u/IdlyCurious

I don't remember much about it. I would guess it was written between AOTC and ROTS, but was almost certainly before 2007.

I don't remember the plot or if it was any good. But Obi-Wan smells perfume on Anakin and wonders if he's been to a brothel. Then recognizes the scent and thinks something along the lines of "Anakin couldn't afford that kind of company" in regards to its expense. The line amused me, and I thought it for the first time in forever recently.

Re-read her introductory trilogy recently, and I think Karrde is really important to Mara's arc. I don't think she would have ended up as she did without him. It was getting a message to him that kept Luke alive after they first crashed. It was his loyalty to his people that kept her from up-sticks and running away. It was her loyalty to Karrde that served the purpose of Luke "seeing the good in her" when he was without the Force, IMO. And, of course, it was springing him from captivity that made her seek out Luke as an ally (giving yet more opportunity to see how good he was).

I totally ship her with Luke, but I would love to see fic exploring this aspect of her life, without Luke in it. I think Karrde said she was wild when first she joined him. And that it took him months of watching her to know how she reacted to/felt about the Emperor and Luke.

So I would love to see him trying to learn these things (since he is a nosy butt who wants to know everything) and what he gets right and wrong. And her learning him as the man that has the loyalty to his people that he does, and her regard for that. Her finding a place again. She, of course, does not know at this point how much better it is than the one she had before (in terms of the boss' regard for her, anyway).

Obviously, there's a ton to unpack after ROTJ. There's Luke and Leia reacting to being siblings, reacting to Vader as their father, reacting if Artoo decides to talk about mom. Then there's the political implications from the death of the Emperor. But none of that is what I'm on the hunt for now.

Luke, while he's still the same person, changed significantly from ESB to ROTJ. And Han was in carbonite for that, so it's a very "instant" change for him. He and Luke did not spend much time together in the movie. And Han was mostly interested in whether Leia was still in love with him. :)

So while I know there are many things for him to dwell on, I'd like to see some fic during or shortly after the movie where he reacts to the ways Luke has changed. Whether he chalks it up to Jedi-ness or trauma or thinks training changed him, or whatever. Just his reaction to the ways that Luke is different (and the same) as he was before.

I know how long the canonical time gap is. I have read that back when ESB was coming out, some material even said four years had passed.

I was just curious to how the casual fan, who never looked at any other material, would think of it. Or rather, what you'd think if you hadn't been exposed to all the other material.

You know, we have Obi-Wan only just now telling Luke to get more training. And Han only just now paying off debt. Of course, we know it’s not immediate or anything, given the relationship between Han and Leia seems to have developed a bit (and the mention of the run-in with the bounty hunter and such). But I’d have guessed more like 4-18 months than multiple years.

This is even more so because, while Han and Leia have had time enough to fall in love (which can happen very quickly in fiction), they are still doing the bickering thing, which does rather make them seem emotionally immature in this specific context. Must be extremely frustrating/irriating for people around them.

Of course, there is some "resetting" going on - like everything indicated the Empire was going to be in a bad position after ANH. I mean, the Senate couldn't be disbanded until after the Death Star was functioning, and with it gone, there should be significantly more action against the Empire than there was prior (and they were already losing entire systems), but there's no indication of that in the movie.

Wookiepedia didn't have anything, so I'm guessing not, but I thought I'd ask. I mean, any ideas of what socioeconomic classes they were in, any relatives, etc.? Even anything implied instead of stated?

I'm thinking about Legends continuity, late Rebellion or early New Republic era - when they thought they could soon beat the Empire. Did Wedge, Tycho, Corran, Janson, or Hobbie ever express any desire to ever do anything different after the Empire was defeated? Obviously, I understand the need to keep your characters hip-deep in action and adventure and not going off to the quiet life. I just wanted to know if the characters (particularly in works published prior to NJO) always wanted that exciting and dangerous lifestyle to last forever.

EDIT: Dammit, I used the their instead of there and I can't change it.

I understand there was a scene in the ROTJ script at some point with Luke building his own. Well, presumably no one was producing them anymore. When did it become a generalized rule that all Jedi (including in the pre-Empire days) built their own instead of buying ones made by specialists/professionals?

Okay, I'm open to various different types that don't overlap, so here are the ones I'm thinking of. Some ordinary AUs, some with visions, some with time travel

Ordinary AU, where different things happen, but heroes are luckier, smarter, and/or more capable.

1. I would absolutely love to see one where a freed Shmi gets to raise Anakin (which I think is his single best chance at not falling - he was fine when he was with her), and Anakin still gets Jedi training while living with his mother. I know people like to remove her because they want to focus on the dynamic with Obi-Wan/Qui-Gon/whatever Jedi is his master. I agree we need to see that dynamic, but I don't agree that it has to be parental (and isn't the whole shared-apartment thing fanon, anyway?). Honestly, Qui-Gon is the only one I think would break ranks that much. But I have never seen one that keeps Shmi in Anakin's daily life and also lets him be trained. There's still plenty of danger from Palpatine to stop.

