#Imagine Ben losing you sequel

[zepskies]

Talk to Me

Pairing: Soldier Boy x Reader

Summary: Ben had a vivid nightmare last night. You know how he is about his “man feelings.” But you try to get him to open up anyway, before you both lose your tempers.

AN: This was requested by my lovely friend @deans-spinster-witch. It's set in the Break Me Down-verse and is a sequel to the SB imagine below:

See this imagine for context: Ben loses you.

Word Count: 1,600 Tags/Warnings: Angst, hurt/comfort, fluff

Imagine: You confront Ben about his fears.

“What the fuck is wrong with this cocksucking coffee maker?” Ben snarked.

He bumped the top of it with his hand, so hard you thought he was going to break it.

Your brows furrowed as you shot him a look. It was too early for all that.

“Nothing?” you said. “Worked just fine for me.”

He sported an even grumpier face as the coffee finally poured into his mug.

Something’s wrong, you thought.

Ben was usually quiet in the morning. Relaxed and slow until he’d had his coffee and started his routine, with his newspaper at his favorite lounge chair, then breakfast in the kitchen with you.

You were making pancakes on a griddle, but you were also watching your boyfriend. He wasn’t just quiet. He was downright grouchy and taciturn.

What crawled up his ass? you thought. Though you had your suspicions...

“Breakfast is done,” you called to him.

He eventually joined you, sitting down at the breakfast bar. You served him a mildly enormous stack, and just two pancakes for yourself. In most respects, Ben was still a bottomless pit.

However, after eating the first couple of pancakes in silence, he pushed away from his plate and leaned back in his seat. You held your coffee mug between both hands and eyed him.

“You okay, baby?” you asked, repeating the very words you’d asked him last night.

He glanced at you through surly brows. “Yeah. You can stop asking me that.”

Right, you thought. He’d been twitching in his sleep, muttering, making sounds that had worried you enough to wake him with a gentle hand on his dewy arm. His response had worried you too—that haze of disoriented shock, followed by relief when he recognized your face.

You’d comforted him the best you could after his nightmare, but he hadn’t wanted to talk about it. You knew he wouldn’t now, either. That didn’t stop you from trying.

You set down your mug and soothed a hand up his arm, until your fingers disappeared under his shirt sleeve.

“What’s got you all sunshine and rainbows then, Mr. Grouch?” you lightly teased. “I even made you pancakes. Still waiting on my thank you.”

Ben didn’t want to answer, though he briefly glanced at you. He slurped at his coffee.

You sighed. A tick of annoyance at your brow.

“Okay," you said. "Well, since we had breakfast here, I figured we could go out for lunch later when we get to the city. There’s this amazing deli I could take you to—”

“We’re not going,” Ben said.

You blinked in surprise. Your hand fell away from his shoulder. “What?”

“I’ve got things to do,” he said. And without looking at you, he grabbed his half-full plate and got up to bring it over by the sink. He speared a few pancakes back onto the plate you’d served them up in before dumping his plate into the sink.

At least he was learning something about living with you. Now, if he really wanted to impress you, he'd wash that damn dish.

But for now, you wanted answers more than you wanted clean plates. You slowly got up out of your chair and went to him. You tried your best not to be accusatory when you asked your next questions.

“What do you mean? What do you have to do?”

He didn’t seem to want to answer you. Or maybe, he didn’t have a good answer, because he was fucking lying.

You laid a hand on his arm. “Ben. I need you to talk to me right now, because this is our first day off together in weeks. You know this was supposed to be our day. So you’d better have a damn good reason.”

He frowned angrily down at you. “We’re not going because I fucking said so. That’s all you need to know.”

You glared back at him, standing your ground.

You raised a brow. “That’s not good enough with me, and you know it. But if that’s how you’re going to be about it, I’ll call Annie and make it a girls’ day.”

You turned on your heel to walk away, but an iron hand grabbed your wrist. Holding back a wince, you frowned at Ben over your shoulder. His face was tight with irritation.

“You’re not going any-damn-where,” he snapped.

“You better let me go, right now,” your temper snapped right back.

This man was protective, but he had never been this bad. Not even after you got out of the hospital after Vought Tower collapsed. Granted, you’d been fully healed. He’d never outright tried to forbid you from leaving the house though.  

“What the hell is your problem?” you said.

He didn’t want to let you go, but after a beat, he released you. His frown deepened when you had to rub the ache out of your wrist.

He hadn’t meant to grip you that hard. Part of him relented…but then it firmed back up, when he remembered last night. The images were still filtering through his mind on a loop.

The alley, the blood slipping through his fingers, your pale, cold cheek, and lifeless eyes staring up at him.

“There’s something we need to discuss,” he said gruffly.

You tilted your head at him. Your face was tight and angry now, but you still followed him into the living room. You sat down together on the couch, and with crossed arms, you waited for him to speak.

His elbow rested on his knee while his hand swept over his mouth and beard. Then his gaze slid over to yours.

“You need to take Compound V,” he said.

To say that shocked you was an understatement. Your eyes widened, and your body went rigid.

