@katiaswift / katiaswift.tumblr.com
I can't believe this is my first original tumblr post in literally years, but also I guess I can totally believe it??? This seems on brand
Anyway does anyone remember the end of Wild Space when Palpatine lost it because Bail Organa was in his cafeteria instead of being dead? No? Well, that's a shame. Here have a meme
if you’re on tumblr and over the age of 24 it means the mental illness won
What's the difference between a gun and a slugthrower? I thought slugthrowers were just an upgraded version of a gun?
slugthrower is the stupid star wars name for guns that I refuse to use because it makes me think of horrific abuses of gastropods
A slugthrower is what causes a slug to be thrown for a loop, which is to say anything that causes this:
@willowcrowned your wish is my command!
Image sourced from here!
It’s that month again folks! Happy February.
I feel like we should start saying shit like "for the good of all fankind"
I was obsessively browsing the "Depa Billaba & Mace Windu" tag on AO3 this week, and it came to my attention that most of the fics that actually feature them are at the bottom in terms of kudos and hit count. And, well, that's not great, is it? Mace and Depa centric fic is criminally underrated, and I think these authors deserve as much love as the fandom deserves recs.
My commentary will likely be inconsistent, but rest assured there's no specific order to this list - all of it is excellent! My not saying as much about a fic doesn't mean I love it any less than the others, I'm just writing this on very little sleep and too much work.
I'll try to tag authors here on Tumblr where I can find them! Go show them some love.
To grow together by florgi (@xavimascheranos) - oneshot, 1k
For Mace Windu, there was never a doubt that Depa would be a fantastic Jedi Knight. With the trials so near, maybe it's time to let his Padawan know that.
In which Mace reassures Depa that she’s ready to be a Knight. Depa feeling insecure and Mace reassuring her is just about my favourite thing, oh man. I could spend a full week reading about these two the way this author writes them and still find myself aching for more. Gah.
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On the Ship by soft_but_gremlin (@itstimeforstarwars) - oneshot, <1k
Mace tells Depa to stay on the ship. Technically, Depa doesn't disobey those instructions.
Okay, this one kills me. I laughed so hard reading it the first time, and then the second time, and the third- you get the idea. Mace as a (presumably) first-time Master, getting used to having a young and mischievous Padawan, is absolutely adorable. Depa is just the cutest thing, and I know Mace will be reminding her of this incident for years to come. He’s also a big ol’ softie, because how could you not be around that adorable kid? I can’t get enough of this. (I say that phrase a lot in this post, and that’s because it’s true!)
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Long Way Home by ambiguously - oneshot, 3k
Depa survives Order 66. So do the people she loves.
This, oh my fuck, this is the bittersweet fix-it I’ve been looking for my whole life. Depa survives, Mace survives, and Caleb survives, and they slowly make their way back together. The way I’ve phrased it here makes it sound like a bad rpg sidequest, but I swear it’s poignant and sweet and makes my heart ache in ways I can’t explain. Absolutely magnificent, and the ending made me cry like a little baby. Does not feel like 3k, it’s like reading a whole novel, and I could not be happier.
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To Stand Before the Council by Raven_Knight (@captain-raven-knight) - oneshot, 3k
The Masters and Knights of the Jedi Order don't only observe an Initiate's lightsaber skills before they choose a Padawan. They are sometimes invited to watch other events like class presentations. When the Master she'd hoped to see watching her class does not show up, Initiate Depa Billaba takes matters into her own hands to speak to the Jedi Master she most admires. Even if it means standing in front of the entire High Council to do it.
This is the story of how Mace Windu and Depa Billaba became Master and Padawan.
This was such a sweet read, and I adore the way little Depa faces her nerves and sets out to address her problem. The Council is a delight, lovingly bothering Mace about Depa’s choosing him instead of the other way around, and the interspersed flashbacks from Depa’s point of view are a lovely way of giving a background for the events of the story.
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Clarity. by outpastthemoat (@outpastthemoat) - oneshot, 1k
Mace first sees the crystal when he invites his new padawan to meditate with him.
Oooof, this one hit me right in the feels. Mace and Depa as Master and Padawan from the beginning to the end of her apprenticeship, with the focal point of a crystal that Depa carries with her. I know this writeup is short, but that’s really because there’s not much else to say – this fic is poignant and beautiful, and an absolute delight to read.
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A good decision. by Young_Professor (@youngprofesser) - oneshot, <1k
In which Mace Windu takes on Depa Billaba as his padawan.
This is a view of little initiate Depa through Mace’s eyes as he chooses to take her on as his Padawan, and it’s damn adorable. I love Young_Professor’s take on Depa and Mace, and oh have they written a prolific amount of it! This is just one story of many, and it’s oh so sweet – I recommend trawling through their author page for more fic if you like this one. (I have a few more Young_Professor works on here, but I’m saving them for last because character death.)