2. Ordinary AU where Quinlan's abilities pick up something strange going on and he plays detective.

Time travel fix-its

1. Luke, Leia, Han, and Chewie travel back in time. I know Chewie is not a main character the way they are, but he doesn't know that. They don't know that. He is Han's best friend. The Force should not just declare him irrelevant not worth being included. Different characters should have different priorities. Luke will care far more about saving his father than the others. Then there's saving the Republic, the Jedi, and the Clones. If early enough, Chewie might put special effort to Kashyyyk being able to defend itself. Maybe Leia even cares a little about giving a young Han (how young depends on if using Disney canon, Legends, or author making up their own background) a better start. But I want to Chewie there, helping save the day with them.

2. Time Travel with Yoda or Obi-Wan (whether bodily or in mind only) not making all the right calls. They know more than anyone else, of course, and that's a great advantage, but they still have certain locked in head-spaces (and Obi-Wan, at least, seemingly has some rose-colored glasses for his "more civilized age") and so they might not see all the structural weaknesses taken advantage of. They certainly will win and avert tragedy (that's what a fix-it is for), but playing with the idea that they aren't necessarily aware of all the types of changes needed internally in the Order and Republic on day one. They both usually are a little too "perfect" in their actions when time-traveling, much reducing drama.

3. Time Travel fix-it where Luke (still probably fairly young and not long after ROTJ) is somewhat disillusioned the Jedi aren't as perfect as he imagined them to be. They certainly are an overall a force for good, of course - but a flawed one. And this is the idea of him realizing he shouldn't try to recreate what they used to be, but do new things in a different way.

4. A Time-Traveler who doesn't know much. I saw a great (sadly abandoned) one like this for Plo Koon. Knew the clones killed him. Didn't know order 66, didn't know the Chancellor was the Sith, didn't know Anakin fell, didn't know the Republic fell. Hell, he thought he just had a Force vision (he'd never had them and didn't know what they were like). A more ignorant time traveler allows for a detective story. And it gives a lot more maneuvering room for Palpatine's machinations. Anyone know any more of those?

Force vision fix-it

1. Much like the last time-travel one, it allows for a more ignorant protagonist. Someone who has had a few disjointed flashes and doesn't know the full story, but knows enough to be scared. I've seen some Force-vision ones, but the visions were too complete for what I'm looking for. I want a mystery for someone (or a small team, if they bring in allies) to solve.

I was thinking about Obi-Wan. Obviously, he knew by ROTS. Now, I am completely disregarding the cut scene, because I find it incompatible with the "Anakin is the father, isn't he?" He can't say that if the prior conversation happened. But still, he knew, which is why he went to her then. But, at least if one only uses the movies, how and when he knew is up in the air.

Now, I'm amenable to movie-compliant or AU fics set between AOTC and ROTS for this (indeed, I was originally thinking about fics I read back before ROTS came out). So it can be a shocking discovery for him or him finally unable to continuing engaging in willful blindness.

Of course, they were not discreet at the end of AOTC, but you think Obi-Wan told him "you have to end this" and Anakin said "yes, master" and then just...didn't.

In any event, my particular is that Obi-Wan and Padmé are not close friends. Both are close to Anakin, but not to each other. If it's set earlier, Obi-Wan might have a more negative outlook towards her (he wasn't fond of politicians), whereas later be more friendly. He's likely to think of her and the relationship in terms of what it means for Anakin - so be more negative on it earlier (nearer AOTC), and more positive on it later (nearer ROTS). At least, that's my opinion, so that's what I'm looking for.

It's an interesting time frame. Luke, of course, has to deal with the emotional fall-out of being told Vader is his father. He's definitely not talking about with friends. One friend captured, others hurting (Chewie exists), and possibly making a new friend in Lando. And we know Luke becomes more Jedi-ish during this time frame. He's not flying anymore by ROTJ (and what do Wedge and the higher-ups think about him not meeting them at the rendezvous point?) . And somewhere along the way, he senses good in Darth Vader.

So I would love to find fic dealing with these emotional upheaval and skill growth and changing roles in this era. And with others reacting to the changes in him, even though they are ignorant of some of the details. But I want it be fic with a plot instead of just thinking/talking about feelings.

Looking for Original-Trilogy compliant fic this time. No Ahsoka or Rex or any of those folks (Rogue Squadron members are welcome). No contact with Force ghosts. No interactions with Vader.

Does anyone have any suggestions?

Historical, preferably. Strong focus on friendship. A mystery to solve. I'm ideally looking for something without magic at the moment, but will accept magic ones, too. And looking for characters who aren't royalty or really wealthy or whatnot and have no destiny and just seem "ordinary" and show themselves special by their deeds, not their birth. Reason why I prefer earlier books of Blackthorn series

Don't mind romance, but looking for not the teen-drama type.