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shinhatigf · 3 years

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a little bit insane ahsoka and luke au

the lovely @picazos-angsty-typist inspired me to just post my au ideas as opposed to giving them away, and this one is my absolute favorite! it's an au in which 19 year old ahsoka finds the time travel crystal from the lego star wars christmas special and is transported onto tatooine right before a new hope. then she gets to go along through the original trilogy and be best friends with luke! (this is honestly just an extremely convoluted way to get my favorite characters to be best friends. this au is for me <3.) extremely long elaborations and plot stuff in bullet points under the cut:

okay so 19 year old ahsoka! it would be about 2 years post order 66 and about 6-8 months since the ending of the ahsoka novel, so she's traveling the world and doing fulcrum things, attempting to build a rebellion with bail organa. this, naturally, means she needs to hide from the empire.

because it needs to be life day for the crystal to work, that's the day this all starts (in ahsoka's original timeline). ahsoka finds out randomly that it's life day, and has a moment remembering the day before order 66, before the empire.

she gets into a skirmish with the empire close by kordoku, the planet with the time travel stone on it. she feels a pull from the force, like there's a safe haven on the planet below, so she lands and immediately knows why: she's in front of a jedi temple. she knows she'll be safe inside from the empire. she walks in, and seals the temple with the force

she picks up the weird rock thing in the middle of the room, as it's singing to her through the force. the second she touches it, a wormhole opens up, and she's dropped directly in the middle of a tatooinian sandstorm.

we the audience know that she's time traveled, but ahsoka has no clue. and as I'm assuming she doesn't have much experience wandering ancient abandoned jedi temples (in her time, very recently, they'd been populated and upkept), she wouldn't suspect she was hallucinating. she assumed the rock somehow teleported her, but the sand and the wind of the sandstorm make it impossible for her to find the rock. where before it had been singing to her through the force, she couldn't feel anything now.

she has no choice but to try and find shelter from the storm and wait it out. she finds a sort of cave, a small hideout, so she sets up her small camp. having nothing else to do, she opens herself up to the force to meditate, hoping to locate the rock and find more information about her new situation. however, she instead discovers something she wasn't expecting: the faint and utterly familiar force prescence of one obi-wan kenobi

it feels damaged and weak, almost as if he'd cut himself off from the force somewhat, but there was no denying that it was obi-wan. ahsoka thanked the force for sending her to the rock, as she assumes it had just sent her to obi-wan and nothing else.

during this force meditation, she also discovers the planet that she's on is tatooine. this heavily reminds her of anakin, hearing echoes of their conversation as they crossed the desert from what seems like a million years ago.

once the storm settles, she makes her way through the tatooinian desert, and just as the suns are coming up and she knows she would need to find shelter, she happens upon the Lars farm.

she meets Owen and Beru Lars and their nephew, Luke. they are kind and good people, and do not hesitate to offer ahsoka a place to stay + some food and water. ahsoka rests up somewhat, but insists on helping them in return.

this part I haven't quite nailed out yet. tatooine side quest featuring ahsoka and luke doing whatever one does on a moisture farm. I assume ahsoka would offer technological help as she's a good mechanic (perks of master skywalker) so maybe they're going around and fixing vaporators?

that day and into the night, she and luke really hit it off. she learns more about tatooine and more about how they've been affect by the war. however from the way luke talks about it, the empire has been around as long as he can remember. this strikes ahsoka as extremely odd, and wonders what else is going on, but fixing things doesn't leave much room for another galaxy warping revelation, so she doesn't dwell on it immediately.

she and luke discuss kind of everything. they become buddies bc that's important to me. the next day, she tells them she's looking for obi-wan kenobi. "do you know someone named obi-wan kenobi?" luke does his little "do you think she means old ben kenobi?" number which is fun n nostalgic hehe.

owen seems to freeze. he hasn't heard that name in quite some time, and it doesn't exactly conjure pleasant memories. he reluctantly agrees to let luke point her in the right direction, and she buys a speeder from them (they try to give it to her but she insists on paying. ahsoka ftw)

ahsoka manages to avoid the tuskens on her way into the jundland wastes and runs into.... this really old dude. this is when she really has to confront the time travel of it all. she and obi-wan have a Talk. there's still a little bad blood between them considering obi-wan was on the council that condemned her without remorse or apology, but they're both so relieved to see the other alive.

ahsoka learns that it's been 19 years since order 66, since the empire took over. she remembers the day it happened, what only feels like 2 years ago to her.

she mentions that luke helped her find him, and obi-wan freezes. this obviously gets noticed by ahsoka, and obi-wan drops the real bomb on her: luke is anakin and padmé's son. obi-wan tells her that anakin died in order 66 and padmé died with the rebellion, that he's here both to hide out and to protect luke. she remarks in her head that the whole chosen one thing is ridiculous, that pinning the entire galaxy's hopes on a nineteen year old kid that up until now obi-wan has refused to even CONSIDER training (skywalker trauma lolz) but she can sense the strong emotions from him, that he wouldn't have it in him to stand up to the empire alone, so she drops it.

as to how padmé died: i hate the way that she dies in the prequels so I am deleting it. this is my canon. she actually survives and stays with the rebellion for a good 3-5 years before she's killed in a rebel vs. empire conflict. ahsoka is especially devastated to learn about her death from obi-wan (who bail organa risked communication with to tell him, as he was also close with padmé).

she and obi-wan spar, both to get Ahsoka's mind off of the everything about this situation and because it's been so long since either of them have been around another jedi. it's cathartic for both of them. (ahsoka beats obi-wan easily btw haha)

obi-wan offers to officially knight her as a jedi knight, as that was what the council had intended after the whole fiasco and he says "you're just as experienced and powerful as I was when I was knighted." but ahsoka declines. she isn't ready to be considered a jedi yet, and may never be.

this is when a new hope really starts. obi-wan and ahsoka find luke unconscious in the jundland wastes, and that sequence goes pretty much the same. r2 is beeping and trilling like crazy because ahsoka!!!!!! that's one of his best friends!!!!!!! luke is like "you know this droid?" and ahsoka freezes, because how exactly does she explain to the nice dude she met yesterday that actually she's from 17 years in the past and was very close with both of his parents, who both were extremely close to r2?

she does in fact explain all of that to him when they get to obi-wan's house. she has no idea how she got here or why, but she did know anakin skywalker and padmé amidala naberrie, and tells him as much as she remembers about them. luke misses both of his parents like an ache in his chest, wishing more than anything he could have known them.

obi-wan offers his own perspective on it, and tells how anakin died (which ahsoka is just as eager to know). obi-wan, on the spot, says that another jedi fell to the dark side and joined sidious, and that anakin died defending the temple. (he obviously couldn't say that vader was his pupil, because ahsoka would see through that immediately.)

luke asks why he couldn't have lived with his mother in the rebellion, but obi-wan says that she wanted him to be safe from the galactic conflict and stay with anakin's family. (which is partially true, but the whole sith-sensing-the-overly-powerful-skywalkers was a big factor as well.) obi-wan says he's truly sorry that luke never got to know her.

after learning about the message r2 brought, ahsoka knows she has to get to the rebellion however possible and rejoin the fight. obi-wan agrees, and gives his little elevator pitch to luke about becoming a jedi and joining the rebellion. when obi-wan gives luke the lightsaber, a million memories with anakin flash through ahsoka's head. luke still comes to same conclusion at the end of that conversation: he's willing to guide them out of tatooine, but he can't join the galactic conflict, at least not now.

however, as they're leaving, they find the destroyed jawa crawler. luke, as before, realizes it means the stormtroopers found his family. ahsoka knows that only despair waits there for him, and urges him not to go, but when he doesn't back down hops in the speeder with him (for protection and emotional support).

luke gets to have more emotions about the fact that the empire killed his /entire family./ ahsoka doesn't try and use it to convince him to go, only offers to help him bury them. she openly uses the force to move things around and make things easier, while luke is still in shock, almost numb. they're buried next to shmi and cliegg.

luke is ANGRY at the empire. he is PISSED. he decides to go with them to fight not because he longs for adventure, but because he wants to hit the empire where it hurts. ahsoka can recognize that isn't the thought process of a jedi, but she feels the exact same way after learning about anakin and padmé.

now it's mos eisley time. i feel like han would definitely like/admire ahsoka at first, but ahsoka would not like him. she finds him deplorable and a little annoying, and joins in on the whole bagging on the falcon jokes. this leads to han getting his feelings hurt and he's like fine :( we are not friends then >:(.

the interesting thing is that chewie and ahsoka actually know each other! they were both kidnapped by bossk and hunted for sport in that one clone wars arc, so they're both like "oh hey person who was there for one of the most terrifying and traumatic times in my life! what's up!" they become fast friends yet again, and chewie is like "wow you did not age at all. are you sure you're not a wookiee?"

on the millennium falcon, she and obi-wan get started on luke's training. he asks her about his parents constantly (what they were like, what they did, where they came from, etc). she also talks about what the jedi were like (providing a less rose-colored-glasses perspective, but still with a lot of positives).

she feel the same pain obi-wan does right before they get to alderaan, and can feel bail and breha organa in particular (having known them fairly well after the ahsoka novel).

they get pulled into the death star's tractor beam. ahsoka can feel the cold and horrible presence of vader, a sick dread building in her the closer they get to it. they go to hide under the floorboards of the falcon. han knows how the empire operates better than anyone, which ahsoka is shocked to learn is much different than the Republic or the empire she remembers. (i imagine she lived in a more transitional period, so while the empire was terrible during her time, they were only getting started.)

she tries to go with obi-wan to shut off the power beam, but obi-wan still does his "I must go alone" little number. sensing the end of something, but not what it is, she hugs him goodbye. he's still obi-wan and she missed him dreadfully. he tells her to protect luke.

she along with luke refuses to indulge han's obi-wan slander, and when han says "great at getting us into trouble!" she says "you should have met anakin."

then it's princess rescue time as it should be. that goes exactly the same except ahsoka is much better at defending them from the stormtroopers lol. leia still does the blasting and "somebody has to save our skins!" line because I love that

ahsoka can tell immediately that leia is padmé's daughter. she had probably heard of leia, being in the rebellion for about six months before time traveling, but now having met her it's completely obvious. she doesn't vocalize this immediately though, planning to discuss it with obi-wan.

yes I'm keeping the garbage monster scene because I think it's funny :)

ahsoka goes with han and chewie after the stormtroopers while luke and leia head for the ship. also ahsoka + han banter because I think it's funny

she can see obi-wan and vader's fight (which I'm hoping will be a lot more like their fight in rots. a new hope is incredible but the lightsaber fights got way better as time went on. their final fight deserves to be epic). she tries to run and help obi-wan but luke pulls her back. "he can handle it," he says. "we need you to help us get to the falcon."

however when obi-wan is killed, both of them are distraught. his voice appears in ahsoka's head, telling her not to face vader yet, telling her to run. chewie literally has to hold her back and carry her to the ship.

they blast their way out of the death star, none of them having the time to dwell on what just happened.

ahsoka and luke are both numb. luke lost 3 parental figures in one day, and obi-wan's death after going through order 66 just brings it allll up again. leia is also hanging out in the numb dead parents circle, because her entire planet got blown up today and obi-wan's death just feels like another nail in the coffin. all three of them can sort of feel each other's emotions, and unconsciously they're comforting each other with the force. it's a healing moment for all three of them

han is kind of awkwardly standing in the background. "there wasn't anything any of you could have done," he says, in a rare show of emotion. (i like han wanting to help them despite his i-don't-care-about-anything facade.)

this doesn't stop him from saying he's only in it for the money later though. leia gets to blow up at him about it same as in the movie because she deserves it methinks.

they make it to the rebellion, and a few of the people who've been in it from the beginning recognize her (mon mothma maybe?). I also like the idea of ahsoka being something of rebellion legend, having been one of the last jedi who presumably died fighting the empire for the rebellion.

also general hera syndulla gets to be there bc i love her. she is the one who shows the plans to the pilots and explains the plan. she also references the rogue one crew because i love them also.

ahsoka in an x-wing with the red team attempting to blow up the death star. when vader makes an appearance, she can sense him in the starfighter nearby them, the same cold and evil presence. she personally goes to fight vader and defends the rest of the team from him, somehow falling into a perfect rhythm and anticipating every move. she doesn't kill him obviously, but she gets close. the things that happen stay the same: they sustain heavy casualties, she survives the battle, han comes back to save the day, luke is the one who blows up the death star.

luke, han, chewie, and ahsoka get medals in the end, because each of them were instrumental in the blowing up of the death star (and a lot more pilots survive thanks to Ahsoka's defense). there are references to the phineas and ferb star wars special because I want it.

there's a bit after the official end of a new hope in which she's talking to Luke like "I can't stay. this isn't my timeline. I have to go back. and if I can go back, maybe I can try and save the jedi. maybe I can fix things." however luke changes her mind. "maybe you're in this timeline for a reason. maybe NOW is when you can change things. I would've died without you in the battle of yavin. plus, how am I supposed to become a jedi without you?" luke + leia + han + chewie + r2 + 3po all convince her to stay. they are all very attached to ahsoka at this point, and ahsoka realizes she doesn't really want to leave them either.

also. because the battle is over and they all have a moment to breathe, she tells leia that she's positive she's padmé and anakin's daughter too, not just because of the physical resemblence but also her force sensitivity. there's no doubt about it.

ahsoka agrees to train both of them in what she knows, though she warns that she wasn't a master or even a knight.

it ends with the whole crew hanging out on the falcon (han, leia, luke, chewie, r2, c-3po, and ahsoka)

those are my bullet points for the episode IV section of this! if people want to see where this goes in the rest of the trilogy let me know I have so many notes about this au

also tagging: @togrutanduin @padme--amygdala @bisexualobiwanrights @grimthejedisith @senator-nahberries you get to watch me lose my mind in real time <3

#word count: 3.0k #and this is only the first installment if I ever write this it's going to be so long #the original trilogy #ahsoka tano #luke skywalker #it's loving ahsoka hours #luke is my favorite himbo #my writing #? never used that tag before maybe I should?#ryn dot fic #ryn dot text

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evabellasworld · 3 years

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Storm of the Republic

Chapter 29

AO3 Link | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29

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Summary: When Tup murdered General Tiplar during a battle, Anakin Skywalker and Captain Rex dispatched Ahsoka, Fives, and Yara to solve the mystery that was plaguing the Clone Army. Meanwhile, Senator Padme Amidala contacted Commander Fox, Commander Tori, Riyo Chuchi, and Dipper to help her continue investigating the death of Palpatine, suspecting that Dooku was behind the evil plot. But when Dooku send an ISB agent to stop them, the team had to race against time to search for the truth, which could alter the course of the galaxy.

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Putting on her surgical mask, Dr. Urakchaevy took a deep breath as she glanced at the surgical tube, before shifting her focus towards Tup. With his head covered in plastic foil and his eyes shut, the doctor slid him inside the machine and looked at the panels. “We’re now beginning level 1 brain scan,” she announced to Fives, who was the only one in the room. “This will only take a short while.”

As Fives gave a nod of approval, the machine scanned his brain for 30 minutes. The ARC Trooper tapped his foot on the floor as the doctor focused on his brain condition. From what she had gathered so far, his brain scan was blue, showing that he was slipping towards his deathbed.

This is not good , her teeth chattered. Somehow, I couldn’t find any lumps in his brain, and yet, Tup is unconscious. How is this possible?

“Is everything alright, Doc?” Fives wondered, noticing her hands trembling on the panels.

Dr. Urakchaevy nodded, pressing her lips. “I’ll have to raise the brain scan to level 2. There’s nothing I could find on the surface of his brain.”

“Alright, Doc, you can raise it up to level two,” he gave a thumbs up. “I hope he’s alright.”

Let’s hope he does, she let out a sigh, as she performed another brain scan on Tup, hoping to dig deeper. Another half an hour has passed, and Dr. Urakchaevy felt her sweat dripping from her forehead, despite the air-conditioning in the room.

Considering Tup was the first clone she had treated, she wasn’t knowledgeable in their biology. The only thing she knows about clone troopers was the fact that they fought for the Republic, even though it had been crumbled by the Empire. She doesn’t see the point of the conflict, but Dr. Urakchaevy has to perform her duty to save her patients.

As the machine beeped, the doctor checked on her panel with a gleam painted on her lips, only for her shoulders to slump towards the results. Is this machine broken or what? Do I need to re-scan just to make sure I find something inside Tup?

“Did you find anything, Doc?” his voice turned agitated. “Please tell me you found something, Doc.”

Dr. Urakchaevy remained silent as she stared at the surgical pod, wondering if she could raise the level of the machine. She knows the risk, and she’s not sure whether she would like the result. The worst-case scenario she could think of was the side effects of the radiation, which was nausea, fever, and vomiting. But it was the only way if she wanted a fast result.

“It’s still the same result as the first scan, unfortunately,” she reported, turning towards him. “I’m afraid I have no choice but to perform a Level 5 atomic scan.”

“What’s wrong with that?” asked Fives, raising his eyebrows. “Is it dangerous?”

“It’s full of radiation and Tup might experience side effects, but it’s the only way I could find a lump inside his brain, though the chances are rather small. Are you okay with that, Fives?”

Fives tilted his head upwards as he pondered for a moment. I can’t just refuse his surgery and let him die. I’ll never forgive myself if I made the wrong decision.

“If the Level 5 atomic scan means saving my brother, then you need to do it,” he told her. “I came here to save Tup, and I’m gonna bring him back to base, safe and sound, so do what you have to, Doc. Go with the Level 5 atomic scan if you must.”

Dr. Urakchaevy gave him a small smile. “You’re a caring brother, Fives. Now go wait outside with your sister, Yara. I’m sure Thonda is done patching her up by now.”

“Will Tup be okay, Doc?” his voice quivered. “I don’t want to lose him, really.”

“He’ll be alright,” assured Dr. Urakchaevy, holding his hand. “I promise you. He’ll walk out of this room and act as if nothing had happened to him. He’ll drink with you and Yara and go back to his usual self.”

“In case he doesn’t make it, can I say my last words to him?”

“Fives, Tup will be fine,” she said, opening the door for him. “Besides, this will only take a few minutes, so don’t worry. I have faith in your younger brother.”

Without saying a word, Fives stepped out of the surgical room and held his breath when he found Yara sitting all by herself, munching a plate full of chocolate chip cookies. Cracking a smile, he tiptoed towards her and slapped his arms on her shoulders, making her choke on her food.

“Bitch, I told you not to sneak up to me like that,” she cussed with her mouth full, kicking his shin. “I could have died of a heart attack, you know.”

“Well, it was funny,” he burst into laughter, as he sat beside her and wrapped his arms around her shoulder. “You could have seen the look on your face. It was so ugly.”

“Shut up, Fives. At least I’m more good-looking than you.”

“Says who? Everyone knows I’m the most handsome man among the Grand Army of the Republic.”

Yara sticks her tongue out in disgust. “Yuck, you’re ugly as fuck.”

“No, you’re ugly.”

“Fuck you, Fives,” Yara shoved his shoulders, her other hand gripping on the plate of cookies. “I hate you so much.”

“Well, fuck you too, Yara,” Fives imitated her voice, as he snatched away her cookies from her grasp. “Also, you ate too much of these. Save some for me, will you?”

She crossed her arms, her lips pouting. “Give me back my cookies, dickhead. They’re mine.”

He shook his head, stuffing one in his mouth. “Hey, sharing is caring, okay? Besides, it’s been a while since I had authentic food, anyway.”

“Tell me about it. I miss drinking margaritas from 79’s. It was the best drink I could ever have, you know. I wonder what’s their secret?”

“Maybe they made it with love,” Fives jokes, leaning on his seat. “Also, the music was glorious at the club. I always enjoyed the songs that the DJ played on the dance floor, especially the song Groovy. That was my all-time favourite song.”

“But somehow, someone always bested you on the dance floor,” Yara snarked. “And that someone is sitting right next to you. Guess who it is?”

He rolled his eyes. “Very funny, Yara. I beat you one time and you were sulking the next day.”

“Yeah, exactly. You only beat me one time, Fives. The rest of the time we spent at 79’s, I always held a record on the dance floor, aside from Lisa, of course.”

“God, I miss those days. Everything was simple back then. Now, it feels like we’re stressing our future like a bunch of old men waiting for death.”

“I know, Fives. I miss the days when the only reason I cried was because I failed the simulation. Now, I cry because everyone we know was killed in front of us, and we don’t even know whether we’re next in line.”

“And I miss the day where the only reason we’re happy was because we passed the simulation. Now, I can only be happy because I lived to fight another day, though I wished I could join the rest of our fallen siblings instead.”

Yara hummed to herself. “I know, Fives. Honestly, when this war is over, I just want to walk away from all of this. I want to settle down somewhere and find someone to love, like Commander Fox. He and Riyo are so happy together and I want to be like them.”

“So, you’re looking for someone like those male leads from your favourite rom-com?” smiled Fives. “And how many kids are you planning to have?”

“First of all, I want a guy who is kind and sweet and secondly, I want at least four kids, doesn’t matter what gender they are.”

“Four kids? Well, that’s a lot, to be honest.” “I want to shower all my love on my kids and accept them for who they are, no matter what,” Yara expressed her hopes and dreams. “And I also want them to have a better life than I did. Since I fought in a war, I want my kids to live a peaceful life, without worrying about a single thing.”

“Sounds like a pleasant life,” Fives said, placing an empty plate beside him. “Honestly, I would like to have that kind of life, too. If only I could find someone like that.”

Before Yara could say something, Dr. Urakchaevy walked out of the surgical room with tears of shame in her eyes. Fives stood up from his seat, waiting for her to speak. “So, did the surgery went well?”

She bobbed her head with hesitation, her fingers fidgeting. “Do you want the good news or the bad news?”

“We would like to hear the good news,” Fives replied with his brows furrowed.

“Okay then, the good news is that the surgery went well, and we found a tumour inside his brain,” she informed him, showing the evidence she extracted. “I’m not sure what kind of tumour it is, but I can do my research on it.”

“That’s great to hear, Doc,” Yara beamed. “But then, what’s the bad news?”

“Tup didn’t make it,” Dr. Urakchaevy broke the news to them. “I’m so sorry, guys. I did everything I could to save him, but somehow, his heart rate stopped.”

Fives’ face contorted as he dropped to his knees, frozen. Yara could not utter a single word from her mouth as tears flowed on her cheeks, hugging her knees.

How are we going to face Rex after this?

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dgcatanisiri · 3 years

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I’ll stand by this and die on this hill.

Whatever merits The Last Jedi has - and before you start debating me, I’m not saying it doesn’t have them, just that this outweighs them - it fails as a part of the ongoing narrative. It may be a fine standalone film, but as movie two of the Sequel Trilogy, movie eight of the Skywalker Saga, it fails to connect itself to the rest of the story, existing more in isolation than in concert. Rian Johnson’s Star Wars is VERY different from JJ Abrams’ Star Wars, a clash that makes it all too clear that Rise of Skywalker - and the Sequel Trilogy in general - was doomed to fail from the moment it was decided NOT to maintain the same writer across it.

It shifts gears, taking moments that were played for drama in the previous film (or films) and playing them for laughs.

It drops plot paths, with Rian Johnson explicitly saying that he didn’t use the Knights of Ren because they “didn’t fit” the story he was telling. Or the fact that, if the movie is taking place shortly after TFA, then where is ANY mention of Starkiller, the massive superweapon and installation that the Resistance just blew up?

It demotes Finn, the character who was the lead male of the last film, to a “comedic” c-plot that ends up going in a cul-de-sac, one that even the film’s defenders have said could have been cut and nothing be lost. And, in particular, this is noticeable because the plot of TFA moved BECAUSE of Finn - without Finn, Poe doesn’t escape, Rey doesn’t get off Jakku, the Resistance doesn’t go to Starkiller and destroy it. TFA hinged on Finn. TLJ treats him like a vestigial limb it can’t sever.

(No, really, based on what TFA establishes, FINN is the counterbalance to Kylo Ren - Kylo is a scion of a powerful line of Force users, Finn didn’t even have a NAME until TFA began, Kylo is the face of the First Order, Finn was a faceless stormtrooper, which is why the moment he first takes off his helmet means so much, Kylo was raised by heroes of the Republic and turned to the First Order, Finn was raised by the First Order and turns his back on it... The thematic parallels between them are ALL FUCKING OVER TFA! But TLJ wants him to go away, and there’s no chance for him to rebuild that plot momentum in Rise of Skywalker.)

Also on the level of connection to the previous film... Why the HELL is a coma patient stuffed in a storage closet, rather than the medbay with doctors monitoring him? And he’s then repeatedly tazed by Rose, which is again played for laughs. Finn’s injuries are played as a joke.

