I'm No Jedi

| Jess | 28 | Writer | Star Wars Nerd | Anidala Forever | AO3 | BlueSky | Spotify | Tip Jar | Asks are Open! |

[darth-jess]

Blog Details ~

Alright, if you hadn't noticed this is my EVERYTHING STAR WARS blog, where I post Star Wars memes as well as my own content and character analyses from canon/legends Star Wars.

I run the Anakin Skywalker’s Cult community, and co-Admin the Anidala Forever Support Group community, so please check those out!

I'm also a Star Wars fanfic writer, you can find me here -> on AO3, and you can find links to all my fics at the bottom of this post. I am also open to short fic requests, send me an ask and we can talk about it! I do take smut requests for any of the pairings listed below, MDNI please.

Tags I Use:

#Darth Jess - all my SW related rants and metas

#Darth Jess Commentary - literally just commentary/metas I've made on other people's posts, usually short but sometimes not

#Darth Jess writing

#Darth Jess reads

#Beauty & Rage - everything B&R related (that's my fic)

#Beauty & Rage Quotes - quotes from my B&R fanfic

Beauty & Rage Playlist - songs that inspire my fic & quotes from said songs

#Beauty & Rage Inspiration - fan art & other images that inspire B&R

#Asks and Answers - all my answers to my asks

#Headcanon - SW headcanons that I love (other people's as well as my own)

#Star Wars Edit - for SW videos and gifs

#Incorrect Star Wars Quotes

#Star Wars Quotes

#Star Wars memes

#Amazing Star Wars fan art

#Star Wars meta - Star Wars metas that I love

#Star Wars AU

#Star Wars Music - music that just fits so well with Star Wars

#Star Wars books

#Anidala

#Obitine

#Vader Vibes

Ships I Know I Like

Anakin (Vader) & Padmé

Obi-Wan & Satine

Obi-Wan & Cody

Obi-Wan & Ventress

Han & Leia

Ahsoka & Barriss

Hera & Kanan

Luke & Din Djarin

Luke & Mara Jade

Post Links:

Watching Star Wars in Chronological Order

My Fanfic Links

Beauty & Rage

(Currently paused, working on a second draft!)

Set at first in the immediate aftermath then five years after the events of Revenge of the Sith: Padmé Amidala came very close to death but managed to survive. With the help of Bail Organa and Obi-wan, she fakes her death and goes into hiding to raise her children. When Inquisitors come looking for the Force-sensitive twins, Padmé realizes she has to fight back against the Empire to protect them. The Emperor's Executioner, Lord Vader himself, stands in her way.

A Jedi Comes to Call (smut, MDNI)

These are the early days of the Clone Wars. Padmé is frustrated about Senate business, and Anakin is frustrated with the Jedi Council. So when Anakin approaches Padmé in the Senate building all hot and angry, they decide to blow off some steam in her office.

[darth-jess]

Not Star Wars related, just an update. I’m still here, just lurking. Can’t wait to have the mental faculties to write again, but pregnancy brain is so real.

At my OB appointment last week, they asked me to confirm my name and date of birth.

I hesitated for about 5 whole seconds. Like … set a timer for 5 seconds, pretend someone asked you your name and date of birth, start the timer, and see how long of a hesitation that is for that question. It’s way too long.

And then my answer?

I literally just blurted out my birth year.

No name.

No month.

No date.

Just the year.

And it took me about another 5 seconds to realize why the nurse was looking at me funny, but by that point it felt too late to say anything and she didn’t say anything either so it was super awkward.

Anyway, you can imagine how writing is going if this is the state I’m in. Tomorrow I’ll officially be at 33 weeks (out of 40) pregnant 😅 not too much longer now!

[darth-jess]

Alright friends.

I realized why it was taking me so long to write the next chapter of Beauty & Rage, and it turns out it needs some massive edits for the story to continue the way I want it to.

I'm not sure if I will remove the current iteration of Beauty & Rage from my AO3 account, or if I'll just delete all the chapters at some point, then start posting the edited versions from Chapter 1 again, or if I should just create a second story that's the second draft of Beauty & Rage and keep the old one up, too.

