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Return to Me - Chapter Fourteen

Chapter Fourteen: The Story of Tonight

A/N: God! I’m so sorry this is late, I’ve just been finishing up midterm stuff! Here’s the next chapter, I’ll work on queuing up a few more so I won’t fall behind again. I’m really excited for this chapter! It includes one of my favorite dresses that gives off big Swan Princess vibes (which is one of my favorite movies) and sets up a LOT of drama for the next chapter! Ahh! Let me know what you think! Again, I’m sorry it’s late. I love your comments. I love you all. Let’s talk!!!

Pairing: Poe Dameron x Reader Word Count: 4,724 Synopsis: Poe and the reader begin to establish their plans for the Resistance, Poe’s on Yavin-4, and the reader’s on Naboo. Poe is tasked with a mission to Bespin with his father, meaning that he’ll miss the dinner party the reader is throwing to gain more allies. As tensions start to heat up at this party, new information comes out that could mean trouble for Poe and the reader’s future.

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“So, what do you think?”

Poe looked around at the remains of the old rebellion base. The frame of the building was intact, but everything else had fallen to shambles. The technology that remained was so out of date that it probably wouldn’t have started up, if not for the fact that thick Yavin-4 branches had grown through them. There was a rustling throughout the entire building, signaling Poe to believe other creatures had taken control of the base since the rebellion abandoned it so many years ago.

Truthfully, it was a mess, but it was the best mess Poe had seen in while.

“I think it’s perfect. It’ll be a hell of a lot of work, but I think we can make some of this stuff work for us.”

“That’s what I thought, too,” Kes said with a smile. The older Dameron surveyed the room with excitement but found that the same joy wasn’t in his son’s eyes. “You okay?”

“Yeah, yeah, I’m fine.”

“You’ll see Y/N again soon,” Kes said. Poe looked up at his father and smiled.

“I’m not so sure. Our lives are on different paths right now.”

“Yeah, but they’ve both got the same destination,” Kes said, giving Poe a reassuring smile. “So, I think we’ll start storing our supplies here. I know that we’ll run operations out of Serenno, but this will start off as a storage hangar until we can find a better location.”

“Sounds good to me. Now, all we need are those supplies. And people willing to fight. And about a million other things I don’t even have the time to list.”

“Relax,” Kes said with an easy smile, “We’ll figure it out. It’ll all come together.”

“Well, I admire your confidence.”

“You should try to embody it sometimes,” Kes said, walking out of the old base.

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“So, what do you think?”

“I think we’ve had this conversation before,” you said with a sigh, closing the book in front of you.

“You cannot deny the benefits marrying Lin Ral would have,” your father said.

“Yes, and that’s exactly the kind of thing that one looks for in a marriage. Benefits!” you said, crossing your arms across your waist, the puffy sleeves of your dress ballooning out around you.

“I would be so good for our people. For the galaxy.”

“For political ties, you mean. Once the Senate is rebuilt, there’s no way that a Serenno delegate would refuse to side with a Naboo delegate, I mean, after all, we’d practically be family,” you said, batting your eyelashes mockingly.

“What’s so wrong with political ties?”

“Absolutely nothing. It’s the forcing of marriage in order to retain those ties that I have an issue with. Now, has anyone gotten back to you yet?” you asked.

“No, but we’re still hopeful,” he said, although his tone didn’t convey his message.

“And Mom?”

“She’s meeting with some friends from other planets. Everyone’s still grieving, Y/N, it’s going to take time to—”

“I understand.”

“I know you do,” he said. You went back to working in silence for the next few minutes before Henri spoke again. “You doing alright?”

“What?” you asked, looking up from your book. “Of course. I’ve just got a lot on my mind.”

“Poe?” he asked.

“That’s the first time you’ve said his first name in two years,” you said, watching him in surprise.

“What happened with the two of you?” he asked.

“You made us get divorced, remember?” you said cynically.

“I mean this week.”

“Just Resistance stuff.”

“I just don’t want you to get hurt again,” he said. You tried to take his word sincerely, but knowing that he had been one of the ones to push you away from Poe, causing you to hurt more than you ever had, it was difficult to believe him.

“I still know my place, Dad. I have a duty to Naboo, and until they kick me out, which is entirely possible, considering I left them to the First Order, this is where I’ll stay. And I hope, once this is all done, you won’t push me one way or the other.”

“I only want to do what’s best for you.”

“So let me decide,” you said, giving him a gentle smile. “I’ve been reading up on the reformation of the Republic after the Empire was defeated,” you said, changing the subject.

“Good,” Henri said, pulling his chair closer to yours. “Anything useful?”

“Yeah, the death of the Emperor and Darth Vader was a big rallying cry that it was okay to finally go against the Empire,” you said. Your father laughed slightly and nodded his head.

“Well, we’re making progress. Supreme Leader Snoke is dead.” You nodded your head and studied the text in front of you for a few more minutes.

“What made you decide to join the Rebellion?” you asked.

“There had been rumblings all around the galaxy. In small increments, people were starting to see the progress that the Rebellion was making. No one liked the Empire. We were all ready to see it end, we just didn’t know how we’d get there yet. I was inspired by it all and wanted to be a part of the fight, but it wasn’t until I spoke to Sarsa that I knew what I had to do.”

“Broden convinced you?”

“Yes. He spoke to me about how the galaxy could be. He basically reformed the Republic back then on his own. He had so many ideas, it was hard to say no to him.”

“So you didn’t,” you said.

“So I didn’t,” he agreed. “Broden was charming and persuasive, that’s how he gets people on his side. You do the same. People around the galaxy don’t want to hear what older generations like Broden and your mother and I have to say, they want to hear from the people who will be leading them out of the dark.”

“Dad, I—”

“I know, you don’t want to pursue a career in the Senate, but I think you’d be foolish not to.”

“The Senate is your and mom’s territory, not mine. I can barely do this queen thing.”

“Well, I would tell that to your polling numbers. Since your return, they’ve already gone up by three points. You inspire something in people, Y/N,” he said as he stood. He gave your forehead a kiss. “I’ll see you later. I’m going to Sullust to meet with a friend of mom’s from the Senate. Think you’ll be alright without me?”

“I think I’ll manage.”

“Call me if anything changes.”

“I will,” you said, “And do the same.”

“I will. Love you,” he said, walking out of the library.

“Where is Henri off to?” Broden asked as he stepped into the library a moment after.

“Sullust.”

“To get more allies?” he asked.

“Yes.”

“It’s a shame we can’t bring them all in one space. It would be much simpler to address them en masse, instead of sending what little allies we have all around the galaxy.” You nodded in agreement and suddenly picked up your head.

“Why don’t we?”

“Why don’t we what?” Broden asked.

“Why don’t we bring them all together? We can throw a banquet here, invite all of our friends from around the galaxy, all of my mother’s connections from the Senate, and speak to them all about our cause.”

“It seems rather risky,” he said, “What if someone wasn’t loyal and leaked our mission to the First Order?”

“Then we’ll invite only those we trust, or we won’t reveal too much. The First Order knows that there are people out there who want them gone. Our coming together won’t surprise them.”

“When do you suggest we have this gathering?”

“As soon as possible. I can reach out to my parents and the Resistance. We’ll bring Leia along and a few other Resistance members to stoke the fire. This will work,” you said, touching his hand when he looked less than enthusiastic.

“I think it might, but I’m not sure,” he said with a frown. “But I do trust you. I’ll get the staff to work cleaning up the grand hall.”

“No, no, I don’t want this to be too fancy,” you said. “However it looks now is fine. I can have my handmaids clean it up and decorate last minute, but right now we need to focus on rebuilding the village. Too many of our people find themselves without a stable home. I am glad to keep them in the palace, but I know they would eventually like to return to their own homes.”

“I know. We’ll continue work on the village. I’ll oversee it, if you want to plan this gathering.”

“I will,” you said with a smile.

“Perfect,” he said, smiling back.

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“You want me to come to a party?” Leia asked in disbelief as she stared at your holographic image.

“Not a party,” you said, “We’re wasting our time flying around the galaxy to gain our allies. If we have them all together in one room, it would save us time, and they could see all of their friends joining along, and want to join, too.”

“It’s a great idea, but why do I have to come?” she asked.

“Because you’re General Leia Organa. People listen to you.”

“Sure, they used to—”

“They still do. Hell, I wouldn’t have joined the Resistance if it wasn’t for you,” you said. Leia smiled.

“It’s been quite some time since I’ve schmoozed with politicians.”

“Then don’t schmooze,” you said, “Tell them the truth. Everyone here will have been affected by the destruction of the Hosnian System. These people aren’t stupid.”

“Alright, I’ll be there,” Leia said, a little reluctantly.

“Glad I have your support and enthusiasm. How’s it going there?” you asked.

“We’re doing alright. We’ve been flying back and forth between Serenno. I explained to Lin Ral that we’re working on setting up a new base, which he is very excited to hear about once we find it.”

“He’s just eager to help,” you said. “Although, I know what you mean. I’ve put off inviting him to Naboo all day because I don’t want to deal with his excitement.” Leia laughed softly. “So, you’ll bring a few Resistance stars with you, right? I need some people working the room to ensure that we can flip as many people as possible to our side.”

“Absolutely.”

“Thank you, Leia.”

“Of course,” she said, lifting her hand to shut off the transmission.

“Wait,” you called.

“What?”

“How is he?”

“He’s doing just fine. He’s in his prime right now,” she said with a smile.

“Good, good.”

“I’m afraid he won’t be joining me to your party though,” she said. “I’m sending him and Kes to Bespin this evening.”

“Bespin? What do you need from Bespin?”

“Lando,” she said with a smile. “You were, of course, our first choice for this mission, as he took a liking to you so long ago, but Poe needed to return his ship to Grakkus the Hutt anyways, and they agreed on a Bespin drop off.”

“Well, that’s great,” you said, trying to mask your disappointment.

“It is. Lando will be a great friend to have back on our team. He’s one of the most persuasive people I know.”

“Oh, believe me, I know,” you said with a laugh.

“I’ll talk to you soon,” Leia said. “May the Force be with you.”

“You, too.”

As you signed off, the door to the conference room inside of Serenno’s castle opened up, and Poe walked in. He was wearing his formal Resistance clothing, an annoying habit that Leia had asked him to pick up while they stayed on Serenno, surrounded by counts and other high-ranking members of Serenno’s government.

“You asked to see me, General?” he asked.

“Yes, I just wanted to check in with you before your trip to Bespin. Is your father all set?”

“Yes,” Poe said, walking up to the table and sitting next to Leia. “He’s convinced that Lando will be eager to help us.”

“You’re not so sure?”

“He wasn’t so eager when we reached out to him the first couple of times. I still think it was because of Y/N that he agreed to help us.”

“He never could say no to a pretty face,” Leia said demurely.

“Well, then it’s a good thing I’m going,” Poe said, offering her a smile.

“It is. But I’m afraid that means you’ll miss out on a party on Naboo.”

“A party?” Poe asked, “Who the hell is throwing a party in times like these?”

“Y/N. It’s not necessarily a party, but a gathering of our closest allies.”

“To bring them over to our side?” Poe asked. Leia nodded her head. “It’s a good idea. I’m gonna miss it while in Bespin?”

“Yes. But I’ll be sure to tell you all about it.” Poe laughed.