“Excuse me?” you said lowly.

“There’s no way around it,” he said. Grit was laced in his voice, but you didn’t care.

“I’ve made myself very clear—”

“And you also said we’d revisit this little chat, so here we are,” Ben retorted. “You need to live in fucking reality. I can’t be with you 24/7. I don’t trust those CIA fucks to wipe their own ass, let alone keep an eye on you. Especially when I’m in the field.”

You just managed to lasso in your temper when you finally realized where this was coming from. You inhaled a couple of calming breaths. Your fingers tapped your knees. You sat up straighter before you turned to him more fully.

Your hand reached out to cover his on his thigh.

“Ben,” you started. Soft and even. “What did you dream last night?”

His face tightened further, his lips pressed into a line. It took him a moment, but eventually he answered.

“Nothing. Doesn’t fucking matter.”

“We both know that it does,” you chided.

When he just maintained his stoic façade, you slid closer to him on the couch. You curled a hand around his bicep and pressed a kiss to his shoulder.

You looked up at him.

He didn’t want to break.

You just waited until the green of his eyes met yours.

“Hey. It’s just me,” you said softly. “Talk to me.”

His brows knit together, slightly. His jaw clenched and twitched under his skin.

“I lost you,” he said.

Admitting to that was like admitting that his uniform was a lie; that he had no fear. That he was invulnerable. That he was a god in human form.

But you had become the last human part of him. To lose that would be to lose everything again, worse than 1984.

Somehow, you’d become his reason…for most things. He didn’t think you realized it, nor would he allow himself to tell you.

His eyes closed when you leaned up and pressed a kiss to his cheek. You let your fingers sift through his hair, brushing it back and away from his forehead.

“Do you know why I want to stay normal?” you asked. "Albeit fragile and breakable."

He didn’t answer, but his eyes silently asked for one.

“Because I want to stay myself,” you said. “Power corrupts, and there’s a big chance I wouldn’t be the woman you loved anymore if I injected that shit into my veins.”

Ben frowned. He hadn’t considered that…but he still felt it was a price worth paying.

You moved off the couch and into his lap. He welcomed you with an arm curling around your waist and another moving up your thigh.

Your arms twined around his neck, and you kissed him properly, nice and slow. He tasted like coffee and maple syrup. His hair was soft between your curling fingers.

You parted from him after a while, just to press another comforting kiss to his temple.

“I know what I’m asking of you, and I’m sorry,” you whispered against his skin. “But we’ll figure something else out.”

“How?” he scoffed, his brows furrowing again. “In a few decades—”

“I thought you didn’t mind a few wrinkles,” you teased.

A smirk flickered across his lips. “You know what the fuck I mean.”

“I know,” you nodded. “But we have time. I promise, we’ll figure this out.”

Ben didn’t totally believe you. There was going to come a time where you were going to have to make a choice: between him and your principles.

It wasn’t fair, but that was the reality. Life wasn’t fucking fair.

Until then, maybe he could make one concession.

“If you want…” he said. You leaned back enough to see his face.

He met your gaze. “We can go to dinner later. In the city.”

A slow smile spread across your face.

“But we’re getting a private room,” he warned, squeezing your hips. “And we’re driving there and back. That’s it.”

Your smile warmed further, and kissed the corner of his mouth. You were sure you could convince him to go a Broadway show afterwards, if you plied him in a few key ways...

“I like the idea of a private room,” you said.

His fingers crept up your pajama pants, drifting down between your thighs. His thumb started to stroke warmth through your panties. It had you smiling, sighing, subtly pressing into his hand.

His smirk deepened.

“You do, don’t you?” he said.

You let out a breathy laugh at the change in him. It didn’t take much to get him worked up. So you hugged him close and spoke into his ear all the things you had planned for him tonight.

Before, and after dinner.

AN: Lol I love writing this lovable asshole. 💚 Especially in the BMD-verse.

I have more Dean imagines coming soon! Including a requested sequel to "You are Dean's one exception," in which Sam "crosses the line"... 🫣

Soldier Boy Masterlist

Main Masterlist

BMD Tag List (Part 1):

@this-is-me19 @waynes-multiverse @mrsjenniferwinchester @samanddeaninatrenchcoat @spalady26 @spnwoman @syrma-sensei @wirdbeimaufhebengebunden @muhahaha303 @123passwort

@xoxovienna @katherineann814 @lollag0w0 @globetrotter28 @nancymcl @ashbatz @secretdreamlandmentality @kristophalis @wonderland2022 @emily-winchester @shelh93 @sl33pylilbunny @spoonmynoodle @chernayawidow

@buckybarnes-1917 @asgardprincess97 @sometimes-i-sing @itsyellow @karnellius @kimberleymjw @is-this-a-febreze-commercial @iamsapphine @sanscas @se-fucking-hun @lassie-bird @jessjad @yepimthatperson @fromcaintodean @stoneyggirl2

@spnfamily-j2 @im-a-slut-for-fluff @lacilou @venicesem @mimaria420 @vanillawhiskeyflavoredkisses @tearsfortheyouth @agalliasi @chriszgirl92 @kazsrm67

[dalekofchaos]

Context

Context for choice 3.