With Finn’s demotion, it elevates Kylo Ren, the villain, an explicit parallel to neo-natsees (because the Empire ALWAYS had its roots in natsee imagery, and the First Order is explicitly drawing on those, just like neo-natsees), into the lead male position.

Rey ends up reduced to his prize - over the course of TFA, her interactions with him were, in order, him rendering her unconscious and kidnapping her, torturing her, killing her mentor (his own father), and grievously wounding Finn, the first person in her life who came back for her, which was part of her driving characterization in the previous film. Her motivations are reduced to proving to Luke that she won’t be like Kylo Ren, and then trying to get someone she has no motivation to genuinely care about to redeem himself.

That “redemption,” I say again, is being offered by her after, again, she was kidnapped and tortured by him, she watched him kill Han Solo, who she saw as a paternal figure herself, and he put Finn, someone she’d already come to care for and who was the first person in her life to come back for her, in a coma. What motivation is there for her to TRY to redeem him? And if you want to say “Force Bond,” then that means that something is forged between her and Kylo, without her consent, that makes her care for him, actively manipulating her mind, and this just... happens.

The whole “Rey’s parents” thing is also a problem because it is ignoring HER reaction - it’s all about subverting the audience’s expectations, without caring about how she as a character responds. She never needed her parents to be a Kenobi, a Jinn, a Skywalker, whoever. They didn’t need to be somebody to the audience, they just were people she needed. Even the idea that they were drunks... They were the drunks who gave birth to her, who left her behind, and she wanted just to know why.

And why should anyone even believe that Kylo Ren would know that they’re just nobodies when it’s been like three days since they even met - none of his informants could have chased down any leads to the point of determining this in that time, if he even WAS looking for them. So by the same measure of “how does he know this?” is the question of “why should she believe him?”

It does not explain Luke’s change of character in near enough detail - this is a character who refused to kill DARTH VADER, his father, a man he barely knew, only really knowing him as the great boogeyman of the Empire, and yet I’m supposed to believe that he would actively attempt a premeditated murder of his own nephew, who he would have known all of said nephew’s life, for what he MIGHT do? There NEEDED more of points B and C to connect points A and D here.

Also on the subject of Luke, in the last movie, it was explicit - Luke had vanished and left a map behind. Why would you leave a map to a place you intend to run away to and be forgotten and die?

This movie, indeed, SHRANK the galaxy far, far away to ludicrous levels - the Resistance is in the fringes of the New Republic, yet Canto Bight, a major casino resort hub of war profiteering, is a casual jump away? Also, if the Resistance fleet couldn’t jump there, how can a small ship like Finn and Rose’s do that? Doesn’t the fleet need every vehicle and every drop of fuel? Rey’s gone after Luke, to a planet forgotten by the rest of the galaxy, her training pretty clearly taking place over days, at least, if not more. And yet simultaneously, the ticking clock of the Resistance’s fuel running out happens, and she still manages to arrive in the midst of their escape? This timeline is a goddam mess.

Rian Johnson explicitly said that he wanted Holdo to be flirtatious with Poe. And told the costume designer NOT to dress her in the uniform befitting an admiral. Right there, you lose me on Holdo being in the right during the mutiny - we have an existential threat to the Resistance, and she’s dressed like she’s going for drinks with Senators and apparently supposed to be flirting with Poe.

And I’m giving this its own bullet point - they actively changed the language of the film to try and frame her as more in the right. She was redubbed after the fact to have different dialogue and tone with Poe, while leaving his side of the conversation alone, seemingly to portray him more as a hotheaded maverick when what we’re seeing is him responding to the existential threat they are facing. I HAVE to address this, because they changed what the characters are reacting to after the fact to push a narrative of Poe being wrong, when he WAS acting in the Resistance’s best interests throughout.

Because his demotion is crap - the Original Trilogy showed the X-Wings and similar snubfighters having independent hyperdrive, there was no reason to keep the fleet there for the sake of recovering them based on the text of the film and the established technology of the setting. Leia could have jumped the fleet and let them rendezvous later. Keeping the fleet there? That was her blunder, not Poe’s.

Meanwhile the dreadnaught? That was a MAJOR target - It had over 200,000 First Order troops. For a group on the fringe, LIKE THE FIRST ORDER WAS IN TFA, that’s a major loss of personnel and material. And that slow-moving target of the dreadnaught was the kind of target those bombers should have been designed for. And if they were really so valuable that they were all lost against the dreadnaught and it was a major blow to the Resistance, those bombers should have been scrapped for parts long before. So, based on what the First Order was originally established as in TFA, Poe did the right thing. His problem is that TLJ CHANGED what the First Order was.

And, again, with the existential threat of the First Order on their tails, Poe, one of the Resistance’s best pilots AND the guy who blew up Starkiller, should have been on the list of people who deserved to be in the know of the plan - if you’re worried about traitors (which Holdo never actually SAYS), he’s pretty clearly not working for them. So she’s holding over the fact that he lost people on a mission against him, which... I’m sorry, but what the fuck with that, EVERY fighter pilot mission we have seen in the films has led to losses.

And when he does find out the plan - the plan that he asks her, three times, in private, in public, and at gunpoint, to even just tell him EXISTS, not even the details of - he’s completely accepting of it. So the whole conflict exists because she doesn’t talk to anyone about it.

Because, before anyone brings up “she has no responsibility to tell an underling her ideas,” she may not, but there was a chance, right before the mutiny went through, for her to defuse the situation entirely, since, as we see, once he knows the plan, he’s willing to go along with it. And it’s not like Poe was acting alone - there were others in the mutiny, including Connix, who we’d seen in charge of the evacuation, which gives the impression she has at least some position of authority. And she wasn’t filled in on Holdo’s plan either.

Holdo’s flaw is assuming that, because she is the named authority - explicitly the last link in the chain of command - that all the people under her command should just fall in line. But the Resistance was, like the First Order, reverted into the Rebellion for this movie - in TFA, it was not a military service but a volunteer militia of people who were acting in service specifically of one person, Leia Organa. Not Holdo. So when the whole damn organization formed to follow one person, and that one person is taken out of commission, it NEEDS someone willing to extend trust to take charge. Poe was doing that by wanting to hear her out. Holdo was failing to do that by not even bothering.

Yoda’s appearance is undeserved - this is the same Jedi who, if he’d had his way, would have refused Luke’s training in Empire Strikes Back because he was “too old,” even though that was always the plan, to train the Skywalker child, and, as shown by the prequels, was the embodiment of the Jedi Order’s hubris back in the days of the Old Republic. If anyone deserved to have that moment with Luke, it was Anakin, because Anakin was the embodiment of where the Jedi teachings and values had failed - when your prophesized “Chosen One” ends up being at odds with almost all your expectations of the “model” Jedi, the Force is probably trying to tell you something. But no, Yoda’s the fan favorite, so Yoda appears and undermines his own message of “failure, the greatest teacher is.” Yoda’s failures had as much to do with the fall of the Jedi as anyone else’s, and when he had the chance to learn from it, he was going to pass it up.

By the end of the film, both the Resistance and the First Order are devastated. Kylo Ren is Supreme Leader of a handful of vessels with no real power base, while the Resistance fits semi-comfortably in Han Solo’s old beat up weed van. Meanwhile the New Republic is still in shambles. No one WON. All they got from victory was survival. By this point, they’re BOTH defeated, so... Where even was the story going to GO from here?

Also... That focus on the child slaves on Canto Bight at the end? Yeah, fine enough moment on its own, but... We already HAD child slaves established in this trilogy. Because Finn was taken as a child and conscripted, along with all the other stormtroopers of the First Order. So why didn’t THAT get any attention? Indeed, his infiltration of the First Order is no more than show, existing for like five minutes, rather than... y’know, trying to set up a stormtrooper rebellion, something that, by virtue of his character, should have been a running theme through the trilogy. Yet, see again, “Finn is a vestigial limb the movie can’t cut off” - we know from the DVD, he had A LOT of scenes cut and rewritten, at his character’s expense, after, again, being the leading man of the previous movie.

If this film had been a standalone film, like Rogue One or Solo, one of the Star Wars Stories films, rather than a main series film, I’d say it was a good Star Wars movie. But... As part two of a trilogy, part eight of a saga, it fails to connect to the rest of the story, and that, more than anything, is why Rise of Skywalker was what it was. If you didn’t care for Rise of Skywalker, look at what TLJ left for it in terms of connective narrative tissue, and where the story could go from there.

It might be a good film, but it was NOT a good Star Wars film. And I’m judging it as one.

#dg rants #the last jedi critical #sorry but i needed a rant on the subject #dg gets pissed #anti tlj

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unstoppableforcce · 4 years

Text

slow down

pairing: Poe Dameron x CMO! reader

from the how wonderful series 1 2 3 4

a/n: we’re back after a period of writer’s block with our fav couple, a bit of role reversal as Poe is typically the baby needing love in my writing lol. I hope y’all enjoy!!

Ten soldiers died that day, but only six on the battlefield.

The four others succumbed to their injuries under the aggressive fluorescents of the medical bay, leaving doctors, nurses and med droids coated in their blood instead of the enemies who inflicted the wounds. It was a blood that was always harder to wash off, no matter how long you scrubbed for.

“Doctor...”

Your breath caught in your throat as your held yourself up on the edges of the sink in the staff refresher, mind immediately jumping to the worst news before the poor nurse could even open their mouth. But glancing over your shoulder, you found a look of relief instead of fear etched in their features, and you naively let your shoulders release a breath of the overwhelming tension they held.

“They need you in the command center.” The nurse continued, letting their features turn to a look of sympathy now.

Every shift felt never ending, but this shift much more than the last.

When was the last time you had even slept? Besides stealing a few quiet moments in your office between patients, you hadn’t had much, certainly not a real night of sleep like you deserved, in a real bed, next to the real body you missed so desperately...

You clenched your eyes shut and blew out a shaking breath, all you could see were their eyes. Your last patient had been so young, so undeserving, and bleeding so much more than was recoverable from. The haste of the nurses was commendable, there was back a in your hand the second you asked for it, but it didn’t matter, the poor kid was dead the second their body hit the stretcher. There was nothing you could do but you all tried anyways, maybe that was why it hurt so badly, why you couldn’t wash the blood off in your mind even if your hands were scrubbed clean.

“Doctor, they’ll be starting the briefing—“ The nurse lingered in the doorway, pressing gently and you finally had to give in and nod in response.

“I’m coming.” You sighed, pinching the bridge of your nose and sucking in a deep breath as best you could. “Tell them I’m on my way.”

Brushing the hair that had fallen in front of your face back, you quickly tried to recover whatever remained of your composure and wipe away the last of your exhaustion. The mirror quickly reported that you hadn’t been very successful once you met your own eyes in the reflection but you also caught the lingering nurse from behind you, and knew you didn’t have the time to linger on your frazzled appearance.

The briefing. You gave yourself a nod in the mirror and moved out into the hall, beginning the journey out of medical to the command center.

By the time you got there, you found the nurse had been right, they had already started. Attention turned towards you as you tried to silently maneuver your way in to the empty seat at the lengthy conference table, but by the time they noticed it was just you, they turned back to Leia at the head of the table. However, her attention stayed on you.

“Doctor, thank you for coming,” she interrupted herself to say, shifting all of the attention back to you again. “Any news on Private Atka?”

As if you needed a trigger to bring the image of his dead eyes back to the forefront of your brain...

Settling into your seat, you sighed, “I’m sorry, he didn’t make it.”

Leia nodded, with the pose and resilience of a woman who truly understood the weight of the lives which rested on her shoulders, she carried it with a grace you swore you could never know. “I’ll handle the announcements.”

“I appreciate that.”

There was a whole bay of lives that relied on you the way the galaxy relied on her and yet you could feel your shoulders crumpling in on themselves while she held her head high and kept on with the meeting as she was before your entrance interrupted. You couldn’t even escape the low rumbling building in the back of your skull, quickly radiating to the forefront of your head, all from one death while she pressed on. It was more than commendable on her end, it was a failure on your end.

You could feel a stare on you as you rubbed at your temples, forcing you to look back up and actually focus in on the meeting. But it wasn’t a stare of condescension, it was one riddled with care and a weight you could feel across the table, one you knew all too well.

It was Poe...

You knew you must have been out of your head if he had been sat beside Leia the whole time and you hadn’t even noticed, not until now, as his stare was the only one on you instead of the general in the whole conference room.

A full release of tension fell from your shoulders as you caught his eye, relaxing into your chair as the rest of the meeting fell to white noise in the background. You would’ve been more worried if you knew he had been on the mission but he hadn’t been, his ship was in bad shape after the mission two days ago, or at least that was what you overheard in the last briefing you had that morning, you hadn’t actually seen him since he got back two days ago.

He was in much better shape than you were too. His hair was damp like he had recently showered and his uniform actually looked clean, while you couldn’t even remember the last time you had a real shower, not one in a sink, or actually changed your clothes instead of grabbing new scrubs when yours got bloodied...

And his eyes were full of concern.

“Are you okay?” He mouthed silently, still careful and respectful around the briefing you two were sat in the middle of.

If you get capable of it, you would have given him a quick smile and reply, but you couldn’t even muster that. All you could do was offer a quick nod.

He pressed his hand to his chest and gave you a silent nod back, wordlessly saying he loved you with just a simple gesture. And though you couldn’t muster much in the moment, you brought your hand to your chest in much the same way, making sure he saw you before both of you turned back to the meeting.

And almost as quick as you arrived, Leia wrapped it up, providing a few orders and dismissing those around the table. But not you.

“Doctor, can I see you for a second?” She stood up, catching you just before you could slip out back to work. And as she called for you, she grabbed Poe by the sleeve and kept him close as well.

You had to fight against the light crowd of those leaving to make it to the head of the table, watching her whisper to Poe before you could get within hearing distance. And by the time you finally made it to them, the general turned, squeezed your arm gently and moved around you, following the exiting group out of the room ensuring the door shut behind her.

“What was that all about?” You questioned, watching her go, but he grabbed your hand and pulled you close as if he didn’t hear it.

“Are you sure you’re okay?”

His hands snakes around you hips, more affectionate than the two of you typically preferred to be while during work, but you were much too tired to try and fight it in any way. You needed his touch. It grounded you the second he had you secured in your arms, and now it was you not hearing him.

“Babe?”

“Hmm? Yeah, I’m fine.” You snapped back to him, placing your hands hesitantly over his arms where they held around your waist. “What did Leia have to say?”

“She said, ‘make sure she gets some sleep’.” He chuckled humorlessly as he nudged his forehead against yours, “I’m starting to think she had a really good point.”

“Is she ever wrong?” You tried, getting a real laugh from him this time.

“Not in my experience.” He admitted, pressing a soft kiss to your forehead. “Come on, you need some real sleep.”

He pulled back from you, grabbing your hand as he did, trying to pull you out of the office, but you held your ground. “I’ve still got patients—“

“No,” he shook his head and gently tugged on your arm, “you need some real rest, General’s orders.”

Some real rest? So far you couldn’t blink without seeing that kid’s dead stare. And there was too much more work to be done, there were more patients that you couldn’t let end up like him, that was your duty. If Leia could handle the weight of millions, surely you could handle one med bay—

“I can see your wheels turning, babe, but you’ve been on duty for two days straight...” he walked back up to you, rubbing gently against your hand with his thumb. “You need sleep.”

He leaned in to lay a gentle kiss onto your cheek while you shook your head again, “I just need to—“

“Sleep. You need to sleep.” He smiled weakly, “maybe take a shower first, but definitely sleep.”

He tried to pull you again, but you still held your ground, making him nervously chuckle once more.

“What’s going on? Talk to me.” He sighed, refusing to let go.

It sounded so stupid in your head. He was out on the front lines, these were his men who were dying in your med bay, he was the one out there laying his life on the line and you couldn’t handle one death...

It wasn’t your first, it wasn’t going to be your last, but it was sticking with you more than any of the hundred cases you saw in the last two days alone and you didn’t know why. All you knew was that it wasn’t worth his time, nor the general. They were the ones out there leading the army and you couldn’t handle the clean up?

Poe seemed to see the gears in your head still turning and waited patiently for an answer you couldn’t bring past the barrier of your lips. He saw straight through you. “The private?”

You gave a rough nod, “I know it’s just one life out of the whole war...”

“No, don’t minimize this.” He was quick to counter but something was bubbling in your chest, and this was the first time in two days you slowed down enough to let it out.

“He just bled out in my hands...”

“Babe I’m so sorry,” he wrapped his arms back around you and reciprocally wrapped yours around his neck, burying your face in next to his. “It’s not your fault...”

“I know it’s not, Poe...but I... I don’t know why he...”

“You’re tired, it’s okay...” he sighed into your hair, “come on, you need some rest...”

You nodded against him. “And a shower?”

He chuckled again, “yeah, you could probably use one of those too.”

Taking your hand again, he began to lead you out of the room, but one final time, you stopped him before he could open the door and drag you back out into society, stealing one more minute alone with him. “Will you take one with me?”

“Will I?” He stuttered out, cheeks flushing. “Yes... I mean I took one like a half hour ago about yes... yeah—“

“I meant so you could wash my hair for me.”

“I’ll wash whatever you want me to—“

You cut him off with a soft kiss that he couldn’t help but smile into. It was nice to have him back, days apart from him felt like centuries, yet everything else around you, the war and both of your roles in it, felt like they were moving a parsec a minute... each of you moving separately. But you needed this, to slow down, even if it was only for a few hours.

And you were glad you had him to do it with.

Even if he was way too giddy at the prospect of just a shower with you. There was no sense in reminding him the two of you had plenty of sex and that he had seen you naked hundreds of times by now, he still blushed when he folded your undergarments out of the laundry, and you loved him even more for it.

#star wars #star wars imagine #poe dameron x reader #poe dameron #poe dameron imagine #angst #poe x reader #how wonderful #how wonderful series #cmo reader #chief medical officer

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itzagothamcitysiren · 4 years

Text

Welcome to the Family

So I wanted to give a quick thank you to everyone whose supported this :) I really didn’t expect it, since I’ve been posting on other sites for a couple of years now with barely any response. So it’s very motivating and refreshing to see an active community!

If anyone is interested I do have an account on fanfiction.net and AO3 but I haven’t been super active on there as of late. But if there are any Guardian of the Galaxy fans out there I do have two completed books posted and than a work in progress for that fandom :) Link to my fanfiction.net page and my AO3 page!

Also sorry for updating so late in the day. I’m still working during all the covid craziness and work was hella busy and stressful today. As soon as I got home I crashed for like four hours lol. Hopefully tomorrow will be better and I won’t be so tired.

Never Wanted to be Here Now pt. 3

Clothes had never been that important in Halley’s life; or better yet she should say that fashion had never played an important role in the ex-assassin’s life. Her father was many things but he always made sure she had what she needed. Her clothes had never been worn out or old due to their career they could afford to look nice. And because of that Halley never really cared about appearances since her lack of impute in the clothing her father picked out for her.

Outside of work, Slade wanted them to look professional, classy, as he put it. Her closet mostly consisted of black shirts and cardigans with the occasional simple black dress. Her pants and shoes were always comfortable as they were always on the move. Never was something flashy or over the top, unless the job called for a little undercover work of course. But practicality was something her father drilled into her from a young age.

It wasn’t until moving into the tower did she really start to see that clothing could be used as a way to express oneself. Kori was more than eager to brighten up the girl’s bleak wardrobe and instantly began filling the girl’s new closet with hand-me-downs that the Tamaranean Princess simply grew out of. It wasn’t particularly what Halley could now recognize as her own taste but at the time she was just appreciative of putting anything on that wasn’t just black.

When Kori insisted on taking her shopping before she was set to move in with Dick’s father, Halley was so used to having just what she needed that she didn’t see the need. But now, she was grateful and somewhat annoyed that she couldn’t wear the clothes she had bought at this exact moment. During her time with the Titans she actually began to get a personality; she actually liked things and knew a decent amount about pop culture; like she actually understood what Star Wars about now.

Wally and Victor had a field day because it was like Starfire all over again. You think storm troopers are the good guys? She remembered Wally’s voice cracking as he could hide his horrified reaction to the revelation that she had never seen the series of films that nearly everyone in the modern world held close to their hearts. She couldn’t count the amount of movie nights they had with her, feeding it to her like it was imperative information that was at the upmost importance for her to learn.

She let her eyes wander to her closet, thinking of the Star Wars t-shirt she picked out during her shopping trip. She remembered running up to the guys eager to show them what she had picked out. She sighed as she remembered the proud look they shot down at her. Her smile from the fond memory faded as she turned back to face the mirror in front of her. Her eyes looked at her appearance, her lips slanted in displeasure. Halley was never one for dramatics’ but maybe Dick was rubbing off on her after all?

Pulling at the tight collar of the white dress shirt, she reached onto her dresser to grab the next item of clothing that would surely make her body itch. Slipping the vest over her head and shoulders, she smoothed the thick navy blue fabric out while looking at the crest of Gotham Academy that was place over her heart. She would rather wear the uniform her father made for her than this. Stop being overdramatic, she cursed herself.

It wasn’t that bad she supposed as she titled her head as if that would change how she looked. It wasn’t that she looked bad, technically she looked fine. The vest surprisingly didn’t make her look frumpy and the plaid, pleated skirt wasn’t too short but also wasn’t awkwardly long, just resting a few inches above her knees. And at least her footwear was comfortable much to her original thoughts. Alfred had called them saddle shoes and the name itself had made her feet already hurt.

Halley just figured that this was the confirmation that this was her life now. Dick had called her the night before, wishing her good luck on her first day of school. Even Kori and Wally cut in, wishing her the same. She could tell they were trying to ease her worries about them, refusing to give her a straight answer when she asked where they were and what they were doing. Frowning again, she let out a sigh, pushing her hair back and off her shoulders.

Should she wear it down? Or up? Braids?

Rolling her eyes, she reached down for her backpack, deciding that her hair looked fine as it was. It was just school, she told herself. She’d never been to one before but she had some short of idea what it was like. The guys showed her at least a dozen movies that took place in High Schools. Granted she knew that there’d be no singing, or magic, or burn books, she knew kids her age were mean and terrible. Just look at Jason for example, surely not all of them were that way? But she told herself she’d ignore it all. She was just there to learn and make Dick happy and that was it.

“You done checking yourself out yet because we’re going to be late for school.” Speaking of the devil, there he was. Halley really hated herself for letting him sneak up on her yet again. Narrowing her eyes at him, she moved away from her mirror and reached towards her backpack. “Oh right, I’m supposed to knock,” Jason pretended to recall, fully remembering the long and stern conversation Bruce gave him about boundaries. He knocked on the doorframe, with a roll of his own eyes.

Halley huffed, slinging the backpack over her shoulders before moving past him, making sure she bumped shoulders with him as she did. Jason turned to follow about to call her out but stopped when he saw her backpack. Sniggering he followed, picking his own up from the floor and putting it on. “You aren’t seriously going to use that thing, are you?”

“Why wouldn’t I?” She questioned, squinting up at him as he matched her pace. They walked side by side down the long hallway until they reached the grand stairway. “Dick gave it to me; it’s a perfectly fine backpack.”

“You can’t wear that! In Gotham? Are you crazy?” Jason laughed again, poking his finger at it and then into her side. “People aren’t too big on Supes over here.”

She jerked her body away from him, bounding down the stairs to get a few steps in front of him. “I’m not that big of a fan either but it’s all I have, so it’ll make due.”

“Alright, you’re funeral.” Jason shrugged, raising his hands in mock surrender. Halley rolled her eyes at him. He was just trying to wind her up before her first day. No one in their right mind would stab someone over a backpack; no one was that stupid.

The pair reached the kitchen, Alfred laying out scrambled eggs and bacon for them. He informed them to eat quickly, as he didn’t want Halley to be late on her first day. Being her first day, she had to get there a little bit earlier to meet her student counselor and receive her schedule, as well as meet the student she was supposed to shadow.

Just as it did on her first morning her, breakfast ended all too quickly and she soon found herself in the back of the car, sitting to the right of Jason this time. Even the drive, which took about thirty minutes, since the Manor was on the outskirts of the city, felt as if it only took a handful of minutes. She was sat in the backseat as Alfred parked the car to let them out. Halley’s eyes widened at the large, imposing building with teenagers scattered about, chattering and laughing. It wasn’t the first time she saw the building, attending the rides with Alfred all of last week but saying that Halley was suddenly feeling dazed would be an understatement.

She jumped as she heard a car door slam and then saw Jason walking around the car. He stopped a foot away from her door, looking impatiently. He was waiting for her. She quickly picked up her backpack, suddenly not wanting him to leave her if he got tired of waiting. He was better than nothing. As she shrugged her bag on, she opened the door but not before quickly thanking Alfred for the ride.