I haven't made any decisions on that yet, but I'll let you know when I do. In the meantime, I am doing a ton of writing but not posting as I finish chapters because, clearly, I get super burnt out doing that.

[skywalkr-nberrie]

It’s always funny to see people who very openly don’t understand Padmé talk about how she’d behave and what decisions she’d make if she ever were put into their “potential or hypothetical” situations in where Anidala (the driving force of the whole story.) doesn’t happen and the method to erase Anidala’s grand love is always some cop-out bullshit like “Anakin realizes he’s in love with OWK and sees Padmé as his substitute mom.”

Okay Shirley, we’ve had enough of hearing about your daydreams.

[darth-jess]

Wrote 4 paragraphs in chapter 31 of B&R this evening while I was on my phone sitting in the car. This is literally more than I’ve written since finding out I’m pregnant and while that feels depressing, I’m honestly really glad I was able to write something at all!

[darth-jess]

Someone made this for my fic Beauty & Rage on TikTok and I’m crying 😭❤️ thank you!

TikTok - Make Your Day

PS - I am still writing more, will try and update soon!

[darth-jess]

Hey guys, sorry I’ve been MIA, but I recently found out …

I’m pregnant!

So things have been really crazy lately. I have been very slowly chipping away at Chapter 31 of Beauty & Rage, but the morning sickness (which, let’s be honest, should really just be called All Day Sickness) has been absolutely terrible.

I’ll say, it’s given me even more respect for Padmé, who continued to serve as Senator throughout her pregnancy, while I’m struggling to maintain my two part time jobs. Any time I’m not working, I’ve just been sleeping or rotting away in bed. Padmé, how the hell did you do it? 🫡

I’m only about 7 or 8 weeks in, so it’s going to be a long road ahead, but hopefully I can finish up chapter 31 sometime in the next few weeks.

[darth-jess]

Sorry I’ve been MIA guys, life’s been a little crazy and I’ve been in the ER and the hospital. I’m fine, just a health scare but long story short—apparently turmeric can seriously mess with your liver, especially if your ancestors don’t come from a place where turmeric is used in everything.

Should be back soon 💕

[skywalkr-nberrie]

Yeah when George Lucas said Anakin & Padmé were “doomed from the start” he meant in a tragic fated, star-crossed-lovers sort of way, not in the “they’re toxic for each other” kind of way. Hope this helps.

[darth-jess]

Show me an instance where Anidala is toxic or abusive without:

mentioning disagreements, fights, or arguments, as this is something ALL married couples experience. Having an argument or disagreement is not TOXIC.

mentioning the Clovis incident, because yeah Anakin shouldn't have beaten him half to death but also last time Padmé was alone with Clovis she almost died. Anakin knew Clovis was very into her, and the dude was literally working with the Separatists--who also had tried to have Padmé assassinated on many occasions–not to mention, in the Revenge of the Sith novelization Palpatine LITERALLY ADMITS that he knew about Anakin and Padmé's secret ceremony on Naboo, he admits he knew they were married to Anakin's face, and he intentionally assigned Padmé to Clovis in that second TCW Clovis arc because he wanted to drive a wedge between them which ended up failing in the long run. "The Clovis Incident" is literally part of a manipulation and not a natural progression of their relationship.

mentioning the "choking incident" on Mustafar because at that point, he was Vader. Yes, he's still Anakin Skywalker, but he's been so corrupted by the Dark Side that this doesn't exactly count toward Anakin– him doing this and turning to the Dark Side is literally so out of character, so UNLIKE Anakin that Padmé loses the will to live because she feels like she's lost Anakin because Anakin would NEVER do this. (In the Legends EU, so many characters act EXTREMELY out of character once they give in to the Dark Side. Take Ulic Qel-Droma, or Exar Kun, both Jedi who wanted to forward the cause of the Jedi and then inexplicably support the Sith after experimenting with the Dark Side.)

These are the top instances people use to try to claim that Anidala is toxic/abusive and I just don't consider them to be valid arguments. Anakin is unstable and terrified of losing the people he cares about, but he literally NEVER HURTS PADME until he isn't Anakin anymore.

