Stories I'm not writing (2)
Well, I survived Tuesday, Day of Doom. I turned in: four one-page essays, one sixteen-page essay on women and Star Wars, gave a presentation on the same, all for one class, and that afternoon gave my quarterly asexuality presentation, which this time was in an auditorium classroom with 100+ people, several of whom I personally know from the former class.
This group was much less interested in the social justice side of things and much more in hormones, masturbation, sexual/asexual relationships, hormones, research, aromanticism ("do you cry at movies?"), my personal feelings about everything, and hormones. It was still nice enough, except one woman who seemed vaguely offended at my total disinterest in (1) taking hormones, and (2) the effect of hormones on people who've lost their interest in sex (I replied that while HSDD is a serious problem, it's not my problem). Overall, the Q&A went on for about an hour.
Another woman raised her hand only to say that she didn't actually have a question, she just wanted to say how brave and amazing it was for me to take visibility seriously enough to put myself out there in front of all these people, and that I was doing something really important. It was the only time I think I was at a loss for words, but very sweet (and reassuring!). (And afterwards, my voice went out and I got sick, so now I'm taking forty milligrams of prednisone. Joy.)
And now for another fun-filled glimpse into Elizabeth's spastic brain!
Stories I Would Like To See Written: Star Wars
(ETA: The format is basically the same as before; however, these ones are a lot less ... discrete. Mix and match at your leisure!)
(1) Star Wars is a fantasy epic
-- I mean, not in space.
(2) Shmi and Anakin are never slaves, and
-- Anakin is conceived in the usual fashion, and
-- Grows up with Owen, who disapproves of his ideals, and
-- The Skywalkers are simply a long line of powerful Force-sensitives, and/or
-- The Naberries are the ruling family of Naboo; Padmé simply inherits the throne at fourteen, or
-- Padmé, as the younger daughter, doesn’t inherit at all; Sola does, and she’s the queen throughout the PT; Padmé is busy being awesome elsewhere.
(3) The Empire is long-established by Anakin’s time, and
-- Palpatine is an ambitious prince, and
-- The Jedi Order is in effectively the same position as the canonical Sith, hiding behind respectable public identities (just not evil). Also, they have non-Force-sensitive allies who act as super sekrit agents.
-- Sabé is one of these; Padmé, brought up under a comparatively benign Empire, is a loyal Imperial Senator.
-- Extra points for OT-compliance.
(4) Darth Vader is Luke’s older brother, not his father.
-- The Anakin Skywalker who was Obi-Wan’s friend/war-buddy etc was their father, or
-- Neither of them have a father (other than the Force)
-- Vader/Anakin (Jr!) is younger than in canon, but still much older than Luke.
(5) Different ambassadors are sent to deal with the Trade Federation, and
-- One of them is a pre-fallen Jedi Dooku, who accordingly becomes Anakin’s teacher, and
-- Neither Dooku nor Anakin ever fall, and
-- Dooku never leaves the Order/joins the Separatists; he’s busy training Anakin, or
-- Dooku does leave the Order once he’s finished teaching Anakin, and Anakin goes with him, or
-- Dooku does leave the Order once he’s finished teaching Anakin, and Anakin remains with the Jedi, leaving Anakin torn, or
-- Dooku nevertheless falls, and drags Anakin with him, or
-- Anakin still falls, but Dooku doesn’t, and
-- In any of these options, Anakin is altered by being raised by someone who has it in him to become a Sith Lord, even if he doesn’t actually do it.
(6) Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan are the same person: Obi-Wan Kenobi
-- New!Obi-Wan is the fiery, rebellious young man described in the OT, or
-- New!Obi-Wan has settled down from that, and is a calmer, but somewhat arrogant older man, as Obi-Wan himself suggests.
(7) Darth Vader and Anakin Skywalker are not the same person and unrelated
-- Vader would have known Anakin, of course, as his master's partner and BFF. He'd have been younger and more approachable than Obi-Wan, enough that there could be a sort of camaraderie, while remaining a cool, adventurous older Jedi that baby Darth could look up to.
-- and Vader killed Anakin (and basically, everything is exactly what it appeared to be in original!ANH), making his betrayal all the worse, or
-- Vader did not kill Anakin, and
-- Obi-Wan did, and
-- Obi-Wan is not a bad guy, and
-- Neither was Anakin
(8) Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon don’t get to Theed in time.
-- Sabé, Padmé etc are “processed.”
(9) Upon reaching Tatooine, the party sells the ship and uses the money to hire transport from a pilot à la Han Solo.
-- Therefore, they don’t cross paths with Anakin
-- Cliegg Lars buys both Shmi and Anakin out of slavery; the Jedi don’t find him until he’s at least 12-ish
(10) The Jedi Council wants Anakin trained, rather than running around wreaking havoc.
-- Per the OT, Yoda intends to train him personally, but Obi-Wan is certain he can do it just as well (cue failure).
(11) The Jedi Council sends several Jedi (as in, more than one) to investigate the problem, starting with Naboo.
(12) Valorum is willing to take the word of a Jedi Knight (the official ambassador!) about the invasion.
-- Padmé doesn’t have cause to declare a vote of no confidence, so Palpatine isn’t elected Chancellor (yet, anyway).
-- Palpatine has Valorum assassinated and is elected the new Chancellor, or
-- Valorum remains Chancellor, and/or
-- Padmé is a Badass Pacifict who is genuinely set against doing anything that will lead to war, and/or
-- She becomes so wildly popular that Palpatine decides to use his influence with her to make her a figurehead and work behind her; he plans to be The Man Behind the Man Empress, and
-- This doesn't really work, or
-- It does work. Sort of. Only Padmé doesn't make much of a puppet (see Empress Amidala below)
(13) Qui-Gon isn’t killed by Darth Maul, and
-- Neither is Obi-Wan; per canon, he’s immediately knighted. Anakin becomes Qui-Gon’s student, or
-- Obi-Wan is killed by Darth Maul.
(14) Padmé doesn’t become a senator after her term as queen (...) is up.
(15) Shmi is rescued and brought to Coruscant
-- Padmé arranges it, since Anakin saved her planet, or
-- Qui-Gon arranges it once he gets to Coruscant, or
-- Qui-Gon exchanges money with smugglers/pilots (who would spend enough time in Republic space to have use for Republic credits), and buys both Anakin and Shmi on the spot, or
-- Obi-Wan arranges it after all the dust has settled, or
-- Anakin goes after her before ten years have passed, before her marriage.
(16) Padmé (the politician) is prepared to have an affair, while Anakin (the warrior-monk) is reluctant.
(17) Padmé is Force-sensitive.
-- And doesn’t know it. (Extra points for canon-compliance!), and/or
-- Her parents refused to let her be trained (ditto!), or
-- She is trained and becomes a Jedi
(18) Padmé goes with Anakin to find Shmi.