“Well, thank you. When did you hear about this?”

“Y/N called a second ago. You just missed her.”

“How’d she seem?”

“Good,” Leia said, giving him a gentle smile. “She asked about you. I’m sure she wanted you to be one of the Resistance stars I’m supposed to bring along with me.”

“You don’t like this plan?” Poe asked.

“No, I think it’s a great plan. I’m just not excited to have to go back to my old political roots. Politicians can be a nightmare,” she said, relaxing in her seat.

“Oh, I know. Who are you thinking of bringing?” he asked.

“D’Acy, of course,” she said. “Javos is always good with people, and has firsthand experience with our fight, so I’ll probably bring her along. And then I was thinking Finn and Rey. Who better to preach our mission than a reformed First Order stormtrooper and a powerful Jedi who overtook Kylo Ren?”

“I can think of few better.”

“If we had our best pilot, I know we could really persuade them,” she said with a smile, touching his hand.

“I’ll be there in spirit.”

“I’m sure you’ll be in at least one person’s thoughts.”

“She’ll surely be in mine,” Poe said, offering her a weak smile.

“Don’t worry, I’m sure you’ll be invited to the next dinner party.”

“Hopefully,” he said with a laugh. “I should head back to Yavin-4. Any other advice for convincing Lando?”

“Tell him if he joins he can go to all kinds of parties with pretty politicians,” she teased.

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This was the first night in many that you had to once again put on heavier makeup than your regular look. Tonight, you would be speaking to your parents’ friends, grieving family members of the destroyed Hosnian System, and other Resistance-hopefuls, hoping to convince them to join in your fight, and you would need to do it as Bhavisama. Loré stood in front of you, putting the finishing touches on your makeup, while Sondé tied your hair into a long, flowing ponytail down your back. The makeup didn’t cloak your face, it just enhanced every feature you had, as if showing off that you were truly the real Bhavisama, and not Sondé in your place.

“Almost ready?” Nové asked, stepping into the room with your gown in her arms. Sondé came in behind her, carrying the hoop skirt that would go underneath.

“Yes,” you said, standing up, “Just waiting on the dress.” Nové helped you into the hoop and then dressed you into the gown, zipping the back for you.

“How are you feeling?” she asked, as you looked at yourself in the mirror, checking for any unqueenly imperfections.

“Good. A little nervous, but good. You’re coming, too, aren’t you?”

“Of course,” she said, giving your hand a squeeze. “I’m going to be one of the schmoozers.”

“Did you talk to Leia?” you asked, snapping your head around when she used the former princess’s exact wording.

“We may have run into each other in the hall.”

“Whatever. Call it what you want. I’m just glad you’re going to be there with me.”

“Loré and Sondé will be there, too.”

“As silent handmaidens,” you said, frowning, “I wish you all could work the room. It would mean I would have to do it less.” Nové laughed as she looked at herself in the mirror, fixing her matching dress slightly.

“I know,” she said, “But we can never be too careful. We don’t want you completely on your own. We don’t know who we can trust yet.”

“I know,” you said, taking her hand, “It’s just frustrating. All of this is.”

“I know. But at least Lin Ral will be there.” You rolled your eyes.

“He’ll be good at convincing people.”

“Oh, I’m sure he’s good at a lot more,” she said under her breath as she walked towards the door. You picked up the pillow closest to you and chucked it at her head. She very nearly ducked and looked back at you with a quick wink. “See you down there.”

In the first twenty minutes of entering the grand hall, you had already spoken with three former members of the Senate. As you quickly learned, many people were off planet when the Hosnian System was attacked. Although more representatives were lost than spared, and everyone was still grieving, there were still plenty of fighters ready to take on the First Order, albeit a little reluctantly.

“Before you even start,” Senator Avania Rebianakl from Manaan began, “Lin already spoke to me.”

“Oh,” you said, dipping your head.

“No, not like that, child,” she said, taking your hand in hers. “Manaan wants to see the end of the First Order, too. Whatever we can do, we’ll do.”

“Thank you, Avania.”

“Of course. Those bastards deserve to rot for what they did,” she said. You nodded your head and gave her hand a soft squeeze. “I know there are some others here who will be less than eager to join your cause. Go on and talk to them. I’ll try to convince some of my less than enthusiastic friends, too.”

“You’re the best.”

“I know,” she said, giving you a smile as she walked away. You let out a sigh and turned slightly, ready to talk to another member of your party.

“What? Don’t tell me Avania changed her mind. I wasted almost all of my charm on her,” Lin said as you almost ran into him. He grabbed your forearm to steady you and gave you a smile. It was clear he hadn’t wasted all of his charm.

“No,” you said, backing up slightly, “She’s still on board.”

“Good.” He smiled at you, taking you in for the first time that night. “Might I say that you look very lovely tonight, Your Highness.”

“Thank you,” you said with a diplomatic smile, “So do you.”

“How does it seem to be going?” he asked, moving to stand by your side as you surveyed the room. From afar, you could see your father and Leia talking to a few of his friends he had brought along. Commander D’Acy was showing Finn and Rey around the room. The pair never left each other’s side, although many of your party guests tried to break them apart. It wasn’t every day that a reformed Stormtrooper and a Jedi graced the halls of Theed Palace.

“I think alright. I’ve got a few people who swear they’ll help in all of our upcoming battles, but whether that comes true or not . . .”

“It will,” he said, giving you a kind smile, “People are ready for some real change. They’re tired of living in fear of the First Order.”

“I hope you’re right.”

“I am.” You looked up at him and smiled.

“Thank you, Lin.”

“For what?” he asked.

“Your confidence. And for being by my side through this. It is much nicer than doing this with my parents,” you said. He laughed and nodded his head.

“Glad that I could be of some assistance.”

“Y/N!”

You both turned to see Suralinda moving towards you, sporting a dress that only she could have pulled off, bringing along a young woman with her. You and Lin gave her kind smiles and introduced yourselves. She introduced herself as an old friend of Sura, Meg Junari. She hailed from Chandrila, one of the planets that had lost all of its representation in the destruction of the Hosnian Systems.

“I am truly so sorry for your loss,” you said.

“Thank you, Your Highness.”

“Meg thinks she might know of a place for our new base,” Suralinda said. You looked at her, your eyes wide as you tried to keep your regal composure.

“What did you just say?” you asked.

“Meg knows the perfect spot to set up our Resistance base again. It’s got hangars for all of our ships, storage facilities for supplies and food, and accommodation for all of our troops, it’s—”

“Suralinda, can I borrow you for a moment?” you asked, looking from her to Lin. He took the hint and suddenly started up a conversation with Meg about Chandrila’s beautiful flora.

“Don’t you want to hear about the base?” Sura asked.

“No,” you said quickly, as you pulled Suralinda to a quieter corner of the room. She looked into your eyes and began to shake her head.

“What?” she asked.

“The whole point of this dinner party is to—”

“Flirt with that guy from Serenno?” she asked, jutting out her hip. You breathed through your nose as you tried to keep your cool.

“The whole point is to gain allies. Maybe a few resources. Your friend, Meg, seems perfectly lovely, but I don’t know her. Can you vouch for her that she is completely trustworthy? That she won’t turn her back on us and give away this base if given the chance?”

“Yes, I can. She’s been my friend for ages,” she said, her voice getting a little louder.

“Well, then, why don’t you go suggest the idea to General Organa. See what she thinks of it,” you said, beginning to turn away from her.

“I will,” she said as you walked away.

Loré and Sondé hadn’t been far away when you talked with Suralinda, and the second you stepped away from her, they were right by your side again.

“Are you okay?” Loré whispered. You continued to walk around the room, greeting people and thanking them for coming.

“I’m fine.”

“What do you think General Organa will say?” she asked.

“I don’t know,” you said truthfully. You stopped in your tracks and looked around the room for Nové. Once you spotted her, you sent Loré to go fetch her, and together, you and your handmaidens stepped out of the hall and into one of the secret hallways built into the palace.

“Is everything alright?” Nové asked as you all crammed into the tight hallway, tucked away behind a thick curtain.

“Suralinda Javos thinks she has found a new Resistance base location.”

“Why aren’t we more excited about that?” Nové asked.

“Because the person who has procured this base is a friend of Sura’s, who no one else knows.”

“Like Lin Ral was when you suggested a base on Serenno.” You nodded your head, taking a deep breath.

“Well, it still has to go through General Organa, right?” Sondé asked. “And Poe is still working on the base on Yavin-4.”

“I know, I’ve just got a bad feeling about this.”

“Why?” Loré asked.

“Suralinda wants the best story. She doesn’t want what’s best for the Resistance.”

“If that was true, I don’t think Poe and Organa would trust her so much,” Loré said.

“It is true,” Nové intersected, “Jess was telling me all about her. She’s more concerned in the best story than in doing what’s best.”

“I don’t want to doubt her credentials,” you said, shaking your head, “I just need more information. Especially on this Meg Junari. If this really is the best course of action, then I’ll be all for it, but it seems almost too convenient that Junari has the best location to fit every single accommodation we need. I can’t look into her, but . . .”

“Say no more,” Sondé said. “I’ll get started now. I’ll reach out to some of the guards, too.”

“Thank you.”

“Now, we should really get you back to the party, my lady,” Nové said.

“I know.”

So as to not draw attention to the secret passage, the lot of you took the hallway which led out to the terrace outside, and then made your way back into the hall. After another hour of deep discussion with everyone who would talk to you, your mother grabbed your arm and led you over to a Rodian man she knew from the senate. He introduced himself as Barth Hoangid’y, a merchant who specialized in supplying ships to both sides.

“My mother’s best friend was our elected representative,” he explained sadly, “She practically raised me. Whatever you need, I’ll get it for the Resistance.”

“Thank you so much,” you said, grasping his hand.

“Of course.”

Your mother led him away and went to introduce him to your father. As you looked across the room, you found Sura’s unmistakable dress and saw that she was talking with Leia. Her hand gestures signaled that she wasn’t delighted with what Leia was saying, and she quickly turned away from the general, only to run into one of the waiters. She, the waiter, and his tray of food clamored to the floor, turning every head in the room.

You moved towards them quickly, helping to stand them up. A thick syrup now stained the ends of Leia’s gown, but she kept her cool.

“I think maybe it’s time we leave,” Leia said firmly, keeping her face looking as kind as possible.

“I don’t want to go, yet,” Suralinda said, shaking her head. Leia reached for her hand but Suralinda quickly pulled hers away.

“You’ve had too much to drink, Javos,” Leia said, her voice growing more serious by the syllable.

“I’m fine,” Suralinda said with a snort, “Is that why you don’t agree with me? Because I’m drunk?” she asked, hiccupping on the last word.

“No.”

“Is it because she told you to?” she asked, pointing in your face.

“Let’s get you out of here,” you said as the crowd around you started to grow larger. “I’ve got a nice, comfy room you can stay in.”

“Don’t touch me,” she said, shaking you off. “I’m not your friend.”

“Suralinda,” Leia said firmly. You held up your hand to her.

“It’s fine.”

“No, it’s not,” Suralinda said. Your royal guard had started to step closer, but you signaled them back. What you didn’t need was for this to get any worse than it already was. “You got into his head. He only made those decisions because you were there. And now, we’ve lost almost all of our resources and we’re shit out of luck,” she spat.

