#The Last Jedi FAQs | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

toschestationserver · 8 months

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TOSCHE STATION FIC EXCHANGE CLAIMING

In order to claim, please email [email protected]. First come, first serve. You can also DM us on Twitter over at @toscheserver or you can send us an ask here on Tumblr.

There is one slot for a writer and one for an artist.

Each individual may claim a prompt once. If any prompts remain open when claims have closed you may apply to be a pinch-hitter. Furthermore, you may only take on a second prompt if you've completed the first prompt.

You may begin claiming now. Claims will close at 11:59 PM BST on September 27th.

For a full list of rules, please click here.

We also have a FAQ here.

FULLY CLAIMED

Prompt: Finn teaching Poe how to use a lightsaber

Prompter age: 18+

Rating of fic preferred: General audiences

Comfortable with NSFW content: Yes

I particularly enjoy: Bickering

Deal-breakers: N/A

Claimed by a writer: Yes

Claimed by an artist: YEs

2. Prompt: Post-TROS, Rey sets up a home on the most lush-green planet she has ever seen.

Prompter age: 18+

Rating of fic preferred: Teen and up audiences

Comfortable with NSFW content: No

I particularly enjoy: Fluff! Quaint slice-of-life type stories.

Deal-breakers: Cross-overs with another universe

Claimed by a writer: Yes

Claimed by an artist: No

3. Prompt: First interactions of Mace & Depa/how he became her master

Prompter age: Younger than 18

Rating of fic preferred: General Audiences (G): Suitable for all ages. Contains little to no disturbing, violent or sexual content, and no or mild bad language., Teen and Up Audiences (T): Suitable for those aged 13+.

Comfortable with NSFW content: No

I particularly enjoy: Queers (canon or hc), shatterpoint lineage, high republic, angst

Deal-breakers: One-sided jedi characterization, modern au

Claimed by a writer: No

Claimed by an artist: No

4. Prompt: After an exciting day where Luke was offered by multiple Knights/Masters to be their padawan, Luke has chosen. Luke experiences his first night as Mace Windu's Padawan in the Old Order. (The Jedi Order never fell and Palpatine is just dead for some reason, nobody cares about him)

Prompter age: 18+

Comfortable with NSFW: Yes

I particularly enjoy: Overpowered Luke Skywalker, Master-Padawan Fluff

Deal-breakers: Jedi Bashing, Luke Bashing

Claimed by a writer: No

Claimed by an artist: No

5. Prompt: a character switches to the other side of the conflict they are in (ie. a nihil alles with the republic, an imperial defects to the rebellion, a loyalist becomes a separtist)

Prompter age: 18+

Rating of fic preferred: General audiences

Comfortable with NSFW content: Yes

I particularly enjoy: imperial defectors, mon mothma/tay kolma, the high republic (yes, all of it), anything to do with mon mothma ever

Deal-breakers: i will read literally anything so long as it is tagged properly

Claimed by a writer: No

Claimed by an artist: No

Prompt: Spot has been defeated. Due to extensive multiversal traveling because of cleaning up the last of the Spot’s shenanigans, Miguel O'Hara ends up in the GFFA and meets (Living Legend) Luke Skywalker. Miguel is immediately smitten and feels very hopeful in finally opening up to someone in a romantic interest again, something that Luke also shares 💖💖

Prompter age: 18+

Rating of fic preferred: Mature (M): Suitable for those aged 18+. ..., Explicit (E): Only suitable for adults.

Comfortable with NSFW content: Yes

I particularly enjoy: Miguel being absolutely down bad for Luke, please. Feminine AFAB he/him Luke, if you can 💖💖

Deal-breakers: No gore, No Anti-Jedi bs, No Miguel being unnecessarily mean to Luke or treating him like a “Well, why not?” side chick, and top Miguel/bottom Luke preferable please.

Claimed by a writer: No

Claimed by an artist: No

Prompt: Han and Leia take little Ben to visit his grandparents (Ani n padmé) for the first time, both are a little nervous but everybody has a good time

Prompter age: 18+

Comfortable with NSFW content: Yes

I particularly enjoy: Alternative universe Modern day Au’s but cannonverse is cool too !

Deal-breakers: I’m not sure I have any? Not including Luke? He’s gotta be there too bc family

Claimed by a writer: No

Claimed by an artist: No

8. Prompt: "The stars have never looked so bright." Character views the world in a different (better) way when they embark on a new path.

Prompter age: 18+

Rating of fic preferred: General Audiences (G): Suitable for all ages. Contains little to no disturbing, violent or sexual content, and no or mild bad language.

Comfortable with NSFW: No

I particularly enjoy: Redemption

Deal-breakers: 1. Y/N 2. Whump 3. Excessive violence 4. 1st person

Claimed by a writer: Yes

Claimed by an artist: No

Prompt: Chewbacca takes Han to Kashyyyk to visit what remains of his tribe and family. Shenanagins ensue as Han has to navigate the cultural and social barriers set up as a human among wookiees.

Prompter age: 18+

Comfortable with NSFW: No

I particularly enjoy: Han adopting Chewie's mannerisms and body language as a result of living with him; any references to the Holiday Special (The Bacca household basically just being a '70s house cracks me up)

Deal-breakers: Chewie and other wookiees being treated like animals or pets, Han being written as an overly insensitive asshole, Han bashing in general

Claimed by a writer: No

Claimed by an artist: No

10.

Prompt: Each member of the Ghost crew's new beginnings with the crew... so perhaps flashbacks to Kanan's first mission with Hera, Kanan meeting Zeb, Sabine meeting them, etc...

Prompter age: 18+

Rating of fic preferred: Teen and Up Audiences (T): Suitable for those aged 13+. ...

Comfortable with NSFW: No

I particularly enjoy: soft found family themes, kanan pining for hera, different perspectives

Deal-breakers: anything that has to be tagged with ao3 content warnings

Claimed by a writer: No

Claimed by an artist: No

11. Prompt: Scenes from Anakin and Obi-Wan early on in Anakin's training...Obi-Wan just out of the Trials, his master dead, and a little boy he has to take care of, and Anakin's struggles

Prompter age: 18+

Rating of fic preferred: Teen and Up Audiences (T): Suitable for those aged 13+.

Comfortable with NSFW: No

I particularly enjoy: mentions of Qui-Gon, fluff and light angst, obi wan and anakin being silly

Deal-breakers: NO obikin or lead up to it or anything

Claimed by a writer: No

Claimed by an artist: No

12. FULLY CLAIMED

Prompt: Hera finds Leia alone on Home One in caged-off disquiet in the wake of Alderaan's destruction and the victory over Yavin 4. Family is a sensitive subject for the two of them, but for different reasons too.

Prompter age: 18+

Comfortable with NSFW: No

I particularly enjoy: Leia's connection to her parents and home on Alderaan being contrasted with the strain and disconnect Hera feels for Cham and Ryloth; acknowledgements of Leia's appearance in s2 of SWR

Deal-breakers: Han/Leia being portrayed as a toxic relationship, "Space Mom" being Hera's only defining personality trait, Jacen Syndulla's existence (sorry)

Claimed by a writer: Yes

Claimed by an artist: Yes

13.

Prompt: A brutal ending for a soft beginning

Prompter age: 18+

Comfortable with NSFW: Yes

I particularly enjoy: Angst, can be Hurt/Comfort or No Comfort i prefer Anakin/Vader-centric or Luke-centric

Deal-breakers: If NSFW : Public Sex, Public Humiliation

Claimed by a writer: No

Claimed by an artist: No

14.

Prompt: Sometimes, new beginnings aren't for the best, even when you truly believe that it is

Prompter age: 18+

Comfortable with NSFW: Yes

I particularly enjoy: Angst, can be Hurt/Comfort or No Comfort, prefer Anakin-centric (or Vader-centric) or Luke-centric

Deal-breakers: If NSFW : Public Sex, Public Humiliation

Claimed by a writer: No

Claimed by an artist: No

15.

Prompt: Moving to a new home and starting to bond with the community

Prompter age: 18+

Comfortable with NSFW: Yes

I particularly enjoy: Found family

Deal-breakers: Non con, incest, underage relationships with adult, fantasy racism, homophobia, transphobia

Claimed by a writer: No

Claimed by an artist: No

16.

Prompt: Rey, Rose, Finn and Poe building a life together after the fall of the First Order; can be a (queer-)platonic situation or a ReyRose & FinnPoe one

Prompter age: 18+

Comfortable with NSFW: Yes

I particularly enjoy: (domestic) fluff, hand kisses, Jedi!Finn, found family, trans and/or genderqueer characters, Rey & Finn sibling dynamic, low-stakes action/adventure, mild wlw mlm hostilities

Deal-breakers: all archive warnings, cancer, podfic,

Claimed by a writer: No

Claimed by an artist: No

17.

Prompt: Finn/Poe pivotal relationship moment (e.g., declaration of love, proposal, wedding) in the style of the Elizabeth Swann/Will Turner wedding in Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End (i.e., big relationship milestone in the heat of battle) - movie scene for reference - https://youtu.be/EGE1Y_RwhPA

Prompter age: 18+

Rating of fic preferred: Mature (M): Suitable for those aged 18+. ..., Explicit (E): Only suitable for adults.

Comfortable with NSFW: Yes

I particularly enjoy: angst, SW-universe

Deal-breakers: reylo

Claimed by a writer: No

Claimed by an artist: No

18.

Prompt: Rogue One survives AU. Luke is fascinated by Chirrut and views him as a source of answers to all his questions about the Force. But the wounds of Obi Wan’s death are still fresh, and he’s left with conflicting loyalties between his old teacher and a potential new one.

Prompter age: 18+

Comfortable with NSFW: No

I particularly enjoy: Chirrut/Baze, The exploration of faiths other than the Jedi, Rogue One and the Golden Trio becoming something of a “blended unit”

Deal-breakers: TBH I’m not sure what problems would arise from this aside from Luke maybe being portrayed as too naive. Other than that go nuts

Claimed by a writer: Yes

Claimed by an artist: No

19.

Prompt: Through some Force juju, General Anakin Skywalker and Commander Luke Skywalker switched places during the height of their wars. They now have to lead their new troops to victory, with Luke literally building a new beginning with all that he knows from his era, and Anakin forging a new end. Luke faces everything that was lost to him (the Jedi Order, his mother, a Republic - no matter how flawed), and Anakin faces the monster he becomes.

Prompter age: 18+

Comfortable with NSFW: Yes

I particularly enjoy: Overpowered and highly competent Luke Skywalker, Luke-clones fluff, Luke-Jedi Order fluff, everybody loves Luke Skywalker tbh

Deal-breakers: Anti Jedi rhetoric, Luke bashing, babying Anakin

Claimed by a writer: No

Claimed by an artist: No

20.

Prompt: Han and Luke do some surveying around Echo Base. Trouble is, Luke’s first encounter with ice made the task a bit difficult. Han wished he had a holocam to capture some of his scrambling.

Prompter age: 18+

Comfortable with NSFW: No

I particularly enjoy: Banter. Lots of banter.

Deal-breakers: Skysolo (No hate if you ship, I just really like platonic bonding), treating Luke’s inexperience with other climates as stupidity

Claimed by a writer: Yes

Claimed by an artist: No

21.

Prompt: Luke in the early days of the rebellion

Prompter age: 18+

Rating of fic preferred: Teen and Up Audiences (T): Suitable for those aged 13+. ...

Comfortable with NSFW: No

I particularly enjoy: Aunt Beru <3, Han and Luke (as friends), OT trio hurt & comfort, Luke and Biggs (as friends)

Deal-breakers: People acting like Owen Lars was a good father figure and minimising the fact he was abusive, people acting like Luke was a perfect guy, but also I hate Luke bashing. Nuance please!

Claimed by a writer: No

Claimed by an artist: No

22.

Prompt: Luke trying to be a teacher for the first time despite not having had a model teacher himself (Owen was an abusive ass, Ben died soon after they left Tatooine, and ESB Yoda was ESB Yoda.) Particularly his relationship with Ben Solo.

Prompter age: 18+

Rating of fic preferred: Teen and up

Comfortable with NSFW: Yes

I particularly enjoy: Angst, Han and Luke (as friends), OT trio hurt & comfort

Deal-breakers: People acting like Owen Lars was a good father figure and minimising the fact he was abusive, people acting like Luke was a perfect guy but also I hate Luke bashing. Nuance please!

