan had started thinking of The Negotiator as home, and whether his Jedi had even noticed.

#clone wars fan fiction #commander cody #codywan #obi wan kenobi #star wars fanfiction

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dracox-serdriel · 6 years

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The Force Rises - Chapter 3: The Precipice Hunter [Star Wars]

Title: The Force Rises [AO3] [LJ] [FF] [Tumblr] Chapter: The Precipice Hunter Universe: Star Wars Pairings: Reylo (Rey/Kylo Ren | Ben Solo) Word count: 1,300 Spoilers: All Star Wars movies through The Last Jedi. Rating: NC-17/MA (eventually) Chapter summary: Kylo Ren has taken over as the Supreme Ruler.

Rey continues to grow into her powers, carving her own path with the Force, while the Resistance rebuilds and regroups, gearing up for their next battle with the First Order.

The Force Rises Chapter 3: The Precipice Hunter

As both The Supremacy and Dreadnaught Alpha were destroyed, he had taken The Finalizer as First Order Prime, and it had been outfitted with a new Throne Room befitting the Supreme Leader.

And now, Kylo Ren sat, receiving news and rendering commands about matters that meant nothing to him: refilling the ranks, maintaining the supply lines, rebuilding the fleet. The First Order had the reach and authority he required, but only so long as it had troops, ships, and munitions to maintain its hold over the major systems.

Four standard weeks ago, there were reports of raids on one of the smaller shipping lines. Suspecting the Resistance, he led a strike force to eliminate the threat, only to discover that the perpetrators were a band of pirates with far too high an opinion of themselves.

And since then, there had been nothing, no incident of note in the entire galaxy. Not one sighting of Rey or any known Resistance member. Some would see that as a victory, but he knew too much about the rebels to be that foolish. If there weren't any sightings, it was because someone - a planet, a system, or a group - was harboring them, which was no small feat.

No, the Resistance wasn't dead. It had gained an ally powerful enough to hide them, and whoever was responsible held enough sway to prevent everyone within their orbit from running to the First Order for an incredibly rich reward.

Kylo descended from his seat of power and retired to his chambers. Like every night, he reminded himself that he needed to be patient. His plans required time, and no matter how tedious, he would bring them to fruition.

But his patience was a fragile thing, and his determination frayed in the face of unceasing tedium. He felt his mind and body gradually giving way, atrophying with disuse, all because of his new status. Never before had he waited in the shadows like this, guarded in every corner at every second of the day.

It didn't inspire feelings of security or power in Kylo; instead, he felt caged, just as he had at Skywalker's training temple. Despite all the assurances that it was for his own good, so he could become a Jedi warrior, he knew the real reason he was sent there. He felt it, deep in his bones. All the people in his life who claimed to love him saw his untapped potential and feared it - feared him, so they sent him away to a prison strong enough to hold him. Or so they thought.

"You aren't that scared child anymore."

He bristled at the memory. The words were familiar, but not his. He could only assume it was some kind of aftertaste from the Force Bond - a remnant of Rey lingering in the back of his mind.

He grimaced. He had spent the last few months ignoring Snoke's final manipulation. He didn't want to believe that his former master had somehow forged the connection between him and his light counterpart. In fact, when Snoke claimed responsibility for it, Kylo assumed it was a lie, a way to taunt Rey and torture all the hope out of her. His former Master had been powerful, certainly, but even he had limitations. Linking minds required physical proximity, and Snoke hadn't been anywhere near Rey before the bond formed.

On Crait, after Skywalker vanished and his troops invaded the caverns, Kylo had felt the bond and saw her again, clearer than ever before. He had felt a thrill of hope, even after the connection closed. Had Snoke truly been responsible for their bond, it would've died with him. The fact that it persisted proved that it wasn't just another lie, that it was the Force at work.

A foolish notion.

He hadn't seen or felt anything from the bond since that day on Crait. When he reached out during meditation, seeking any sign or sensation that it was there, all he felt was silence and stillness.

