The Sith Academy
is a Star Wars Fan Fic writing group with a shared Alternate Universe, focused on the (regrettably) minor character Darth Maul. Initially a parody series centered on Maul's "training" (read: exploitation) by his master, Darth Sidious, it took a sharp turn into Foe Yay Shipping territory by the intentionally absurd pairing of Maul with a young Obi-Wan Kenobi.
The group operated from July 1999 to December 2001, covering 181 stories, with the finale being an alternate interpretation of the events of the Canon film The Phantom Menace. Unlike most Fan Fic, the series had an overall editorial policy, and so avoided a lot of the quality issues which plague fan work in general. It also had a rabidly active fanbase, who not only contributed stories but also ran a mailing list for them.
The series provides examples of:
- Comedic Sociopathy: A lot of the humor revolves around Maul and/or Obi-Wan being exploited, humiliated, squicked out, or just plain kicked around by the author.
- Fix Fic: Subverted; several of the stories "explain" later events of the Canon series in a tongue in cheek manner
- Flanderization: As the series progressed, Obi Wan became more and more pathetically co-dependent and overly cheery, to the point where the authors decided it had gotten too much and Hand Waved it by saying it was a side effect of medication.
- Getting Smilies Painted on Your Soul: The Jedi did this to the formerly rebellious punk Obi-Wan by sending him to the Happy Farm mental hospital and drugging him with Perkium.
- Guy on Guy Is Hot: All the authors appear to be straight women who really, really like writing slash.
- Half-Human Hybrid: Mace Windu's padawan, Jon-Tra Volta, and an unnamed Wookie have a half-human, half-Wookie child together. Jon-Tra himself is also a hybrid.
- Light Is Not Good: Played for Laughs. Between the Jedi Mind Trick abuse, sexual hedonism, and tendency to haul non-conformers to a mental hospital and drug them into submission, the Jedi order can only be described as blatantly and hilariously corrupt."Qui-Gon told me to quit seeing you," Obi-Wan sniffled. "Last time I defied him he sent me to the Jedi Happy Farm to be reprogrammed with Andy Griffith reruns." He shivered. Maul shivered as well. And people thought the Sith were cruel?
- Living with the Villain: Obi Wan is Maul's next-door neighbor, and it's later learned that Sidious is Obi-Wan's biological father, yet all of the Jedi except Yoda (who doesn't seem too motivated to do anything about it) are in total denial that Maul and Sidious are Sith, even when Maul says so to their faces.
- Meta Fic: Much of the humor of the series comes from intentionally conflating the characters and the actors who played them, or from faux Foreshadowing of events in the later Canon stories. In addition, there several stories which break the fourth wall in various ways.
- Mr. Seahorse: A running gag is that Yaddle believes everyone who comes to the Jedi clinic to be pregnant, regardless of gender. Until Jon-Tra, a male Half-Human Hybrid, really does become pregnant.
- No Periods, Period: Subverted in a story where Darth Sidious uses the Force to transfer Darth Mary Sue's PMS to Maul.
- Overly Long Name: Dr. Lwkncalkdwoinvcalkdslaksowieuriuaoinclskdnfoaiwheoisldkhklgalskdhwoiazlzowx xvas-OOM! the 2983rd.
- Running Gag: Yoda's moonlighting (he turns up at every business Maul visits), the Big "NO!", Maul's moldy clothes and food literally evolving new lifeforms and even civilizations, Yaddle thinking someone's pregnant, and so many more.
- Slash Fic: There are virtually no male characters who are not paired up with other male characters, with the series main ship being Obi-wan/Darth Maul.
- Take That!: The first story was written to vent the author's frustration over a driving test. Later targets of the authors' collective ire include air travel, the National Rifle Association, IKEA stores, and Martha Stewart.
- Training from Hell: Viciously subverted. The original premise of the series is the "bunch of menial crap" which Palpatine foists off on Maul under the guise of "training."
- Trash of the Titans: Maul's apartment is literally supernaturally filthy due to the corrupting effects of The Dark Side.
- Villains Out Shopping: Several of the stories involve this. Places visited by Maul and Sidious include Wal-Mart, IKEA, Blockbuster, and the hardware store.
- Wax On, Wax Off: Viciously subverted. The original premise of the series is the "bunch of menial crap" which Palpatine foists off on Maul under the guise of "training."