Claimed by a writer: No

Claimed by an artist: No

NSFW PROMPTS BELOW THE CUT OFF POINT - DO NOT SCROLL DOWN IF YOU DO NOT WANT TO SEE NSFW PROMPTS

NSFW PROMPTS

23. Prompt: Former Senior Padawan Luke (Trans/Genderqueer) is pregnant and has to adjust to a new life outside of the Jedi Order after he left his training. He decided to have his child in Naboo with his family, the Naberries. He's adamant not to reveal the father of his child (your choice how to resolve or why - either it was complicated or it was a Mamma Mia AU and he doesn't know who the father is among Boba, Din, and Paz lol)

Prompter age: 18+

Rating of fic preferred: Mature (M): Suitable for those aged 18+. ..., Explicit (E): Only suitable for adults.

Comfortable with NSFW: Yes

I particularly enjoy: Dinluke/Bobaluke/Pazluke or Luke Harem, Humor, Breeding Kink, Smart and Competent Luke, Besotted Mandalorian lover, marriage proposals

Deal-breakers: Jedi/Luke Bashing, OOC Luke (you know), Bottom Mandalorian/Top Luke, Bobadin/BobaPaz/Pazdin

Claimed by a writer: No

Claimed by an artist: No

24. Prompt: Din Djarin and his son Grogu (human or alien) is on the run from a dark past and bad guys. They seek sanctuary from (Trans/Genderqueer) Jedi Luke Skywalker who keeps them safe and gives them a new life in his Temple. Din and Luke quickly realize they have an undeniable attraction to each other and acts on it, but Din wants more than just a casual relationship.

Prompter age: 18+

Rating of fic preferred: Mature (M): Suitable for those aged 18+. ..., Explicit (E): Only suitable for adults.

Comfortable with NSFW: Yes

I particularly enjoy: Mommy Luke, Besotted Din Djarin, Overpowered Luke Skywalker, Dirty Smut lol go ham!!

Deal-breakers: Bobadin, Bottom Din/Top Luke, Thinking Love equals Attachment, Jedi/Luke Bashing

Claimed by a writer: No

Claimed by an artist: No

25. Prompt: Boba Fett and Trans/Genderqueer Luke Skywalker (or Luke Fett ?) prepare for their first baby. Boba is an excited father-to-be. (Can be AU.)

Prompter age: 18+

Rating of fic preferred: Mature (M): Suitable for those aged 18+. Explicit (E): Only suitable for adults.

Comfortable with NSFW content: Yes

I particularly enjoy: Obsessive/Besotted Boba Fett, breeding kink, Trans pregnancy, Mommy Luke

Deal-breakers: Anti Jedi Writer/Jedi Bashing (in-character sentiments are understandable to an extent- seeing it's Boba), Bobadin, Bottom Boba/Top Luke, Luke Bashing

Claimed by a writer: No

Claimed by an artist: No

26.

Prompt: the clones after the war in a no Order 66 AU suddenly finding themselves at the beginning of the rest of their lives; I love all clones (including the Bad Batch), take your pick; clone ships I like are Codywan, Rexwalker/Rexanidala, Quinfox

Prompter age: 18+

Comfortable with NSFW: Yes

I particularly enjoy: (domestic) fluff, found family, trans and/or genderqueer characters (including genderfluid/non-binary/etc.!!), clones accidentally acquiring pets, sweet gentle (and maybe a bit kinky) lovemaking

Deal-breakers: all archive warnings, cancer, x reader or x oc ships, podfic

Claimed by a writer: No

Claimed by an artist: No

#fic exchange #tosche station: new beginnings

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codywanwipproject · 1 year

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Event FAQs

Is there a server for the Codywan WIP Project?

Sort of! Jedi & Commander is a Codywan-centric server where we will have a WIP Project specific channel so everyone can chat about the event. But if you want to connect with a Codywan community, Jedi & Commander is the one associated with this event.

What kind of event is this?

This particular event is centered around Cody & Obi-Wan and encourages people to complete any unfinished Codywan work they might have hanging around on their cloud or harddrive. The goal is to reveal all posted creations on Halloween to give the fandom a bit of a guaranteed Treat.

Wait, what happened to CodyWan AU Fest?!

We’ll be back next year! This event is to encourage everyone who might have unfinished stories, or half-started stories, or stories in various states from the 3 (!!!) previous AU events to finish them!

What do you define as a WIP?

We define a WIP as any work in progress that has not been posted anywhere else. We have low minimum requirements for a WIP to enter the event and the only true requirement is that we hope you’ll be able to finish your project in the allotted time!

Do I have to sign up?

We are requesting that participants in the WIP Project sign up for the event. We want to be able to encourage all content creators along their journey and to present those who complete their works with completion certificates and banners for their Tumblrs. If you would like to participate in an unofficial capacity, we won’t stop you! You just will not be able to be included in the official AO3 Collection or receive the event bonuses.

I have to drop out.

That’s all right! Please just contact us via Tumblr (or via DIscord if you want to hunt us mods down) so we can remove you from the event. We wish you the best on your WIP journey but we understand that real life happens and support you for prioritizing yourself above a silly fic event. <3

What content is allowed in the WIP Project?

All fanworks are allowed for the WIP Project, so long as: (1) it is Codywan; (2) it is a WIP prior to July 2023; (3) it is completed by the posting period in October. All ratings are allowed, but all content must be rated.

This applies to, but is not limited to:

Fanfic

Fanart

Moodboard

Gifsets/Icons

Poetry

Podfics

Fanmixes

Fanvids or Fanedits

Can you define “Codywan”?

For this Fest we are defining “Codywan” as: (1) a romantic relationship between Commander Cody and Obi-Wan Kenobi; (2) a queer-platonic relationship between Commander Cody and Obi-Wan Kenobi; (3) a sexual relationship between Commander Cody and Obi-Wan Kenobi; (4) a familial relationship between Commander Cody and Obi-Wan Kenobi; (5) a “situationship”/relationship without labels between Commander Cody and Obi-Wan Kenobi – basically, GO NUTS! So long as the content focuses on the relationship (however you want to define it) of Cody and Obi-Wan, it’s good.

Let no one tell you your version of a relationship is not valid!!

How long does my WIP have to be to enter the Project?

The bare minimum for a WIP to enter is as follows:

Fanfic: At least 250 words

Fanart: At least a sketch, black&white

Moodboard: Minimum, three images

Gifsets/Icons: 2 gifs/4 icons

Poetry: A pair of haikus or 8 line minimum

Podfics: 5 minutes in length, with author permission or blanket permission

Fanmixes: at least 5 songs

Fanvids or Fanedits: at least 30 seconds

What’s the difference between posting and revealing?

Similarly to the Codywan AU Fest (which is taking a break this year), we’re asking creators to post their works to the AO3 collection in the last half of October so all creations can be revealed on October 31. That way everyone in the Codywan fandom will be able to have some nice Treats on Halloween!

Can I post outside of the Collection? / Can I post early? / Can I post late?

While we would prefer that everyone post to the Collection to be part of the Event, we understand if people would prefer not to post to the Collection. The Collection will be created when the final prompts go live, so if someone finishes early they can post their creation to the Collection and not have to worry about posting to AO3.

If you would like to post your creation to Tumblr or AO3 before or after October 31, you are welcome to do so. However, as the intention behind this Event is to have a bunch of WIP creations released on Halloween (trick or treat!), it would be hard to include your creation in the Event.

What happens if I don’t finish in time?

We’d still love to see your creation! All WIPs are welcome and valid, even if you don’t get to be part of the official Collection. If you sign up, you’ll still receive the encouragement of the mods and have your fic featured on the Tumblr during the spotlight time frame. We’d love everyone to finish, but we understand that sometimes that’s just not possible.

What tags should I use if I post to Tumblr?

Please use the “#codywanWIP2023” tag! (no spaces, tumblr is mean)

What are the important dates for 2023?

Sign Ups run from July 2 to July 15

Posting will be from October 15-30

Reveal will be on October 31!

Once posted, creators can sit back and wait for the reveal of goodies on Halloween!

#fandom event #*admin

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paulgadzikowski · 1 year

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[Image description: Preview panel for the comic strip at the link. Connix of The Last Jedi is working at a console and speaking with Bill and the Doctor, eyebrows incarnation, of Doctor Who. Connix is saying, "Yes, Doctor?" Bill and the Doctor appear to be suppressing amusement. The Doctor is saying, "The, er. Ahem. The system you lot are escaping from ... this is it? This one, with two planets?" Unfortunately there are not image descriptions at the main Hero of Three Faces site. End description.]

The Hero of Three Faces is fanfiction crossovers, but it’s comic strips with stick figures, but they’re triangles. Preview panel only. Click here for full cartoon. Or see the on-site navigation tutorial. Or see this blog’s FAQ, or my archive tumblog’s FAQ. Cartoons may contain unmarked spoilers. Cartoons linked from Tumblr 10:00 (Central US time) daily are the previous day’s new update and the posts are pinned to the top of this blog. Cartoons linked from Tumblr 22:00 daily are from the archive and the posts are pinned only during annual summer hiatus of new updates.

#star wars #doctor who #fan art #fancomics

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heroofthreefaces · 2 years

Photo

Preview panel only. Click here for full cartoon. Or see the on-site navigation tutorial. Or see this tumblog’s FAQ. Cartoons may contain unmarked spoilers. Cartoons linked at 10:00 Central US are new and are pinned to the top of the blog. Cartoons at 22:00 are from the archive and are only pinned during annual summer hiatus of new cartoons. Thanks for reading.

[Image description: Preview panel for the cartoon at the link. Luke Skywalker and Rey of Star Wars: The Last Jedi stand talking against a seaside landscape. Luke is saying, “Uphill. Both ways.” Unfortunately there are not image descriptions at the main Hero of Three Faces site.]

#star wars #fan art #fancomics

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slonline · 2 years

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Age of rebellion fully operational pdf

It'll be interesting to see whether Revengeance manages to ever get a sequel in the future, with Konami still sitting on the rights to the Metal Gear franchise. Looking online, a number of fans have used the game's 8th anniversary as an opportunity to share their love for Platinum's take on the franchise, commending Revengeance's fun combat, engaging soundtrack, and crazy style. The game released in 2013 and has since generated a strong fanbase, with players hailing it as a fun spin-off entry that made for an entertaining stop-gap between the release of Guns of the Patriots and Metal Gear Solid 5: The Phantom Pain. It made for a far more bombastic Metal Gear experience, with players able to freely cut their way through robots, soldiers, and everything in between. The resulting campaign focuses on Raiden's revenge, as he tears through various enemies in his quest to earn redemption for his defeat.Īlong with the new story, Revengeance completely switched up the series' seminal gameplay, dropping the stealth-focused style of Kojima's Metal Gear Solid series for a fast-paced, brutal, melee hack-and-slash similar to Platinum's other games. RELATED: Metal Gear Solid Movie Casts Solid Snakeįor those who've never played Revengeance,its plot follows Raiden – now fully transformed into a sword-wielding cyborg – four years after the events of Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots. This time around, Raiden is forced to hunt down an organization of ruthless cyborgs after they execute a client he was tasked with protecting and leave him for dead. The game is currently celebrating its 8th birthday today, with fans coming together to appreciate the chaotic, sci-fi hack-and-slash on social media. However, one of its weirdest entries was easily 2013's Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance, a spin-off to the main series developed by Platinum Games that followed Metal Gear Solid 2protagonist Raiden. The games are also unapologetically bizarre, with Hideo Kojima's espionage-focused tales including fourth-wall-breaking psychics, a litany of clones, and matrix-like simulations. (Last Update: November 15, 2021) Content TitleĪdventure Time: The Secret of the Nameless KingdomĪvatar: The Last Airbender – The Burning EarthīIT.The Metal Gear series has had a long lineup of entries since it was first devised back in 1987, spanning from the franchise's original, retro 2D releases to the more recent, and arguably iconic, 3D Metal Gear Solidtitles. Read more about Xbox One Backward Compatibility at Xbox Wire. You can play these games today if you own them on disc or digitally, and the vast majority can be purchased digitally by new players in the Microsoft Store starting later today. We are pleased to announce we were able to bring more than 20+ original Xbox titles to an entire new generation of gamers, including Dead or Alive Ultimate, Star Wars: Jedi Knight II, Star Wars: Starfighter , and Otogi franchises.

We also heard the desire for more original Xbox titles to be added to the catalog.