(19) Shmi doesn’t die, because
-- Obi-Wan accepts that Anakin’s dreams are prescient and following them is obviously the will of the Force. They rescue her early enough to save her life, or
-- Obi-Wan still ignores the dreams, but (before the quasi-assassination) Anakin runs off to save her anyway, or
-- Anakin tells Padmé about them on the way to Naboo and they convince each other to go to Tatooine instead.
(20) Anakin doesn’t kill Dooku
-- My are there awkward questions.
(21) Palpatine dies in the Battle of Coruscant.
(22) Obi-Wan dies in the Battle of Coruscant.
(23) Obi-Wan finds Palpatine’s knowledge about the Sith to be ver-ry suspicious and reports his suspicions.
-- He also mentions them to Anakin, who is initially resistant but eventually comes around.
(24) Yoda provides less inane advice when Anakin is terrified
-- Maybe something like “always in motion, the future is.” Or at the least he asks for details to aid interpretation.
(25) Padmé tells Obi-Wan about her marriage/pregnancy and asks for his help before everything goes to the dogs, because
-- her spirit’s been crushed a bit earlier, or
-- she’s seen the writing on the wall (re Palpatine) earlier, or
-- Anakin was killed in the Battle of Coruscant, and/or
-- Obi-Wan keeps the secret and tries to help her/them surreptitiously, or
-- Obi-Wan insists on informing the Council, or
-- Obi-Wan helps them her/them get away when everything goes to hell, and/or
-- He takes her to Tatooine, where even she can be safely anonymous (or both of them, if Anakin is alive) and Owen and Beru insist on taking her/them in
-- If combined with the “Anakin manages to rescue Shmi” plot, this happens c. Order 66; Anakin and Padmé take as many of the children as they can and escape to Tatooine, where Shmi has been devastated by the announcement of the execution of all Jedi. Or Anakin is in the Temple at the time, and Obi-Wan helps get Padmé out. She doesn’t die because she...has the will to live?
(26) Padmé doesn’t dismiss Anakin’s vision of her death.
(27) Late in the pregnancy, fetal!Leia and Luke form Force-bonds with each other and their respective same-sex parent, which
-- is why Leia remembers Padmé, but Luke doesn’t.
-- is why Anakin can sense Luke, but not Leia.
-- is why Luke and Leia are instantly drawn to each other and able to to sense one another; also
-- canon-compliant!
(28) Anakin Skywalker’s foresight is somewhat more useful and provides a glimpse of his own future, and
-- He actually tells someone what he saw.
(29) Anakin sides with Mace Windu instead of Palpatine, and
-- There are consequences.
(30) Padmé gives birth before Order 66, immediately after Anakin’s turn, and
-- She dies of natural causes, or not, but is dead in any case, and
-- Vaderkin goes apeshit on Palpatine, and
-- Takes over the Empire, or
-- Flees with the children, or
-- Abandons the Dark Side and consciously kills him; Anakin surrenders himself (and with him, his children) to the Order, and
-- Goes mad? Or
-- Vaderkin does not kill Palpatine, remaining in the Empire with his children.
(31) Anakin defeats Obi-Wan at Mustafar.
-- And keeps Obi-Wan alive, or
-- executes him on the spot.
-- In either case, recovers Padmé and takes her to a proper hospital with proper doctors, and
-- She doesn’t die, or
-- She dies anyway.
-- He kills Palpatine, maybe turning from the Dark Side to do it.
(32) Anakin dies on Mustafar, because
-- Palpatine doesn’t bother rescuing him, or
-- It’s just too late, or
-- Obi-Wan does the decent thing and takes him out of his misery, and
-- The twins are divided per canon, or
-- Obi-Wan takes the twins, too.
(33) Empress Amidala!
-- Padmé does accept Vaderkin’s offer, if only because Palpatine is so much worse, and after a quick coup she is declared Galactic Empress, and
-- Vader serves her in much the same capacity that he does Palpatine in canon, only with less homicidal urges and more sexytiemz, and
-- Being completely devoted to their adorable children weakens and eventually destroys his tie to the Dark Side. He’s very very sorry. But still completely committed to his wife, or
-- Padmé becomes Empress by some other means, perhaps intended to be a figurehead only figureheading is not really her strong point (see above). And then people start trying to kill her, probably, but … not really an issue with Anakin around.
(34) The Organas adopt Luke; Obi-Wan takes Leia to Tatooine, and
-- Gender should be a factor here, but it’s not a simple (ha!) genderswap either. Leia is Leia, but not Princess Leia. ... Somehow. Ditto for Luke.
(35) Padmé doesn’t die
-- or, she does die, but not for several more years; she chooses to send Luke away and hides with Leia for three or four more years. It’s only after her death that Leia is adopted by the Organas.
(36) Full universe genderswap
-- Really: every single character is the opposite gender they were originally
(37) Pretty much everything that seemed to be true by ROTJ actually is true
-- This would probably combine a bunch of the earlier ones (their mother dying later, Obi-Wan and Yoda wanting to train Anakin, Owen disapproving of Anakin’s ideals, etc etc)
-- For an AU, Anakin actually does stay on the farm instead of following "old Obi-Wan" on his idealistic crusade -- at first, anyway
(38) SW/ST crossover
-- ideally, OT/TNG (Picard: best mentor ever, or best mentor ever?)
(39) Luke is a girl [I am writing this, but have chosen not to go with the following:]
-- There’s no reason to favour girl!Luke over Leia; they’re both sent to Tatooine, or
-- They’re still separated, but there’s no reason to restrict the training to one of them; Leia is sent to be trained, or
-- Combine with anything! No really, any of the following anything
(40) Han is a girl.
-- girl!Han, Luke, and Leia end up as Heterosexual Life Partners forever
-- girl!Han/Leia
-- girl!Han/Luke
-- Leia/girl!Han/Luke
-- Luke/Leia; there'd be no need to make them related w/ girl!Han
(41) A young(er) Princess Leia interacts with Darth Vader.
-- And their early relationship is reasonably amicable.
-- Which terrifies her father.
(42) Luke and Leia double genderswap, that is,
-- Leia → a (dark, abrasive) boy named Luke; Luke → a (blonde, very slightly cooler-tempered) girl named Leia.
-- variation: combine with reversal. Alt!Luke (“Leia Skywalker”) goes to Tatooine, while alt!Leia (“Prince Luke”) is adopted on Alderaan.
(43) Luke and Leia are both sent to Tatooine, and
-- The focus should be on the twins’ relationship, and maybe their relationship with their father, but not shipping or the Emperor’s shenanigans or whatever. This is a Skywalker story. Or
-- Luke and Leia’s combined presence becomes increasingly more noticeable. Leia is sent away and adopted by the Organas at around age six; see the second option below.
(44) Luke and Leia are both adopted by the Organas, and
-- Luke and Leia are brought up together and inseparable until joining the Rebellion, when Leia deals more with espionage and Luke with diplomacy. Luke isn’t with Leia when her ship is captured. Um, or on Alderaan, or
-- Luke’s Force-sensitivity is so obvious that they’re forced to send him away at a relatively young age (six or seven, say); he goes to Owen and Beru and the plot reverts mostly to canon, but Luke and Leia are aware both that they’re twins and that nobody must know about it.