“What are you talking about?” Leia asked, holding Suralinda up as she started to slump.

“Poe. She got into his head. She brought all that shit to us, and that’s why we’re here now, pretending that everything is fine. We can just party! It’s not like the entire fucking galaxy isn’t in danger!”

“Alright, it’s time to go,” you said, grabbing her arm firmly as Leia grasped her other. Your parents quickly got to work dispersing the crowd, but they couldn’t look away from what was happening.

“Things were so much better when you were gone,” Suralinda said, “When it was just us.”

In the hall, Commander D’Acy was waiting anxiously with Finn and Rey. Finn put his arm around Suralinda, and she didn’t fight anymore as he led her to the rooms you had blocked off for them.

“I’m so sorry about all of that,” Leia said, catching her breath. “She’s not usually—”

“Don’t worry about it,” you said, giving her a smile.

“And what she said about Poe, it isn’t true.” You gave her another smile but couldn’t find the words to say. “I should go check on her.”

“Of course.”

As she walked away, you took a few moments to calm yourself before returning to the hall. Her words had stung, but none more so than when she said ‘us.’ The way she said it – it wasn’t the Resistance she was referring to, or even Black Squadron, it was her and Poe.

#poe dameron #poe dameron x reader #poe dameron x you #poe dameron imagine #sw imagine #poe dameron fanfic #poe dameron fanfiction #star wars #star wars imagine #star wars fanfic #star wars fanfiction #sw #sw fanfic #sw fanfiction

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eldunea · 4 years

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god ok i haven’t even started anakin’s blog yet but i already have his entire pokéverse thought out here i go

ORIGINS.

anakin was born in my fakémon region of preuzien to an enslaved old prussian (prūsai) family. in real life the old prussians were exterminated but in the pokémon world they were made the slaves of the junker ruling class. when the allies came into germany after wwii they tried to put a stop to this but unfortunately were not entirely successful.

as in canon, he has no biological human father, he’s like……the universe’s kid or something, it’s where he gets his insane powers from. in this verse he is also definitely a chosen one, but don’t take that to mean he isn’t a douche because he still totally is

like in canon he was a racer, but he didn’t race pods he raced dragons. his master knew he could make big bucks off him from an early age due to his abilities so according to prussian custom he was put on a dragon before he could learn to walk and learned how to ride that way.

he speaks three languages: german, prūsiskai (the old prussian language) and english. his inability to speak japanese has been a weakness of his that he wants to improve on, and so he is studying that as well.

his first pokémon was a racing noivern that he named majjis, which is old prussian for “corn.” she loves her name and he didn’t even change it after he went vader, it was real fucking obvious which one of “team sith” would go back to the light side when all the other admins named their pokémon stuff like “void devourer” and “bone crusher” and here was darth vader with his ace named fucking. corn. he is currently 36 and starting from like age 10 he never lost a single race while riding corn until he was finally defeated by his son luke.

also like in canon, he won his freedom in a race but was unable to free his mother. much like lotor at the age of 12, anakin had the sense to get the fuck out of preuzien, but unlike lotor, nothing pressing dragged him back. he went to make a name for himself as a trainer and racer around the world, and also became the world’s strongest psychic.

he did go back to prussia briefly to rescue his mom. by that point shmi had been brutally beaten for refusing to give sexual favors to her master, and died in anakin’s arms. enraged, he slaughtered the entire family that had enslaved him.

DESCENT AND REDEMPTION.

as in canon, he was tormented by prophetic dreams of his lover padmé amidala dying and was corrupted by sheev palpatine to join the sith order (colloquially referred to as “team sith”), a criminal organization in orre that stole some of team snagem’s shadow-turning techniques and aimed to do it on a grander scale. palpatine’s goal was to build something known as the shadow star, a weapon so powerful that when aimed at a planet, it could turn all beings shadow, even arceus. the sith order would then use shadow control techniques to rule the world. but one thing that palpatine was also obsessed with was the search for immortality, which is how he baited anakin into joining him--by promising he could save the one he loved.

when anakin became darth vader, he allowed palpatine to turn him into a SHADOW HUMAN, just like all the other team sith admins. this means that much like a shadow pokémon, the door to his heart was sealed and much of his original personality was subsumed into just. this roiling inner turmoil of anger and violence. formally, nobody knew that star trainer and dragon racer anakin skywalker was actually underground crime lord darth vader, but they could all tell that something was really, really wrong because he started becoming colder and more withdrawn to his fans that he had formerly loved.

nobody guessed that he had become a shadow, however, because they all attributed his change in personality to the cybernetic enhancements he had been given. by this point he had lost half his head and three of his limbs in battle, and so they were replaced with prosthetics and his artificial brain was enhanced with programming for metagross supercomputers. metagross are known for being assholes who think more like machines than living beings, so it was easy for his adoring fans to believe that anakin’s change of personality was no fault of his own.

he was purified by his children, luke and leia. they were battling rivals who later discovered that they were twins and figured out who their father was. meeting them, he felt human again for the first time when he was around them…then they told him they wanted to defeat the evil darth vader and darth sidious and restore balance to orre, and he was just. well this is awkward.

his first instinct was to just kill his children but something held him back. so instead of killing them, he accompanied them on pointless missions that would ultimately lead them nowhere near close to defeating him and sidious--just to keep them distracted. little did he know, the more he fought alongside them and spent time with them, the more his heart gauge was emptied and the closer he became to purification.

much like a shadow pokémon, the more he was purified, the more his body and brain resisted it. finally the temptation to stay shadow became too strong, at which point he told his kids he was vader, locked them up, and turned them over to sidious to dispose of them. they managed to escape, however, after which there was a double battle of luke and leia vs. vader and sidious. the twins found themselves quickly overwhelmed, and sidious was about to kill them--when the sight of the two children about to die in front of them instantly emptied the remainder of anakin’s heart gauge. finally feeling real love again for the first time in years, anakin killed his master and saved his twins. luke and leia then took him to a purification chamber to be fully restored.

CURRENT STATUS.

anakin has returned to preuzien to become one of its strategic gym leaders. his gym’s theme is sky battles, which are fought only by pokémon that can stay airborne such as flying-types and those with the ability to levitate. though this may seem to be restrictive, anakin can still fight with a diverse mixture of pokémon.

he’s actually a league member in two regions: preuzien, aka german prussia, and prutenia, the newly-instated old prussian nation. essentially he’s a diplomat but in many ways he’s the wrong choice because……darth vader, have you fucking met him? however, lotor deliberately chose someone who was angry and undiplomatic to fulfill this role because he wanted to make it very clear to the german prussians that the rights and sovereignty of the prūsai are completely non-negotiable and there is a guy in the prutenian league who will happily beat the shit out of anyone who says otherwise.

he and lotor have a very strained relationship. on one hand anakin has healed a lot since he left the sith, and he is very concerned because he sees lotor going down the same path as he did. but on the other hand he still has a long way to go yet acts like he’s 100% redeemed when he lectures lotor, and lotor sees right through this…then when lotor calls anakin out on the fact he still has issues, anakin gets all pissy. also, anakin correctly suspects that lotor is using him as an ally for his “chosen one” status, inviting him to the league and giving him a second chance in spite of him being vader because he wants to get on the legendaries’ good side by treating their chosen one well. basically them being colleagues is an Angry Bastard Disaster that they need a lot of sorting through if they are ever going to be on truly good terms.

one time anakin straight up “force choked” lotor using his psychic powers in a fit of rage. lotor taunted him by choking out the words “vader…you haven’t changed.” this could easily have led to lotor’s death, as anakin was highly emotionally charged, but instead of snapping his neck psychically at that moment he dropped him to the floor and left the room. a sign of hope in their relationship perhaps?

honestly he’s? still a fucking mess??? like just because he left the sith doesn’t mean his issues are over. he’s still angry over his mother’s death and over padmé’s death, and now he’s angry that he let palpatine manipulate him and suffers from crippling guilt that he nearly killed his two kids. not to mention psychologically he’s part machine now so he has forgotten how to be human in some ways, and it’s in this way that he still hasn’t stopped being vader.

he doesn’t feel love for anyone except his twins, majjis, and padmé. he feels small likings toward other people and pokémon and he is trying to turn that into something deeper, but he’s still extremely stunted.

he gets terribly impatient with humans when they’re not as precise or as exacting as he is. in the og movies darth vader hated anything that he perceived to be incompetence, and anakin is the same way…except now that he’s part metagross, his standard of “competence” is so far above anything humans can do that he inevitably gets irritated and lashes out at people just for being human.

he’s lost all interest in “the little things.” he doesn’t appreciate the warmth of a sunny day or the coolness of a soft breeze or seeing a pretty looking bug on the sidewalk or anything like that, the only thing he is fixated on 24/7 is sharpening his intellect. he’s kind of like sabrina in that way.

MISC.

this would be his battle theme, full stop.

he has an aegislash variant that is basically a lightsaber: the hilt is metal but the blade is pure energy.

he is an overprotective dad and in that way he’s kind of a hypocrite, because of how he was once the biggest threat to his kids before he reformed. he gets rEAL FUCKING ANGRY when leia starts dating han solo, saying he’s just a street rat from orre and he’ll eventually stab her in the back and she’s like do i need to remind you of how you almost killed us?

he doesn’t need to hold out his hand to force choke someone bc that’s not how psychic powers in pokéverse work, he just does it because he’s a dramatic little bitch

he eventually has five grandchildren, all of which he gets overprotective toward. on luke’s side: ben skywalker. on leia’s side: jaina, jacen, anakin and ren solo. and if you thought him disliking han solo was bad, you should see his reaction when ren starts dating palpatine’s granddaughter rey…he just tENSES any time he’s around her saying i sense a great potential for evil in her and his kids are like oh really, well we’ve been sensing that in YOU ever since we met you and we don’t judge, so………damn i hate canon reylo but i mean it could work in an AU where kylo ren was never evil

#word of god™. || tian speaks #forcefuried

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irinapaleolog · 4 years

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As we head toward the conclusion of the Skywalker saga with Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker’s Dec. 20 release, one of the big unresolved questions is the fate of Kylo Ren (Adam Driver). Will he, like his grandfather before him, redeem himself and resume his former identity as Ben Solo? Or will he, mask newly reformed, remain on the Dark Side to be defeated by Rey (Daisy Ridley) and the rest of the Resistance?

For such a major character in the series, Kylo remains somewhat mysterious, masked or not. When his parentage was first revealed in The Force Awakens, the biggest question was how exactly did Princess Leia (Carrie Fisher) and Han Solo (Harrison Ford), our heroes of the Rebellion, wind up with this petulant mini-Vader as a son? We saw that Kylo idolized his grandfather but had none of his cool-tempered menace, hacking away at ship consoles with such abandon that you wondered if the First Order had a permanent Kylo Ren repair line in the budget. At first, his brattiness seemed almost comical until he killed his father in a mistaken attempt to drown the light in himself. For anyone who ever thought Leia and Han would be cool parents — and that certainly includes the parentally neglected Rey — Kylo’s presence was a bit of a head-scratcher. How exactly did the former Ben Solo turn into this destructive and emotionally turbocharged Dark Sider?