The entire Skate franchise is now complete with the addition of Skate 2 and playable on both Xbox Series X|S and Xbox One consoles.

The entire Max Payne series and the F.E.A.R. franchise are now playable on Xbox Series X|S and Xbox One consoles for the very first time.

UPDATE (November 15, 2021): Today, we’re excited to add 70+ Xbox 360 and original Xbox games to our backward compatibility catalog in celebration of our 20th anniversary. This includes many of your top requested favorites including: In order to address a number of the questions and concerns I receive about Xbox One Backward Compatibility, I wanted to update my previous post on the topic with an overview of the capability, address some Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) and mention the most important element of Backward Compatibility – the current list of Xbox One Backward Compatibly titles ( Download the list as a .pdf file).įor more details about the graphics setting that enables switching between enhanced or original graphics on Xbox 360 titles enhanced for Xbox One X, click here. Xbox fans have been enjoying the opportunity to play some of their favorite Xbox 360 titles on their Xbox One, with more titles being added regularly to the list of available games.įor a better understanding of how the Xbox One Backward Compatibility program works and how titles are released, listen to this podcast for additional details. Since the release of Xbox One Backward Compatibility with the New Xbox One Experience it has been one of the most popular features included in the update.

#Age of rebellion fully operational pdf

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filligan-universe · 6 years

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Star Wars: The Last Jedi FAQs

Spoilers ahead.

Star Wars: The Last Jedi has undergone some harsh criticisms. While I need another watch to fully form my viewpoint, I came out of the film exhilarated and happy with the direction Rian Johnson had led this franchise into. If Star Wars is to survive, it needs to grow, and growing pains are a fact of life. One of the best defenses of the film is by Jacob Hall on Slashfilm -- the crux of which is that Rian Johnson deliberately set fire to all that we know about Star Wars, burned it down to the ground, and did so as a fan of the series himself. It’s a fascinating take and one I will try to avoid repeating here -- just read the article. Instead, I simply want to answer some frequently asked questions -- or FAQs as the kids call them these days -- to soothe some of the still-lingering rage hangovers some fans have.

Q: Why doesn’t Holdo just tell Poe her plan? She could’ve avoided all of the bad shit that happened! Right?

A: Why would she tell Poe her secret plan to ensure the literal survival of the Resistance? Poe is coming hot off a bombing run where he needlessly cost lives. His arrogance got him demoted by Leia. So explain to me why Holdo is beholden to give her answers to any stir-crazy pilot that’s crisscrossing her bridge, making demands, flailing about dramatically while questioning her ability to lead? Leia’s last conscious act beforehand was to demote Poe, but because we can see an easy way to avoid Poe’s mutiny that means Holdo as a character should? This is a case where fans keep trying to apply logic that we, as an audience, understand but the characters in the context of the film do not. Holdo owes Poe nothing. She derides his recklessness and, almost in punishment, keeps him in the dark. It comes back to bite her, but she has no reason to believe that Poe would be so reckless as to initiate a mutiny, and we can’t expect her to just because we’re on Poe’s side.

Q: Why don’t people just hyperspace kamikaze ALL of their enemies if it’s such a successful, devastating military maneuver?

A: Some questions based on the premise of this question: How do we know this has ever been attempted before? Did Holdo, in her desperation, know what the effect would be, or was she just acting in desperation and hoping for some kind of result? But even if these questions don’t give you pause and you still think the Rebels should’ve been hyperspace-suiciding since the early days of A New Hope, what would possess the Rebels to do that? They’re a small alliance against a hopelessly overwhelming Empire, but they should just be sacrificing valuable people and ships in kamikaze attacks? Sorry, don’t buy it. Holdo’s act was the first we’ve seen of it because it was an act of desperation. She was literally out of options and possessed a ship that was doomed anyway. If the Rebels/Resistance did this all the time, they’d be depleted within a week while the Empire/First Order just builds more war vessels.

Q: Why did Finn and Rose have their side-story at all? It didn’t amount to anything!

A: It does a few things: it keeps Finn’s character arcing and it pushes him to the point where, by the end, he’s willing to sacrifice himself for the Resistance. Early on, he’s still willing to abandon ship just to save Rey. His adventure with Rose widens and shapes his perspective. Secondly, this side-story does have a direct result on the plot: the code-breaker flips them and reveals to the First Order that the Resistance is secretly escaping on transports. Some may not like that our heroes go on an adventure only to worsen everything by accident, but that’s a thread running through this whole film. To lean back and see it stretch from opening crawl to broom boy is to see Rian Johnson’s thematic intent. And maybe that’s too artsy for some, maybe that’s too thin a line to hang your film on for some, and some may not just care. But I argue Johnson’s theme of failure, which I’ll return to, deepens an already character-heavy film. The way it echoes across each storyline makes the film more cohesive than some are saying it is.

Q: But space Leia?!

A: I’m gonna be downright honest here, folks: I don’t get it. No, not this scene -- I mean you folks who are probably making Rian Johnson dummies to burn in effigy over this scene. I found the scene provocatively different, an interesting take on the concept of the Force, and a humungous pick-me-up after believing we had lost Leia so early and so simply. Those angry that we’d never seen Leia use the Force to such an extent before should be pleased that we have confirmation that, yes, the daughter and mother and sister of three of the galaxy’s most powerful Force-wielders can also, by golly, control the Force to some extent. If you’re complaining about how silly it looked, well, I mean, sure, but Star Wars is full of silly-looking stuff. I dunno, I didn’t think it looked that bad, and this really comes down to a matter of taste. But if this is the hill some fans are willing to die on? Oof, good luck, Episode 9.

Q: Who is Snoke?!

A: Yeah, really, where did he come from? This all-powerful, evil being with untold knowledge of the Force, with powers we can’t yet comprehend, able to coax one of the galaxy’s best and brightest to the dark side -- where the hell did he come from? What’s wrong with his face? It’s all grey and melted and shit! And how the hell did he become a Senator for Naboo anyway? When the hell did that shit start? Did he just think, “Oh, yeah, Senator for Naboo -- that’s a good start to taking over the galaxy!” -- like it’s working up the chain at a Walmart or something.

...Oh! Sorry. I thought we were talking about, uhh, someone else. Yeah, who the heck is that Snoke guy? It really matters for some reason.

Q: Luke? Luke?? LUKE?!?!

A: The time of Luke Skywalker is over. I know we all wanted to see Luke’s green lightsaber ignite into frame the moment all odds looked insurmountable. I know we wanted to see him cut a bunch of troopers down, to make the First Order tremble, to finally meet Kylo Ren in a duel. Those are the easy answers. Those are the “Darth Vader Rogue One” answers -- and though they might kick ass, they might send fans into foamy-mouthed frenzies, Star Wars needs to start subverting our expectations, it needs to stop appeasing everyone’s expectations, it needs to stop making us feel safe in our galaxy away from home, because it needs to grow out of the shadow of the Original Trilogy if it has any hope of flourishing in Disney’s hands. The decisions Johnson made with Luke in this film -- all of them mirror that. They’re smart, deeper character decisions that show us another side to the hero we grew up with, and ultimately make him a more complicated man. He bests Kylo through his mind, not brute strength, and he saves our heroes with a self-sacrifice that closes his chapter and allows new ones to continue. It’s not the epic finale to a lightsaber duel that we pictured growing up. But that’s okay. There’s kind of a beauty in the fact that this sequel trilogy is mirroring the OT -- the second act completely breaking from the good-fun-times that was its predecessor to dive into dark waters and deeper into its characters -- while trying to weed out our preconceived limits of what Star Wars should be.

Q: Why did Rose save Finn? He would’ve saved everyone and his character would’ve had purpose!

A: Somehow not buying that if the First Order lost their battering ram canon, the Resistance would be saved. They hadn’t assumed an escape was possible until Luke showed up. As for Finn, what does delaying the inevitable slaughter of his friends do for him in the long run from a story perspective? The guy needs to reunite with Rey and Poe and apply his newfound perspective to grander purposes, not flicker out in a useless self-sacrifice. Rose saves him because the time for self-sacrifice is over. The Resistance needs every last fighter. Keeping the wolves at bay won’t do it. The wolves are still out there at your front door. Ya know, it just isn’t enough for Finn, if you ask me. I’m glad Rose saved him. I’m glad to see him fight for another Episode.

Q: Why did they bring Phasma back just to have her go out like a punk again? Boy, that was unsatisfying!

A: Yeah, I can’t believe a Star Wars film would introduce a cool-looking character and then just kill said character off in such a quick and unsatisfying way.

Q: What’s with all the humor? If this is the dark second act, why are all these cheesy jokes flyin’ at my face? They’re all such groaners, too!

A: I dunno what kind of sad audience some people saw this with. I watched this on opening night with a sold-out theatre of over 400 people, and everybody was fucking gobbling up the jokes. And by jokes, I mean every damn joke. The opening Poe/Hux dialogue, the Porg stuff, the tenser moments undercut by humor. Everybody was having a good time with it. I think it’s Rian Johnson’s natural writing, to be honest, but it’s not like they’re a far cry from what we normally get in these movies. I will take a few more jokes than normal as opposed to what George Lucas proposed as comic relief in 1999, followed by long stints of political debate in literal greyscale. By the way, has anyone watched any of the original trilogy lately? Because shit like “Laugh it up, fuzzball” and “scruffy-looking nerfherder” and C-3P0 being mistaken as a god by a bunch of teddy bears... really, all of the humor from those movies holds up and I don’t know why we don’t see more of it in modern films.

Q: But the “on hold” line from Poe, though... right? I mean, contemporary phrases in a Star Wars film? That doesn’t fit. Does that even make sense in this universe?

A: I don’t know, but if this is what broke your immersion, then in the immortal words of Han Solo, I’ll see you in hell.

Q: How did ghost Yoda conjure lightning?

A: How the fuck do ghosts anything in these movies? God! Obi-Wan sits down on a fucking tree stump in Return of the Jedi because Alec Guinness is old and tired, but lightning? From the sky?? Puppets can’t do that! I mean Force ghosts can’t do that! You guys are right on this one! It doesn’t make sense! The whole movie is ruined now. What’s that about failure, Yoda? I wasn’t paying attention to you literally telling Luke/the audience why everybody in this movie keeps failing and why that’s important for us to see and why that’s also a great message for kids to hear because twenty seconds ago you conjured lightning from the sky! That’s not how the Force works! I should know -- I’m just some guy!

Q: Rey’s parents are nobodies? That kinda sucks! What a letdown!

A: No, it’s great! It’s fantastic. People need to let go of their theories. Learn to separate them from the path the films need to follow. This whole Skywalker dynasty thing needs to end. Luke is so relatable in A New Hope because he’s a nobody from nowhere, yet he’s able to tap into the Force through his own individual talents and determination. That’s inspiring. Rey being special because she’s got Skywalker or Kenobi blood is, well, not only does it zap that relatability from her, but it’s boring. We’ve seen the bloodline stuff. It’s time to follow a different kind of destiny, a different kind of story. We need to allow Star Wars to breathe outside of the echo chamber we’ve made of the past. This decision may have been the best and wisest of them all, which is why it wouldn’t surprise me if JJ Abrams retcons it with Episode 9 to say Kylo was lying just to make some of the whiners out there happy.

Look, folks, The Last Jedi is far from perfect. It doesn’t reach the dazzling heights of Empire, but I’ll be shocked if Disney ever gets there. The film has real issues with pacing and plot, but the most common criticisms, as I’ve just listed, are misplaced and require some more thought. That’s my only goal here: not really to change anyone’s mind, but to at least encourage some more thoughts on what people think isn’t working. I was excited about the possibilities after this film, especially Rian Johnson’s side-trilogy. But the response to this film really made me scratch my head. For the first time, I wondered how many Star Wars fans actually know Star Wars.

#Star Wars The Last Jedi Review #Star Wars the Last jedi #Star Wars episode 8 #The Last Jedi #The Last Jedi Review #The Last Jedi FAQs #Star Wars The Last Jedi FAQs #The Last Jedi questions #The Last Jedi criticisms

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kingofthewilderwest · 5 years

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Do you feel Hiccup’s personality in RTTE is different than his personality in the movies? If so, would you chalk it up to him still working on growing up, or say it’s the writing? Personally I just feel his personality is slightly more brash and self-centered than he is in the movies. I still love him with my whole heart of course and I LOVE RTTE but I can’t help but feel his personality is a little... off. Also apologies if you’ve already received a similar ask before.

