#Can you tell I just found out that Kanan was his sister

[detectivesparrow]

Mine

Cho Gonou x Reader, Cho Hakkai x Reader

Dark!Hakkai, this before he "dies" and becomes Hakkai, older sister!reader, although they are not related it's like a relationship formed from the orphanage but reader is like his older sister, older!reader, implied to be Kanan's age, faux incest, fauxcest, mentions of blood, smut, p in v, fem!reader, babytrapping, reader is female and has a womb and wears a dress

Younger Brother! Gonou who when he first came to orphange, was cold and unsmiling. Who pushed everyone away and not wanting anything to do with the church. Who rejects God and everyone around him.

Younger Brother! Gonou who follows you around the orphanage once he hears you defend him, allowing him his space. Who sees you in a new light, vowing to himself to stay by your side.

Younger Brother! Gonou who calls you "Big sister" despite no relation. Who insists on calling you that so you just agreed. He was like a younger brother anyway.

Younger Brother! Gonou who gives you flowers he finds in the field, never straying from your side. Who spends his time with you, not wanting to play with the other children.

Younger Brother! Gonou who knows his feelings is more than platonic. Who knows that you would push him away if he voiced his feelings. Who knows that morally it's wrong. He tries to push them down, suffocating them in his heart.

Younger Brother! Gonou who meets Kanan and starts to drift away. Who becomes a school teacher in the village and continues to live on despite the village's animosity towards their relationship. Who tells you about his lover but you don't remark on their surprisingly similar resemblance. Both with brown hair and those striking green eyes. He tells you about their relationship and gauges your reaction.

Younger Brother! Gonou who visits you here and there after moving out. He never fails to bring flowers and food as housewarming gifts.

Younger Brother! Gonou who tries to convince you to stay after learning of your plans to travel. He bargains for you to stay for at least a couple more weeks, to spend time with him before you go.

Younger Brother! Gonou who one day shows up at your door all covered in blood, on the day you are packed to leave. He doesn't answer you as you ask him if he's alright or move when you check him for wounds.

Younger Brother! Gonou who tells you about Kanan's death. His eyes furrowed in anger but with a glimpse of something darker, something buried deep.

Younger Brother! Gonou who reaches out and embraces you, tucking his head into your neck, intaking your scent.

Younger Brother! Gonou who finally lifts his head from his position, looking at you in the eyes. His sharp green eyes piercing your gaze as if contemplating, before capturing your lips.

Younger Brother! Gonou who holds you tight, despite your struggles. Who keeps on going, moving his lips against yours. Who smells of blood and tastes of iron.

Younger Brother! Gonou who swipes his tongue over your lips, as if telling you to let him in. Who presses harder until you are forced to comply, sliding his tongue in quickly. Mapping out your cavern, feeling every crevasse, taking his time to savor your taste.

Younger Brother! Gonou who finally releases for air, pressing his forehead against yours. He whispers on your lips, "Oh, I've been waiting for this for a while, now."

Younger Brother! Gonou who lifts you up and heads up to your bedroom, gently placing you on the bed. He sheds his bloody shirt, leaving it on the floor.

Younger Brother! Gonou who now shirtless, cages you in between his arms. He takes your lips once more while his hands roam your body, feeling you up and down, taking in your curves. His hands trailing down your dress, eventually finding the hem before pulling it up over your head.

Younger Brother! Gonou who doesn't seem to be fazed by your struggles. Who leans back to intake in your appearance. You take a glance at his expression. He looks crazed and like a dog in heat, he pounces on you.

Younger Brother! Gonou who unclasps your bra and moves his hand quickly to cup your breasts, finding and playing with your nipples. Mesmerized, he leans in, breath ghosting on your bosom. Nuzzling your chest before latching onto one of them, sucking and pulling as if he was a baby.

Younger Brother! Gonou who doesn't move as you gasp and moan, pulling his hair. Who remains latched and plays with your neglected nipple, making sure to pinch and roll it between his fingers, making sure to switch sides.

Younger Brother! Gonou who releases with a pop, whispering, "Oh, these will fill nicely." Who's eyes dart upwards, taking in your expression, "I can't wait for us to be a real family, my dear sister."

Younger Brother! Gonou who fondles your breasts one last time before trailing a hand down the curve of your waist and over your hips, before tearing your underwear away and seeing your slick stick to the thin fabric.

Younger Brother! Gonou who sees how wet you are. Who mockingly huffs, "Oh, is this all for me, pretty girl?" Who teasingly runs his finger along your slit. He gathers a small bit of slick, rubbing it between his digits, before he inserts a finger into you, sinking into your walls, testing."

Younger Brother! Gonou who feels your walls clenching his finger, muttering "tight" before adding another, slowly stretching you out.

Younger Brother! Gonou whose piercing green eyes dart up to yours when you ask him why he is doing this to you. "Why, you ask? My dear Kanan killed herself because of those damn demons. Leaving me behind. Alone. You are all I have left in this world."

Younger Brother! Gonou who before you could respond, suddenly inserts a third finger, spreading them out inside, playing with your walls. He carefully pumps them, prepping your folds. Mesmerized, his eyes stay glued to the sight of your walls sucking his fingers in so strongly.

Younger Brother! Gonou who leans in and whispers in your ear, "Anyway, I'll give you a reason to stay with me, to remain by my side, no matter what. No one will leave me again."

Younger Brother! Gonou who retracts his fingers, giving you a false sense of hope. Maybe he has finally stopped. He leans back, giving you space. No longer feeling his presence looming over you, you naively close your eyes. Only the sound of your breaths can be heard before the sound of a zipper bounces off the walls.

Younger Brother! Gonou who grasps the base of his erection, standing tall as you snap your eyes open, looking at him. It's big. He leans over you once more, gently pushing you onto your back and nudging his member to your slit. He rubs against it, feeling your slick on his tip before pushing inside with a groan.

At the sudden intrusion, you grasp his shoulders, letting out a soft cry. Giving you time to adjust, he slowly inserts himself. He waits a few moments before shallowly thrusting a few times.

He lets out a low groan at the way your walls clench around his member. He throws his head back at the feeling. "My dear older sister, you shall never leave my side," he grunts before raming inside.

As he ruts hopelessly against you, his hands grip your waist, bruising your hips. His lips pull you in for a kiss. Mouths clashing with one another, at a fast pace. He sucks your tongue before he releases you with a breath. He takes a hand and rubs it against your clit.

"Come on, cum with me," he pleads. His thrusts become more erratic.

As he continues his assault on your clit, he takes your breast into his mouth, sucking and playing with your nipples. He pulls and teases your nipples, making sure to mark up your chest. Soon, the sensations become too much and your body convulses. You let out a cry.

Feeling your walls clench tightly against him, he plunges deep inside, releasing inside you. The hot ropes of cum filling your womb. He gently places a hand on your stomach, as if feeling his release inside. Exhausted, he lies on top of you, not pulling out. Holding you firmly in place as his cock softens inside, plugging you up with his cum.

He nuzzles your neck before whispering, "You will always be mine, sister. You will not leave me as Kanan did," as he wraps his arm around you.

Worn out, you close your eyes, trying to gain some sleep. However, when you do, you feel something inside hardening. He presses his hand down, feeling his member through your stomach.

Younger Brother! Gonou who pulls you in closer, thrusting in shallowly, whispering "Oh? You didn't think I was done, did you? We are going to be a real family, my dear."

[archivistofnerddom]

Hilarious Rebels/Bad Batch crossover idea:

Everyone is chilling on Yavin 4 in a rare moment of peace. They’re enjoying this little respite to rest and recover. The Spectres is enjoying their time together, especially since they were able to get Rex and Kallus outside to enjoy some fresh air around the Ghost.

And then a heavily-modified Omicron class shuttle from the late Republic and early Empire era comes in for a hasty landing. It’s an . . . unusual approach to say the least, complete with a specific turn and a touch-down that few pilots would dare to attempt.

Everyone, especially the Spectres, are interested in what this means.

Hera remembers this ship and what its occupants did to help Ryloth during the early Imperial period. Kanan gets leery, by contrast, since he remembers Kaller.

And Rex just laughs, gets up, and casually strolls over to the shuttle.

When the shuttle opens, a blonde woman emerges from inside like a bat out of hell, rushing over to hug Rex. He is equally as excited to see her, retuning that big hug with equal enthusiasm. The spectators can hear the gonking of a GNK droid echoing from inside.

The woman is wearing an amalgamation of several different clone trooper armor pieces with some unique adaptations. Zeb is the first to comment on the massive knife attached to her thigh and the smaller one sheathed on her forearm. Kallus responds with an observation about the Zygerrian bow she’s carrying. (Using that weapon takes practice and skill.) Ezra is intrigued by the unique design of the helmet she’s carrying, especially with the skull motif on it.

Before anyone can ask who this woman is or how she found the Rebellion, Rex asks, “So, why do you need a cover story when your brothers call me in a huff?”

The woman grins and pulls out a ratty old red bandana from a pouch on her hip. (She’s got more pouches than seem necessary on her person, but she seems to know what is where.) That makes Rex howl with laughter.

“It was either this or Echo’s legs . . . and I already stole those as a prank three times,” the woman replies. “This was harder to steal honestly, but it was completely worth it!”

“This is why you’re my favorite sister, ‘Megs. I haven’t seen Hunter without that thing on in . . . maybe since Bracca actually. You know he’s going to call me to see if I know where you are, right?” Rex tells her.

Neither seem to notice the audience growing around them. With that landing and the age of the shuttle, how could there not be an audience? If they do notice their audience, they clearly don’t care. Their reunion is more important to them to worry about that.

The woman gives Rex a sly smirk. “Of course, he will. And you get to witness first hand the annoyance of Hunter with a terrible haircut. Cross pulled out the clippers again while Hunter was napping.”

That seems to make Rex’s day.

“Don’t tell me what new haircut he got. I want to be surprised.” Rex finally deigns to notice the group watching him. The Ghost crew especially seem fascinated by who this woman is. He slings an around her shoulder and asks, “Why is everyone so interested in my sister all of a sudden? You haven’t seem siblings reunite before?”

“We didn’t know you have a sister,” Sabine asks carefully. (She’s fascinated by the modifications to the shuttle. There’s no way it should be in as good condition as it is at its age.)

The woman shakes her head. “Hera did. She’s met our brothers and my squad before.”

Hera grins and laughs. “I have. It’s great to see you again, Omega. How are your brothers, by the way.”

“Oh fantastic. I’ll tell you about what they’re up to over dinner, if that’s okay with you. Rex should be getting a very annoyed call any time now from Pabu. Hunter will have looked in the mirror by now. I promised Tech and Wrecker I’d record Rex’s reaction,” the newly-named Omega says.

And that’s when Kanan finally finds his words.

“How the kriff are Rex and Clone Force 99 your brothers? They’re clones - male clones,” he asks, a myriad of emotions in his voice.

Omega sighs. This isn’t the first time that she’s had this conversation.

“Well, let’s just say some of us are little . . . deviant from the standard mold,” she replies. “Though, we prefer to be called the Bad Batch.”

[kanerallels]

For the three sentence (or paragraph) fic challenge: Kanera but the AU is Hera was the jedi, not Kanan.

This, uh. This got longer than I expected, so it's going under a cut!

He’d thought the Jedi were gone, all killed when he was a teenager. He’d seen the wanted posters for the survivors, the warnings that they couldn’t be trusted, the propaganda— not that he’d ever really believed it.

And he’d watched them all dwindle, until there was no one left. It was just the Empire, ruling over them all.

But then, Kanan had come to Gorse. And he’d met the most incredible woman in the galaxy— beautiful, smart, an amazing pilot, and brave.

Finding out that Hera Syndulla was a Jedi wasn’t really a shock. He was certainly surprised, but it made so much more sense— the way she’d managed to pull off some of the tricks, flying and otherwise, that she had. The way she’d stared at him when he’d offered to help her, like she could see through him, before accepting his help. The fact that she was still traveling alone.

Even now, after dropping off  Zaluna, she was getting ready to politely but firmly send him on his way. He could tell. Kanan still couldn’t tell why exactly she’d let him help in the first place, but he knew she was usually a solo act in her fight.

As they made it to the hangar where her ship was waiting behind closed doors, Hera turned to him, her expression more hesitant than he’d expected.

“Wait,” he blurted out, and she lifted a curious eyebrow at him.

Kanan could have said anything. He could have told her that, ever since he first met her in that alleyway, he’d known he would never meet someone who called to him like she did. He could say that when she’d saved his life on the Star Destroyer, she’d practically glowed. She’d looked at home in the pilot’s seat, and using the Force, she looked like she had a purpose.

He could have told her that, when he was very young, his parents had died, killed by the Black Sun when they tried to fight back against them. He and his younger sister had changed their names and fled, living in fear for years. The Black Sun had never come after them, but it had been a long time before they’d felt at ease again.

He could have told her that the Jedi had saved his planet as a kid, or that he’d never liked the Empire, especially once his sister Devorah had enlisted when she turned 18, or that he’d never been one for a cause until now.

But all he found himself saying was, “You don’t have to do this alone.”

Hera’s eyes widened in surprise for just a moment before she frowned. “And what makes you think I need help?” she asked, but Kanan could tell she was mostly teasing, with a hint of curiosity.

“Don’t get me wrong, you’re incredibly good at what you do,” Kanan told her, deciding honesty was the best policy. “I almost believe you could do it all on your own. But that’s the thing— none of us can. We all need someone to watch our backs and take care of us. To help pick us back up.”

“And you want to be that someone?” Hera asked. “You know, it’s not exactly a sought after position. Not with— with who I am.”

He didn’t miss the slight hitch in her voice, the loneliness. Kanan understood it. “I do. For you, at least. And I’m willing to take the risk if you’re willing to have me around for a little while longer.”

Hera nodded slowly, her expression thoughtful. Kanan could tell she was considering it, but not what she would choose. “It won’t be safe,” she said quietly. “I’m not safe to be around, not really.”

Lifting an eyebrow, Kanan said, “Considering the last few days, do you really think safety is my biggest priority?” Not my own, anyways.

That made her laugh, which had been his goal. “Okay,” she agreed. “But if things go wrong, I have the right to throw you out.”

“Absolutely. It’s your ship, after all, Captain.” But Kanan had a feeling things wouldn’t go wrong. He had a feeling he would stay with Hera for as long as he possibly could.

Call it a good guess, or fate, or maybe even the Force. Who knew? All Kanan was really sure of was that he wasn’t planning to leave Hera. Not if he could help it.

[cross-d-a]

Morai appeared in the Clone Wars season finale and I’ve realized that she symbolizes Anakin’s connection to Ahsoka

As we’re all reeling from the Clone Wars finale, I’m struck by the lingering image of a convor circling above Vader as he holds Ahsoka’s lightsaber. Since the convor is so strongly linked with Ahsoka I can only guess that it’s actually Morai and that this is where she begins to guide Ahsoka personally.

I’m sure we’ve all read meta about Morai’s symbolism as the Light Side of the Force, more specifically the Daughter from the Mortis Arc (especially since they share the same colour scheme). After Anakin helps the Daughter transfer her lifeforce to Ahsoka, the convorees begin to appear whenever Ahsoka is being tested. Filoni has even said:

"In some ways, I could say that it's a messenger, it's an observer. It is definitely something. And... I would rather have fans debate—but I would suggest... that whatever that thing is an avatar of has actually appeared in the animated Star Wars universe before. So decrypt from there."

This symbolism continues throughout Rebels where Ahsoka calls Morai by name, actually acquainted with the bird. Morai even leads Kanan to the Bendu when he was in need of guidance.

Ahsoka is intrinsically tied to the convor and through it, the Light Side of the Force. This lingering scene at the end of Victory and Death is absolutely so important, helping tie in the episode, and Vader as we see him, to the rest of the Star Wars universe.

Vader finds the 501st ship at last. We don’t know how long it’s been, how can we? All we know is that snow has covered the ruins and the carefully dug graves. We don’t even know if the troopers with him are clones or normal men. Silent and alone, Vader steps into the ruins. Eventually he stops and observes the wreckage, only to notice a glint in the snow. He bends his knee and reaches down. Almost gently, he brushes the snow away and discovers:

Ahsoka’s lightsaber.

He cradles it in his hand, brushing the snow away again with the other. Then, inexplicably, he flicks it on and we see Vader wielding a blue lightsaber for the very last time onscreen. Who knows why he turned it on. Maybe he couldn’t quite believe it was Ahsoka’s and that she’d lost it once more. Maybe he was testing to see if it still worked or if the colour was still that brilliant blue he tweaked it into.

Maybe it was one last goodbye.

But his gaze follows the point of her ‘sabre and when he reaches the end he sees Morai, soaring high above. He watches her for a long moment and this is when we see his eyes. Darth Vader’s eyes.

Anakin’s.

It doesn’t matter whether they’re blue or a sick-sulfur gold. All that matters is that we see them. We’ve never seen Vader’s eyes through his mask. In this one little moment, in Ahsoka’s lingering presence, we see Anakin Skywalker again.

It’s a clear parallel to Twilight of the Apprentice when Ahsoka destroys the side of his mask with her ‘sabre and Anakin leaks through.

Vader leaves and takes the ‘sabre with him.

It’s so, so obviously clear that he still loves Ahsoka in this moment. That Ahsoka still brings out the good in him. That this is, awfully, their final goodbye as they knew each other.

We always read about how Ahsoka and the convor are linked and how it’s really Ahsoka and the Light Side of the Force that’s linked. But I don’t think we’ve ever really seen anything about how Anakin is linked to the convor and Ahsoka.

The thing is, I think the convor also represents the link between Anakin and Ahsoka.

During the Mortis Arc, Ahsoka essentially dies. The Son kills her, inadvertently mortally wounding his own sister in the process. As the Father grieves, Anakin rushes over to Ahsoka and pleads with the Father.

“You must help her!” Anakin says.

But the Father only replies: “I cannot undo what is done. There is no hope.”

Despite dealing with his own trauma and insecurity and then, of course, eventually Falling to the Dark Side, Anakin has always been a hopeful person. We see this from the very first time we see him: a bright and cheerful slave who only wants to help others.

So of course Anakin pleads again: “Yes, there is. There’s always hope!”

Through his hope and conviction, Anakin convinces the Father to help, and so Anakin becomes the conduit through which the Daughter’s lifeforce is transferred to Ahsoka. As this happens, the main Star Wars theme rises.

This is so incredibly essential to the Star Wars universe, which has always, always been about hope.

Obi-Wan and Bail sequestered the twins away because of hope. The Rebellion rose and thrived and eventually won because of hope.

Luke saved his father because of hope.

Every single goddamn movie is about hope and the perseverance it takes to continue on, one step at a time, no matter how hard it gets.

The Star Wars movies have also always been about Anakin Skywalker. He’s the overarching shadow and the brilliant light in every single one, whether he’s actually in it or not. It’s called the Skywalker Saga for a reason. The only reason Star Wars exists is because of him. He is both villain and hero. He leaves behind a legacy that we can’t shake.

Luke saved his father, but only because Anakin had that little bit of light left in him. That little bit of lingering hope.