The Last Jedi went a bit further in explaining Ben’s turn to Ren as his uncle, the legendary Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill), revealed that one fateful night a terrifying Force vision got the best of him and sent his nephew hurtling down toward the Dark Side. It was this betrayal that haunted Kylo and left him both vulnerable and achingly lonely as his Force bond with Rey revealed. And despite the murder of his father, he still remained conflicted and couldn’t do the same to his mother when he had the chance, her love for him staying his hand. Even though he refused to rejoin Rey on the Light Side, Kylo turned out to be far more complicated than he initially seemed when he descended as the masked and hooded villain in The Force Awakens.

While the films have sketched the broad outlines of Ben’s fall and Driver has done fantastic work in suggesting the turmoil roiling under Kylo’s mask, there is a lot more we’ve learned about Ben Solo/Kylo Ren’s past from the various novels and comic books that make up the current Star Wars canon. If you are not familiar with them, read ahead to get a fuller picture of the character and what his past may portend for his future.

In Chuck Wendig’s Aftermath trilogy, which takes place in the year after the Battle of Endor, we discover that not only are Han and Leia now married, but that Leia is already pregnant with Ben. While we saw that Leia definitely had Force powers in The Last Jedi, it’s during her pregnancy that she really starts to explore her abilities. She can feel Ben’s Force presence in the womb, and that it’s mostly light but shot through with veins of darkness. She worries about that darkness but takes comfort when Luke tells her all people have that. It’s poignant to think how the darkness eventually overwhelmed that child, but the fact that there was so much light to start with shows he can turn back to it if he wants and that the Dark Side was not his destiny, but a choice he made. While the Empire is in its last gasps during Leia’s pregnancy, Ben is born on Chandrila the same day that the Empire formally surrenders and the war ends. In fact, his mother is already in labor as the peace treaty is being signed. Because of his family’s fame, his birth was accompanied by a flood of rumors, everything from being born with a full head of black hair, to a full set of teeth, to Luke attending the birth himself. For a child with so many expectations placed on his tiny shoulders, Ben just seems to be a normal, if somewhat fussy, baby, though one his mother seems much more comfortable tending to than his father.

On that note, Aftermath: Empire’s End, the final book in the trilogy, establishes the difficulty Han has adjusting to fatherhood and how that foreshadows the gap that will grow between father and son despite Han’s deep love for the boy and the boy’s deep love for his father. Han’s usual cocksure confidence is shaken by the helpless baby before him and he feels insecure that he doesn’t have the same Force connection to Ben that Leia has, thinking that’s the only way his son can be soothed. Leia, to her credit, thinks that their son just needs to feel his father’s presence to feel comforted.

But Han’s insecurity continues in Last Shot, by Daniel José Older. While the book is mostly about an adventure between Han and Lando in the early years of Han and Leia’s marriage, Ben makes an appearance as a 2-year-old toddler, one that Han is still a little baffled by. Here we see how Han’s restless spirit will eventually cause a problem in his relationship with his son. Ben idolizes his father and “Wanwo” (fingers crossed someone gives Kylo and Uncle Lando a scene in the new movie) and misses his father terribly when he’s gone on his mission. While his mother works to build the New Republic, Ben is in the care of droids and in what might be a key moment for a person with a lifelong abandonment complex, a malfunctioning kitchen droid almost kills him. Ben survives, but Han continues to struggle with being a parent and the responsibilities that come with it.

There isn’t a ton of information about Ben’s late childhood and teenage years, but The Last Jedi novel details that Ben’s epic temper tantrums and growing Force powers left many objects in the Organa-Solo household destroyed. Kylo recalls with bitterness an incident overhearing his frightened parents talk about him as if he was a monster and it’s obvious that his anger became such an issue that Leia felt it necessary to send him to Luke in the hopes that training to be a Jedi would help tame his darker instincts. Neither his parents nor his uncle realized that Snoke had gotten his claws into Ben at some point during this time. As the films and comics like Star Wars: Age of Resistance — Supreme Leader Snoke #1 make clear, Snoke abused and manipulated Kylo for years, twisting the young man’s feelings toward his family and nurturing those resentments until Kylo finally took his revenge upon his Master in the throne room.

We get a little more information about Ben before his fall from the novel Bloodline, by Claudia Gray, which moves the story forward to six years before the events of The Force Awakens. There are no direct scenes with Ben, who is about 23 years old in the book, but he is often on his mother’s mind as she works as a senator living on the not-yet-destroyed Hosnian Prime while Han is off sponsoring various racing championships across the galaxy and running a shipping company. Ben is traveling around the galaxy with Luke, still training to be a Jedi. Han and Leia seem to have a warm marriage but one that is marked by long absences from each other as Leia understands that Han’s restlessness would make him a miserable Senate husband and Leia’s duty to the faltering New Republic comes before even her personal preference to be with her family. The book suggests that Han and Ben have a strained relationship at this point, in that Han does not understand his son and that Ben’s Force abilities have created a wedge between them. Frustrated by not being able to parent their son, both Han and Leia mentor many of the young people in the orbit, a desire we see reflected in the films as Han mentors Rey and Finn (John Boyega) and Leia treats Poe (Oscar Isaac) as almost a surrogate son, the three seeming more like their spiritual children than their actual son.

Though Ben does not appear in the novel, the book contains a key event that dramatically shapes his life to come. Over the course of the novel, we learn that no one outside of Leia, Luke, and Han ever learned that Darth Vader was Anakin Skywalker and also the true birth father of Luke and Leia. While Luke had witnessed Anakin’s redemption personally, Leia did not, and to her, Vader remained the monster that tortured her and helped destroy her beloved Alderaan. She had kept the secret that Vader was her father for decades and was still coming to terms with her true parentage, never finding the right time to tell Ben who his grandfather really was. Unfortunately, the knowledge fell into the hands of a political rival who outed her to the whole Senate before she had time to tell Ben first. We don’t learn what Ben’s immediate reaction to this news was, but considering he must have learned this information shortly before his turn to the Dark Side, it must have cracked the already shaky trust in his family that Snoke had help splinter, a trust that would be completely shattered by that fateful night with Luke in his hut.

Looking over these parts of his past, Kylo just didn’t inherit great Force power and Leia’s fabulous hair from his powerful bloodline but everything else that went with it, good and bad. That meant Han and Leia’s mutual hotheadness, Luke’s impulsiveness, Anakin’s brattiness, and Padme’s penchant for falling for the wrong people — though that last one might wind up saving him in the end depending on how his complicated relationship with Rey works out.

As we move closer to The Rise of Skywalker, we will be getting a few more missing pieces to the puzzle when the first issue of The Rise of Kylo Ren, by Charles Soule, is released Dec. 18. Though the project has been mostly kept under wraps, one tantalizing cover revealed that Ben Solo and Luke Skywalker actually battled the Knights of Ren at some point, so Ben Solo’s past might be even more complex than we expected.

All this leads back to what will become of the Skywalker heir? Will the Bendemption, as some fans have taken to calling it, actually happen? Will Rey’s vision of Ben’s future, that solid and clear picture that convinced her he would turn back to the light, finally come to pass? And if he does turn back, what will be the trigger? Repentance? His mother’s love? His own? Although it would be quite bold to leave Kylo on the Dark Side, it does seem unlikely that a saga that deals so much about redemption would end on a sour note and leave the once and maybe future Ben Solo unredeemed. Let’s hope the Skywalker saga gets a happier ending than that and that this tortured figure finally turns back to the light.

#the rise of skywalker #kylo ren #star wars #leia organa #han solo #luke skywalker

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starwarsnonsense · 6 years

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Episode IX - A Speculative Plot

This is obviously not a serious prediction regarding Episode IX and I don’t anticipate being right with much (if any) of this - however, since The Last Jedi told me to go for broke when it comes to my predictions, I thought it would be fun to extrapolate from the events of VIII and come up with a resolution to the sequel trilogy that makes sense to me.

Take this in good fun - it’s really fanfiction, but I feel this doesn’t really deserve that label since the fanfic of this would have much more time and effort put into it!

Enjoy - I’d like to hear people’s thoughts on this.

- The film starts with the following crawl:

SUPREME LEADER KYLO REN strives to form the galaxy according to his vision. His KNIGHTS OF REN scour the galaxy for Force relics that will help him to consolidate his power. THE RESISTANCE continues its brave struggle to overturn THE FIRST ORDER and its leader, its numbers having swollen as the spark of hope ignited by LUKE SKYWALKER spreads to the furthest reaches of the galaxy. In its new position of strength, the Resistance has brokered a temporary peace with the First Order to allow for vital aid to be delivered to the famine-stricken munitions planet of Pumia. But the truce has been shattered. A bomb has ripped through a diplomatic vessel carrying GENERAL LEIA ORGANA, killing all onboard. With their leader gone, the Resistance must forge ahead without her....

- The film opens with Leia's funeral. Poe delivers a rousing and moving speech as Rey, Finn and Rose look on, comforting each other. Rey makes her excuses and leaves to be alone with her grief, uniquely affected by Leia's death due to her connection with the Force. Once alone she hears a man crying and is startled to realise that her bond with Kylo has re-awoken. She is cold with him and asks how he can grieve for his mother after everything he has done to wrong her and dishonour her legacy. Kylo is upset and tells her that he has attempted to be the sort of leader his mother would have wanted him to be - he points out the good things he has done for the galaxy since becoming its ruler, and insists that he had nothing to do with the attack that caused his mother's death (it will later be revealed as a scheme of Hux's intended to stir the conflict). Rey tells him that nothing would have made Leia happier than having her son return and prove that Ben Solo lived, and ends their connection.

- Kylo and Rey are both struggling in their own ways. Kylo is attempting to be a strong and bold leader but struggles with the weight of his responsibilities and a lack of internal support. Hux actively undermines him at every turn and is growing in confidence. Even Kylo's Knights of Ren are becoming increasingly defiant, and it is implied that they may be conspiring with Hux to overthrow him. Rey has taken on Force-sensitive students who have been attracted to the Resistance cause, but she struggles with what to teach them - what lessons from the books should she carry forward to her new Jedi Order? Which should she discard? She also feels at a remove from the rest of the Resistance, as the leader of a spiritual component that Poe, Finn and Rose - while great friends and strong supporters - can't truly understand.

- As they struggle, Luke appears to both Kylo and Rey. Kylo is angry and resentful and tries his best not to listen, but Luke perseveres. He encourages Kylo to talk with Rey and urges Rey to do the same - Luke is confident that a solution will be achieved through dialogue, not conflict. Rey and Kylo share their struggles and experiences, and Kylo in particular shares memories of his mother and how Snoke targeted him when he was a boy. Rey shares how she was exploited as a small child trapped in a state of indentured slavery, and Kylo is inspired to consider new measures - he looks into the plausibility of freeing the stormtroopers from their servitude and having them serve the First Order because they choose to, not because they are forced to.

- Despite this progress, the conflict between the Resistance and the First Order escalates. Massive dissent breaks out on Pumia, a largely industrial planet crucial to the production of First Order munitions. The Resistance sees Pumia as an opportunity to seize control of a planet for the first time since Kylo assumed office, and Poe and Finn decide to launch a ground attack to take the capital and establish a revolutionary government. Rey warns against it as she has premonitions of massive loss and bloodshed, but Poe decides that the sacrifice would be worth the potential victory - things have been stagnant for too long. Rey reluctantly agrees and takes part in the battle. She encounters Kylo on the battlefield and they clash, duelling and displaying their newly found accomplishment. They are both impressed by each other and the fight moves into a forested area away from the main battle. Rey successfully disarms Kylo, but only because he essentially stops trying - he kneels before her and presents her with a choice. He points out that she had two opportunities to kill her before that she didn't take - he gives her another and says that, if she believes it is right, she should dispatch him. But, of course, she can't. She can see that, despite everything, Ben Solo is still there.