It wasn't supposed to be like this.

A surge of rage flared inside of Kylo. The Force had shown him two things - truths, he assumed at the time - when he and Rey had touched hands.

The first was the past: two people selling a girl for a paltry sum. He could tell that it was Rey, old enough to remember and close enough to hear everything. She had always known the truth.

The second was the future: a flurry of chaos, the flash of lightsabers, a rush of energy, images of victory through carnage. And in the center of it all, there was a single, unifying feature: Rey was at his side.

He had been so certain that the Force was binding them that he saw that future as a promise: he wouldn't be alone. Rey would stand with him.

But that hadn't happened. He had killed Snoke because he believed that the future he'd seen - the one where he wasn't alone because she was at his side - was such a certainty.

Then there had been that beautiful fight against the Elite Praetorian Guard. The fury of the battle, the passion... the connection between them amplifying their abilities. He was certain Rey felt it too. She must have felt it, too. Kylo was no stranger to power, but he had never experienced the Force surge so fiercely as when they fought together.

But then she refused his invitation and abandoned him.

It was foolish to believe that anything else could've happened. Stupid to believe that she would even consider staying.

And now, Snoke was dead, and Rey was gone. It felt as if the Force had lied to him.

He marched into his training room while hastily stripping his attire until he was in nothing but his trousers. Normally he would lash out with his lightsaber, soothe himself by destruction, but lately, it had been far more effective to channel his rage through kata. So he went through the forms and poured his frustration and fury into each action, the Force rippling around him. He might be alone, but his powers were expanding like never before.

He spent hours pushing himself until he was utterly exhausted. He stumbled back to his bedroom, ready to collapse into the sheets, but he came to a full stop in the doorway instead, gawking at the sight before him.

Rey was stretched out across his sheets, sweating profusely and shaking.

Author’s notes: I hope you’ve enjoyed this latest installment!

#star wars fanfic #reylo #reylo fanfic #kylo ren

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purplesurveys · 6 years

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Do you have a signifigant other at the moment? Do you love him/her? For the billionth time, yes and yes. How many people do you live with? Are these people related to you? I live with four people and they are all my immediate family. I also live with one dog and he’s my favorite out of everybody. Have you ever considered anyone or anything too personal for your liking? I don’t get if you want to mean anyone who’s too open about themselves that it’s scary or like a song that’s too personal that it opens up wounds... Are you a confident person, or do you keep to yourself usually? It depends. There are situations in which I wouldn’t mind having the spotlight on me, but that’s only when I feel totally comfortable with the people. Have you ever had to have surgery before? What was this for? Never and I wish I never have to? I’m terrified of anaesthesia and needles.