(45) Leia is the original twin sister
-- That is, she’s sent to the opposite end of the galaxy and trained as a Jedi per the original plan for Luke’s twin
(46) Obi-Wan doesn’t give Luke to Owen and Beru, and instead raises/trains him himself, and
-- He takes Leia, too, and/or
-- Raises Luke or Luke and Leia on Tatooine, or
-- Raises them on Dagobah, where he’s hiding out with Yoda, or
-- Raises them somewhere else.
(47) Early in Luke’s childhood, Vader discovers him, and
-- Owen and Beru knew who Vader had been, and were complicit in hiding Luke. Vader executes them and takes Luke away, or
-- Owen and Beru thought he was dead and freely if regretfully turn Luke over to him. He spares them, and occasionally sends Luke to them when he needs to disappear
(48) Vader discovers that Leia is his daughter, and
-- Bail is tortured and executed, and
-- Vader then discovers where Luke is, or
-- Vader doesn’t discover Luke and has no idea there is another child.
(49) Owen dies about five years after the formation of the Empire.
-- Obi-Wan ends up helping Beru manage Luke. And the farm. But mostly Luke, and
-- They fall in love! (Hey, we all have our crack pairings.) And get married and so on, or
-- They don’t fall in love, because Obi-Wan is an aromantic asexual. (In my headcanon, he totally is. Shut up, EU.) And,
-- In either case, she lets him start training Luke as a Jedi. By the time that Leia’s message arrives, Luke is fully-trained. He and Obi-Wan kill the stormtroopers who attack the homestead, and then … idk, stuff happens. But Beru isn’t fridged killed!
-- or, Owen and Beru both die, and
-- Obi-Wan takes Luke, or
-- Luke is sent off to an orphanage before Obi-Wan can act, and
-- routine blood tests reveal his astronomical midichlorians, and
-- whoever’s in charge of this decides to try and protect him, or
-- whoever’s in charge of him promptly contacts the people in charge of Jedi-Related Problems, which inevitably brings him to Vader’s notice (along with the obvious name of obviousness), and
-- he ends up under Vader’s care by five-ish, and
-- not ridiculously schmaltzy, but let’s not have parental abuse, okay? Canonically it takes two comparatively brief encounters with Luke for Vader to come around. I’m not sure it’s even probable for him to hold out especially long (with Luke or Leia); also,
-- maybe he hides him at Bast Castle? Probably, since he doesn’t want his identity coming out. I guess?
(50) Luke doesn’t meet Obi-Wan and instead joins the Imperial Academy, because
-- Owen doesn’t ever buy the droids, or
-- Owen lets Luke join the Academy with the rest of his friends, or
-- Luke runs off on his own, and
-- In any case, his abilities ensure that he’s swiftly promoted and soon comes to Vader’s notice, and
-- he ultimately turns (realistically!), or
-- does not turn
(51) Ten Facts About Star Wars as a proper fic.
(52) Once Upon A Time as proper fic
(53) Luke is captured some time before ESB
-- Bad Stuff
-- …but not all bad!
(54) Yoda and Obi-Wan do the decent thing and tell Luke about his father for real.
-- Either when he’s about to go confront him (when it’s probably the only thing that would keep him from going), or even earlier
(55) Apocalypse fic! A horrible plague sweeps over the galaxy
-- It’s not the Empire’s fault, it just happens, and
-- It kills a substantial portion of the sentient inhabitants, devastating... everyone, and ultimately forces the Rebels and Imperials to meet for mutual survival.
-- Palpatine is either dying or dead.
-- This happens shortly after the first Death Star’s destruction, or
-- between ANH and ESB, or
-- after the escape from Hoth, or
-- shortly after the Reveal, or
-- after ROTJ, or
-- During any of these scenarios but the last, Vader falls prey to it while they’re in talks.
-- Ditto, only it’s Luke.
(56) More apocalypse fic! Horrible blaster-proof aliens invade from another galaxy!
-- They’re alive, and therefore not Force-resistant in any way
-- Per above, they take out vast swaths of people, including the Emperor.
-- Same options as above, and
-- Doesn’t end in tragedy, and
-- Combine them! The aliens sent the plague to weaken them!
-- Also, they respect the Force-sensitives’ ~strength~ and demand that they join them. For once, Vader, Luke and Leia are in complete agreement: WTF NO.
(57) Vader successfully carbon-freezes Luke before the reveal, and takes him to Bast Castle, and
-- Luke is not tortured, and
-- Heh, it’s like some gen!Beauty and the Beast where he gets the best of everything, never really sees anybody’s face, and every night at supper Vader asks him to join the Dark Side. Magic servants = stormtroopers! And:
-- Luke doesn’t turn, but does finally consent to carrying out missions to sabotage Vader’s Imperial enemies, or
-- The Emperor loses patience and decides to just have Luke killed. Vader, predictably, goes completely apeshit on him, or
-- Luke and Vader agree to bring down the Emperor together and assassinate him (and do so), or
-- continuing the parallel, it’s Vader who finally turns, and is able to use the (not-Dark) Force to heal himself for the SW equivalent of the transformation, and/or
-- Lando never betrays Vader, so Vader has both Luke and Leia, and
-- originally, he intends to keep her as a means to control Luke, but at some point he discovers the truth, and
-- Luke does turn, in order to protect Leia, and
-- Is quasi-successful; Leia doesn’t turn, or
-- Fails. Leia ends up turning anyway, or
-- Leia originally turns, and
-- Luke doesn’t, and she takes it upon herself to protect him (in often horrific ways: think Azula to Ozai) -- Luke does, too, but in any of these scenarios, they never turn against each other and remain wholeheartedly committed to each other, or
-- neither Luke nor Leia turn; see above for main plot.
(58) Vader disarms Luke before the stab/amputation, and the reveal is a little more . . . civilized.
-- Luke refuses to either turn to the Dark Side or join him, but less dramatically, or
-- Luke, having little other option, joins him but refuses to turn to the Dark Side, and
-- ultimately does turn, or
-- ultimately doesn’t, and Vader ends up turning back, or
-- Luke has no choice but to accompany Vader, but neither really joins him or turns to the Dark Side, and mostly aims for damage control.
(59) Luke and Leia are unrelated and the original twin sister is out there
-- without making it Luke/Leia, or
-- with Luke/Leia, perhaps incorporating the idea for Han to die heroically (no, really, it’s what Harrison Ford wanted)
(60) Leia (idk, somehow) ends up with Luke on Dagobah and is trained
-- variation: the Death Star plot happens well after Jabba’s palace; Han, Luke and Leia go to Dagobah together (Luke reveals his paternity on the way there)
(61) When Luke asks Vader to come away with him, he accepts, and
-- They go off to … go fight crime, or something
(62) Vader kills the Emperor without fatally damaging himself, because
-- He crushes his throat while Palpatine is distracted with Luke, or
-- He doesn't kill him, he just doesn't stop Luke, or
-- He summons his lightsaber and kills him with that, and/or
-- After the Emperor’s death, Vader/Anakin takes over the Empire and reforms it (this can go with either first or last -- the middle would probably result in both Vader and Luke as fairly morally ambiguous), or
-- After the Emperor’s death, Luke and Anakin go off together and … do things. Probably starting with Tatooine.