Here is what I mean about The New Republic and The First Order.

What happens after you win a war? How do you not make the same mistakes or become the thing you fought. What happens in a power vacuum? The New Republic should have been the dominant emerging power, and the Remnant should have been a small, secretive, unknown order, striking strategically from the Unknown Regions where they hid, and causing fear and panic to spread in the NR. After the Galactic Civil War, The New Republic commanders the Imperial Fleet and starts protecting systems who join the NR, all while chasing down and fighting any of the Remnants (Moffs, Warlords, Crime Lords, etc) who have grabbed power in the resulting vacuum. We could have seen an evolution of ships from Old Republic to Empire to NR ones. They could have renamed Star Destroyers into Star Defenders. Hell, they could have had a Republic of independent systems, each with their own sizable military, so that power isn’t centralized.

But no, instead of telling an interesting story, we are force fed the recycled poorly written rehashed Rebels vs Empire and the Rebels are made to be weaker than The First Order. The First Order are a terrorist movement, they should not be reigning after Hosnian Prime’s destruction, ESPECIALLY AFTER LOSING STARKILLER BASE!

Choice 4. Here is how I would give Kylo Ren motivation as to why Ben Solo fell and his main motivation as Kylo Ren.

Choice 6. I don't think there was absolutely no need for a Palpatine clone and eventually Palpatine himself(🙄) we all knew what was happening around the time this trilogy was being made. Trump. Base Snoke around the mango Mussolini and his lunatic fringe followers. An Alt-Right cult leader who cultivates the worst people imaginable. All The First Order needed to be was pointing out The New Republic brought the galaxy to an age of scum and villainy. A lawless state that usurped the rightful rulers that brought law and order. Basically "Make the Galaxy great again with Imperial Greatness"

You see, originally Lucas was going to make Palpatine JUST a politician and base him around Richard Nixon.

“George Lucas has spoken on various occasions of the way that the Nixon administration and the Vietnam war had an important influence on how he shaped the plot of the early films in the saga. The impact that these two events had an American in the 1970s started him thinking about the ways in which democracies can sale and how they deteriorating to dictatorships when corruption goes unchecked. He’s quoted as saying that Nixon - Who he viewed as having subverted the Senate and as acting an increasingly imperialistic way - what is the direct inspiration for Emperor Palpatine the supreme leader of the evil Empire in the first Star Wars trilogy”

So I don't see why they couldn't do something similar with the CLEAR FUCKING EVIL going on in the world at the time this trilogy was being made. No Sith master was needed.

In this scenario, I would call The First Order, The Imperium

Now you might have questions. What about the Stormtroopers and Kylo?

Stormtroopers? Don’t abduct kids, nationalize and recruit them willingly. Abducting children and training them to be Stormtroopers instantly made The First Order out to be cartoonishly evil from the start. So what do you do instead? Use propaganda. Nationalize them. Make them believe The Empire was right and convince them that the life of a Stormtrooper will help bring order in a chaotic galaxy. We’ve seen cults do something similar, Far Right Wing groups do it and we’ve seen Trump radicalize and nationalize white supremacists, so it’s not impossible for The First Order to do the logical thing.

Finn only leaves because he sees they are murdering unarmed civilians and chooses to leave. He is an example that it isn't too late to leave harmful fringe cult movements.

So how would Ben turn in this scenario? He's radicalized by Snoke. Ben starts hearing passionate speeches in the senate and Ben is moved. "I know he opposes my mother, but he's making a lot of sense" "He's right, we need to bring order to the galaxy" and Ben is radicalized by this Imperium movement and what he believes is Snoke's righteous cause. To Snoke, Ben represents everything great about the Empire. Snoke collects Sith Holocrons and uses the holocrons to turn Ben Solo into Kylo Ren.

In this scenario, I wouldn't redeem Ben. He is far too gone. He's committed atrocities in Snoke's name, for The Imperium and to bring order to the galaxy. While Finn represents those who could break away from Right Wing movements and Cults. Kylo Ren is far too gone, he's radicalized to the point where he's a die hard believer like Hux and Phasma and he's willing to fight and die for this indoctrination.

Choice 11. The Episode IX rewrite with Ben living and Reylo ending

Choice 12. The original plan for the Sequel Trilogy was to just get three young directors together to direct the Sequel Trilogy. It was supposed to be JJ, Rian and Colin Trevorrow, but Colin's IX was bad and his Jurassic World trilogy was terrible. So I would make either Matt Reves or Greta Gerwig as the director for Episode IX and ideally they would plan the trilogy out together instead of JJ setting up Mystery Boxes and expecting Rian and others open said mystery boxes and Rian subverting expectations.