[supertaliart]

Happy Star Wars Day! I’ve decided to make my Skywalker comic into one easily rebloggable post.

[supertaliart]

Here’s a bonus page in honor of May 4th!

[clawedandcute]

I think a beautiful little detail in AotC is how Padme, in the beginning, is shown to be kind of on a knife's edge. She survived an explosion, lost two handmaidens, fought the Senate and lost, got brushed off by Palpatine, and forced into a protection agreement she didn't want. She's internally foaming at the mouth, I think, wanting to prevent the war and get to the bottom of what is going on, but Palpatine has pushed her into the role of "inspirational senator we can't bear to lose" and the Jedi have -- benevolently, I think -- fallen into treating her that way, to the point where her concerns aren't being addressed, even by Obi-Wan.

The person who DOES try to address them, who does listen to her, who does try to help her get to the bottom of things and re-exert some kind of control over her situation (which is probably a huge coping mechanism for Padme) is Anakin. In part, he obviously does this because he is Deeply In Love, but I think it also stems from the deep respect and regard he has for her, and Padme, probably used to being pushed aside in various ways because of her age and ideals, really appreciates that.

So that's something that contextualizes why she does fall for him -- hard -- over the course of the film. He listens to her, and he listens to her because she's Padme, not because she's a senator or a former queen or because it is politically expedient for him to do so. It's been said before but it bears repeating: Anakin gives Padme space to be herself. He knows her position, but he treats her like a peer in many ways, letting her be herself with her family, teasing her, and getting into arguments with her over their course of action.

Padme believes in Anakin. Anakin listens to Padme. Padme lets Anakin protect her. Anakin gives her a soft place to fall. They both give each other space to be young and stupid and in love.

Attack of the Clones has its faults, and a lot of these ideas aren't related in the best way and thus come off as creepy, but I swear it becomes so very sweet and deep when you watch it with forgiving, fanfic writer eyes.

[transitranger327]

I suspect Anakin during that picnic was the first time in a decade+ that someone was honest about their political views with Padmé.

[clawedandcute]

That is actually such a flipping good point??? Not to mention that Anakin was basically implying that SHE would be the best person to rule the Galaxy, which would have definitely appealed to Padme at that moment, given that no one was listening to her as she desperately tries to stop a war from wrecking her Republic.

[darth-jess]

YESSSS also the AOTC deleted scenes add so much more context to Padmé Falling in Love with Anakin, I really wish they'd kept those scenes. The one where Anakin goes to meet her family? Ugh, was so cute. And Sola, Padmé's sister, teasing her about Anakin, and Padmé very obviously getting flustered about it… that context would've been nice!

[gffa]