It’s an interesting topic! I like to consider it from both a meta framework (Doylist) and in-universe accounts (Watsonian).

As you said, Hiccup’s personality feels slightly different in RTTE versus the movies. I agree. The difference is objectively there. The showrunners gave us a brasher, bolder, more aggressive Hiccup in the shows.

However, for me, difference doesn’t automatically mean OOC or off. I like to think about it as different flavors of Hiccup. It’s common for a character in a large franchise to have the same core personality and role throughout the franchise, but when you compare individual pieces of media, how the character is spun, or what traits are focused upon, differ from piece to piece. You’ll get permutations where the character feels more violent or confident or humorous, but it’s still the core character you can recognize.

Hiccup has brash moments in HTTYD 1, and that feature got highlighted in the shows more strongly. But it’s still emanating from his core character as a dragon-loving, out-of-the-box-thinking, revolutionary, impulsive, heart-on-his-sleeve young man.

Tony Stark and Natasha Romanova have different flavors depending on which comic series you’re going through with which writer. They’re different between the comics and the movies, they’re different between the animated movies and the television shows and the MCU, and heck, they’ve got different flavors for every MCU installment they’re in. You can still analyze and connect an ongoing consistent narrative from Tony Stark from IM –> IM2 –> Avengers –> IM3 –> AOU –> etc., but frankly, the different writers for the MCU give us obviously different Tonys regardless of continuity. It’s how it is.

So brasher rtte!Hiccup is an obviously different flavor. We can see that the writers of RTTE handle him objectively differently than Chris Sanders + Dean DeBlois handles him in HTTYD 1 + GOTNF, and how Dean DeBlois handles him in HTTYD 2 + HTTYD 3. Regardless of continuity, those differences exist.

But that doesn’t mean Hiccup’s character growth can’t be connected between film and show. I think that, if we want to, we can give a cohesive, comprehensive account of how Hiccup grows through the years. I don’t think it’s bizarre to say that a sarcastic, awkward, impulsive, sometimes brash teenager in a war-centric society (HTTYD 1) becomes more confident when he’s given responsibilities and fits in better with his peers (ROB –> DOB). As he’s faced with more enemies, his confidence continues to grow, and he understands his identity as a dragon protector who thinks outside the box, sometimes meeting enemies with violent solutions to save the day (DOB). But his newfound confidence and leadership skills get tested with an enemy who challenges his strengths, an undercutting experience that can make Hiccup more irritable and brash as he tries to process what’s happening (RTTE). After going through his most dangerous set of circumstances yet, he’s tired of fighting and wants peace, remembering how well that worked in his youth. But now that he’s no longer able to be that carefree kid flying with dragons, he’s questioning his identity and future (HTTYD 2). He’s forced into leadership, where he must mature into an adult who will selflessly give up dragons to the wild (THW).

I watched friends between the ages of 15 to 20 do drastic character developments like that. I had one friend go from an academically-centered goof to a rude cocky pothead to a mature selfless youth group leader in five years, and it all made sense why he changed as he did. And frankly, Hiccup’s more consistent than that. XD

While it’s a lot of smacking together official materials and intentionally reading those materials in light of “Let’s fit this together,” that’s the fun of experiencing any large franchise. Large franchises are always us choosing whether or not we feel like the latest character presentation fits in with the other pieces, and we as fans have the right and interest and valid right to put those pieces together. Stories are meant to be both critically analyzed (looking for where writing could improve) and accepted for our imaginations (bringing materials together into a cohesive whole). Fans have a right to look at Luke Skywalker in TLJ and say, “Yeah, I can see him growing into that,” or not. It’s not wrong to read it either way - or both ways!

So to me it means it doesn’t have to feel off when we see tetchier rtte!Hiccup. I think we can look at the in-universe world, see the circumstances Hiccup is in, and say, “Yeah, that kid’s still growing.”

Personally, I think it’s a lot more fun to say, “Yeah, that kid’s still growing.” I enjoy talking about Hiccup morphing through the years and going through that slightly cocky phase in his middle teens. It makes sense to me. A sarcastic kid who’s used to being ostracized is now given lots of respect in the tribe, everything is going “right” for him (beating bad guys and saving dragons!), and so his ego and temper might spark up to match. Once he realizes he was being brash, he could pendulum hard the other way (I had a pendulum moment in my own life when I was 21) and seek peace to a fault… only later coming to a balanced middle. And as someone who loves all things How to Train Your Dragon, from the movies to the television series, to me there’s nothing more fun than to read the world together as one!

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finnreyexchange · 6 years

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FinnRey Exchange 2018 Dates

We are looking at an alternative, prompt-based structure to last year’s round, so there will not be tag nomination this time.

Sign Up: May 11-20, 2018 Assignments Sent: May 22, 2018 Drop Deadline: June 30, 2018 Assignments Due: July 7, 2018 Works Live: July 14, 2018 Reveals: July 21, 2018

More information to come!

#finnrey #jedistorm #star wars #finn x rey #reyfinn #rey x finn #the force awakens #the last jedi #faq #2018 round

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starryevermore · 1 year

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all those chickens ✧ commander wolffe

angst city™ library | send in a request (consult request faqs first)

request: Star Wars request? reader making Gen Z references while infiltrating a base and everyone is just “wtf” but as soon as they stop it’s all hands on deck coz reader is just silent and that ain’t normal so ⭐️PaNiC⭐️ turns out…there was a lil porg and they turned comms off to save it - anon

pairing: commander wolffe x fem!reader

summary: wolffe does not understand all of the strange references you make to the culture of your home planet, earth. but, when you go silent on a mission, wolffe finds himself worried at the lack of communication.

word count: 1,835

warnings?: reader is from earth, i’ll be honest there’s a fair mix of both millennial and gen z references in this but whatcha gonna do about it, not proofread

Commander Wolffe didn’t pretend to understand you. Trying to understand you was like trying to understand the Force—it only ever gave him a migraine so intense he would rather listen to C-3PO talk for hours on end without interruption. Or, perhaps, that was a bit extreme—no one could listen to that droid talk that long without wanting to bash their head through a wall. But, nevertheless, whenever Wolffe attempted to understand the strange things you would say, the references you would make to a culture only you were familiar with, it left him with more questions than answers.

After all, why were you doing something for the vine? What the hell was a “no bones” day and why was it being determined by a geriatric animal? (A pug? What the kark was a pug?) Why did you pick up a glass of blue milk and mutter “what is wrong with you? why are you blue?” before laughing like you told the most amazing joke in the galaxy? And never mind the words and phrases themselves you would use—“rizz”, “stan”, “yeet”, “bussin’”, “vibe check”, “I’m weak”, “main character energy”, “borg”. And don’t get him started on how you would end words with “-ussy”!

It was one of the very few times that Wolffe questioned the Jedi General Plo Koon in his decision to have you join them. In Wolffe’s view, no matter what benefits you might bring to fighting the war, it was all substantially lessened by the fact that you didn’t make a bit of sense half the time. And don’t get him started about how you always seem shocked when he or his brothers didn’t understand whatever bantha shit you were going on about.

“You wouldn’t last a day on Earth,” you’d muttered once when he questioned why you put on an accent and said “airport? I’m not going to the airport.” when Wolffe said you needed to report to the hangar.

“I would sooner walk into an active battle zone without any weapons than I would step foot on your planet,” he’d said.

“Weird flex but okay.”

He didn’t miss the flash of hurt on your face, though, he said that. It was that day that he learned your planet, in a galaxy far, far, away, had been destroyed and you were one of the very few survivors. And, well, while Wolffe might not have experienced a loss on the scale of billions, he did know loss. And he knew a thing or two about trying to keep the memory of lost loved ones alive. So, while he might not have understood every strange thing you said, he didn’t give you as much of a hard time about anymore.

That said, it still confused the hell out of him everything you referenced something from your culture. Even now, as you joined the 104th on a mission and kept going on and on about things Wolffe could never dream of understanding. For a brief moment, you had even ran ahead of them, chasing after a group of porgs, until Wolffe ordered you back to his side. He couldn’t let you run out into a trap, after all.

“Look at all those chickens!” you said, looking out the porgs roaming around. The little buggers seemed to have infiltrated the Separatist base on their own. It was almost funny, actually, imaging the little critters annoying the clankers.

Comet looked at you, his head titled. His bucket shielded his facial expressions, but Wolffe was almost certain that Comet was looking at you like you said that the porgs were rancors or something equally wild. “Those are porgs?”

“It’s a reference to something on the foliage app,” Sinker said. He looked at you for confirmation. “Right?”

“It’s called Vine,” Wolffe grunted. When he looked back at you, he saw a smile on your face. His heart stuttered. (Why? You smiled all the time. It was almost annoying, how smiley you were.) “What?”

“You remembered. I thought you didn’t care when I babbled on about Earth things.”

“I neither have to care nor understand what you’re talking about to listen to you,” Wolffe said.

“I think you care,” you said. You bumped your shoulder against his. “You act like a big, strong wolf, but really you’re a sweet, little puppy. All bark, no bite.”

Wolffe barred his teeth, snarling at you, but it did little to stop the laughter echoing throughout the Wolfpack. You lifted your chin, smiling widely at him. Then, you raised your arm, your hand resting on top of his bucket, before you tapped it once, twice—pat, pat!

The Wolfpack’s laughter turned into near howls. Comet nearly doubled over. Booster slung an arm around your shoulder, tugging you closer to him. A spark rose in Wolffe’s chest. He wasn’t sure what he was more upset by—your teasing or one of his brothers touching you.

“Warthog, Y/N, go find the control room and extract the information we need. The rest of us will deal with the clankers,” Wolffe grunted, trying to stamp out his frustration as they neared the control room in the Separatist base.

He had no right to be upset, after all. Why would he? You were another member of his squad. You were a friend. That was it. Surely, there had to be some other reason that Wolffe was so bothered by this. Maybe it had something to do with it being so long since they were on leave. Maybe he was just missing companionship in general, and that was making him feel things toward you. You were, after all, the only woman he saw on a day to day basis. Yes. That’s what it was. It was nothing personal.

…Right?

Wolffe kept his focus on scouting ahead, ignoring the laughter from his brothers. As he put some distance between himself and you, Comet jogged up to join him. Kriff. This wasn’t going to be good.

His younger brother bumped his shoulder against Wolffe’s, and practically crowed, “Oh, Wolffe! You’re such a little puppy!”

“Watch it,” Wolffe growled. His grip on his blaster tightened, his knuckles turning white. “Focus on the mission.”

Sinker laughed. “C’mon, vod, how can we take you seriously when you’re all bark, no bite?”

“Oh, lay off him,” Boost said. Wolffe wanted to believe his brother was on his side, but Boost was, perhaps, probably the worst about teasing him. He knew Wolffe long enough to know all the ways to get under his skin, and he always took full advantage of it. “He just cares so much, he doesn’t know what to do with himself!”

Wolffe stomped ahead, feeling something akin to a petulant child, as his brothers’ laughter echoed around him. Why did they have to make this something it wasn’t? Why did they act like there was something there?

But, why was there this…uneasy feeling settling over him? Wolffe’s hand dropped to his comm. You hadn’t said anything for a long time. Why was that? Usually, he couldn’t get you to shut up. You always had some sort of commentary, whether it be those ridiculous Earth references or it be you just babbling on about whatever it was you were doing at the moment.

“Y/N, do you copy?” he asked into his comm.

Silence.

Panic settled deep in his chest. He repeated the question a second, then a third, time. He never got a response.

“Warthog, is Y/N with you? She’s not answering her comm.”

“Uhh…”

Wolffe almost preferred the silence. An unsure answer…Well, that usually meant there had been some sort of trouble. And if you were caught in that trouble…Wolffe shuddered at the thought. You were part of his squad. You were someone he was supposed to look out for. Wolffe wasn’t sure if he could stand it if something happened to you. He didn’t want to lose another member of his squad.

But…Well, it went deeper than that, didn’t it? If something happened…If he never got to see you smile again, if he never got to hear you laugh, if he never was left scratching his head at some strange thing you said, Wolffe’s life would feel incomplete. He would miss you. He would more than miss you. He would tear apart the entire galaxy if it meant getting revenge on whoever would hurt a hair on your head.

“Yes or no, trooper?” Wolffe barked.

“Well, she was just here, sir. And now…she’s not.”