[chushanye]

Across the Spider-Verse was so weird because it's over two hours of just build-up with no payoff? This whole movie felt like a set up for the third part in the way the MCU does. And the thing is, they introduced two very interesting topics: parenthood and "opposing" police and then didn't deliver on either. The parenthood storyline featured set-ups like Spider-Woman (Jessica Drew) and her baby. Gwen's "will you adopt me?" and possible found family especially with the repeated discussions on mentorship later in the movie. Gwen's dad commenting on how difficult parenthood is. Rio talking about how hard it is to let go of Miles being her little man. Jeff's talk with spider-man and that thing about spreading his wings. Peter B. Parker and Mayday. Miguel losing his daughter. Like there were so many threads that connected this theme of parenthood and kids learning how to be kind and responsible from adults but that they still need freedom and healthy rebellion even against loved ones. but it never went anywhere and none of it felt connected. at least not within this movie...which is 2h 20min long.

The scene where Miles is about to tell Rio he is Spider-Man could have been so interesting because the thread connecting all spider-people was NEVER cops- it was "Uncle Ben". It was and always has been family, grief, parental role-models and responsibility. but what also connects them is that all of these spider-people lied to their loved ones about their secret identity. right? like lack of communication and lying in order to "protect" them. and while the scene where you realize Miles went into the wrong universe was done fantastically - the music and atmosphere was so good - imagine how good it would have been if Miles chose to break the cycle of pain and death by being open with Rio. he breaks the cycle by being responsible, honest and having trust in his family! and they have to learn how to let him go and "fly" while trusting he will come home safe and that they will be able to care for him. + it would tie at least one theme in this movie together. but it was a fake out scene instead.

but this movie couldn't fully deliver on the parental theme because it goes hand-in-hand with the weird pro-cop thing. you have spider-punk who is there to question all authority but he can't be in the movie for too long because you just KNOW he's anti-police and we can't have that in this movie that literally relies on the assumption that what makes spider-people spider-man is that a fucking police chief dies. and also the whole spider organisation imprisoning anomalies and being judge jury and executioner of what is "right" for the multiverse, and Miguel BEATING THE SHIT out of Miles while telling him he was the original anomaly, that he is a mistake, and so on...(and lets not forget Miles is a young Black boy and all of this carried implications) and the whole plotline that the whole reason this spider-society exists is to specifically target MILES.....bro the implications are so fucking concerning.

and i mean from the first movie miles wants to become spider-man to "help" people the way his dad does so pro-cop idolization was there from the start. but then this sequel attempts to have some criticism of it as well with Gwen's storyline with her dad. where he almost shoots and attempts to arrest her. and i was watching that scene and thinking "you know this is really good criticism because it shows that 'good' cops aren't a thing because they fundamentally are there to protect a system and not actual justice." but then later in the movie they do a 180 and Gwen straight up goes "you're one of the good cops dad. you pick up that badge because if you didn't, worse people then you would" and it's like what kind of "not all cops. the good ones are somehow exempt from the system" bullshit is that? and i thought when she said "you're a good cop, dad" that she was gonna follow it up with "but you're a bad person because of it." and that would have been such a banger line and i got so hyped because that line was so good in my head but no they just straight up went the pro-cop route. also the whole "the thread that connects all spider-men is the death of a chief of police" made no fucking sense. why would the death of his girlfriends dad be super personal to Pavitr and motivate him to be a better Spider-Man???? literally what. WHY was the "thing that connects all spider-men" made to be a fucking police chief. like I'm sorry that's literally so stupid I was sitting there so fucking confused like "it was family????? the line was always with great power comes great responsibility and that they learn the lesion from someone near and dear to them. and Jeff taught miles to "go by the book" and Mile's opposing this spider-society is him refusing to do that (tying into the theme of rebellion) -> so he thematically realizes he need to oppose organisations that follow rules fundamentally opposed to his morals of not killing people....but he doesn't question his dads job? idk between that parallel and spider-punk, and gwen and her dad i thought something fruitful was gonna be there

but i guess i should be that surprised because marvel has been ramming the pro-military and pro-state propaganda for years now. it just feels so performative in this movie where gwen has "protect tans kids" on her wall and miles has a "BLM" pin.

[mylifeincinema]

My Week(s) in Reviews: October 21, 2023

It's been a while... Here's what I've been watching.

The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar (Wes Anderson, 2023) The Swan (Wes Anderson, 2023) The Rat Catcher (Wes Anderson, 2023) Poison (Wes Anderson, 2023)

