So I was idly clicking through writers whose work I’d enjoyed to see if there was anything new and saw that you’d written this and good lord - your taste is impeccable XD (slightly cackling that I also just got back into SW recently - prequels and clone wars, Captain Rex and Commander Cody are my loves, I must admit…) I adore this premise!! Give me ALL the fix-its please and thank you, and give Mace a chance to shine, gosh darn it. I love the idea of him peacing out with wee Anakin in tow XD
Okay. So I’m not too familiar with this part of SW lore, but I remember feeling EXACTLY the same way about Palpatine being like “oh yeah LET ME HANG OUT WITH THIS 12-YEAR-OLD” and the Jedi being like “sure, sounds legit, have at it.” IT IS CREEPY AF AND SOMEONE SHOULD SAY IT. He was absolutely being groomed, and yeah, maybe it wasn’t sexual, but it sure sounds like it. And it’s still gross. Ew.
Mace Windu felt like he would choke on all the shatterpoints spinning around him. They seemed to shine through his eyelids, refusing to be ignored even as he tried to settle himself, to meditate, to make sense of them. To make sense of this day. What an engaging opening! Love all the talk of shatterpoints, btw. Compellingly and vividly written!!
It was the most obvious answer, and not one to be discarded when an old, powerful man demanded private access to a twelve year old THE GOSH DANG TRUTH. Mace’s rumination about power dynamics and the things that would compel an organization turn a blind eye to abuse perpetuated by powerful men is chilling… Mace knows it’s about power in some way. He has a brain and - gasp - a sense of protectiveness for someone who’s relatively powerless and VERY vulnerable to that kind of manipulation. I love your characterization of Mace here - he’s a smart cookie!
Every Initiate and Padawans had points in their journeys where they were too unstable in their knowledge to be left unsupervised, their curiosity too voracious for their capacities to control their abilities… Anakin Skywalker, ever the overachiever, had mixed this expected instability with his own staggering power in the Force. Left to his own devices, the boy was a timebomb, one whose potential for destruction no one could predict. ADORE this! Seeing Mace’s perspective as he sifts through the options is really fun to read!
Obi-Wan loved the boy. He loved him more than he should perhaps, more than he was equipped to handle certainly. He loved him enough to abandon his entire life, all he’d ever wanted for himself. But he didn’t see him clearly. I really love your characterization of Obi-Wan and Anakin’s relationship (and how Mace interprets it - it’s beautifully expressed!) I like that there’s already this foundation of very strong platonic love (on which a different iteration of their relationship might be built at some point in the future…)
Mace’s realization of what is really the only viable option is heartbreaking. He embodies the selflessness that the Jedi are supposed to have, but that doesn’t mean that making this massive sacrifice still doesn’t hurt.
Skywalker, the overachiever, Padawan of an overachiever. Kenobi and him balanced each other in many ways, but this was not one of them. ADORABLE. (Loving the fond, almost paternal vibes we’re getting from Mace - though more detached than paternal.)
Problematically, that all meant that now Mace had to convince him. Mace’s dry delivery made me laugh lol (and he is 100% right about Anakin - he has to make the decision on his own, it can’t be forced upon him, if this is to work. And also, Mace was a dickhead to him when they first met. He definitely dug himself into a bit of a hole!)
Anakin Skywalker had three pressure points. Each of them contained mazes of complicated emotions and conflicting desires, but they were, in essence, quite simple. His desire to be a Jedi, his love and loyalty for those he cared about, and his hatred of slavery. *insert popcorn emojis here* THE PLOT THICKENS
Anakin’s eyes widened at his words, gentler than he had ever gotten from Mace, at his pained tone, at his slumping shoulders. He pushed himself so he could sit cross legged on the couch cushion, fully facing Mace, straightening his back. Okay, Anakin is adorable and he tries SO HARD to do the right thing and I love him. Love how you tie in his history as a slave to him being used… the resignation… my heart breaks. (Yes, Mace, PROTECT HIM.)
The boy still had a disquieting low regard for his own well-being. A decade of being dehumanized will do that…
Mace waited./Waited until a ray of sunshine streaked through the window to bathe Anakin in light, and the boy slumped in defeat. Such beautiful, painful, contrasting imagery!
YES. GO GET SHMI. ANAKIN NEEDS HIS MUM.
“We can’t free every slave on Tatooine, Skywalker.” “Why not? It’s not like we’ve got anything better to do now.” “We can’t get involved in planetary affairs without-” “Without the permission of the Senate? Of the Council? Did we get permission to run away from them?” His voice was firmer than it had been since Mace had entered his quarters, righteous in the particular way he had. “We’re never going to get permission from either of them ever again. If we’re abandoning the Jedi, the least we can do is try to do some good.” HELL. YES. I don’t think Mace never thought this would be easy, but stubborn Anakin on a mission is another thing entirely XD I am HERE for this!
If he had to betray the last wishes and hopes of a dead friend, if he had to break the heart and trust of a living one, then all he could do was guide and raise Anakin Skywalker into a good man. Into a Jedi in all but name. Ah, this is lovely! I love having Mace’s perspective from this first chapter (and seeing what he has lost), but I have hope for them yet! Glad Mace did away with some of the ludicrous Jedi reticence and gave Anakin a hug. This is such a unique premise and your writing and characterization are fantastic, as usual! I’m excited to see what comes next!!