“It was not a problem at all, Miss. Good luck on your first day.” He nodded to her as she closed the door.

She watched as he began to drive away, before turning back to Jason. Her hands instantly pulled down her skirt as they began to walk. She suddenly felt exposed. Was her underwear showing? Why were people staring at her? It only took mere seconds for her to notice it, but the crowds of teens seemed to go silent as she walked back them with Jason. Were those whispered she was hearing. It was the backpack; Jason was right about the-,

“Chill, damn girl, your face is so red right now.” Jason hissed out, tauntingly. He looked her up and down; this girl had issues. “It’s just cause you’re with me. People around here heard Bruce Wayne took in another kid.”

“Oh, so it’s not the backpack?” she said quietly, pushing her hair behind her ears, trying to cool herself off.

The chuckle Jason let out wasn’t like his usual. It seemed genuine and somewhat playful. She looked up at him confused. Jason looked back down, opening the door for them once they reached it. She looked somewhat adorable fretting over everything and shook his head, putting a hand on the said backpack. Gently, he pushed her through the doors.

“I was just messing with you.” He grasped the bag for emphasis before letting it go. They began to walk at an even pace with each other again, Jason clearly leading the way with Halley following like a lost puppy. “I mean it’s a pretty lame backpack, and people are most likely going to call you a giant dork but you won’t get murdered over it.”

Halley glared up at him, before realizing that she reached out and lightly slapped him upside the head. She didn’t know what came over her, it wasn’t like she did it maliciously. It wasn’t done out of rage like when she had slapped him her first day here. She felt this weird playful anger inside her and that’s how her consciousness expressed that sudden feeling. The pair stopped walking, earning looks of annoyance as the people walking behind them nearly walked into them.

Jason’s hand rested on his head where she’d slapped him. Halley opened her mouth to apologize; she’d seen Dick and Kori do that to one another jokingly but that was different. They were a couple, they were close. She and Jason had barely spoke, let alone civilly with each other during her first week with them. But before she could apologize, he just laughed, using his hand that was holding his head to lightly push her shoulder. “You really are a dork.”

Halley’s face turned red, unsure of how she felt during this situation. Seeing this Jason just shrugged, putting his hands in his pant pockets. Nodded forward, he motioned her to get moving again. He began leading her to the guidance counselor like Bruce told him to make sure he did.

The rest of the walk was silent between them. The halls were loud enough as it were and Halley was just trying to take it all in. She thought since this was supposed to be filled with a bunch of rich kids it’d be a little tamer? She grimaced when she saw a couple practically sucking each other’s faces off against some lockers. Looking away quickly, to not wanting to get caught staring, she kept her eyes facing forward.

Jason did his job and quickly left her, mumbling something about seeing her out front after school. Sighing but not surprised that Jason ditched her as soon as his obligation was up, Halley opened the oak door, entering the room. Looking around, she was greeted by a lady sitting at a desk and a couple of students looking less than thrilled sitting on seats up against a wall. Halley walked up to the desk, clearing her throat to get the lady to look up.

“Hi, I was told to come here. It’s my first day.” She said awkwardly, fidgeting with her backpack strap.

“Name?” the woman sighed, sounding how the kids looked.

“Halley Wil- Wayne.” Halley cursed to herself, quickly correcting her mistake. Putting a smile on her face, which was of course fake, she repeated herself this time with some sort of confidence. “Halley Wayne.”

The woman perked up at that, looking up from her desk and work; Bruce Wayne was a large donor to the school. “Oh yes! Welcome to Gotham Academy, Mrs. Patterson can see you right now, right through those doors.”

Halley raised an eye at the woman’s sudden attitude change but nevertheless thanked her before turning to the doors she pointed too. Inside the woman, her counselor, Mrs. Patterson was just the same. It wasn’t until she spoke her new name did she start to treat her like a human being or well more than one actually. These people were so fake it made her want to escape back to her tower and be locked away from the world again. It didn’t get much better throughout the day and she was beginning to understand why Jason was always in such a bad mood on the car ride home.

She’d been paired up with a tall, black haired girl who seemed nice at first glance but Halley quickly learned that like many of the people here, she was what Dick called a snoot. When the girl finally looked away from her phone, she introduced herself as Sam, but then went back to her phone. The two girl’s shared their homeroom together, Halley still unsure of the concept. They only set in the room for about fifteen minutes as the teacher checked them in and then they left for their first class with a ring of a bell. Did they not trust the students to show up?

Sam showed her to her first class, which they shared together again. Halley half expected for the girl to sit with her but couldn’t say she was shocked to find herself sitting alone in the back of the room the entire class. She could barely follow what was happening; she was halfway through the term and never read the Iliad before, or anything like such before. She obviously she knew how too but she didn’t have much time for reading growing up and ancient Greek epics weren’t something Slade Wilson considered an important part of her education.

As the bell rang, Sam waited impatiently for Halley too collect her things, shoving them into her backpack. When she caught up to her, Sam just looked at her bag and raised an eyebrow, “So you’re into superheroes?”

Halley could sense the distaste laced in her tone and just shrugged, remembering Jason’s warning. “There, um, okay, I guess. I mean if it weren’t for them, who’d save us you know?” She laughed lamely, wanting to slap herself for sounding so, so civilian.

“I guess,” Sam shrugged leading her to her next class.

“It’s really my older brother’s backpack, he let me have it.” She added, abruptly, causing Sam to eye her strangely. Halley awkwardly smiled, turning her face quickly away from the taller girl. Calling Dick her older brother felt weird, never really having a title for him but to the world they were technically siblings and she didn’t know, was trying to sound cool? Gross.

“Ohhhh,” Sam said, looking away from her phone. She suddenly had a look of sudden interest. “You mean Dick Grayson? He’s hot; my sister was in the same grade as him. He came over sometimes for parties and stuff. You’re so lucky you get to live with him, he has like the greatest ass-,”

Halley grimaced as Sam spent the entirety of their walk gushing over her brother. She’d never saw Dick as the way Sam was describing him and it made her slightly uncomfortable. She was glad when Sam dropped her off in front of an open doorway. Sam didn’t share this next class with her, instead stating how she had a slip that allowed her to leave class early to meet her back here so she could show her to her next one.

The rest of the day played out all the same. She’d sit through a tortuous forty-five minutes, learning things she either already knew, or things she knew were useless in the real world. Then in between each class she’d be pestered by Sam. The girl bombarded the new student with questions about Dick Grayson. Eventually, the girl moved on to other topics. Asking if Bruce Wayne really did bring different woman home every night and of course the big how much money does he actually have, question. Even during lunch Sam insisted she sit with her friends and Halley felt as if she stepped right that scene from the Mean Girl’s movie Wally showed her. She knew how this was going to go down and quickly excused herself to use the restroom and never went back, instead opting to ask some nice boy for directions to her next class. She was restless and agitated.

Her free period was when she found herself finally deciding this whole school thing wasn’t for her. At least in her classes, the time slightly went by quicker. She tried to start her homework, another concept she didn’t understand, but quickly gave up, slamming the textbooks closed. She blushed when the surrounding students looked at her from the sound and started whispering. Frowning, she quickly picked up her books and left the library, wandering the halls for the rest of the thirty minutes, masterfully avoiding the teachers who she would surely get in trouble with for being in the halls during class; which was another stupid concept.

But despite how her day really went, she still put on a good face when the day was over. She wouldn’t want to come off as ungrateful if she spoke truthfully. Her day was great, and she met a lot of nice people. She didn’t spend her lunch alone in a bathroom stall and she most definitely was looking forward to going back tomorrow.

#jason todd #jason todd x reader #jason todd imagine #jason todd fanfiction #jason todd x oc #red hood #red hood x oc #dick grayson #dick grayson x sister!reader #dick grayson x oc #nightwing #nightwing fanfic #batman fanfiction #batman #bruce wayne #dc comics fanfic

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preservationandruin · 3 years

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Rhythm of War Liveblog, Part One Part 2 (Chapters 3-8)

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[to the tune of Things I Bought At Sheetz] Now It’s time for Notes I Took At Work. This is going to be a weird experiment, because I read these chapters while at my job and took extensive notes on my reactions, which I’m now going to try to condense into something coherent.

Navani revels in a successful invention, Shallan encounters a very bad cult, I quote--of all things--Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, A Certain Fucker reappears, Leshwi becomes a character I like, Shallan finds a journal, I digress on Renarin’s abilities, and everyone is rightfully worried about Kaladin. Content warning; discussion of suicide and suicidal tendencies

Alright, we open Chapter Three with Navani’s AIRSHIP, which is a kickass sentence. She’s leaning over the side of the ship, to the distress of one of her fellow scholars who attempts to appeal to Dalinar to get her to stop.

“It’s Navani’s ship, Velat,” Dalinar said from behind, his voice as steady as steel, as immutable as mathematics. She loved his voice. “I think she’d have me thrown off if I tried to prevent her from enjoying this moment.”

This is great both because Dalinar and Navani are great, but also as a contrast to Gavilar saying that Navani doesn’t accomplish anything herself, she just pretends to be an inventor and stays behind other, smarter people. Dalinar says no, this is Navani’s ship, this is her victory. The ship’s base design is one of the chasm bridges; it’s operated on the same principles as spanreeds, a kind of sympathetic link where you link two fabrials and whatever happens to one, happens to the other. Just augmented with aluminum and a LOT of pulleys and hard work.

My notes also say “Eat Shit Gavilar” which i think is just, a general note.

Anyway she also wishes that Elhokar was there because he loved being up high and also watching her draw...so now I’m feeling emotions, and if that wasn’t enough, I get hit in the feelings again because the name of the ship is the Fourth Bridge, after Bridge Four because of the time they saved Dalinar and Adolin at the tower, and it not only has the Bridge Four glyph inlaid but the original bridge inlaid.

We see Dalinar and Lirin interact (my notes call this a “Dad convention”) --Lirin, of course because he’s Kaladin’s father, doesn’t really defer to Dalinar at all but does see the potential of this platform as a movable hospital; he’s discomfited by the reminder that Edgedancers are usually used for that now. Lirin really is a practical man who doesn’t believe in heroes or hero stories, which is unfortunate because they’re coming to life all around him. Also Dalinar calls him Lirin Stormblessed which is pretty funny because Lirin is Not Having It.

Also, we get this great line from Navani about Lirin and Kaladin:

However, as she stepped up beside Dalinar, she caught Lirin’s eyes--and the familial connection became more obvious. That same quiet intensity, that same faintly judgmental gaze that seemed to know too much about you. In that moment she saw two men with the same soul, for all their physical differences.

This is really interesting in light of how Kaladin and Lirin are at the moment arguing; they both are at their core very driven, caring people who want the best for their community, but they are at odds for the best way to achieve that in part because they’ve had such different experiences; Kaladin’s life hasn’t let him be the surgeon Lirin is.

For more changes in the year since we last met these characters, Dalinar has learned how to recharge stormlight and open perpendicularities at will, which essentially makes him a portable battery for the Radiants. That’s super useful. Navani likes observing the process, hoping that somewhere in it is a key to how Urithiru functions; she knows that it used to be powered by the Sibling, the third god-spren of Roshar, but after the Recreance the Sibling either died or fell so asleep the spren treat it as having died.

That’s interesting; the Sibling has been something I’ve been wondering about a lot, and confirmation that it was tied to Urithiru seems to preclude it being a godspren of Odium like I’d thought for a bit (and in any case, Odium has the Unmade and doesn’t seem the time to fragment himself into a godspren). Another spren of Honor or Cultivation? Or perhaps a spren of both? More importantly, if it really is dead, is there still a way to revive Urithiru? Last book talked about possibly recruiting Sja-anat; if we do, could she serve as an alternate power source for the tower?

We also get the Mink, the Herdazian general, slipping up on Dalinar and Navani without them noticing and also calling Dalinar the fuck out for the many atrocities that his armies and nation had unleashed on the Herdazians, which Dalinar can’t really refute. I like this guy, honestly; I’m not sure what’s up with him, if he’s just really good at sneaking around or if he has something Up With Him, but I like him.

Back with the Three (Shallan/Radiant/Veil), they wake up to find themselves in the chasms with an EXTREMELY melodramatic cult. They’re looking for proof Ialai is now running the Hypocrites Association--sorry, the Sons of Honor; Radiant refuses to move against Ialai without proof, even though Shallan and Veil both kinda wish Adolin had killed her at the same time as Sadeas and saved everyone some trouble. Anyway, the Hypocrites association wear deep, fancy hoods that leads to a great Shallan thought:

Shallan had a fleeting thought, wondering at the seamstress they’d hired to do all this work. What had they told her? “Yes, we want twenty identical, mysterious robes, sewn with ancient arcane symbols. They’re for...parties.”

They claim both to have guided the return of the Radiants and to be overthrowing Dalinar, which is hilarious because Dalinar is a Radiant so the only real extrapolation here is that, in the fantasy where they’re right about any of this, they brought the radiants back and lost control of the situation immediately and now are recruiting random strangers to try to help rein it back in. Which is still not a good look.

Oh and also they claim to be “something greater” than the Radiants, and I really doubt they’re the Heralds, so everything they say is horseshit, as is proven a second later when they test if Shallan is wearing an illusion with a device she herself sold them at an exorbitant price. And then claiming that Radiants can’t tell untrue oaths, right in front of Shallan, who is bonded to a liespren.

They’re just a very bad cult.

Also they say Ialai is the true queen, which raises many questions to me about the line of succession that gives them THAT math, especially with Gavinor alive and there. Like, somehow Sadeas’s widow gets priority over the last king’s living child? I know they’re just a stupid cult but guys, that’s not how lines of succession work in monarchies.

Anyway, Shallan hears them say that they have a mole in Dalinar’s inner circle--bad--and goes off-script, taking control to say she’s not who they think she is, and we cut back to Kaladin for the next chapter, which is called Broken Spears which prompted my note of “I don’t trust like that.” And then instantly I started laughing because of this quote:

[The windrunners] hung in the air like no skyeel ever could: motionless, equidistant.

This is not a particularly funny line unless you, like me, have never been able to forget a line from Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy:

“The ships hung in the sky in much the same way that bricks don't.”

So there’s that.

Kaladin has apparently fought with Leshwi before at this point (she is, iirc, the Fused who was one of the main points of contact for Moash during his arc in Oathbringer); last time, Rock’s daughter Cord managed to shoot her down. The Windrunners, like the Edgedancers, have grown in number; there are about 50 knights, now, and five times that in squires; the problem is that there aren’t enough willing honorspren to bond. Kaladin mentions that “almost all” of Bridge Four had bonded honorspren and that he knew one honorspren who was willing but unbonded, all of which leads me to believe that Rock hasn’t sworn the Oaths yet.

Meanwhile, these Fused--the Heavenly Ones--prefer one on one battles, as Kaladin noted in earlier chapters, so the Windrunners do the same; as long as they do this, the Heavenly Ones will keep to the ideals of honorable combat and will not gang up on the Windrunners. Again, it shows that they are both the orders that deal with Honorspren, even if the Heavenly Ones deal with...void-honorspren, I guess.

Also, it’s another nod to the idea of if there can be such a thing as honorable combat in a war. Both the Heavenly Ones and the Windrunners are trying for it, clearly, but is that sustainable?

Leshwi is in fact there, with a very cool aluminum-edged sword that can absorb stormlight into a gem at the hilt. She, along with the rest of the Fused and apparently the Heralds (Shalash and Taln are both in Urithiru), are stunned by the Fourth Bridge; fuck yeah, Navani and her team. She’s so cool, guys, I love Navani. Also, everyone is worried about Kaladin.

Shallan, meanwhile, is ad-libbing having even more information, which leads to a hilarious moment of her being accused of treason by a member of the cult who are trying to overthrow the current queen, so...there’s a reason I’m calling them the Hypocrites Association, alright? Anyway, Adolin decides it’s time to attack, and Radiant and Shallan manage to bluff their way into being taken along to the hideout as the Hypocrites Association retreats.

With Kaladin again, we get that the Fused see him as a particular challenge they enjoy fighting, although Leshwi always has first dibs; he fights another Fused and manages to disarm him, but decides not to kill him because killing him is pointless. Also, the teleporting fucker comes back, and yes, that is what I’m calling him until further notice.

Something happened in Aimia that led to Cord getting a set of shardplate. Is this the Dawnshard novel? Is that what happened in Aimia? I’m going to read it next regardless but now I’m curious about what happened on the Radiant expedition to Aimia.

So it turns out that the Hypocrites Association has a secret passage into and out of the chasms with a hidden door, which was probably a bolthole for escape that Sadeas put in early during the war at the Shattered Plains. His keep is also noted by Veil to be fortresslike; she notes that he was a cunning man, not just the blowhard that Shallan had taken him for. Ialai is now the sole remaining leader of the dissident Alethi army; while Radiant wants evidence against her that can have her be taken in, Veil is here just to assassinate her and have done with it.

And honestly there is a nice symmetry in Adolin killing Sadeas and Shallan/the Three killing Ialai.

Anyway, we go back to Kaladin as Leshwi fights Sigzil now; she manages to spear him through the chest, and I swear to god if any of the original Bridgemen actually die, I’m going to kick Brandon Sanderson’s ass. Those are my BOYS. In any case, Leshwi doesn’t kill Sigzil, because Kaladin spared one of the Fused earlier--honor in combat, again. There’s definitely a whole essay I could discuss about this opening few chapters and the idea of if continuing a fight is the right thing to do and if that fight can be continued in a way that is moral, but I don’t have the time for that, I’m trying to do NaNoWriMo and read this book.

I’ll shelve it along with the Oathbringer and the idea of personal responsibility essay.

We go back to Navani and get another real sense of how well she knows her team; she knows the personal tics and oddities of all the ardents and scholars who are helping her on the Fourth Bridge, which is nice to see. We also get that Renarin is here, distracting crying children by having Glys form a ball of light, and Navani has this observation:

Renarin claimed the spren [Glys] was trustworthy, but something was odd about his powers. They had managed to recruit several standard Truthwatchers--and they could create illusions like Shallan. Renarin couldn’t do that. He could only summon lights, and they did strange, unnatural things sometimes...

Really excited to see how Renarin’s powers develop similarly to or different from standard Truthwatchers; I agree that Glys is probably trustworthy because Renarin is the best judge of that at the moment and also because “the corrupted spren turns out to be evil” isn’t a very interesting plot development compared to “there can be good corrupted spren”

And then I got yanked forcibly off-topic because guess who fucking showed up. Moash decided to show his backstabbing, treacherous little face again, wearing--of all things--a uniform cut exactly like Bridge Four’s but in black rather than blue, which is just a stupendous dick move. Navani is the one who sees him, too, and we get a sharp reminder that he murdered her son.

Kaladin doesn’t hear the alarm that Navani raises, though, because he’s busy fighting Leshwi, something he seems to genuinely enjoy as a test of his skills. He pushes his home-field advantage here, managing to distract Leshwi to the point that they both seriously injure the other; Kaladin is grinning throughout, which is actually somewhat disturbing. To me it reads like Kaladin’s stopped caring about his own life in favor of trying to help others at any cost, but I’m not sure if that’ll play through as an accurate read.

In any case, someone set Roshone’s house on fire, and the teleporting fucker is there and actively attacking civilians. Leshwi is pissed off to see this and gestures for Kaladin to go and deal with that rather than continuing their fight; at this point, I really started loving Leshwi as a character. I’m a sucker for a good principled antagonist lady, they’re just a good trope.

Anyway, we get to Chapter Seven. Navani’s epigraph notes that zinc makes the spren in fabrials more active, while brass quiets them. So...you could say...that brass soothes them...while zinc...makes them riot....

Anyway, back to Ialai, Shallan notes that she seems extremely worn and tired, and she claims to support Gavinor to the throne--with herself as regent, of course. She and Shallan proceed to have an entire conversation in wine metaphors, talking about who they are working with or for, and Ialai assumes that the Ghostbloods sent the Three to kill her, claiming they want the Sons of Honor out of the way and will send her after Restares next. Veil instantly switches her vote to not killing Ialai bc she doesn’t like to be manipulated, and Adolin kicks down the door.

Ialai tells Shallan to search her rooms for “the rarest vintage” before the Ghostbloods can, and then--before she can even leave the building--she dies of poisoning, implying there’s a mole somewhere in Adolin and Shallan’s people. That’s not great, and the Ghostbloods aren’t fucking around in the slightest with her.

Meanwhile, with Kaladin, the teleporting fucker took Godeke--the one named Edgedancer here other than Lift--hostage to lure Kaladin inside, where he uses a strange, void-fabrial to drain Surgebinder powers in the room. And then makes a critical error in thinking that that will be enough:

The Fused laughed and spoke in Alethi. “Radiants! You rely too much on your powers. Without them, what are you? A peasant child with no real training in the art of warfare or--” Kaladin slammed himself against the soldier to the right.

Oh you poor idiots, Kaladin was a prodigy with the spear LONG before he was a Windrunner, went most of his army career without bonding Syl, and--crucially--one of you is carrying a physical spear. Checkmate, assholes. Kaladin quickly beats most of the ones there, including killing the teleporting fucker before he can teleport again, and lets the last one go--of course--before helping Lift get Godeke out and telling her to get the void fabrial to Navani.

Meanwhile, he’s going to go make sure Roshone is alright, where I have the very prescient note of “I bet actual money Moash is killing him as we speak.”

Ialai’s probable method of death was blackbane poison in her bloodstream; one of Shallans’ people examines the body for it, while Shallan goes to search ialai’s rooms.

Another epigraph note, this time about bronze and heliodor being used to make warning fabrials. Scadrial really was just a primer on the uses of various metals with investiture, huh?

Meanwhile, Kaladin finds the prisoners below the manor killed with a shardblade, and spins around to find Moash slitting Roshone’s throat before making what I called, in a late-night worktime daze, “just a series of rat bastard moves. Hate that guy. Just honestly hate that guy.”

Specifically, he surrenders so that Kal cannot keep attacking him--because Kal’s a good person--just after taunting him for wanting to rescue someone.

Back with Shallan, Veil is pushing her again to continue remembering their past, but she still resists; she finds a rare Shin wine in Ialai’s store, before using that to find a pattern on the floor of old, shadowyears-era glyphs with maps of the ten Epoch Kingdoms, under one of which is a notebook of Ialai’s; she tucks it in her safepouch, and we go back to Kaladin.

I really think the arc for Kaladin in this book is going to be accepting that he can’t save everyone, particularly from themselves, because he pauses and remembers how Moash had been a friend, but even more than that, he had been Bridge Four--someone that Kaladin had sworn to protect, and he’d failed:

Kaladin had failed Moash. As soundly as he’d failed Dunny, Mart, and Jaks. And of them all, losing Moash hurt the most. Because in those callous eyes, Kaladin saw himself.

Kaladin can’t keep blaming himself for Moash’s choices, because Moash chose to do this, and was given ways out, and didn’t take them. It’s not Kaladin’s fault, and believing that it is is going to get Kaladin killed.

And then, Moash winds up and delivers a grade-A Odium-powered Breaking Speech:

"They're going to die, you know," Moash said softly. "Everyone you love, everyone you think you can protect. They're all going to die anyway. There's nothing you can do about it." [...] "Do you remember the chasm, Kal?" Moash whispered. "In the rain that night? Standing there, looking down into the darkness, knowing it was your sole release? You knew it hen. You try to pretend you've forgotten. But you know. As sure as the storms will come. As sure as every lighteyes will lie. There is only one answer. One path. One result. [...] I've found the better way," Moash said. "I feel no guilt. I've given it away, and in so doing became the person I always could have become--if I hadn't been restrained. I can take away the pain, Kal. Isn't that what you want? An end to your suffering?”

Odium’s deal all over again--he will take away your pain and your responsibility for your actions, but the price for that is your integrity and your honor. It’s so insidious, especially because Moash is exploiting the fact that Kaladin was suicidal to play into the idea of life being hopeless--he’s implying that Kaladin’s suicidal impulses were right and then offering another way out. It’s so, so so so awful, and Kaladin can’t even bring himself to fight it, because it’s coming from an unarmed man and it’s targeted so directly at him.

“The answer is to stop existing, Kal. You’ve always known it, haven’t you?” Kaladin blinked away tears, and the deepest part of him--the little boy who hated the rain and the darkness--withdrew into his soul and curled up. Because...he did want to stop hurting.

He wanted it so badly.

Ugh, Moash’s whole thing here is just seeding that suicidality back into Kaladin--because frankly, most of the time? When someone is suicidal, in my (admittedly limited and personal) experience? What they genuinely want isn’t to die--they just want not to hurt anymore, and they see that as the only way.