Are you listening to any music right now? What song is it? Nope, but my brain is playing Paramore’s Grudges for me. Where was the last place you vacationed to? Did you enjoy this time? I was in Vigan and I loved it loved it loved it. My appetite for museums was more than satisfied there. When was the last time you ate pizza? Where from? Was it good? We got Pizza Hut delivered this weekend. Always a good idea. Their mozzarella crust is to die for. Is there anyone right now that you are simply/overly infatuated with? Eh sure I like Gabie’s face. What is your orientation? Gay? Straight? Metrosexual? Anything other? I really dunno. When people ask I give them a shrug and tell them I don’t really care, which they respect and I’m grateful for that. The closest label to fit me would I guess be queer. Is there anyone you know who is utterly repulsive? Who is this person? My mom, most of the time. Are you related to any elected officials? What is their position? Yeah, the people on my maternal grandfather’s side hold several positions in our province. Not sure about the specifics. Do you have a certain standard you follow, when it comes to relationships? All of my prospects have always been super intelligent so I guess that’s one standard I unconsciously take note of. I know Mike is taking up molecular biology and biotechnology; and when she hadn’t migrated yet, Andi knew and said things kids our age wouldn’t and that’s what pulled me to her; and Gab is just simply the smartest person I know. Not so much academically like Mike but she’s a walking encyclopedia about everything else nonetheless. Who did you last hug? When did this hug take place? Where? Summer, and we were in Skywalk–which, for anyone from outside my university, is a spot in the college that serves as the home or base of our org. It’s called Skywalk since it’s a tunnel-like passage that links the first building to the second. Who was the last person to play with your hair? Are they cute? Gabie I think, but someone from the org might have done it more recently. I find either cute. Who was the last person close to you, that died? Did you cry? I wasn’t close to her as a friend but she was my sister in a sense that I went to high school with her, and my entire class is my family, so when she died it affected me deeply.. I did cry upon realizing that this was a person in my circle who was gone, and I cried listening to her sister talk about her at the wake. What was your favorite year of your life? Why is this your favorite? 2014. It was the most depression-free time I had. 16 year old me was so bubbly and cheerful, I miss her. Is there anyone out there who can make you smile at any time? Hans. What is your favorite television show? Why do you watch this show? Not anything on TV nowadays but my heart will always belong to Breaking Bad. It’s one of the few storylines that I was able to latch on to until the very end. If you're in school, do you like this school you attend? Or do you not? I love it. No reason not to, it’s my dream university. Have you ever done anything really dangerous or illegal with friends? I don’t think so. When my friends do something stupid I’m usually the first one to nope out and be the mom that tells them not to be too rowdy. Who is the one person out there who makes you feel very special? My girlfriend whenever she opens doors for me, puts her jackets over my shoulders, gives me the chicken skin, etc. Do people call you a low-life sometimes/always? Why do they call you that? That’s not a term we use around here. Do you want to tell anyone anything right now? Who is this person? I guess I want to tell Sofie I’m sorry that our friendship didn’t last the way we wanted it to. We made plans for the next few years and were each other’s confidante, so it was sad to have it fizzle out. Are you going to post this survey on MySpace after you're finished? Hah. What is the fourteenth word of the song you're currently listening to? Are there any foods out there you just can’t refrain from eating every week? Burgers. Do you like Mexican food? What’s your favorite meal under that genre of food? Sure. Any day is a good day for a burrito. Do you enjoy shopping? Who do you usually go shopping with anyways? I would if I had the money for it...I usually do the shopping myself or with my sister. When you see someone attractive, what's the first thing you look for? Well since I already found them attractive as implied by the question, I move over to see if they’re an asshole, or is one of the rich kids with elitist problems. Sadly that’s a reality especially in my uni–lots of attractive people, very few with depth. How many times a day do you brush your teeth? Do you find this healthy? 1 or 2. I’d say it’s acceptable. How old were you when you lost your virginity? Who'd you lose it to anyways? I had just turned 18 and it was with my present girlfriend. Do you wash your own clothes? Or does someone else do that for you? My mom is in charge of laundry. Are you afraid of thunderstorms? What exactly makes you afraid of them? Not at all. I find myself calm around them. What color are the shutters on your house by the windows, if there are any? We don’t have those, just curtains. They’re all white, but in varying shades. When was the last time you attended church? What is the name of this church? Sunday because Catholic family yuck. I don’t even know what it’s called. Do you enjoy talking smack to those annoying telemarketers? Is it funny? First of all that’s mean. I just say I’m not interested or hang up completely. Do you consider yourself a healthy person? Physically and mentally? It’s weird–I know I don’t live a healthy lifestyle (don’t exercise, have a really dangerous diet of burgers and everything fried, etc.) but my body (both in and out) doesn’t reflect that and appears to be in top shape, so I’d say I’m in the middle. Mentally, not a chance that I’m healthy. Who was the last person you held hands with? Were they taller/shorter? Gab, slightly taller.

#survey #surveys

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arielsojourner · 7 years

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I love Luke goes back in time and saves everyone and leading a Jedi reform. I love Darth Vader going back and redoing his life. But what if they went back in time together? Now with even more self indulgent crack, filled with plot holes I never plan to fix, and now quoting "Lilo and Stitch" because it FITS, damn it, don't judge me!

