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From the time she was small, she had wanted to help. Her father had taken her offworld. She stepped foot on dying planets and tried to hold back the inevitable. Sometimes, it hadn’t been enough, but she had always volunteered to try again.
The girl straightened. She always acted as though she was being watched. Her appearance was her first line of defense, and she planned to muster it as deliberately as possible.
The girl in the white dress was going to be Queen, and she was ready.
Amidala, she called herself. They could be twins, almost. Two girls with the same face. And a security officer had come all the way here to talk to a girl who was always second.
Even in a semi-frozen moment in the past, Padmé was a force to be reckoned with. Jobal had known that. She’d seen it from the time the girls were little. To have that potential tapped so early in Padmé’s life was a gift, and Jobal knew her daughter wouldn’t squander it.
“We had her offworld working on aid missions when she was seven,” Jobal pointed out. “I just feel that might have contributed to her calling.”
padme being driven to make a change from such an early age is so -_- thats my girl <3 <3
No one ever saw his true face, the pure anger that burned in him. But they might, someday.
BOOOOOO KYS
It was tradition, but it was a comfort, too—a reminder that her part was bigger than herself, that she would be acting in service, not selfishly for her own gain.
And it was time. Her time. Amidala.
She was a challenge to read. Most fourteen-year-olds, even the brilliant ones, showed some emotions when they spoke, but the Queen had hardly done that all afternoon. Even her response to her election had been cold.
Though it got easier every day, such control did not yet come naturally to her, and sometimes she just wanted to smile. She lay back on the bed, a grin stretching across her face. She had done it.
She groped for a pillow and put it over her mouth, smothering the giggle that boiled up out of her. The guards were, after all, right outside her door, and Padmé hadn’t yet decided if Amidala was the type who giggled, even in private.
SHE IS SO 🫶🫶🫶🫶
It was an incredible responsibility. And Padmé was so, so excited.
the way she is so selfless and mature and motivated to do her very best at only 14 <3 god i love her so much
Queen Amidala. It sounded regal. Perfect. Beautiful. And, to all appearances, the Queen herself was all three.
Only an odd fluttering in her chest that something was finally going to go right for her. And when Captain Panaka came back, Tsabin would absolutely be ready to go.
sabe 🫶
“The differences between Padmé and Amidala, I mean. I think with you I’ll have to be both.” It was not quite an apology, but Tsabin understood. “I promise to wait until after your reign is over before I write a tell-all for the holos about all the things you messed up in the early days,” she said. Padmé laughed.
instant bffs oh i love them
The problem was that politicians wrote so many things down, and then Obi-Wan had to read them, because his master had a feeling that something was coming. Qui-Gon had a deeply annoying habit of being correct about this sort of thing, which was one of the reasons Obi-Wan hadn’t mutinied. Well, that and because he’d tried something very like mutiny once, and it hadn’t gone well.
He was supposed to be meditating on his lightsaber forms. Or helping his peers contemplate their feelings. Or rearranging stones in the rock garden. Or doing literally anything else, but no: he was reading Senate bills about tax reforms for space lanes that went to planets he’d never heard of. At least he’d always liked the library in the Jedi Temple.
or doing literally anything else 😭 obiwan impatient moments r always soo funny
The familiar back-and-forth was a hard-won rhythm, and for all his personal misgivings, Obi-Wan wouldn’t have given it up for anything.
:(
He was used to Qui-Gon getting involved in things the Council didn’t entirely approve of, but he appreciated some advance warning about when it was going to happen, if only so he could pack.
It would have bothered Obi-Wan, once upon a time. As a boy he’d held the Council in such high regard, the be-all and end-all of true Jedi ambition. He still didn’t entirely agree with Qui-Gon’s approach to things, but he had long ago accepted it as a viable alternative. It was, after all, important to avoid absolutes.
These trappings were not the most important aspect of her new job, but Padmé was Naboo to her fingertips: she knew how to appreciate good art, and the throne room was full of it.
To be perfectly honest, she hadn’t had this much fun in years, and she’d never felt so useful.
sabe <3
Their proud smiles were identical.
MY GIRLSSS <3 <3
I want you to do this because you are good at something she’s not.” “Deceit,” Rabene said.
They were friends, or they were on their way to friendship. And they were learning to navigate the power imbalance between them. It wasn’t perfect—Saché seemed to be avoiding Yané deliberately—but it was a start.
handmaiden friendship <3 <3 <3 also sache crushing from day one omfg
“And?” Padmé asked. Tsabin would always have to follow the choices of others. The least they could do was give her this. Tsabin smiled. “Sabé.”
my hands are yours my name is yours ultimate dedication etc etc
Padmé was reluctant to take sides, mostly because Yané was inexplicably in agreement with Saché. It seemed intensely personal in a way Padmé didn’t entirely understand, and it was foolish,
its called lesbianism padme
Furthermore, she and Eirtaé had finished three new headpieces, in addition to their other duties, and a dress that had all the appearance of a traditional Naboo gown at one-third the weight. The new gown had much easier fasteners, making it simpler to get in and out of, which Rabé had insisted on after they showed her the original designs.
they r so cool ugh i lovee getting all these details
The situation between Saché and Yané didn’t change, nor did it become any clearer what the situation actually was. They were friendly enough to each other, but Saché would not be left alone with the older girl. She refused to explain why, and Yané did not seem to take offense. Gentle teasing only made Saché uncomfortable and caused Yané to shut down, so eventually the others just gave up and accepted it as a personality quirk.