I dropped the ball and didn't get around to reading Roald Dahl's stories before watching these, but it was hard enough waiting for all four to release on Netflix, so I definitely wouldn't be able to wait to get my hands on the stories. From my understanding of the source material, though, these are all perfectly peculiar adaptations, staying true to Dahl's voice and heart. All four short films shine unique light on Wes Anderson's strengths as a filmmaker and storyteller, and it was a pleasure to witness. The Rat Catcher is very likely my favorite of the bunch, with a bizarre story and characters, including an award-worthy turn by the always fantastic Ralph Fiennes. Second best would easily be The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar, which highlights Anderson's knack for idiosyncratic storytelling, grabbing hold of the viewer and honoring the source material by keeping it intact. Poison was an experiment in suspense, and both Anderson and the cast delivered completely. I definitely wouldn't mind seeing him venture into more tense material in the future. And, despite the jaw-dropping performance from Rupert Friend, The Swan was probably my least favorite, over-utilizing its narrator storytelling to the point where I felt detached from the story. There's just so much to love throughout the four of these shorts, though. Unsurprisingly, the production design in all four is brilliant, and I especially loved how interactive Anderson & Co. got with it all, here. The stagehands and creative handling of props stoked the imagination. Robert D. Yeoman's (and even Roman Coppola's) cinematography was singularly stunning. And the cast was pure perfection. The aforementioned stand-outs are only the beginning; everyone here was working at the top of their game. I know they're shorts, but don't be surprised if you see Fiennes and Friend - as well as Dev Patel and Ben Kingsley - popping up in My Best of 2023 lists. I really wish I could've experienced these in a cinema, but when it comes to Wes Anderson, I'll take whatever I can get, whenever and however I can get it. The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar: 9/10 The Swan: 7.5/10 The Rat Catcher: 8.5/10 Poison: 8/10

Totally Killer (Nahnatchka Khan, 2023)

The overreactions to the way the teens in the '80s behaved got annoying real fast and shone a horribly unflattering light on just how disinterested people of her character's generation are with taking context into consideration when spouting their attention-hungry pontifications. Then again, that's probably the point? So, good job? The cast was okay. The kills were dull. The horror wasn't scary. The comedy wasn't all that funny. The writing in general is lazily paper-thin, and the stakes damn-near nonexistent. - 3/10

The Creator (Gareth Edwards, 2023)

I gets some extra points for being an 'original' sci-fi film in a landscape of sequels, reboots and additions to the MCU, but sadly those wind up being pretty much the only points it ends up with. Despite being 'original', every single aspect of this film feels like a tired rendition of a significantly better film. And worst of all, it's all just completely forgettable... I literally forgot Allison Janney until checking IMDb, just now. Sturgill Simpson was a standout, though. I look forward to seeing him again in Killers of the Flower Moon, this week. - 4/10

Fear Street: Part One - 1994 (Leigh Janiak, 2021) Fear Street: Part Two - 1978 (Leigh Janiak, 2021) Fear Street: Part Three - 1666 (Leigh Janiak, 2021)

They function a little too much as more a limited series than even a trilogy, so they lose some points for that. However, all three are quite good. The best is the first, of course, working the most as a standalone. It also has the best kills and characters, and a tone that most successfully mines the scares out of the material. The second has a good setting, but the extremes of the characters detract from the tone. And while the third works best in its back half, when it completes the storyline set up in the first film, the 1666 section is enjoyable enough in its depiction of just how absurd the 1600s puritan belief system was. 1994: 8.5/10 1978: 7/10 1666: 7.5/10

Enjoy!

-Timothy Patrick Boyer.

[rayningnight]

Star Wars - Ray’s Fic Recs List - Feb 2023

For Want of a Nail, Time Travel, AU/Dimension Travel/Crossovers, etc. Fic Recs List. Mostly Obi-Wan centric! Please mind the trigger warnings in the turn-offs. Relationships specified in the turn-offs too. I kept off the big name fics you probably already know/read that are the top-kudos-ed on AO3.

💫 are my favourites at the time of posting!

Italics are excerpts, summaries, author’s notes or tags, etc, for a glimpse of the fics!

Happy birthday I.C.! Hope whenever you need a break, you can peruse through this easily and find fics you haven’t read or fics you want to go back to! 😊

For Want of a Nail

Pre-Episode I

How one (1) mission changed mission reports for all by jemtessaremuslupin Review: Obi-Wan isn’t taken back by Master Qui-Gon Jinn, and becomes a Floater Padawan. His reports are... interesting. Part 2 is where this fic series shines! Work in progress, as of 12 Aug 2022. Words: 31,473. Works: 3

Be that monster you've been wanting by otherpeoplescoats Review: Imagine if Dooku took Obi-Wan as his padawan when he was 10 years old. Work in progress, as of 12 May 2022. Words: 29,164. Chapters: 12/?

aka, Obi-wan's no good very bad Padawanship fucks up the galaxy

Episode I

Tatooine Gusha by Natural_Logarhythm Review: Master Qui-Gon lost Obi-Wan on Bandomeer. Ben ends up in Tatooine, raising Anakin. This is an interesting storytelling method, where we see Ben’s voice at the beginning when he’s already back at the Order, explaining Episode I in his POV. Work in progress, as of 03 Feb 2023. Words: 51,592. Chapters: 11/15

“How in the Sith-hells do these things happen to you, Kenobi? Enslaved to a Hutt on a desert backwater in the Outer Rim and you still end up raising the Chosen One and defeating the first Sith Lord anyone has seen in a millennium.”

A Novel Alignment by quomores Review: Imagine if Darth Plagueis took in Obi-Wan. (This is not a happy fic.) “Sith Family Comedy,” indeed. I have mixed feelings overall after finishing, but I still think it’s a fic worth reading, this bleak world is... Yeah. Complete, as of 20 Jun 2020.  Words: 62,291. Chapters: 21/21

Darth Plagueis comes into possession of a Force-sensitive child and decides to run a little experiment. It doesn't go quite according to plan.