“PART 4″ of LUKE AND VADER SAVING THE GALAXY DURING THE CLONE WARS:

-After every mission where Vader takes command and then takes care of Separatist Forces while Luke works with the troopers, Luke makes sure to take some time (usually at least a 10 day) before they move on to the next system, the next part of the front line, to just spend time with his father. Sometimes Vader wants to just move on as fast as he can, to the next battle, the next challenge, but Luke has learned the lesson of patience with the loss of his hand. He doesn't' suggest they mediate or spend time in silent separate contemplation like the Order would (also Luke seems to only meditate while doing handstands for some reason which is not a technique that Vader is familiar with but, to each his own). Luke insists that he and his father explore the planet they are on. They go racing. They explore local space and speeder craft. They spend nights just stargazing out in the wilds of whatever planet they are on. Luke loves to visit any source of water they can find- rivers, lakes, ponds, oceans. He cannot get enough of them. Luke insists his father help him spend some time training Chatterbox, Fives and Hardcase. Luke goes out with some troopers to enjoy the nightlife if there is any (Luke is awesome at Karaoke. Tatooine's music scene was always 20 years behind the rest of the galaxy and heavily Hutt influenced so now Luke is on the cutting edge of the music scene at last). Sometimes Vader will even share a few stories of places he has seen in the galaxy. Luke isn't sure but he thinks this may be the first time ever Vader has done anything like this.

-Slowing down, taking time, and enjoying the galaxy is a novelty for the troopers. They have had R&R before but usually it is a five day at most bookend with campaigns and massive battles. There is still danger and fire fights but now the troopers are taking care of criminals, stopping slavers and war profiteers and there have been few casualties in the last month. Kix is positively cheerful. Rex is preparing to update reports on their numbers for the month and realizes that between this ten day and the last there has not been a single death. The system has been taken, the Separatist forces routed, Grievous is dead, and not one of his brothers died. Rex isn't sure why but when he realizes that it feels like someone has punched him in the throat, he cannot breath, his eyes burn and he chokes. No one has died. In the quiet of his quarters Rex curls his body over the report and sobs.

-Vader hates being back in time. Vader hates being back on the front line of a war that was a total and complete waste of lives and resources. Vader hates the pointless waste of it and Vader hates having to knowingly be back in this time, reliving it. Vader hates that the Council and the Order making the same stupid mistakes and clinging to the same Code as before. Vader hates knowing that somewhere Anakin Skywalker is out there, living and fighting under orders from the Republic and the Council in a war that only ever benefited one person at the expensive of trillions. Anakin Skywalker who was too weak to stop any of this, too weak to see himself careening to destruction of everyone and everything he holds dear. Anakin Skywalker who is him. Vader hates so much it feels like he is still on fire, flesh cooking, nerves screaming. It fills him and still, still he doesn't know what to DO with all of it. It seems never-ending. It burns and burns and nothing helps! Not the Force, not "letting it go," not using the dark side, not destroying Separatist bases and slaughtering slavers and going after war profiteers, not the dream of killing the Emperor, not knowing Padme is alive, not having his troops at his side, not seeing Ahsoka again alive and still not yet betrayed by the Order. Nothing!

And then . . . and then his son will suddenly be there, by his side suggesting they go do something or see something or sometimes just to sit with him.

Vader has not told Luke all the details, all the monstrous things he has done and said and thought but Luke must know, must sense it through the Force, but for some reason Luke is still there. Luke frequently doesn't agree with him, won't obey him, doesn't excuse or justify, doesn't ignore who and what Vader is or has done, what he may do but Luke just won't leave him. Vader asked, (well screamed really) at him once when they were arguing. "Why?!" Why stay, why bother? Doesn't Luke know? Vader is not going to change, he is not going to suddenly un-Fall, or be nice, or be good. Anakin or Vader, this is who and what he is! Can't Luke see Vader burning with hate until there is nothing else? Why stay?