Sabé stood in for her only once, the morning Padmé’s period started and she spent the first few hours of the day in bed waiting for the painkillers to kick in.
omg shout out star wars menstruation acknowledgement
And she wasn’t going to stop until she had what she wanted. Padmé met her gaze when she looked down, and Saché nodded, barely moving her head. Whatever it was, the handmaidens would help her get it.
whatever it was the handmaidens would help her get it 🫶🫶🫶
It made him angry to wait, to be pushed to the side while his master manipulated the galaxy without him. It made him feel unwanted, and worse: unneeded. And, of course, that made him angry, too.
maul u are a victim 💔 thinking about when sidious abandons him in clone wars and he's literally in tears...
He was still working on hatred. There were just so many things to hate.
maul hater of all time
Most of all, he hated the Jedi. They hadn’t come for him. He didn’t know if they had sensed him and found him unworthy, or if, in his untrained state, he hadn’t been worth their time, but it didn’t matter. They had ignored him, passed him over for some unknown reason, and even though he had been better served by their neglect—he was more powerful with his anger than he could have been without it—he counted the days until he could make them pay.
:(
Every part of it was stolen, and every part of it was irrevocably his, paid for in blood and pain, only some of which had been his own.
serve
If asked, Maul would say he feared nothing. He was wrong.
They reached Palpatine’s office, and the senator took his leave. Valorum continued back to his chambers. It was good to have sensible allies.
yeah about that....
But she could do nothing. She couldn’t protest or argue, couldn’t barter or trade. She had nothing of her own to give. Except Anakin himself, of course, which Watto already knew and took advantage of at every turn.
per usual im going to END IT ALLLLL
“It’s okay, Mom,” he said when he saw her. He was still full of adrenaline, beyond pain and riding the high of the race. He loved it so much, and he had so few things to love. This was the real reason she could never deny him. “Ani,” she said. She ruffled his hair.
-____- <3
“Don’t worry, Mom,” Anakin said. “I’m always going to be with you.” He reached for her hand, and she took it. It was ridiculous that she accepted this as comfort in this situation—lately Anakin was embarrassed when she mothered him in public—but she didn’t know what else to do.
AAGGHHH
“Someday it won’t be always,” she said. And it was a promise to them both.
shmi's selflessness is so. -_-
Yoda sat in a small garden in the Jedi Temple where he was usually left alone.
omg i was not expecting everyone to be in this book I LOVE THISSSS literally tpm expanded retelling <3
“No, Master Yoda,” Windu said. He had never responded well to Yoda’s particular brand of humor, even as a youngling. It was one of the reasons Yoda kept it up.
yoda icon
It was starting to feel like a debate with Qui-Gon, and neither of them really enjoyed those.
quigon debatebro final boss perpetual menace to the jedi temple populous
Amidala was clad in purple. Her underdress was completely covered by the stiff velvet of her outermost layer, except at her collar, where soft lavender curled around her neck. For the rest, she might have been a statue. The dress was embroidered so heavily that it weighed itself down, instead of using tricks around the hem to make sure everything stayed in place. A deep green sash completed the look.
desperately need a detailed lookbook of all the outfits in these books NOW
Eirtaé had spent the better part of a month engineering the Queen’s new wardrobe to be as functional as it was ostentatious, and if the number of sketches crowding the desk in the sitting room was any indication, she was hardly bored.
SO COOL!!!!!!!! adore these girls and their skills
“This is why Panaka thinks he’s aged ten years since the election,” Saché said. “This right here.” “Here’s to the next ten, I guess,” Eirtaé said, lifting her teacup in a toast. “And the ten after that,” said Sabé.
The Queen was directed to sit and not move until given permission, and Padmé complied with a laugh. “That means your face, too,” Rabé said, hovering close with foundation and a brush. “I’m not making a mistake because you’re giggling.” Padmé laughed harder, but schooled her expression when Rabé started to look exasperated. She closed her eyes and let the wardrobe mistress do her work.
they're just girls ugh <3
Padmé was not so distracted that she didn’t notice Harli flirt shamelessly with Sabé. What surprised her was the degree to which Sabé flirted back. Nothing inappropriate, of course, and it was possible the adults thought they were just quietly getting to know each other while the grown-ups talked about something they thought was boring, but Padmé could see the truth. She didn’t know if Sabé was pressing an advantage or if there was a genuine attraction, and she didn’t know how in the world she was going to find out, not without pulling rank. Her relationships with her handmaidens were
...more
padme facing lesbianism on all sides and not knowing what to do 😭