Light exploded into the room. Clean and white, like the light of the brightest diamond. The light of the sun. A brilliant, concentrated purity. Moash growled, spinning around, shading his eyes against the source of the light--which came from the doorway. The figure behind it wasn’t visible as anything more than a shadow. Moash shied away from the light--but a version of him, transparent and filmy, broke off and stepped toward the light instead. Like an afterimage. In it, Kaladin saw the same Moash--but somehow standing taller, wearing a brilliant blue uniform. This one raised a hand, confident, and although Kaladin couldn’t see them, he knew people gathered behind this Moash. Protected. Safe. The image of Moash burst alight as a Shardspear formed in his hands.

FUCK YEAH, RENARIN.

I’m gonna end this section by just discussing what happened here, because there’s a lot to unpack there. We’ve seen Shallan use her illusions to create versions of people who they could be, but this isn’t doing that--if you look at the cause and effect, it’s not that Renarin created this illusory Moash, but more that the light Renarin created called forth that Moash from this one.

More than anything, it reminds me of the effects of Gold Allomancy--creating a past version of the self, splitting the self into who you are and who you were, or who you are and who you could have been. This is not a version of Moash that could exist. He’s burned too many bridges and killed too many people in front of their infant children for that to happen.

But it could have been Moash. It’s not calling forth the truth, really, it’s showing an alternate path. It’s strange and I can’t wait to see it explored more, and it shakes Moash to his core--because of course it does. Moash’s entire speech was saying “there are only two ways out, dying and giving in to Odium,” and Renarin’s light showed that that was a stark fucking lie. There’s the third choice of deciding to stand up and protect people anyway, and it was a choice Moash could have taken, and that kills him. It eats him up inside; it’s the pain that Odium can’t fully take away.

As Kaladin said to Amaram: if what Odium says is true, if what you claim is true, than why do you still hurt?

#fuck yeah bridge four #rowliveblog #row spoilers #navani kholin protection squad #kaladin has a saving people thing #fuck moash #renarin kholin kicks ass #leshwi is unfortunately VERY cool

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ofdamcged · 3 years

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[ star wars. daisy ridley. 24. cis woman. ] bright light fading away REY SKYWALKER has found themselves in a new unrecognized land. the last thing SHE remember before they were taken was BURYING LEIA AND LUKE’S LIGHTSABER. they say back in those times they were known to be +STRONG-WILLED, however, also have their moments when they could be -SELF-SACRIFICING and was always best recognized by YELLOW LIGHTSABER MEANT FOR A GUARDIAN, A GIRL WHO NO LONGER LOOKS IN THE PAST FOR ANSWERS, & A LOVE TO HELP AND TEACH OTHERS.

❝ you don’t just have power. you have his power. you’re his granddaughter. you are a palpatine. my mother was the daughter of vader. your father was the son of the emperor. what palpatine doesn’t know is that we’re a dyad in the force, rey. two that are one.❞~ ben solo to rey

basic facts:

full name: rey palpatine skywalker

nickname: none

birthday october 31st

pronouns: she/her

sexuality: pansexual

occupation: college student & jedi master

abilities: force powers, her lightsaber, & piloting

canon up to: burying leia & luke’s lighsabers

+ traits: powerful, caring, head-strong, & talented

- traits: guarded, rude, self-sacrificing, & confident

intro:

rey was born to a loving mother and father who did everything in their power to protect rey and keep her safe from her grandfather, palpatine.

they left her on jakku knowing that she would be safe from palpatine there and not long after their killed since they refused to tell palpatine where rey was.

for the next decade or so, rey lived on jakku all by herself, hoping for the day that her parents would come back to her, but it seemed less likely the longer she was stuck on the planet.

her life changed one day when she helped free a little droid named bb-8 and ran into a former stormtropper, finn. together the three flew the millennium falcon trying to get bb-8 back to the rebel base since they had a map to luke skywalker and needed to protect it from the first order.

during their trip they ran into chewie & han who rey took a liking to both pretty fast.

they go to an island to get a new ship so that they could get bb-8 safely to the rebels, there rey finds luke’s lightsaber that maz had been keeping safe and that was when rey finds out that she isn’t just a normal scavenger, which scared her. so rey ran off, but soon enough she was caught by ben who takes her after realizing she knows the map to luke.

it was on star killer base that rey starts to use her jedi powers and is able to use a jedi mind trick to get a stormtrooper to let her go.

she runs into finn, han, & chewie and as they head out she watches as ben kills han, and she quickly leaves with finn since chewie set off the bombs.

rey is knocked out by kylo and wakes up to see kylo beating finn in a lightsaber duel. soon enough rey is fighting kylo who offers to teacher, but she is able to beat him long enough to get away from him. and her, finn, and chewie returns to where the rebels are where her and leia share a hug and r2 wakes up and helps to show the rest of the map to luke.

then rey heads off to the island luke has been living in exile for a while and at first he is against teaching rey, but he finally gives in. luke teaches rey how to be a jedi in a more cynical way, but she still has hope in the future.

while she is on the island, her mind is connected to ben’s and the two have conversations and get to know each other better.

also on the island, rey feels the pull to the dark side and gives in a bit, something that scared luke since he knew how manipulative the dark side of the force can be.

rey leaves the island knowing that she has to help protect her friends. but before she left, she took the jedi books with her that way the jedi will live on.

she goes to where ben and snoke are and snoke orders ben to kill rey but instead he kills snoke. then rey and ben fight snokes guards together and he offers her his hand, but she refuses to take it.

she is able to lift rocks to help get the rebels out of the cave and then all go onto the falcon and leave while luke sacrifices his life by distracting ben long enough for them to leave.

after that leia becomes rey’s jedi master who teaches her the rest of the things she needs to know.

she knows she has to go to exegol to fight palpatine if she wanted to stop the war and save the galaxy.

while on her way there she runs into ben who tells her who she was, a palpatine. she leaves and heads to the island that luke was on. there she was visited by his force ghost who explained to rey that both him and leia knew that she was a palpatine, but also knew that blood didn’t make a person and that some things are stronger than blood.

she then heads to exegol with both luke & leia’s lighsaber where she meets palpatine and instead of striking him down with anger which would’ve caused her to become a sith, she was able to defeat palpatine with the help of the past jedis. and it led to rey dying, but ben heals her, in doing so, he died so that she could live.

she returns back to her friends and celebrates with them that the war is finally over and they won.

rey goes to tatooine and buries leia & luke’s lightsaber there and takes up the name skywalker as her last name.

#☽•.¸♡ rey's intro ♡¸.•☽#zerthea.intro

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spoon-writes · 3 years

Text

Ends of the Earth | Chapter 11

Fandom: The Mandalorian

Pairing: Mando x OC

Read on FFN or AO3

Summary: When Sinead's husband is ripped from her, she escapes the Hutt Empire and goes on a quest to find him. Since being a runaway slave in the Outer Rim isn't exactly easy, she makes the Mandalorian an offer he can't refuse and soon they travel across the galaxy, looking for her missing husband.

Chapter index

Chapter 11 - Out

It felt like someone had strapped a metal band around Sinead’s chest, constricting it to the point of making black spots appear at the edge of her vision, but at least her ribs weren’t broken, she was pretty sure she wouldn’t still be standing.

The ship tilted to the side and she swayed with the motion. Mirian sat with her back against the wall, face pressed to her knees to avoid meeting anyone’s gaze. Suri sat on the edge of the bunk where the rebel slept.

“He’s gonna be okay?”

“He’ll pull through.”

“How did it happen?”

Suri wet her lips and looked at the sleeping form. “The New Moon Collective were waiting for us at the cache. I’d say we have a rat, but we weren’t even supposed to be there.”

“It could be a coincidence.”

“Yeah.”

“I assume your own rat was responsible for the power outage?”

Suri groaned. “You have no idea how long it took to get him in that position. Maybe he was compromised.”

“Still doesn’t explain how they knew to ambush you in a place that wasn’t even part of your mission.”

“Who knows, there might be an even more clandestine rebel cell out there somewhere, wondering why their meeting place looks like a war zone.”

“They dodged a blaster bolt.”

A tremor went through the ship and Sinead felt it turn round. It was disorienting being stuck in a metal box with no idea what went on outside but clambering up the ladder was out of the question at the moment.

“You know this area?”

Suri sat up from her slumped position. “Not really. I come from the southern hemisphere. Erno grew up in here, though. I know he’ll see us through.”

“I hope so.”

They fell silent.

Finally, the ship touched down heavily, the metal settling with a groan. Suri and Mirian got to their feet, the latter keeping tucked into a corner where she kept her eyes firmly on the ground.

Mando came down the ladder with the kid in one arm, followed by Erno who forced his hat down over unruly grey hair. In her corner, Mirian froze.

“You lot sit tight,” said Erno. “They won’t come looking here for some time. Only fools would try to hide in this mess of crags and ravines.”

“And you’ll find some way to contact the others?” Sinead said, pushing off the wall.

“Let’s take it one step at a time, eh? Shelter comes first” He checked his blaster. “I’ll be back as soon as I can.”

Mirian skittered out of the way as the ramp started to come down, and as soon as it let the ground with a thud, Erno disappeared.

Sinead sighed. “Because it ended so well last time someone said that.”

They waited in pressed silence. Sunlight streamed through the opening and a mild breeze stirred Sinead's hair. Her eyes drifted shut.

Suddenly there was movement around. Her eyes flew open and she looked around, gripping the wall behind her to keep from falling. Did she fall asleep? Her body was stiff and it felt like someone had stuffed her ears with cotton. Erno was back and talking. She tried focusing on his words.

"... as many light sources as you can carry." He disappeared into the sunlight again.

It didn't take long before they were ready to leave. Mando and Suri grabbed the wounded rebel and helped him down the ramp, while Sinead grabbed a lantern and a handful of glowrods she found at the back of a seldom-used compartment. Every movement made her chest constrict painfully.

She was the last to leave the ship, which stood glinting in the sunlight. It looked like Mando had found the only flat area for miles; all around were sheer rock walls that seemed to lean over the ship, and it was a feat of maneuvering that Mando hadn't crushed them against the unforgiving rocks.

Erno showed them through a gap which led to a narrow passage that climbed steadily upwards. Sinead nearly dropped the lantern as an outcropping caught her on the side of the head and she could hear the scraping of metal as Mando pushed through the cramped space. The sound of crashing water could be heard over the wind whistling through the passage.

Suddenly, one side fell away and Sinead couldn't hold back a gasp; Luria in all its glory stretched out beneath them, white mountain giving away to a rolling forest that went on as far as the eye could see, unbroken and almost glowing in the sunlight. The wind tugged on her hair and clothes, pulling her towards the edge. They had stopped in front of a roaring waterfall, the source somewhere above them, and the path went on under the falling water, skirting north around the mountain. The rocks were slick with water and one misstep would send her plunging over the side.

Instead of trying to traverse the waterfall, Erno led them through another crevasse hidden by and through a small ravine that opened up to a small hollow. Somewhere nearby, the water roared on the way to the waterfall.

A cave led farther into the mountain, looking impossibly dark from out in the sunlight. Erno scrambled up to the entrance and ducked into the darkness, the others following him.

Once she crossed the threshold into the cave, she was surprised that the temperature didn't drop; the white rocks around them emitted a soft warmth like the others had, heating the air until it was just shy of unpleasant. It smelled of mildew and rot and beneath it all, there was something musky and unidentifiable. From deeper inside the cave came a sound of dripping water.

“Ranars use these caves for hibernation during the winter, but this time of the year they're all down in the Woodlands," Erno said. "It's not much but I doubt anyone's gonna find you right away. As long as you don't draw attention to yourselves."

Sinead put down the lantern and grit her teeth against the pain. "Couldn't we just have stayed on the ship?"

"If the Collective does come sniffing about, it's better they find an empty ship, wouldn't you agree." Erno adjusted his hat.

Mirian pushed past Sinead and went farther into the cave. Sinead was about to follow when Erno held out a hand. "It's blocked farther down. She'll stay put unless she suddenly gets the power to shift a thousand tons of rocks."

"I'm sure she'll find a way."

"Suit yourself. If you ask me, the girl might do good with some space.”

Erno turned to the rest of their little group. "I'll go try to get in contact with the others, find out what the plan is. Make yourselves comfortable, I don't know how long it'll take."

"I was more comfortable in the ship," Sinead muttered, but she did see his point in going here, she just wished 'here' had a proper bed.

Once Erno left, everyone made themselves busy; Suri hovered around the rebel who looked like he'd much rather be left alone, the kid toddled around exploring the cave with Mando right behind him.

Sinead squinted against the light as she ducked outside the cave. The sun was nearing the top of the sky and there was no cloud in sight only a wide expanse of pure azure. The area truly was a maze of razor-sharp ridges and sheer, deadly drops, so she kept close to the cave.

Leaning against the baking rock, she let her outer jacket fall to the ground and started rolling up the hem of her shirt, the fabric falling away to reveal a bruise the size of a jogan fruit stretching across her ribs, going from deep purple to sickly yellow at the edges. Carefully, she ran her hand across, her fingertips barely touching the skin. Taking a deep breath, she prodded every rib making sure it wasn’t broken.

A sound made her look up and she startled at the sight of the Mandalorian standing a few feet from her, looking pointedly away from her. The child appeared at his feet, grabbing his leg to keep his balance on the uneven ground.

Sinead dropped her shirt back in place, wincing when the skin stretched painfully over her abused ribs.

Mando cleared his throat. "I just, er, wanted to see if you ... if you’re alright.”

"It's not a wrench to the head. I'll survive." Sinead smoothed down her shirt and forced herself not to avert her eyes. "Next time I'll let you take the hit, you’re better dressed for it."

“Hm.” Mando glanced at her quickly before looking across the hollow. “Don’t fall asleep out here. It isn’t safe.”

“No, I’m coming.”

Back inside the cave, Suri had set up camp a little ways from the entrance where their meager supplies were piled up on the ground. The lamp stood on a raised outcropping and cast a circle of warm light.

Sinead sat down with her back against the rock and tried to relax, but even that was painful as if the tension of her muscles was the only thing holding her body together. The rock was warm against her back and the stale air seemed to be a physical weight on her, dragging her down. Every sound seemed either dulled or heightened, every incessant drip a jolt through her body.

Ever so slowly, her eyes drifted shut.

... ... ... ... ...

When Sinead opened her eyes, the light was different. The lamp still shone the same but the sunlight streaming from the entrance to the cave was softer, tinted pink and golden.

Suri sat cross-legged on the other side of the temporary camp, the lamplight throwing her soft features into sharp relief. “Welcome back,” she said when she saw Sinead was awake. “I’m impressed you can fall asleep in a place like this. You and the Mandalorian were out light a light.”

Sinead started to stretch and hissed as her abused body screamed out in agony. “Believe it or not this isn’t the worst place I’ve ever fallen asleep.”

“Oh really? There’s a story behind that?”

The palace on Sriluur came to the forefront of her mind. “Not really.”

“Oh.”

Sinead wet her dry lips and looked around. “Where’s the Mandalorian?”

“He woke up a bit before you, left with the little one.”

“Is that safe?”

Suri put up her hands. “I wasn’t about to argue with him.”

Sinead chuckled and winced. “Anything happen while I was out?”

“Everything’s been quiet. The Barrow protects us.” Suri caressed the stone below her.

Leaning forward, Sinead managed to peel herself off the rock, her sweaty shirt sticking uncomfortably to her back. “The Barrow’s a strange name for a mountain, isn’t it?”

“It’s an old story. According to legend, Luria - the person - is buried deep under the mountain and the stones shot forth to protect her eternal resting place.”

“Who came first, the person or the planet?”

Suri smiled. “You’re taking the story too literally. Creation myths are rarely meant to be taken at face value. The stone above our heads was created out of love, to protect, and protect it will.”

Sinead was about to ask who created it when the rebel at the entrance made a soft sound and lifted his blaster. “Someone’s coming.”

Sinead and Suri scrambled to their feet, Sinead grabbing her blaster and listening with all her might, but all she could hear was the steady dripping from further in the cave.

The Mandalorian appeared in the opening, a dark silhouette against the soft light, carrying the child in one arm and a pack in the other. Sinead lowered her weapon.

The rebel lowered himself back onto his perch. “So you didn’t fall into a ravine," he sneered. "Hope you had fun."

Mando ignored him and moved further into the cave where the child cooed when he saw Sinead was awake.

"See anything out there?" She asked and holstered her blaster.

"A couple of crafts in the sky was moving south, but I don't think they're looking for us. They haven't found the ship."

"That's something at least."

He let the kid down and reached into the pack, procuring a small jar that he threw to Sinead, who caught it and peered at the label. It was the last of the T'pala paste.

"Thanks," Sinead said and looked up at Mando.

He nodded once before grabbing the kid and moving away to a darker area where he started to unpack the rest of the supplies.

When she went outside the cave, the sun was hovering an inch above the horizon where it painted the clouds gold and pink, stark against the blue sky. Sinead closed her eyes against the light and let the soft breeze wash over her. Then she applied the paste to her side, whatever was left of it, and pocketed the empty jar. A now-familiar coolness seeped into her skin, but it only went so far; every time she moved, pain bloomed on her side.

She ducked back into the cave and stood in the darkness waiting for her eyes to adjust. In the far back of the cave, a single light showed where Mirian sat with her back to the entrance. Sinead picked her way across the uneven ground and sat down near Mirian.

A black pool of water blocked the rest of the cave. The water was completely still and it disappeared into the darkness that Mirian's small glowrod couldn't penetrate. From here, the dripping was louder.

They sat in silence for some time, Sinead counting the drips that came like clockwork. Then she cleared her throat. "I'm not here to yell at you, I think you got the message last time." She crossed her legs and tried to find a more comfortable position. "I just want to know what you were thinking running off like that. I get wanting to help or be part of something bigger than yourself, I just can't figure out the leap between 'wanting to fight for the cause' and 'putting everyone in unnecessary danger.'"

Mirian looked away sharply, her knees pressed to her chest.

"You didn't just put our lives in danger, you know that, right? You've spend however long at the base, even if nobody told you anything, I'm sure you know bits and pieces of what's going on. Otherwise, you wouldn't have hidden on the ship."

A tremble ran through Mirian. "Just leave me alone," she said weakly.

"I will. Just wanna make sure you understand." Sinead got up, giving Mirian a long look. She saw a lot of herself in Mirian; losing her parents, her entire life turned upside down in an instant, totally powerless to do anything about it. In the end, terrorists and pirates weren't so different. She had even stowed away on a ship, although Sinead had been trying to escape danger and not run headlong into it.

She found Mando and the kid close to the entrance. When she sat down, the kid crawled into her lap. "I'm just about done with Luria," she said and closed her eyes.

Mando hummed in agreement.

"How long do you think it'll take?"

"I don't know. A couple of days, maybe."

"Ugh." Sinead looked down at the child who was in the process of going through her pockets. "We should go, just try to bludgeon our way through the blockade instead of sitting here."

"You wouldn't get far."

"It's better than sitting here, twiddling our thumbs."

"You ever heard about something called patience?"

"I don't have time to be patient. The sooner we get out of here, the sooner I can get my hands on those records and the sooner you get the weapon."

“You’re not getting your hands on anything if you’re dead.”

“At least I won’t be in a position to complain about it.”

“You never told me where you hid the whip.”

"Ha! Nice try."

They fell into a comfortable silence. Sinead helped the kid balance on her leg to reach into her breast pocket.

"You're good with him."

Sinead looked up. "Hm?"

Mando seemed to go still and he cleared his throat. "You, uh- you're good with him. He likes you."

"And I like him." She fished the droid eye necklace she’d gotten on Tatooine out of the kid's hands before he tried to eat it. "I get why you didn't leave him."

Mando cast a glance around them but Suri and the rebel were sitting together by the entrance, and Mirian was still hiding at the back of the cave, too far away to hear anything. “You have experience with children?”

"We all helped each other where we could. A lot of the others had children, so I minded them whenever I had the time." Plus, one time where she had had to tend to the Hutt's son, a humiliating ordeal she didn't care to recount.

"Were there many families?"

"Some. Many of them were born there, which meant their kids too."

"You weren't?"

Sinead looked down at the kid in her lap. "No."

Breathe.

There was a shout from the entrance, and Mando and Sinead were on their feet in an instance, Mando moving to stand in front of Sinead who turned to shield the kid.

"It's Tanram!"

Sinead breathed out a sigh of relief as Tanram appeared at the entrance, followed by Erno. Tanram's hands were clenched at his side and he scanned the cave with narrowed eyes. "Where is she?"

"Look, Tan-" began Suri.

"Where is she?"

Something stirred in Sinead's chest. "Look, she knows what she did. Yelling at her won't help."

"We'll see about that." He made to stalk towards the back of the cave when Sinead handed Mando the child and stepped in Tanram’s path. "Move."

"No."

"We don't have time for this," Mando snapped. "You know how we can get out of here?"

Tanram gave Sinead a furious look before taking a deep breath. "Seems like our people down here haven't been idle. They managed to steal access codes that should give you a clear shot out of here." He shot another seething look towards the back of the cave. "I don't need to explain to you how big a blow this is to the cause, do I? We could’ve used these codes, but now we have to give them to you.”

"Thank you," Mando said shortly. "When do we leave?"

Tanram gritted his teeth. "Whenever you can persuade the princess to move." He gestured to Suri to follow him and they went outside.

"I'll go get her," said Sinead and moved to the back of the cave where Mirian sat stiffly in the same spot, her eyes wide and terrified. "C'mon, we're leaving."

Mirian didn't move. "What's ... what's gonna happen?" The question came out in a shaky breath.

"We're leaving is what's gonna happen." Sinead held out a hand for Mirian to grab, but there was still enough obstinacy in the girl to ignore the proffered hand and scramble to her feet on her own. Sinead didn’t know whether to smile or to scowl.

The trek back to the ship was done in silence. Mirian had fallen in between Mando and Sinead, who acted as shields against Tanram's withering looks.

The wind had picked up since their last foray into the mountain and coupled with the dusk, the trip back seemed longer and more dangerous. Sinead felt the wind tear at her clothes and hair and she took short careful steps.

The ship stood where they left it, dusty and welcome. As soon as the ramp was down Mirian scurried into the ship, probably to avoid Tanram, who looked like he was about to explode again.

"We appreciate the help getting us out of here,” Mando said, stopping Tanram from going after Mirian.

"I'm not doing it for you." Tanram shoved a small stack of datacards into Sinead’s hands. "The access code-" he tapped on the card on top of the pile. "The rest goes to Gatt as soon as you land. If you get caught at the blockade, destroy them."

"What are they?"

"None of your concern. Just get them to her."

"You're not coming?" Mando asked.

"No, I'm needed here. Erno’ll go with you, make sure that Gatt gets the full story." He nodded to the man.

"If they know this code has been stolen …” Sinead shifted her grip on the datacards.

"You'll be shot down somewhere over Luria, probably." Tanram ground his teeth. "Look, this is the only plausible way out. You're welcome to go back to the cave and wait for the planet to be liberated, but I have a feeling you want to get back as much as I want you out of here."

"We'll take that chance," Mando said and plucked the access code from the stack.

"Good." Tanram stepped back as the rest of them piled into the ship. "Remember, get them to Gatt. Right away."

Sinead saluted him with her one free hand and then the ramp closed, then left the datacards in a pile on the bunk bed. Mirian had found a space on the floor and the rebel limped up and down the length of the ship, muttering quietly under his breath.

Mando, the kid, and Suri were in the cockpit, readying the ship for take-off. Sinead stood behind Mando’s chair.

“Ready to leave Luria behind?” Suri asked.

“No offense, but I hope I never come back here again,” Sinead said.

“I guess that’s fair.”

Mando pushed the datacard into the nav-computer and started the process of firing up the ship, which came to life with a roar, and at last, it rose from the ground towards the dark sky. Sinead could have cried when she saw the ground disappear beneath them.

It didn’t take long before the blockade came into view. Mando slowed the ship.

“So we just … fly past?” Sinead gripped the headrest harder.

“I’m sending the codes,” Mando said, pressing buttons on the nav-computer. “If it works we can-“

Sharp static filled the cockpit. “-‘ere no record of a ship going out,” a disembodied voice said. “What’s going on?”

Sinead leaned forward before anyone had time to react. “There ain’t supposed to be a record of us. We’re on special business.”

“Wh-“ Suri started before Sinead gestured wildly for her to shut up. She cursed under her breath.

“And what business is that?” The voice sounded suspicious.

“The kind you ain’t supposed to know about. We got the codes, don’t we?” Sinead’s mind spun a mile a minute. “You can take it up with Commander Ranick on your head, but right now we need to get through.”