(63) Per my crack theory, Luke and Leia have Winds of Destiny, Change
-- Basically, they’re ta’veren amped up to eleven. And,
-- At some point they start realising this; perhaps (as divine twins!) they have to act together to reach their full potential or something - but in any case, they discover their powers, and
-- Han thinks it’s hilarious. Also, that they should always accompany him when he’s smuggling things. They opt not to tell … anyone else, mostly because the explanation involves (1) too much religion, and (2) too much Darth Vader.
(64) Luke and Leia are actual demigods
-- crack! or
-- not crack!
(65) Han/Luke/Leia OT3 -- the only thing I’ve ever wanted fluffy, schmaltzy super-shippy fic for, regardless of whether there’s a plot, and the only thing that’s practically impossible to find.
-- It’s actually Leia/Han/Luke. Han doesn’t mind that Luke and Leia are twins. No, really. And/or
-- Something involving Luke and Leia’s telepathic and/or telekinetic powers. (Or clairvoyance!) This never seems to show up even in Han/Leia or Han/Luke, for some reason. And/or
-- Not established relationship, and
-- nothing significant has happened that we haven’t seen, and they have to navigate the relationship post-ROTJ
(66) Leia reconciles herself to Luke’s revelation
-- both the twin part and the Darth Vader’s daughter part, and
-- she does not dismiss either as insignificant; Luke is the one at peace with it, while Leia struggles to come to terms (esp because she kind of wants to be a Jedi but doesn’t want to end up, um, an evil one), and
-- extra points for going to the remnants of Alderaan and Tatooine, to find … something; probably on her own (mkay, all of this would necessitate the war basically ending with ROTJ which is pretty heavily implied anyway thanks)
(67) Leia trains as a Jedi
-- canon(= movies)-compliant, begins shortly after ROTJ
-- she and Luke often kind of make things up as they go (this would likely necessitate her not being absorbed in the government but being part of the now militantly neutral Jedi; Luke would be all for it, Han wouldn’t care much either way, and, idk, perhaps she’s tired of having the Rebellion basically on her shoulders but is still eager to use her... administrative skills, which are very useful for this early Order)
(68) The war ends shortly after the Emperor’s death, and other stuff happens
-- Leia starts searching for a planet for the surviving Alderaanians, and finds one; she’s crowned queen regnant, and/or
-- Luke takes over the old Jedi Temple on Coruscant and the ensuing bazillion governments completely fail to unseat him, and/or
-- His father’s stormtroopers show up and inexplicably swear loyalty
(69) Luke and Leia decide how to present their family to the public.
-- Luke is briefly torn about wanting to acknowledge his father’s heroic sacrifice, and wanting to be Leia’s brother without ruining her life, and
-- Anakin tells him to stop being an idiot; he’s dead, he doesn’t need these people’s slightly lessened disapproval, while Luke and Leia very much need to be family. Han, Luke and Leia decide that they’ll say Vader murdered the Emperor when his back was turned and that Luke and Leia themselves are the natural children of Anakin Skywalker, Jedi Knight, and
-- Leia gives her formal name as Leia Skywalker Organa (and on very official occasions, Leia Amidala Skywalker Organa); not to associate herself with her father (hell no), but with Luke.
-- When Han and Leia get married, he takes her name and becomes General Han Solo Organa
(70) The Force-ghosts are alive present, well and perfectly prepared to interfere when they can
-- they’re the ones who officially knight Luke and then Leia (they definitely do not appoint themselves), and later declare them masters. Anakin is the most involved, because Anakin.
-- Obi-Wan’s there, too, and the one that Leia sees most often and talks to (and/or screams at) the most; at first she’s really not up to talking to Anakin, though she knows he and Luke talk all the time, but Bail shows up very briefly and it’s heavily implied that Anakin finagled it.
-- Thus, there is no difficulty whatsoever in discovering their mother’s identity. Luke and Leia are reunited with the Naberries, with some awkwardness and perhaps even resentment (more on Luke’s side, surprisingly enough, because he’s much more able to sympathize with Padmé than Leia while still possessing the Skywalker-patented SIMMERING RAAAAAGE, and doesn’t know them already)
-- The Emperor never shows up in any capacity whatsoever
(71) There is next-generation stuff:
-- Luke is asexual! So he doesn’t marry (--> this is why he confuses his psychic bond to Leia with sexual attraction: he doesn’t know what it’s supposed to be like), and
-- while on his adventures, he discovers one of the Emperor’s cloning projects is about to be destroyed, including his pet project, an obedience-enhanced Skywalker clone (after several years of failure, generated either from Luke’s severed hand or one of his father’s). Luke rescues the clone and takes it home and calls it George Anakin, and
-- since clones are now hated by everyone, Han/Luke/Leia concoct a non-cloney backstory for baby Anakin, Han especially getting a kick out of inventing an imaginary girlfriend/wife for Luke, and/or
-- Leia has issues with their mother as well as their father, particularly since she was always told how much she took after her perfect pristine mother and she always rather idolized Padmé-the-senator; it takes several years for her to come around, but she eventually manages to reconcile Senator Amidala on her pedestal with the very real Padmé and, as a gesture of forgiveness, names her third child after her.
-- Baby Anakin and baby Jaina are BFFs of the opposite attracts variety, what with his ingrained obedience and her … lack of anything of the kind, and have fabulous adventures, and
-- All four of the kids are trained as Jedi, though Padmé ultimately leaves to be Princess Padmé Organa of New Alderaan, and becomes a NR senator; Jaina, Jacen and Anakin are firmly ensconced in the (new!) Jedi tradition of peacemaking and neutrality.
-- The galaxy is significantly better for what they’ve done and things don’t take a sudden turn for the dark and edgy (I include their children in that statement). Oh, and Luke’s academy (which ultimately expands to several) is successful, independent of any government even once the NR takes over Coruscant a few years after its establishment (which causes some friction, but nothing ~tragically awful~), and turns out a lot of really awesome, noble Jedi who don't do horrible things. And Anakin did destroy the Sith - and not just for five minutes. FOREVER.
(72) 50-70+ years after the OT, a Force-sensitive Tusken girl runs off to join the Jedi.
-- She’s the first? (I know, EU blah blah) Or something, and
-- Han mostly looks after the grandchildren/great-grandchildren, or
-- Han is dead; as implied by the OT, Jedi have extended natural lifespans, and Luke and Leia are alive and well. Leia has abdicated in favour of one of her children (if above, Padmé); she and Luke are full-time Jedi and essentially first among equals.
-- Luke has grown up to sound just like Fire Lord Ozai and despite being a kindly little old man, initially terrifies our heroine. Along with any number of other people. For the lulz.