“What the kark is that supposed to mean?”

“I don’t know! I just looked up and she was gone!”

“Well, find her!” Wolffe snapped.

As Wolffe turned to look for you, too, he shot at a couple of clankers that had rounded the corner before taking off in search of you. Kriff. Was he the only one whose brain fully formed? Why the hell would you just wander off like that? Why the hell wouldn’t Warthog immediately report that? Why the hell didn’t Warthog keep a closer eye on you? Anything could happen out here!

“What’s wrong?” Comet asked, firing at a clanker, as he saw Wolffe double back. “Are we retreating?”

“Warthog lost Y/N,“ he growled.

“Damn. Better go find your girl then,” Comet said.

“She’s not—just, watch my six, okay?”

Thankfully, he didn’t need to go far. As he neared the control room, he saw blaster fire and a clanker fall, then heard your voice as you said, “There ya go, baby. Evil droid is all gone!”

“What the kriff do you think you’re doing?” Wolffe asked when he got nearer.

“Was saving this little fella,” you said. You were cradling the porg in your arms as if it were a baby. When you looked up at Wolffe, your eyes were wide, your lips in a pout. He fought the urge to reach out, grab you by the face, and kiss you until you couldn’t breathe. “Can we keep him, please? He could be the mascot of the 104th!”

“…I’m going to pretend you didn’t ask that.”

“He’s just a baby! Say hi, baby!” you cooed. You lifted the porg, which squawked in Wolffe’s face.

Wolffe reached out, grasping your arm in his hand, and began tugging you away. “C’mon, we got what we needed. Let’s get outta here.”

“But the baby—”

“…Take it up with the General.” Wolffe paused, then took a moment to look you over, make sure that you didn’t earn any injuries in your impromptu rescue mission. “And, Y/N…?”

“Yes?”

“…don’t ever go silent on me like that again.”

A smile tugged at your lips. “Even if it means you have to listen to my silly little Earth references?”

Wolffe almost held back, almost didn’t say what he was thinking. But, well…He really didn’t like it when he thought something had happened to you. And so he said, “I would rather hear your strange references than never hear from you again.”

And he meant every word.

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knightpilotexchange · 6 years

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It’s The Kylo Ren|Ben Solo x Poe Dameron Fanworks Exchange 2018!

A fanworks exchange centered around shipping Ben Solo|Kylo Ren and Poe Dameron from Star Wars: The Force Awakens, etc. This will be an an anonymously posted exchange, including both fanfic and fanart, where works will go up a week before authors and artists are revealed to their recipients.

This year’s schedule is as follows:

Sign-ups open: February 9, 2018

Sign-ups close: February 25, 2018

Assignments go out: Feb 26, 2018

Drop deadline: March 25, 2018

Assignments due: April 14, 2018

Posting: April 21, 2018

Reveals: April 28, 2018

Sign-ups are now OPEN ON AO3, and will remain open through February 25th! The above link may not work if you aren’t logged in. If you do not have an AO3 account, an invite can be requested HERE.

2018 AO3 Collection | Info & Rules | FAQ | Previous Exchanges

#knightpilot #darkpilot #benpoe #poe dameron #ben solo #kylo ren #poelo #kypoe #star wars #the last jedi #the force awakens #schedule #faq

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winterscaptain · 4 years

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absence.

Aaron Hotchner x Gender Neutral Reader a joyful future fic

a/n: the next installment is here! this is the second-to-last piece in the berry hill section of a joyful future. as it has been lately, this one requires little ajf context, but i would recommend reading berry hill and waldosia, if you haven’t already. (thanks to aimz @ssaic-jareau, kira @good-heavens-chris-evans, and sabina @writefasttalkevenfaster) edit: this has been heavily revised as of april 29th, 2021. the changes and additions address continuity errors and ongoing subplots.

words: 7k (prev. 3.8k) warnings: language, vomit mention, really accurate satellite phone protocol (eat your heart out, cm writers), beard!hotch, jack hotchner content, one last slow burn

summary: “absence is to love what wind is to fire; it extinguishes the small, it inflames the great” - roger de bussy-rabutin. au!march-september 2011

masterlist | a joyful future masterlist | ajf faq | taglist | what do you want to see next? updated: april 29th, 2021

There’s a moment where he stops at your desk on the way out of the bullpen, but you just stare at him. He opens his mouth as if to speak, then closes it. After a moment, he finally says, “Jack is with Jessica tonight.”

You have no idea what your face looks like, but it’s enough to drop his shoulders and send him on his way, defeated.

+++

You let yourself into his apartment, slamming the door behind you. He’s been waiting for you, leaning against the windowsill across from the door.

“How dare you.”

He sighs and presses a hand to his forehead. “You have to understand that I -”

“Bullshit, Aaron. I don’t have to understand a goddamn thing. What are you thinking? We need you.”

His head tips up, and he looks through you. The haunted look in his eyes almost makes you falter - it so acutely reminds you of the days following Haley’s death - but you keep your resolve. He doesn’t say anything, just lets you yell at him until it's out of your system. You could never actually hate him and he knows that, which makes some of it easier, but not all of it.

The tears start and pick up speed as you continue, nearly at a shout. “You've known for seven months that you were going to leave for Pakistan. I read the brief. Seven. Fucking. Months, Aaron. Since September, you’ve known and you didn’t tell us about the task force assignment in fucking Pakistan!”

You pause, but the final nail in his proverbial coffin leaves your mouth without permission. “Emily died, and you’re still leaving?” He flinches. “You’re leaving me and Jack. You’re leaving our team. I never thought you could do something like that to us. Maybe them, but not me. Never to me. I mean, after everything we’ve -” You cut yourself off and raise the back of your hand to your mouth, unable to finish the unbearably painful thought.

He’s not sure which part is the most painful - the fact that you list yourself with Jack instead of with the BAU, the fact that you say ‘our team,’ or the tone that drips with hurt. The sob that rips through your chest breaks his heart. He leans heavily against the arm of his couch, knocked down by the weight of your tears.

No. The hardest part is knowing he deserves it, that you aren’t saying anything that isn't unfair or untrue.

“I can’t even look at you right now.”

He can only watch you as you walk back out, leaving the door open behind you.

About twenty minutes later, he receives a text.

9:34pm I’ll be there tomorrow at 12:30 to take you to base. Be ready when I get there.

He crawls into bed about half an hour later, and receives another text.

10:05pm Goodnight.

Fuck.

+++

The ride to base ride is mostly silent, and you know something’s wrong. It’s nothing you can articulate or even really put your finger on, but it’s something bigger than just his imminent absence.

He’s boarding a C-130 supply transport with a few Marines and various agency task force members to an outpost in Pakistan. It will no doubt be a long and deeply uncomfortable flight. His go bag, packed with desert fatigues and a couple of creature comforts, looks smaller than usual at his feet.

“How long?”

He sighs and shakes his head. “Task force operations are need-to-know.” There’s so much he can’t tell you, and it eats at him. Because it’s you, and he’s been an ass, he concedes a little. “Probably a couple of months.”

“We’ll be okay, Aaron.”

A little laugh leaves him, and it pulls a smile from you.

“What?”

“Remember when you chased me down last night to tell me the team couldn’t do this without me?”

You roll your eyes. “It’s still true, but we’ll manage. We always do.” There’s a moment of silence, and you continue. “And you’re going where you’re needed. That helps.”

It’s true. Your anger had cooled (just a little) overnight, and you decided you didn’t want to be upset with him when he leaves.

You already miss him.

“Don’t think I’m not still mad at you.”

He looks out the window, and you can hear the wheels turning in his head. Jack is on his mind, and so are you. There’s nothing more nauseating than the thought of leaving you while you’re still hurting from Emily’s loss. “I know.”

Why are you going through with this, Hotchner?

Oh, right. You’re a coward.

“I just don’t want our last conversation before you leave to be a fight.” You sniff, but don’t look at him as you continue driving down the highway.

I am perhaps the most undeserving man on the planet.

He says, “Thank you. I don’t want that either,” but he hopes you can hear what else he can’t say.

I love you. I’m sorry.

+++

“Alright, you’ve got everything you need?” You stand next to him on the tarmac, shading your eyes from the sun.

Aaron hikes his bag higher on his shoulder. “Think so. You gonna be alright?”

You nod and reach for him. He embraces you, tucking his head into your shoulder. “You be safe, Aaron Hotchner. If you die out there I’ll kill you myself.”

He chuckles, and you hope the sound is enough to keep your heart from breaking too much over the next couple of months. Your eyes close as he presses a kiss to your cheek. “I’ll check in when I can.”

Shoving against his chest, you turn him around and push him toward the plane. “Get outta here.”

He takes one last look over his shoulder when he reaches the loading ramp and offers you a wave. You return it.

+++

You manage to get to the highway before the tears start. The only person you want to talk to is Emily. She’d know exactly what to say, and she’d make sure your days off were full of fun and good company. You pull off on the side of the road, your head falling into your hands, sobs wracking through you.

When you’re able to keep driving, your chest hurts beyond belief.

Without her, these months seem to stretch before you forever.

+++ april 2011 +++

It’s not the first time you’ve ended up in his office alone, but it’s the first time you’ve really noticed the evidence of his absence.

The picture frames on his desk started gathering dust, so you brought a little duster to the office. His desktop computer has stopped making noise, so you turned it on and off once out of pity. His phone hardly rings, unless it's the NSA trying to get a hold of one of you for a sat phone call, so you and Morgan take turns taking forwarded calls.

The silence is overwhelming and seems to pull something intangible from you. It’s exhausting.

“When’s the last time you slept?”

You turn, finding Penelope in the doorway. You’re not sure how long she’s been there, watching your acquiescence to the bees that seem to have invaded your brain in the last couple of weeks.

“I slept last night,” you tell her. It’s not technically a lie.

She doesn’t look impressed. “Did you sleep through the night, or are you just trying to play one of your Jedi mind tricks on me?”

With a sigh, you cop to it. “No, I didn’t sleep through the night.” You look out the window to the bullpen, and you know she sees something on your face.

“I don’t like it either.” She looks over her shoulder, finding Spencer and Ashley playing a game of Go on the desk. Unsurprisingly, Spencer’s winning. Rossi and Derek speak quietly by the little kitchen, looking just about as tired as you feel.

The short-handedness is getting to you. “There’s just…” You search for something to say. “There’s just so much to do.”

Penelope looks back. Her mouth twists. “And we’re down a couple’a hands.”

That’s an understatement.

+++

“I would understand if you needed some time to think about it.” Erin leans forward in her chair, elbows on her desk. “With your team cut in half, even I wouldn’t feel comfortable sending you to another unit without some time to train a replacement or two.”

“Or three,” you add.

She looks at you and nods. “Exactly.”

You pick up the letter from the Special Agent in Charge in Los Angeles. You’d be his right hand - essentially the liaison between operational support divisions and units operating in the field. It’s a hell of an opportunity, a huge promotion, and a significant bump in pay.

“Can I take you up on the offer to think about it?” You slide the letter across the desk again.

Her eyes are soft, and you almost feel close to her in that moment. “Of course. Take your time. It’s a position created just for you, so there’s nobody else in line for it.”

“Thanks.”

+++ may 2011 +++

“Ready or not, here I come!” You call across the apartment, sneaking through the familiar rooms with practiced ease.

Aaron’s been away for close to a month, and you’ve settled into a routine. Cases, of course, keep you busy. Derek’s rather good at playing unit chief - decisive and collaborative - but you miss Aaron’s steady, even hand.

Really, you miss everything about him. You try not to think about him too much.

You fail, often.

Avoiding thoughts of Aaron gets even harder as you creep into the master bedroom. The smell of him hasn’t left. Past the doorway, the air is spicy, masculine, and warm. You squint at the bed. One of the pillows moves, just a little, and you pounce, pulling the covers back and grabbing the wiggling pillow.

Jack screeches and throws himself at you. You catch him and fall back on the bed, laughing. “I found you!”

Jess is off running errands for the afternoon, taking some well-earned time off. You’ll more than likely spend the night over here tonight to give her more of her weekend. It’s never any trouble to stay with Jack. You adore each other.

Usually, Jack leaps right to his feet for another round, but he stays put after his fit of mirth passes, sprawling across your chest.

“What are you thinking about over there?”

He sighs, and brings his little hands under his chin, propping his head up so he can look at you. He’s six (and then some), now - still very much a boy - but the pensive look on his face starkly reminds you of his father. “When’s Dad going to be home?”