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our colors still live on by control - oneshot, 2k
There’s a space in their shared apartment, one that’s central but easy to navigate around, bare stone floor worn smooth, that Depa’s had her eye on ever since she moved in. She’s sitting there,
cross-legged, when Mace comes back home.
“Depa?” he asks, pausing in the entryway to look at her.
“Master,” she replies, easy even as she feels the anxiety rising in her. “You don’t have any plans for this space, do you?”
“The empty floor in the middle of our entryway?” Mace asks, amused. “No, I don’t think I do.”
This fic is very Depa & ensemble (Mace, Grey, Styles, Caleb), and it makes me oh so happy. The author centres this around rangoli (link for the uninitiated) as a Chalactan tradition, and how the designs Depa creates link together the people and events in her life. This fic has created so many new headcanons for me (um, Depa’s troopers with her designs painted on their armour??? Yes please I’ll take two hundred thousand units with a million more well on the way), and the way that Depa and the people she’s closest to interact with such softness and care could honestly bring me to my knees. The fic is 2.8k, but feels much longer, in a good way. Honestly, words can’t express how much I love this – just go read it, I’m begging you.
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Five Meditations of Jedi Depa Billaba by skatzaa (@skatzaa) - 5+1 things, 5k
What it says on the tin. (Plus one more, for good measure.)
Oh gosh, this fic is so well written. It’s really just about Depa (with a little Mace thrown in), so I’m cheating a bit by putting it on the list, but it’s so good that I can’t possibly leave it out. Absolutely chock full of Jedi worldbuilding and beautiful descriptions of the world through Depa’s (Force) eyes. I just love it all so much.
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found someone to carry me home by behradtarazi (@alexeishostakoff) - oneshot, 1k
He will always want to help her. That might be what love is.
Mace cares more than most people think, and tries to help Luminara when she doesn't seem to be doing well.
Also kind of cheating with this one, because it’s more Mace & Luminara than it is Depa (though Depa does make an appearance), but Mace and Luminara as lineage “siblings” is one of my favourite headcanons and so I just couldn’t leave this out. Luminara is struggling after losing Barriss in TCW, and Mace comforts her. They’re both very tender but also very in character, and I love it so much.
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I’m putting these two at the end because of the warnings: here be deathfic, people! And that’s the thing that makes them so notable: I don’t usually like deathfic. Nothing wrong with it, but I lean far more towards the fluffy side of things – and yet, Young_Professor was able to make me read not one deathfic, but two.
And all those things I didn’t say by Young_Professor (@youngprofesser) - twoshot, 1k, Major Character Death
Inspired by the concept that after the events of Shatterpoint, Depa never woke up from her coma and died (i.e. was euthanized.)
This fic absolutely shatters my heart, but somehow in a good way. My experience here could be coloured by a recent loss in my own life, but reading it felt oddly healing, in a way. Mace grieving the loss of his Padawan felt deeply human and realistic but not out of character, and I really enjoyed reading this, as much as I can enjoy something so heartbreaking. His grief threatens to overwhelm him in the second chapter (a later addition – the first chapter works as a standalone) and it has a very different energy – Mace’s grief threatening to overwhelm him in the form of guilt – but is so painfully good.
As the Sun Sets by Young_Professor (@youngprofesser) - oneshot, 1k, Major Character Death
I already wrote a Clone Wars fic where Depa dies, so I had to do one where Mace does. Because I can.
As noted, a sort of companion fic to “And all those things I didn’t say”. An AU where Mace dies after a battle during the Clone Wars, and Depa, sensing his injuries, goes to him. I love Young_Professor’s depiction of Depa’s grief as much as Mace’s – as much as it tears through her, it doesn’t tear her apart. Bonus appearance of Commander Ponds, whom I love – and he and Depa are clearly on the same page with how much this one hurts. Absolutely excellent, and painful as all get out.
For the female character ask, what about Master Vokara Che? She's such a cool character and there really isn't enough content on her out there.
You are right Anon! I am not sure if this is her canon appearance (I used one I found on Wookieepedia) but I really love Vokara!
almost called my wife "blorbo from my shows" last night
So to further out myself as a Fandom Old ™
I’m browsing ao3, as one does, and this one image struck me to the core and I just stared at the screen for like a solid 20 seconds
Oh how the world has changed
They did it. Those crazy bastards. Godsspeed, my friends.
i just want to bring attention to this tag. what a fucking powermove. absolutely insane.
This single writer is more powerful than I can even comprehend holy shit
I am old enough to remember why this is fucking amazing.
WHAT
if you’re on tumblr and over the age of 24 it means the mental illness won
I wrote up a 3,000+ word comment about a fic... I have no idea if this is Too Much or not but I think I'm actually going to post it and just cross my fingers and hope that it's not a creepy thing to do...
He's trying to distract us again, and it's working