(73) Fluffy afterlife fic
-- Luke and Anakin in the Netherworld of the Force being awesome. And happy. and/or
-- Leia too!
This group was much less interested in the social justice side of things and much more in hormones, masturbation, sexual/asexual relationships, hormones, research, aromanticism ("do you cry at movies?"), my personal feelings about everything, and hormones. It was still nice enough, except one woman who seemed vaguely offended at my total disinterest in (1) taking hormones, and (2) the effect of hormones on people who've lost their interest in sex (I replied that while HSDD is a serious problem, it's not my problem). Overall, the Q&A went on for about an hour.
Another woman raised her hand only to say that she didn't actually have a question, she just wanted to say how brave and amazing it was for me to take visibility seriously enough to put myself out there in front of all these people, and that I was doing something really important. It was the only time I think I was at a loss for words, but very sweet (and reassuring!). (And afterwards, my voice went out and I got sick, so now I'm taking forty milligrams of prednisone. Joy.)
And now for another fun-filled glimpse into Elizabeth's spastic brain!
Stories I Would Like To See Written: Star Wars
(ETA: The format is basically the same as before; however, these ones are a lot less ... discrete. Mix and match at your leisure!)
(1) Star Wars is a fantasy epic
-- I mean, not in space.
(2) Shmi and Anakin are never slaves, and
-- Anakin is conceived in the usual fashion, and
-- Grows up with Owen, who disapproves of his ideals, and
-- The Skywalkers are simply a long line of powerful Force-sensitives, and/or
-- The Naberries are the ruling family of Naboo; Padmé simply inherits the throne at fourteen, or
-- Padmé, as the younger daughter, doesn’t inherit at all; Sola does, and she’s the queen throughout the PT; Padmé is busy being awesome elsewhere.
(3) The Empire is long-established by Anakin’s time, and
-- Palpatine is an ambitious prince, and
-- The Jedi Order is in effectively the same position as the canonical Sith, hiding behind respectable public identities (just not evil). Also, they have non-Force-sensitive allies who act as super sekrit agents.
-- Sabé is one of these; Padmé, brought up under a comparatively benign Empire, is a loyal Imperial Senator.
-- Extra points for OT-compliance.
(4) Darth Vader is Luke’s older brother, not his father.
-- The Anakin Skywalker who was Obi-Wan’s friend/war-buddy etc was their father, or
-- Neither of them have a father (other than the Force)
-- Vader/Anakin (Jr!) is younger than in canon, but still much older than Luke.
(5) Different ambassadors are sent to deal with the Trade Federation, and
-- One of them is a pre-fallen Jedi Dooku, who accordingly becomes Anakin’s teacher, and
-- Neither Dooku nor Anakin ever fall, and
-- Dooku never leaves the Order/joins the Separatists; he’s busy training Anakin, or
-- Dooku does leave the Order once he’s finished teaching Anakin, and Anakin goes with him, or
-- Dooku does leave the Order once he’s finished teaching Anakin, and Anakin remains with the Jedi, leaving Anakin torn, or
-- Dooku nevertheless falls, and drags Anakin with him, or
-- Anakin still falls, but Dooku doesn’t, and
-- In any of these options, Anakin is altered by being raised by someone who has it in him to become a Sith Lord, even if he doesn’t actually do it.
(6) Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan are the same person: Obi-Wan Kenobi
-- New!Obi-Wan is the fiery, rebellious young man described in the OT, or
-- New!Obi-Wan has settled down from that, and is a calmer, but somewhat arrogant older man, as Obi-Wan himself suggests.
(7) Darth Vader and Anakin Skywalker are not the same person and unrelated
-- Vader would have known Anakin, of course, as his master's partner and BFF. He'd have been younger and more approachable than Obi-Wan, enough that there could be a sort of camaraderie, while remaining a cool, adventurous older Jedi that baby Darth could look up to.
-- and Vader killed Anakin (and basically, everything is exactly what it appeared to be in original!ANH), making his betrayal all the worse, or
-- Vader did not kill Anakin, and
-- Obi-Wan did, and
-- Obi-Wan is not a bad guy, and
-- Neither was Anakin
(8) Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon don’t get to Theed in time.
-- Sabé, Padmé etc are “processed.”
(9) Upon reaching Tatooine, the party sells the ship and uses the money to hire transport from a pilot à la Han Solo.
-- Therefore, they don’t cross paths with Anakin
-- Cliegg Lars buys both Shmi and Anakin out of slavery; the Jedi don’t find him until he’s at least 12-ish
(10) The Jedi Council wants Anakin trained, rather than running around wreaking havoc.
-- Per the OT, Yoda intends to train him personally, but Obi-Wan is certain he can do it just as well (cue failure).
(11) The Jedi Council sends several Jedi (as in, more than one) to investigate the problem, starting with Naboo.
(12) Valorum is willing to take the word of a Jedi Knight (the official ambassador!) about the invasion.
-- Padmé doesn’t have cause to declare a vote of no confidence, so Palpatine isn’t elected Chancellor (yet, anyway).
-- Palpatine has Valorum assassinated and is elected the new Chancellor, or
-- Valorum remains Chancellor, and/or
-- Padmé is a Badass Pacifict who is genuinely set against doing anything that will lead to war, and/or
-- She becomes so wildly popular that Palpatine decides to use his influence with her to make her a figurehead and work behind her; he plans to be The Man Behind the Man Empress, and
-- This doesn't really work, or
-- It does work. Sort of. Only Padmé doesn't make much of a puppet (see Empress Amidala below)
(13) Qui-Gon isn’t killed by Darth Maul, and
-- Neither is Obi-Wan; per canon, he’s immediately knighted. Anakin becomes Qui-Gon’s student, or
-- Obi-Wan is killed by Darth Maul.
(14) Padmé doesn’t become a senator after her term as queen (...) is up.
(15) Shmi is rescued and brought to Coruscant
-- Padmé arranges it, since Anakin saved her planet, or
-- Qui-Gon arranges it once he gets to Coruscant, or
-- Qui-Gon exchanges money with smugglers/pilots (who would spend enough time in Republic space to have use for Republic credits), and buys both Anakin and Shmi on the spot, or
-- Obi-Wan arranges it after all the dust has settled, or
-- Anakin goes after her before ten years have passed, before her marriage.
(16) Padmé (the politician) is prepared to have an affair, while Anakin (the warrior-monk) is reluctant.
(17) Padmé is Force-sensitive.
-- And doesn’t know it. (Extra points for canon-compliance!), and/or
-- Her parents refused to let her be trained (ditto!), or
-- She is trained and becomes a Jedi
(18) Padmé goes with Anakin to find Shmi.
(19) Shmi doesn’t die, because
-- Obi-Wan accepts that Anakin’s dreams are prescient and following them is obviously the will of the Force. They rescue her early enough to save her life, or
-- Obi-Wan still ignores the dreams, but (before the quasi-assassination) Anakin runs off to save her anyway, or
-- Anakin tells Padmé about them on the way to Naboo and they convince each other to go to Tatooine instead.