And we see it in the finale, in those few moments where Anakin holds Ahsoka’s lightsaber and she points him towards the Light, towards Morai. And we see him for who he is, who he was, and who he will become.

Anakin Skywalker has always been about hope, and because of that Ahsoka survives Mortis. Because of him, she survives everything that killed all the prequel Jedi. She survives the entire original trilogy.

Right after the Mortis Arc, Ahsoka gets kidnapped. It’s the first time she’s ever really been alone and forced to fight to survive. But she manages it, despite the other Padawans on the island giving up or succumbing to their fate. Again, out of everyone, Ahsoka survives. This is also the first time we see the convorees.

During this arc, Anakin is left alone, as well. Fearful and lost, he worries for Ahsoka, but Plo, the Master who found Ahsoka in the first place, guides him.

“What is Ahsoka’s strength?” Plo asks him.

“She is fearless,” Anakin replies.

“That can also be a weakness. Is she a worthy apprentice?”

“No one has her kind of determination.”

“Except you.”

“I’ll find her.”

“This may not be within your power.”

“Whatever you’re trying to say Master Plo, just say it!”

“I am suggesting that perhaps if you have trained her well, she’ll take care of herself and find a way back to you.”

This, again, is so, so important. “Except you,” Plo says. No one has Ahsoka’s determination except for Anakin. No one has her hope except for him. Ahsoka was already a wonderful, resilient person, but Anakin brought it out in her. He taught her, guided her, and now those lessons must guide her as she faces the world alone. This is only reiterated when Anakin and Ahsoka reunite.

“Ahsoka, I am so sorry,” Anakin tells her, clearly very upset.

“For what?”

“For letting you go, for letting you get taken. It was my fault.”

“No, Master, it wasn’t your fault.”

“I should’ve paid more attention. I should’ve tried harder. I…”

“You already did everything you could, everything you had to do. When I was out there, alone, all I had was your training and the lessons you taught me. And because of you, I did survive. And not only that, I was able to lead others to survive as well.”

This is, of course, a recurring theme throughout the Clone Wars and Rebels. Ahsoka perseveres and survives. She saves and guides people in kind. Ahsoka will always be Anakin’s Padawan, his legacy. She embodies all his best qualities, including, of course, his ever-lingering hope.

And that is one of the reasons why Ahsoka is so important: Anakin’s goodness lives on within her. Of course she is her own person, I wouldn’t love her as much as I do if she wasn’t, but being Anakin Skywalker’s Padawan shaped her into the woman we know today.

“You never would have made it as Obi-Wan’s Padawan,” Anakin told her in that very first movie so many years ago. “But you might make it as mine.”

That has never been more true.

If Ahsoka had been Obi-Wan’s Padawan, she’d be dead along with the rest of the Order. If she’d been Obi-Wan’s Padawan, yes she’d be skilled, and yes she would have learned to persevere throughout hardship— But there’s a certain passion for life and hope in Anakin that Obi-Wan simply doesn’t possess.

Ahsoka inherited that from him.

So now we circle back to the convor.

In various cultures owls represent death and wisdom. Filoni has even confirmed that in the Star Wars universe, it is the same. This isn't surprising when Anakin and Ahsoka are constantly facing off death and rising above it, becoming wiser because of it. And, horribly, I'm reminded that this finale is the death of them. They cannot be who they once were, and they cannot be to each other who they once were.

But owls can also represent luck and good fortune.

“Master Kenobi always said there’s no such thing as luck.”

“Good thing I taught you otherwise.”

All throughout her life, Anakin’s lessons and influence guide her, and after the Mortis Arc in moments of great struggle: a convor appears.

What I’m trying to say, I suppose, is that the convor not only symbolizes the Light Side of the Force. It also symbolizes Anakin Skywalker.

And maybe that’s because Anakin Skywalker does embody the Light Side of the Force. Despite everything he goes through and everything he does, Anakin Skywalker clutches onto that bit of hope and comes back to the Light. He brings Balance to the Force.

The convor lingers above Anakin at the end of the Clone Wars after Ahsoka has survived despite the odds. It appears again after their duel in Twilight of the Apprentice. Morai watches Anakin limp out of the Temple, and then returns to Ahsoka after guiding her back from the World Between Worlds.

After guiding her back to Anakin.

“I am suggesting that perhaps if you have trained her well, she’ll take care of herself and find a way back to you,” Plo told Anakin that first time Ahsoka was lost. And he’s right. Ahsoka does find her way back. Again and again and again.

She loves him. He’s her brother and he taught her everything he knew, and she survives because of it. Ahsoka won’t ever let that bit of Anakin go. She won’t ever lose sight of the good in him, or in anyone else.

“I won’t leave you,” she promises him. “Not this time.”

It’s more a promise of hope than anything else. A declaration of loyalty and determination and love. She still believes in him, and she wants, no needs him to know that.

So yes, we talk a lot about how the Daughter and Ahsoka are connected through the convor, but we never talk about how Anakin was that conduit in the first place. The Light and life flowed through him into Ahsoka and so she survived.

As she continues to.

And maybe the ending of the Clone Wars was unbearably heartbreaking. And maybe it’s still making me cry as I write this, but we know how this story ends, and we’re reminded when Anakin, not Vader, looks up into the sky, Ahsoka’s lightsaber in hand and watches Morai circle above.

Star Wars is about hope. It always has been. Despite everything they’ve gone through, there is hope for Anakin Skywalker. And there is hope for Ahsoka Tano, too.

[stellarstarwarsimagines]

75 and 94 with Sith Anakin :)

Thank you so much for requesting this because this has to be one of my favorite Anakin stories I’ve ever written. It’s super sad, but I still hope you enjoy! :D

This was not how you wanted today to go. It wasn’t supposed to be a difficult mission. Get the supplies, and get out. Was it a dangerous place? Of course, but everything was these days with the Empire marking their territory wherever they went. But never in your wildest dreams had you expected there to be Inquisitors hiding there, and never had you expected to have to deal with two. As good of a Jedi as Ezra was becoming, he wasn’t able to take on one by himself yet, and you had done the best you could to make sure he was out of harm’s way before surrendering. 

You knew Kanan would kill you for it if you ever saw him again, but you cared more about Ezra staying alive than getting killed yourself. 

They had stripped you of your lightsaber and cuffed you, leading you to a star cruiser that they mentioned belonged to Lord Vader. They seemed to enjoy talking about what he was going to do to you, and how they hoped they would get to watch.  

Having heard of Lord Vader, the atrocities he had done, the only thing you could do was hope that you could find a way to annoy him enough to make your death as quick and as painless as possible. After all, you didn’t fear death anymore. 

Not when it would bring you back to the love of your life. 

You showed no resistance as you were shoved into an interrogation chair and strapped in, all fight drained out of your body. What was the point? Unless the Ghost Crew could pull off another miracle, you were about to die. You just had to make sure you didn’t give up any Rebellion secrets while you were doing so. 

Eventually the two Inquisitors left you with your thoughts, and you took this moment to close your eyes in meditation, saying a final goodbye to those you loved. Obi-Wan, your oldest friend who had saved your life more times than you could count, Ahsoka, the girl you had watched become a warrior with the kindest heart you knew, Rex and Rutt, the two clones who had laid down their lives for you. Then there was the newest, but some of the most important members of your family. Hera, the sister you never knew you needed, Zeb who always could make you smile no matter what the situation, Sabine, the selfless and talented woman who always put others first, Ezra, the young and incredible Jedi you had been helping to train, and then there was Kanan. Sweet, amazing, Kanan who had done more for you in the past few years than you could remember. 

A tear dripped down your face as you could almost feel the man through the Force, a flicker of anxiety and turmoil from miles and miles away. You knew he wouldn’t want you to give up, you knew he would try to save you, but if it was time . . . It was time. 

Your only regret was knowing that you were leaving behind the most important -

You heard him before you saw him, his boots were heavy on the shining black floor. The darkness surrounding the man in the Force was suffocating, and you dropped your head, trying not to drown in it. “A Jedi, surrendering . . . I never would have expected it.” Was all he said from behind you, the voice diluted with a modulator from the mask you knew he wore. 

“What did you expect? Me to let you kill my friend? I suppose that’s what the Empire would do.” You responded, your voice shakier than you would have liked. 

He chose to ignore your words, his footsteps pacing back and forth behind you, allowing you just a glimpse of black and the silver flash of your lightsaber in his hands. “Where did you get this lightsaber?” Vader asked. 

Was that the question that he wanted to open with? You would have assumed there would have been some threatening, the usual, tell me what you know about the rebellion, where is the secret base, blah, blah, blah. Not where you got your lightsaber. After all, that answer was so obvious you didn’t feel the need to respond. 

“Do I need to repeat my question?” Vader asked once more, his voice calm, and didn’t even give you a chance to respond to him. You felt a pressure around your throat, growing stronger with every passing moment until you couldn’t get any air into your lungs. You started coughing, your hands trying to fly to your throat, but unable to strapped down at your sides. Tears of panic formed in your eyes as you struggled against an unforeseen force, but then as quickly as it had arrived, it was gone, leaving you gasping for air. “Where did you get this lightsaber?” 

You were scared. You hated to admit it, you knew that Jedi weren’t supposed to feel it, but you were. The darkness Vader seemed to emit almost smothered you in your entirety. You had never felt someone so dark, and your fear, as it always had when it reared its ugly head, made you lash out. “Where do you think I got it? A market? I made it! Went to Ilum, found a crystal, constructed it myself -” You choked out before he interrupted you. 

“You’re lying!” The sudden burst of emotion in his voice shocked you. From what you had heard about Vader he was always calm, precise, even when he was in the midst of torturing someone. “I know the woman who made this, and she is dead!” 

“Oh, so I’m dead? Good to know. It’ll save us a lot of trouble here then won’t -”

You felt a hand grip your hair, tugging it up sharply until you were face to face with the mask Vader hid behind, and in that moment . . . something changed. 

The dark, terrifying, intimidating, Darth Vader gasped out your name in a low, weak voice and collapsed to his knees in front of you. 

This version of Vader frightened you even more than the one you had seen earlier. “W-what are you doing?” 

He didn’t answer you. For several moments, he stared at you through those black lenses, and you wondered how he could even see you through them. You knew he was though. You could feel his gaze piercing your skin like a glacier, sending chills all the way from the top of your head to the tips of your toes. You didn’t want to look at him any longer, hating the way it made you feel, and that was when his head dropped. You watched him with confused eyes as his gloved hands went to his helmet and began to lift it off, something you knew he never did, to reveal a head of dirty blonde waves, the ends of them brushing the shoulders of his dark robes. 

Then, he lifted his head, and you were met with achingly familiar eyes, even with their change of color. 

That was when the fragile pieces of your life came crashing down around you. For several years now, all you had ever been sure of, was that Anakin Skywalker was dead. Your Force connection with him had been so strong. It was the only explanation for it blinking out of existence the way it had, ripping what felt like a part of your soul along with it. Obi-Wan had told you that he was dead. That the Emperor had killed him. 

Yet here he sat, on his knees in front of you, looking as fragile and distraught as you felt. You had stared into that handsome face too many times to confuse it with anyone else. You knew every single inch of that man, he had been seared into your memory, and there was no doubt in your mind that despite everything you believed, it was Anakin in front of you. 

“The Emperor . . . he told me that you were dead. That Obi-Wan had killed you.” His gloved hand went to your cheek, touching you as if you were made of glass. “If I had known . . .” 

His touch, something that you had longed for, dreamed of for so long, tore you apart. It couldn’t be real. It couldn’t be happening no matter what you were seeing. Was Vader putting these thoughts in your head somehow? There were three people in the whole universe who knew how deep and strong you and Anakin’s love had been. How could he have found out something so personal to torture you with? Because that’s what this was, the deepest torture you had ever had to endure, and you knew, if Vader kept this vision going he could get whatever he wanted from you. As long as he let you stay here with Anakin. Tears started filling your eyes once more as you looked at him, his face even more vibrant than it was in your memories. “I wish this was real,” you whimpered, your fingers itching to touch him, but unable to in your secured state. Instead you leaned into his touch, nuzzling against his gloved palm. “All I’ve ever wanted was to see you once last time.” 

Then something incredible happened. Anakin reached out, and undid your restraints, catching you in his arms as you collapsed. “This is real! I am real!” He said, squeezing you so tight in his arms he could have broken your ribs, but you didn’t care because it felt so good. You were right back where you belonged, safe, comfortable and free in Anakin’s arms. 

Free . . . 

He had let you out of your straps. Vader never would have let that happen, even in a vision. It would be too dangerous. Your eyes shifted to the helmet that lay at Anakin’s side, and your world collapsed once more. “No . . .” You murmured, shaking your head. “Please no, no, no,” you murmured the word over and over again, tears dripping down your face in a stream as your hand reached for the helmet, holding the cold metal in your hand. You pulled back enough to look into those eyes, those red and orange eyes that now seemed so different. “Anakin, please tell me you’re not Vader. Tell me you’re not the one -”

“It doesn’t matter,” His hands cupped your cheeks, forcing you to look at him. “It doesn’t matter, don’t you see? You’re alive, and now we can put everything behind us! We can do what we always dreamed of doing -”

There was so much desperation in his voice you felt your heart shattering again. It was too much, trying to reconcile the man you grew up with, the man you loved, with all the things that you knew Vader had done. “You’ve killed so many . . . Killed Jedi . . . People we knew . . . destroyed villages . . .” You couldn’t look him in the eyes anymore. Your emotions were drowning you, burying you underwater with each and every new atrocity that you remembered Vader had committed and bringing you to a conclusion that left a giant, gaping wound in your chest. “Anakin, you’ve become a -”

“No!” The anger and frustration in his voice had you cringing. “Don’t you understand?! I had nothing! Ahsoka was gone, Obi-Wan was gone, you were gone! What was I supposed to do?” 

“Not turn to the dark side! Anakin, you’re breaking my heart all over again . . . How could you do those things?” You sobbed, trying to pull away from him when every bone in your body craved to keep being held by him. 

His grip became tighter, crushing you to his chest. “You were dead, and it was the Jedi’s fault. They deserved everything they got.” 

His words shook you more than anything else he had said. He had done all this . . . Because of you? He had turned to the dark side, destroyed villages, people, tortured hundreds . . . because he thought you were dead. 

Despair ripped through your body, as you came to the realization that all of this was your fault. If only you hadn’t believed Obi-Wan when he told you Anakin was dead. If you had gone looking for him yourself instead of escaping to Tatooine to hide from the Empire, none of this might have happened. “But I’m not dead, Anakin . . . I never was.” You looked up once more, meeting his gaze through your tears. “What other lies has the Emperor been telling you?” 

You watched as he absorbed your words, but his face was unreadable. 

“Lord Vader!” A panicked voice broke through the bubble the two of you had created and you flinched as Anakin’s hand shot out and sent the intruder flying backwards against the wall and pinned him there. 

“What do you want?” Anakin hissed at him from behind the chair, and it was then that you realized why he had pushed the guard back in the first place. He hadn’t wanted him to see the two of you. 

“Rebels!” The man croaked out, and you glanced over to find Anakin’s hand clenched in a fist, choking the man the same way he had done you. As soon as Anakin saw where your gaze had gone, his fist immediately uncurled. “There are Rebels on the ship. They’re trying to take the bridge!” 

You couldn’t even be grateful. You knew who it was. Kanan’s Force presence was getting stronger with every few seconds that passed, but all you could feel was pain, and not just your own either, now that you knew Anakin was alive, you could feel him. Not like earlier, when you had both been Jedi, the dark side shrouded him in too much blackness for that, but you could feel something . . . pain and confusion that echoed yours. “Stay here.” He instructed you, reaching for his mask. 

You grasped at his arm, stopping him. “Ani,” you gasped out, the first time the nickname had been directed at him in years made him stiffen. “Please don’t. Please. I’m begging you not to hurt them. They’re trying to save me, that’s it.” 

Anakin stared at you and for a moment his gaze softened, but as soon as you had seen it, it vanished again. “You have always been mine. I’m not going to let them take you away from me again.” Anakin leaned forward and you shivered as you felt those soft, familiar lips press against your forehead. “I’ve lost everything. Now that I know you’re alive, I won’t lose you too.” 

He stood up, pulling away from you, and placing the mask back on his beautiful face. “You were always mine too, Ani . . . Can you still say that?” You whispered to him. 

Anakin didn’t respond, merely stood there and stared down at you for a moment before leaving you, shutting the door behind him. 

You collapsed onto the cold, unforgiving floor, you fist hitting it as you screamed and sobbed out your pain. Never had you realized how cruel fate could be. First it had tortured you with his death, and now it had done something even worse. To have him dangling in front of you to snatch him away again was pure torture. It seemed as if you had now lost him even more than you had all those years ago. You were so lost in your own grief you didn’t hear the door opening, didn’t hear the call of your name until you were hauled off the ground and upright. “It’s me! It’s me! We’ve got to get you out of here!” The familiar voice said, shaking you somewhat to grab your attention. 

Finally, your vision cleared enough, and you saw the man crouched in front of you, concern in every line of his face. “Kanan . . .” You gasped out, flinging your arms around his neck. “Please, please get me out of here.” You pleaded, clinging to him as if he was your lifeline. 

“Hey, it’s okay,” You heard him say, gripping you tightly in his arms. “We’ll get you out of here. The Ghost is waiting.” And without another word, the man lifted you up into his arms as if you weighed nothing. “Sabine! Clear a path!” He called out to the woman you hadn’t even noticed. 

Relief filled your body for the briefest moment until you remembered something. If Kanan and Sabine were here . . . “Who’s on the Bridge, Kanan?! He’s going after them! They’ve got to get out of there!” You almost screamed in panic, flailing for a moment as you tried to get out of his arms. 

“Nobody!” He tightened his grip on you. “It’s R4 and Chopper! They made a distraction, and then they went back to the ship. Everyone’s safe, we’ve just got to get you out of here.” 

You collapsed against him in relief, burying your face in his shirt as you clung to him and closed your eyes. You didn’t want to see anything. You didn’t want to risk seeing him because you knew he must have felt you leaving. Your suspicions were confirmed as Kanan ran up the ramp to the Ghost and it began to close as soon as you were all clear. 

He screamed your name, loud and broken through the Force, and it forced your eyes open, staring into those black lenses from across the ship once more until the ramp blocked your view and Hera shot the ship into hyperspace. 

Kanan had heard it too. In fact, Ezra, who had joined the two of you, was covering his ears. “What the hell was that?” He asked, but you couldn’t bring yourself to look at him, all you did was hold on to Kanan, burying your face in his shoulder as more tears fell down your cheeks. 

Never had you felt so broken, so tortured, so weak. You had been crushed by everything that had occurred, and you had no idea what to do about it. The only thing that managed to pull you out was a fragile voice. “Mom?” 

You lifted your head from Kanan’s shoulder, shock filling your eyes. “What are you doing here?!” You made Kanan put you down, running over to the little boy and gripping his shoulders, checking him over for any injuries. 

“He stowed away.” Kanan answered you. “He overheard that you were kidnapped and wanted to make sure you got home. We never let him out of the ship though, I promise.” He assured you. 

“Who was that man? That was screaming at you? I felt weird when I saw him . . .” 