Cin Vhetin, Ogir'Olar (New Beginnings, One way or Another) by pureimagination Review: Okay, so the premise is that Obi-Wan gets separated from Satine and ends up losing his memories under torture from Death Watch, and this fic starts off 6 years after this, when Ben aliit Mereel ends up preventing Galidraan, and walks the path only Tarre Vizla has ever walked before. SUPER fast updates! Author write 4 chapters ahead and keeps a speedy schedule, and has already posted a sequel! Complete, as of 30 Jan 2023. Words: 28,260. Chapters: 17/17. Turn-Off(s): Character Death

When he is sixteen, Obi-Wan Kenobi is separated from his Master while protecting Duchess Satine Kryze. In one galaxy, he does his duty, falls in love, and leaves that love behind to follow the path of the Jedi. In another, he does his duty, and Death Watch takes him. Torn between two families, Obi-Wan has to find his own path forward.

Post-Episode I

Just Go Kill Palpatine by nevertheless_turtle Review: Yes. Obi-Wan is given the sus truth from Quinlan and responds not as a Jedi but as the caretaker for Anakin, thus exposing Palpatine’s hand early. I dearly hope this updates! The memes in the end too, are just *chef’s kiss*. Work in progress, as of 24 May 2021. Words: 6,832. Chapters: 4/5

In Which Obi-Wan Kenobi is Shown Holofootage of His 12-Year Old Padawan in a Seedy Nightclub With The Chancellor of the Republic And Has A Proportionate Response.

Men of Power by AlabasterInk Review: So, so many father-son feels between Obi-Wan and Anakin here! The what-if where people DO second guess why Old Sheeve Palpatine wants access to tiny padawan Anakin here? Work in progress, as of 04 Jan 2021. Words: 86,177. Chapters: 11/? Turn-Off(s): Gaslighting.

When an old powerful man suddenly comes in and sweeps your underage Padawan away without so much as a by your leave, that’s the time to start asking questions.

💫 Sith Killer by Livsy Review: This takes canon a bit sideways, because a Sith is not just a title here. Work in progress, as of 20 Dec 2022. Words: 107,559. Chapters: 27/40

In this one the Sith are magical dark space creatures kinda like demons

Based on the idea that killing a Sith Lord in turn makes you a Sith Lord

Where We’re Going by Thousand_elf Review: Can we just keep giving Anakin some hobbies? This is great. The glassblowing fic! Work in progress, as of 26 Dec 2021. Words: 8,436. Chapters: 2/?

In a Galaxy where Anakin Skywalker learned how to handle delicate objects, the Jedi and the Republic didn’t shatter, and Palpatine never got to rule an empire.

dead and the gold by Icarus_is_flying Review: This is not a fix-it. This is a what-if: Orders 66, during Episode I. Obi-Wan runs to his ex-grandmaster, because at least he’s not a hunted Jedi, right? Work in progress, as of 25 Dec 2020. Words: 115,123. Chapters: 27/? Turn-Off(s): Gaslighting.

The Republic is in turmoil. In the wake of the harrowing Naboo Crisis, Chancellor Valorum has seized control of the Trade Federation’s droid armies. A failed coup has branded the Jedi Order as traitors. Thousands of Jedi are dead. The rest, fugitives.

Stand By Me (What's in a Padawan?) by ShawnArms Review: Give Obi-Wan a padawan, so give him therapy too! Master Nu really is the best. Throw in some positivity and Tatooine Slave Culture realizations and... tada! Work in progress, as of 25 Dec 2022. Words: 40,138. Chapters: 10/?

The Making of Mand'alor Kryze by phoenixyfriend Review: If Satine died and it turns out Korkie Kryze was Obi-Wan’s son with her? Love the justification that Obi-Wan has to call Anakin his son... Work in progress, as of 18 Oct 2022. Words: 3,916. Chapters: 3/?

Obi-Wan now has his Jedi brother-son, age eleven, and his literal blood son, age six. He’s still a depressed mess; he’s kind of, retroactively, broken the Code, and Bo-Katan won’t stop calling him in the middle of the night to demand her nephew.

💫  Obi-Wan Declares Himself Dad Shaped by phoenixyfriend Review: There seems to be a trend here... but nevertheless, this is such fantastic voicing, for the POV Outsider. Complete, as of 19 Sep 2021. Words: 2,403. Chapters: 2/2

In walks this thirty-something Jedi-looking motherfucker, in robes with some small amount of armor, the second-most ridiculously Core accent you’ve ever heard outside a holo screen, and two kids who look ready to bite someone. The human one is twelve-ish and angry and wearing clothes that are too big for him, and has a lightsaber that he can’t really wrap his entire hand around. The Togruta looks about eight, and is chomping her way through a freshly killed, still bleeding lizard the size of her arm. She is clinging to the human kid’s tunics, and looking around like she’s got no fear whatsoever. You're almost impressed.

