ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh

darling you have an exceptional way with words that entrances me ceaselessly. this is an old piece (I may be doing my share of stalking oops) but a phenomenal one at that. thank you for writing this! 3

Oh wow, this captures all my thoughts on the prequels' story so well. This is beautifully written and thought out, thank for writing it!

What a beautiful, bittersweet story... and I liked the way it was told from Bail's perspective. He's such an interesting character.
Thank you :)

I loved this. Always did wonder about Bail and Leia and what worries he went through, worrying over whether his daughter would end up like her biological father, because personality wise I think she resembles him the most. Raising her must have given him a view of what Anakin Skywalker must have been like, and the person he could have been, because Anakin could have really been a great leader. He reminds me a bit of Napoleon Bonaparte, a tyrant yes, but a well-meaning tyrant. The only difference was that Anakin was manipulated and was technically an orphan all his life. He lived as a slave for the first nine years of his life which obviously affected his development and his way of adapting, but he can survive. He may of had a mother, but she couldn't protected, so she let him go. She was the only one who could guide him, she was his parent, who had the make a terrible choice over his safety and his growth, I wonder if she knew about the Jedi ways would she have? I think so, slavery is no place for a child to live or to grow, and there was so much Shmi could have done. Then there was Obi-Wan and his distance, poor guy didn't no nor was really fit to raise or take care of such a child and then the Council whose responsibility was to look after, well they feared him and only used him as a chess piece. The only person who had provided some semblance of emotional stability was Palpatine, who was only steering the boy towards his own views and distrust of the Jedi, so really no wonder. Anakin Skywalker was indeed a lost boy. He didn't understand principles because nobody sought to teach him his own way, Palpatine at least tried to understand him, though in doing so plotting his downfall. Palpatine tought him the wrong principles, it wasn't really that hard, Anakin I think never really stopped having the sub-conscience mindset. I think if somebody tried to save him in the mind, maybe Darth Vader would never come about.

As for Luke and Leia, they had parents, good parents, they weren't taken care of by an institution or an organization, but family who took a close eye into their well-being with no hinder, they were all right. I like and sort of prefer the idea of Anakin taking caring of his own children even after going to the Dark Side, which is crazy I know but Vader I think really needed his children, but reading this makes me happy for Luke and Leia that they were raised by that people they were raised by because as much as their biological father may have needed them, and to certain extent maybe they him, they really needed to be raised in a stable environment by stable people who would love unconditionally like Bail and Breha and Owen and Beru, I'm not saying Anakin wouldn't but the Dark Side seemed to have made him very possessive, he'd put his children's safety over their own well being and growth. Bail and Breha and Owen and Beru are safe, they keep them safe but they are able to let their children grow and be able to let go, well, Bail, Breha, and Beru anyway, I think Owen had a more harder time doing it.

Can you do one with Owen and Luke?

I like and admire Bail a lot and my favorite part of this fic was the comparison of infatuation and love. I also liked how Padme is characterized as cowardly. She was.

Luke would have been fine as a Jedi. He was balanced, which is what being a Jedi demands. I guess Anakin didn't have the right personality for it. Interesting. Or rather, I should say that Luke was teachable. He learned to be balanced. Anakin refused to learn because he saw it as someone trying to control him rather than to guide him with love.

My god, this was perfect.

Wow. This is perfect.

What a beautifully written piece! It describes so well Anakin and Padme's relationship as well as giving an deeply moving look into Bail's psyche when it comes to the events that have happened and his part (or lack of) in them as well as his love and concerns for Leia.

Ok, so I have reviewed this, but my past review was pretty shoddy. EVERY sentence is perfection here. Bail's resentment against Anakin, mingled with his continued critique of Yoda and Obi-Wan and the implicit lifestyle and values of the Jedi, is perfect. His insights on what love is and what it isn't are perfect. The snippet we get of Breha and her beliefs are wonderful; one can understand how Leia's passion and fire would have been nurtured by her adoptive parents! Bail's reassessment of Anakin and his flaws, in light of Leia's innocent comment, is brilliant. Bail's final conviction in the groundedness of Leia (and her brother) is stunning.

This is such a marvellous piece of writing. Thank you for sharing it!

Children will make us see the things we cannot see.

Here from the rec on the LJ comm crack_van. This is really beautiful!

This is wonderful. Bail's POV works so well. Particularly liked his perspective on the Jedi and his reflections on Padme and Anakin and their epically messed up relationship. Also his thoughts on Padme and her death. (Because, argh! I suspect that med droid wasn't qualified...)

And ending was powerful. Lovely work.

Lovely work! You strike a beautiful tone and I very much like your depiction of Bail. Just... Lovely.

Insightful.

Very nicely done. I haven't read much pre-ANH, but made the exception because it did contain Leia and because I liked your other work-and I'm glad I did. Very good insight into all of the characters, not just Bail.