- They have a moment and come close to an embrace, but one of Rey's students has come looking for her - he sees her in the arms of the Supreme Leader and bolts, with Rey chasing after him and leaving Kylo behind.

- Rey talks to the boy but he is inconsolable and won't listen. Rey is filled with despair but tells him he must do what he thinks is best, letting him go. The boy tells Poe of Rey's treachery moments after the Resistance have declared victory in the battle for Pumia. Poe speaks to Rey privately and she tells him that things are not as they seem, but that it is no longer right for her to remain with the Resistance - if she were in Poe's place, she wouldn't trust Rey either. Poe reluctantly allows her to leave.

- Rey goes on a journey to clarify her understanding of the Force, resisting Kylo's pleas for her to join him and help ease the way towards democracy - she still doesn't trust him, not fully. Luke offers her counsel and supports her. Her adventures see her come into contact with a Knights of Ren or two, providing some action.

- Kylo works with new resolve to implement a better and more democratic form of government, loosening his grip on power. He begins to institute reforms to the stormtrooper program, enraging Hux, who brings forward his plans for a coup. They get the pretext they need when one of Kylo's knights witnesses him communicating with Rey through the Force. Kylo is overthrown as a traitor to the First Order and is pegged for trial and inevitable execution - Rey feels the moment is connection to the Force is cut off, and knows something terrible has happened.

- The overthrow of Kylo sends everything into chaos, and the First Order starts to crumble. The Resistance seizes the opportunity to attack key First Order outposts and Finn leads a ground-level revolution among the stormtroopers themselves, who have become emboldened by the taste of freedom that Kylo offered them.

- Rey infiltrates the First Order command ship where Kylo is being held and finds him bloody and beaten. He is horrified that she came for him and they are confronted by Hux and the Knights of Ren, who tell them they can die together. Rey ignites her lightsaber and fights to defend Kylo, who is helpless and bound until Rey cuts through his Force-dampening chains and throws him the spare saber she'd carried with her. The fight together, drawing strength from each other. It comes down to Kylo fighting against his head knight, who had always resented him for his power and bloodline - with relish, the knight cuts off Kylo's hand "for Vader". Rey takes him out with a lightsaber through the gut immediately afterwards, and she and Kylo embrace passionately. There's then the sound of a single blaster shot, and Rey goes limp in Kylo's arms. He looks up to see a wounded Hux crumpling to his knees with a smile on his face, a blaster in his hand. Kylo snaps his neck with a clench of his fist.

- Kylo is filled with despair but he thinks to the manuscripts that were brought to him by his knights, including a scroll relating the teachings used by Darth Plagueis to create life. He realises that he can sacrifice his relationship with the Force - leaving himself ordinary and powerless - to save Rey, and he gives up his powers gladly. Rey awakens to find Kylo unconscious but alive, and she kisses him as he wakes up, tears in her eyes. The man who once gave up everything for power has given up all his power for love.

- Aware that he could never be accepted by the Resistance, Kylo leaves and Rey returns to the Resistance. Poe and Finn agree that they can accept Kylo's exile - with no power in the Force, he is harmless. The Resistance forms a government and establishes the Republic once more, with all sides - First Order remnants included - now committed to peace. The film ends with Rey teaching a room filled with children, including a boy an a girl with Ben's black hair and her eyes. The final shot shows Ben tending to a garden in a desert, looking out onto a sunset with hope and contentment.

#the last jedi #sw spoilers #tlj spoilers #episode ix #star wars #reylo #star wars predictions

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imagines-dreams · 7 years

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Life-Changing Part 2 - Luke Skywalker Imagine

Rating: PG-13

Warnings: mentions of death, crisis, battle, it’s star wars guys, something had to happen (sooo sorry)

Summary: Part 2 to Life-Changing. Life was lovely, but you and Luke were Jedis, and life wasn’t always lovely for Jedis.

Word Count: 1697

Two years later, Luke and you got married with all of your friends and family present. You two became particularly famous in the rebellion. Both Jedi Knights who stood up against the Code and reformed just so you could get married also taught at a temple, side by side. The love story was too great and cheesy, everyone came to the temple just to get a glimpse of the two of you.

Of course, it wasn’t always happy. Luke and you were married, but you both were still integral forces of the Resistance. You went on missions separately. No matter how much time passed, those arguments still persisted.

“Another sighting of Master Una?” Luke asked.

You shrugged and continued packing. “It’s the assignment, Luke. I can’t change it. Plus, it’s near here. Just a solar system away.”

“You know, it’s useless. It’s been over a decade, (Y/n). You’re not gonna find anything. You know that.”

You sigh. “I know.” You pecked his lips and held onto his collar. “I’ll be back. I promise.”

Luke laughed and kissed your forehead. “I know. I love you.”

“I love you, too.” You kissed him again. You pulled away from him and took your bag. “One week and I’ll-”

A block of rubble crashed on the balcony outside and interrupted you.

Luke and you whipped around. “The younglings,” you whispered. You dropped your bag and ran out of the room. Luke was right on your heels. “We have to get them somewhere safe,” he said, trying to think. “I could get Han-”

“There’s no time!” you yelled. Before you could say or think of anything else, Luke pulled you back just before the ceiling came apart. “Thanks,” you breathed. You pulled Luke into another hallway. A few doorways later, Taj appeared with gauze and ointments in his arms. “Luke, (Y/n), there’s an attack.”

“Who’s attacking?” Luke asked.

The floor fell from beneath you and jerked upwards again. “Luke?” You helped him up and asked Taj, “Do we know who’s attacking?”

“No.”

You nodded. “Get to the ships. Get them ready. Luke and I will gather the younglings.”

Luke and you ran off, dodging rubble until you reached the courtyard. The younglings were scattered around. Each was in groups, fighting off stormtroopers as much as they could. You, however, knew who you had to cater to. There was an eight-year-old girl who came to your base for refuge after the empire invaded her planet. “Gelda!” you cried.

When you spotted the familiar hairstyle, you sprinted to her, never hesitating to slash a few stormtroopers on your way. With your lightsaber in your tight grip, you commanded, “Gelda, duck!” She did, and you cut through the stormtrooper behind her. You fought off two more stormtroopers to protect your student. “Gelda, get to Luke.”

“(Y/n)-”

“Get to Luke, please.” You peered up and pushed stormtroopers away to form a path for her. “Luke!” Your husband finished off another soldier before looking to you. When he saw the youngling, he nodded. He forced the ones around him to step back and motioned for Gelda to run to him. And she did.

With a stream of children running away from the courtyard and right to Luke, you scoured the area for more stormtroopers. There weren’t any in sight, but the ship looming over the temple did not allow you to relax.

You reached Luke. “Let’s go!” You turned to Luke. “Get to the front. I’ll take the back.” Gelda clung to your leg. “Gelda, I need you to go with Luke.”

She shook her head. You sighed and took her in your arms. “Luke-”

“You take the front. You have the youngest.”

You gulped. You knew what he was doing. He wanted you to get to the ship first. If only Gelda would go with Luke and insisted on going with your husband… No, you couldn’t delay. You ran to the front and ushered the younglings around obstacles. Your heart raced and you couldn’t swallow no matter how dry your mouth was. You heaved and continued to carry your youngest student. You had to get to the ship. You had to get the younglings to the ship. You had to get your husband on that ship.

“(Y/n)!”

You turned around just to see rubble fall. The ceiling gave way and the younglings backed up towards the back and towards you. Two groups formed, and then…

You coughed and waved away the dust. “Luke!” You coughed. “Luke!”

“(Y/n)!”

Mor rubble crumbled. You couldn’t see anything. You took count. You had eleven kids, including Gelda with you. That left Luke with twenty-seven younglings on the other side. Too many to keep track of. You thrust out your hand and strained your mind to move something.

The ceiling cracked above you.

You groaned. Not a good idea. “Luke,” you called, “Luke, I need you to get them to the ship. Take the east entrance. I’ll get through the north.”

“No, I can get to you. I can get to you. Just wait there!”

The ceiling cracked.

“Luke, please, you’re going to bring the temple down.” You gulped, and it felt like swallowing dirt. “Luke, please. The younglings need to get to safety. I promise I will see you again.” You inhaled as steadily as you could.

Your husband grunted. “Ok. Fine. I’ll see you in a few minutes. If you’re not there within five minutes of my arrival I will go after you.”

“I know.”

The temple rumbled again.

You sighed. “I love you.”

“I love you, too.”

You went through the hallways again, making sure the eleven kids were with you at all times. As you ran, you got closer and closer to the ship. To your husband.

“One more turn,” one of the kids said with a smile. His running turned into running and skipping. “We’re getting out!” He ran ahead.

Fear struck your spine. “Cole!” you cried. You pulled him back before he could reach the bend. You steadied your breathing. You held a finger to your lips and listened. You could feel Luke nearby as well as your students. But there was another presence. A bad presence.

Luke…He was roaming around, treading carefully. He knew something was wrong, too.

Gelda was too excited. You ran after her, but it was too late. Around the bend, Gelda was held up in the air. Her hands clawing at her throat.

“No!” You ran to her, but you couldn’t see your enemy. “Show yourself!” you yelled.

“(Y/n)! Gelda!”

You turned around. Your husband was in front of the other younglings as they filed onto the ship. He ran to you but slammed right into an invisible barrier of some kind. He slammed his fists against it. His lightsaber came out and he slashed it through, but it was useless.

Then, the Sith Lord appeared in front of you. You brandished your lightsaber.

Gelda gasped for air.

You faltered. “What do you want?”

“You. You were her best student, weren’t you?”

You shuddered. Master Una. This person took her from you. Anger filled your veins and you were shaking with the poisonous emotion. You couldn’t get angry. No, that wouldn’t do you or Luke any good. You asked, “If I go, will you let my students go to my husband?”

Sympathy never worked on Sith Lords, but just maybe…

“Only when you come with me.”

You gulped. “Fine. Let her go.”

“The lightsaber.”

You blinked. With slight hesitation, you turned off your weapon and placed it on the floor. Luke kept on banging on the barrier, but it still didn’t break. No matter how much you and he desperately wanted to. You kicked the lightsaber to the Sith Lord. Gelda fell to the floor.

You ran to her side. “Are you ok?”

She clung to you once more. You held her close and kissed her cheeks. “It’s ok. You’re ok. You’re safe,” you whispered.

“(Y/n)!”

You shut your eyes and listened to Luke’s cries.

“(Y/n)!”

You never thought the sound of your name could sound so sad.

“Please, take me! I killed Darth Vader! I’m his son. I’m important to the Resistance. You can get more from me than you can ever get from her. Please! Take me!”

You shook your head. “Just get it over with,” you told the Sith Lord. “Not in front of the children. Not in front of my husband. They don’t deserve this.”

Those were your last words.

The last things you heard were Luke’s cries.