Episode II

💫 Shifting the Blame Around by Machina_Fun_T Review: Anakin places the blame on the Senate instead of the Jedi. This skews his views on a lot of different people. Complete, as of 14 Jan 2023.  Words: 17,680. Works: 3

The Ground Beneath Us by stolen_pen_name23 Review: Basically if Obi-Wan put the walker in Skywalker. If only one simple change could have happened for real... Complete, as of 27 Nov 2021. Words: 7,566. Chapters: 4/4

General Jocasta by BairnSidhe Review: Give the librarian the leadership to organize an army and well... Complete, as of 03 May 2022. Words: 18,474. Chapters: 8/8

there is no death (there is a wedding) by virdant Review: Crack. Pure, but hilarious. Excerpt: “Married?” Obi-Wan squeaked. He was unfortunately going through puberty. “What do you mean, I’m married now? I’m a Jedi! I can’t get married.” Or: Obi-Wan accidentally marries a ghost. Only... Jango isn’t dead. Complete, as of 11 Jan 2021.  Words: 8,759. Works: 5. Turn-Off(s): Jango/Obi-Wan

Episode III:

The Vagabond Crew by StephanieStephanie Review: What if Anakin didn’t Fall and ran away with the younglings? It’s not actually that long, and it paints a bleak picture still, but this some-what-of-a-fix-it isn’t a new hope, but many hopes still burning. My heart... WIP as of 16 March, 2021. Words: 19,185. Chapters: 31/?

Sacrifice by Artikka Review: Obi-Wan watches the video of Order 66 with Yoda. There’s a different hurt, here. Even as my heart shrivels up and twists more tears out.... this is still a better 'verse than canon. WIP as of 5 Sept 2020. Words: 6,976. Works: 2. Turn-Off(s): Character Death.

Post-Episode III

💫  Knightrise by deviantaccumulation Review: I think I’ve reread this like four times. There’s so much going on in this ‘verse where we get into the heads of the survivors of a genocide, of Vader, and the bonds between all. The nail here though, is Obi-Wan convincing Yoda away from a fight, from fighting Vader at all, and saving the cinders of the Order. Work in progress, as of 03 Dec 2021. Words: 89,475. Chapters: 27/?

Instead, a small but still alive Jedi Order rises from its ashes on Mandalore.

Unmasked by Mallow_of_the_Marsh Review: There isn’t a central character to this one, but it delves into the consequences of the whole Galaxy seeing the Jedi Temple getting gunned down. Complete, as of 12 Dec 2022. Words: 16,673. Chapters: 6/6

sun of my right hand by loosingletters Review: I need more fics like this one, where Obi-Wan raises Luke himself. Work in progress, as of 01 Mar 2021. Words: 4,307. Chapters: 6/?

inheritance by jesuisdeux Review: Grandpa Dooku gifts his life savings to Obi-Wan. Some officer shows up at Ben’s doorstep on Tatooine. Yes. Now we await part 2 in this series... Complete, as of 14 Mar 2021. Words: 4,737. Chapters: 1/1

Time Travel

Pre-Episode I

Hope Like a Blade, Intolerable by berrymascarpone Review: Would you like your heart shattered, just a little bit? Obi-Wan is born crying, remembering his death. Complete, as of 22 Apr 2020. Words: 2,716 Chapters: 1/1

Whispers of the Future by cywsaphyre Review: Oldie and goodie from ffnet. Author’s stopped writing, so read knowing that Obi-Wan may see the future, but we may never see the future of this fic. WIP as of 28 Jul 2012. Words: 37,640. Chapters: 5/?

💫 One Hundred Hours To Rearrange The Stars by soft_but_gremlin Review: PLEASE READ THIS. Part 1 is completed and Part 2 is a WIP and it’s just glorious seeing Obi-Wan, Anakin and Ahsoka in teeny-tiny bodies being cared for by Mandalorians and Jedi on Galidraan. Work in progress, as of  03 Feb 2023. Words: 41,319. Works: 2

Jango Fett expected several things from this hunt on Galidraan. Three hypothermic Jedi children stumbling into his camp was not one of those things.

💫 Change in the air by Ancathepurple Review: Obi-Wan travelling back after his death in canon to his 13-year-old-body fic on the ride back to the Temple after Melida-Daan. The trauma of a General is much worse in everyone’s eyes, and the ‘genius’ he shows by accident... yes, all of this, YES. Peggy Sue-ish, but I’m living for the family lineage feels. I’ve reread this twice already... Work in progress, 18 Nov 2021. Words: 34,521 Chapters: 14/?

Obi-Wan Kenobi left the Jedi order, for many months, only to return, sullen and quiet at Qui-Gon Jinn's side as people speculated the future fate of the once padawan.

Who you are today (is not who you have to be tomorrow) by wildimaginingsofhalfbakedideas Review: Another Obi-Wan travelling back in time to his 13-year-old-body fic, but this time, he hails the True Mandalorians for help since he knows their views on children. There’s quite a bit of mando’a throughout the fic, as Obi-Wan leaves with the True Mandalorians. Work in progress, as of 29 Jan 2023. Words: 69,612 Chapters: 20/?