“Stand by.” The static dissipated.

Suri hid her head in her hands.

Mando gripped the helm with enough force to make it creak. “Sinead-“

“Be ready to make a run for it.”

The comm came back to life. “Commander Ranick is out of reach-“

Sinead took a deep breath and straightened into her full height. “Ain’t my problem. You either let me through and find a way to contact Commander Ranick on your own time, or you keep me here, which will result in an avalanche of shit coming your way, you’ll be lucky if Commander Ranick doesn’t use you for target practice.”

The following silence was the longest in Sinead’s life.

“The codes are coming through,” said the voice through the comm, sounding more subdued. “You’re clear to go.”

Sinead sagged with relief and she allowed herself a triumphant smirk. “Much obliged.”

“I can’t believe that worked,” Suri said.

“We’re not through yet,” Mando said, letting the ship glide forward.

Sinead rolled her eyes, it felt like her heart was about to jump out of her chest.

The Razor Crest reached the blockade. The nearest ship was in sight, small windows along the side that shone brightly against the darkness of space, and she imagined she could see little figures watching the ship, judging if they were allowed to pass.

Then they were through. It felt anticlimactic after all they had been through. No sirens or lasers, just the wide expanse of space in front of them.

Once they were out of reach of any scanners, the ship turned and headed to Celvalara.

<- Previous chapter - Next chapter ->

#the mandalorian #din djarin #the mandalorian x oc #mando x oc #din x oc #din djarin x oc #fanfiction #ends of the earth #oc: sinead

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eleniel-starlight · 4 years

Text

Dream State

Chapter Name; A New Journey

Summary; A former Jedi Master is found in a ruined city, on a fallen planet. The Empire has taken over, and won their war, but some still rage in their dying light. Some, like our Jedi, just need a show of kindness to realize their place.

Author’s Note; This took me WAY too long and I am so so so sorry but it has been a wild ride with my laptop being left behind in Phoenix, to it just not working in general, and I am done with excuses because from now on I will have a steady update schedule that I will hold myself to, and this time I will finish I promise.

Word Count; a measly 2,098

The Empire had taken everything that they could. Every system willing, and those unwilling, for it’s expanding power and wealth, and there were none to stop them. With all the Jedi either dead or in hiding, never to return, and the Clone Army having betrayed the Republic, there was nowhere to run. The Siege of Mandalore had been a deep seeded, planned take over, with Palpatine at the head of the Order.

Jedi Master Lo’ri often spent her days sifting through the ruins of the planet Mandalore, one that she had once fought for during the final days of the Republic. The planets that had fallen in the takeover. Mandalore, Onnderon, even Florrum; while Hondo Ohnaka had once held her captive, he had also provided aid when she had even lost faith in the Council. But it was all gone now. Hondo had gone into hiding, as pirates often do when the situation becomes too dire; not even the scent of a Jedi could bring him from his hole, wherever that might be.

She was out of a friend, in such a difficult time. She was a Jedi, trusting anyone was a risk. The Empire had it out for her head, Vader had killed one of her best friends and sent the other to a planet so remote that even she had refused to follow him, and destroyed the Order that she had devoted so much of her life to, and now here she was, a bounty hunter for hire, flying just under the radar of the Empire as someone who had simply acquired her lightsabers from the body of a Togruta Jedi.

Though such a lie was not easy to pass to former Jedi Knight, Cere Junda. A Knight that had served in the Republic would not be so easily fooled, even cut off from the Force Cere could sense the immense aura of the Force surrounding the planet of Mandalore.

The Mantis landed on the ruined city of Keldabi of Mandalore, and Cere set off in search of one more Jedi before venturing to Bracca for the final Jedi, a Padawan by the name of Cal Kestis.

Mandalore’s history was one of war and death, a war that had been fought and lost by the Jedi just over twenty years before the fall of the Republic. The Jedi Master located on Mandalore was once a member of the Jedi by birth, and the fastest learner that the Jedi had seen in quite some time. Before the fall, word about the Temple had been that Master Lo’ri had been as skilled a Force-user as Anakin Skywalker, but even now Cere was unsure if she had truly survived the Siege of Mandalore. The fall of the Republic had taken it’s toll on everybody, and whether or not Lo’ri had driven herself mad from the lonliness was unknown.

Keldabi had once housed the leaders of Old Mandalore, those of the people that had embraced conflict rather than having turned a blind eye to the concept. It made sense that a former Jedi would dwell on her past in a place like Keldabi, the perfect remnant, and the perfect hiding spot. Sundari was still inhabited by those left that supported the Empire.

Lo’ri had holed up in the old throne room, a place full of sun and warmth, a place for her to meditate. This was where Cere found her, on her knees, eyes closed in concentration as the Force radiated about her. It had a depth, a swarm of its own, the deeper into the well within her that she dwelled. It overwhelmed Cere and threatened to bridge the divide that she had tried so hard to sever between her and the Force. Long black hair flowed down her back, unkempt and knotted with different vines that laid coated with pink flowers. Her cloak and lightsaber laid to the left of her, bare for all to see.

Confident in her abilities, then. Cere thought to herself.

“No, but I haven’t seen another life form capable of conversation in the area since the Siege.” Her voice was weak and scratchy, and Cere was unsure that she’d actually heard the young woman say anything until Lo’ri stood, allowing the true length of her hair to fall from where it had once rested on her shoulders. The length fell to below her knees, and swept behind her as the former Jedi stalked forward. Cere kept her guard down, so as not to set Thestra on edge. She desperately needed the woman on her side if Cal was not to come. Though she suspected that both would be needed for the journey ahead.

“Now what is it you’ve come to ask of me, Junda?” Thestra moved forward in a slow manner, an animal stalking possible prey. “The Order has been destroyed, and you come in their stead, but I cannot see why.”

Cere bristled at the sheer unbridled ability that rolled from the woman’s aura, but she pushed onward with her mission. “The Force can be cryptic in what it allows you to see. My friend, Greez, and I, are in search of Jedi for a task that I cannot complete on my own.”

“And what task would that be? To aid you in fighting the Empire? Fight against Vader?” Her already broken voice tapered off in a tone of sadness.

“If need be, yes.”

“No. Vader stopped being my problem after the Siege. He was gone well before the battle even begun. Now leave me, before I decide that you are my enemy,” Lo’ri turned and began to stroll back to her meditation spot, but Cere had other plans.

“I need you, if you will not come, then…” Her face fell. “Then we have no chance to defeat the Empire,” she finished. But Lo’ri did not seem to care. She returned to the position she had been found in, on her knees, hands positioned just above her thighs. Her hair was now splayed about the ground around her, as opposed to the resting spot it had occupied when Cere had arrived. The former Jedi moved forward. “Please, you have to help me.”

“Why can’t you help yourself, hm?” Cere was in front of Thestra. The woman’s eyes opened, and Cere could see deep into the violet that was her irises, a colour Cere had never seen before. The dead look inside of her didn’t change the iridescence of her irises. The older woman stood in shock for only a moment, though.

“I need someone more in tune with the Force than I am. If you don’t turn out to be who I thought, well, then Greez and I will bring you back here.”

Lo’ri shook her head, an incredulous look on her face, raising the ends of her lips upward in a humorous smile. “Not good enough, Junda.”

Cere was exasperated. “Well then what do you want?”

“To be left alone as I had been!” Thestra was on her feet, menacing as she pushed Cere back with the Force, all the while her eyes grew brighter and brighter, as though something were about to boil over.

“Master Lo’ri, please, calm down!”

Lo’ri’s lip curled upward in a snarl, as something inside of her snapped. The Force oozed from every node in her body, a malice that seeped into each corner of the throne room. The immense exertion was a result of the burrowing that Thestra had been attempting before Cere had arrived, and nearly depleted the Force that was left, welled inside of her. It was a display of power, of the ability and will that she carried. Cere gave a soft smile of sympathy as Thestra collapsed to the ground shaking; the woman followed after to kneel.

“Help me, Lo’ri. And we can repair the damage Vader has done to the galaxy, to us.”

“I don’t want revenge,” her already weak voice was cracking with each word, tears were beginning to stream down her face and fall to the stone below. “I just want my friends back.”

Cere felt her stomach twist at the broken words falling from the Master’s lips.

“I can’t give you your friends back, I can only offer you a chance to make new ones. A new family.” Lo’ri shook her head as she fell back to sit on her bottom. Sorrow filled her expression, and fueled the shaking in her hands as Cere took them in her own. “The Jedi were my family, too. We have an opportunity and I need all the help I can get.”

The raven haired woman opened her violet eyes to Cere’s amber ones, and saw a glimmer of hope for herself. A chance to rise out of her wallow and avenge her family. Her heart pounded in its cage, driving her upwards and Cere with her.

“What is your opportunity?”

Greez had the most issues with Lo’ri coming aboard his ship. She found it odd that, for such a small Latero, he was very loud and proud about the cleanliness of his ship, the Mantis. Clean as it was, Lo’ri found it difficult to view the plant life that Greez Dritus kept behind glass. Her homeworld was a place where plant life was allowed to roam free, and the population was lucky that, through the will of the Force, they were allowed a home.

Greez disagreed with this philosophy heavily, and immediately ordered Thestra to brush and braid her hair.

“Preferably outside of my ship, you have no idea how hard it is to sweep dirt off of this floor.” He then shambled off to look at his empty plant casing.

“Greez, come on, you know I don’t have any idea how to work with hair like this, why can’t you do it?” Lo’ri stared at Cere in confusion as the woman winked at her with a smile. Greez groaned loudly.

“You know what? You’re right! If I want anything on this ship done, I have to do it myself! Come here, whatever your name is. I’ve got a brush around her somewhere.” Greez went about the ship on his little legs, searching through the things that he had once had so neatly tucked away in search of a brush, or maybe even a pick, that would be able to work it’s way through the wild rats nest that was Lo’ri’s hair. While he searched, Lo’ri began to work up the voice, and the nerve, to tell the Latero male what her name was.

Once he’d found a brush and pick that he believed would serve his purpose, Greez ushered the woman out onto the landing pad of Keldabi and began to pick through the flowers that had taken root. As the time wore on, Greez was obviously becoming impatient, so the woman decided to speak.

“My name is Thestra.” She rasped. Greez made a grunting noise and continued to pick through her hair, nearly done with the largest tangles. He pulled exceptionally hard on the center tangle, causing Thestra to yelp in pain; her body pushed her into a forward roll, landing facing Greez, one hand in front and the other protecting her backside. Her muscles were tense and many ached from her lack of time in combat over the last decade. Greez just watched with a tired look in his eyes, as though this had happened to him before.

“Come here, Thestra, I didn’t mean it,” the woman let a deep breath out, and fell out of her fighting stance. She allowed Greez to tug on the rest of her tangles without any protest or trigger, and when he was finished, she hadn’t even noticed that the Latero had taken the time to braid her hair in an intricate manner, letting the length fall into a soft knot that formed at the end of the braid. When she stood, her hair fell to just above her knee as opposed to past the bone, and the flowers that had once been seen at odd placements in her unkempt hair were now seen at perfectly spaced intervals within the braid. Greez smiled to himself with pride as Thestra marveled at the beauty.

“Thank you,” she muttered. Greez shook his head.

“No need, little lady,” he grunted as he shuffled up the ramp and back into his ship. Thestra turned to take one last look at the ruins of Keldabi, her home for the past ten years, and boarded the Mantis for a journey that she was still unsure about embarking on.

#Cameron Monaghan #cal kestis #cal kestis x oc #original character #star wars #jedi #jedi fallen order #empire #mandalore #cal kestis x reader

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hauntedfalcon · 4 years

Text

Happy Christmas, Star Wars Is Over

that was a thing I saw with my own two eyes

“we have to End the Saga! ... but also leave ourselves opportunities to make more money” you really clearly cannot have it both ways

there was... so much about that movie that I would have been able to tolerate... if the trio had been together the whole time

but the instant Rey left the group, it became a terrible movie where stupid things happened for no reason, and there was nothing good going on to balance that out

the trio interactions were, give or take one uppity Poe, everything I wanted

they were so good together

literally I yearned for two whole movies and I finally got what I wanted for a little while

anyway as for the rest of the movie, you know the trolley problem?

they had a couple options for tracks to follow after TFA and TLJ

and instead they just... steered the trolley off a cliff

what hit me hardest was the moments where Rey had the helmet on in Luke’s X-wing, and the moment where she sleds down into the Lars homestead

cute moments! recognizable moments! music cues that helped us recognize them

but the actual takeaway was that she had received absolutely no development since the first time we saw her put on an X-wing pilot’s helmet or sled down a sand hill

none of them did

when people kept asking her in TFA who she was, I never took that to mean “tell us your family name” or “which extremely powerful being gave you your powers” but what is your identity and how do you find it for yourself

which is a theme that could have been explored if they weren’t busy driving the fucking trolley off the cliff

what did any of it really mean? what’s the plan for the future? in thirty years does it all start over again when another Sith lord turns out to still be debatably alive?

also everybody saying “we have to do this or the General died for nothing” like by that point? she had already? died? for nothing???

she projected herself through space to distract her shitty son long enough for Rey to stab him! that was the point!!!

that was the death of her son that she foresaw at the end of her Jedi path! coming to terms with that and making it happen herself for the good of the galaxy could have been a thing!!!

all of these plot points are stupid, but there was a coherent way to connect them, and the movie just kept trying to contradict itself instead

disrespectful honestly

keeping her corpse under a sheet until Kyle faded away was extremely disrespectful

also not a fan of how they tried to build scenes around the scraps of extra Carrie Fisher footage they had to work with

I maintain Leia should have been the one to do the jump at the end of TLJ, and then we wouldn’t have had to deal with this bullshit

Rey should have been a Kenobi

Rey Should Have Been A Kenobi

but moreover, Rey Should Have Been Able to Forge Her Own Identity Independently of a Lineage

which would have done wonders for the trilogy and put her on equal footing with Finn’s character concept

if, let’s say, Palpatine was not a thing in this movie, and let’s say she ended up in Transport Tug of War with Kyle anyway, and she still accidentally Force-lightninged the ship and had to deal with that afterward?

that would have been interesting! grappling with your own capacity for doing evil is interesting! “you have a capacity for doing evil because of your wrinkly granddad” is NOT

imagine the conversation in the ship after the lightning where Finn says he gets it and Rey says he doesn’t, and Finn says yes, yes he does, because everyone has the capacity to cause harm regardless of the scale of it, but it’s the choosing that counts

imagine if these characters got to say things to each other that actually mattered to the plot

what a waste of Jodie Comer

why hire Jodie Comer and only put her onscreen for five seconds

that’s like hiring Thandie Newton and killing her off after twenty minutes, or hiring Ming-Na Wen and killing her off after one epis--oh wait

I was listening hard during the Every Jedi Talks At Once bit and it did my heart good to hear Qui-Gon again

no Chirrut Îmwe though. see? disrespectful

my beloved Finn

my beloved Finn is finally confirmed Force sensitive, and there is no time to build on that afterward

my beloved Finn meets more people who broke First Order conditioning and refused to fire on civilians, who escaped and lived free, and we get a thirty-second conversation about it and it’s never mentioned again

that should have been the A-plot

my beloved Finn held. Poe’s. hand. and it was clearly a thing they do regularly

my beloved Finn was so competent

my beloved Finn was a GENERAL

and that’s it. that’s all I’ll ever get of my beloved Finn

Lucasfilm is not going to mention him ever again

I am getting emotional now, back to things that made me angry

what the fuck are they trying to pull with Poe

a spice runner? a spice runner???

no nope no you’re not making him the Han of the sequel trilogy Abrams

and then the whiplash of him being given command and wishing he had Leia’s guidance again and getting guidance from Lando instead and immediately acting on it? there’s actual Poe! right there!

I don’t understand who it is they keep trying to convince us he is, but the real Poe always comes through in the end, thank you Oscar Isaac

the hug

the hug and the focus on Finn holding both of them and crying with relief

I sure did miss Rose

introducing just enough new characters for everyone to have a ~safe~ potential love interest was so transparent

there’ll be a comic book or a novel set decades down the line where some background character will be mentioned in passing as Finn and Jannah’s kid, and that will be that

that being said now that we have Jannah you can pry her from my cold dead hands

the fact that they didn’t even talk about why Lando left the fight???

the leaks I read were from an earlier cut of the movie where Lando told them he had a young child who was kidnapped by the First Order

he didn’t get to say anything about it this time??? it was implied to have been Jannah but they didn’t even get that much? they want us to believe he’s been hanging out on One Party Every Forty-Two Years Planet just because?????

hyperspace gets more and more watered down with every consecutive movie

it’s to the point where even the purrgils don’t seem that special anymore

the disposability of all the ships was almost as irritating as all the planet-hopping

ships, just like lightsabers, are entirely renewable resources, there is one around every corner

my “the Force is really just the ghosts of dead Jedi intervening for the living” theory is still going strong, especially now that Luke could lift his X-wing

Yoda had to do it in ESB because Yoda had more dead Jedi friends than Luke :)

I legit squealed “WEDGE” when he appeared for 1.9 seconds

afterwards my best friend was like “what’s a Wedge? was it that Mike Pence guy” and I lost it

Leia’s lightsaber was so pretty but I’m sad the blade wasn’t red in this canon

Disney hopes you enjoyed 1.5 seconds of lesbian representation in a Star Wars movie, now never ask for anything again

Dominic Monaghan was also there for some reason

I’m running out of things to say, everything else in this movie was too fucking stupid to even talk about

especially That

we’re not talking about That

at least we’ll always have The Mandalorian (pending any fuckery in the finale)

#Star Wars for ts #The Rise of Skywalker SPOILERS

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leahpuckermxn · 4 years

Text

Marvel Marathon || Gabrileah

Tagging: @gabriellaxdias and @leahpuckermxn

Location: Leah and Anthony’s Apartment

Date: 25/05/2020

Summary: Gabriella comes to visit Leah while she is off sick due to her last asthma attack, and the two begin to bond.

Warnings: No judging us for taking almost three months to finish this. The group moved locations twice since starting this and I can’t be bothered to edit the names. Also, my UK English.

LEAH PUCKERMAN

Despite her tendency to keep people at arms length, guests were a fairly common thing for Leah. She liked having people around, as long as nothing was too deep. Leah got into the habit of keeping everything personal; bills, medication, family photographs, among other things, out of sight. She was sure that everything was put away, but that didn’t stop her from double checking once she invited Gabriella over for a movie marathon. She wasn’t even sure why she hid those things; it’s not like anyone would care enough to read that stuff. Maybe it was just an instinct she picked up throughout the years of being smothered by her mother over her asthma, which she appreciated when she was actually struggling with it, but her mother certainly knew how to overdo it. Once she was happy that everything was put away, Leah gave the apartment a quick tidy. Guitars on stands, cushions straight, trinkets organised. She wasn’t expecting Gabriella to take long, so she kept an ear out for the buzzer.

GABRIELLA DIAS

Gabriella was excited to get to have a movie night with Leah. After the break up with her boyfriend she knew it was time for her to go out and spend time with people. Start making more plans apart from some things with a few close friends. It was important for her to do what she planned to do when she came to Doveport, to live her life. And that is exactly what she was going to do. Gabriella brought some extra snacks for them, it felt only fair for Leah being so kind to invite her over. She was always good company whenever they hung out. Which honestly wasn’t enough. When she arrived she rang the doorbell, smiling once the door opened. “Leah! Hi, it is great to see you.”

LEAH PUCKERMAN

Leah managed to tidy the apartment just in time. It helped that Jovi was sleeping, and not following her around chewing up everything she put back into place. She just finished putting the dishes in the dishwasher when she heard the doorbell. Once she heard the bell, she made her way to the door and pulled it open. “Hey, Gab! Come in.” She said, stepping aside.

GABRIELLA DIAS

Gabriella smiled as she stepped in, "Thank you again for inviting me, I even came with snacks. I picked a variety since I wasn't sure of your favorites." She offered, glancing around for a moment before looking back at Leah. Glad that they were getting to spend more time together. Not only had she always enjoyed spending time with her, but she had always admired her and her confidence. "Really though, I'm excited. I can't tell you the last time I really got to marathon Marvel movies."

LEAH PUCKERMAN

“Of course! A bit of company never hurts.” She said, with a smile, taking the snacks. Leah’s apartment was incredibly small, but it had a small balcony and basement storage space that she could put her motorbike in during the winter, which was the two most important things to her. “Why don’t you sit down while I set the Roku up.” She added, nodding to the sofa.

GABRIELLA DIAS

She handed over the snacks, hoping she made some good choices. Making good impressions and little things like that were always important to her. Gabriella nodded moved over to the couch and sat down, making herself comfortable. "So what do you think we should start with? I have seen everywhere that there is a certain order they should be watched in. Personally I always just watch my favorites or the new ones when they come out."

LEAH PUCKERMAN

Leah set the snacks down on the coffee table, before sitting herself down on it and taking the main remote to turn the TV on. “Well, we could watch them in release order or chronological order.” Leah said, turning the TV on. “Those are the two most common orders. Release order starts with Iron Man and chronological order starts with Captain America.”

GABRIELLA DIAS

Gabriella hummed as she thought for a moment. "Lets do chronological order, I always like it when things can tell a story." She got herself comfortable on the couch, leaning back slightly before crossing her legs. "I've seen them in the order as they come out but I am sure it is a lot more interesting this way. Do you have a preference?"

LEAH PUCKERMAN

“Nah, I don’t have any.” She said, setting down the TV remote and picking up the Roku remote as soon as she finished adjusting the AV settings. “Chronological it is.” She then made her way to Disney+ to find Captain America. It wasn’t too hard, though, since her recommendations was chocked full of Marvel and X-Men, alongside Star Wars and the more sci-fi based Disney and Pixar films. “How shocked would you be if I told you Mulan was my favourite Disney princess?” She said, jokingly.

GABRIELLA DIAS

As Leah went through the recommendations. Realizing how many more movies she really needed to sit and watch. With her busy schedule it was hard to really get into anything. When Leah spoke, she looked over with a smile. “I think it would make sense. Badass, confident, I think it fits.” Gabriella complimented with a smile. “Mine would have to be Jasmine, I loved how strong and independent she was.” It took awhile as a kid for her to really find a favorite. She remembered thinking it was a very important moment in her life to pick a favorite princess. Just the memory of it made her smile grow.

LEAH PUCKERMAN

Leah smiled at Gabriella’s compliment, before finally selecting Captain America and and sitting herself down next to her. “That makes sense for you, too.” Leah remarked. “Pretty but refuses to be held back.”

GABRIELLA DIAS

Gabriella's smile couldn't help but grow, "Well you certainly make it sound so much better when you put it like that." It was easy for her to give out compliments but hearing them was something she was getting use to all over again. "How about Marvel characters? Who do you see yourself as? Or who was your favorite?"

LEAH PUCKERMAN

“It’s true.” Leah said, with a shrug. Leah’s lips pursed at the question, she knew her answer, but she wasn’t really sure if it would count. Crossing one leg over the other, she glanced over to Gabriella. “Are we talking about just the MCU? Or Marvel as a whole? If it’s just the MCU, my favourite is Peter Quill, and I’d say he’s the one I’m most like... but if we’re talking as a whole, my favourite is between Wolverine and Storm. What about you?”

GABRIELLA DIAS

"I guess as a whole, I really have a lot to learn." Gabriella said before she chuckled, giving her focus to Leah. Bringing her knees up to her chest, her arms wrapping around her knees. "I love those choices," She said with a smile growing on her face again. "I always thought it was so interesting how Guardians of the Galaxy worked in its own world but also mixed in so well with Earth too." Gabriella started before continuing, thinking for a moment, "That's tough, I know I love Captain Marvel because she does such a great job of thinking on her toes. Just going with her gut. And I loved the Doctor Strange movie. But who I'm the most like? That is a good question, I'm not really sure. I get the feeling of being known and wanting to make my family and fans proud. That isn't too exciting of an answer is it?"

LEAH PUCKERMAN

"I just really loved X-Men since middle school." Leah explained, repositioning herself so she could focus on Gabriella. "Fox owns the movie rights to them, but I have read so many comics, so many cartoons. I also had a huge crush on Hugh Jackman because of Wolverine.... Have." She let out a small laugh, and glanced to the TV for a moment. She honestly forgot that a movie was playing in the background. "Nah, they're good choices. I only know who I'm most like because of many buzzfeed quizzes that I took."

