Can I just "everything EndlessBlue said!" as well - I love proud, misanthropic Mara, shaped to be the best at everything except seeing the good in others because that was the most natural choice for her to make - even when it's hard, it's just her style to hide the pain and bite back and make revenge look easy, and that's how she is whether dealing with the Emperor or the farmboy who finally reveals a gentler, more positive way to stand out, and when she's not as special as she thinks, she's gotta crumple that old worldview into a tiny little ball and toss it to the back of her conscience and pretend it never happened, but Luke won't let her forget the humble life quire so easily, just give her space to make her own way to adapt to it.

It's a shame this only has one (now two) reviews. I found these drabbles to be very insightful and well-written. I don't like it when people make a caricature of Mara's personality, making her snark and snarl while glossing over her motives and trying to really push the "heart of gold" cliche. But the truth is, Mara Jade was not a very good person when we first met her. Not easy to like, either, and it can be a challenge to write that kind of character. But you've written her true to form - angry, prone to resentment and bitterness - and in a way that helps the reader slip into her frame of mind and understand and empathize. I appreciate that you don't shy away from those less-likable aspects of her character.

She can be intriguing and heartbreaking on her own, without the "She's so tough, but only because she had a hard life, boohoo" trope. Yes, she had a hard life, but I think too many writers use that to excuse her bad behavior rather than admit that a whole lot of that nastiness comes from Mara herself.

I think it lessens Luke's achievement in breaking through to her by exaggerating her good side, because, honestly, there wasn't much of one. I love Mara mainly because she *was* so messed up and mean.

Bonus point for the first drabble, because a lot of people turn Mara into a Mary Sue, making her awesome at everything, so it's refreshing to see her from a different POV, as someone who had to struggle to become so skilled.

tl;dr: I liked it a lot. Awesome characterization.

Lovely collection of ficlets. They're all very good and I particularly liked the melancholy sense of the last one as everything's peeled away from Mara. Not an easy thing, to rebuilt your identity.

As always, great work. :D