Leaning forward, you pressed your forehead against your son’s for a moment, and then pulled back, looking into those familiar blue eyes that you had seen the dark version of moments earlier. “Don’t worry about it, Ani. Why don’t you go with Uncle Ezra for a bit. You two can practice lifting stuff, okay?” 

Anakin nodded, concern still on his little face, but he allowed Ezra to lead him back up the ladder. You brushed your tears away as you watched them go, turning back to Kanan when you felt his warm hand on your shoulder. “I’ve never seen you like that before . . . What did Vader do to you?” 

You placed your hand on top of his, giving it a squeeze. “I’ll tell you later, but first we’ve got to get back to base. I’ve got to talk to Ahsoka.”

[pretchatta]

swoon june day 15: masquerade

this wasn't supposed to be one of the mature ones but I think it's ended up being too suggestive to call it teen. oops.

rating: mature; kanan jarrus/hera syndulla; 2.1k words

---

For most beings, traveling inconspicuously meant wearing more clothes. A cloak, a hood or a full-face helmet made for a great disguise and could hide a person such that a casual observer wouldn’t look twice.

For Hera Syndulla, the opposite was true.

A twi'lek pilot was a rare sight in the galaxy. While her usual clothes blended in with most of the places she visited, there were always a few double-takes when people noticed her lekku. No-one expected to see a twi’lek in overalls and flying goggles, especially not a woman.

The result was that, for Hera, the easiest way to avoid attention was to remove clothes.

She would swap her cap and goggles for wrapping her lekku, wear something skimpy and revealing, and smear a bit of makeup over her cheeks. It was perfect – everyone looked right past her.

She hated it.

Her chosen aesthetic for today's recon was bar-dancer-on-a-break. Her skintight bodysuit felt like it was more negative space than material, with its low-cut neckline and several geometric shapes cut out of the sides and legs. The evening air was balmy enough that she didn’t need a jacket, and she felt very exposed. The chunky necklace she had accessorised with felt more like a slave collar than jewellery, and she shuddered as she wondered if that was why the look was so popular.

Hera resented the reason why an outfit like this worked so well. Her people had become almost synonymous with slavery, despite their numerous achievements as individuals and as a species. And yet here she was, donning the stereotype like a costume, reinforcing it to anyone who saw her. She just wanted to finish her recon, get back to the Ghost and take the whole lot off. In a normal way, not putting on a show for anyone.

Well, maybe she'd let Kanan watch. He was the only being in the galaxy she trusted to still see her as a real person afterwards. He would also never ask for it. If she ever did something like that for him, it would be because she wanted to do it, and because she knew he would take only what she was willing to give; he wouldn’t ask for more. A year of being more-than-crew had shown her just how selfless a lover he could be.

She shook her head to clear the train of thought as she approached the spaceport. It only took a few moments for her to realise she'd need to use the other advantage the outfit offered to get inside, for the place was crawling with stormtroopers. There had been a few on the main gate when she and Kanan had left earlier that day, but now she could see them patrolling the perimeter in pairs as well as actively checking the IDs of everyone trying to get in.

Hera sighed. She wanted to believe it had nothing to do with Kanan, but her hopes were not high. He was always finding trouble. Still, if she could get back to the Ghost then even if he wasn't able to meet her she could always fly out to his position and save him from whatever hairy situation he would undoubtedly be in.

She made her way around to one of the lesser-used entrances she'd been scouting on her recon, hoping for an easier way inside, but found it also guarded. The surrounding street was empty, however, and she could work with that.

Hera adjusted her well-padded cleavage in preparation for what she was about to do. Taking a deep breath, she fortified herself by squeezing one breast. The hard press of the small blaster tucked amongst the padding – the real reason she’d sewn extra into the bodysuit – reassured her that at least she wasn’t going in unarmed.

The two troopers standing guard noticed her as soon as she stepped into the road. Exaggerating the sway of her hips as she walked, she drew her lekku over her shoulders to twirl the end of one between her fingers. The troopers watched her approach.

"It is okay to go into the spaceport?" she asked with wide, innocent eyes. Her old Ryl accent came back to her easily, adding to the charade.

"We have to check your ID before you can go in," said the shorter trooper. He stood perfectly straight, holding his blaster a little higher than his fellow guard, who was leaning against the wall somewhat more casually. Hera guessed the one speaking to her was newer to the ranks of the Imperial army, and she hoped he wasn’t still sticking to the regulations so diligently that he would prevent her from doing what she needed to do.

"Oh… I have left my ID at home today,” she pouted, tilting her chin up and subtly pushing her chest forward. “I only want to visit my sister who runs that little food stand just inside for lunch. I won't be going anywhere – I have only ten minutes left of my break.”

The trooper was shaking his head. “We can’t let you in without ID.”

It would’ve been nice if that alone could have worked, but she hadn’t expected it to. She took a half-step closer to him and lowered her voice to a sultry purr.

“There is no way I could persuade you?”

He shifted nervously. “W-what do you mean?” he asked, glancing at his companion. “Like, credits?”

Another half-step closer, and she managed to tilt her head so that she could look up at his visor through her false eyelashes, even though they were a similar height.

“I don’t have any credits, but I’m sure there is something I can do for you,” she murmured. She was exaggerating the accent, rolling each resh and turning every thesh into a senth.

“Uhh… You – you mean…” he stammered. Hera heard a soft snigger from the other guard. Hopefully he would find this amusing enough to let her drag the rookie around the corner. She only needed to separate them; the rest was easy from there.

She cut him off by pointing down the road. “There’s an alley where I can show you what I mean. I think it even has a clean patch of ground that will not get my knees dirty.”

“Your – your knees–”

"Tell you what, kid,” the taller one said, finally pushing himself upright from the wall. “You watch the door and I'll sort out her payment."

That worked too. It didn’t matter which one went with her; stormtroopers were easy to take down individually when they weren’t expecting an attack.

They left the bewildered rookie to his post as Hera led the more seasoned soldier to the alley she’d pointed to. As they rounded the corner and out of sight of the door, she tossed one lek over her shoulder and turned to face him, breathing in deeply so that her chest rose noticeably. Now she knew where his attention would be focused.

Her fist swung up in a quick jab to his neck. She was aiming for the gap between his helmet and shoulder armour, where a hard enough blow should incapacitate him for at least a few seconds. Her other hand went for his blaster to disarm him.

But he was faster than she anticipated. Much faster; it was almost like he was ready for her. One gloved hand caught her fist, stopping it in its tracks, while the other dropped the blaster to the ground completely. Hera immediately twisted out of his grip and pulled out her own gun. She’d hoped to do this quietly, but making a scene was better than getting arrested.

The trooper quickly stepped back and pulled his helmet off.

“Woah, stop, it’s me!”

Hera was momentarily dumbfounded.

“Kanan?”

“Yes! Could you maybe put that down?” He indicated to her blaster, which was still pointed at his head. She dropped her arm to her side.

"What are you doing?" she demanded, dropping her accent to speak like her usual self again.

Kanan looked sheepish. "Well, I was hoping for a-"

"I mean in stormtrooper armour, guarding the spaceport!” she interrupted. “And do you really think I was going to go through with that? I didn’t even know it was you under there!"

“I thought you’d recognise my voice!” he protested.

She looked at him incredulously. “Not coming from under a bucket! And not when I wasn’t expecting it!”

"Okay, yeah, I realise I maybe didn’t think that one through,” he admitted, rubbing at the back of his neck. “But when I heard they’d increased security I was worried about you, so I was keeping an eye out to make sure you could get back to the Ghost. I thought you'd try one of the side entrances and this was the closest one to where you were going to finish your recon."

She opened her mouth to berate him again but realised it was actually a pretty good plan. Not to mention sweet – it couldn’t have been easy to take that guard’s place. He was lucky to have found one with a rookie for a partner. Maybe he hadn’t caused whatever it was that had got the Imperials worked up, either.

“Alright, your thoughtfulness has redeemed you.” She tucked her blaster back into its hiding place, noticing how his eyes followed her hands for a few moments before snapping back to her face when she continued. “Let’s get out of here.”

"You sure you want to go right now? We’re probably not expected back out there for a while yet..."

She could tell he was at least half-joking.

"Really?” She gave him a raised eyebrow. “I was lying about the clean patch of ground, you know. This alley is filthy, and I want to change."

"Okay, okay, I get it." He at least had the decency to look chastened, but she wasn’t really upset with him. She just wanted to go home.

"Just stun your friend and we can get back to the Ghost, love," she said gently.

He gave her a small smile before putting the helmet back on and retrieving his blaster. A few seconds later she heard the stun blast and followed him back to the road, where he was dragging the rookie’s unconscious body away from the entrance to hide it behind some crates.

Inside the spaceport, no-one stopped them. She was just a citizen with an escort, nothing to worry about. The Ghost was exactly as they’d left it this morning, and Chopper only needed a little encouragement to open up and let Kanan in. When the ramp closed behind them, Hera sighed in relief. It was good to be home.

She had to remind traffic control that she would have already had her ID and intent checked at the entrance to the spaceport. They begrudgingly gave her clearance to take off, and she heaved a deeper sigh as the Ghost entered hyperspace. They were away, no-one was watching her now, and she could be herself again. Kanan and Chopper didn’t count; they both saw her for who she was. They were as much her home as the ship.

Beside her, Kanan pushed himself out of the co-pilot’s chair. "I'm going to get out of this armour, then I'll fix that squeaky vent in the ‘fresher that you've been complaining about."

She heard him cross to the door.

"Oh, Kanan, could you hold on a moment?" she called over her shoulder.

He paused with one hand on the door control. "What is it?"

Hera engaged the autopilot and got out of her chair to slink over to him.

"I know I said I wanted to change, but there’s a problem,” she began, stepping close to him and lightly running a finger over his chestplate. “See, there's a stormtrooper guarding the door, and I need to figure out a way to get past him."

She glanced up at Kanan and saw he was grinning. "Maybe you could offer him something," he suggested.

She pushed herself up onto her toes so that their faces were level, her eyes on his mouth.

“I wonder what he might accept,” she whispered, her lips barely an inch from his own.

Then she closed the gap and kissed him with a slow, simmering heat. His arms came up to hold her, one hand stroking along her back. It worked its way around to her side, sliding up until his thumb brushed the side of one breast.

He broke away abruptly with a serious look in his eyes.

“You put the safety on your blaster, right?”

She gave him a sly smile. “Why don’t you check for me?”

His answering grin was accompanied by both hands sliding up her sides, and then he was giving a very thorough and enthusiastic check for hidden weapons.

[anakinisvaderisanakin]

My entry for Rebels-week: Discourse, Ahsoka vs Vader.

I’ve seen quite a few posts online questioning why could seemingly Ahsoka (almost) go toe to toe with Vader in Twilight of the Apprentice; and I figured I’d break down why I believe she succeeded as far as she did. I have three main arguments, although they interlock and are valid contributors to one final conclusion.

One - Ahsoka was trained by Anakin. Vader is Anakin.

Despite the fact that as Vader, he has adapted new saber techniques, new practices, and relies much less on just raw Force power and more on physical brute prowess; he is still the man that trained Ahsoka as a padawan. She has learnt everything from him, and the signature moves Vader has maintained from his days as her master she inevitably would be familiar with.

Ahsoka would know how to counteract these moves; and how to sneak past Vader’s aggressive offenses. While he is a tad more restrained as Vader; Anakin still does fight with an overtly aggressive lenience. If we as an audience can still recognize certain moves of Vader's from his Jedi days, it goes without saying that Ahsoka would have no problem picking up on the same thing and deducing beforehand what move to make next as a counter attack. Add to that the fact that Dave Filoni himself did point out that Anakin trained Ahsoka specifically to be able to take on enemies much stronger and larger than her - a description Vader fits perfectly.

Pretty ironic.

Two - Ahsoka is powerful.

We may have not been tuned in to see Ahsoka hone her skills with the Force between her appearance in Rebels and her self titled book; but it is clear she has definitely grown. The Siege of Mandalore arc already gives us clues to her skill as a duelist when she actually beats Maul. Filoni pointed out that Ahsoka is an OP of the SWR universe; and that using her in the show too much would have lowered the stakes all around. He mentioned that only Vader (or the Emperor) would pose a threat to her - something I can definitely buy into - and thus, not only because of their history, but because of their powers with the Force; the two had to fight each other if we were to receive any duel worth writing home about.

Ahsoka’s appearances in Rebels are kept to a bare minimum, as are Vader’s. When Ahsoka leaves the show, so does Vader. Because neither Kanan nor Ezra stand a chance against Vader; we have seen him very nearly kill them both in Siege of Lothal; we know he could easily pick them off, especially in one-on-one combat. Vader is too powerful for our remaining heroes where the Force is concerned; and using him as a villain is pointless when we know he would win - or have to be severely downgraded in a manner that might break, or at the very least bend pre-established canon.

Hence; we know Ahsoka is the only Force wielder within the show’s direct vicinity who can take Vader on in a battle with any hopes of lasting a good amount of time, and even she would not have survived had Ezra not found a way to save her.

Three - the final argument, and my favourite.

Vader struggles briefly against Ahsoka because he still cares for her, deep down. This is the same reason he didn’t obliterate Luke in Empire; although of course Luke means much more to him in the end. Vader even asks Ahsoka, just as he later does Luke, to join him. He professes himself that they “need not be adversaries,” suggesting he would rather see her turn to the Dark Side as his apprentice, in favour of downright executing her. He will kill her if need be, as we see, but he doesn’t miss the opportunity to attempt to sway her beforehand.

Ahsoka was Anakin’s padawan, as close to his heart as any blood related little sister would be. I would argue she is the closest thing to Luke, and Padmé, in terms of Anakin's attachment. Indeed, there is the attachment to Obi-Wan; but him and Anakin clearly harboured a sort of brotherly rivalry - which in Anakin, as he fell to the Dark Side, would develop into full on resentment.

This did not happen where Ahsoka is concerned; Anakin is indeed still bitter towards her, but instead of obsessively hunting her to kill her as he does Obi-Wan; he offers her to join him, and does promise her mercy if she helps him in his quest. This speaks of how important Ahsoka is to Vader, even now.

Neither can we forget the evidence supporting this final point; that Vader actually hesitates when Ahsoka professes she “won't leave you this time”. You see it in his eyes; you can tell he's taken aback and rattled. You can tell it raises painful memories; and that Vader for a moment allows himself to open up to his past, and the pain he struggled with when Ahsoka first left the Jedi Order, as well as her almost callously brushing him off when they finally did have a chance to catch up in favour of rushing off to Mandalore.

Meanwhile Ahsoka blames herself, and believes she should have stayed for Anakin’s sake; she too doubts and second guesses her own decision as we see in Shroud of Darkness. We, the audience, know that the vision she is shown is likely very close to - if not spot on - how Vader is feeling towards what he views as her betrayal.

Final thoughts.

In conclusion; while I don't believe Vader was truly struggling against Ahsoka in terms of sheer skill and power, it is evident that he underestimates her. He knows only the saber duelist he trained during The Clone Wars, and has as little of an idea regarding how much she has grown as we do. He knows she's skilled, more so than his Inquisitors, which I would presume to be another reason why he requests of her to join him.

But he doesn't know how skilled she is now. On top of that, Ahsoka is clearly more defensive than anything throughout their duel; her only real attempt at a strike is when she splits open Vader's mask. She knows she's outmatched, and she's trying to stall Vader in order for Ezra and the crew to escape. She is only keeping Vader busy; because she's the only one who stands a fighting chance. And Vader is surprised she can stay on her feet as long as she does.

When she finally does land a blow; he's visibly shocked. And when she addresses that she won’t abandon him, and clearly shows that she is not afraid of him or of dying by his hand - Vader is overcome by a sliver of his old love for her, which is what reinvigorates his urge to kill her and sees him victorious in the end. If he was merely testing her limits before, he's not taking any risks now and he bests her.

Ahsoka is Anakin's apprentice, who has become an extremely talented duelist in her own right. But she is also one of the people Anakin loved the most. 

These things combined make her a fierce adversary for Vader; and it is all of that old attachment that links her to Vader's past which has him somewhat faltering during their final battle. This is why he goes from willing to spare her if she complies; to vowing to kill her when she refuses. If he cannot convince her to side with him and justify the lingering remnants of their old bond by making her useful; it has to die with her - as does every other remainder of who Vader really is.

To add the one thing I forgot - the way in which Vader does not brush Ahsoka off when she calls him Anakin. He startles, and instead of her receiving his usual “that name no longer holds any meaning for me,” tangent; he allows it. In that brief moment, he cannot deny that he is Anakin, and that Ahsoka and him have this deep connection. When he later states that she must die; he doesn’t say it as a threat or as a promise. It’s warning to her, that if she doesn’t leave now - he will not be held responsible for her fate. She can still flee and leave one last time, if she wishes to.

It is clear that Vader deep down doesn’t want to kill Ahsoka. Add to that, the fact that while she does engage in some defensive tactics; Ahsoka is actually the offensive combatant when they intially engage in battle. She attacks Vader first; which is another uncharacteristic mark of any duel Vader has taken part in. Usually, it’s Vader who’s on the offensive.

Thus, when Ahsoka calls Vader Anakin; it has meaning. She finally admits to herself what she has suspected and denied, but deep down knows, is true. Meanwhile, Vader for a fleeting moment acknowledges the same thing. He is Anakin; and besides Luke, Ahsoka is the only person who has ever managed to get such a reaction out of Vader. She came the closest, and that’s worthy of admiration.

[midnight-raven]

SWR Concept: The New Spectres Au

An alternate take or a new version of the Ghost Crew

Original Post

Spectre 1: Depa Billaba

Former Jedi Master, Depa Billaba, had survived Order 66 and was one of the last remaining Jedi's in the galaxy. The rise of the Empire forced Depa to live in the shadows and bury her abilities deep within.

The memory of the great purge still haunts the former master. Especially the memory of witnessing the Clones she had considered friends, kill her young padawan, Caleb Dume.

Unable to keep running from her past, Depa eventually joins a special team to stand up against the Empire, and avenge her students' death.

Spectres 2 & 3: Cham & Eleni Syndulla

Even before the Empire, Cham and Eleni Syndulla fought together to free their homeworld, Ryloth. For the sake of their people and their family. The Resistance had a great price, many lives were lost.

However, after the fall of the Republic, Cham and Eleni were yet again forced to live with the unimaginable upon the death of their beloved daughter, Hera Syndulla.

The grief had affected both the parents but Cham, it drove him even further into the resistance.

Spectre 4: Alexsandr Kallus

It was during the Massacre of Lasan when ISB Agent Kallus started to suspect that the Empire was not all that he was taught. The ISB Agents suspension continued to grow as he sought out the answers to questions he kept hidden at bay.

It wasn't long before Kallus became a secret informant for the growing rebellion. Seeking more ways to help before Kallus fully deflected from the Empire and joined the Rebellion.

Fighting every day to make up for the destructions he had been a part of, for the lives he had helped destroy. To mend the galaxy.

Spectre 5: Tristan Wren

Tristan Wren had always considered himself loyal to his family, and their loyalty to the Empire. However, when he found out that his sisters' weapon designs were going to be used against Mandalore, he spoke out against him.