"Because you are my father, my family" Luke explains. "Family means no one gets left behind or forgotten."

It is an old Tatooine proverb. Half hope, half prayer because it was nothing more than a fantasy, a rage inducing lie people told themselves in the face of ugly reality. Families got left behind and lost all the time, but the poor people of that wretched dust ball still said it.

His mother used to say it.

Luke was impossibly trying to prove it was true.

-The 501st likes to speculate and gossip about just how this all came about, Luke and Vader. Rex will sometimes try and shut down rumors because he prides himself on a professional battalion (Don't gossip around Luke and Vader! What if they heard you?) but even he has wondered with his brothers just who and how and why? Lots of theories are bandied about, each more absurd than the last. Bets are laid. Ventress runs a book (and isn't that just as weird, working with Ventress! When Luke had brought her back with him after haring off on some solo mission that had Vader reacting with large explosions and massive Separatist destruction Rex had thought everything was going to blow up in his face but instead she has hung around and helped!) The best odds are on Luke and Vader being royalty from a warrior empire on opposite sides of a civil war, somewhere beyond the reaches of Wild Space and finding out they are father and son, they have fled to their galaxy to make a life together. Fives suggested it and has even put together a spreadsheet showing all the evidence in support of his position and will spend a good hour explaining why it makes sense. Force or no, Fives is still Fives. Chatterbox disagrees. When Ventress pressed him for his bet he laid his credits on the table and said "Time travel from the future."

-Ahsoka wants to argue. She wants to point out that it is a trap, a trick, a Separatist ploy, a Sith plot but the more she learns the less she feels she knows. Umbara was a nightmare when she had been there and now there is peace, reconstruction. Vader keeps his distance which is a good thing. She has never felt anything like him in the Force, being near an open reactor would be easier to tolerate. She also wants to contact someone, her master, hells even the Council but Luke has asked her not to and suggested she send a written report through a slicer channel, censored and secured for the safety of all.

Not ordered, or told. He asked her. He showed her what they were doing. He gave her the data files to review, he showed her what they had accomplished and how reconstruction was going. He showed her where and how the communication system was vulnerable. He told her peace was happening and this was the only way to defeat the real Sith Master behind all of this, not Dooku, Dooku was only ever the apprentice.

"You know who he is? Who? Where is he?" Ashoka had demanded.

"Where he has done and can do the most damage to every being in this galaxy," Luke had said sadly. "You can see it if you stop and be still. That is why he started this war. That's why he wants it to keep going on no matter what. You will only know when you are calm and at peace. All the pieces are in front of you. Stop and think."

"You won't tell me? What kind of Jedi are you? Are you working with him? Is that what this is?" Ahsoka stood, furious.

"No, never," Luke denied. "But you cannot play his game. None of us can, Jedi, Sith, Clone, Separatist, Republican, civilian or soldier. You lose a battle and he wins. You win a battle and he wins. Until you stop playing, you cannot defeat him. The war is his game so we are stopping the war and then we will go for him. We are not playing anymore."

To: Skywalker, Anakin (Knight, General) CC: Jedi High Council Date: XXXX XX XXXXXX Status Report of Jedi Padawan Ahsoka Tano

Honorable Councilors and Master Skywalker,

I have located the Jedi and Sith that were the subject of Master Fisto's and Senator Amidala's recent report and the subject of Master Kenobi and Master Skywalker's investigation. To ensure peace and reconstruction efforts continue without interruption and to avoid intelligence leaks I am sending this report among the regular data packets subject to standard censors but then transmitted the same via a backdoor slicer hack. Only you should receive this message or be able to trace it.

I am following my last instructions from the Council and I am staying with the 501st Legion until Master Skywalker can join us. Be assured that I and my two squads am in good health as are Captain Rex and the troops.