Luke had many life-changing moments. When he met you. When he kissed you. When he proposed to you. When he married you. When you died in front of his eyes and he couldn’t do a single thing about it.

Everyone told him it would get better. You sacrificed yourself for the kids, the younglings, and him. It didn’t get better for him. He never ate. He never trained. Day and night were muddled and mushed, and he wasn’t sure if he wanted it any other way. He just wanted you back. Luke desperately wished for you and your smile and your strength.

He regretted everything he did that day. He regretted letting you take the front. He regretted not taking Gelda himself. He regretted not noticing that dark presence sooner. He could kill Darth Vader, his father, but he couldn’t save his wife? What kind of logic was that?

The temple was too damaged, and when fixed, it was too imbued with memories. Luke left. He traveled, but each place reminded him of you. The music you listened to. The food you ate. The missions you went on. It was too painful, that eventually Luke ran out of tears. It made him feel even more guilty. How could he call himself your husband if he couldn’t even cry over you?

Then, he found a place. An island on Ahch-To. The waves were constantly hitting crashing on the shores around him. The sounds disrupted his thoughts constantly, and that was perfect. He moved there. He didn’t contact anyone. He didn’t tell anyone. Luke just survived.

He had no more life-changing moments.

I’m sorry did I say I’d only post part 1? Yeah... I’m too obsessed with writing guys. Both are up now! Yay!

have a wonderful day guys! I love you all and hopefully I will get the next imagine up soon!

#star wars #star wars imagine #star wars x reader #star wars oneshot #Luke Skywalker #luke skywalker imagine #luke skywalker x reader #luke skywalker oneshot

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arielsojourner · 7 years

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I love Luke goes back in time and saves everyone and leading a Jedi reform. I love Darth Vader going back and redoing his life. But what if they went back in time TOGETHER? I know it is implausible. Time travel always is but I just cannot get this plot bunny to leave me alone till I write out an outline at least.

So this is what I have so far: Luke and Vader in the Original Trilogy decide they are going to team up to kill the Emperor/free Vader and because of SOMETHING they end up being back in time together. After a few minutes of “WTF? Where are we?” Luke adapts faster than his father and decides, they will just have to do this now and save everything before it goes to hell. Yes he has “lost” his friends but he has his father and he can make a better life for everyone if Vader works with him. Imperial education *cough propaganda cough* being what it is on Tatooine (to the extent Luke even went through his Imperial home school courses), it is up to Vader to tell them where to go and what to do. They are on the Outer Rim during the Clone War sieges and they end up joining up with the 501st while Pong Krell is leading them.

I see: - Vader ending Krell with extreme prejudice and Luke allowing it.

- Luke focusing on the difference between Clone vs. Storm troopers and being disgusted with Krell and bonding with the 501st by just being the deadly ball of sunshine, sweet cinnamon roll he is. The clones pretty much adopt him and he adopts them.

-Vader wants to just vent his fury on everyone and kill Krell and then kill Palpatine. He could care less about the Order (he won't purge them, he won't be tricked into that again, but there is little love there, there is just enough for those precious few), he just wants Padme and Ahsoka and Luke safe. (He doesn't know about Leia, neither does Luke; they went back in time before Luke went to Dagobah but after Jabba is dead and Han is rescued).

-Vader is so happy to have competent troops. Imperial troops are really hit and miss and so few clones remained after a few years in the ranks. He does miss the Executor and his Admiral though.

-Luke wants to get to know what the Order was like in its heyday but after seeing Krell and with Vader disclosing some of the campaigns of the Clone Wars and how the Order operates, Luke has decided that the Order is not for him, thank you very much. No attachment? Marriage and kids forbidden? To say nothing of only taking toddlers and the fact that the Republic is not the shining beacon that Leia always claims it was (Luke already had his doubts, he grew up in Hutt occupied space after all). He figures the Order is hardly likely to embrace him as a Jedi so he will be a Jedi on his own. He will help his father and defeat Palpatine.

-They will end this puppet war, free the clones, kill Palpatine, and ensure Anakin and Padme live happily ever after. Vader is satisfied in knowing that Padme is happy and alive (he cannot bear to even think of facing her, just knowing his Angel is alive and with Anakin Skywalker is fine by him). He has Luke who will not leave him now or ever. They will make a life together somehow.

-The clones while thankful are also a bit conflicted. Krell is dead, yay! There is a Force user, a red lightsaber, a Sith?! But he is hanging around someone who clearly is a Jedi (such a nice Jedi!) and they are working together. Is this our new Jedi general? But then, Krell was a Jedi and got them killed. Wait, did the Jedi just call the Sith father?!

-The Separatists are routed. Vader and Luke work seamlessly together. They are not the same as Obi-Wan and Anakin, how could they be? Luke's training is minimal (lightsaber forms, what are those? and by Order standards Luke in thought, deed, and existence is heretical to say the least) but his instincts and strength are astounding and as for Vader, just think "Vader Down" but times 100 because Vader is fighting with his son and Padme is still alive and there is still hope. Vader is no longer a slave to any man. He can make things right.

-Luke and Vader get to work on the clone control chips. Vader slices the program and Luke uses field surgery (learned in the hidden rooms on Tatooine doing emergency surgery on escaped slaves) along with Kix and others to deal with the physical reality of the chips.

-Perhaps throw some EU Force use in there and have Luke just experimenting with the Force and figuring out how to use it to help the clones with their accelerated aging or like in the “Darksaber” novel, Luke asking Vader to work with him to literally pick up entire Separatist ships and throw them out of they star system. Vader is a bit stunned by Luke's innovation, but decides he is not going to tell Luke what the Force can or cannot do or be used for and just encourage his son to use it however he wants. With Luke having seen Vader in action and Yoda on Dagobah, he doesn't have any concept of what should be beyond him and working with the "Chosen One" makes them nearly unstoppable.

-Vader has Luke with him, having Luke Fall is irrelevant so long as he has his family with him. Plus Luke is what Vader always imagined a Jedi should be back when he was just a boy on Tatooine. Sometimes Vader thinks of the dreams he had of Jedi freeing everyone and wonders if it was Luke he was really foreseeing.

-Luke decides that with him being a Jedi and Vader nominally a Sith they will just have to command both sides of the war to stop fighting. Fake it till you make it, kind of thing. War is what Palpatine wants so they are just going to decide to stop. Sith love to play games where they win regardless of the outcome. The only way to fight a Sith is not to play the game. The clones can find new vocations (hunting slavers perhaps?) and the droids can be reprogrammed. Vader and Luke have 20 years of technological war time improvements they have lived through and they plan to bring that to bear on both sides of the puppet war.

-The Order starts getting bizarre reports from the front lines. Peace is breaking out, being enforced by Vader and Luke. Jedi teams show up to what they think are war zones and find peace. (details escape me, but just go with it!) Vader knows what will happen next and Luke is so unpredictable Palpatine is caught off guard. All his plans are falling apart.

-I want some Force sensitive clones. Perhaps if the chips are out and the aging fixed, one or two in each division or so has the potential to be Force sensitive. Luke is all for training them. Vader balks for a moment and then just decides to go with it. I see Fives as a Force user and Luke trains them enough to help free their brothers.

-Vader and Luke only use those names. They give no last names and no titles They frequently refer to themselves as father and son to the bewilderment of all.

-They run into some Jedi on a few of their missions. The Jedi are a bit confused by Luke and grow more and more suspicious but when Vader shows up behind him, a black sun of icy cold fire more than a few lightsabers are lit but Luke just stands between them and tells them that "Oh, him? Yes, he is a Sith, no you cannot kill him. Why? Because he will kill you and we don't need that, we are all on the same side here." Vader makes a sound that without his mask would definitely by a snort of derision "No, really father, we are nominally on the same side." "If we are on the same side son, tell the Jedi to put their blades down. I won't have them accidentally hurting you or I will tear them apart and paint the walls with their blood." And Plo or Aayala or Kit or whoever they are meeting is just like "WTF? Are we, are we going to fight? Father, did you say father? Your father is a Sith lord and you are a Jedi? Jedi don't have fathers, well Jedi have fathers but they don't have fathers if you know what I mean." And Luke is all "Jedi have fathers. I have a father. Being a Sith or a Jedi doesn’t mean people don’t have fathers. Now we have more important things to talk about. The war is over because we say it is over so put down your weapons and let us just go about our business."

-And since Jedi don't attack unarmed people (not that Vader is ever unarmed; even without his lightsaber drawn he could kill them all), they just put down their weapons and Luke quietly, inexorably bulldozes them into following his lead, Vader looming over his shoulder, daring anyone to disagree with his smol but mighty son. "My son says we are now at peace and the clone troopers are free. Argue and I will choke you."

-They are not at peace yet, but Luke takes a page out Uncle Owen and Aunt Beru's book of proverbs that used to have him rolling his eyes as a kid and one of them was if you keep insisting something is true, it becomes true. Granted his aunt and uncle were talking about having fun while doing his chores, but Luke is nothing if not adaptable. War is over because Luke says it is and Vader agrees with him, so there.

-Ventress joins their little band. Luke figures Yoda was wrong about the "dark side dominating your destiny" with regards to his father so he can just be wrong about every other dark side user. Luke insists Vader can teach Ventress or they can all three of them learn awesome Force things together, just Luke will avoid the dark side, no dark side for him, thank you.

-Luke and Vader take down Savage before Satine can be killed. I think Luke and Satine would get along well and Vader of course would inform Luke about Obi-Wan’s connection with her and I see Luke wanting to match-make, Order rules of attachment be damned. He wants Obi-Wan to be happy. Vader gets a vicious thrill out of how this will torture his old master. Luke plans to rehabilitate Maul too (think Maul from Star Wars Rebels) into his growing band of Force misfits - Vader, clone force sensitives, Ventress, maybe even Dooku, it is all good.

-Anakin, Obi-Wan and Ashoka keep missing Luke and Vader but Palpatine sends Padme into the mix, desperate to figure out what is going on with his carefully constructed Sith master plan. Vader gets one inkling that Padme is on her way and goes into stealth mode (he does have stealth mode, no shut up, he does. Just because he is 7 feet tall and has distinctive breathing doesn’t mean he cannot do stealth). He is still hovering near Luke, he is not leaving Luke alone but he cannot bear to see her see her, to have her see him: her plans to never ever EVER tell her who he is, just watch her from afar. Sigh.

-Luke is all earnestness and light when meeting her. He doesn't know ahead of time that she’s "mom" -Vader still cannot bear to give details other than to say she was his whole world --but he is intuitive and very powerful in the Force so he puts two and two together and is at his dotting farm boy best with her and Padme seeing peace is really happening, throws her full support behind this strange Jedi. Vader stalks them both and not so secretly foils whatever nonsense Palpatine had cooked up for their meet and greet event with large explosions. "Master Jedi, that explosion, don't we need to investigate?" "No, Senator, everything is fine. My companion is keeping up with all the security while we talk. Now what can Naboo do to ensure the sentient rights of the clones are honored now that the war is over? Do you think you could arrange a meeting with me and the Chancellor?"

It is all just piecemeal and I don't think it could ever be coherent enough to be a full story (too many plot holes and character crack) but it is such a wonderfully tasty idea with all the substance of cotton candy I just had to share.