(20) Anakin doesn’t kill Dooku
-- My are there awkward questions.
(21) Palpatine dies in the Battle of Coruscant.
(22) Obi-Wan dies in the Battle of Coruscant.
(23) Obi-Wan finds Palpatine’s knowledge about the Sith to be ver-ry suspicious and reports his suspicions.
-- He also mentions them to Anakin, who is initially resistant but eventually comes around.
(24) Yoda provides less inane advice when Anakin is terrified
-- Maybe something like “always in motion, the future is.” Or at the least he asks for details to aid interpretation.
(25) Padmé tells Obi-Wan about her marriage/pregnancy and asks for his help before everything goes to the dogs, because
-- her spirit’s been crushed a bit earlier, or
-- she’s seen the writing on the wall (re Palpatine) earlier, or
-- Anakin was killed in the Battle of Coruscant, and/or
-- Obi-Wan keeps the secret and tries to help her/them surreptitiously, or
-- Obi-Wan insists on informing the Council, or
-- Obi-Wan helps them her/them get away when everything goes to hell, and/or
-- He takes her to Tatooine, where even she can be safely anonymous (or both of them, if Anakin is alive) and Owen and Beru insist on taking her/them in
-- If combined with the “Anakin manages to rescue Shmi” plot, this happens c. Order 66; Anakin and Padmé take as many of the children as they can and escape to Tatooine, where Shmi has been devastated by the announcement of the execution of all Jedi. Or Anakin is in the Temple at the time, and Obi-Wan helps get Padmé out. She doesn’t die because she...has the will to live?
(26) Padmé doesn’t dismiss Anakin’s vision of her death.
(27) Late in the pregnancy, fetal!Leia and Luke form Force-bonds with each other and their respective same-sex parent, which
-- is why Leia remembers Padmé, but Luke doesn’t.
-- is why Anakin can sense Luke, but not Leia.
-- is why Luke and Leia are instantly drawn to each other and able to to sense one another; also
-- canon-compliant!
(28) Anakin Skywalker’s foresight is somewhat more useful and provides a glimpse of his own future, and
-- He actually tells someone what he saw.
(29) Anakin sides with Mace Windu instead of Palpatine, and
-- There are consequences.
(30) Padmé gives birth before Order 66, immediately after Anakin’s turn, and
-- She dies of natural causes, or not, but is dead in any case, and
-- Vaderkin goes apeshit on Palpatine, and
-- Takes over the Empire, or
-- Flees with the children, or
-- Abandons the Dark Side and consciously kills him; Anakin surrenders himself (and with him, his children) to the Order, and
-- Goes mad? Or
-- Vaderkin does not kill Palpatine, remaining in the Empire with his children.
(31) Anakin defeats Obi-Wan at Mustafar.
-- And keeps Obi-Wan alive, or
-- executes him on the spot.
-- In either case, recovers Padmé and takes her to a proper hospital with proper doctors, and
-- She doesn’t die, or
-- She dies anyway.
-- He kills Palpatine, maybe turning from the Dark Side to do it.
(32) Anakin dies on Mustafar, because
-- Palpatine doesn’t bother rescuing him, or
-- It’s just too late, or
-- Obi-Wan does the decent thing and takes him out of his misery, and
-- The twins are divided per canon, or
-- Obi-Wan takes the twins, too.
(33) Empress Amidala!
-- Padmé does accept Vaderkin’s offer, if only because Palpatine is so much worse, and after a quick coup she is declared Galactic Empress, and
-- Vader serves her in much the same capacity that he does Palpatine in canon, only with less homicidal urges and more sexytiemz, and
-- Being completely devoted to their adorable children weakens and eventually destroys his tie to the Dark Side. He’s very very sorry. But still completely committed to his wife, or
-- Padmé becomes Empress by some other means, perhaps intended to be a figurehead only figureheading is not really her strong point (see above). And then people start trying to kill her, probably, but … not really an issue with Anakin around.
(34) The Organas adopt Luke; Obi-Wan takes Leia to Tatooine, and
-- Gender should be a factor here, but it’s not a simple (ha!) genderswap either. Leia is Leia, but not Princess Leia. ... Somehow. Ditto for Luke.
(35) Padmé doesn’t die
-- or, she does die, but not for several more years; she chooses to send Luke away and hides with Leia for three or four more years. It’s only after her death that Leia is adopted by the Organas.
(36) Full universe genderswap
-- Really: every single character is the opposite gender they were originally
(37) Pretty much everything that seemed to be true by ROTJ actually is true
-- This would probably combine a bunch of the earlier ones (their mother dying later, Obi-Wan and Yoda wanting to train Anakin, Owen disapproving of Anakin’s ideals, etc etc)
-- For an AU, Anakin actually does stay on the farm instead of following "old Obi-Wan" on his idealistic crusade -- at first, anyway
(38) SW/ST crossover
-- ideally, OT/TNG (Picard: best mentor ever, or best mentor ever?)
(39) Luke is a girl [I am writing this, but have chosen not to go with the following:]
-- There’s no reason to favour girl!Luke over Leia; they’re both sent to Tatooine, or
-- They’re still separated, but there’s no reason to restrict the training to one of them; Leia is sent to be trained, or
-- Combine with anything! No really, any of the following anything
(40) Han is a girl.
-- girl!Han, Luke, and Leia end up as Heterosexual Life Partners forever
-- girl!Han/Leia
-- girl!Han/Luke
-- Leia/girl!Han/Luke
-- Luke/Leia; there'd be no need to make them related w/ girl!Han
(41) A young(er) Princess Leia interacts with Darth Vader.
-- And their early relationship is reasonably amicable.
-- Which terrifies her father.
(42) Luke and Leia double genderswap, that is,
-- Leia → a (dark, abrasive) boy named Luke; Luke → a (blonde, very slightly cooler-tempered) girl named Leia.
-- variation: combine with reversal. Alt!Luke (“Leia Skywalker”) goes to Tatooine, while alt!Leia (“Prince Luke”) is adopted on Alderaan.
(43) Luke and Leia are both sent to Tatooine, and
-- The focus should be on the twins’ relationship, and maybe their relationship with their father, but not shipping or the Emperor’s shenanigans or whatever. This is a Skywalker story. Or
-- Luke and Leia’s combined presence becomes increasingly more noticeable. Leia is sent away and adopted by the Organas at around age six; see the second option below.
(44) Luke and Leia are both adopted by the Organas, and
-- Luke and Leia are brought up together and inseparable until joining the Rebellion, when Leia deals more with espionage and Luke with diplomacy. Luke isn’t with Leia when her ship is captured. Um, or on Alderaan, or
-- Luke’s Force-sensitivity is so obvious that they’re forced to send him away at a relatively young age (six or seven, say); he goes to Owen and Beru and the plot reverts mostly to canon, but Luke and Leia are aware both that they’re twins and that nobody must know about it.