Unfortunately, his parents and sister didn't stand with him and instead took sides with the Empire. Made an outcast by both his family and his people, Tristan left his home.

Unaware of the remission his family had been left with.

Spectres 6 & 7: Ephraim and Mira Bridger

Ephraim and Mira Bridger once lived peacefully with their young son, Ezra. But on the day that the Empire took their child away without an explanation, everything changed.

Since that day, Ephraim and Mira became known as the Voices of Hope, doing secret broadcasts against the Empire and slowly driving the Imperials off Lothal, in hopes of someday finding their son.

Eventually, the couple found themselves as part of the team with the same goal as them.

I have ideas for this concept... very angsty ideas!

Pls read below

I definitely think everyone is going to be OOC, in this AU, because the pain of a parent losing their child is something that can change you forever.

I also planned that Kallus and Zeb could know each other beforehand, and that's another reason the massacre struck Kallus hard... maybe neither of them knows that the other survived? So they go for years mourning the other until fate draws them together again and.... Excuse me, I'm getting ahead of myself.

Another idea I've been debating is for Kanan and Hera. In the stories for Depa Billaba and Cham Syndulla, I put that they were killed in their past. There's a tiny voice in me saying, "keep it that way, the pain of losing your child is a character development you can build on!” Meanwhile, there is another part of me, the one that craves angst saying "Keep them alive just don't tell the parents!" Aka Depa and Cham think their children are dead but they were kidnapped and driven into joining the Empire.

Here's a Sample: During Order 66, Caleb Dume was severely wounded but he survived the attack, Instead of being killed, it was Darth Vader's order to have him join the Dark Side. One of the lies they tell the boy was that his Master had left him to die during the attack, the betrayal leading the boy down the dark path and eventually leading him to become Kanan Jarrus, a powerful Inquisitor/Sith Lord.

For Hera, she was taken away from her homeworld and her family by the Empire and was instantly taken into Imperial Custody. She was raised to become a strong Imperial Agent and the Empire's best pilot. One of the tasks given to Hera was to create a team with the strongest individuals. In some way that I haven't figured out just yet, Sabine was eventually assigned to Hera's team, and Ezra was appointed to becoming Kanan's apprentice. Still working out the details for Zeb.

The major reason I want to keep them alive is because of this idea: At some point I want Ephraim and Mira to find Ezra and take him back to their base where they try to get their son to remember them, bc he pushed most of his memories away. But Ezra keeps insisting he needs to go home to his family, and that his father/master would eventually find him.

Because I want protective fatherly Sith Kanan!

[writer1]

A regretful Wolf and his Beauty.

Chapter Three

Beast!Rex x Fem!reader

Summary: As punishment for his actions, young prince Rex was cursed to become a monster by a witch. The only thing that saved him from his fate was an enchantress, who gave him a condition. He has to find true love in order to redeem himself and he only has until the last petal of the enchanted rose falls. Rex's family helps you by guiding your way into his heart. Rex's fate now lies in your hands.

A\N: This is a collaborative fic with @ahsokatano-thetogruta. Just a warning, the transformations get kind of gory and disturbing, if you want to skip that part you may, it starts right after Rex transforms. We have marked where the gore and disturbing parts are, so you can skip that part if you'd like because the last part of the chapter leads into the next one. As always, we hope you enjoy this fic. credit too @suddenly-clones for Cody’s nickname Bubby.

Warnings: mention of past abuse, horrific description (we have marked this for you so you don't have to read it)

Rex walks down the stairs behind Cody, feeling nervous. Once at the bottom, Cody places a hand on his shoulder, giving Rex a comforting smile. They both walk to the ballroom, opening the door and walking in to see 99 reading all the little kids a story.

“And little red riding hood asked ‘What big teeth you have grandma’ the wolf in disguise smiled at her. ‘All the better to EAT you with’ the wolf then lunges at little red riding hood, but just before he eats her, the friendly wood cutter bursts in. He scares the wolf, who runs away. And both him and red find her grandmother locked in the closet. And everyone lives happily ever after.” the kids cheer, with the bad batch closest to 99. 

There's fourteen year old Hunter sitting right beside him, with twelve year old Crosshair on the other side and eleven year old Wrecker in behind Hunter since he's the tallest. The youngest, Tech, who's only six years old is sitting on 99’s lap. Stutter is in the middle of the group of kids with Ahsoka and his friend Sabine who’s the same age. Rex thinks about the real ending of the story, where the grandma was eaten and the woodcutter kills the wolf. 

He’s glad that 99 waits until you turn twelve to tell you the real story, it's way too dark for little kids. Rex is glad the bad batch is happy here, they, like Stutter, were taken in because of abusive parents. His aunt hated the boys for being different. Hunter was born with enhanced senses, which gives him headaches and can make him pass out, Crosshair is the weakest of the kids, having deficiencies that make him skinny and sick, they also made his hair grey. Wrecker is the biggest and strongest of them. But his eyesight is amazing, you have to watch out for the grumpy kid, he has a habit of whipping things at people when angry, and he has Never missed. Tech is tiny too, but he’s also super smart, but his eyesight is horrible, so he wears glasses that Anakin had made for him. 99 adopted them as his son’s as soon as he found out about the abuse and trauma his sister had caused.

All of that is gone now and it is all in the past. The bad batch and Stutter are living such happier lives now with their new, loving family.

xxx

Fives is aimlessly wandering around the castle, trying to take his mind off of what had happened earlier. Echo is with Waxer and Boil, playing with Numa. Fives kindly declined when his twin asked if he wanted to play too, but he said that he just needs some alone time. 

He still feels a little bit hurt inside, but the feeling is slowly passing and fading the more he keeps on wandering, turning from one corridor to the next. He stops when he hears a soft humming of a melody coming from a room that he passes by. Listening intently as he looks around the corner, he sees an eight year old girl cleaning around the room with her feather duster. Her hair is brown and short, her skin is a pale blue like a blue lagoon.

The young girl turns around to see Fives peeking around the doorway. Before she could say anything, he tried to hide as quickly as he could, but she already saw him. She giggles a little, walking towards the doorway and standing there, brushing off any dust from her uniform and smiles at Fives. "Hello Prince Fives." The girl has a small, cute smile gracing her face now.

"Hey." Fives says nervously, not really sure of what to do. He thinks that she is really cute, so he decides to push his nerves aside and talk to her some more. "What's your name?"

"My apologies Prince, my name is Kiara Zelenca." She does a little curtsy in front of him. "It's nice to meet you."

"It's nice to meet you too, though you don't have to call me Prince. You can just call me Fives." He smiles kindly as he admires the  white patterns on her face. Her turquoise eyes compliments her skin perfectly. "If you don't mind me asking, what species are you?" He tries to sound as politely as he possibly can.

"I don't mind at all! I'm both Human and Togruta. My Mother was a Togruta and my Father was Human. I have hair instead of montrals and my ears are a little bit longer because I don't have lekku like other Togruta." She explains a little nervously. He probably thinks that I'm weird now. She thinks to herself. "I use my hair to cover them as much as I can, because the others will say that my ears look weird and ugly. They call me a freak too..." She tries her best to keep her sadness back. She hates how she looks already, so it doesn't help that she gets bullied by others.

Fives frowns, hearing that this has happened to Kiara. The slight tremble in her voice is apparent to him, so he walks a little closer to her, looking Kiara directly into her ocean blue eyes and slowly raises his right hand towards the left side of her hair. He freezes just before he reaches her face. "Can I...can I see them?" 

Kiara is speechless, thinking that just explaining them to him would make him feel the same way that the others do. After a moment, she nods and Fives strokes back her hair. Kiara looks away embarrassed. He sees that they are longer, but he just smiles. "I think they are really pretty." He says stroking the side of her face lightly. She looks into his honey coloured eyes. "You are perfect just the way you are, so don't let anyone else tell you otherwise. If they do give you any more trouble ever again, you tell them that they will be speaking to Prince Fives personally." Fives smiles reassuringly.

This is the first time that someone has told her that she is perfect and that she doesn't look like a freak. Her heart flutters as she leans into Fives' touch. He feels his cheeks heat up a little bit, she looks so adorable like this. Kiara opens her eyes and looks up towards the ceiling, to see mistletoe hanging down from the doorframe. She giggles.

Fives raises an eyebrow sweetly. "What is it?" He asks her as she motions for him to look up. He does so and sees what she wanted him to see. His cheeks turn red when he turns his head to look back down at Kiara. Her cheeks have turned to a darker shade of blue. She's obviously blushing. 

Fives swallows harshly, trying to gather all of the confidence he can find within himself. "W-would you like to kiss me?"

Without a moment of hesitation, Kiara wraps her arms around Fives' neck as she softly presses her lips to his. Fives instantly starts kissing her back, wrapping his arms around her lovingly. They both pull away, and Fives sees the bottom of Kiara's ears move a little as the tops turn the same shade of blue that is on her cheeks. Kiara giggles at the goofy smile on Fives' face. “Wait till I tell Echo that I kissed a girl.” 

Kiara laughs at Fives’ remark, kissing his cheek softly. They are both blushing a lot, this having been the first time either had ever kissed someone. “I… I think that i might love you already?”

Kiara’s eyes go wide when she realizes what he just said, then she realizes that she feels the exact same way. “I think that i might love you too, Fives.”  

“Kiara!!” Kiara turns at the voice of her mom. She turns back to Fives, an apologetic look on her face. “I’m sorry. Thats my mom, I have to go” Fives nods, watching her leave. He sighs. I’m gonna marry her. He thinks to himself.

xxx 

A little while after 99 finishes the story, Fives and Echo walk into the room, Rex notices that Fives is blushing as he tells Echo something. He can’t hear what is said. Both boys freeze when they see Rex walking over to them. “Hey Echo. Fives.” he says nervously, the twins just frown at him, he sighs.

“Look, I'm sorry for what happened, I shouldn't have snapped at you. I know you were just having fun. I understand if you don’t want to talk to me for a while after how I reacted earlier.” Rex wrings his hand together, staring at the floor. He hopes that his brothers can forgive him, but he also understands if it takes a while.

Fives slams into him with a hug, and Echo follows after him. “We’re sorry too, we shouldn’t have pulled the prank in the first place.” Echo nods in agreement with Fives.

“Yeah, we shouldn’t have played a prank when we knew that you were stressed, we’re sorry.” Both boys nuzzle into their brother, as Rex wraps his arms tightly around them.

"It's okay. Now, shall we go and play a board game?" Rex offers and the twins nod their heads in sync, making Rex chuckle. "Alright, you two can pick what we play.

xxx

Further somewhere in the castle in one of the bedrooms, Kanan and Hera are getting ready for the evening activities that were planned to take place in the ballroom. They are both nineteen years old and Kanan is a knight, though he was not needed to go out on patrol today.

Kanan had rescued Hera five years ago when she was being chased by some smugglers who were after her. He fortunately got there in time to save Hera and she is still very grateful for it. Kanan asked if she had anywhere to go, but she just shook her head. He decided that he would take her to the castle with him. He asked his friend, Rex, if it was okay if she could stay for a while, so the eight year old Prince asked his parents if it was okay and they both were happy to let her stay for as long as she needed to.

They were quick friends in the beginning and soon enough, they became lovers after they confessed to one another a few years ago. After another year had passed, Kanan decided to finally propose to Hera, so when he was out on patrol in the village, he bought her a beautiful ring. He was delighted when she said yes and they got married soon after. It's been two years and they are so happy together.

Hera finishes putting on her long, dark green dress that she wears on special occasions. It compliments her lime green skin perfectly. Kanan exits the ensuite to see his wife standing in front of a standing mirror as she tugs the long sleeves of her dress down. Hera sees in the mirror that Kanan is admiring her from behind. 

"You look stunning in this dress, darling." He walks closer and wraps his arms around her waist, kissing her lek from behind.

Hera relaxes into his embrace. "Thank you, love. You look very smart in your suit too." 

Kanan hums in response, enjoying every passing moment they spend like this.

"Shall we go and join everyone downstairs in the ballroom?" Hera asks as she cups Kanan's face.

"Yeah, let's go."

xxx

A few hours later the sun has fully set, allowing the warm lights strung up against the walls to glow brightly, creating a warm, atmospheric feeling in the ballroom as everyone is gathered around, speaking to friends and family. The knights haven’t returned from patrol yet when there's a knock at the door, Rex being closest, answers it. Outside is a woman, she has a bald head, white skin and tattoos on her face. “Hello, can i please come in? Its bitterly cold out here and i have nowhere to go, all I have to offer is this rose as payment.” 

Rex feels pity for the woman. “Cody!!” He calls his older brother, he knows that he has to ask permission before he can allow a stranger in. The woman watches, Rex doesn’t see the malicious glint in her eyes.

“What is it Rex? Who is this?” Cody asks as soon as he sees the woman. “She has nowhere to go, can we allow her to stay with us? She says that she can only pay us with a rose, but i don’t think that’s a problem. Do you?"

Cody smiles at his brother’s kindness, turning to the woman. "I don’t think that will be a problem either, of course you may come in Miss…?”

“Ventress, just call me Ventress. Thank you for your hospitality.” Ventress walks in, handing Cody the rose.”There are drinks and food over there  if you’re hungry Miss Ventress.” Rex tells her as she walks in, he doesn’t see the evil smirk as she eyes the bowl of red punch. She walks over grabbing a drink.

xxx

An hour passes, everyone is having fun. Fives is with Kiara, introducing Echo to her. Jesse and his twin brother Kix are playing doctor with the young knights in training. Kix had just become a doctor a year ago, so he’s writing fake doctor notes of crazy, fake diseases for a few knights while Jesse is entertaining the kids with paper shapes and animals that he folds.

Boil is making his niece pancakes and Waxer is sitting nearby, playing with the little girl. All the cousins, knights and staff are talking, joking and having a great time like they do every year. Ventress walks near to Rex, who’s talking to Cody and Bly. Ventress has a wicked smile on her face as she pretends to trip, spilling red punch on Rex’s favorite white shirt. “I am so sorry young man.” Ventress says sarcastically, making Rex lose his cool for the second time that day.

“Can’t you be more careful! And watch where you’re going!” He tells her angrily, freezing when he realizes how rude he was.”I'm sorry, I should-!”

“ENOUGH!!! You have been rude to the wrong person, little prince!” She snarls. Her hands have a dark green aura, everyone now realizes that the woman they had kindly invited into their home, was actually an evil witch. Her eyes glow green, and a circle of magic surrounds young Rex, cutting him off from his family. All the child can feel is fear as tears stream down his face. "I’m so sorry.” He whimpers out, begging and pleading for forgiveness. 

The magic surrounding Rex and the witch is too strong, stopping anyone from getting close to them. Despite this, Obi-Wan tries to go and protect Rex, fighting his way through the sheer force of the wind being created. He only gets so far until he is blasted back into Cody's arms who catches him. Obi Wan gets to his feet and holds onto Cody.

Through all of the madness surrounding everyone, Obi Wan hears someone yelling behind him and then sees Anakin run past him with his wooden sword held high above his head, charging directly towards the witch. Obi Wan manages to grab Anakin and pull him in close to himself and Cody, all huddling together during the complete chaos. Both Obi Wan and Cody wrap their arms protectively around Anakin, using their own bodies to protect the child from the chaos and anything else that may happen. Cody prays for his brother, feeling like a failure for being unable to get to Rex. Not even all the Knights using the force would be able to get to him.

Suddenly there is a cry of pain. fearing the worst for his Rex'ika, Cody looks towards Rex who has his hands in his face and drops to the floor on his knees, writhing in pain. Cody looks around the room to see that everyone can see it too. Rex is...growing.

Plo, Wolffe, Sinker, Boosts and Comet all tried to get too Rex… that is until he started to change, they froze as soon as their older cousin started to grow. Plo has never heard of this happening before, he knows that witches are powerful, whatever she is doing to the young prince won’t be fixed so easily… If ever. Wolffe goes to run up to them, he doesn’t care about what’s happening to his older cousin. He leaves his brothers, running to Rex when a shard of glass hits him, cutting a slice through his right eye. Ventress laughs, knowing that her shard glass had hit her target.

Boil jumped in front of Waxer and little Numa as soon as the witch yelled, leaving the pancake he had cooked thrown on the floor. Numa screams and cries as the chaos ensues, both Boil and Waxer hear the cry of pain, they turn to see Rex fall to the ground in the middle of everything. They watch in horror as he starts to grow. Something that should not be happening to his body.

The Bad Batch all grab onto 99, standing in front of him. They close their eyes in fear, but 99 sees what happens to Rex, feeling fear for the young boy whose body is unnaturally growing bigger. And is also screaming in both pain and terror.

Fives jumps in front of Kiara, Echo following behind him. They watch their Ori’Vod fall to the ground, crying out in pain, they watch as his body starts to grow. They don’t know what’s going to happen to their brother, but they swear that they will love him no matter how much that monster changes him.

Stutter's eyes widen as he sees his Ori'Vod growing and writhing in pain on the floor, so he screams and tries to run over to help him. He feels someone grab his small hand and gets pulled towards them. He looks up to see Sabine using her whole body to protect him. Stutter sees a Lasat run up behind her and crouches down, wrapping his arms around the both of them to keep them safe from the chaos.

Fox and Thorne hear the cries from Rex, panic coursing through their bodies, flooding their minds with fear. Fox looks around quickly to see that Ahsoka isn't with them anymore. He scans the room to see that she is staring at her Ori'Vod through the green forcefield of magic. Fox grabs her arm to pull her back towards him and Thorn to protect her, though in the process, she loses her grip on her music box, dropping it to the floor. Everything seemed to play in slow motion as she watched it break to pieces that scatter across the floor. Fox realises what happens when Ahsoka starts to scream and cry as he sees the broken music box on the floor, so he comforts her the best that he can. Thorne joins Fox to help protect Ahsoka.

All Rex feels is pain, discomfort and fear. He regrets everything. He groans as his smart clothes begin to grow tighter on him, ripping open at the seams, revealing blonde fur. His arms start to grow longer and so does his legs, bending and rearranging themselves into haunches as a tail also starts to grow. He feels his face elongating into a snout, baring his sharp teeth to attempt to block out as much pain as he can. His cries of pain turn to whimpers as the transformation finishes. His clothes have ripped to shreds, blonde fur now completely covers the entirety of his body. The only article of clothing left are his shredded pants. Rex just lies on the floor, whining as he feels everyone staring at him.

Cody watches as his little brother turns into a creature of legends… A werewolf. Everyone in the room is shocked, the kids that had heard the story from 99 earlier cower in fear, afraid that Rex might eat them. Cody doesn’t care about that… This is still his Rex’ika, his baby brother. And nothing will ever change that. 

The witch looks around the room as Rex lays on the floor, breathing heavily. The force field goes away and she smiles wickedly. “Don’t worry, young prince. You won’t be alone with this curse.” Rex looks up at her, eyes wide. Tears are still falling down his face, wetting his fur. ”What!?”

“Yes! I have a perfect plan for everyone in this castle! I want to have some more fun” she lifts her hands up. "You all stand there like objects, so I’ll turn you into objects!” She sneers.The green aura engulfs the room, and everyone groans, Rex watches in horror as his friends and family start to morph and change in front of his very eyes. Rex feels absolute fear, he wants his bubby. 