#sw au #star wars alternate universe #luke skywalker sweet cinnamon roll #Luke and vader #father and son save the galaxy #luke and vader save the galaxy #clone wars #luke skywalker #darth vader #clones

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junker-town · 7 years

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The day Chris Long gave a season of NFL checks to charity

The Eagles defensive end’s career is football, but he won't let it be his legacy.

Chris Long looks up from his phone in time to see the stoplight change from yellow to red. He slams on the brakes of his Toyota FJ Cruiser and apologizes; he’s trying to follow his GPS while looking for an Instagram video he filmed with a drone at his farm in Virginia. It’s a bird’s eye view of him and a few childhood friends blowing up a Darth Vader doll stuffed with colored powder and Tannerite, an explosive target used in rifle practice.

Long, a defensive end for the Philadelphia Eagles, is driving to the Mariana Bracetti Academy Charter School in North Philly to speak to high schoolers. Earlier this morning, he announced that he and his wife Megan are donating his last 10 game checks to three different organizations devoted to educational equality in the three cities in which he’s played football. He’s calling his new initiative “Pledge 10 for Tomorrow,” encouraging fans to give what they can, and he’ll donate an extra $50,000 to the city with the most donations.

“Ah, here it is!” he says, finding the video. “I know Tannerite isn’t good, but how cool does this look?”

He hands me his phone. It looks very cool, mesmerizing even. Long has set the video to a song by My Morning Jacket, and the soaring chords match the brilliant bursts of teals, greens, and pinks that billow out against a white blanket of snow.

“One of my buddies from high school who I do this stuff with just had a kid,” Long says, taking his phone back. “I hope it doesn’t mean he’ll stop doing dumb shit like this with me.”

I remind Long, who is 32, that he has a kid, and that having children hasn’t stopped him, nor generations of men before him, from doing dumb shit.

“Yeah, I guess you’re right,” he says, and smiles.

Long starts telling me about the other dumb shit he does. He regularly runs out of gas. He's had the car we’re in for two years and hasn't registered it. He lost his birth certificate a while ago. He was so obsessed with the movie Drive that he bought himself a ‘96 Chevy Impala, then totaled it listening to the soundtrack a day later. (He owned a replica of the scorpion jacket Gosling wore, too, but gave it to Goodwill after the crash because “the dream had died.”) Last year, he listed his former Patriots teammate Danny Amendola’s number on a fake Craigslist ad for a Suzuki Spider, then watched a bewildered Amendola field calls from people looking to buy his nonexistent motorcycle. He and William Hayes, who’s on the Dolphins now but played with Long on the Rams, once filled a teammates’ car with packing peanuts and crickets. The crickets died and it smelled terrible.

“I am incapable of not being a regular fucking moron,” Long says, laughing.

He misses the turn for the high school. He whips the car around, finds the entrance, parks, and walks by a few vans belonging to local news crews and NFL Films. The league is filming the event for some series about Players Doing Good Stuff.

This fall is the first time Long has so overtly publicized his charitable work. He founded WaterBoys in 2014 after he climbed Kilimanjaro with his then-teammate James Hall. So far the organization has funded 26 wells — 22 of which have been built in East Africa — that serve 7,000 people each. With former NFL player and Green Beret Nate Boyer, Long also leads trips of veterans up Kilimanjaro. He then founded the Chris Long Foundation in 2015.

Following the Unite the Right rally in his hometown of Charlottesville, Va., he was moved to put his arm around his teammate Malcolm Jenkins when Jenkins raised his fist during the national anthem before a preseason game. Long has continued to do so through the season, and yesterday, he and Jenkins were two of 12 players at the NFL owners fall meetings to discuss the protests. In a week, they will spend their day off after the Eagles’ Monday Night Football game against Washington at the Pennsylvania State Capitol advocating for criminal justice reform.

After his symbolic gesture, Long felt he had to publicly do something concrete. In September, he gave his first six checks to fund two scholarships at St. Anne’s-Belfield, the private high school he went to in Charlottesville (even though he and Megan had quietly funded two already, and those kids are about to head off to college). But he wanted do something “more macro,” so now he’s giving away his last 10 checks, too, forgoing an entire season’s salary. He also created the matching campaign on social media because he thinks a lot of people truly do want to help, they just don't know how. Give them a link and a pre-vetted charity, turn it into a competition, and boom: you’re raising hundreds of thousands of dollars. (As of publication, Long has raised over $205,000.)

Inside the high school, Sylvia Watts McKinney, the director of Summer Search, one of the programs Long is supporting, introduces him to the group of kids he’ll be speaking to. She reads a passage from Ralph Ellison’s essay What These Children Are Like.

“If you can show me how I can cling to that which is real to me, while teaching me a way into the larger society, then I will not only drop my defenses and my hostility, but I will sing your praises and help you to make the desert bear fruit.”

“A little bit about me,” Long says, after he thanks McKinney and takes the mic. “I’m a football player. I spent eight years in St. Louis, and we never won more than seven games in a season, which is really bad, for anyone who follows football. It was a rough time.”

He’s not using any notes, and sounds far more natural than he did recording a Pledge 10 PSA from a teleprompter this morning at the Eagles facility. The students, very few of whom are white, seem skeptical at first, but they warm up as Long tells them how the Rams never made the playoffs, how he was injured in 2014, how he was released in 2015, how he went to New England and won a Super Bowl. He thinks he can do that here with the Eagles. A few kids whoop.

Long, back row, with students from North Philly’s Mariana Bracetti Academy Charter School.

“For me as a student growing up,” Long says, switching gears, “I had everything I could ask for. Every resource was at my disposal. I went to a private school, I had tutoring, all those mentoring opportunities I needed, but I still struggled in school. I wasn’t a great student, but I also think I took it for granted. And that is something I really regret.”

Long did, and does, have everything. He’s the son of Diane and Howie Long. Howie was a famous NFL player, actor, and is now an analyst. Football is the reason Long — and his brother Kyle, who plays for the Bears, and Howie Jr., who works in player personnel for the Raiders — grew up rich and is the thing that has made him richer. It’s afforded him over 311,000 Twitter followers, given him a platform. Which, right now, he’s using to tell kids that they should value people the way people value retweets or likes on Instagram. This makes them laugh.

Then he lets it rip.

“Life is short,” he says. “Live it with joy. I really think that the biggest thing I could leave you with today is to take pleasure in the work that you do, whether in classroom or community, and enjoy it. Be that contagious light that spreads energy to other people. Great people make other people feel they can be great, too. We talk about this in the locker room as football players and leaders, how you want everyone around you to feel like they can be great for having played with you, sat in a classroom with you, been a friend of yours. Through your loyalty, your excitement, and for who you are. Be contagious in your energy.”

It’s Wednesday around noon, five hours before the event at the high school, and Long is walking into the Whole Foods next to the apartment he and Megan are renting in Philly. It’s 75 degrees out, but he’s decided it’s fall, so he’s wearing socks with Birkenstocks, thick sweatpants, a long sleeve wool shirt, and a Carhart vest.

“I call his style, ‘rich hobo,’” Green Bay Packers tight end Martellus Bennett will tell me on the phone a few days later. He played with Long in New England and the two became very close. Bennett describes their connection as “cerebral.”

“He’d walk into the locker room and I’d be like, ‘Nice jacket, but those sweats are trash, and those Birks gotta go,’” Bennett says. “But he has to wear socks because his toes are gross. I love his style, he always makes me feel okay to dress the way I dress. We both just didn’t care. He’s like a rich bum. Just look at him.”

The rich bum is currently looking at a wall of healthy-looking drinks. He picks up a Maple Water and puts it in his basket. I ask what Maple Water is. He’s not totally sure, but it’s probably just water with maple in it, and he says it’s good. I ask if he worries about getting recognized when he goes out in public.

“Nah,” he says. “I haven’t been in Philly long enough. And the great thing about being a football player is you don’t get a ton of facetime. You always have a helmet on.”

Long also grew up around fame. It’s not something new he’s had to adjust to.

“It’s too hot for the hot bar,” he says, waving his hand in the direction of the steam trays of chicken and tofu.

He then proceeds to wander up and down each aisle. I lose him at one point, which is hard to do, because he’s 6’3” and weighs 276 pounds. His arms are the size of a normal human’s neck. He has wide eyes, a square jaw, and broad, decisive shoulders. He could pass for a Viking, if Vikings had tattoos that said VIRGINIA; he has a full sleeve on one arm and a half on the other that will soon become full. Tattoos, he says, are addicting.

“He shows us as black players in the NFL that he gets it. He’s not turning a blind eye.” — Martellus Bennett

Long scoops some peanuts and raisins out of a bulk bin. If he occasionally acts like a teenager, he consistently eats like one (or at least a somewhat health conscious one). Over the next three hours, I’ll watch him eat a bowl of cereal, a protein bar, a piece of Ezekiel bread with peanut butter, a chicken breast, an entire bag of trail mix, a grapefruit, more trail mix, all of these peanuts and raisins, and another protein bar.

“He’s a total meat,” Diane will say about her son when I call her tomorrow. Long credits his parents — who’ve been involved with the Boys and Girls Club of Charlottesville for a long time — for teaching him and his brothers the importance of giving back.

“Did he clean his truck when you were there?” Diane asks.

I tell her I don’t know if he cleaned it, but that it was very neat.

“I'll tell you what,” she says. “That’s probably the one inauthentic thing you saw about him. Because usually, when you get in that truck, there’s piles of clothing and paperwork. He looks like he lives out of his car. He probably cleaned it for you.”

About an hour after the Whole Foods excursion, Long is sitting in a plush room off of the lobby of his apartment. He just called in to Ryan Russillo’s radio show, and we can’t go back upstairs because Megan doesn’t want us to wake their 18-month-old son, Waylon. We have to get out of this room, though, because the sun is beating directly in and Long is sweating through his wool shirt.

“You wanna play pool?” Long asks.

I say sure, so we head to the lobby, where there’s a pool table that no one ever uses. We’re playing best of five. Long breaks, then sinks the eight ball a few turns later. I win. I somehow manage to win the next game, too, on my own merit, which shocks both of us.

Suddenly, he realizes there's a chance he could actually lose this thing. His eyes narrow and he starts enforcing obscure rules. He wants to raise the stakes, so we bet that I have to publicize who loses in this article.

Long was the No. 2 draft pick out of UVA and a fierce competitor during his six “miserable” seasons with the Rams. He was, at one point, one of the best defensive ends in the league, but the team consistently sucked, and he suffered back-to-back, season-ending injuries in 2014 and 2015. When then-Rams coach Jeff Fisher released him, Long reached out to Bill Belichick and the Patriots. New England wasn’t the perfect schematic fit for Long in terms of defense, but he just wanted to win, so Belichick said he’d find something for him to do.

Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images

Chris Long won a Super Bowl during his one season with the New England Patriots.

Last season wasn’t ideal from an individual standpoint — he was only on the field for 65 percent of the snaps — but it culminated in a remarkable Super Bowl win. And it gave him some of his closest friends; he still talks often to Bennett, Devin McCourty, Julian Edelman, and Rob Ninkovich often. That team had something special.

Still, he can’t get rid of the devil on his shoulder whispering that he wasted his prime with St. Louis, a team that was once a single fake punt away from going 0-16. He decided not to resign with the Pats because, while a championship was nice, he’s still acutely aware that he won as a role player. He loved team success, but his individual ambition was still unfulfilled.