I love Mace, but when I heard about this comic where Mace was apparently chill with Creepatine forcing him to let Palpatine spend time with Anakin alone, it just sent me into this spiral. This entire chapter is just me explaining to myself how Mace could have jumped to "I WILL NOW KIDNAP THE CHOSEN ONE" with what was, let's be real, very little proof or evidence to speak of. We have the benefit of hindsight to know 100% that Palpatine is a Sith and wouldn't have stopped just because the Jedi Council asked him politely, but Mace doesn't. I think Mace is actually the only Jedi who could have realised the gravity of the situation, because of his ability to see Shatterpoints, which is basically the Force screaming "Some Shit Is ABout To Go Down My Dude" at him.
The rest of the chapter is Mace having to interact with Anakin 1 on 1, in a resonable manner, which is not something he has a lot of experience with. And Anakin thinks Mace hates him. And Mace has to convince him to do the one thing Anakin really doesn't want to do. Or else the Galaxy/Republic/Jedi are doomed. Maybe. The Force is still screaming at him very loudly.
But also, WHAT WAS PALPATINE THINKING. He had to know what this looked like, right? I don't understand how Mace and Obi-Wan didn't think this was a sex thing.
Mace offers a very interesting perspective on both Obi-Wan and Anakin, I think. I do genuinely think he likes Obi-Wan and considers him a friend. And I think Mace Windu, the person who was close enough to the Dark Side on a daily basis to invent Vapaad, probably has the best understand of how Anakin Skywalker works when it comes to his emotions, and his desires, and he's kept himself away from the boy for that reason. He and Yoda thought Anakin needed someone who could balance him, like Obi-Wan, instead of someone who could sympathise with him, like Mace. In hindsight, _both_ would probably have been ideal, but hey. He is protective of Anakin though, because he does take the Order's responsability to it's younglings and Padawans very seriously. And also, as stated, Anakin is a time-bomb. Who he may or may not grow to care a lot about in the next few years. No one can resist the Anakin Skywalker charm. Spend enough time with him and you either want to care for him forever or you want to kill him. Mace is in the first camp. Most days.
SHMI. SHMIIIIII. Someone who might actually recognize Anakin's trauma responses for what they are and help him gain some sort of healthy emotional state!!! The Jedi are great, but not always at Feelings! SHMIIIIIII.
And look. Mace can sigh and grumble about the Code as long as he wants, but Mace is also a man who needs a mission in life, he's a goddamn Jedi. So if the two ex-slaves he's somehow gotten himself stuck to in the last 48h want to start a Slave Rebellion, well, he suddenly has a lot of free time, and he will curse and groan all the while making it the best goddamn Slave Rebellion in the goddamn galaxy. These goddamn Skywalkers, swear to the Force.
ps. I am really so happy to read your amazing comment, it made my day as usual, and I hope the rest of the fic will hold up <3 <3 <3 <3
Happy to be here!! (And good timing on my part lol!)
I no longer know Palpatine, I only know Creepatine. Perfect name, honestly. AND FOR REAL. WHAT. WAS. COMIC. MACE. THINKING.
LOL karma's a bastard, Mace, and it'll get ya. Of all the people to try to convince Anakin that he needs to run away... Mace definitely has not put himself in the best position to do that XD (maybe he'll rethink some of his interpersonal techniques after this, hmm??) I am still floored by the fact that, shatterpoints and Force warnings aside, it occurred to nobody that a request of an old, powerful man to have one-on-one time with a young boy could be anything untoward... and seriously, Palpatine, that was NOT subtle. Maybe he was too focused on engineering a war and hiding his Force presence to think too much about how creepy that looked. Or maybe the attitude towards sex in the Jedi Order is one where it's not talked about, creating a culture where sexual abuse is seen as something shameful for the victim, swept under the rug, and ignored... and Palpatine just took advantage of that...
That's a really cool perspective - that Mace's relationship to the dark side would've placed him in a position where he understood Anakin and the risks around him better than a lot of the other Jedi, and that was the basis for his attitude - as opposed to a holier-than-thou, city on a hill kind of thing. (He's totally going to end up caring about Anakin. I believe it. TOTALLY. And probably want to kill him at times, too XD)
THE JEDI ARE NOT ALWAYS GREAT AT FEELINGS. (In fact, often they're downright terrible.) I think the Jedi have a very specific attitude and approach to strong emotions, and that approach just does not work for Anakin. He needs support from someone who has shared experiences and who works through the same feelings he experiences instead of just trying to let them go. And who he trusts and loves and loves him. (Anakin deserves to be loved, dang it, that poor boy needs it!)
I can totally see Mace moaning about the Code and the "Jedi way" but at the same time throwing himself into this slave rebellion with everything he's got. He's been a man of action, for crying out loud, his entire life has been devoted to making a difference. And this is a pretty worth cause. And one most Jedi won't touch.
Thank you so much for writing this!! And for your awesome reply to my comment (I have WAY too many thoughts XD) I'm soooo here for emotionally healthy Anakin!! And "Mace Anakin and Shmi start a Slave Rebellion as a coping mecanism" when I saw that tag I CHOKED XD
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