You push some hair off his forehead. “I’m not sure, my love. I’m hoping it’s only a couple more weeks, but it could be a little longer than that.”

He sighs, and it breaks your heart a little. You turn on your side, and he curls into you, resting his head on your arm and tucking under your chin. “Are you and my dad best friends? I have a best friend named Connor and he says best friends are really important and I was just wondering.”

You laugh a little. “Yeah, I think so. Your dad and I have known each other for a long time.” His little hands play with the collar of your shirt. There’s more to his question. Jack’s just like his dad and takes a bit of ferreting out. Luckily, you’ve had plenty of practice. “What are you curious about, little bug?”

“Do you miss Dad?”

A track of Aaron’s laugh, his smile, the way his arms feel around you flies through your head. “Yeah, I miss him a lot.”

“I’m happy you’re here so we can miss him together.” You can almost hear Aaron’s voice in Jack’s. It sounds just like something he would say, and probably has said, talking to his son about Haley.

“Me too, buddy.” You kiss the top of his head. “Me too.”

Jess returns about an hour later, groceries in-hand, to find you and Jack curled together in Aaron’s bed, snoozing the afternoon away. She snaps a picture with her phone, saving it in an album she keeps for Aaron. After she puts the groceries away, she escapes, leaving a note.

You’re on your own tonight and tomorrow. Have a good time with breakfast - he’s been picky lately.

XO, Jess

+++

“You know,” Jess says, a little out of the blue one afternoon. “Haley told me something once.”

You snort. “I’d imagine she told you a great number of things.”

“Well, sure. But I mean about you and Aaron.”

It’s pretty stupid that your body decides to panic over absolutely nothing. If this was a polygraph, you’d fail outright. And yet, nothing’s happened between you and Aaron. You’re just friends.

Yeah but you love him.

And he probably loves you, too.

But we're all to chickenshit for that.

What a-fucking-bout it?

You take a little breath and a sip of your tea. “Oh?” You hope the query sounds casual enough and doesn’t give away the cool sweat blossoming over your palms.

Luckily, Jess isn’t a profiler.

“Haley told me - and this was the summer before she died, so it’s not like she told me under duress or anything - that she thought there may have been something between you and Aaron after the divorce.”

She says that like it’s the simplest thing. You’re not sure what to say, so you keep your eyes on the grain of the coffee table, tracing the lines with your eyes. Eventually, you decide to answer in the simplest, most honest way possible.

“There’s never been anything between Aaron and me. He’s one of my best friends and I care about him.” That sounds evasive even to your own ears. “I care about him a lot.”

Jess hums. “I know, but Haley always had a sense about these things. And she knows Aaron better than anyone.”

Her slip into the present tense makes your chest pull.

“I don’t say that to put you on the spot or anything.” She shrugs. “I just think you guys would be good together. You’re good for him and I think he’s good for you, too.”

She’s more right than she knows, but you can’t think about it for too long. You miss him too much.

Out of a need to respond, you offer a half-hearted, “Maybe.”

Jess reaches out. “He’ll be home soon. When he gets back, I think you should at least think about it. Or talk about it.” She shakes her head. “Or something.”

“I have -” You cut yourself off, not really meaning to share.

She squeezes your knee. “I know you have. So has he.”

+++ june 2011 +++

Back to back cases - five of them, to be exact, pull you through the next four weeks by the ear. Formal leadership wears on Derek more and more by the day, and you find yourself making just as many decisions as he does. You’re immensely proud of him, but the whole thing is exhausting. Spencer does his best to slip back into his normal role, but Emily’s loss continues to wear on him. You don’t blame him.

Most days feel held together by duct tape, with you and Rossi acting as the adhesive. All that and the offer in Los Angeles you’ve hardly had time to process.

Thus, your evening with Jess is both well-earned and much needed.

“Wanna crash here tonight?” She sets a mug of tea down on the coffee table in front of you and sits heavily back on the couch. “It’s pretty late.”

You check your watch and find it is indeed late. Before you can answer, your phone rings, and you answer it with an apologetic glance toward Jess. “Hey, Morgan. What’s up?”

“We have sat call notification from Hotch. Can you come in?” He sounds exhausted.

“Yeah, I can be there in twenty. Is everything okay?”

He sighs. “Yeah, looks like a routine check-in.”

Jess sighs, knowing the drill. She goes to the kitchen and pours your tea into a travel mug.

“Are you calling anyone else in?”

“Nope. Just you. See you when you get here.” He hangs up.

You stare at your phone as Jess sits next to you again. “We have a call from Aaron coming in, and I have to head to the office.” She hands you your travel mug, and you take it gratefully.

“You’re welcome back here - I can set up Aaron’s room for you. We’re a lot closer to the office than your place, and I don’t want you to drive if you’re too tired.” She sets a hand on your knee, and you reach over to embrace her.

“Thanks, Jess.”

+++

When you arrive, Derek’s already on the phone. “... So, no leads?... Right.” He looks up and catches your eye. “Here, Hotch.”

You take the phone. “Hey.”

“Hi.” He sounds relieved. “Are you doing okay? How’s Jack?”

His questions make you smile. “We’re good. He’s good. I just left the apartment - Jess and I were having some grown-up movie time.”

You’re warmed by his laugh. “Good. Glad to hear it. I was just telling Derek that the leads out here have gone cold, but we’re still working.”

“Ah. Any chance you’ll be home soon?” You avoid Derek’s searching gaze.

“It doesn’t look that way, no. We’re picking up on some chatter out there, but nothing firm. We’ll have to keep out for a couple more weeks at least.”

Your heart drops, but you hide it as best you can. “Alright. Anything you need from us back here?”

“Just keep doing good work.” You know he can’t say much more than that, with more than a couple of NSA guys in between you on the line, not to mention the archival recording of the call. Even then, you know he means looking for Doyle. “That’s all I need from you.”

“We can do that.” You give him a quick rundown of some recent cases, all surface-level. You’re mostly stalling, using up incredibly expensive satellite time just to hear his voice.

You hear him sigh. “Alright, I gotta get back. Tell Jack and Jess I love them.”

“Of course.” You hand the phone back to Derek and wait while they finish up. Your eyes wander over the volumes of law books in Aaron’s bookshelf, the pictures of Jack and Haley and Jess behind his desk. Wandering over to his chair, you sit down and rest your head on your arms.

Your eyes wander to a photo taken a year and a half ago at Haley’s service. You’re not sure who took it, but you’re crouched on the ground talking to Jack, while Aaron stands behind him with a hand on his head. Jack's little hands are in yours, and he’s smiling a little.

Of all the photos to keep on his desk...

Derek hangs up the sat phone and puts it back in the lockbox. He crosses the office and leans against the desk beside you, placing a hand on your shoulder.

+++

When you get back to the apartment (indeed much closer than your home), Jess is asleep in the guest room, and Jack’s still out like a light.

You change into your pajamas, stuffed into your go bag, and curl up under the covers on Aaron's side of the bed. His pillow smells faintly like him, and you burrow into it.

The bed feels far too big and far too cold without him.

+++

“JJ!” You stand to greet her. “What are you doing here?”

She holds up her credentials. “I’ve been reinstated as a profiler on temporary assignment, so don’t get too excited. It’s a contingent favor for the FBI and I’m sure the State Department will call to collect sometime soon.”

You clear your consults and subpoenas off the desk beside you. “Good to have you back.” Looking over at the intimidating stack of files you ask, “Need anything to do?”

+++ july 2011 +++

The next time a sat call comes in, you can’t go into the office. Jack has the flu and is absolutely miserable. You can’t, in good conscience, leave Jess to her own devices. Between the vomit and the sleeplessness and the tears, four hands are absolutely necessary.

“Derek, I can’t leave. Jack is literally puking his guts out as we speak, and I don’t have any new intel for Hotch.”

Morgan huffs into the phone. “Come on. You know you’re the only one he actually wants to talk to and the only one who has any actual updates about Jack.”

“You just have to tell him that I’m up in the middle of the night with his son, who has the flu. Isn’t that enough of an update?” You don’t really mean to snap at him, but the lack of sleep has made you a little punchy.

“Fine. If he -”

“Yeah, I know. If he gets upset, just blame me. He can deal with me when he’s not in Pakistan. As long as there are five time zones between us, I’ll take my fucking chances.”

“Fair enough.”

He hangs up, and you return to the hall bathroom, where Jack’s cheek is pressed against the toilet seat, his forehead clammy and face pale. Jess is taking her turn to sleep - you’ll switch off in an hour.

“Hey, bubba.”

He mumbles something that sounds like, “Hi.”

“Can I get you some crackers or maybe some Sprite?”

Jack shakes his head and lifts himself up, holding his arms out. The risk of illness far from your mind, you gather him up and lean against the cabinets, rubbing his back.

“Can you try to close your eyes for me?”

“I don’t feel good.” There are a few tears in his voice, and it breaks your heart a little. You’ve so been there.

“I know, baby. I know. Just close your eyes for a minute, okay?”

He does, and his breathing evens out eventually. He’s still feverish, but you’re happy he’s sweating, at least. It could break by morning at this rate.

The makeshift towel-bed on the bathroom floor looks more than inviting. You gingerly shuffle over and lay down, keeping Jack flat against your chest.

It’s the best sleep you’ve had in weeks.

+++

“Strauss offered me that transfer to LA again.”

Derek looks up at you from his report, his brows drawn low over his eyes. “You gonna take it?”

You heave a sigh. Before you can say anything -

“Yeah, that sounds about right.” He puts his pen down, giving you his full attention. “What’s stopping you?”

So many things.

There are only a couple of them you can say aloud. Luckily, they have the benefit of being true, albeit incomplete. “I love this work. I love this team. I don't know if I want to be a lackey for an almost-politician.”

“And?”

He’s got you. He knows there’s more because he knows you. Even then, you can’t bring yourself to say exactly what it is that’s holding you back. So, you hedge your answer, knowing he’ll understand.

“I can’t -” leave Aaron and Jack. You clear your throat. “I can’t leave this team. Maybe that makes me a coward or suggests a lack of adventure or something, but I can’t do it.”

“It doesn’t,” Derek says. “It makes you human.”

You smile a little.

“And for the record, I don’t want you to leave. And I don’t think Jack and Hotch do, either.”

A little incredulous laugh leaves you. Derek simply smiles, but doesn’t say much else. It makes your point for you.

Nobody else knows you like this team.

+++

The hardest days are the ones where you end up by yourself. Derek’s picked up kickboxing with Penelope, Spencer has withdrawn almost entirely, JJ has her family, and Rossi retreats to the cabin by the lake with an alarming degree of regularity.

Thank God he’s not as cranky as Gideon.

That would be too spooky.

Everyone is out of the office, scattered to their respective distractions. You sit on the floor of Aaron’s office, leaning against his desk. Your laptop sits open in front of you, but you’re only half paying attention to the movie playing.

It was only this afternoon you realized his office smelled more like stale paper, your house, and Tiger Balm than Aaron, and it broke your heart a little. Your only solace was his apartment - the evidence of his existence was inescapable there. With Emily gone for good, you often needed the reminder.

His office phone rings. You pause the movie, stand, and answer it.

“Agent Hotchner’s office.”

NSA is on the other side, dry and professional. “We have an incoming call from Agent Hotchner. Is Agent Morgan available?”

You tell him he’s not, but that you’re the next in line to receive task force updates. In an equally dry and professional tone, you relay your credentials and your unique intel code.

“Thank you. Please stand by.” Click.

You roll your eyes.

God, they’re boring.

Sitting down at Aaron’s desk, you wait for the armed guard to arrive with the phone. As per protocol, you’ll sign for the call and remove it from the lockbox yourself. You’ll return it for pickup when the call is completed.

The guard shows up and you step through the motions, finally getting the phone to your ear.

“Hey.”

“Oh, it’s you.” He sounds surprised, but not displeased.

You laugh a little. “Yeah, it’s me. Morgan’s unavailable at the moment.”

“I see. Is Jack feeling any better?”

“Yeah. He’s been alright for about a week now. It was a pretty nasty bug, but he’s a trooper. Any new chatter down your way?” You trace the wood grain of his desk with your finger, only a little absent-minded.

“There’s a little bit of activity on the border. We’re monitoring the situation. Is everything going okay over there?”