GABRIELLA DIAS

“Maybe we need to have a marathon of those movies too.” She offered, she couldn’t say no to them if she watched them with good company. When she watched Leah turn to focus on her she felt her smile grow. Finally turning her body towards her, interested into learning anything that she could. She had always enjoyed spending time with her. “That is awesome, I’ve never read comics before but I’ve heard good things about them.” Gabriella laughed with her, “Hey no one can blame you, he is talented and good looking and a nice person. How could someone not?” She followed her eyes too the tv remembering the movie again. “Sounds like it’s about time I start taking some quizzes. I have a feeling once I start taking them I won’t be able to stop.”

LEAH PUCKERMAN

“Well, I can never say no to an X-Men marathon.” Leah remarked, a quirky excitement to her tone. X-Men was by far her favourite franchise. She then nodded to her shelf full of comics behind the sofa. “I have a whole library if you ever want to start reading them. They’re fun and light.” She rested her head on her hand as she continued to listen to Gabriella. “Yeah, it’s not a good rabbit hole to fall down.” She said. “Only fall down those jokes because there just... honestly isn’t much to do in hospital.” Leah then let out a small laugh, to avoid the tone going bleak.

GABRIELLA DIAS

"Well then we'll make it happen!" How could she say no after hearing that excitement. "I would love that! I'll take any one of them you suggest." She couldn't imagine what it would be like to spend a lot of time in a hospital. She wished Leah didn't have to go through all of that, but she seemed to handle it so well. "I could only imagine," Gabriella started, a soft smile still on her face. "I hope it doesn't happen again any time soon but if it does you can have me to keep you company next time. I would hope I'm a little more amusing then those quizzes." She teased at the end, "And I mean if anything we could just take all of those quizzes together."

LEAH PUCKERMAN

Leah gave Gabriella a smile. “Sounds like a plan!” She squinted at the shelf for a moment at Gabriella’s words. It would be easy for Leah to just recommend her own personal favourites, but that would be too easy. “You might like The Vision and the Scarlet Witch.” Lean took in Gabriella’s following words, and briefly thought about her last stint in hospital. It really bothered her much more than she ever let on. “At the very least, you’ll be better than the crap they put on the TV when I’m in intensive care.” Leah said, with a smirk. “You can’t use technology in there, so the TV is all you can watch. They just put on bad reality TV. Not even the kind that you can laugh at like Jersey Shore. It’s just... bad and boring.”

GABRIELLA DIAS

Gabriella looked over at the shelf, amazed at the collection. It had always been tough for her to keep things like that with all the traveling she had to do. "I look forward to reading them then." If there was any time to try new things it was while she was here in Sanders Bay. "I would be now? I would be honored to be that great of company." Seeing her smirk made her smile grow. "Wait seriously? That's terrible, that is the kind of stuff you watch with company so you can make fun of it." Gabriella teased, trying her best to keep the conversation light, she couldn't imagine it being easy to think about. "And I'm great at tv commentary."

LEAH PUCKERMAN

“I know, right?” Leah said, letting out a fragment of a laugh. “But all the old ladies in the room with me live for it. The one on the bed next to mine didn’t appreciate my opinions on property value one bit.” If there was one upside to intensive care as an adult, it was the weird trivia that she stored in the back of her brain from these shows. “Next time I’m stuck in hospital without my phone, I’ll call you.” She pondered that sentence for a moment, letting out another laugh. “I’ll have someone call you.”

GABRIELLA DIAS

Gabriella couldn't help but laugh, "You'd think they'd like a fresh opinion on things but it can't be that easy." She teased, her eyebrows rose at what she said, she made a fair point. She didn't really know the first thing of what it would be like to be in a hospital. But she relaxed at her next words. "Good, I'm glad." Gabriella said with a smile, glad to hear her laugh again. "I'm interested in hearing the various opinions on the show. Sounds like that alone would be amusing enough."

LEAH PUCKERMAN

“Boomers, man.” She said, her eyes rolling at the thought of her many hospital roommates. “I miss the children’s ward, sometimes.” Leah remarked. “Everyone there were much more chill.” She shuffled in her seat again, giving Gabbie a smile. “Good, because I have strong opinions about reality TV.” She joked.

GABRIELLA DIAS

"I could only imagine." Gabriella replied, a small smile still on her face. "I hope in the midst of all of that there are some highlights too." She hoped at least, she couldn't imagine what it was like. "And at least now that you're home you get to enjoy good shows and movies." Her eyes glancing back at the television for a moment.

LEAH PUCKERMAN

“The staff there are nice.” Leah said, her mind wandering to McKenna and Tessa specifically. She’s always had a huge appreciation for people who worked in hospitals, ever since she was a child. She wouldn’t be alive without access to medical care; access that she could honestly see herself losing. Leah tried to not let that crushing fear show on her face as she turned her attention back to the TV. “Yup. I didn’t get to see Chris Evan’s ass in hospital. That was sorely missed.”

GABRIELLA DIAS

When she looked back at her for a moment she gave her a small smile, "That is really good, I'm glad to hear that." Glancing between both her and the movie they had almost forgotten about. Gabriella laughed at what she said next, her smile growing, "What a pity they can't take that honor away from you for any reason." She joked, stealing a glance at her again before looking back at the tv. "If there is any great motivation to try these movies it is certainly the good looking and talented actors. I can't wait to get to learn more about them."

LEAH PUCKERMAN

“I had that privilege back in General Ward.” Leah said, with a smirk. She took another glance at the movie, it was very rare that she just straight up forgot about a superhero movie. She really loved her superhero movies. “They finally let you have internet once you leave intensive care.” She explained. “Then I can go back to being an obnoxious Gen Zer who has no idea what life is like without her phone.”

GABRIELLA DIAS

“Well that’s an improvement, at least then you could watch what you want.” No matter how hard she tried she knew it would be hard to focus on the movie. It was so nice to get to know someone, learn about what their life is like and what they enjoy. And she was certainly having a great time learning about Leah. “I could not imagine what that’s like. I’m not even on my phone often but I am so use to having that ability to reach over for it. I know very stereotypical of people our age.”

LEAH PUCKERMAN

“Yeah, and there’s more people my age there.” Leah remarked, thinking of the faces she saw in both wards for a moment. It was a shame that most of her hospitalisation in Intensive Care when General Ward was much more tolerable. “I mean, how old were you when you got your first phone? I know I got my first one when I was like... fourteen. That’s ten years with technology constantly at my finger tips.”

GABRIELLA DIAS

“Id imagine that’d be better or at least I hope so. Easier to talk to too.” Her next question brought her back to memories of working and being on sets. “Oh god when was it?” Gabriella thought for a moment, “Honestly? Probably eight or nine. But didn’t get social media until I was older. It’s crazy isn’t it how use to it we are. And who knows what else will be invented in our lifetime. Maybe more of the Marvel universe will become a reality.” She teases glancing back at the movie for a moment.

LEAH PUCKERMAN

“I can’t even wrap my head around an eight year old having a phone.” Leah said, with a small laugh. “But nowadays, I guess five year olds are just out there with the latest iPhones these days. My first phone was my mother’s old Nokia.” Leah glanced over to her own phone, a second hand iPhone that the guy at the store told her was good but affordable. She couldn’t imagine living without her smartphone now, and it amused her and concerned her. “I couldn’t live without a smartphone now.” She remarked. “If they do, I’m first in line for superpowers.”

GABRIELLA DIAS

Gabriella couldn't help but laugh with her, "Well if I wasn't working on so many sets I don't think I would have had it. My parents just liked having contact with me. Wanting to know how I was and general updates." Nodding though at what she said, "It is crazy to me but times change, I suppose." Knowing how much she relied on her phone it wouldn't shock her if younger generations wanted it too. "Me too," She started before her smile grew, "Oh really? And what will your power be?"

LEAH PUCKERMAN

“So your mom was like... never on set with you bulldozing the whole thing?” Leah said, with a small laugh. “I guess the movies have been lying to me. Though I do wish I got one sooner now that you put it like that. Maybe my mom would have let me leave the street when I wanted to play outside.” She couldn’t help but think about all the freedom having a phone gave her once she got to high school. “Honestly? I kind of want super healing like Wolverine. His metal skull is cool too, of course, but the healing would be sick.” She remarked. “What about you?”

GABRIELLA DIAS

"She was sometimes, I always had someone there. A family member or an agent. I was very lucky she didn't try to take control of anything or force me into jobs." Gabriella couldn't help but laugh with her. "I mean they aren't all wrong, some parents are just like that." She nodded in agreement, "It was great and being able to always call was even better. I swear they gave some of the best pep talks." The memory making her smile soften. "I think that is a great power to have." She started before thinking for a moment, "God, I feel like so many would be great to have. I guess it has always been a tie between mind reading or teleportation."

LEAH PUCKERMAN

“Well I’m glad she didn’t bulldoze, and she made sure you were safe at the same time.” She remarked, knowing her own mother sometimes struggled to find the line between the two. “Isn’t it? Imagine just being able to survive anything, live for hundreds of years and still be hot throughout it all?” She said, before going to listen to Gabriella’s answer. “Interesting choices. Any particular reason for them?”

GABRIELLA DIAS

"Sounds like an option to be a vampire of some sorts would be just as fun." Gabriella offered, just like she knew her fair share about superhero movies she also knew about the supernatural ones too. When she was younger she really enjoyed them. "But you know you would look good regardless, superpowers or not." She assured with a smile before thinking for another moment. "Well...I think sometimes it would be nice to know exactly how a director or a scene partner would feel. Sometimes there is so much to assume but actions it would be nice to know it in words. But the teleportation? It would be nice to get to travel and see more. Or also work in LA and New York and be able to jump here more often."

LEAH PUCKERMAN

“Yeah, but Wolverine doesn’t burn in the sun.” Leah remarked. “Burning in the sun while living near a beach is just a cruel curse.” She added, with a small laugh. She didn’t know much about vampire lore, but she was pretty sure that was a huge aspect. “I’m not going to look this good at eighty. It’s just a fact. No one does. I’m holding out for my tipping point being sixty, though.” She added, with a small smirk. “I’ll be on those click bait ‘dermatologists hate her’ articles, living the dream.” Leah rested her head on her hand as she listened to Gabriella talk, a small frown forming on her face, but she quickly turned it into a laugh. “So it’s all about work? Superpowers are meant to be fun, Gab.”

GABRIELLA DIAS

Gabriella couldn't help but laugh with her, "Okay you make a great point! That would be far too cruel." She shook her head but gave her a small smile. "I am sure you will be beautiful always. Plus looks aren't always the most important thing." She assured. "Not all about work! Those were just the two perks I could think of that would work with those powers. Being able to teleport could also just give me a chance to travel more. I really didn't get the chances to explore many places if I worked there." Gabriella offered but Leah was sort of right powers were suppose to be fun. But work has always been the most important thing to her.

LEAH PUCKERMAN

“Exactly. Going to the beach when it’s nice out is one of the best things about this town.” Leah remarked. “That and the stunning bar staff, but I can’t exactly get a kick out of myself, now, can I?” She teased, giving Gabriella a small wink. “Finally!” She said, letting out another laugh. “Travel, that’s a really fun way to use a superpower. But what about mind reading? Can you think of a fun use for that?”

GABRIELLA DIAS

"Well who says you can't? There is nothing wrong with knowing how great you are. I really admire it." Gabriella said honestly, but her smile still grew at the wink. "I know how to have fun, I swear." She insisted once she heard Leah's laugh. "Well I think it would be nice to know how to make people happy. Figure out what they really think or need. Plus I wouldn't mind knowing what goes through some people's mind."

LEAH PUCKERMAN

“It’s not like I can check out myself as I’m serving myself a drink, is it?” Leah joked, with another hint of laughter. “Unless I had that multiplication mutation like that bank robber in The Last Stand.” Leah interjected, thinking back to the third X-Men movie. “Aw, that would be a fun power.” She turned her attention back to Gabriella, a soft smile on her lips as she spoke. “You’re gonna have to prove it to me.” She remarked. “I can see the fun in that. It’d certainly come in handy when trying to hook up with someone. It’s better to know sooner rather than later if they’re into some weird shit.”

GABRIELLA DIAS

"Looks like I'll have to catch it on video for you. Seems like a happy medium." She laughed with her, her smile growing. Raising one of her eyebrows at what she said next, "Is that a challenge?" Gabriella couldn't help but laugh again, "You know when you put it like that, that is another great perk of it." Shaking her head for a moment before resting it on her hand as her elbow rested on the back of the couch. "Figure out if the two of you really do click or not. It may seem like such a silly thing to think about with how important looks are to hook ups these days. But in my eyes that actual chemistry and attraction feels just as important."

LEAH PUCKERMAN

Leah let out a small laugh, and shook her head. “It seems like my only option, so go ahead.” Leah shuffled in her seat yet again, and took another brief glance at the movie. “Maybe.” She said in a teasing tone. “Oh, it’s all about looks for me if we’re talking about a one time hookup.” Leah said candidly. “I just need to know if they’re a furry or something. I’m not doing that shit.”

GABRIELLA DIAS

"Well if that's the case I can't back down now, can I? I hope I can manage to prove it." Not being able to help but tease back, enjoying the banter. "I guess you make a fair point there. Maybe I'm not quite use to that scene." She admitted, she tried her best to be careful with it in the big cities. Her eyebrows furrowed at her next words, "Oh god, yeah. No shame but that seems like a big no thank you to me." It was stories like those that made her glad that she was quite selective."

LEAH PUCKERMAN

“I hope for your sake that you manage to, as well.” Leah teased. “But if you can’t, I’ll be more than happy to show you.” She added, thinking back to her own childhood and how different it must have been to Gabriella’s. “You never just hooked up with someone?” She asked, raising an eyebrow. “Oh, shame all the way.” Leah said. “This is coming from someone with a gross old man kink, so that is saying something.”

GABRIELLA DIAS

"Well when you put it like that maybe you would need to show me a thing or two." Gabriella said with a smile, "I feel like my fun may not be the most exciting. All I really knew was going to some parties, maybe knowing how to sneak away without being noticed." She thought for a moment, "Well I've had one or two, but mainly flings I guess is the word for them. I didn't have a really serious relationship until this last one I was in." Her eyebrows rose at what she said, "Oh really? Well I guess in some ways I could see that."

LEAH PUCKERMAN

“Name the time and place and I will.” Leah said, with a smirk. “Well, who were you sneaking off with?” She asked, raising an eyebrow. “Ah, I see. I’m not really into the whole relationship thing, either. I was never actually in one.” Leah let out a small laugh. “Am I that obvious?”

GABRIELLA DIAS

“Maybe sooner rather than later?” She asked not being able to help but notice her smirk. It sparked some excitement inside of her. “Some...people I knew.” Gabriella said suddenly getting a little bashful. Ducking her head down for a moment glad the conversation moved to relationships. “Wait no...no I didn’t mean it like that! No just I could see how someone could find some older people attractive. I’ve had my own crushes on older actors and actresses.” She admitted, shocked that she even did that. It wasn’t often that she would open up to people but it seemed to feel okay with Leah.

LEAH PUCKERMAN

“Sooner works.” She said, the smirk on her face only growing wider, let out a small laugh at Gabriella’s explanation. “Alright, alright. I’m glad that there’s someone out there who understands it at least.” She responded. She then turned her attention back to the screen. “Maybe we should pay attention to the movie. Not that this isn’t a great conversation, but we’re so far in already.” She said, noticing how far into Captain America they were. She took her superhero movies seriously. Leah shuffled in the spot and turned her attention back to the TV.

#para #para: gabriella #marvel marathon

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sandalwoodandjasmine · 4 years

Text

And she calls him by name

Rear-admiral Hannah Shepard enters the Normandy SR-2 alongside Admiral Stephen Hackett. As they wait in the airlock to be cleared for boarding, Hannah throws a quick look at the man at her side. It’s the briefest of gestures, a glance out of the corners of her eyes, and it escapes everyone’s but Hackett’s notice. Hannah knows that he has seen it. The lines around his jaw tense.

***

“We’re headed into a war that will decide the future of our entire galaxy. And you are asking me for a personal favour?” he had bristled earlier.

“You know I wouldn’t be doing this if I didn’t think it was absolutely crucial,” Hannah placated.

Admiral Hackett put his arms akimbo. “He’s your son, yes. But this war is bigger than any of us.”

“I’m not saying it isn’t,” Hannah reasoned. Attenuating her voice, playing its sonorous richness off against Hackett’s resistance, she pleaded: “Steve, please. You know I’m not asking this lightly…”

The man sighed. “You know I can’t refuse you when you do this.”

Hannah placed her hand over her heart in a show of consternation. “I don’t know what you are talking about, Steve,” she feigned. She knew exactly what he was talking about.

Stephen of course saw right through her. They had too much of a history, the two of them. He chuckled. “Damn straight you don’t.”

“Is that a yes then?” she asked, fluttering her lashes.

“I better not regret this, Hannah.”

***

The control lamp switches from red to green. The doors to the airlock open. A visibly nervous ensign greets them. She scuttles from one foot to the other as she waits for the two admirals and the small group of high-level Alliance officers they have in tow to enter into the ship’s gangway.

“The commander will meet you in the CIC. It’s this way,” she signals. “Please follow me.”

Hackett nods and they all set in motion.

Eventually, the gangway opens up to reveal the ship’s combat information centre. The wide hall with a tall, arched ceiling is dominated by a large holographic representation of their galaxy at its centre. All around it, set into niches along the wall, are combat work stations. The people who would usually be working there are, however, all facing in their direction. The entirety of the ship’s crew has been awaiting their arrival.

They circle the galaxy map towards the left and march in the direction of the bridge, crewmen left and right saluting them.

“Admirals.” The Normandy’s commander intonates. Hand raised toward his brow, body stiff and every muscle tensed to the point where it strains against his uniform, Commander Iskandar Shepard looks the part of the picture perfect Alliance officer.

He can’t fool his mother though. Hannah can see the nervousness underneath the veneer. Iskandar always displayed a propensity to step up his rulebook behaviour whenever he felt insecure.

Hannah keeps a straight face, sticking to the protocols of a rendezvous between Alliance officers. The commander might be her son. She might feel the urge to open her arms and pull him into a hug, irrespective of how out of place such a gesture might be, given the formality of the situation. Or, at the very least, speak to the commander directly. However, it’s not her place to act now but to yield to Hackett’s seniority.

Still, she can’t help but take in as much of her son as she can. It’s been so long since she last met him. And even longer since the last time she had a private conservation with him. So much has happened since. How had the rapidly unfolding events impacted her son? Had they changed him? Was he still the man she knew?

And now, with the decisive battle just hours away, would she ever get the chance to reacquaint herself with her son?

“Commander.” Admiral Hackett salutes in return, then drops his hand to his side. “Are you ready to bring the might of the galaxy to bear on the Reapers?”

“Yes, sir,” is the commander’s response. Only now does he mirror Hackett’s gesture and ease his posture. He accepts the hand the admiral offers him and the two men shake hands, holding each other’s gaze.

“Then let’s make sure the fleets are ready,” Hackett declares.

A small, dark woman turns to the control panel behind her, checking the datapad in her hand. “All fleets reporting in, Sir,” she states. It’s the signal that she has opened up a channel with the fleet and that the admiral may now address them.

Hackett nods and walks up to the rostrum that extends over the map of the galaxy. Placing himself close to the railing, he lets his eyes wander through the CIC. He takes several moments to connect to the crew who is sharing the same physical space as he is before he addresses the crews of the entire fleet. “Never before have so many come together - from all quarters of the galaxy.”

Hannah folds her hands behind her back and lines up with the commander and the accompanying officers to listen to the admiral’s speech. While she keeps her eyes pinned on the admiral, she can’t help but peer around curiously, studying the crew’s faces out of her peripheral view, looking for the man who she’d so far only seen in the picture attached to his personnel record.

“But never before have we faced an enemy such as this.”

There. That must be him. Hannah is sure of it.

“The Reapers will show us no mercy. We must give them no quarter.”

Lieutenant Antoni Valenza. Hannah recognises the shock of dirty blond hair, mussed up strands falling into the man’s forehead. She recognises the peridot eyes, as well as the flame of intelligence and curiosity burning inside them. The lieutenant looks up and their eyes meet.

“They will terrorise our populations. We must stand fast in the face of that terror.”

Antoni Valenza meets her gaze with a piercing look. Hannah feels as if the other man is drilling down into her, trying to gauge what kind of person she is. Hannah resists the urge to look away, but instead delves deeply into the discomfort of being examined so openly. It is only appropriate that he subject her to this treatment. After all, she assesses him just as openly.

“They will advance until our last city falls, but we will not fall. We will prevail.”

It’s the little things that add to her assessment of Lieutenant Antoni Valenza. The fact that he doesn’t flinch or shirk her gaze. How he has positioned himself in relation to her son: at his side, his stance alert and protective. He’s very discreet about it, so as not to cast a shadow of doubt on her son’s authority as commander, but Hannah can sense the energy that is exchanged between the two men. It is as if Lieutenant Valenza cast a protective shield around the commander. Physically, emotionally.

And then there’s the blatant screening, of course. Mother or no, is she a threat to the commander’s safety? Does Antoni need to keep an eye on her?

Hannah likes it.

The lieutenant is a good man, she decides then. The rumours she heard must be true. Lieutenant Antoni Valenza is what her son needs. He might just be the firm rock for Iskandar that people say he is. The one that keeps her son grounded. And with the hopes of a whole galaxy resting on her son’s shoulders, and a war that threatens to devour him, Iskandar sure as hell needs that grounding, that firm rock.

“Each of us will be defined by our actions in the coming battle.”

Hannah flashes a smile at Antoni Valenza. The lieutenant doesn’t quite let himself be carried away to return it, but he sends an appreciative nod her way. For the briefest moment, a vision flashes up in front of her mind’s eye. A life after the war. A life in which her son introduces his partner to her. A life in which Hannah gets to know this mysterious man who managed to pierce though her son’s armour, this lieutenant Valenza. If only. If only…

“Stand fast. Stand strong. Stand together,” is the encouragement the admiral uses to send the fleet off into the coming uncertainty. “Hackett out,” he ends the call.

He turns around and walks back down from the rostrum, his gait speaking of grim determination.

“Shepard,” he calls.

The commander falls in line with the admiral. Hannah follows a few steps behind.

“The sword fleets are ready to strike at the Reapers surrounding Earth,” Admiral Hackett tells Shepard. “While they keep the enemy engaged, you and Hammer ground forces can take London.”

Hannah can see her son startle. He halts, turning towards Hackett. “London?” he asks, frowning. “Why aren’t we hitting the Citadel directly?”

A moment’s silence falls during which the admiral intently studies the commander’s face. Hannah thinks she can make out a small sigh before the admiral speaks again: “Anderson can brief you on that,” he explains.

He throws a look in Hannah’s direction and continues: “While we establish communications with him, why don’t you use the chance to have a quick word with your mother?”

“My mother?” Shepard asks. He looks up and past Admiral Hackett, and it is as if he only becomes aware of her presence now. He quickly focuses back on the admiral. “Surely, I should speak to Anderson as soon as possible?” he objects.

Hannah feels a sting in her chest. To have her own son resist talking to her - when this might well be the last time they’ll ever see each other… Where others might falter to keep their composure, however, Hannah doesn’t. Theirs has been a military family since the times when the Moguls started recruiting Indian locals into their armies, a tradition that continued throughout the times of British rule and the Indian Republic up to the emergence of the Alliance and their forays into space. A stiff upper lip is her birthright, as it is Iskandar’s.

Admiral Hackett glances at his rear-admiral as if to say: See what kind of situation you are dragging me into! Hannah calmly meets his gaze. You promised, now keep your word, is the message she sends him.

“We will need a moment to establish a secure line,” Hackett explains. “I’ll see you in the war room in five.” There’s a definitive ring to Hackett’s voice. He’s making it clear to the commander that this is not up for discussion. Shepard yields, bowing his head to indicate his obedience.

The he marches off with brisk steps, leading Hannah into an empty storage room of sorts.

“This is a setup, isn’t it? Admiral?” he bristles once the door whirs shut behind them.

“A setup?” Hannah asks, a frown settling down between her brows.

“You arranged this, didn’t you? Hackett’s in on it, isn’t he?” Iskandar glares at her.

“And what exactly do you think I would have arranged?”

“This waste of precious time. It’s a travesty!” Iskandar exclaims. “You played him, didn’t you? Of course you played him!”

Another sting. This one cut deeper. Much deeper. It pushes the air out of Hannah’s lungs for a moment, as if someone had delivered a blow to her chest. “Is it such an unfathomable wish that I should speak to my son? One last time?” Hannah demands to know, her voice shaking. Her steely composure is suddenly gone. She can feel her lip quivering uncontrollably.

“Why?” Iskandar raps out. “What is there to say?”