(Warning! Slightly gory and disturbing description of the transformations from this point. Note where it ends.)

But Cody is groaning in pain as well, and morphing, getting wider and less human. Cody’s arms and legs burn as they grow slimmer, wood growing all over his body. He forces his eyes open to check on Obi Wan, staring in horror as his beloved scratches at his skin as it becomes metal. He sees young Anakin doing the same. They both form into a suit of armour that covers their whole body from head to toe. The same is happening to Kanan and Plo too. 

Fox and Thorn struggle to hold onto Ahsoka, not just because they are changing, but also because she is getting smaller. The once shattered music box starts piecing itself together, but leaves the ballerina there on the floor. Ahsoka cries and screams as she becomes unable to move her legs anymore and she starts to become older in appearance. Her clothes change too, into more of a ballerina's outfit like the one that the little figure was wearing before.

Echo and Fives scream in pain as they transform, Both of them shrink as Fives' hair starts to become waxy, turning white in color. It's not just his hair, his whole head from top to his top jaw turns into wax, so does his hands, and the rest of him, including his bottom jaw, turns to a gold metal. Echo starts to grow a mix of metal and wood all over his body, the twins cry in pain as they shrink. 

Kiara is the same, yelling out for her mother as the top half of her body becomes wood and the bottom half morphs painfully into feathers. All three of them have tears running down their faces, as they scream from the worst pain they’ve ever felt in their young lives.

Stutter screams loudly in pain, this is somehow worse than anything his brothers and father had ever done to him. “R-R-Rex!!!! C-C-C-Cody!!!” Young Stutter screams for his brothers, he's so scared. His body is becoming wood, his arms are sucked into him, morphing to his sides as his legs morph together and become the familiar bristles of a paint brush. He screams, looking over and seeing Sabine in the same predicament. He cries as he starts to shrink. “F-F-Fives!!! E-Echo!!!!! B-B-Bly!!!” He tries one last time to get one of his brothers, to no avail, he’s all alone once again.

Kix, Jesse and Hardcase all fall to the ground, screaming out in agony as they feel their bodies beginning to change. Kix wraps his arms around himself, squeezing his eyes shut to try and block out the pain coursing through his body. He becomes rigid, unable to bend any of his limbs as they straighten out. His legs morph together and his arms sink down into his body. His blood becomes colder as it starts to turn to ink. 

Jesse starts to get wider and thinner. He starts feeling lighter and when he looks at his hands, they flop backwards as they become paper thin. It doesn't take him long to figure out that he's actually becoming paper, because his skin turns dramatically pale. As his body becomes thinner, he starts getting smaller too. Hardcase's body from his neck to his feet starts to turn to wood as his body becomes narrow.  He screams at the searing pain rushing throughout his head as it becomes metal, his facing becoming longer and sharper with each passing second.

Hera feels her body start to morph into light, it burns as she is transported to the mirror she was looking into only hours before, she looks around at the room around her, she bangs on the glass, unable to get out. The room is only grey, the only thing in it being her. “Kanan!!!” She screams for her husband, the last she saw of him he had fallen to the ground in pain, she has no idea what he might have become.

Bly falls to the ground in pain, his whole body starts to burn as it turns to metal, he screams in agony  as his head splits into three. He shrinks, turning into a fork. Ten year old Wolffe doubles over in absolute agony, along with the 9 year old twins, Sinker and Boost. And the youngest, seven year old Comet. They all grow smaller as they turn to ceramic, Wolffe screams as his body widens, going hollow once it turns completely too glass, lessening the pain some thankfully. Plo tries to fight through the pain of his own transformation to get to his boys, he hates that they have to go through this pain.

(Gore ends here!)

Rex can't believe his eyes. Everyone has completely changed. They aren't even...alive anymore? Though he can still hear the groans from everyone as their transformations finish. He looks towards Ventress with piercing anger in his eyes, but she just laughs at everyone. She feels content now that she has had her fun. 

"I don't know what you are looking at me like that for. You are the one who has caused this! Now your friends and family will share your punishment." She cackles as she surrounds herself in a cloud of green smoke, creating a whirlwind. Once it clears, Ventress is nowhere to be seen.

No...what have I done? Rex thinks to himself as he sees everyone start to move again without being in complete pain and agony. He presses his ears back against his head, feeling consumed in guilt and regret. The room is almost silent, the only sounds being slight shuffles around the room as people adjust to their new forms. 

Cody had heard every word that Ventress had said to Rex, about her saying that this is his Rex'ika's fault. He tries to shuffle to Rex, calling out to him to comfort his little brother "Rex'ika." Rex hears the familiar nickname, looking towards the direction that his Ori'Vod's voice came from.

"Bubby…" a second later, Rex bolts out of the room and runs as fast as he can. Away from everyone. Cody calls out to him and tries to follow, but he can't move very well at all. Everyone else doesn't know what to say. Their expressions are a mix of fear and confusion, not understanding what has just happened to them. All anyone can really think about is Rex's safety. They need to know that he's alright...

taglist: @captainrexisboo @pro-fangirls-unsocial-life

[renegadeontherunn]

happiness by taylor swift is a disaster lineage song, sorry I don’t make the rules

okay so yes I should be writing or doing homework instead of making this extremely rambly, slightly incoherent post but it’s friday so I’m vibing and you lovely people get to join me!

this is the ultimate star wars grief song for our tcw trio and I see it in three different contexts:

Ahsoka’s POV to Anakin, Obi-Wan, and the Order after she leaves in the season 5 finale

Ahsoka & Rex during/after Order 66

Obi-Wan & Ahsoka to Vader (Obi-Wan on Tatooine and (REBELS SPOILERS) Ahsoka after her duel with him in The Twilight of the Apprentice—for reference, I’ve only seen parts of Rebels so if some of that stuff is inaccurate, let me know!)

so we go . . .

honey when I’m above the trees / I see this for what it is

on a ship, in the Force, in hindsight

but now I’m right down in it / all the years I’ve given / is just shit we’re dividing up / showed you all of my hiding spots

#1: Ahsoka’s years learning in the Order, being a Padawan, her dedication to the Jedi and her faith to their teachings (”the values of the Jedi are sacred to me”), all the years she’s given are just completely thrown away as soon as there’s suspicion against her (in the unfinished episodes, Anakin says “well what choice did we give her? the moment there were any suspicions about her loyalty the Council turned their back on her.”) they both share this anger about her expulsion, and Ahsoka brings it up later during the Siege of Mandalore when she says “and what? defend the Council’s actions? I hardly think I’m the best person for that.” 

#2: again, Ahsoka’s years fighting alongside the 501st, growing close with Rex and Jesse and everyone else to suddenly find them turning on her (this is before she knows about the chips, of course). she could also be feeling this in tandem with Rex—“those soldiers, my brothers, are willing to die and take you and me along with them!” all the years Rex has given in the 501st, with his brothers, fighting for the Republic, having to watch his brothers be killed and not be able to do anything, all his hardship just means nothing. their attempts to be themselves, to be unique, to not just be “another number,” were useless in the end. the “showed you all of my hiding spots” line points to the closeness and friendship that they had with each other

#3: again again, pretty self-explanatory, all the years Ahsoka and Obi-Wan have given to teaching and learning from and loving Anakin are just completely thrown away by his fall to the Dark Side and him ultimately trying to kill them. the same for the last line applies here, they were brothers, they were sister and brother, they were a family and then it was all ruined.

I was dancing when the music stopped

In each of the scenarios, they were preoccupied, in the middle of something else (the war, capturing Maul, defeating Grievous, helping Ezra, etc.) when everything stopped and collapsed. each situation was completely unexpected and each time, their worlds fell apart.

and in the disbelief / I can’t face reinvention

#1: all Ahsoka’s ever known is the Jedi, and now without them (without anyone to help her or any connections or support), she has to completely change her way of life, as well as lie or invent a new background for herself (”Skywalker Academy,” “my older brother taught me,” “I used to live on the upper levels of Coruscant,” etc.)

also—Ahsoka becomes Ashla, and then Fulcrum (reinventing herself over and over again) and Obi-Wan becomes Ben. obviously, they don’t want to have to change, and again with “in the disbelief,” each of these events was unexpected and a complete gut punch.

there’ll be happiness after you / but there was happiness because of you / both of these things can be true there is happiness / past the blood and bruise / past the curses and cries / beyond the terror in the nightfall

I don’t think this line needs any explanation, but I’ll give some anyway! In a meta-sense, the audience started Star Wars with the happiness after all three events, but especially Vader. the Original Trilogy showed the end of the Empire, the Rebellion, the happy endings of Luke, Leia, Han, etc. in-universe, both Ahsoka and Obi-Wan hold this sense of bittersweet nostalgia (because how can you not?), both with Obi-Wan training/looking after Luke and Ahsoka joining the Rebellion and helping the characters in Rebels. they’re both trying to ensure happiness after Anakin. 

but, of course, of course there was happiness because of Anakin, that’s what The Clone Wars shows us! we see them happy (or, at least, somewhat) in tcw, which obviously makes everything much sadder, but still. they were happy. and Obi-Wan and Ahsoka both know it—we see it explicitly with Ahsoka meditating to Anakin’s holo and reminiscing in Rebels. they found happiness and love and family in the war, where there was so much death, so much destruction, so much darkness and terror. they found each other, they found happiness anyway. this can also apply to the OT, since that trio also found family and happiness in the midst of the Empire.

it’s this inherent optimism that both Ahsoka and Obi-Wan share that Anakin doesn’t (or didn’t) that’s keeping them afloat. it’s the adherence to the light, to kindness, to compassion. 

haunted by the look in my eyes

#1: going back to our three scenarios, you could say Ahsoka was probably haunted by the look in the Council members’ eyes—especially Yoda, Plo, Obi-Wan—when they expelled her. as well as, of course, the look in Anakin’s eyes when he begs her to stay and she says no. the ending image of season 5, the last image we ever saw of tcw for years—with Anakin’s sad, wide eyes—yeah. that look.

#2: overall, this context has less to it, but I’ll still argue that the look in Rex’s eyes, in the clones’ eyes haunted both Ahsoka and Rex, probably especially Rex. or even, not seeing his brothers’ eyes and instead seeing their blasters pointed at him. their final scene, with the eyes of the helmets (Ahsoka’s eyes painted on) stuck on sticks. yeah, that definitely haunted them both.

#3: Obi-Wan and Ahsoka both get horrifyingly clear images of Anakin’s gold eyes. Anakin’s look when he shouts “I hate you!” surely haunted Obi-Wan, as well as Anakin saying “Ahsoka” and “then you will die” with a very clear, obvious image of Anakin’s gold, scarred eye through his mask. 

that would’ve loved you for a lifetime

#1: Ahsoka was prepared to be a Jedi forever, for a lifetime

#2: Rex, more in this case, but both he and Ahsoka did and would’ve loved the clones forever. those were Rex’s brothers and it’s so clear, especially with the scene of him crying in the hangar bay, that this is killing him

#3: Obi-Wan and Ahsoka would’ve loved Anakin for a lifetime—and I’d argue they did, despite everything (”you were my brother, Anakin! I loved you!” and “my Master could never be as vile as you” and “to the best of us”)

leave it all behind

#1: sorry if this is getting repetitive, but yeah, Ahsoka left everything, her entire life, everything and everyone she’s ever known behind

#2: Rex and Ahsoka leave everything on that moon, including her lightsabers that she just got back and then had to give up a second time

#3: Obi-Wan leaves everything behind and flees to Tatooine. Ahsoka tells Ezra this—to let Kanan go, essentially leave the past behind him. And she can’t “save her Master” either. she too must let him go. 

tell me when did your winning smile / begin to look like a smirk?

this is just so Anakin slowly falling to madness and the Dark Side. Ahsoka and Obi-Wan thinking about the signs they’d missed, if there was some way they could’ve stopped it, if just one thing had been different, if they’d just noticed. trying to figure out where it all went wrong. 

when did all our lessons start to look like weapons pointed at my deepest hurt?

#1: “the values of the Jedi are sacred to me”—and then she’s expelled and told that it was part of her great trial in becoming a Knight. a foundation of the Jedi Order and its process gets turned against her.

#3: this line becomes literal—Padawan lessons, sparring, suddenly became dueling Anakin to death, for both Obi-Wan and Ahsoka

no I didn’t mean that / sorry, I can’t see facts through all of my fury

#1: you could argue that Obi-Wan is right when he said Ahsoka let her feelings cloud her judgement in leaving; that she couldn’t see the facts through the pain of being betrayed by the Council. and then, when she comes back in the Siege of Mandalore, immediately, she and Obi-Wan start arguing, and then both of them are clouded by their feelings, both feeling hurt by the other and lashing out.

#3: again, this is just so Anakin turning to the Dark Side. he obviously doesn’t realize that he’s being blinded by fury (or maybe he does and just doesn’t care, or probably, thinks that is the only way). but he is. he’s completely blinded to logic, to reality by the fury that Sidious has spent years amping up and harvesting and Anakin himself has spent years bottling.

you haven’t met the new me yet

this line is really painful if you view it from Anakin’s perspective. they both believed he was dead, but no, turns out he’s a Sith Lord, in fact the Sith Lord that’s been the Emperor’s tool in causing immense pain and destruction across the galaxy. it’s this evil, excited little line from his POV (think that ROTS comic: “please say it’s Kenobi. Lord Vader gets such a thrill from killing people who care for him”)

there’ll be happiness after me / but there was happiness because of me / both of these things I believe

again, there’s that optimism, that desire to help people, to do good in the world, and this faith that Obi-Wan and Ahsoka both have. that’s why Obi-Wan helps Luke, that’s why Ahsoka joins the Rebellion. it’s all to ensure that there will be some happiness, some light after them (and maybe a little because of them. again, see the first chorus. they were happy once, and they both know it. “we’ll be fine, as long as we stay together.”)

there is happiness / in our history / across our great divide

I see this mostly as Ahsoka and Anakin (and Obi-Wan) during season 7. there’s still a connection, of course, love and happiness between them, despite the ending that’s right on their heels, as well as the great divide of Ahsoka leaving the Order.

there is a glorious sunrise / dappled with the flickers of light

Anakin does end up returning to the Light Side and his reunion with Obi-Wan is surely like a “glorious sunrise” that ended the darkness of the past twenty+ years. the second part I just see as a fun, literal line—flickers of light are lightsabers, blaster fire, the Light Side

I can’t make it go away by making you a villain

in short, Obi-Wan and Ahsoka can’t make the pain or the past happiness go away because Anakin’s now Vader. they still both remember Anakin fondly and with love, despite his fall. they loved him, still. in ROTS, when Anakin says “from my point of view, the Jedi are evil!” Obi-Wan doesn’t say “then you are evil,” or even “you are wrong,” he says “then you are lost.” lost. as in, can be found again. not evil, not unworthy, not wrong. just lost. there’s this goodness that Anakin has that he is ignoring and straying from (”there is good in him”). and in the context of Order 66, Ahsoka can’t and doesn’t make the clones villains because she knows they’re actually the victims. as much pain as it causes, they’re not the villains and she can’t act like they are. 

so I know there’s a lot of discourse about Anakin apologists or whatever, so all I’ll say is that George Lucas has said that the prequels are to show how a “nice little kind kid, who has good intentions” turns into Darth Vader. the whole point of the PT is this line—while Anakin/Vader is no doubt the villain in the OT and in ROTS to a degree, that doesn’t make everything else go away. the other stuff doesn’t excuse what he did, all the pain he caused, but we can’t make it go away, just because he’s a villain. that’s one of the beauties of the prequels, that we get this extremely fleshed out, torn and struggling kid who ends up making all the wrong choices and becoming the terrible villain we see in the OT. 

I guess it’s the price I pay for seven years in heaven

while none of these scenarios is seven years exactly, it does continue to drive the point of “all the years I’ve given is just shit we’re dividing up.” everything these characters had, individually and with each other, just gets utterly, completely ruined. 

in a more meta-sense, the ending of The Clone Wars is the price we, the fans, pay for seven seasons of the show. 

no one teaches you what to do / when a good man hurts you / and you know you hurt him too

this could point again to Ahsoka and Anakin, but also Ahsoka and Obi-Wan after she leaves the Order. when she comes back, none of them really know what to say, what to do, how to act around each other. this obviously comes out as arguments and words that are so close to what they really want to say, but just short. they’ve all been hurt and none of them know what to do about it. 

and, of course, Obi-Wan and Anakin in ROTS. Obi-Wan doesn’t want to believe that Anakin’s fallen to the Dark Side, and later on Tatooine, knowing he’s hurt and been hurt by Anakin, doesn’t know what to do

after giving you the best I had / tell me what to give after that

again again, all the years they’ve given. all the love they had. everyone they knew & loved. gone. 

leave it all behind / and there is happiness

[lifblogs]

Whumpay 2021: Day 9 - Gentle / Brutal

A Fool's Hope

read on ao3 1412 words star wars, rebels, ezra bridger, grand admiral thrawn, graphic depictions of violence, torture, interrogation, beating, shock collar, force suppressor

“I’ve never had a Jedi captive before,” Grand Admiral Thrawn mused as he looked Ezra up and down.

It was difficult to read the expression on his face, and Ezra knew trying to sense him through the Force would be useless, thanks to the shock collar he’d had put on him moments ago. Thrawn had explained its uses, and right away, Ezra had tested that, and he was still recovering. Muscles throbbing, skin around his neck burning, he made himself meet the red gaze that stared him down.

“Yeah? Well don’t get used to it.”

The big Chiss man had a hint of a smile on that all-too passive face now, clearly amused. Ezra met it by baring his teeth.

“I don’t think you’re in any position to tell me what I should or shouldn’t be used to.” Then, Thrawn put up a hand and gestured backwards at the two stormtroopers guarding the entrance to Ezra’s cell. “Leave us.”

Ezra thought about trying to make a break for it when the doors opened, but with the confidence in which Thrawn moved, he had a feeling he didn’t want to mess with him. Instead, he found himself stepping back, legs hitting the bunk, and he lost his balance. As the guards left, he fell.

The light from the hall was cut out with the door closing once more, and the grand admiral closed in on him.

“What do you want?” Ezra challenged, despite backing himself into the corner. (Come on, really? The corner? Stupid move. Nowhere to go to now.)

Thrawn reached out a hand to him, and as it drew closer, Ezra grimaced, trying to flinch back from it.

“Uh… what?”

He ran a hand through his short hair.

“Pity. I liked the longer hair on you. We’ll have to get a new holo for the wanted posters.”

“Hey, can you not?”

Thrawn drew back. He smiled (uh oh). “My apologies.”

Suddenly, his head was forced back, and he was kneed right in the gut. His air left him, and his lungs and diaphragm didn’t seem to know how to suck more in. Ezra nearly toppled over at the great, throbbing pain, but Thrawn held him steady with just one hand. Karabast!

“Now, tell me, where is your Rebel base?”

Ezra coughed, and then got out, “What… What makes you think we have one?”