I met with the 501st on XXXXXXX at XXXX hours on the X day of XXXXX. Reports of a Separatist blockade in the system are no longer accurate. I found substantial debris found in orbit upon arrival. Smaller Separatist transports were in the possession of the planetary government. Republic ships were planet side. Upon my arrival Prefect XXXXXXXXXX informed me that further GAR troops were not expected nor necessary.

I found the 501st Legion under the command of a human male known as Luke matching the description and name provided by Senator Amidala's report to the Senate. I do not recognize Luke from any of the Order records but he has all appropriate access and Jedi and Republic security codes to take command of the 501st. He also has all current battle and wartime codes for a Jedi General. He identified himself as a Jedi but refuses all titles of Knight or Master. He has been in command of the 501st and the other troops working in tangent with the 501st. Luke has been in command since XXXX, taking over during the Umbara campaign from Jedi Master Pong Krell. Luke has been working with a Sith since at least Umbara identified by the name of Vader.

Luke confirmed that Vader has killed Master Krell and provided the attached data files (XXXX-XX-XXXXXX) as proof that Master Krell had Fallen prior to his death and was deliberately causing the deaths of his clone troops. The 501st confirm these events. They were made to fire on troopers from the 212th on Krell's knowing command. The casualty reports before Master Krell died are extreme. We lost a lot of good troops.

I still have no idea why or how a Jedi came to be working with a Sith except Luke refers to Vader as "father." I told him this is violation of Order doctrine and the Code and he told me that he doesn't care about doctrine or Code. Vader refers to Luke as "son." I don't know what the Sith Code is or if it is being violated by such a claim. The Sith Asajj Ventress claims it is against the Sith Code.

Ventress is here too working with Vader and Luke. I don't know if they really are father and son or if it is some sort of Sith trick. I tried to talk to the troops about it but they just laughed.

Vader and Ventress claim they have destroyed or surrendered most of the Separatist fleet on planet to the local government and Luke and Captain Rex on behalf of the Jedi and the Republic have accepted the surrender and declared the system at peace. The 501st and Ventress arranged the remaining reprogrammed battle droids and Separatist supplies to aid in reconstruction under Vader and Luke's supervision.

The Force tells me that Luke is rooted in the Light. Further evidence of his use of the Light side of the Force I saw first hand as I watched him kill General Grievous in a lightsaber duel.

General Grievous is visually confirmed as dead and in many pieces. Luke has taken three (3) Force sensitive adult clone troopers as apprentices in violation of Order doctrine and the Code (apprentices identified as XX-XXXX/XXXXX, XX-XXXX/XXXXXXXX, and XX-XXXX/XXXXXXXXXX) and all have been confirmed as Force sensitive and are now armed with re purposed lightsabers. I told him it was not the Jedi way and he just laughed at me and asked me if I wanted to train with them.

Luke and Vader further confirm all troopers have been implanted with behavior modification chips with encrypted coded orders requiring oral triggers which cannot be overridden, including kill orders against Senators, Republic and Separatist governmental officials, and the Jedi. See attached data files (XX-XXXX-XX-XXXXXXXXXX.). Confirmation also given that all clones were deliberately left in a genetically modified state of hyper growth and aging. Luke with the assistance of clone medics and Vader removed the chips and have through use of unknown Force manipulation corrected the genetic error. I don't quite know how he uses the Force to do it. All he says when I ask is "Size matters not" which is what Master Yoda says but how would he know Master Yoda?

Luke, Vader and Captain Rex insisted both XXXX Squad and XXXXXXX Squad traveling with me be treated and those clone troopers that wish to stay on the planet to become citizens and leave the GAR have permission to muster out for civilian positions so long as citizenship and full sentient rights are granted on them by the local government and recognized with the Republic. When I tried to argue, the Sith got very very angry. Luke asked me if I intended to treat the troopers as slaves and property of the Republic or as living breathing citizens. Masters, I know slavery is wrong but I didn't know what to say. We need the clones to win the war but then again there doesn't appear to be a need anymore, at least not on XXXXXX where there is peace.