Hannah closes her eyes. Everything within her freezes. She can feel her insides go hard and lifeless. This is it. It’s over. Her last chance to speak to her son, and its over.

At least, she tried.

Hannah shakes her head. “Nothing, really,” she replies. “You’re right, of course. You should be in the war room. I won’t keep you any longer.” She steps to the side to clear the door which had been in her back until now. She feels defeated in a way she never has in her entire life.

Iskandar harrumphs and starts heading for the door.

“If… if he could see you…” Hannah murmurs under her breath.

Her son immediately stops in his tracks. “What…?” He blurts out.

“I… I was just thinking… if… if your father… if he could see you now.”

“Yeah, he’d not like what he’d get to see. It’s a real pity.” Iskandar shrugs. Hannah can see that he’s attempting to project nonchalance, but his movements are a little too stiff to convince. “Nothing to be done though.”

“That’s… that’s not what I meant. Not at all,” Hannah objects.

“W-what?” Iskandar asks. Hannah can see that her statement has nonplussed him. Her heart goes out to her son. It goes out to her deceased husband, too. So much misunderstanding. Still. After all these years.

All his life, Iskandar had lived with this idea in his mind that he needed to prove himself to his parents. That he needed to excel in order to win their pride. To deserve their love. He had tried, he had tried so hard to prove his worthiness.

When her husband died, Iskandar had come away from the tragedy believing that he was somehow to blame and that his father had made a mistake in sacrificing himself for his son. He had come away believing that he never managed to win his father’s approval and that he had forever lost the chance to do so. Iskandar had pulled away from her, from his entire family, in the years that followed. Much as she had tried, Hannah had never again been able to get through to him. Tell him the truth.

Because what Iskandar had been unable to see was that his father’s sacrifice had been Dariush’s most powerful way of expressing both his love for his son and his trust in his capabilities. Very clearly, Iskandar had still not come to see it.

Oh Dariush, if only you were here. Iskandar would have needed you.

“He’d be so proud of you,” Hannah explains.

Iskandar frowns. His incomprehension is now clearly written all over his face.

“He’d be so proud of you,” Hannah repeats. “He always has been, Iskandar.”

The fact that her son is still here and makes no attempt to exit the situation emboldens Hannah. “I know your abba wasn’t particularly good at expressing these things. But he’s always been so proud of you. We both have.”

Iskandar’s eyes widen as he takes her words in. He seems to be caught somewhere between disbelief and shock.

Hannah presses on, relentlessly. There’s words she’s kept locked up inside her heart and now they flow out of her as if someone broke the damn that’s been holding them back. “And what you’ve done now. What you’re about to do. The man you’ve become. The hope you’ve given an entire galaxy… in the face of a destiny that would have made others lie down and resign themselves to the inevitable… Beta… you…” Hannah’s voice breaks when the weight of her emotions gets too much for it to carry.

Tears well up in her eyes. She has to speak more, though. She can’t stop now. “It’s so much more than any of us could have ever dreamed. You…”

It’s her son who eventually stops the barrage of her words. “Ma!” he cries.

Hearing him utter this word, hearing herself addressed in this way, nothing in the universe could have stopped Hannah from wrapping her son up in her arms. Suddenly, he’s her five year old boy again. Her little prankster, her maakhan chor who stole the pot of butter. Her piece of the moon. And she, she’s just his mother.

“Soniye,” she whispers as she holds him tight.

Iskandar leans into her and buries his face against her. Stroking his hair, she murmurs “soniye” once more before she places a kiss against his temple. “You have no idea…”

She feels tremors run though the seemingly invulnerable frame of the man she’s holding in her arms. “It’s ok,” she reassures him. “It’s ok.”

Every second she gets to hold him is a blessing. Every heartbeat of this divine grace. This gift of God she and Dariush were given. Is this the moment where he will be called back to the Lord’s side?

As much as she doesn’t want to rush things, eventually it’s time for her son to pull back. She won’t let him go without caressing his cheek with her thumb, and leaning in one more time to kiss his forehead though. Cradling his head between her hands, she tells him: “You are the best thing that’s ever happened to us.”

“Ma…” Iskandar protests. He looks excruciated, like a child who’s just been embarrassed by a parent.

Hannah can’t help but smile. She pats Iskandar’s cheek with her palm one more time before letting go.

“So…,” she begins. Then clears her throat. “You… and your lieutenant?”

The change that happens in her son instantly makes Hannah regret her words. He goes rigid. His soft, boyish expression becomes stern. “What about him?” he asks gruffly.

“Well, I’ve heard rumours…”

“I don’t care what people say. It’s true, but I don’t care,” Iskandar replies. The vitriol in his voice unsettles her. Clearly he feels cornered, but the strength of his reaction speaks volumes of the agony he must have felt over this illicit relationship. Of course her rulebook son would have had his qualms. She’s glad he ultimately decided to put his own happiness above Alliance regulations, but her heart aches at the thought of all the pain he would have caused himself before allowing himself to do so.

“Soniye…” Hannah starts, but is harshly interrupted by her son.

“It’s no one’s business. I’m doing my job, and that’s all anyone could ever ask of me. You might disapprove. Abba might have been disappointed in me, but…”

Now it’s Hannah who interrupts her son. “That’s not true, Iskandar!” she shouts.

Iskandar stares at her.

“That’s not true. Nothing, nothing you could have ever done would have disappointed either me or him,” she rumbles.

“You don’t think… you don’t feel…” Iskandar ventures haltingly.

“No!” Hannah replies firmly. “Iska, all we’ve ever wanted for you, more than anything, is to be happy. You always seemed to believe that you had to work so hard to make us happy, when the easiest way to do so would have been to find happiness for yourself. There’s nothing you would have ever needed to do to win our approval. “

“Abba…”

“Your abba broke the rules to be with me,” Hannah reminds her son. “Our relationship wasn’t any different in the beginning. Do you really think the man who laughed the brass in the face when he knew in his heart that he couldn’t let this chance slip by, do you really think that man would have disapproved of you being in a relationship with the lieutenant?”

“I… I don’t know,” Iskandar admits.

“Do you love him, Iskandar?” Hannah asks, looking her son straight in the eyes.

Iskandar’s eyes go wide and his mouth stands agape. Eventually, he gulps. “Yes,” he replies in a small voice.

“I thought as much,” Hannah muses. “He’s a good man. He loves you a lot. I can tell as much. The way he looks at you, it’s all the prove I ever needed.”

Iskandar drops his head but nods bashfully.

“Does he make you happy?” Hannah probes further.

A chocked sound escapes her son’s lung.

“See? And that’s all that counts. That’s all Dariush would have ever cared about.” Hannah steps in and cups her son’s face between her hands. “He’d be so happy for you.”

Iskandar replies with a sheepish smile. His cheeks light up with a rosy glow. “Thank you…”

That’s when Hannah knows that her words have touched her son’s heart. It’s all she needed. Now I’m ready to let him go, she tells herself.

“Thank you,” she replies.

“For what?” Iskandar asks.

“For listening to me,” she tells him. “For allowing yourself this small island of happiness,” she adds.

Hannah wishes she could stop the clocks. Preserve this moment and never let it pass. Sharing the same space as her son.

But there’s a war raging outside.

“I guess it’s time,” she whispers hoarsely.

“Yes…” Iskandar agrees.

“I’ve kept you long enough. Stephen must already be regretting he ever agreed to this…”

“Yeah…”

How can any parent ever be ready for this?

“I just hope… I hope you’ll introduce us… after… after…” Why are you fooling yourself like this, Hannah? “I would really like to get to know him,” she explains with a helpless shrug.

The complicated look on her son’s face tells her the truth. You wouldn’t be you if it was otherwise. You wouldn’t be my Iskandar.

“I know. It’s ok,” she simply says. “You go now. Hurry. You’re needed.”

#iskatoni #iskatoni anniversary #iskatoni anniversary ficlet

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finnreyfridays · 5 years

Text

Home

The door to the “bedroom” closes quickly behind Rey as she enters. The place is far from what anyone would call luxurious and yet, it’s nicer than anything she’s slept in before this moment. She wonders if she could call this place home. Even if just for a while. Jakku may have been where she grew up but that place was never somewhere she felt accepted.

She can still hear the voices of the few remaining Resistance members outside but she tunes them all out as she slowly approaches the bed. She finds herself stepping over and around whatever supplies the Resistance had been able to pack in in order to reach her destination but once she sits down, the weight of the day seems to lift off her shoulders. Even if only slightly.

A yawn escapes her mouth, she hadn’t realized until this moment just how tired she was. She wonders when she last slept. She reaches to the tie in her hair and pulls it loose, allowing her long brown hair to cascade over her shoulders. She almost never has it down like this, too many years wearing the same three-bun hairstyle. A style she doesn’t even know the origin of.

Rey stares at the door, unable to shake the feeling that she should be doing…something. Anything more than resting. Leia had insisted. “You earned a good nights sleep.” She’d told Rey after Poe had finished his story. Apparently she and Poe were “torture buddies” now after both of them being tortured by Ben. The morbid thought brings a smile to her face.

She lays down on the makeshift bed, convinced that sleep won’t find her. Too many thoughts swim through her head. The war. Luke Skywalker. Finn. Ben. Poe. The Resistance. The Lightsaber. Finn… Her eyes suddenly increase their weight by ten times and she has no choice but to close them.

The change feels immediate. She’s dreaming and she knows it. The feeling is… unfamiliar to say the least. There was never the luxury of dreaming back on Jakku. Her mind was always far too alert for sleep like that. Had to be, otherwise the days haul could be taken by any number of creatures. But here, on the Falcon, the sound of voices and the small engine hum seemed to sway her into sleep.

She opens her eyes to the dreamscape, and she’s immediately assaulted by the smell of blood and sweat. She’s in Snoke’s throne room, the red bodies of his guards litter the floor and Ben stands in front of her, dressed head to toe in black, breath coming ragged. In the dream, his helmet is on, and even still she can feel his desperation as he reaches out to her. “You’re nothing,” He says again, the words still leaving Rey with the bitter taste of truth. “But not to me.” The statement still lands on her heart just as it did the first time. Her parents were no one, she had no place in this adventure but here Ben stood asking for her. He wants her Wants her power. The tears still sting her face. Just as they did before. Perhaps, this is home. She wonders to herself. Maybe if she had taken his hand, she would find a place she belonged.

She knows this is a dream and yet she can feel herself moving her hand. She can’t resist its pull this time, just like when she was in training and their hands touched. This was the feeling she was waiting for. It had to be, right? Their hands are nearly an inch apart, her heart beats in her chest, so close…

A metallic clang breaks off her concentration. She stops right before she makes contact and turns toward the sound. A lone figure, clad in white stands at the far end of the hall. “Don’t listen to him, Rey!” The voice seems familiar but she can’t place it. The figure runs towards the two of them and as it gets closer she realizes that it’s a stormtrooper. A stormtrooper whose mask is covered on its left side with three streaks of red. It doesn’t take long to tell that it’s blood. The trooper stops a few feet away. “You were never nothing. Especially not to me.” The words stir something in her. It was Ben…no Kylo Ren’s words but different. She turns back to Ren but now he’s closer. His hand is now up around her upper chest as if he can’t decide whether he wants to choke her or feel her heartbeat.

“He doesn’t have what you need.” Ren says through his modulated voice. “I do.” The trooper gets closer again.

“He’s wrong. You know where you belong. With me, with us.” The trooper says back in almost a whisper. Why did his voice sound so familiar? So trustworthy? She looks back at Ren, his hand closer to her throat now, her heart beating even faster, threatening to explode. She looks back at the trooper and reaches out to him. The trooper nods and approaches closer, his hand also outstretched.

Another metallic clang rings across her mind but this one is different. This one is real. She opens her eyes and she’s back on the Falcon, blue lines of hyperspace still streaking across the window to the room. The sound comes again a few seconds later, someone is knocking on the door. “Come in,” Rey says through raspy and unused vocal cords as she sits up. How long had she been sleeping?

The door opens as a familiar and comforting face crosses the threshold. “Oh,” Finn says with sadness. “I woke you up didn’t I?” Rey smiles and rubs her eyes.

“No, no. Don’t worry about it. What’s going on, are we about to land?”

“No I just wanted to…” Finn trails off as he stares off into the pile of supplies. “I just wanted to check on you, I guess.” Rey cocks her head to the side. She still wasn’t used to someone being concerned for her. Truly concerned. When the two first met, he had asked her if she was okay as they tried to escape from Jakku. It had been the first time she’s ever heard it. Now here he was, checking on her again. The thought lifted her spirits. Rey pats the space next to her, indicating Finn to come and sit by her. Her meets her gaze for just a moment before heading over.

“I meant to come by before,” he begins to say. “But I wanted to let you sleep. And I need to keep an eye on Rose. She’s hurt pretty bad.” Rey gazes around the room, trying to connect the name. Rose must be the girl he checked on twice already. Finn didn’t know her before, and now he was already checking on her again and again.

“Rose.” Rey says with concern. “What happened to her?” Finn chuckles a bit.

“I guess we both went through something while we were apart, huh? Rose saved me. I was about to…do something pretty stupid. She stopped me.” Rey narrowed her eyes quizzically, hoping he would continue. He did not.

“How stupid are we talking exactly?” She finds herself unable to resist asking. Finn leans back a little.

“It’s nothing,” He says. “Just a little lapse in judgement is all. Forget all that though. I want to know what meeting Luke was like! Tell me all about Jedi training.” Rey sighs, not knowing exactly how to even start that story.

“I’ve got an idea, Finn.”

“Yeah?”

“I’ll tell you about Jedi training, if you tell me what you were up to first.” Her face forms a wry smile as the last of the words come out. Finn nods with a smirk on his face.

“I have a better idea.”

“What?”

“I’ll tell you about how I saved an entire animal species, inspired a bunch of kids and,” His expression soured for a moment. “And how I went home. If you tell me about Jedi training first.” Rey chuckles just a bit.

“You know, I could just use the force to make you tell me.” Rey says with a smirk.

“Oh, that’s how it’s going to be?!” The two of them laugh, and suddenly Rey feels herself forgetting about the dream. Forgetting about the war. Forgetting about what awaited them in the future. If only for a moment. She decides to yield to Finn’s request and she tells her story.

As the words come out she finds that out of everyone she could be telling this story, she hoped it would be him. It felt like she’d grown ten years older in just the few days since they’d last seen each other. And being able to talk, just talk to him like this made her feel…something she couldn’t yet describe. All she knows is that she’d felt it since he came to rescue her on Starkiller base.

Finn listens intently, showing almost child-like excitement during some parts of the story, asking questions about almost every part. So she tells him everything. How Luke had refused to train her in the beginning. How she felt the connection with Kylo Ren. How she fell into that cave against Luke’s wishes. How I wish you’d been there. Maybe you could have stopped me from doing what I did.

“You must think me quite foolish,” She says as the story wraps up. “To risk it all on Kylo Ren. To be so very wrong about him in the end.” Finn lets down the smile he’s held nearly the whole time and gazes deeply in her eyes.

“Never.” Finn places a firm hand on her shoulder. “I won’t judge what happened with Ren. I wasn’t there and I don’t have the force. I know it’s different for you.” She nods and a silence passes between them as Finn’s hand slides off her shoulder. After a moment Rey gives Finn a small shove.

“I believe it’s your turn.” Finn’s face lights up.

“Ah, yes. Prepare to have your mind blown.”

Finn begins his story in earnest. Rey listens to the whole story without any interruptions. Finn tells her about waking up in the med-bay. How he planned on leaving to find her just so she wouldn’t have to get involved in the war once she was done training. He spent a lot of time discussing his adventure on Canto Bight and how that led to the “species rescue” he had mentioned before. He told her about his battle against Phasma, a fight he found himself secretly wishing for long before that day.

“You have to understand,” He continued. “I was angry. Really angry. The First Order had already taken so much from the people of this galaxy. I just wanted to…” He trails off again. “I wanted to hurt them. To stop them from taking the last bit of hope from this galaxy. So I set the thrusters to full power and closed my eyes. I knew what was going to happen but I didn’t care.” He takes a deep breath. “Then Rose crashed her speeder right into mine. The crash knocked me out of the line of fire. I was fine but she got hurt pretty bad. That’s why I keep checking on her. I owe her.

“Then we lost Luke. Lost everything.” He looks right into her eyes once again. “I thought for sure the First Order was going to wipe us all out right then. But then I saw you lifting those rocks.” He smiles a wide grin, showing off a perfect row of white teeth that contrasted with his dark skin. “I knew then, I know now, that we’ll win. We’ll win because of you, Rey.” Rey narrows her gaze, unable to process the compliment in its full form before he continues.

“When I saw you lifting those rocks, I got scared, you know? Scared that maybe you’d be different. That training would have changed you. Even if just a little. But when I–” He cuts himself off seemingly too embarrassed to say what he wanted to say, if his quick detachment from her eyes was anything to go by. “Well, you know.” Rey nods. She knows what he was too afraid to say. She had felt the same when they embraced on Crait.

“Anyway,” Finn starts again. “I should probably let you get some rest. Considering what you told me, you’re probably still pretty beat.” Finn starts to get up but Rey quickly lays a hand on his shoulder. He looks back at her. “What is it?” He asks confused.

“I just–” She searches for the right words in her mind. “Thank you, Finn.” He looks confused.

“I didn’t do anything. You’re the one doing all the cool stuff.”

“You put yourself in harms way for me. Again.” Finn covers her hand with his.

“Let’s just agree to watch each others backs from here on out, okay?” Rey nods her head in earnest. Finn gets up and starts to walk away.

“Wait Finn, one more thing.” He turns his head back but keeps his body forward. “Can I see it?” He turns back fully and looks confused for a moment. Rey says nothing, hoping to not have to say it. After a moment understanding crosses his face.

“You don’t want to do that, Rey. It’s just going to bring up bad memories.”

“I need to see it Finn. If I was stronger, it never would have happened.” She was referring to the scar across his back from his fight with Kylo Ren. Her vision had been blurry when it happened but once they had returned to the Resistance base, she’d caught a brief glimpse of it. It didn’t look good. Finn took a deep breath but turned around anyway. He slowly peeled off the shirt he wore and Rey was horrified by the site.

The gash went nearly from his left hip to his right shoulder. The area around the scar was blackened like ash while the cut itself was a deep red, clearly not healed properly despite medical assistance. Rey slowly approaches and traces the skin of the scar. Finn shudders at her touch but doesn’t move away. The sound of Finn’s screams ring through her memories. She blames herself, if she hadn’t been so careless back then, she wouldn’t be staring at this horrific image. Finn inches away and quickly puts his shirt back on. “I told you it was a bad idea.” Finn says without meeting her eyes.

“You’re right.” Rey says while looking at the ground. Silence falls between them again before she suddenly feels Finn’s arms wrap around her. Without even thinking, she returns the gesture.

“It’s all right, Rey. I don’t blame you for this at all. I’m fine. We’re both fine. Next time we see Kylo Ren, feel free to go ahead and take him down. For both of us this time” It’s here in this moment Rey finally realizes what she’d felt with Finn. Something she had never known up until this moment. Maz’s words come into focus. “The belonging you seek isn’t behind you.” Maz was right. The belonging she sought wasn’t anywhere but here in Finn’s arms. This was what she felt when they embraced on Starkiller Base. What she felt when they saw each other on Crait. This is home.

#finnrey #finnreyfridays #rebelfinn #rey #fyeahfinnrey #finnreytfa #text #fanfic #ff165 #ff: unthemed #mod em #submission

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politicalmamaduck · 5 years

Text

for you, I will try

Ben Solo has been keeping a secret his entire life: he's a Beta, not an Alpha. For Omega Rey, however, he will try to please her as best he can despite their statuses and arranged marriage.

Written for @persimonne for winning my Reylo Fanfiction Anthology themed giveaway! She correctly guessed the six writers who participated in every previous Anthology. Her prompts were: "A/B/O with a plot twist: Rey is an omega and Kylo is a beta, but he's so determined to win her favour that he goes all the way down the line to keep her satisfied like a true alpha would. Bonus if he gets hospitalized because of sexual shenanigans (he can break his dick for example). And Arranged marriage (Canonverse or any kind of AU is okay): Rey accepts to marry Kylo Ren for political reasons, but he refuses to have sex with her during their wedding night. Thirsty!Rey begins a heavy courtship and he finally surrenders: she discovers that he is not what he seems..." I did my best to combine them both! I hope you will like my twist on these tropes.

Read it on AO3 here.

If Rey could survive scavenging in the arid Jakku desert as an Omega, then she could survive anything. Even a political marriage to Ben Solo. He was certainly no drunken lecher like many of the starpilots who found themselves subject to the mercy of Unkar Plutt and wishing to take their frustrations out on a lowly Omega scavenger girl.

At least that’s what she kept telling herself, repeating it almost as if it were a mantra the morning of her wedding.

She knew what was expected of her. It was an Omega’s duty to be mated by their Alpha. Though intimate and awkward, Rey did not fear mating; in fact, the idea excited her, and she looked forward to never being alone again. She had seen the Light in Ben Solo, reached across space and time and the galaxy to coax it out from his shadows and demons, and if being his mate meant she could bring him back to the Light--and to his beloved mother--even for political convenience, she would do it.

With their marriage, the war between the Resistance and the First Order would end, and the galaxy would finally know peace. She could pass on what she had learned, from Luke and Ben, and ensure that a new generation of Force sensitives, regardless of Alpha, Beta, or Omega status, would never feel the way she had.

She was strong in the ways of the Force. Untrained, but stronger than she knew, he said. He believed every word of it, and now, with some training, she could become one of the greatest Force users the galaxy had ever seen. But did she believe in herself the way he did? He hoped so, for it was only through her own self-confidence that this political arrangement could possibly work.

Kylo Ren held a closely guarded secret, one only his Master knew, not even his parents or his uncle. He had bared his soul to Rey of Jakku like no one before, and now, she too would know his secrets. He only hoped that she would not be too disappointed, that she would not laugh at him or make fun of him. It had been his greatest fear since childhood, that his secrets would be discovered and he would become a galaxy-wide laughingstock.

The wedding ceremony seemed nothing more than a blur, so nervous was the groom, particularly when he held Rey’s hands again for the first time since the Force brought them together while she was training with Luke. Her hands were callused, yet warm and comforting.

In barely a blink of an eye the wedding was done and the feasting began. Neither Ben nor Rey could hardly breathe or eat, though so many of the guests handed them goblets and carafes made of the finest transparisteel for toasts. Both were uncertain of their destiny, and unable to express their feelings.

Rey longed to be alone with her husband for the first time. Ben dreaded the moment in which he had to explain to his wife what he was hiding. He had never enjoyed being in a crowd, or the fancy banquets his mother always seemed to be attending, but tonight he found the distractions to be a relief. The air was heavy with the scents of food and drink and mingling body odors. No one would notice something strange about his scent, even though he did his best to hide it with the Force. Certainly not his wife, who was claimed by one dance partner after another once their first dance as a couple ended. Nor his mother, who hadn’t seen him since he first started hiding his scent after puberty. Not wanting to delve too deeply into that particular wound, he centered himself once more and took another glass.

The luxurious feast ended after countless courses and toasts, and with fewer arguments than had been predicted. If Han Solo were still alive, there would undoubtedly have been bets placed on who would take a swing at whom after a few too many Corellian whiskeys. Ben’s head was swimming from his nerves rather than any fine food or intoxicant.

He gently took Rey’s hand once more and led her up to their spacious suite, where even more food and drink awaited them. The main bedchamber opened onto a balcony; the moon was high and the stars shone brightly above them. He stepped outside to look at the stars, hoping to find his resolve among them.

Rey stepped out quietly next to him, putting her arm around his waist. He turned to look into her eyes, so open and honest, and thanked the Force that it was the only woman he had ever loved that he was required to marry.

“Will you come back inside?” she asked, reaching a hand up to his face, and he leaned into her touch. For just a moment, they were--could be--a happy couple enjoying their wedding night, and then Ben forced himself back to reality, and the truth with which he had to confront.

“Rey, there’s something I need to tell you,” he said, leading them back inside and pouring them a drink. If he kept his hands occupied, he didn’t have to look into Rey’s eyes once more while he maintained his false illusion.

“What’s wrong, Ben?” she asked, not waiting for him to hand her a drink, but jumping up from the settee and placing an arm around him once more.

He closed his eyes and breathed deeply, reaching out to the Force and bracing himself for her inevitable disappointment.

“I’m not an Alpha, Rey.”

She turned her head to look up at him, her brow furrowed and shock flashing across her hazel eyes.

“What do you mean?” she asked, shaking her head. “That can’t be possible. Everyone knows you’re an Alpha.”