Thrawn simply sighed, and Ezra waited for another blow. It came, this time by the hand holding his head, slamming it back against the duracrete. His skin split open at the sharp contact, and as blood rushed over his scalp, he saw stars in his vision.

Great, not like he needed his head to be intact or anything.

“Do you think me a fool, Ezra Bridger?”

Ezra tried to smirk at him through the pain to get his answer across.

Grand Admiral Thrawn withdrew and began to slowly pace, hands behind his back, as poised as ever. Meanwhile, it took all of Ezra’s strength to not topple over. Without thinking, he reached out for the Force, sensing it around him, willing it to lend him strength.

The shock collar was engaged.

He collapsed, body thrashing, pain searing his nerves. His muscles spasmed so violently he fell to the durasteel grating of the floor. The impact hurt, and made his world spin, but it didn’t hurt nearly as much as the shock had.

Sometime during all of that he’d stopped trying to reach out for the Force, and his body was released from its torment.

“I’m not here to play games with you.”

Ezra’s mouth was filling with blood. Apparently he’d bit his tongue. He spat the thick, metallic liquid out, and tried to hold himself up, despite how weak he was.

“Good. You’d probably lose.”

That earned him a hard kick to the ribs, and he cried out, hugging his arms to himself and trying to roll away from him.

“I could just as easily acquire another member of your crew. Perhaps… Sabine Wren? Or your master, Kanan Jarrus?”

Ezra fought back tears at the thought of this monster having them, face scrunching up in distress. But he wouldn’t say anything. He couldn’t. He couldn’t let Grand Admiral Thrawn know more about his weaknesses.

A gentle hand that had harmed him mere minutes ago was on his shoulder, and was helping him sit up. Ezra tried struggling, but Thrawn’s grip was firm, albeit still… soft. A shiver ran down his spine, and he did his best to not think of the Seventh Sister. Not all these Imperials were creeps like that, were they? He remembered how much she’d touched him. Mostly his face, but still.

He was sitting up now, Thrawn crouching before him. He seemed weary, but his brows had lowered, noticing something. He caressed Ezra’s face, and despite wanting to draw back from it, there was simply nowhere to go.

“Interesting. This frightens you more.”

“Kind of used to the whole pain thing,” Ezra said. Can we get back to that? he silently hoped, though had almost said out loud. The taunt wouldn’t do much, just dig this hole he was in deeper and deeper.

“Did one of the Inquisitors mistreat you, boy?”

“How did you—? I mean, no. No. Definitely not. Completely friendly. Went straight to dueling me with those sick lightsabers, you know?”

“Hmm… You do fear brutality though, don’t you? Just not in the quantity I need. I admit, your master has trained you well.”

Thrawn ran his fingers along the shock collar, as if letting Ezra know he wasn’t at all afraid of the pain such a device could inflict. Or perhaps he did as just a… sense of ownership. Ezra didn’t even want to think about it.

“Yeah, uh… you’re not my type.”

To Ezra’s great surprise, Grand Admiral Thrawn stood and started laughing. Laughing! What in the…?

“Don’t worry. I’m not at all thinking about you like that. You humans are all alike, aren’t you? Someone is gentle to them, or shows an interest of some sort, and they think, Oh, perhaps they find me attractive. Well, news flash, boy, the galaxy doesn’t revolve around you.”

“Oh, and I suppose it revolves around you,” Ezra shot back.

“On the contrary, it revolves around our great Emperor. Now, I take no joy in politics, but his reign is final.”

“Did Darth Vader tell you that?” he challenged, wondering if the “grand” admiral had indeed even met Darth Vader. Though, speaking his name, even with him surely parsecs and parsecs away, left Ezra feeling cold inside.

To his surprise, Thrawn froze, back going ramrod straight.

“Darth Vader wants you dead.”

“Then kill me.”

“No, I think not. There’s still a use for you, even if I can’t get you to talk.”

“Maybe if you torture me a little more…?” Ezra hedged, not wanting Thrawn to go back to previous ideas.

But it was too late. His thoughts were clearly already set in motion.

“I hope you enjoy your stay here,” Thrawn said. “I’ll be sure to send your friends by to say hello.”

“Wait, no, no!” Ezra pleaded, suddenly up on his hands and knees and scrabbling after him as he made to leave the cell.

With a harsh turn, Thrawn kicked him, and Ezra was sent sprawling across the floor. Before he could even think about getting up, too dazed from the blow, his face was being grabbed, the grip fierce now. His jaw felt as if it was about to crack beneath those strong fingers.

“Your lack of desire to cooperate gives me little choice. So tell me where the base is, or Kanan will be here within the hour.”

Quickly, Ezra thought of a lie, one he hoped would work well. He gave him the name of a random system, and Thrawn let out a growl before throwing him back down.

He didn’t thank him, or say anything to let him know if he believed him or not. As he left the cell, letting Ezra contemplate his pains and failures, he somehow knew he didn’t believe him. And he was now bait. Kanan would come to rescue him, and there’d be no hope then.

No, he couldn’t think like that!

But the dichotomy of gentleness and brutality he’d faced left him with nothing to hope for. Ezra, knowing it was a fool’s hope, tried reaching out for Kanan. All that greeted him was the burning, spasmodic shock of electricity.

[generallynerdy]

Maybe it does all add up to a single hush (Kanan Jarrus/Cal Kestis)

Summary: 15 years after the Fall, 10 years after the death of Caleb Dume, Kanan Jarrus and Cal Kestis find each other again.

Warnings: Jedi: Fallen Order Spoilers, Implied/Referenced Character Death, cursing, brief suicidal ideation/thoughts Word Count: 5,143

Author’s Note: the effort I had to put in not to make this another series...I had to stage an intervention for myself. Anyway, I love Cal and Kanan’s dynamic, whether as partners or as friends, and an Idea struck me that wouldn’t leave. Also, idk how old most people think Cal was when the war ended based on JFO clips, but I always just kind of went with him being the same age as Kanan at the end of the war bc I love them and I need them to know each other. The title is from the poem “So They Say— They Finally Nailed— The Proton’s Size— & Hope— Dies—” by Rosebud Ben-Oni.

Read On AO3

*

When the hard part is over, Cal returns to Bracca, his new lightsaber tucked under Cere’s old robe that still smells like the Temple, with the intention of burning Prauf’s body.

Caleb still had his own robe. He kept it in the deepest part of their shared closet, bringing it out only on the worst days. If Prauf saw it, he never mentioned it, and both boys were grateful for it. There was a lot he didn’t mention.

Cal thinks, sometimes, that Prauf knew who they were before. After all, it’s hard to look at two abandoned kids in the wake of the Clone Wars that can survive being riggers and not think of the thousands of Jedi younglings that died on Empire Day. It’s even harder to ignore two lightsabers and one ratty, brown robe.

Maybe Prauf wasn’t sure.

But he had to be, on that last day, when they found that fighter. When Cal caught him with the Force. He knew then, maybe before. But he still took care of them.

Maybe he knew when the Empire showed up, when Caleb heard the roar of a TIE Fighter and looked instantly to the redheaded boy beside him like he was about to die before his eyes. Maybe that was the moment he put it all together. Or was it his last moment? When the world began to go dark and both Cal and Caleb lashed out in fury at his killers with matching, bright blue blades—did he know? Did he know that he died for the children of an already dying Order?

Standing over the bonfire, Cal holds the Holocron in shaky hands.

Did Prauf know his sacrifice would save the life of every child just like them?

Cal moves away from the flames to the gap in the ground that they’d held Caleb over, his calloused hands clawing at the Ninth Sister, who clutched his throat.

Deep in Cal’s heart, he knows half the reason he beat her was for his best friend. He’d almost given in to rage but stopped himself at the memory of him. Revenge is not the way of the Jedi. But justice is. And so is survival, these days.

Caleb’s lightsaber fell long before he did. When he did fall, he went screaming bloody murder, the noise echoing in the silence that rang in Cal’s ears.

Standing at the edge now, Cal almost considers simply...stepping off.

He can survive it. He has before. And what’s to say that Caleb isn’t waiting at the bottom?

Caleb...used to like animals, he remembers. He preferred them to plants, which are unreadable if you don’t have practise with them. Animals, like people, are complex but tell you in simple terms what they want and what they don’t want. Cal has always been better with plants. They’re simple, grounding, natural. Caleb used to tease him for it.

The only plant he ever managed to grow on this place was a seedling in a boot filled with dirt he kept in their room. It had been making good progress in their last weeks, enough that he’d actually felt some semblance of hope.

And then...and then he’d lost everything. Again.

The Holocron burns in his hand, reminding him that there is more in store for him than an endless chasm. Hundreds of thousands of Force-sensitive children are depending on him now, him and the Mantis crew.

Cal lets out a shaky breath. “I couldn’t save you,” he whispers to the wind. “But maybe I can save them.”

On the way back to the Mantis, he turns around to go find the robe and the plant in its boot. The robe smells like blaster fire and the plant is wilting but both are comforting: one because it’s familiar and the other because it’s not quite gone yet.

*

Kanan changes his name.

It doesn’t feel right, hearing his given name from anyone that isn’t Cal or Prauf. The first and only time it happens, nausea sinks in and he quickly makes the change.

Some days, he wants to go back to Bracca. Some part of him still hopes Cal survived the Inquisitors, that he’s waiting for him back at what used to be home, but the logical part of him knows that he’s not. Kanan surviving was a miracle, a fluke, and those don’t happen twice. Sometimes he wishes it had never happened at all.

He managed to save his lightsaber, as broken to bits as it was. It and the necklace Cal gave him are all he has now.

Kanan doesn’t let himself grieve, as much as he knows he needs to. He hardly did it before, on Bracca, but now he won’t allow even a tear. Surviving is the only thing on his mind, though for what he doesn’t know.

When he almost loses that little piece of metal on a string, though, he breaks down sobbing.

It’s the stupidest thing, really. All those lessons on attachment are lost on him now, as he cries over the rusted symbol of the Jedi Order on a piece of scrap metal that Cal had put on a cord for him. He keeps it close to his heart, hanging off his neck every hour of every day if he can help it, and getting that close to losing it is the last straw.

He knows now, why he’s surviving. Because Cal would want him to.

Meeting Hera is a relief. She’s kind but curious, which is more of a bane than it should be.

(Painfully, he’s reminded of himself as a youngling. His Master always said his frequent questions were what drew her to him.)

She’s the first to know about his past, both as a Jedi and a rigger on Bracca. He doesn’t think to mention Caleb, doesn’t think it would matter to anyone, not until after a mission gone bad.

Hera is putting bacta on his wounds and graciously ignoring his constant wincing when she sees it.

She points to the cord after examining what hangs on it for a minute. “For someone who’s trying to be discreet, you wear a lot of Jedi stuff.”

Kanan snorts. “Yeah, well, I won’t get rid of this one.”

“It’s important to you,” she points out. “Can I ask why?”

He hesitates, swallowing roughly. “My best friend gave it to me...on Bracca, befo-before the Inquisitors caught up to us,” he admits. “He didn’t make it.”

Her eyes are full of empathy, something she never lacks. “What was his name?”

“Cal,” he says, voice quiet. “Cal Kestis.”

“If you remember his name,” she promises, “he’ll always be with you.”

It’s not so much a Twi’lek belief as it is her own but it reminds Kanan of Grey more than anyone else. His buir. The clones subscribed to many Mandalorian beliefs, including the echoing of remembrances for the dead. Before the abrupt end of the war, little Caleb used to say his every morning with his Master and buir.

So, he decides to start again. It’s difficult, at first, to even get through the first names, his oldest names.

“Depa Billaba,” he says through tears in the quiet of pre-dawn, “Grey, Styles, Prauf...”

He stops.

It’s hard to think, even harder to say, but he knows he needs to. He needs to tell himself the truth, needs to accept the truth.

“Cal—”

He sobs, shaky and painful. His throat burns just like it did when he fell down the chasm on Bracca, screaming his head off, part out of fear for himself but mostly for fear of what was happening to Cal above him. It hurts to speak it into the world, into the Force and those marching on. Cal is among them now, he knows. He just...has to admit it.

“Cal Kestis,” he finally says, the admission wobbly and half-hearted.

He never loses the necklace again.

*

They’ve finally settled on Bogano, after wiping every trace of it from Imperial data servers. The Holocron is safely locked away in the Vault, guarded by their crew and the Binog, fondly called ‘the big guy,’ mostly by fault of Greez.

Though mostly self-sufficient, occasionally some of them will leave the planet for supplies they can’t make themselves. While off on supply runs, well, they can’t help it if some Imperials just look like easy pickings. Apparently, slavers get the same treatment because Merrin ends up a figure in some sort of oral tradition of a Tatooine family, which Cal finds hilarious. Cere is not so amused and grounds them—literally, in that they can’t leave Bogano—for over a month.

Cal spends most of it repairing old platforms and ziplines, not to mention entertaining the Boglings.

They’re fond of him, for some reason, and BD-1, who loves to run around with them while Cal works. One in particular, named Rabid by Merrin after she stole her entire plate of food, is especially loveable.

Cal snickers as he pulls Rabid off his shoulder. “I have to finish this, then I can play.”

Rabid is not pleased with his answer, nibbling at his trousers.

“Rabid,” he chides, ignoring her in favour of his work. He laughs again. “I used to know somebody who would’ve loved you, annoying as you are.”

BD, who has taken Rabid’s place, beeps curiously.

Cal’s face falls a little. He pauses in his work. “Oh. I guess I’ve never told you about Caleb, huh?”

The little droid shakes his head.

Cal never intended to talk about Caleb to anyone, really, but it all comes pouring out. He tells BD and Rabid all about his old best friend, his confidant. The story is a long one, reaching from the creche all the way to Bracca and its bitter end. By the time he’s finished, his voice is quiet and hesitant, his grief echoing through.

Rabid curls up in his lap, nudging his hand, while BD sits in front of them, tilting his head.

A little light on the side of his scope says that he’s recording. He does that a lot, Cal knows, for prosperity, just like he was programmed to. Cal doesn’t mind, really.

When he finishes, BD gets his attention by chirping.

“Huh? You have something to show me?”

BD’s projector whirrs to life and a blue image appears. It’s Cordova, again, but not a video this time. It’s only a holo, of him and another Jedi—Master Jocasta Nu, Cal realises. Master Cordova is dead asleep on her shoulder and she’s leaned over to kiss his brow.

“Oh,” Cal breathes out, something jarring in his chest.

BD-1 thinks that he and Caleb were—well, were like that.

“I—” he pauses. “I dunno, buddy. I never asked him if...but I think…”

Well. It’d be a stretch to say Cal loved him, but he certainly cared for him more than he ever did anyone else. When they were thirteen and stupid, he might’ve said he had a crush on him. After the Fall, on Bracca, he just...didn't think of it. Caleb was all he had and he clung but he never...thought about what it was, thought about what they were.

It hurts to think of now, all that he missed.

“I don’t know if I did,” Cal tells BD quietly. “But I think I- I think I could have.”

BD asks about Caleb a lot, after that. Maybe he can tell that talking about him makes Cal happy. The others know about the one he lost but they don’t ask. They all have their demons and Cal’s are just...just too great to pile on another person. BD, though, is a little easier. All he wants is to see Cal smile again.

*

“What’s this?”

Kanan doesn’t think to look up at whatever Ezra—the newest addition to the Ghost crew—has swiped from him, until he notices a weight missing from his neck. His head snaps up to where a cord hangs from Ezra’s hand.

“Give that back,” Kanan growls, not meaning to be so aggressive.

Ezra’s eyes widen. He holds it out immediately, dropping it into Kanan’s open hand. “Sorry,” he mutters, watching curiously as Kanan puts it back on.

Almost by instinct, Kanan tucks the piece of scrap metal back under his shirt and breathes out a sigh of relief. He goes back to his datapad. Then, a moment later, when he notices the entire room is still silent, he looks up. Sabine and Zeb have joined Ezra in staring incredulously.

“What?” Kanan asks, his voice back to normal.

“I’ve never seen you that mad before,” Sabine admits with a half-shrug, though her eyes betray her concern.

Zeb nods, arms crossed. “And I’ve never seen you without that thing on your neck.”

“Yeah, you even sleep with it!” Ezra adds. “What’s up with that?”

“I—” He goes to make an excuse but stops, his hand fidgeting with the necklace.

“You don’t have to…” Sabine starts to say, but he shakes his head.

He sighs. To be honest, he’s surprised Zeb and Sabine haven’t asked before. “My best friend gave it to me.”

Ezra immediately sits down across from him, eyes wide. “Another Jedi?”

Admittedly, the kid is a lot like he used to be: always asking questions, always pushing. It’s going to get him in trouble someday but for now, it just gets him more stories out of Kanan, stories about the Jedi.

“Yeah. Yeah, another Padawan. We grew up in the Temple together.” He smiles, a fickle and fleeting thing. “He was picked by a Master before me, so we were separated...at the end. But I found him again, on the planet he was last assigned. He gave me this.”

Ezra’s face is bright, curious. Sabine, on the other hand, looks prepared for a gut-punch.

“What happened to him?” she asks quietly.

Kanan exhales sharply, ruefully. “Inquisitors. After 5 years of nothing, they came out of nowhere. I never saw what happened to him. For all I know, they still have him.”

“Oh,” Ezra says, his face falling.

“You know, Zeb,” Kanan begins, not wanting to make things any sadder, “his Master was a Lasat.”

He scoffs. “No way.”

“He was, swear it on my life!” he claims, raising a hand. “First time I saw you, I thought Master Tapal came back to haunt me for being a bad influence.”

Zeb snickers. “Bad influence? You?”

“Eh, a nudge here and there. We were not good kids.”

He tells them a few stories before Sabine and Zeb are called away by Hera and Chopper, leaving Ezra and Kanan alone. Ezra makes to follow them but stops, his expression cautiously blank.

“What is it, Ezra?” Kanan asks, already knowing that he’s brimming with curiosity.

“You said he was...your best friend?”

He frowns. “Yeah, ever since we were kids. Why?”

“I dunno. The way you talked about him just reminded me of my parents,” Ezra admits hesitantly. “Sappy. Did you—?”

Kanan sighs, touching his necklace again.

He had always been more reckless than Cal, back then. He threw himself into everything, into every situation. No matter the problem or the person, he was all-in. No matter what. And that included Cal. Once he took that step, he was karked. Before he knew it, he was hanging onto the redhead’s every word.

Cal was...different. Kanan had known that for a long time but the war only brought it out.

Kanan had a stupid crush, that was all. But on Bracca, it was everything and more.

He’d known then, known for a long time. Cal had never seen it but he didn’t have to. Kanan was fine the way things were. It didn’t feel right, bringing things up after...well, after. So Cal never knew.

(Sure, he could see the past of things with a single touch of his hands but he’d always been pretty oblivious.)

“Love him?” Kanan asks, raising an eyebrow.

Ezra nods.

It’s without hesitation that he answers. “I did.”

When they go in search of Master Luminara, Kanan’s kids buy him a precious few minutes to search for a Cal Kestis in the prisoner logs. He’s not there, of course, but Kanan thinks he prefers that to a death certificate.

*

“Ho-oly shit,” Greez says over comms one day. “You guys better get up here.”