When it comes to Jedi discourse I think a lot depends on the amount of sympathy behind a statement there is. For example, "The Jedi have been corrupted by this war." is something Lucas has said, but it's in the context of how they were drawn into a trap, they were forced into roles that they were never meant to be, there's sympathy there for how the only choices here are shitty ones. "Do they compromise their morals (to fight in this war) or does everyone die and it's pointless anyway?" is basically what he said. I agree with that! But I have seen many people say, "The Jedi became corrupted by the war." and they mean it as the Jedi no longer cared about people, only themselves, they were only looking out for themselves, they were making selfish choices. There's no sympathy for the rock-and-a-hard-place situation the Jedi were in, and I disagree with that and I think that's what a lot of people are arguing back against. "They allied themselves with a corrupt government!" is another one--like, yeah, the Republic government wasn't great! But, when I say that the Separatists were worse, it's not because I'm refusing to admit the Republic had any fault, I'm saying it because that's basically the choice laid out in front of them--either you help the Republic or you let the Separatists take over, who were committing war crimes on screen. I do think the Jedi were hamstrung by their connection to the Republic! I just also think the alternative was worse, that the whole structure of Star Wars as a story was designed to hem them into this impossible choice (in as much as Star Wars is about the Jedi, when they're very much not the core of the story), that they couldn't find better options because the story wasn't set up to allow that. Could the Jedi have handled Anakin better? Ehhh, I think that's hard to say because the story itself doesn't present that, so making hard proclamations about what they did/didn't do wrong is reading into something the story didn't address. The story is about Anakin refusing to emotionally accept Jedi teachings--can we read beyond that and say there were ways the Jedi failed him? I think you can and some of them are fair (and some of them aren't), that it's a fun conversation to have, but that it's not what the narrative intention is, if we're talking about actual narrative intention. The narrative intention is that Anakin, though very human in his failings and Lucas clearly has so much affection for his Blorbo, failed to learn what he needed to learn. But there, too, I think a lot depends so much on how much sympathy comes across for the choices being made. I don't think we're meant to see Anakin as someone we can't relate to, Lucas even says that Anakin is a victim in TPM (of the Hutts and Watto, to be clear), I don't think criticism of Anakin can come without that he was trying, that he did genuinely love people. The ending of ROTJ doesn't work without us wanting for Anakin to find the good in himself! That we knew had to be there all along. So much comes down to how much sympathy there is in the criticism, how much sympathy there is for the reasons why any given character chooses the paths they do, and that's where a lot of disconnect comes from. So much Jedi criticism is done in the vein of saying, "They failed." and meaning it as an accusation of how a better choice was super obvious. But if you say, "They failed." in the sense that there was no way out of the trap that they could have possibly forseen, given the circumstances, that they did their best and they shouldn't have to be perfect to be good, then I'm all the way onboard! It's about how much sympathy there is for the context around a given character's choices and what the story allowed for them. I have no issue with saying the Jedi failed in the war, that they became corrupted by it, that their connection to the Republic led to their genocide, because I don't think the Jedi were bad for it, I think they made the best choices they could in the worst situation.

[darth-jess]

Absolutely love this 👏🏻

[elizabethwydevilles]

I do think Anakin would be good with children. Mainly because it makes every thing so much more awful and tragic :)

[darth-jess]

Yep. Also I think we have proof he was good with children because look at how he was with Ahsoka. She was a teen and he was amazing with her, he was an older brother to her.

[79x]

[snips-skyguy-squad]

Luke’s R2 outfit though…. aaaw

[darth-jess]

This is so cute!

And no wonder he wouldn’t let little Luke play with Han! Han’s probably 18

[hashtag-padme-matters]

Goodbye (Sad Beeps) by scadarts

[moroccanmanga]

Need for fans to understand that George Lucas shoots his movies like an old school documentarist on purpose. They're never purely that way, but it's the thing that most influences his style.

And that's why a lot of critiques leveled at his directorial style are baseless, because he's doing it deliberately. He knows a lot of his shots are static. It's the point.

He doesn't do a whole lot of moving with the camera (in non action sequences), at least compared to other directors. He lets the actors walk in and out of the frame. He even does this with CGI characters. He doesn't construct a frame around their movements (or thats how its meant to appear, because everything is obviously planned). So you get a lot of static shots that allow for us to take in the cultural context of this universe. This is also why a lot of Star Wars world building can be done without exposition. It all plays out within the static wide shots. All the information is on your screen. Including characterization and theme through the mise en scene.

Why does he do this? Because tracking shots and the like are highly choreographed and he doesn't like when it appears to be overly engineered or manufactured. It's the influence of cinema verite, where the point of the film is to portray the truth. It's the same reason he uses delayed exposition and doesn't infodump unless a story is being told by the characters (C3PO in RotJ and Palpatine in RotS). He wants it to play out and for you to observe it without too much manufactured framing.

He's not worried because he knows what he's going to say in each act of the story and what the resolution will be. He doesn't need to bombard you with all the information at once.

Sometimes the camera will track the actors, and of course there's occasionally a pan up or down. But very few times will you see him move the camera through a scene. It rarely follows the action from one set to another, and he rarely uses the camera to push in towards an actor for dramatic effect. When it does happen, it's a point of reference and meant to inform you on what that character represents at the moment. And it adds another layer of meaning. It's just more rare in his movies.

That's his thing, I'm not saying it's good or bad. It's a choice. You have to get it. I mean, he talked about this, but I feel like people forget.