“Yeah, for the most part. We’ve been feeling the heat a little since Seaver transferred to Andy’s unit, but we’re managing alright. Dave’s called JJ back in to lend a hand, and she’s doing really well.”

He hums. “That was a smart idea.”

“I’ll tell him you said so.”

“Oh, please don’t. It’ll go straight to his head.”

You smile. “Fair point. Any updates on the timetable?”

When are you coming home? Please make it soon.

“Not at the moment. I think we’re getting closer. Few more weeks.” There’s something behind his voice you can’t quite grasp, but you let it go.

“Alright. Keep us posted.”

“Will do. You know the drill.”

“I sure do. I’ll relay the information to the team, tell your son you love him, and talk to you in a couple of weeks.”

You can almost hear his smile. “Exactly. Talk soon.”

“Be safe, Aaron.”

“Hey, before you go,” he says. “Can you, um -”

You smile, tracing the wood grain on his desk. “I’ll tell Haley you said Happy Birthday.”

“Thanks.”

+++

Jess’s hand only shakes a little as she lights the candle and holds the cupcake between the three of you. While she takes care of the cake and begins to sing with Jack, you hold the camera, filming the impromptu party so Aaron can see it when he comes home.

“Okay, Jack you have to help Mom blow out the candle,” Jess says, holding the cupcake in front of him. With a great amount of glee, Jack extinguishes the candle with a big breath and a laugh.

You turn the camera on Jess, who says, “We couldn't let Haley’s forty-first go unrecognized - she’s officially old and we had to let her know.”

With a laugh of your own, you turn the camera around and wave before turning it off.

“Can I eat the cake now?” Jack asks.

Jess nods, pulling the candle and setting it aside on your picnic blanket. “Of course, but after we eat some fruit, okay? I don’t want the ants to get to the basket before you do.”

The July sunshine beats down on the three of you, picnicking beside Haley’s resting place. It is, in fact, her forty-first birthday. You can only imagine the look on her face she would have adopt when you reminded her of her age.

“Oh please,” she’d say. “When you get to be as old as me, you’ll never hear the end of it.”

Jack sits in the sun, munching on a little apple slice. You reach over, rubbing a little splotch of sunscreen into his skin. He already has a little sunburn from your adventure to the District earlier in the week and you’re not about to make your life even harder.

Aaron’s absence, even in its fourth month, is glaring. Jack has mostly stopped waking in the middle of the night looking for him and having regular meltdowns, but he always looks up when the front door opens with an expectant look that breaks your heart. He’s an adaptable kid, but months without contact from his father have taken their toll. If you’re honest, it surprised you a little bit.

With a little bit of perspective, months are different than days, or even a week or two. Jack relies on Aaron more than you realized and the difficulty of helping Jess where you can has only further illuminated your ignorance.

“Will Mom always have a birthday?” Jack asks.

Jess looks over at him. “What do you mean?”

He thinks for a moment, a little pensive. “I mean, because she’s not here. Do people who aren’t here still have birthdays?”

“They do,” she replies. “That’s why we have to celebrate for them. They aren’t here, but it’s still special.”

He nods, a kind of understanding look on his face that makes you think he knows exactly what that means.

+++

“Yeah?”

You smile. It’s been a minute since you heard his voice, over the phone or otherwise. “Hey, Dr. Reid. How’s Vegas?”

“Hot. But it’s nice to be home.”

“How’s your mom?” You trace aimless patterns over the mat on Aaron’s desk, watching the suede imprint and erase as you go.

He sighs. “She’s alright. I think she’s about ready to kick me out, though.”

“It’s only been three weeks,” you laugh. “Surely you can make yourself useful?”

“I sent in her most recent publication to the journal, so I’ve outgrown my use until I find her a new thesis.”

You can almost see it - the two geniuses, mother and son, bickering over a game of chess or fourteenth-century novel. “Better find her a new thesis, then.”

Spencer’s thin smile is audible through the phone. “Guess so. How are things over there?”

“It’s a little hectic. It’s just me, JJ, Morgan, and Rossi now. Penelope’s still working with us regularly, but counter-terrorism keeps pulling her for ‘special projects,’ whatever that means.”

You don’t mean to guilt him into coming back or anything - you know he needs the time to recharge. He’ll come back when he wants to or feels he needs to but at this point, there’s hardly a difference between four and five agents on the team. You need Aaron. And Emily.

“With the amount of summer task forces coalescing, that doesn’t surprise me.” He pauses. “I’ll probably spend a few more weeks here unless there are any developments between now and then.”

By developments, you know it means any confirmed sighting of your target. “That sounds like a plan. We’ll be glad to have you back but take your time. You’ve more than earned it.”

“Thanks.”

+++ august 2011 +++

“How’s Jack?”

“He’s doing alright,” you tell him. “He misses you.”

I miss you.

Aaron sighs. There isn’t time for everything he wants to say, even less for the things he could. “I’m probably going to miss his first day.”

“That’s what I figured.” It's hard to think about and probably going to be harder than you can imagine, especially if there’s a case that takes you away from home. “Jess will take lots of pictures and I’m sure he’ll be happy to tell you all about it when you get home.”

It’s hard to keep the bitterness from your voice, but neither one of you could have anticipated this would go on for this long. ‘Over the summer’ seems a little abstract until the end of the summer arrives.

This isn’t his fault. It isn’t. You know that.

But it’s his fault for going in the first place.

Conceptual anger isn’t useful. That’s another thing of which you’re keenly aware.

And yet…

“Thank you for being there for them,” he says, as if he’s reading your mind. “I know this isn’t easy.”

There’s nothing you can really say, but you hum anyway.

The pair of you are just eating satellite time now, so you say goodbye and good luck before tipping your head back against his office chair.

When the tears slip down your cheeks, you’re not sure if you miss him more than you’re mad at him or the other way around.

+++

“Chief Strauss?” You knock lightly on her door and she beckons you in, just finishing up a phone call. She gestures to the little sitting area in the corner of her office, and you make yourself comfortable on one of the couches.

She hangs up and joins you. “Have you thought more about the offer?”

“I have. Thank you for your patience. I know it’s been a little while since we first spoke about it.”

Erin waves her hands, brushing off the implied apology. “The BAU’s work in the last few weeks has been exemplary. I’m impressed, especially considering the significant funding and personnel obstacles you’re facing at the moment.”

You laugh a little. “I hope that doesn’t make anyone think working with this many people is acceptable, ma’am.”

“No,” she assures you. “I’ve made that very clear.”

There’s a small moment of silence before you speak again.

“I won’t be accepting the position in Los Angeles.”

Strauss sighs but doesn’t look surprised. “That’s as I expected. I will, however, add something that I did not share with you before to further inform your choice.”

You sit up a little straighter, a little more attentive.

“The push for a transfer is also in an effort to protect your reputation. I know the BAU has continued investigating Ian Doyle and while that is noble, it could go very wrong. And that much is above my head. DHS, ATF, NSA - they could all be upset by your unofficial involvement. This could go as high as Congress and could result in your permanent termination from the bureau, making you ineligible for work in federal law enforcement.”

“Yes, ma’am. High risk, high reward.” You shrug. “Or at least, that’s what Dr. Reid tells me.”

A wan smile pulls at her mouth. “Yes. As long as you’re comfortable with the consequences.”

“I am, ma’am.”

“Good.”

+++ september 2011 +++

“Alright, buddy! You ready to go?”

Jack adjusts the straps on his little backpack while Jess finishes putting his lunch together. “I’m ready. Just need lunch.”

“It’s right here!” Jess says, bringing his Captain America lunchbox to him and strapping it to the outside of his backpack. “You’ve got a ham and cheese sandwich, a juice box, some carrots, and a brownie. Does that sound okay?”

He nods.

“And if it’s not enough, we can always get some more food after school okay? It can be a special treat.”

Jack grins and you all head off to the car together.

+++

The little meltdown arrives when you and Jess move to leave him at the door of his classroom. Jack’s brown eyes get wide and rapidly fill with tears as soon as you take a step away from him.

“Jack, baby, c’mere.” You drop to your knee and open your arms. He steps into them and you can feel his shaky, hiccuping breaths against your shoulder.

While you hold him, you hear Jess debriefing his new teacher about their current situation, and the way things are in general. Dad in Pakistan, dead mom, goes by Jack rather than Jonathan, the whole nine.

“You are so brave,” you whisper into his hair. “You are so smart. You are a good friend and you are safe.”

He nods.

“I’m so sorry your dad can’t be here, honey, but he’s going to be so excited to hear all about it as soon as he gets home. And I'll tell him how brave you are on our next secret superhero phone call.”

‘Secret superhero phone call’ was the best way you could describe using the sat phone (and why Jack couldn't talk to Aaron himself) so you just went with it.

Jack nods again, sniffling a little and pulling back. You reach for him, wiping his tears with your thumbs.

“I love you so much, bud.”

“I love you, too.”

You kiss his forehead, reminding him, “I might have to get on a plane for work, but otherwise I’ll see you after you’re done with your first-ever day of school, okay? This is so exciting!”

He finally smiles, and your work is done. When he steps into the classroom, he doesn’t look back.

+++

Thankfully, you’re not pulled for another case until the end of the week, so you’re able to see Jack through his first-ever week of school.

It hits you more than once that you’re the person next to Jess right now while he hits these milestones. Long gone is that toddler that would giggle in his mother’s arms as she danced around the living room to Hall and Oates. In his place is an insightful little boy with a rapidly burgeoning sense of humor and a wickedly kind smile.

You love him.

+++

The entire team got an emergency call, so you're all gathered in the roundtable room when Aaron walks in, looking all the worse for wear and -

Is that a beard?

Wait. He’s back.

You just spoke to him on Monday, with news of a “few more weeks,” even in the face of developments on the Doyle case.

Fucking bastard knew he was coming home, didn’t he?

All of your joy in seeing him evaporates, and you narrow your eyes at him. Just like the last time you were in this room together, there’s an apology in his gaze.

“Welcome back.” Derek doesn’t sound surprised, and your head whips toward him. He doesn’t look at you.

Unbelievable.

“Thanks. Everyone, have a seat.” You follow Aaron’s instructions, and sit, crossing your arms. It’s childish, sure, but the balance of personal and professional life has flown out the window.

This feels like a personal slight, rather than a professional one. You try to push it away, but it lingers in your sternum like a lit flare. It’s uncomfortable, and you hate it.

“Why?” Derek sounds a little concerned. Your anger cools a little bit. Derek doesn't actually know anything. “What’s going on? Is everything alright?”

“Seven months ago I made a decision that affected this team.” You notice, brow furrowed, that JJ stands beside Hotch like an ally. They both have odd looks on their faces. “As you all know, Emily had lost a lot of blood after her fight with Doyle.”

No.

“The doctors were able to stabilize her. She was airlifted from Boston to Bethesda under a covert exfiltration.”

No.

“Her identity was strictly need-to-know. She stayed there until she was well enough to travel. She was reassigned to Paris, where she was given several identities, none of which we had access to for her security.”

No.

There’s silence, and you can’t tear your eyes from Aaron.

“She’s alive?”

“We buried her...”

Penelope and Spencer’s comments rush past you and you feel much like you did in the waiting room on that horrible, horrible night seven months ago.

“As I said, I take full responsibility for the decision. If anyone has any issues, they should be directed toward me.”

His eyes finally meet yours, and you find your vision blurred. You blink away your tears.

It was a necessary lie.

You go into this business expecting to be lied to.

Not by Aaron.

That’s not the issue and you know it. He left.

He missed Jack’s first day of school. He was gone for five months.

He left us.

“Any issues?” Derek’s disbelief is marred by hurt, but you can’t reassure him through your own shock. “Yeah, I got issues.”

He’s cut off by Penelope’s glance toward the doorway.

The team, save for JJ and Hotch, rushes toward her. You’re stuck to your seat until she approaches you. At her touch, you come back to life, throwing yourself into her arms. Her name sounds strangled leaving your mouth. “Emily.”

“I’m so sorry. I’m so so sorry.” Her grip on you is tight, but your arms, looped around her shoulders, don’t feel like they’re attached to your body.

She lets you go and continues to speak. Derek’s frozen, and you can’t imagine for a minute what’s going on in his head. Emily wraps around him. He’s stock still, his eyes misty. You let out a breath you didn’t know you were holding when he brings his hand to her shoulder, his cheek falling onto the side of her head.