Cal shares a look with Cere, following her out of the workshop with BD on his shoulder. Merrin has already teleported to Greez’s side when they arrive, lightsabers in hand. Greez passes the young man—not so young anymore, Cere has commented teasingly as he desperately shaves away any trace of his age—a pair of electrobinoculars.

Squinting through the scope, he spies a trail of smoke on the horizon attached to a ship.

“Kriffing hells,” Cere says after she gets a look.

In all their 10 years here, no one has ever landed—or crashed, for that matter—on the planet. The few ships that have come into orbit were Imperial and always quickly dealt with before word could get out. This one, however, isn’t exactly your standard Imperial cruiser. And it’s wrecked.

“Looks like a modified VCX-100 light freighter to me,” Greez says. “It’s a nice ship.”

Merrin rolls her eyes. “Are we waiting for them to come to us?”

“Looks like we don’t have to,” Cere declares, still looking through the binocs. “They’re headed this way, six hostiles. Three humans, a Lasat, a Twi’lek, and a droid.”

Greez laughs. “A Lasat? We’re kriffed.”

“Says you,” Merrin snorts.

“I’m with her,” Cal agrees, a cocky smile on his face. “Merrin and I will take the Vault. Cere, Greez, take home. BD will lure the big ones our way.”

“You got it, kid.”

Cere puts a hand on his shoulder before he can follow Merrin—more or less, seeing as she just teleports everywhere. “Be careful.”

The worst part of intruders is that even the hypothetical good ones can’t know Bogano is here. They’ll have to knock them out hard enough for their memories to be spotty and dump them in a nearby system if they’re smart—and they are.

Cal slips on his robe, a gift from Cere, and flips the hood up, making for the Vault.

If these visitors think they can take the Holocron, they have another thing coming.

*

“Are you sure we can find help here?” Ezra asks for the third time as they approach the massive building in the distance. “It looks...deserted.”

Hera sighs for the third time. “Scanners said there were signs of life here in a higher concentration than the rest of the planet. It’s worth checking out.”

Sabine gestures through the mild fog. “There’s buildings up ahead.”

“Good, let’s head there,” Kanan says, a cautious hand on his lightsaber.

Hopping across platforms is a pain, but they all manage to make their way to what looks like a residential area. A small path digs into the ground, leading deeper inside the planet’s crust. With a look at her second in command, Hera starts toward it. However, she stops when Kanan freezes.

“Do you feel that?” he asks suddenly, squinting as he looks into the distance.

Something is...tugging at him. Something in the Force is insistent that he go...that way. The feeling of incompleteness settles inside his chest.

“No…” Ezra replies uneasily. “What is it?”

He shakes his head. “I don’t know.” After a moment, he decides. “I think I should go this way. You guys go on ahead.”

Zeb scoffs. “I’ll go with you. We don’t know who lived here. Could be Inquisitors for all we know.”

“They generally prefer places with lava,” Ezra counters.

The group splits, with Hera leading Sabine, Chopper, and Ezra into the abode. She and Sabine have their blasters raised, while Ezra keeps a hand on his lightsaber. Chopper is always ready to give someone a nasty shock.

“Anyone home?” Sabine calls.

There���s no answer.

They come across a small kitchen and dining room, where two chairs are pulled out. Over one hangs a small, ratty brown robe with multiple blaster burns.

Ezra plucks it off the back of the seat. “Woah, cool,” he breathes. “Very Jedi-like, huh?”

“Leave it, Ezra,” Hera chides fondly.

“You’d best,” says another voice.

All three of them jump as a lightsaber hums to life. Double-bladed, the weapon burns bright white throughout the room, illuminating its bearer, a woman with dark skin and hair, and her companion.

“Inquisitor!” Ezra cries, lighting his own.

The lightsaber wielder’s friend fires off a blaster right at Hera, who’s shoved out of the way by Sabine. Chopper shrieks, his head spinning.

“Look out!”

On the surface, Zeb follows Kanan to the edge of the platform. There, they find a zip line, which they intend to brave before a series of chirps stops them.

Zeb yelps and lifts his rifle when a droid appears, only stopped by Kanan’s raised hand.

It’s...a buddy droid.

“Hey, little guy,” Kanan greets cautiously. “What are you doing all the way out here?”

He beeps excitedly and backs away, indicating that they should follow. With a single leap, he attaches himself to the zipline and whirrs as he zooms all the way down.

“Don’t tell me we’re following the droid,” Zeb groans.

Kanan just smiles. “We’re following the droid.”

Using the Force to balance himself, he leaps atop the zipline and begins to tiptoe his way down. Behind him, Zeb sighs but reaches up to grab the line, following right after him. They land on a platform a good distance away, where a small slope is guarded by two statues; the beings depicted are of an unknown species, one lost to time.

“I don’t like this,” Zeb says as soon as he hops onto the grass. “It’s like the start of a bad horror holo.”

Kanan snorts. “If that were true, it would be raining tookas and massiffs.”

The buddy droid whirrs loudly to get their attention and bounces his way up the sloping path, on top of which sits a fluffy native creature. Kanan doesn’t know what they’re called, but this one is adorable. She chirps at them, much like the droid did.

“Oh, you’re a sweet little thing, aren’t you?” Kanan coos, moving to meet the creature and let her sniff his hand.

She makes a happy noise and nudges him.

“Ugh,” Zeb mutters, “more things.”

The droid and the creature lead them to the entrance of the massive, ancient building that had caught Kanan’s eye from the crash site. He steps in front of Zeb, placing his hand on the runes in the rock as the Force sings. This isn’t what’s calling him, but…

“Something is here,” Kanan whispers.

“I hope it’s not something that wants to eat us,” Zeb says long-sufferingly.

The slab of rock retreats into the space above, leaving an open tunnel of sorts.

“Karabast,” the Lasat curses, “I hate Jedi stuff.”

Kanan rolls his eyes. “C’mon.”

It’s a tight fit, but the two squeeze their way through, Kanan leading the way. They exit into a large cavern filled with a few inches of water, just enough to be annoying. Standing in the midst of the cave is a figure in a brown robe. The moment Kanan spots him, he draws his lightsaber and stands in front of Zeb until he can ready his rifle, too.

“You are not meant to be here.”

Kanan frowns. “The Force says otherwise. Who are you?”

“The guardian of this vault. You need to leave,” the figure says.

From underneath their robe, they draw a very familiar weapon. With a snap and a hiss, two blades of yellow light appear. Kanan lights his own lightsaber in response but it’s too little too late.

A green smoke encompasses Zeb, who yelps as he’s flung across the room by a pissed off Nightsister—which makes zero sense because they’re all supposed to be dead.

Kanan makes for his friend, interrupted only by the mysterious guardian rushing at him.

“Where did you get that lightsaber?” the faceless figure hisses.

And, well, Kanan doesn’t know how to answer that question except with another question. “Where did you get yours? ”

Back in the residential platform, Hera leaps in between Ezra and the lightsaber-wielder. “Wait!” she cries.

Both stop, staring at her like she’s crazy.

“That’s a healed kyber crystal, isn’t it?” Hera asks, pointing to her white blade. “You’re not an Inquisitor. You’re a Jedi.”

The woman lowers her lightsaber just slightly. “I was.”

“I’m one, too!” Ezra chirps, popping out from behind Hera. “Er. I’m training to be one!”

Her eyes widen. “A Padawan? Who’s your Master?”

Before he can answer, Hera speaks for him. “Kanan Jarrus. But his name used to be Caleb Dume.”

“Caleb?” she asks, her voice hushed in awe. “Depa Billaba’s Padawan?”

She nods.

Abruptly, the woman turns sharply on her heel, raising her comm unit to her lips and rushing out the door. “Cal, they’re non-hostiles, non-hostiles! Don’t hurt your boyfriend!”

“What!?” Ezra and Sabine cry at the same time, the former’s voice cracking.

Without another word, they follow her and her friend outside.

*

Merrin has the Lasat out of the Vault long before Cal gets his opponent to the entrance, admittedly. Lightsaber to lightsaber combat is significantly more balanced than Nightsister magick against a bo-rifle, poor guy.

Still, Cal pushes the intruder to the top of the Vault’s slope, the man just on the edge of slipping.

That’s when Cere’s voice crackles through the comms.

“Cal, they’re non-hostiles, non-hostiles! Don’t hurt your boyfriend!”

Hand grasping the intruder’s shirt, holding him above the edge, Cal freezes. He meets brown eyes and suddenly can’t breathe, gaze drifting to the cord around the taller man’s neck. His gloveless fingers just barely skim the material, Force signatures exploding in front of his eyes.

And suddenly, he can see it. He can see himself, painstakingly painting that symbol onto the metal and bartering for a cord. He sees an older Caleb sobbing in the quiet of an unfamiliar room, clutching that necklaces like a lifeline.

“Did you—?”

“Love him? I did.”

A shaky breath passes his lips.

“Caleb?” he asks, voice breaking on the name that’s so unfamiliar on his tongue.

The grip on his wrist loosens.

Kanan hears the woman’s voice, clear as day, but he almost doesn’t believe it at first. He almost doesn’t believe when he hears that whispered question. Caleb. It’s the name of a stranger and yet—yet when that robe’s hood slips off to reveal red hair and bright green eyes, he feels like he’s never known any other name.

“Cal?”

The Force wasn’t calling him to the Vault. It was calling him to its guardian.

Silence falls, the rest of the world fading away. All they’ve been through, all they’ve seen, and it all stops in this moment. It all adds up to this.

Cal lets go of his shirt, letting him balance precariously at the top of the muddy slope down from the Vault. Neither of them speaks—neither of them knows what to feel, except bright, unparalleled joy.

Cal doesn’t let himself flinch when Caleb reaches, his fingers just barely skimming his cheek.

He doesn’t get much further. Green smoke encompasses his body and before Cal knows it, his best friend is being flung from the Vault entrance to the platform beyond, screaming as he goes. The platform beyond, where the Oggdo used to reside, is covered in flowers. It was there that Cal planted his little sapling in a boot and there that the plant spread, covering almost every inch of land with budding blue and yellow flowers.

Cal whirls around to see Merrin, her eyes glowing green.

“Merrin, no!” he protests, eyes wide with desperation. “That’s Caleb!”

Merrin’s glowing fades as she glances at the nearby Lasat and her friend’s horrified face. “My mistake,” she says in that tone that says she knows exactly who he is.

(They were taking too long to speak, in her opinion.)

Cal huffs at her before getting a running start toward the entrance, using the Force to balance himself as he slides down that muddied slope, sailing right toward Caleb. Near the end, he leaps into the air, propelling himself a mere few feet from his collapsed companion.

“Caleb!” he cries, stumbling the last few steps and falling to his knees, where Caleb is face-down in the damp grass, his hair-tie mysteriously missing.

Caleb is—well, he’s okay. He’s just...wheezing with laughter.

He pushes himself up on his elbows and flips over just as Cal makes it to him, his chest heaving with the effort. And still, he laughs, a half-mad sound.

“Are you o—?” Cal is cut off by his own yelp when Caleb flings himself up from the ground and pulls Cal with him.

He embraces the redhead, dragging them both to their feet so he can swing Cal around. Cal shrieks and hitches his legs up on his hips, as difficult as that is with the man’s height—the bastard, he grew. He reaches desperately for Caleb’s shoulders to hold onto when they spin, completely unaware of Cere and the rest of Caleb’s group appearing on the platform.

Finally, Caleb stops, looking up at Cal with shining eyes and a smile that could kill a man. Cal leans forward, letting his forehead fall against his and breathing out a sigh of relief.

“I thought the Inquisitors had you,” Caleb whispers, a thousand more words in the back of his mind, too many to count.

Cal’s eyes well with tears. “I thought you were dead.”

Caleb has always been more reckless than Cal but the latter was the one to hear his words echo through that necklace, an admission years too late. It’s because of that little echo that Cal buries a hand in the hair that falls to his shoulders and pushes his head upward, meeting him in a searing kiss.

Out of shock, Caleb both squeaks—adorable, Cal thinks—and clutches the back of Cal’s shirt for a moment before dropping him. Luckily, his instinct has him landing on his feet.

The drop pulls him away and, looking up, he sees Caleb looking shell-shocked.

He just grins, grabs the taller man’s shirt, and pulls him in for another kiss, this one saying much more than the first. Caleb plants his feet and buries a hand in Cal’s hair for good measure.

They both ignore Greez cackling in the distance and Sabine’s whispered: “What the fuck, what the fuck, what the fuck —”

Because in that moment, all is right with the galaxy. Cal’s flowers are fully grown and blossoming beneath their feet, Caleb’s robe is waiting for him in the other room, and they have each other again.

And that’s all they’ve ever really wanted, isn’t it?

*

River’s Tags: @hahaboop & @mystoragehatesme

Masterlist

[sithsdoinshit]

who would each of the sith (ignoring Mister Sexy Palpitations) adopt once they got close with the person, regardless of age? (give me that found family pls I'm starved for comfort)

i will ONLY refer to sheev as “sexy palpitations” from now on, thank you

we need some cute shit in here after that clone wars episode, amirite pals

vader: oh, his stormtroopers, most definitely. they are all his beautiful children that can’t shoot for shit. he would have adopted aphra, too, but that sure didn’t work out well, did it

maul: uh, ezra??? as a little brother. though he might have to “share custody” with kanan, who would rather eat bantha shit than let maul adopt his padawan.

savage: there’s nobody in particular he would adopt (besides ezra, who he immediately likes because he reminds him of feral).. but you can bet your bottom dollar the younger members of death watch bring out his older brother instincts.

asajj: ventress honestly enjoyed her time with the krayt’s claw and blood bone order, lassa rhayme and latts razzi in particular. she really likes women with the initials ‘L.R.’, apparently. if she could have those two and her nightsisters with her, she’d be set for life.

dooku: if things had been better, both qui-gon and obi-wan would be his sons/grandsons. asajj would be his daughter, too. in a world where nobody died, nobody fell to the dark side, they could just be one happy jedi legacy---the sassiest, most extra and fabulous legacy of all.

kylo: the knights of ren, of course. just a bunch of edgy bastards who probably terrorize any and all video game servers they play on. they do so much stupid shit together and even welcome hux to join them (who politely declines)

nihilus: you can’t ever tell me he didn’t care for visas marr. he would have been proud to have her as a daughter or little sister, and that desire still persists despite everything. i like to think they’ve reconnected in this AU..

grievous: he already has thirty kids with his wives, thank you very much. he doesn’t need to adopt anyone else. there weren’t many people he liked in the confederacy, anyway, let alone wanted to adopt.

inquisitor: we don’t know for sure what was going through his head during the trial, but i like to think the inquisitor felt for barriss. maybe even agreed with her beef with the order, deep down. what if he sought her out after his turn to the dark? worried if whether or not she was included in order 66?...

lana: she grew close to a surprising amount of people in the alliance, like theron and the outlander/commander. lana dislikes the circumstances that brought them together, but the sense of belonging she felt with them is something she’ll never regret. 

[smokeybrand]

I Am No Jedi

With season two of Mando over and the entire series in the can, for now, i was still on a pretty high Star Wars kick. Since i have Disney+, and time before WandaVision starts, i figure I'd ride this wave right into another Star Wars show i didn’t have the opportunity to actually get into deep; Star Wars: Rebels. Now, i have REALLY mixed feeling about this show. It’s an odd watch for me because of the conflict between the parts that are clone wars-y and the original content being presented. I kind of hate it when Ahsoka, Vader, Maul, or Thrawn aren’t onscreen but, at the same time, there are some really standout episodes. The Honorable Ones and The Forgotten Droid immediately come to mind. Unlike Clone Wars, however, which is a whole ass masterpiece of storytelling and character development, Rebels feels incredibly flaccid, overall. Still, i did like some things therein. Others, not so much...

The Things I liked

This show is gorgeous, man. The character models are lovely, this soundtrack is one of the best in the entire franchise, and the animation is head-and-shoulders above the first last season of Clone Wars. By that i mean season six. This thing ain’t got sh*t on season seven. Not even a little bit. Even so, this how is f*cking stunning to see. Everything about this aesthetic is just chef kiss levels of kino, as the kids would say.

All things Ahsoka. Look, its no secret i adore Ms. Tano but she really comes into her own with Rebels. You get to see that wisdom she gleaned during the Clone Wars on full display, even if she isn’t a proper Jedi anymore. Watching her reunite with Rex was wonderful but watching her fight Vader? That was hard. That was really hard. That episode, Twilight of the Apprentice, is easily some of the finest Disney Star Wars produced to date. It’s up there with Mando and the seventh season of the Clone Wars, for sure, and is the best episode of Rebels, itself, hands down.

Vader.

Maul in Rebels was exceptional. I enjoyed his turn in Clone Wars, of course, but his relationship with Ezra and his growth over the course of this series was exquisite. I was stunned by how much i liked Maul because, admittedly, i didn’t see the allure. I came to Clone Wars late so watching Maul blossom was a surprise. Seeing that continued evolution through Rebels was a real treat. That last duel with Obi-Wan? F*cking tragic. Beautifully tragic.

The Inquisitors. I like the whole concept of the Inquisitors but, specifically, The Grand Inquisitor and the Seventh Sister are decidedly the superior of the lot. I really enjoyed Grand and felt like his character was a little short-changed but Seventh Sister came along and picked up that slack only a few episodes later. Thanks to Rebels, i got other amazing characters like Second Sister in Jedi Fallen Order, The High Inquisitors in

F*cking Thrawn, man. I knew this dude was the dude from the Thrawn trilogy sequel books and never expected him to actually be canonized. Seeing my favorite blue sociopath show up in season four was a real gas, giving him proper credence as a threat going forward in the canon Disney mythos. The revelation that Ahsoka’s whole mission in her Mando appearance, was just to find a lead on this dude, was one of the biggest geek-outs i ever had for Disney Star Wars and it was Rebels that set all of it up.

Speaking of canonization, Rebels mad Darth Bane a thing and i will forever be grateful of that fact. Darth Bane is a huge deal in the canon and Filoni sneaking his legitimacy into the new lore, right under Kathleen Kennedy’s hating ass sabotage, was genius. I heard that he wanted to do the same for Darth Nihilus, Darth Traya, and Darth Scion, but that script was rejected. I imagine Darth Kennedy didn’t care for the Bane slip and put the kibosh on all other lore.

I actually like a lot of the additional lore. The Bendu, those temples, the mega-weapon on Malachor, The Veil; All of it enriches and expands upon the new canon. It gives it more life, more potential. and i love potential in storytelling. Makes for a ton of different, wonderful, possibilities.

Look, i just really like the Bendu. That motherf*cker is hilarious.

I really did enjoy Hera and Sabine. Those two ladies were a delight. I’ glad they were added t the lore because, particularly Sabine, there is a wealth of potential for them going forward. Hell, we’ve already seen the return of Hera in Star Wars: Squadrons and, with Mando going full anthology, i would be hard pressed not to think that Sabine will have her turn as the titular Mandalorian in a few seasons.

Not going to lie, seeing Zeb in this show was pretty dope. As a Star Wars geek, i knew that the Lasat were basically prototype Wookies that were cast aside. It’s dope seeing that design getting a second wind onscreen and a prominent role in the main cast. Plus, i mean, Zeb is actually a pretty chill character, himself.