(45) Leia is the original twin sister
-- That is, she’s sent to the opposite end of the galaxy and trained as a Jedi per the original plan for Luke’s twin
(46) Obi-Wan doesn’t give Luke to Owen and Beru, and instead raises/trains him himself, and
-- He takes Leia, too, and/or
-- Raises Luke or Luke and Leia on Tatooine, or
-- Raises them on Dagobah, where he’s hiding out with Yoda, or
-- Raises them somewhere else.
(47) Early in Luke’s childhood, Vader discovers him, and
-- Owen and Beru knew who Vader had been, and were complicit in hiding Luke. Vader executes them and takes Luke away, or
-- Owen and Beru thought he was dead and freely if regretfully turn Luke over to him. He spares them, and occasionally sends Luke to them when he needs to disappear
(48) Vader discovers that Leia is his daughter, and
-- Bail is tortured and executed, and
-- Vader then discovers where Luke is, or
-- Vader doesn’t discover Luke and has no idea there is another child.
(49) Owen dies about five years after the formation of the Empire.
-- Obi-Wan ends up helping Beru manage Luke. And the farm. But mostly Luke, and
-- They fall in love! (Hey, we all have our crack pairings.) And get married and so on, or
-- They don’t fall in love, because Obi-Wan is an aromantic asexual. (In my headcanon, he totally is. Shut up, EU.) And,
-- In either case, she lets him start training Luke as a Jedi. By the time that Leia’s message arrives, Luke is fully-trained. He and Obi-Wan kill the stormtroopers who attack the homestead, and then … idk, stuff happens. But Beru isn’t fridged killed!
-- or, Owen and Beru both die, and
-- Obi-Wan takes Luke, or
-- Luke is sent off to an orphanage before Obi-Wan can act, and
-- routine blood tests reveal his astronomical midichlorians, and
-- whoever’s in charge of this decides to try and protect him, or
-- whoever’s in charge of him promptly contacts the people in charge of Jedi-Related Problems, which inevitably brings him to Vader’s notice (along with the obvious name of obviousness), and
-- he ends up under Vader’s care by five-ish, and
-- not ridiculously schmaltzy, but let’s not have parental abuse, okay? Canonically it takes two comparatively brief encounters with Luke for Vader to come around. I’m not sure it’s even probable for him to hold out especially long (with Luke or Leia); also,
-- maybe he hides him at Bast Castle? Probably, since he doesn’t want his identity coming out. I guess?
(50) Luke doesn’t meet Obi-Wan and instead joins the Imperial Academy, because
-- Owen doesn’t ever buy the droids, or
-- Owen lets Luke join the Academy with the rest of his friends, or
-- Luke runs off on his own, and
-- In any case, his abilities ensure that he’s swiftly promoted and soon comes to Vader’s notice, and
-- he ultimately turns (realistically!), or
-- does not turn
(51) Ten Facts About Star Wars as a proper fic.
(52) Once Upon A Time as proper fic
(53) Luke is captured some time before ESB
-- Bad Stuff
-- …but not all bad!
(54) Yoda and Obi-Wan do the decent thing and tell Luke about his father for real.
-- Either when he’s about to go confront him (when it’s probably the only thing that would keep him from going), or even earlier
(55) Apocalypse fic! A horrible plague sweeps over the galaxy
-- It’s not the Empire’s fault, it just happens, and
-- It kills a substantial portion of the sentient inhabitants, devastating... everyone, and ultimately forces the Rebels and Imperials to meet for mutual survival.
-- Palpatine is either dying or dead.
-- This happens shortly after the first Death Star’s destruction, or
-- between ANH and ESB, or
-- after the escape from Hoth, or
-- shortly after the Reveal, or
-- after ROTJ, or
-- During any of these scenarios but the last, Vader falls prey to it while they’re in talks.
-- Ditto, only it’s Luke.
(56) More apocalypse fic! Horrible blaster-proof aliens invade from another galaxy!
-- They’re alive, and therefore not Force-resistant in any way
-- Per above, they take out vast swaths of people, including the Emperor.
-- Same options as above, and
-- Doesn’t end in tragedy, and
-- Combine them! The aliens sent the plague to weaken them!
-- Also, they respect the Force-sensitives’ ~strength~ and demand that they join them. For once, Vader, Luke and Leia are in complete agreement: WTF NO.
(57) Vader successfully carbon-freezes Luke before the reveal, and takes him to Bast Castle, and
-- Luke is not tortured, and
-- Heh, it’s like some gen!Beauty and the Beast where he gets the best of everything, never really sees anybody’s face, and every night at supper Vader asks him to join the Dark Side. Magic servants = stormtroopers! And:
-- Luke doesn’t turn, but does finally consent to carrying out missions to sabotage Vader’s Imperial enemies, or
-- The Emperor loses patience and decides to just have Luke killed. Vader, predictably, goes completely apeshit on him, or
-- Luke and Vader agree to bring down the Emperor together and assassinate him (and do so), or
-- continuing the parallel, it’s Vader who finally turns, and is able to use the (not-Dark) Force to heal himself for the SW equivalent of the transformation, and/or
-- Lando never betrays Vader, so Vader has both Luke and Leia, and
-- originally, he intends to keep her as a means to control Luke, but at some point he discovers the truth, and
-- Luke does turn, in order to protect Leia, and
-- Is quasi-successful; Leia doesn’t turn, or
-- Fails. Leia ends up turning anyway, or
-- Leia originally turns, and
-- Luke doesn’t, and she takes it upon herself to protect him (in often horrific ways: think Azula to Ozai) -- Luke does, too, but in any of these scenarios, they never turn against each other and remain wholeheartedly committed to each other, or
-- neither Luke nor Leia turn; see above for main plot.
(58) Vader disarms Luke before the stab/amputation, and the reveal is a little more . . . civilized.
-- Luke refuses to either turn to the Dark Side or join him, but less dramatically, or
-- Luke, having little other option, joins him but refuses to turn to the Dark Side, and
-- ultimately does turn, or
-- ultimately doesn’t, and Vader ends up turning back, or
-- Luke has no choice but to accompany Vader, but neither really joins him or turns to the Dark Side, and mostly aims for damage control.
(59) Luke and Leia are unrelated and the original twin sister is out there
-- without making it Luke/Leia, or
-- with Luke/Leia, perhaps incorporating the idea for Han to die heroically (no, really, it’s what Harrison Ford wanted)
(60) Leia (idk, somehow) ends up with Luke on Dagobah and is trained
-- variation: the Death Star plot happens well after Jabba’s palace; Han, Luke and Leia go to Dagobah together (Luke reveals his paternity on the way there)
(61) When Luke asks Vader to come away with him, he accepts, and
-- They go off to … go fight crime, or something
(62) Vader kills the Emperor without fatally damaging himself, because
-- He crushes his throat while Palpatine is distracted with Luke, or
-- He doesn't kill him, he just doesn't stop Luke, or
-- He summons his lightsaber and kills him with that, and/or
-- After the Emperor’s death, Vader/Anakin takes over the Empire and reforms it (this can go with either first or last -- the middle would probably result in both Vader and Luke as fairly morally ambiguous), or
-- After the Emperor’s death, Luke and Anakin go off together and … do things. Probably starting with Tatooine.