It’s back to business faster than you can blink, and now you’re sure you’re not the only one ready to kill Aaron where he stands. Derek is livid.

They stare at each other while Spencer starts asking questions. Eventually, they focus back. Aaron crosses to you, contributing where necessary.

You don’t acknowledge him. It’s horrible. You hate being so angry with him, but there’s nothing to be done.

You can’t be upset at him about Emily. There’s too much to understand, and yet the initial shock of it is like a never-ending bucket of cold water poured over your body.

Selfishly, you realize you’re upset with him because he didn’t tell you he was coming home. It’s so small when there are other, much bigger, issues to address.

Emily’s lie is professional. Just part of the job. This one feels personal.

You’re a child. Let it go.

He knew and he left.

He missed Haley's birthday.

He knew and he left.

He shouldn't have gone.

He didn’t tell you he was coming home.

#aaron hotchner x reader #aaron hotchner #hotch x reader #hotch #aaron hotchner imagine #criminal minds x reader #criminal minds fanfiction #criminal minds imagine #criminal minds #tali writes fanfiction #tali talks cm #a joyful future fanfic

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dameronology · 3 years

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a good jedi {obi-wan x reader}

summary: obi-wan kenobi always knows what to say, and he's always right - most the time, it's pretty annoying, but when you need advice? you're in luck. (this is platonic obi-wan x padawan! reader btw! for @raeshin -- i hope you enjoy!)

warnings: it probably has language in it somewhere? at this point i don't even know when i do and don't swear.

enjoy!! if you'd like to read more about commissioning a fic, the faqs are here :)

- jazz xx

The Jedi Temple had been scary at first.

With it's high walls and long, tangled history, you felt the pressure of being a warrior weigh on your shoulders almost the minute you set foot in the grand corridors. You'd been just a kid at the time - wide eyed and filled with some kind of weird, naive hope - but in your few, short years in the galaxy, you had heard more than enough about the Jedi. Who they were, and what they stood for; the adventures they went on and the way they brought balance to the Galaxy. The connection you felt to them had never seemed to be anything more than a youthful obsession with a world you wanted to be a part of.

Then, not long after your sixth birthday, things began to make sense. A mysterious man in a cloak paid your home planet a visit -- for you. Your interest in the Jedi hadn't been coincidental. Not in the slightest. Your connection to the Force was almost overwhelming, and it was something that Obi-Wan Kenobi could sense the minute he met you for the first time. For a young kid who had been torn away from their family and had the trajectory of their life changed entirely, your upbeat approach to the change of circumstance was pleasantly...surprising. It was clear from the get-go that you had a thirst for adventure, and a strong sense to do the right thing. Two things that, arguably, would have made you the perfect Jedi.

Obi-Wan was a good example of one; he was calm under pressure, patient as a mentor and things were never boring. It didn't take long for him to become like an older brother to you, and for that, you were grateful. There were other Padawans who hadn't been as lucky -- their mentors were either obsessed with the rules, or they were more preoccupied by their outstanding missions and meetings with the Council. Obi-Wan had always made you his main priority, focusing on your training and making sure that you didn't make the same mistakes as him (but let's face it -- were there many?).

Perhaps, it was that idolisation that had lead you to become scared of opening up to him about your own fears. Of course, he would never judge you, but the irrational, anxiety-induced voice in your head didn't know any better. You were terrified of letting him down, and even more fearful that he might lose faith in you for having doubts. Doubts in yourself, doubts in the Jedi, doubts in everything they stood for. What kind of warrior questioned their dedication and the morals of the order to which they were seemingly destined to be a part of? A bad one - or so you told yourself.

It had been easy to push them down at first; to brush aside your worries and tell yourself you were being silly. But, what had started as a little voice in the back of your head soon became a loud, all-consuming bellow. It was hard to ignore, especially now that Obi-Wan had thrown around the idea of beginning practice for your trials. You were no longer a child anymore, but a young adult. It was time for you to start moving up in the world, and in the Jedi Order, and that would mean reaffirming your commitment to them. You'd near enough dedicated two decades of your life to the cause, but it was only now that the doubt was truly starting to plague you.

It was becoming harder to hide it from Obi-Wan. Not only was he extremely intuitive and pragmatic in himself, but the Force connection that your Jedi-mentor relationship had provided you with made it even harder to kick your emotions under the fridge like ice and pretend they weren't there. Even when you gave him your best fake smile and promised you were excited for what was to come, he saw right through it. Your thinly-veiled emotions were no match for a man who could read you like a book.

"We have to report the council." Obi-Wan said. He stepped aside, allowing you to exit the ship with him in tow. "It might be useful for you to deliver the mission report. Good practice for when you're out there on your own-"

"- master, we haven't even got a date for when I'll be doing the trials." You cut him off. The Temple wasn't too far of a walk, but it took you through the gardens. "I'd rather not get ahead of myself."

"It's always better to be a few steps ahead then a few steps behind." He shot back.

"Yeah, I suppose." You muttered. "I think I'm where I need to be right now. Not ahead, nor behind."

He thinned his eyes at you. "If you're sure."

"Very." You forced a smile. "Besides, I'm tired out. It's been a long few days."

"I find myself doubting the sincerity of your statement given that you threatened Anakin over a game of holochess just mere seconds ago-"

"- he was cheating!" You exclaimed. "But really, master, I am shattered. I'd be grateful if you'd let me retire for the night, unless you're really that desperate for my presence in front of the council."

"Very well." Obi-Wan nodded. "Get some rest. I'll see you in the morning for training?"

You stopped in your tracks, just in front of the corridor that lead to your chambers. Normally, you were pretty good at coming up with excuses - now, your ability had failed you entirely. It wasn't that you didn't want to wake up early and train, but rather that you were so caught up in your own concerns and doubts that it would affect your ability to fight at all. And, with all due respect to Obi-Wan, the last thing you needed was to be thrown half-way across the room at 5AM on a Saturday morning during combat training.

"I'm not sure," you nervously shuffled from one foot to another. "I might skip training tomorrow and focus on my readings."

Obi-Wan folded his arms across his chest. "Something is going on with you."

"There isn't." You tried to sound confident in your words. "I'm just-"

"- tired?" He raised an eyebrow. "Have you been getting enough sleep lately?"

"Of course." You replied quickly- perhaps a bit too quickly.

"Hmm." Obi-Wan clearly wasn't taking your bullshit. "You know that you've been my Padawan for the better part of twenty years, don't you?"

"Right."

"I can tell when you're lying." He continued. "We'll finish it here tonight but I'm not done with this conversation."

"There's nothing to talk about." You coldly said. "Good night, Master."

Obi-Wan sighed, blue eyes flittering to the floor. "Good night."

True to your word, you slept through training the next day. You didn't even bother setting an alarm, instead choosing to snooze right through til late morning. It was a much-needed lie in -- between your missions, your late-night stressing sessions and constantly running away from the subject of your trials, you were shattered. The sleep had been good, but it didn't much when it was your soul that was tired.

You found yourself in the Temple gardens not long after you woke up. They were the most peaceful place in the entire building -- fields of fresh, green grass, and tangles of unkempt plants that stretched out as far as you could see. The late-morning sun was hanging high in the sky, casting a golden glow on your skin as you slowly wandered down the path. There were a few other people sat on the lawns, either meditating or reading a book. Instead of doing either, you simply meandered. It was hard to remember the last time you weren't doing something...Jedi-ish.

"That isn't reading."

You froze at the sound of your Master's voice -- he was sat on one of the benches, lunch laid out beside him. Knowing Obi-Wan, he'd probably risen at 4AM and done ten times as much in his waking hours than everyone else in the Temple had done in a week. He was always on the go, always dedicating himself to something. Sometimes, he took you along for the ride.

"I was taking a walk." You shot back.

"I can see that." Obi-Wan said. He tossed his sandwich into the bin and stood up, dusting off his trousers. "Let's walk and talk."

"Master, I'm going to be honest with you, I really wanted this time for myself." You explained. "And with all due respect, most of the Padawans out here are alone, and not with their masters-"

"- so you're too cool to be seen in public with me now?" He raised an eyebrow. "I can sense your anxiety and I think it would be good for us to get to the bottom of it."

You sighed to yourself -- the gig was up. But, to give credit where credit was due, you had been able to hide your woes from him for the better part of six months. You could feel your heart-rate picking up in your chest at the thought of coming clean. What if he was disappointed in you? Or worst, insulted that you were worrying about the Order he had sworn his life to?

Obi-Wan placed his hand on the small of your back, forcing you to start walking beside him, through the gardens and towards the temple. So much for a peaceful morning.

"Talk to me." He said. "What's troubling you?"

"I..." you let your eyes fall to the floor. "Look, if I tell you, can you promise me one thing?"

"Of course."

"That you won't be disappointed in me?"

"I could never be disappointed in you." Obi-Wan replied. "If you've made a mistake, it's fine. How else are we supposed to learn?"

"It's not so much a mistake, so much it is a feeling." You began. "I've dedicated most of my life to this Order, and the things it stands for, and by the looks of it, the rest of my life will be too. That was amazing when I was a kid, and not entirely capable of thinking for myself. Now I can, and I find myself full of...doubt."

"Right," He pondered on your words for a moment. "Doubt about what, exactly?"

"The Order." You replied. "There are so many rules to follow, and so many codes. It's been okay up until now but what if one day, I find myself wanting to make a decision that goes against it? Or making a choice that I think to be correct, but the Council see as wrong?"

Obi-Wan was quiet for a moment. He felt your words in his core -- he'd had his moments like that too. Many, many moments of doubt, sprinkled throughout the last three decades. But, just a few was plenty enough for him to remember - the hesitation, the worry, the endless thoughts of leaving and breaking free plaguing in his mind. There had been so much loss; so much grief and hurt that had pushed him to the edge. Qui-Gonn, Satine, members of the 501st who had fallen victim to the ongoing Clone Wars. There were days where he came closer and closer to his breaking point - in the same way there were days that it felt like it was inching further away. Like the day that the two of you went to Corellia, and he saw you hold your own in battle for the first time, or the day that he managed to get himself kidnapped, and you and Anakin came to rescue him and make a joke out of it. It was the days like that which he'd clung onto so tightly.

You never would have known, not from his outward appearance. From where you were standing, Obi-Wan Kenobi was calm and collected. He always stood his ground and did the right thing, and aside from a few grey hairs that had cropped up in his otherwise-strawberry-blonde hair, you never would have known the losses he had faced. The sacrifices he had made.

And it broke his heart that you feeling that same misgivings and apprehensions that he had.

"Master, you've been quiet for a really long time." You murmured. "Maybe I should just forget it, pretend I didn't say anything-"

"- Not every decision that I've made has been in line with what a good Jedi is." Obi-Wan cut you off. "But you don't need to worry, I can assure you of that much."

You peered up at him. "What do you mean?"

"You might not always be a good Jedi, but you'll always do the right thing." He explained.

"You think so?"

"I know so." He replied. "I see it in you. Whatever way you interpret the Jedi Code, you needn't worry, because you can't be a good Jedi until when, stripped back to the very core of your humanity, you're a good person. And you are, undoubtedly so."

You smiled. "Thank you."

"There are going to be times when you doubt everything you stand for, and everything you dedicate your life to." Obi-Wan continued. "And when I find myself doing that, I look at it from a different angle. The be-all-and-end-all of what we do is to help and protect others, whether that's under the guise of the Jedi, or as a civilian. That's what matters."

"That makes sense." You nodded. "Thank you for listening. I was worried you were going to be disappointed in me."

"I've been disappointed with the Jedi Order itself hundreds of more times than I've been disappointed with you." He said. "Your ability to question authority when necessary is going to get you far. It's better to be overly cautious than overly naive."

"Does that apply to your authority too?" You grinned.

"If need be - but I like to think I'm a pretty relaxed master." Obi-Wan replied. "I could be a lot harder on you. Especially on mornings when you lie to me and sleep in."

You groaned. "It won't happen again. I can assure you that your current methods of teaching are more than sufficient."

"Sufficient enough that you're ready for the trials?"

"Maybe." You cautiously said. "I suppose we could at least talk to the council about it."

"Thank you." Obi-Wan grinned. "Then you can finally get rid of me."

"I could never." You shot back.

#obi-wan kenobi x reader #obi-wan kenobi x you #obi-wan kenobi imagine #obi-wan x reader #obi-wan x you #obi wan kenobi x you #star wars x reader #star wars x you #star wars imagines

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