The Things I didn’t

What the f*ck are these lightsabers, man? They're supposed to reflect the original concept of the weapons from one of the first Star Wars draft scripts, which is cool in a geek sense, but corny as sh*t in practice. These things look anemic, as f*ck, man.

It’s ridiculous to me that the crew of the Ghost are so goddamn pivotal to the fledgling Rebellion. These assholes cannot be this important, even with all of the plot armor. Like, seriously, I'm supposed to believe that they were the ones who retrieved the B-Wing, founded the first Rebel base, and stole Phoenix Nest from the Empire? Word?

There no stakes to this show. Like, i get that our principals had a lot of plot armor in Clone Wars, i never once felt like Ahsoka, Kenobi, or Anakin were ever in real danger, but there were certain episodes where i thought, for sure, their characters would be totally crippled somehow. Not with Rebels. I don’t expect any of these motherf*ckers to have even a semblance of lasting bruises. Kanan literally dies and nothing of importance was lost. Like, i know this is Ezra’s show but goddamn.

Speaking of Ezra, i hate this kid. I don’t know if that’s by design, like Filoni did with Ahsoka in the first few seasons of Clone Wars, but i grew to love her. She’s literally my second favorite character in the entire mythos, after Vader. Ezra did not grow on me. At all. I hate that so many lore altering events surrounded this dipsh*t. Kid ain’t even all that powerful in the force. I’m pretty certain that Ahsoka is stronger than Ezra is but he gets to be the one to “discover” the Veil of the Force. Like, bro, for real? You telling me Anakin, Yoda, or even f*cking Luke missed out on this sh*t? Word?

This show feels a lot like Avatar The Last Air Bender but worse. I had a whole ass emotional connection to the characters in that show. It broke my heart to see Azula having that meltdown. I did feel that same agony in Rebels, but it was for Ahsoka. When Vader looked up and you heard Anakin’s voice through the filter? “Ahsoka.” F*ck, that broke me. It was like watching Spider-Man getting dusted in Infinity War. I never felt that way about any of the ghost crew. Never. Not when Kanan died. Not when Ezra disappeared. Never.

The best parts of this show, of the actual, Rebels, canon, is either leftovers from Clone Wars or Legends content. Bane, Thrawn, Ahsoka, Rex, Obi-Wan, Yoda, Vader, the Emperor, even f*cking Hondo; All characters that existed before Rebels. Outside of the Inquisitors, Rebels added nothing of worth to the canon. It’s effectively a non-show. I mean, The Veil might be a thing eventually. We’ll see. That motherf*cker is a whole ass retconning mcguffin if I've ever seen one.

It’s weird to say, but nothing about this show feels of consequence. I know, for a fact, there are certain aspects Rebels added to the lore that will be vital to the overall canon but it doesn’t feel like that, you know? It feels like this was a detour, a frolic of, like, three or four episodes but holds no bearing to the grander scheme playing out. Sh*t’s ridiculous because Clone Wars felt like a whole ass problem, Rogue One gave us a legit catharsis, and Mando outdid everything Disney ever made while setting up an entire new age. F*ck, man, even the sequel trilogy gave us Kylo Ren. Rebels feels like Star Wars: The Filler Show and i kind of hate it.

[storytellerofuntoldlegends]

don’t you know that the kids aren’t alright

A/N: this is my first prompt fill for the @badthingshappenbingo! And not only that, but it is my first non-Sanders Sides fic in a long time! Some of you may not know this, but I am a huge Star Wars nerd, and I really adore Star Wars: Rebels. I also really adore the dynamic between Ezra and Sabine, and while this fic in particular is platonic/familial ezrabine, but it could be romantic if you squint! Also, this fic is a slight scene rewrite of “Always Two There Are” bc my thought whenever watching scenes with characters in peril is “oh they could have done this SO much more angstier”

Prompt Used: “Choking”

Warnings: interrogation, violence, death mention (no one actually dies though), choking 

-

Ezra stubbornly stared down the Seventh Sister. Her red blade hovered close to his throat, but he refused to tell her anything. How did the Inquisitors even know about Ahsoka?! As far as Ezra and the other rebels knew, the Empire shouldn’t have been aware of her- but that clearly was no longer the case.

“What has the boy revealed?” a voice asked. Ezra’s gaze shot over to see the Fifth Brother, with Sabine in tow. He shoved her forward, and she fell to her hands and knees beside Ezra.

“Nothing I wish to share. Contact your friends and bring them here, that’s all I ask,” the Seventh Sister demanded. 

“Let me think about that… ah- no,” Ezra replied, pretending to ponder his answer before glaring at the Seventh Sister.

“Contact your friends,” the Seventh Sister repeated evenly, leveling her lightsaber at him. Ezra grit his teeth in frustration.

“I’m not talking to you right now. Sabine, where’s Zeb?” Ezra asked, turning to her with a questioning look.

“We tried to fight, but Zeb never had a chance,” she replied, regret crossing her features. Ezra’s stomach dropped.

“What are you saying?” he asked, refusing to accept what Sabine was implying.

“Your friend is dead,” the Seventh Sister said with a soft, yet morbid sense of glee. Ezra’s eyes widened, and he would have leapt to his feet if not for the Seventh’s Sister’s lightsaber still being held threateningly towards him.

“No! He can’t be- you’re lying! Sabine, she’s gotta be lying!” he cried out, looking to Sabine again. She only frowned, shaking her head sadly.

“I don’t know, Ezra,” she replied, her shaking voice just barely a whisper.

“He’s dead, and there’s nothing you can do about it. Now for the last time- contact your friends!” she demanded, shifting her lightsaber away from Ezra to instead reach out towards him with the Force once more. Ezra grit his teeth, trying to block out the tendrils of the Force trying to latch into his mind.

“No,” he groaned out, glaring at the Seventh Sister. Her mouth set in a firm line as she pushed harder with the Force. Ezra let out a pained groan as he writhed against her attempt to control him, refusing to let her in.

“Augh! Enough of this,” she muttered, dropping her hand. Ezra let out a shuddering breath, slumping against the control panel slightly. Sabine looked at him with concern, looking like she wanted to do nothing more than reach out and comfort him, but didn’t want to risk agitating the Inquisitors. The Seventh Sister seemed to notice Sabine’s impulse to rush to Ezra’s aid, and a cruel smirk curled her lips. She turned to the Fifth Brother, giving him a curt nod. A malicious grin split his face, and Sabine was suddenly pulled up and away from Ezra. The Fifth Brother made a clenching motion with his hand, and a strangled gasp escaped Sabine as her hands leapt to her throat, trying to pry away hands that weren’t there.

“Sabine!” Ezra cried out, eyes wide with horror as Sabine struggled in midair, choked-off sounds escaping her as she tried to breathe.

“Contact the rebels, or you will lose another one of your companions,” the Fifth Brother growled.

“Ezra…” Sabine managed to gasp out before the Fifth Brother clenched his hand tighter. Ezra couldn’t tell if Sabine had been pleading with him to help her, or to call their friends, and he found himself more or less paralyzed with fear. If he did nothing, Sabine would die. If he called Kanan or Hera for help, so many more would die. Luckily, Ezra didn’t have to make a choice, as his comlink suddenly beeped.

“Hello, Spectre 6. Come in. Do you read? This is Commander Mayloorun,” Zeb’s voice came, and Ezra barely managed to stifle his relief at hearing the Lasat’s voice. The Fifth Brother’s brow furrowed, and he let Sabine fall to the ground. She landed on her hands and knees, one hand massaging her throat slightly as she took in gasps of air.

“Answer him,” the Fifth Brother demanded, his hand still outstretched towards Sabine threateningly.

“Y-yes, Commander Mayloorun, I can hear you,” Ezra said, trying to keep his voice steady.

“You missed your check-in. Am I correct in assuming mechanical difficulties have got your craft stranded again and you are in need of help with repairs?” Zeb’s voice came. Ezra swallowed nervously, unsure of how to reply- or if he even should reply. The Fifth Brother seemed displeased with Ezra’s hesitation, as he ignited his lightsaber and pointed it at Sabine.

“Answer him,” the Seventh Sister encouraged, seeming like she was trying to suppress a smirk at Ezra and Sabine’s predicament. Ezra’s mouth twisted into a frown.

“I- I wouldn’t say we’re stranded again…” Ezra trailed off, trying to seem lighthearted. The Fifth Brother grit his teeth together, grabbed Sabine by her head and pulled her up to her feet. He moved his blade to hover near her throat, and Ezra internally cursed his moment of cockiness.

“But then again, maybe we could use some help. Bring Kanan and… better bring Ahsoka too,” Ezra continued, hoping his answer would satisfy the Inquisitors. Fortunately, they were, and the Fifth Brother sheathed his lightsaber, and shoved Sabine towards Ezra.

“Very well. Meet you in Bay 6. And don't worry, we'll fix everything. Just keep your chin up and it'll all be fine,” Zeb replied through the comlink. Ezra and Sabine exchanged nervous looks. Just what was Zeb planning?

-

As it turned out, Zeb’s plan worked out pretty well. After detaching the Phantom from the ceiling and scooping up Sabine and Ezra, they hightailed it out of the old medical station and back to the Ghost. They told Kanan the distressing news of not one, but two Inquisitors, and after that, it was reporting the events of the mission to Commander Sato.

Ezra wandered down the main corridor towards the cockpit on the Ghost. He stopped in front of Sabine’s door, and before he could decide against it, he walked in. He saw Sabine sitting on the seat below her bunk, hands idly fiddling with a near-empty can of spray paint. Ezra grimaced when he noticed the faint bruising around her neck, but shook it off and tried for his usual lopsided grin.

“You’re gonna spray that thing in your face if you aren’t careful,” he teased, relieved when it got a light laugh out of Sabine.

“Might spray it in your face if you aren’t careful,” she teased back with a smile- but her smile didn’t quite reach her eyes. Ezra frowned, unsure if he should get closer to her or just leave Sabine alone.

“Are you okay?” he blurted, seemingly against his will. Sabine hesitated, one hand absentmindedly going to her throat. She dropped the hand as soon as she had brought it up, letting out a sigh.

“It wasn’t your fault,” Sabine said, her eyes meeting Ezra’s. Ezra squeezed his eyes shut, letting out a shaky sigh before opening them again, refusing to meet Sabine’s gaze.

“How is it not my fault?! The Inquisitors are after me, and Kanan- and Ahsoka too! And they hurt you to try and get to me- if Zeb hadn’t called… I don’t know what I would have done,” Ezra rambled, voice strained.

“You’re just a kid, Ez. You shouldn’t have to be put in situations like that,” Sabine replied softly.

“You’re not that much older than me,” Ezra pointed out. In any other situation, the phrase would have sounded indignant coming from Ezra. But in this case? He was the most solemn he had ever been. They were both kids, really. Kids hopelessly intertwined in a galaxy-wide war.

“I guess you have a point- but I’m not gonna stop fighting the Empire,” Sabine said firmly, her gaze almost challenging Ezra to doubt her.

“Didn’t say you had to. And I don’t plan on stopping either,” Ezra replied defiantly. Sabine chuckled, shaking her head fondly.

“I’ve never really thought about how crazy this all really is,” Sabine huffed out with a sigh.

“Yeah… but hey, at least we’ve got each other, right?” Ezra asked, looking to Sabine semi-sheepishly. She set down the spray paint, then got up and walked over to Ezra so that she could ruffle his hair fondly.

“Of course, Ez- I’ll always fight for you, and I know you’ve got my back too. That’s how family works.”

[bedlamsbard]

you've probably been asked this before, but-- thoughts on jedi fallen order? your star wars meta/fic/etc is always my favorite and i'm very interested to hear what you think of the new game!

I liked it a lot!

So, as I’ve said before, I haven’t played it; I watched a playthrough on YouTube about a week or so after it came out, so I’d gotten spoiled for it despite trying to avoid spoilers, and the particular playthrough I watched actually had the sound cut out on two of the big scenes, so that was a disappointment.  Watching it rather than playing it means that I definitely missed some things that I’ve seen people mention about it, and I’d like to play it at some point if I can get the tech to cooperate, though that likely won’t be for a while.

I was a little wary about Cal Kestis going in because of the comments that the creators of the game had made about not wanting to have a female/POC/alien main character, but for me Cal was good enough, sweet enough, and interesting enough to overcome that.  I really liked how much weight JFO gave to trauma, living with it, and overcoming it, with Cal, Cere, Merrin, Trilla, and the other characters.  Obviously the poncho is Peak Star Wars, and BD-1 is very sweet.  And I love Inquisitors.

I know JFO has gotten some criticism for being ~yet another padawan survivor story, but Cal is so distinct from either Kanan or Ahsoka that that’s not really how it feels to me, and I think his interaction with Cere, Trilla/Second, and the Ninth Sister really make his story unique compared to the other two.  I love the beginning of the game; it’s such strong world- and environment- building, and the strong sense of Cal’s personality really comes through in his introduction (headphones, blasting music, “I’m trash, I’m just not approved trash” -- he’s peak 2019 gen Z, in my millennial POV).

As far as the actual plot goes, it’s *flips hand* pretty much eh.  It’s a MacGuffin and there’s no way around that; it’s also revisiting plot points from TCW and the Charles Soule Darth Vader comics.  I can understand why Lucasfilm would want to continue to revisit that particular plot point but also, I’m tired of it.  As far as JFO goes, the MacGuffin is mostly an excuse for the journey, which was...interesting.  There are parts of it I really liked; sorry, my dumb brain loves gladiatorial fights even if that probably wasn’t, like, necessary.  Kashyyyk was fun; it’s fun to see Saw Gerrera again even if I’m also kind of like “dude, you haven’t changed your armor in fifteen years?”  I enjoyed seeing Dathomir again even if I have mixed feelings about the choices made insofar as the worldbuilding, but Merrin was really wonderful.  The Zeffo...I still feel that the Zeffo, aesthetically, belong in Stargate rather than Star Wars; their actual use in the game also felt a bit more Stargate rather than SW, for me?  I mean, they’re also a MacGuffin, but I suppose insofar as SW go they’re on the same order as Loo Re Anno’s species from the Han Solo comic or the Rakata from the EU, so not really something that doesn’t have a place in Star Wars.

The Inquisitors. I love Inquisitors.  I don’t necessarily love these Inquisitors. I unfortunately got spoiled for the Second Sister’s reveal as Trilla/Cere’s former padawan, which kind of affected how I felt about her, and I’m also in the FB cosplay build group for Second and it’s a little cutthroat, so that affected it too.  She’s...fine?  Something about her just doesn’t hang together for me, and I can’t quite put my finger on what it is at the moment.  The Ninth Sister has such a strong personality from the Darth Vader comics, and while she’s in character between the comics and the game, it also means I was a little taken aback by her abrupt ending.  (And I note that it feels a little weird that Trilla gets the name and the tragic backstory and the personal attachment and the not-actually-redemption, but Ninth doesn’t get any of those.)  It was also weirdly surreal for me to see the Fortress Inquisitorius, a.k.a. the canon version of the Crucible from Backbone, but tbh I think the decision to put it on another planet/moon(?) in the Mustafar system actually weakened it.

I got spoiled for Darth Vader’s appearance and that was one of the places where the sound cut out on the playthrough I watched, so it didn’t quite have the effect that it probably would have done had I gone into it cold.  That said, Cal and Cere should probably be dead; as I’ve seen pointed out, Vader hasn’t been allowed to kill anyone of significance in the new canon, which kind of undercuts him.  (The closest he’s come has been Jocasta Nu in the comics.)

All right. The ending. I don’t like the ending. Not because I really thought that Cal and Cere should have refounded the Jedi Order, but because I feel like they put the destruction of the holocron in the wrong place; I think they should have destroyed it to keep it away from Vader.  The conscious decision made not to re-found the Order is really uncomfortable for me, especially in light of the way that the new canon has treated the subject over the past couple years.  I was talking about this with @reena-jenkins a while back, so I’ll just copy and paste what I said there.  (Note that this was back in November, before TROS came out.)

(I’ve cut most of Reena’s responses and a little bit of other conversation we were having.)

So yeah, I have some problems with the ultimate ending decision, but as usual a lot of it comes down to how that intersects with other plot lines that Lucasfilm has done over the past five/six years.

Another thing I kept thinking of throughout the game was something one of the creators said -- either in an interview or at SWCC earlier this year, I can’t remember which, that there was a lot of debate on where to put the hyphen in Jedi: Fallen Order, i.e. that it could have been Jedi Fallen: Order (though title-wise that doesn’t stand up as much).  I do like how much emphasis there is on “fallen order” -- the Jedi Order, of course, but also the Nightsisters, the Zeffo, the Inquisitors and Purge troopers as a kind of twisted version of the Jedi and clone troopers, even the structure of the Republic being corrupted into the Empire.

One thing that took me by surprise with JFO was also how much intersection it had with Galaxy’s Edge!  Not to the extent that I would have noticed it if I hadn’t already been to Galaxy’s Edge, but having gone and also having the kind of brain that literally just absorbs stuff and then retains it.  Like, for example, the Galaxy’s Edge sporks that are now no longer used because people kept stealing them; they’re used in one of the meals on the Mantis.  Cal remaking his lightsaber and using the parts you can get at Savi’s got picked up by a couple of news outlets; I think this is actually a bit unfortunate, because they went for the Galaxy’s Edge lightsaber proportions for many of his lightsaber options and in my opinion, those are less elegant proportions than usually seen in Star Wars, so it ends up looking clumsy to me.  Another proportion thing that follows Galaxy’s Edge -- the holocron, both Cere’s and the MacGuffin holocron; the Galaxy’s Edge ones seem to be proportionally a bit bigger than the holocrons seen in Rebels and TCW, and the ones in the game follows Galaxy’s Edge rather than TCW/Rebels sizing. The Nightsister zombie crate in Galaxy’s Edge may also be a JFO reference rather than a TCW one, though obviously it could also apply to both.

I really enjoyed the Clone Wars/Order 66 flashbacks, though actually Order 66 was ANOTHER place the sound cut out!  I told you that it was the most dramatic reveals where I lost sound!  I loved that Jaro Tapal was a Lasat; I also like that, as far as I can tell, some of Cal’s specific movement types (wall-running and his tendency to be like “cool, gonna climb that”) seem to be more Lasat-inspired than other types of Jedi movement we’ve seen before.  I really like the design of Jaro’s lightsaber; I remember in the promo I was confused about the fact that it didn’t seem to be proportional to Cal, but of course it’s not!  It was made by a Lasat for a Lasat!  Order 66 is always such a mess -- and actually, I’m struck by how different Cal’s and Caleb’s experiences of it were?  I think one thing that the game made clear to me is how lucky Kanan got, in all ways.

The ending is obviously setting up for a sequel; I don’t really think Cal and Cere should have survived, but it we get a decent sequel out of it I guess I’m okay with it.  I know I’m missing details in this review, but I really did enjoy watching it; I liked the characters, I liked the worldbuilding, I think it did some really intriguing things even if I don’t agree with every decision made. (And, selfishly, I like my Inquisition better than the canon one.)