“My career’s been all over the map, and I think players struggle with what’s their legacy,” Long says. “I haven’t been a superstar, but you can still think about your average-ass legacy. What’s kept me in the game is trying to leave on my terms. This has probably happened to so many players, and I probably won’t be able to accomplish it. But I want to leave playing at a high level. And using the game. I don’t want to let the game use me.”

Long felt that the Eagle’s defense was a better fit for him, and his intuition that they’d exceed expectations has turned out to be correct. With only one loss, Philadelphia has the best record in the league as of Week 7. And while he isn’t on the field more than he was in New England — he’s playing just 45% of snaps this year — he has two sacks so far and seems happy with his role. He also knows that as an active player, he has a bigger platform to raise money and speak out than he would if he retired.

Long sinks a shot, rubs his arm. He’s still sore from the Thursday game against the Panthers, which was almost a week ago. When he was recovering from surgery in 2014, he’d sit on the sidelines and watch huge guys crash into each other, thinking, I do this? He hasn’t been diagnosed with any concussions, but he worries about how CTE manifests itself. He also knows it’s too late to reverse any damage.

“And what’s me taking a knee in response to Trump? That’s not what this is about. He can’t make me kneel or stand.” — Chris Long

“Something I worry about more than that is the void that football will leave when I’m done playing,” he says. “You’ve been doing something your whole life, and then it’s over. You’re approaching your middle age. My friends back home have settled in. When I stop playing, I’m going to be the one who’s like, I don’t know what the hell I’m doing.”

Long wins the fourth game to tie us up, 2-2. He keeps getting interrupted by the phone calls, FaceTimes, and texts from other players (including one from Edelman that just says “so tight”) as Pledge 10 gains traction.

“I think he’s one of the most genuine guys you could be around, especially off the field,” Hayes tells me. “Ninety percent of the guys you play football with, you don’t talk to after that. Chris and I haven’t played together the last couple years, but we’ve never left each other. He was my partner in crime when it came to pranks, and we both love competition. I tried to push him every day, and he did the same for me. He’s more of a brother than even a friend.”

Long breaks to start the fifth game, then goes on a roll, putting away most of his stripes for an early lead. He eyes up the cue ball, aiming for the striped No. 10, but he judges the angle wrong and sinks the eight ball again. I win.

We go back up to Long’s apartment after playing pool. Waylon has woken up, and is very busy putting wooden pieces of mail into his wooden toy mailbox. He’s a spunky kid with a mullet, which Long thinks is hilarious (he called him a young Mike Gundy on Instagram, in reference to the mulleted head coach of Oklahoma State). Megan gives Long a hard time for losing to me while she gets ready to take Waylon to the park.

Nicole Woodie, who used to run community outreach for the Rams until Long hired her to run his foundation, showed up at the apartment a few minutes ago. She sits on the couch replying to emails. Media requests have been pouring in since Pledge 10 went live.

“Someone from The Ellen Show just emailed me,” Long says, sprawled out on the coach and overflowing onto the ottoman. “They want me to come on. I’m gonna tell them no.”

“Chris, are you crazy?!” Woodie says. “You can’t turn down Ellen! Think of the moms!”

“Hmm,” Long says. “I don’t know. Would we reach people we wouldn’t reach through the sports media stuff we’re already doing?”

“Yes!” Woodie practically cries. “It's a totally different demographic! And Ellen usually does something like gives a big check. Come on, you have to do this.”

Long reluctantly agrees.

“His thing is that he’s not trying to bring attention to himself,” Bennett tells me. “He's trying to bring attention to the cause. That's noble, because a lot of people try to make it about themselves. He's trying to spread a message. He’s like, ‘Nah, I’m a part of this fight, but these [black players] are the generals. He wants to put the generals out there, guys who are more adept to talking publicly about it instead of himself."

I’ve watched Long try to do this all day. The Eagles’ PR guy asked Long this morning if he’d do SportsCenter before the upcoming Monday Night Football game against Washington.

“Nope. Put Malcolm on,” Long told him. “Put Malc up there. He’s doing great stuff in Philly.”

On Monday night, SportsCenter will run a short segment on Long anyway. But they will have to use old footage, random photos they dug up, and quotes from one of Long’s statements.

“How do you support guys like Malcolm without hijacking the situation?” Long wonders. “And then how do you interject your opinion without making it seem like you know these issues better than the people dealing with them? That’s a thin line you gotta walk.”

Bennett thinks Long is managing to walk it.

"You go through the league,” Bennett says, “and not many white players are actually saying things like Chris does. When he does, it goes bigger than just a black player saying it. He shows us as black players in the NFL that he gets it. He’s not turning a blind eye. When white players stay quiet, I’m like, I know you see the struggle, I know you see what’s going on. You play with me. We're examples of how people can get along and come from different backgrounds to work toward the same common goal. But when I speak on things that matter like this, and you turn your head, it’s like you think you can wash it away.

“Chris has always been real about it,” Bennett continues. “We'll have a conversation if he doesn’t understand something. That’s a powerful thing. And now he’s donating all of his salary to equality education? It's just like, what?!?"

Hayes appreciates Long’s involvement, too.

“When he put his hand on Malcolm’s shoulder, it showed a lot,” he says. “That one little thing he did. He knew that it could possibly cause a rift or cause a lot of conversation, but Chris, he knows what’s right, and what feels right. And he’s gotta stand up for it.”

Photo by Rich Schultz/Getty Images

Eagles defensive end Chris Long embraces teammate Malcolm Jenkins on October 8, 2017, during the National Anthem.

Long hates that Trump has made the method of protest the point of contention. He thinks the national anthem is the most effective way players can draw attention to social injustice in their communities, but he’s never felt comfortable taking a knee because of the work he’s done with veterans. After Trump said that team owners should fire any player who kneels, a lot of people tweeted at Long telling him it was now his duty to do so.

“A lot of people use the knee as though it were some barometer for how much you care about these issues,” Long says. “I could take a knee and not do a thing off the field — and I’m not alluding to anybody doing this, I’m just saying — and it would be worthless. And what’s me taking a knee in response to Trump? That’s not what this is about. He can’t make me kneel or stand.”

Long picks up Waylon and gives him a raspberry on his stomach, then goes to find a shirt that doesn’t have a picture of the band The Highwaymen on it. He comes back out wearing a corduroy button-down that Megan bought him yesterday. He almost walks out the door with the tag still on.

On Wednesday night, after his speech, Long spends time with the Summer Search kids in the cafeteria. He takes pictures, posts a video to his Instagram story, and then does the requisite press conference before thanking McKinney, the director of the program. On the drive home, he talks about how jazzed he is that he got to meet some kids his donations will benefit.

“Before somebody’s president, or a hero in society, or somebody who invents something, they were sitting in a classroom,” he says. “You have no fucking clue who that person’s gonna be, who sets that whole thing in motion that alters the path of a city. Programs like this tell kids, ‘You matter. You fuckin’ matter, man.’”

I ask Long if he liked high school, and instead of answering, he asks me if I liked high school. He keeps flipping the script like this — who would I profile if I could pick five people to write about? What’s been my biggest mistake in an article? What’s been my most disastrous tweet? (All of them, I tell him.) He might be testing the waters; he’s mentioned that he might want to have a podcast, or try writing, once he retires.

He’d be good at getting people to talk; I’m five minutes into a story about the time I almost got suspended before I remember he's supposed to be telling me things like this. I ask him the question again.

No, he says after a beat, he didn’t especially like high school. He thinks he squandered it. He loves his friends from Charlottesville, but he wonders what his life would’ve been like if he hadn't gone to college in the same town he grew up in. He’s grateful for football, but wonders what it would’ve been like to find a passion off the field, something that didn't require Toradol shots to the ankle. That wouldn’t be over before he’s 35. That he’d be sure could fill the void. He never graduated from UVA and still wants to get his degree. He wishes he could've lived two different lives at once.

“I don’t know if you were like this,” he says quietly, staring ahead. “But when I turned 18, I got so sad. I was like, man, I just want it all to slow down. I kept thinking how I’d be 30 soon, how we're running out of time. I’m always thinking 12 years ahead.”

Long is motivated by an adolescent invincibility and stubbornness, but guided by an old soul’s understanding that life is short. He’s at once the teenager still doing “dumb shit,” and a grown man looking 12, 20, 50 years into the future.

It’s this duality that allows him to believe two things can be true at once. He's convinced he can still have his best season yet, but knows time is working against him. He knows about the risks of CTE and the fragility of bones and tendons, but puts his brain and joints on the line each week. He’s squirmy in the spotlight, but knows he needs it to make the biggest difference he can.

“You’re looking to catch him in the lie. And you won’t. It’s just like, why bother?” — Scott Van Pelt

The path of least resistance for Long would’ve been to retire after winning a Super Bowl and shut the hell up. Instead, he signed with a new team and dove into the thorniest political issues facing the league. And now he's doing it for free, at potentially huge physical cost.

“Charity is one of the coolest parts of being a football player,” Long had said on night before the launch of Pledge 10. “I’m really not bullshitting you, I really do care about what we do. I would totally resent the idea that I just do this shit for no reason.”

He sounded desperate to make me believe him; I could almost see his brain spinning. I asked him if he’s ever anxious.

“Yeah,” he said. “I am. And I’m trying to control the narrative in a positive way. I want to make sure I’m not misunderstood. I hate being misunderstood.”

Long has this recurring dream where he’s going to jail for life. Because no matter how hard he tries, the narrative is out of his control. Thanks to social media, he hears people who accuse him of having a white savior complex, or of being an entitled millionaire trying to stay relevant. He can see when people call him a libtard, a snowflake, unpatriotic, tell him to stick to sports. It drives him nuts when people insult his intelligence, and it’s the reason he fires back — the way he did when people criticized him for not going to the White House after the Super Bowl. Or the way he will in a few days when a conservative columnist (whose recent columns include “Hollywood has too little masculinity, not too much”) for the Bucks County Courier Times writes that Long “is a good example of the odious trend of virtue signaling.”

There will always be naysayers, so what can he do? Find a place — both on and off the field — where he can be useful, try his hardest to do what he believes is the right thing, and hope to cement a legacy he’s proud of.

“You can’t believe this guy is as good as he is,” ESPN’s Scott Van Pelt says. He’s admires Long and gave $10,000 to Pledge 10. “You’re looking for reasons for him not to be great, or good, or with his heart in the right place. You’re looking to catch him in the lie. And you won’t. It’s just like, why bother? Why not just accept that this is someone whose heart really is where it appears to be, and just be happy that exists? As opposed to trying to figure out how, or being an accountant for ways he could better. What a waste of time.”

Long’s mother says something similar.

“It almost sounds like a Disney movie,” Diane tells me. “It’s like he’s a weird, dark Disney movie. Dark because the subjects are more serious, but really, he’s just a good soul trying to do good.”

Having successfully navigated back from the high school, Long pulls up to the parking garage of his building and turns his car off in the middle of the road. I’m confused at first, but then realize the fob that opens the gate is attached to his keys. Which means he has to take them out of the ignition. He does, then waves them in front of the security pad to open the door.

“Chris,” I say, “There’s gotta be an easier way to do this.”

“Yeah,” he says grinning. “I know.”

Then he puts the key in the ignition, turns the car back on, and floors it up the ramp.

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