Luke insists this and the entire war, both sides, start to finish, is the work of the Sith Master and that he and Vader intend to stop the war (not win it, Luke says that it is not possible to fight and win this war because of the Sith Master, only stop it) and then defeat him. Luke has refused to tell me who the Sith Master is, saying if I slow down, if I stop fighting I will see it. Vader won't talk to me at all and frankly I am not sure I want to talk to him. It is difficult to be around him. I don't want to believe it but I can feel it through the Force. I have searched my feelings. They know who he is and they are right about the war and the clones and Master Krell, all of it.

Master, I have tried to report as best I can what I have seen. I do not have any explanation for what is going on or why. I do not know how much longer I will be here before the Legion moves to the next system out on the front lines or into Separatist space or wherever we are going next. I am not sure when I will be able to message again. It seems unreal but it is true. We need to stop the war. Luke and Vader and Ventress and the clones, they are stopping the war. Master Anakin after everything you have taught me I feel that it is the right thing to do to help them do this, that my purpose, that every Jedi's purpose should be the same.

May the Force be with you. Ahsoka Tano, Jedi Padawan

-Master Plo Koon receives the message first and immediately calls his clone medic and Commander Wolffe and tells them to start scanning everyone for where their chips are and removing and/or shutting them down. He then asks if one of the clones will volunteer for him to try and figure out how to fix the aging process via the Force. Commander Wolffe immediately volunteers. Plo meditates but cannot find or figure out quite how to do it. Even though the message is censored he knows he must find this Jedi Luke and find out what is going on and see the truth for himself. His troops lives are at risk. Plo is supposed to be patrolling previously liberated Separatist planets to keep the Separatists from returning but things have been quite for days. He orders his medics to keep working and takes his squad to trace the message and find Ahsoka and find Luke and Vader.

-Master Yoda cannot catch his breath. His whole chest aches. He fumbles for his cane. He needs to meditate. He needs to call his fellow councilors. He needs to-- He needs to-- he can't breath-- "General? General? Are you all right? Fry, call the medic, get the medic now!"

-When Anakin reads the message he, to put it mildly, freaks. Obi-Wan and Anakin were supposed to find this mysterious Sith and Jedi pairing with Padme's help, not Ahsoka. Anakin vacillates between terror/anger and glee. He is very nearly manic and out of control. His whole world has been turned upside down. Grievous is dead! Krell was killing troopers. A Jedi let a Sith kill Master Krell. This Vader and now Ventress are working with a Jedi! The Jedi is a heretic! A Sith as a father? The 501st are safe! The 501st had slave chips in them! There are Force sensitive clones! Peace is happening! The war is just a Sith ploy? All of it? All those lives, all the work and energy, and blood and sweat and tears was for nothing? Nothing? They know who the Sith Master is. This could finally be ending, the war could end.

Anakin turns to Obi-Wan. "What do we do? Can we figure out where the message is from? We need to get to Ashoka!" She is surrounded by Sith and heretical Jedi but Grievous is dead but they know who the Sith Master is and he needs to check on his men and, and, and--!

Obi-Wan needs to sit down. He also needs some tea spiked liberally with Correlian brandy. Hells, he just needs some brandy. Grievous is dead. Someone is teaching Force sensitive clones, Krell Fell to the dark side, a Sith has a Jedi son, the war really really is a Sith plot, the Sith Master is known, it is too much. He can hear the notifications from his comm from various Council members wanting to talk to him. He is not going to answer. The channel is probably not secure anyway. Anakin is leaking emotion all over the place. Obi-Wan is not very far behind him. He needs brandy and then he needs to apparently sit on Anakin until he calms down. Maybe he should wake up Padme in her cabin and have her help? No, no, first, brandy.

#sw au #star wars alternate universe #luke and vader #luke skywalker sweet cinnamon roll #father and son save the galaxy #captain rex #obi-wan kenobi #clone wars #ahsoka tano

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