(63) Per my crack theory, Luke and Leia have Winds of Destiny, Change
-- Basically, they’re ta’veren amped up to eleven. And,
-- At some point they start realising this; perhaps (as divine twins!) they have to act together to reach their full potential or something - but in any case, they discover their powers, and
-- Han thinks it’s hilarious. Also, that they should always accompany him when he’s smuggling things. They opt not to tell … anyone else, mostly because the explanation involves (1) too much religion, and (2) too much Darth Vader.
(64) Luke and Leia are actual demigods
-- crack! or
-- not crack!
(65) Han/Luke/Leia OT3 -- the only thing I’ve ever wanted fluffy, schmaltzy super-shippy fic for, regardless of whether there’s a plot, and the only thing that’s practically impossible to find.
-- It’s actually Leia/Han/Luke. Han doesn’t mind that Luke and Leia are twins. No, really. And/or
-- Something involving Luke and Leia’s telepathic and/or telekinetic powers. (Or clairvoyance!) This never seems to show up even in Han/Leia or Han/Luke, for some reason. And/or
-- Not established relationship, and
-- nothing significant has happened that we haven’t seen, and they have to navigate the relationship post-ROTJ
(66) Leia reconciles herself to Luke’s revelation
-- both the twin part and the Darth Vader’s daughter part, and
-- she does not dismiss either as insignificant; Luke is the one at peace with it, while Leia struggles to come to terms (esp because she kind of wants to be a Jedi but doesn’t want to end up, um, an evil one), and
-- extra points for going to the remnants of Alderaan and Tatooine, to find … something; probably on her own (mkay, all of this would necessitate the war basically ending with ROTJ which is pretty heavily implied anyway thanks)
(67) Leia trains as a Jedi
-- canon(= movies)-compliant, begins shortly after ROTJ
-- she and Luke often kind of make things up as they go (this would likely necessitate her not being absorbed in the government but being part of the now militantly neutral Jedi; Luke would be all for it, Han wouldn’t care much either way, and, idk, perhaps she’s tired of having the Rebellion basically on her shoulders but is still eager to use her... administrative skills, which are very useful for this early Order)
(68) The war ends shortly after the Emperor’s death, and other stuff happens
-- Leia starts searching for a planet for the surviving Alderaanians, and finds one; she’s crowned queen regnant, and/or
-- Luke takes over the old Jedi Temple on Coruscant and the ensuing bazillion governments completely fail to unseat him, and/or
-- His father’s stormtroopers show up and inexplicably swear loyalty
(69) Luke and Leia decide how to present their family to the public.
-- Luke is briefly torn about wanting to acknowledge his father’s heroic sacrifice, and wanting to be Leia’s brother without ruining her life, and
-- Anakin tells him to stop being an idiot; he’s dead, he doesn’t need these people’s slightly lessened disapproval, while Luke and Leia very much need to be family. Han, Luke and Leia decide that they’ll say Vader murdered the Emperor when his back was turned and that Luke and Leia themselves are the natural children of Anakin Skywalker, Jedi Knight, and
-- Leia gives her formal name as Leia Skywalker Organa (and on very official occasions, Leia Amidala Skywalker Organa); not to associate herself with her father (hell no), but with Luke.
-- When Han and Leia get married, he takes her name and becomes General Han Solo Organa
(70) The Force-ghosts are alive present, well and perfectly prepared to interfere when they can
-- they’re the ones who officially knight Luke and then Leia (they definitely do not appoint themselves), and later declare them masters. Anakin is the most involved, because Anakin.
-- Obi-Wan’s there, too, and the one that Leia sees most often and talks to (and/or screams at) the most; at first she’s really not up to talking to Anakin, though she knows he and Luke talk all the time, but Bail shows up very briefly and it’s heavily implied that Anakin finagled it.
-- Thus, there is no difficulty whatsoever in discovering their mother’s identity. Luke and Leia are reunited with the Naberries, with some awkwardness and perhaps even resentment (more on Luke’s side, surprisingly enough, because he’s much more able to sympathize with Padmé than Leia while still possessing the Skywalker-patented SIMMERING RAAAAAGE, and doesn’t know them already)
-- The Emperor never shows up in any capacity whatsoever
(71) There is next-generation stuff:
-- Luke is asexual! So he doesn’t marry (--> this is why he confuses his psychic bond to Leia with sexual attraction: he doesn’t know what it’s supposed to be like), and
-- while on his adventures, he discovers one of the Emperor’s cloning projects is about to be destroyed, including his pet project, an obedience-enhanced Skywalker clone (after several years of failure, generated either from Luke’s severed hand or one of his father’s). Luke rescues the clone and takes it home and calls it George Anakin, and
-- since clones are now hated by everyone, Han/Luke/Leia concoct a non-cloney backstory for baby Anakin, Han especially getting a kick out of inventing an imaginary girlfriend/wife for Luke, and/or
-- Leia has issues with their mother as well as their father, particularly since she was always told how much she took after her perfect pristine mother and she always rather idolized Padmé-the-senator; it takes several years for her to come around, but she eventually manages to reconcile Senator Amidala on her pedestal with the very real Padmé and, as a gesture of forgiveness, names her third child after her.
-- Baby Anakin and baby Jaina are BFFs of the opposite attracts variety, what with his ingrained obedience and her … lack of anything of the kind, and have fabulous adventures, and
-- All four of the kids are trained as Jedi, though Padmé ultimately leaves to be Princess Padmé Organa of New Alderaan, and becomes a NR senator; Jaina, Jacen and Anakin are firmly ensconced in the (new!) Jedi tradition of peacemaking and neutrality.
-- The galaxy is significantly better for what they’ve done and things don’t take a sudden turn for the dark and edgy (I include their children in that statement). Oh, and Luke’s academy (which ultimately expands to several) is successful, independent of any government even once the NR takes over Coruscant a few years after its establishment (which causes some friction, but nothing ~tragically awful~), and turns out a lot of really awesome, noble Jedi who don't do horrible things. And Anakin did destroy the Sith - and not just for five minutes. FOREVER.
(72) 50-70+ years after the OT, a Force-sensitive Tusken girl runs off to join the Jedi.
-- She’s the first? (I know, EU blah blah) Or something, and
-- Han mostly looks after the grandchildren/great-grandchildren, or
-- Han is dead; as implied by the OT, Jedi have extended natural lifespans, and Luke and Leia are alive and well. Leia has abdicated in favour of one of her children (if above, Padmé); she and Luke are full-time Jedi and essentially first among equals.
-- Luke has grown up to sound just like Fire Lord Ozai and despite being a kindly little old man, initially terrifies our heroine. Along with any number of other people. For the lulz.
(73) Fluffy afterlife fic
-- Luke and Anakin in the Netherworld of the Force being awesome. And happy. and/or
-- Leia too!