“I’m a Beta,” he replied, turning his face down to watch himself wringing his hands in his lap, unable to stop or to look at her. “Snoke was the only one who ever knew. I’ve kept it a secret my whole life.”

He could feel Rey’s shock and concern reverberating in the Force. He looked up to the ceiling and sent a silent prayer to his grandmother’s gods for the first time since his childhood that his mother was not reaching out with the Force at that moment to feel Rey’s distress--or his own.

“I’m so sorry to disappoint you,” he managed to croak out, with his eyes closed once more. “I knew I could never be the husband or mate you wanted. You’re too good for me.”

Where just a moment before he felt shock, he now sensed resolve from Rey. “Ben. Look at me,” she demanded, and she grabbed his chin to pull his face towards hers.

Ben opened his eyes, blinking back tears. I’m as pathetic and weak as Snoke told me I was.

Rey’s brow furrowed. “No, you’re not. We’ve been through this already. You killed Snoke to save me. I don’t care about your status. I’m sure you can learn to please me just as well as an Alpha. I’ve wanted intimacy my whole life.”

She reached out her hand to him like she had that starry night on Ahch-To, and the dark night on the Supremacy. He took it, and she squeezed his hand. She brought her other up to his cheek to wipe away his tears.

“Would you like to try?” she asked, stroking his cheek.

Ben shuddered and sighed. “I’ve never been with anyone before. I’d like to try, for you. But not tonight, please. I’m not ready.” He had already bared his soul to her, and shared his deepest secret. He found he could not also bare his body to her as well. Though she had seen him bare chested, she had not seen the worst of his scars.

She nodded, and kissed his cheek. Ben found somehow, he could breathe a bit more easily.

“Let’s get some rest, then,” she said, pulling him towards their luxurious bed that would not be used for its intended purpose--that night.

…

She broke their kiss to place one on his cock, and he involuntarily jerked his hips forward, closer to where she was sitting on their bed, Ben spread out before her. Though their first kiss was tentative, Rey’s hand on his cock was anything but. Ben moaned as she stroked him, her deft hands providing exquisite pleasure.

Rey smiled wickedly, and kept her eyes on his as she took him into her mouth, causing him to moan once more.

“Rey,” he said, reaching for her. “Please, Rey, let me--” he began, and she took that opportunity to clamber on top of him, and position his weeping cock at her entrance. She sank down onto him, and they both sighed.

“You’re so big,” she said, rocking her hips. “So big and strong,” she continued, breathing heavily as he thrust in tandem with her movements.

“Oh, Rey,” he said, giving in to the sensations and the Force swirling around them. They were connected, mind, body, and soul, and it was beyond even his wildest, most desperate dreams as a teenager who was too tall and whose ears stuck out too much. “You’re wonderful, Rey.”

“Ben,” she said, reaching to grab his hands and pin them behind his head. Their breathing became faster and heavier until Ben came and Rey suddenly stopped moving, her muscles clenching around his length. She closed her eyes and remained there until her breathing slowed, then she curled up next to him, placing an arm over his chest and languidly stroking the scar on his left side from Chewbacca’s bowcaster.

“What can we try next?” she asked after a few minutes, and Ben blushed, but he knew he’d try anything for her. She said she thought he could learn to please her as well as an Alpha, and he’d be damned if he didn’t.

…

“Such a good boy,” Rey crooned, striking Ben’s backside lightly with a whip. He was kneeling on all fours on their bed, his hands bound in front of him, and a plug planted firmly in his asshole.

He moaned, and she smacked him again, then positioned herself behind him. “We’re going to take such good care of each other, aren’t we?” she asked, stroking a hand down his back.

“Yes,” he breathed. “Oh yes, Rey.”

“I’m going to fuck you, and then you’re going to fuck me,” she said, removing his butt plug and rubbing lube onto her strap-on.

He shuddered and moaned again, and Rey grabbed his hips, then entered him.

“Does that feel good?” she asked, thrusting into him.

“So good,” he replied, rocking back onto her cock. “You’re so good.”

She thrust into him a few more times, until she was ready for her own release, then put his plug back him, pushed him down onto his back, and began riding him.

…

Though he couldn’t knot her like an Alpha, Ben’s large size and eagerness to please more than made up for it in Rey’s opinion.

“You can’t come until I tell you to,” she said, and Ben nodded. His hands were bound again, and he had a ball gag in his mouth. She could see he was starting to drool a little already, so eager for her ministrations and explorations.

“Where shall I begin?” she asked, stroking a finger down his chest. She stopped just short of his cock, which twitched. She smiled and began gently stroking his cock, watching his pupils dilate with lust. She stroked her hands down his thighs next, feeling the thick muscles beneath and watching him watch her.

Her movements were slow and sensual torture.

“You’re mine,” she murmured, leaning up to place a kiss on his cheek. “All mine,” she continued, licking the drool off his chin.

She leaned back down, and grabbed the lube from their nightstand. She lubed her index finger, then circled Ben’s asshole with it. He jerked with her movements, his body and eyes indicating what his voice could not--that he was desperate for more. She inserted her finger, stroking inside, then removed it, and made a show of lubing her middle finger as well, then inserted them both, thrusting back and forth.

She made it to three fingers before Ben’s whimpering, growling, moaning noises became more urgent.

“My Ben, so good and patient,” she said as she straddled him, both of them wet. She barely needed to grind or rock on him before he came. She undid his restraints and removed his gag, then he curled up next to her on the bed and stroked her hair.

“My Rey,” he murmured, and she kissed him softly.

…

The rest of their honeymoon continued with languorous days filled with lovemaking, broken only by the droid staff bringing them meals, until their final idle day in luxury.

They were trying a particularly adventurous new position, aided by the Force, when Ben’s back suddenly creaked and cracked. The momentary lapse in concentration caused them both to fall to the floor, Rey on top of Ben, and the results landed Ben in such a way that he had to be rushed to the medcenter. Rey and Ben tried their best to remain calm, despite his pain and the panicking staff droids, though they weren’t sure how exactly they would explain to the med droids how exactly they managed to break his dick.

#reylo #rffa writers #a/b/o dynamics #sub ben solo #dom rey #beta ben solo #omega rey #fan fiction #my writing #rated e #persimonne #tumblr friends #language tw

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dracosollicitus · 6 years

Note

I loved "Damerey 35+41". Broke my heart. PLEASE, tell me that you'll write a sequence where those two make up (after Rey punches him)!.

Ahhhhh here we go! @raissapl

also tagging @melanoradrood @therebeccaw @d4m3r0n @vegan-vulcan @dragonfodder44 @roguecompanion1812 @supremequeenofthenerds and @realmandamanda (who in some way asked for part two)

Part One (Where Poe Messes Up Big Time)

Word Count: 3783 words

In the following weeks, which bled into months, Finn didn’t speak to Poe. He understood, rationally, why his friend refused to make eye contact with him, why he got up from the table when Poe sat down - it just didn’t make it hurt any less. Poe was already lying awake at night in his bunk, clutching his mother’s necklace, unable to breathe from grief, begging the Force to bring Rey back, to let him find her - Finn’s patented “Pretend Poe Dameron Doesn’t Exist” campaign wasn’t helping matters.

Rose, at least, had more sympathy. “You’re a kriffing idiot,” she’d told him ferociously the day after Rey left.

“I know,” Poe said miserably, clanging his head against the side of the X-Wing they were both stationed at. He’d almost skipped his duties today, but Beebee had adamantly zapped him until he got out of bed. He didn’t pick his head up from the durasteel hull, and a warm hand wrapped around his arm. He looked over to see Rose smiling up at him, her eyes still angry, but the anger was combined with kindness.

“Now, how are we going to bring her back?” Rose asked. Poe smiled back at her weakly, his first smile since Rey had told him she was pregnant, and let his small friend lead him over to a holo-screen where she’d already begun calculations.

Ten weeks later, and no sign of Rey - no stations they’d checked with had taken in a new member recently (”But wouldn’t they lie and tell us she wasn’t there, anyway?” Poe had pointed out. Rose had calmly answered, “If she hears you’re looking for her, she’ll contact us. Dummy.” Poe didn’t want to question the confidence in Rose’s response - half out of fear of Rose Tico, and half out of hope that it was true), no whispers of Jedi activity, and absolutely no budging by Leia Organa, the only person who did know where Rey had gone.

She found him one day, curled up in the little utility closet Rey had converted into a scavenging station, ten miserable weeks after the Jedi had left. He was trying to catch even the slightest hint of Rey - the smell of her hair, an echo of her laugh - and he was crying well before the general walked in. He wiped his face hastily and stood at attention, well aware tears were still leaking out of his eyes.

Leia sat down on a crate near the door, and rested her cane in front of her. She regarded him heavily, but Poe waited for her to speak, his eyes boring a hole into the wall in front of him. “At ease, Commander,” she sighed, and Poe relaxed slightly. She patted the crate next to her, and he tripped over himself on his way to sit. Poe wiped his face one more time, and Leia’s wrinkled hand gripped his shoulder. It was like she’d cut something loose inside him, and he sobbed, a harsh, angry sound. The older woman rested her hand in his hair and gently guided his head down to her shoulder, where he cried, brokenly, for minutes.

When his breathing had quieted down, he could feel her expectantly waiting for him to say something. Poe wiped his nose hastily and sat up. Leia raised her eyebrows at him, and he fidgeted with his hands, unsure of where to start.

“You have one question,” she said calmly. “And I’ll give you one answer, but only if it doesn’t betray her trust.”

Poe reeled for a second - the obvious question was where is she? but that wouldn’t meet the terms Leia had just given him. “Is-” he croaked, and cleared his throat quickly. “Is she okay? Is she healthy?” Is she happy went unsaid.

Leia gave him an appraising look but then nodded curtly, tapping her cane on the floor. “I talked to her two days ago. She’s healthy. They both are.” Poe wept again, his face buried in his hands. Rey was okay - their baby was okay. She hated him, but she was alive, and their her baby was okay. He could - he could live with that. He’d have to live with that.

She’d said one question, but he pushed his luck because that’s what he did. As Leia was moving to stand, he gripped her sleeve the way a child would; when she looked down, her expression wasn’t unkind. “How far along is she?” He asked breathlessly. Leia’s eyes softened, and she reached out to cup his cheek.

“Twenty-four weeks,” she answered, her hand soft and warm on his face. “And that’s enough questions, Commander.” Leia left him then in the closet that had belonged to Rey, to think about the woman he loved and his child, out in the galaxy somewhere far, far away from him.

Twenty-four weeks. The number slammed into Poe over and over again while he walked to his station later that day. He counted meticulously backward in his head - he and Rey had only made love seven times - more if you counted stolen, quiet, happy moments in his bunk that ended with her sighing his name, her nails digging into his wrist or scalp - no, don’t think about that, not if you want to be useful at all today - he counted over and over again even though he knew the second Leia had given him the number, he knew when it had been. The second to last time they’d managed to fall together completely was -

Fourteen weeks - two, short months - before Rey had left. It was right before she’d taken off on an mission, and he had caught her by the hand after dinner, whispered in her ear, led her to his bunk, and pressed her into the mattress, trying to demonstrate with his body all of the things his voice couldn’t quite say, yet, the things he was too afraid to say in the grip of a war that threatened constantly to take both of their lives, to steal the future he so desperately wanted for them.

He didn’t have to wrack his brain to know what was different about twenty four weeks ago - something almost … mystical had happened, when they both cried out at the same time. Objects in the room had levitated, a golden, soft glow emanated from both of them, and a sense of intense purpose had washed over him as he gazed down at the woman he loved. “Is that you?” he had breathed, as the galaxy slid into place, locked, around them.

“It’s us,” Rey had answered, laughing lightly and leaning up to kiss over his heart, and then along his throat. Poe had surrendered with a groan, kissing her passionately, their breath intermingling, his body refusing to leave hers, even though it’d done its job admirably already.

Twenty-four weeks ago, they’d made a child - and fourteen weeks after that, he’d ruined their chance at making a family.

He’d never forgive himself.

A week after his conversation with Leia, Poe was standing in Central Command. He’d managed to shave this morning, after Rose steadfastly refused to call him anything but “Chewbacca,” for the last two days, and even bathed - with water, not sonic. Finn had actually looked at him during breakfast, and hadn’t gotten up from the table when he sat down, which made Rose beam and kiss her boyfriend on the cheek. Hopefully one day, Finn wouldn’t have to be coerced by the love of his life into being in Poe’s vicinity, but it was a step in the right direction.

He was chatting idly with Snap about mods to the new set of X-Wings they’d managed to get from a sympathetic Core World supplier when the transmission came in.

“Distress signal,” Connix announced, her fingers already flying over her holo-pad. “Projecting now. It’s from Designation Bravo - Papa - Romeo.”

Leia paled and raised her hand to silence a gaggle of junior officers in the corner who hadn’t heard Connix. Poe straightened up and listened to the transmission, the grainy quality interspersed with the distant sound of explosions.

“This is –tenant Rels– of the Resistance. Our base is — attack. First Order —gies spotted thr—ntes ago. Attack commenced imm–tely. This is not a mil—-ase. We informe—em that we are refugees, mostly women and childr— but they proceed–to–tack. Requesting immediate back—–ay the Force be with —-” A longer, horrible sound of static filled the transmission.

Leia turned from the screen, and Poe saw she was fidgeting with the golden dice she kept in her pocket. “Gold, Black, and Red Squadrons, you will assist immediately. Your astromechs will receive the coordinates to prepare you for the jump.” Connnix moved to alert the droids, and Snap and Poe nodded; they turned to leave. “Commander Dameron, report to me first.”

Poe walked over to Leia, his heart already hammering with typical pre-battle adrenaline. He itched to get in his bird, to do some kirffing good for once, to help-

Leia was terrified, and his world narrowed down to that fact. “What is it, General?” Poe asked, his legs screaming at him to run to the hangar, now. His squadron was waiting for him.

“Base Designation Bravo - Papa - Romeo,” Leia tensed her mouth for less than a millisecond before shattering what was left of Poe Dameron’s carefully constructed control. “It’s the base Rey went to, Poe. Kylo must know where she is.” Poe staggered, and Leia grabbed his elbow. “You needed to know. When you get there and if it’s clear enough - extract her. If it’s not too-” She stopped herself, but Poe knew what she meant. If it’s not too late.

He refused to accept that it could be too late. Poe nodded before sprinting for the door, ignoring the twinge in his back that he accrued the last time he’d sprinted like this for his X-Wing, the time a plume of fire had snatched away the lives of dozens of his friends, had destroyed the Resistance’s fleet - no. Today wasn’t going to go that way.

He made it to the hangar the same time Snap did, despite his near-minute head start. “Power up those engines, Beebee,” he called to his droid. It chirped in affirmation, and he felt Black One hum to life. “Alright, Black Squadron, we gotta clear the air, and then I need to retrieve something on the ground. Cover me as much as you can when I’m down there, but what I’m getting is more important than me.” Poe flipped the sequence of switches to engage his primary ion thrusters, and his squadron called back to confirm they were ready to fly. None of them asked what he had meant - they’d followed stranger commands from him.

They shot off from the hangar, and the second they broke atmo, Poe ordered, “Punch it, Beebee!” The streak of blue in Hyperspace wrapped around them, and Poe breathed in through his nose, out through his mouth, willing himself to calm down, refusing to conceive an image in his mind of Rey, pregnant and trapped below a First Order assault - “How much longer, BB-8?” Poe called back, and his droid squawked in indignation. Soon enough, apparently.

With a lurching kick, they dropped out of Hyperspace, and his squadron appeared behind him. “Going down. Keep tight to the surface, Black Two and Three, and clear any activity near the base. Black Four and Five, keep high, knock out any on our tail.”

“Wilco, Black One,” Jess shouted. “We’ve got your back.”

Poe gripped his controls and dived down into atmo, praying to the Force to give him luck just one more time, to get him through this at least until he knew Rey was safe, to -

They reached the coordinates of the base, and all around were the scattered remains of TIE-fighters.

“Did Gold Squadron beat us here?” Kare called out uncertainly. Poe shook his head, forgetting oddly that she couldn’t see him.

“Incoming!” Snap shouted. Two TIEs screamed towards them - but they weren’t heading for them, they were heading for -

A T-65, which performed a perfect barrel roll, and shot back towards them with frightening speed, not changing course.

“They’re going to run right into them!” Snap shouted. Poe engaged his cannon and pointed it at the TIEs, but the T-65 banked a hard left and blew them out of the sky before they could do anything. The ancient X-Wing did a lap, and he could see the helmeted figure looking around, searching for any more enemies.

Seeing none, the X-Wing headed for the ground. “Does any one else feel…unnecessary?” Jess asked. Poe snorted and guided his X-Wing to follow the T-65. As he got closer, his landing gear extended, he spotted an R2 unit in the back.

That was…weird. He didn’t think they made…R2s….anymore. And it looked awfully familiar -

He disengaged the lock on his canopy and climbed out of Black One. “Stay here, BB-8,” he ordered, a command his droid promptly ignored, dropping down and rolling after him. Poe rolled his eyes, checked his blaster in case any more unfriendlies showed up, and walked towards the T-65, whose canopy was currently opening. Black Squadron touched down behind him. “Stay in your ships,” Poe ordered. “We might have more company.”

“Roger that,” Snap said. Poe kept walking until he was right in front of the other X-Wing.

“Great flying,” he complimented. “We didn’t think this was a military operation.”

The pilot muttered a curse, and Poe frowned up at them. They hadn’t taken their helmet off yet, and they weren’t moving.

“Why don’t you come down,” he suggested. “Do a debrief, and then we can make sure your people are okay.” The pilot grumbled something else before shrugging. They smacked the release on their belt and rose fluidly. The jumpsuit they wore was loose in the shoulders, obviously borrowed, but it hugged their curves. A woman, then, and she raised her hands to her helmet and lifted it, shaking her hair out.

Poe stared in shock.

“Rey?” He said, tripping forward. “Rey, what are you –”

“Oh shit,” Jess whispered into the comms. “Oh shit.”

“This is awkward,” Snap muttered.

Poe ignored them and raised his hand up to help Rey down. She swatted it away and climbed the ladder on her own, standing before him with her arms crossed in front of her chest.

“I had everything under control,” she said coldly. “No need for you all to waste your time.”

“We didn’t-” Poe couldn’t stop staring. “You-” A thousand emotions rippled through him, and he didn’t know which one to focus on.

Rey rolled her eyes and unzipped her flight suit, stepping out of it. She was wearing a soft tunic and leggings, the fabric around her abdomen revealing an undeniable bump.

“You’re so big,” Poe breathed, his hands lifting unconsciously.

“I beg your pardon?” Rey snapped.

Black Squadron groaned in unison over the comms.

“I thought the commander was supposed to be a player?” Kare snorted. “Legendary silvertongue, they said.”

“Beautiful-” Poe corrected himself hastily. “You’re so beautiful.” Rey shook her head and stormed away, and Poe stumbled after her. “Rey, wait -”

“I need to make sure everyone in the base is fine,” Rey snapped, waving her hand at him like he was a pesky insect. “Go away, Dameron, I’ll send my debrief to the general later.”

“No, Rey, please, talk to me,” Poe begged. The surface of the planet was muddy, and he lost his footing, tripped, landing on his knees. The sound got Rey to turn around, and well, he was in the best position to do this already. “Please, sweetheart, please talk to me. I made the biggest fucking mistake of my life, letting you go, please, you gotta-”

“Gotta what?” Rey snapped. “I don’t need to do anything, Dameron. You made your sentiments very clear. You want nothing to do with me, and I don’t need you to apologize about it now.” Poe gaped at her, and to his horror he saw tears in her eyes. “Just go back to central, and leave me alone.” She turned again, and he scrambled to his feet, now covered in mud.

“Baby, please,” Poe slid forward another few feet, and Rey froze, not looking at him. “I missed you, every fucking second of every kriffing day you were gone. You left before I could get to you, I - I misunderstood, sweetheart. I thought - I thought-”

“You thought I’d cheated on you with the Supreme Leader, and that he’d knocked me up?” Rey pivoted while she said this, her voice pitching upwards into a scream by the end.

“Ohhhhhh shit,” Jess muttered. “Oh fuck, Commander, what did you do?”

“That’s enough,” Poe barked. Rey stiffened in anger, and he held his hands out. “No, no, no, not you, sweetheart, please -” Rey made to turn around again, and Poe lurched forward, hands raised in supplication. He fell to his knees again - what the fuck is wrong with this planet? why doesn’t anyone else seem to be tripping? - and clasped his hands together beggingly. “I - I don’t think that anymore - “

“Oh, how generous of you,” Rey sneered, her hand covering her stomach protectively. Poe swallowed, tried not to stare at it, at the life she was growing inside of her. “How absolutely forgiving of you.”

“I fucked up,” Poe said, dragging muddy hands through his hair, tearing at his roots. “Please, Rey - I - I shouldn’t have let you go, but I thought it’s what you wanted, thought you didn’t want me around, especially not if you were-”

“Pregnant with a Sith Lord’s Force-Baby?” Rey scoffed.

“I didn’t care about that,” Poe said, his breath catching. Rey stared down at him, her hazel eyes angry and hurt, and he dropped his head, unable to look at her anymore, his shoulders sagging. “I didn’t - I wouldn’t care if it were true, Rey, and I wouldn’t care if you had slept with him. I was always so shocked that you’d settled for me at all, that you’d given any time at all to me. It was your body, and your life, and I had no right to dictate any of it, and I just wanted to support you.”

“You pushed me away,” Rey said, her voice breaking. Poe looked up, and saw that she was crying to match his own tears. “You - you made me think you didn’t trust me, that you didn’t care about me.”

“That’s just not true,” Poe insisted. “Kriff, Rey, I care about you more than anything else in the galaxy. You and - and our little - your -” He sagged again. “I love you both so much, Rey, and I need you to know that, I can’t have you living your life thinking that I didn’t- that I wouldn’t - I love you, and I loved you before we made that baby, and I loved you for all the days in between, and I loved you when I thought it wasn’t my baby - I love you, and…and I’m sorry that I fucked this all up, and I…” he trailed off, his throat closing from the knowledge that this was probably the last time he’d ever see her again.

“Does anyone have bang-corn?” Snap whispered. Four voices hissed at him to shut the kriff up.

“Stand up,” Rey said. Poe nodded miserably and complied, his feet slipping a little more. He had no idea what he looked like - probably frightful, mud-splattered from head to toe, wild eyed, panting - and Rey stared at him with an unfathomable expression in her eyes.

“I’ll go now,” he said softly, tears burning at the back of his throat. “I’ll go, and I’ll leave you alone. Just - I’m sorry, and I love you, and could you please tell him or her that I love them too?”

Poe began to turn, but Rey grabbed his arm. “If you walk away from me right now, every horrible thing I’ve thought about you for the last fifty-seven days, twelve hours, and six minutes will have been true.”

Poe faced her, disbelief blooming in his stomach. Rey lifted her eyebrows at him, her hand on her hip. “Well?” She demanded. “Were they true? Or are you the man I thought you were before you let me go? Because you’re going to have to stick around and convince me of that, now. If you’re up for it.” Her eyes flashed in defiance, but also in hurt and insecurity and fear, and all the awful things that were his fault.

“Wild rancors couldn’t drag me away,” Poe said, eyes wide as he took her in, this perfect, beautiful woman who was offering him - maybe not a second chance, but a way to earn a second chance. “Maker, Rey -”

“C’mere, flyboy.” Rey held her arms out, and Poe staggered forward into them, holding her tightly, marveling at the way her stomach pressed against his, the evidence of how much he loved her -

Black Squadron cheered loudly into the comms, wolf-whistling and hollering. Poe flicked them off behind his back before pulling Rey closer to him, one of his hands drifting to hover over her stomach. She nodded in consent, and Poe stroked his thumb over the side of her belly, and he laughed shakily.

“Thank you,” he murmured into her hair. He kissed the side of her head and wrapped her up even more tightly in his arms. “Thank you, Sunshine.”

“Don’t ever let me go again,” Rey threatened. “Or I will kick your ass to the Hosnian system.”

“Deal,” Poe laughed again, burying his face in her shoulder.

Suddenly, a thought dawned on him, and his spine stiffened.

“Rey,” he growled, straightening up. She quirked her brow at him. “Rey - what the fuck were you doing flying like that? You could have died!”

“Oh, that’s rich!” Rey shouted back. “You don’t get to skip out on my life for months and then swoop back in and tell me how I should be-”

They argued back and forth for another ten minutes, Black Squadron ooh-ing and aah-ing like it was a Limmie match, before they settled the fight as a draw.

(Okay. Rey won.)

#damerey #jedipilot #poe dameron x rey #poe dameron human disaster #angst #sequel #prompt #happy ending

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