Time and Time Again by seriouslythoughwhat Review: This has a lot of potential and I hope it’ll continue one day! Basically, if Ben was sent back , before Xanatos is found, but after Melida-Daan. Work in progress, as of 13 June 2020. Words: 12,168, Chapters: 3/?

Obi-Wan's mind travels back in time to his 13-year-old body post Rise of Skywalker. He tries to navigate being a child again, dealing with a Master who doesn't really trust him, and saving everything he loves. In order to do so, he must be willing to accept the help of those who love him, the question is, can he?

💫 a comedy in four acts by jesuisdeux Review: There isn’t another fic out there that captures this kind of prose, at least not one that I’ve found. It’s funny and definitely written by some English major out there who was like: what if we had not-gonna-take-your-shit Master Obi-Wan and living-to-spite-the-world Grandpa Dooku deciding to change the plot.  Words: 17,263. Chapters: 4/4

Yoda tries to comfort Padawan Kenobi about Melida/Daan, he just doesn't know that Obi-Wan takes his words for, uh, a particular Clone War. Nor does he know he is actually 57.

undeserving fall (this kind of sunlit love) by loosingletters Review: I’m putting this FIRST - Turn-Off: Luke/Palpatine. Yes, you read this crack right. This is crack treated seriously. I gave this fic a chance and so maybe everyone should? Redeeming Palpatine is never something most fics do. Complete, as of 19 Mar 2021. Words: 9,662. Chapters: 1/1. Turn-Off(s): Luke/Palpatine, Romance

A Naboo proverb says that it takes seven steps to fall from grace or climb towards glory. Sheev had never understood why the fall wasn’t considered a victory, when he had fallen towards the dark side with laurels adorning his head.

Post-Episode I

💫  General Kenobi and the Twins by phoenixyfriend Review: Obi-Wan is trying to train Anakin here, and then comes his future-self straight out of a war with two babies in tow. Lovely. Wish there was more in this ‘verse! Complete, as of 11 Nov 2021. Words: 13,174. Chapters: 2/2

Episode II  

💫 Ashes To Ashes, Dust To Dust by Livsy Review: OMG OMGOMG THIS IS JUST. PERFECTION. The POV Outsider from Anakin’s view on a changed Obi-Wan and how THIS Obi-Wan treats him. ;-; I have no words how much I love the hurt/comfort vibes. Work in progress, as of 29 Jan 2023.  Words: 24,477 Chapters: 9/10

In which Old Ben has time travelled back to the clone wars era, but twenty years on Tatooine have left their mark. Anakin notices.

Looking Glass by Livsy Review: Another Obi-Wan time travelling to the past; but he carries a Sith lightsaber. Misunderstanding ensue. Work in progress, as of 08 Aug 2022.  Words: 18,451. Chapters: 7/?

💫 Living Memory, My Fate to Follow by elsa3beth Review: Ben here really doesn't know his self worth and I hope that this journey not only saves the galaxy, but saves himself. Props also on handling the mental issues, the moral issues, the politics and the military! Definitely a favourite! WIP, as of 13 November 2021. Words: 353,548. Chapters: 30/40

It is a road paved with military campaigns, media faux pas, too many OCs to name, good Jedi, and a very very slowly developed angst that will eventually come to a boil. An exploration of war and friendship, and the moral grays of the Star Wars universe.

Visions in Red by likethesoda Review: So, imagine if jedi and clones recall the canon future-that-would-be. I wasn’t sure to put/categorize this as it’s technically time travel but the memories time travelled, not the person? Anywho. It’s amazing to see how people react to Anakin, how Anakin reacts, and though horrifying, this is also comforting? That they are all alive, and can maybe, possibly, do something. Work in progress, as of 06 June 2022.  Words: 16,546. Chapters: 6/?

The Jedi suffer a mass vision, one of death and horror. One of the end of the Order and the Republic. In order to prevent this and save their family, in order to plan, they run to far corners of the galaxy. They lock down as hard as they possibly can. It allows them to truly reflect, for the first time in decades.

💫 Birds Fly in Different Directions by Triscribe Review: One by one, jedi recall their deaths in the future. Yes. YES. Complete, as of 15 Dec 2022. Words: 14,666. Chapters: 3/3

In the corridor beyond her quarters, other Jedi were emerging from their own doors, most of them wide-eyed with shock. A few merely looked blearily concerned, and Aayla heard snatches of questions as she darted past, queries as to whether everyone experienced the same distressing vision. But those who clutched at their chests or throats, their weak points- those Jedi bore a muted horror in their eyes, and Aayla didn’t doubt they’d just suffered their own betrayals from trusted men.

desecrate my lungs by loosingletters Review: Let’s have Vaderkin wake up in the body of General Skywalker, and he forgets to breathe, because he’s been in a suit for two decades. Work in progress, as of 12 Dec 2020. Words: 16,050. Chapters: 8/?

Anakin Skywalker died in his son’s arms on the Death Star. He woke up again in the middle of a battlefield during the Clone Wars, choking because he forgot how to breathe without a machine forcing air in his lungs, unable to stand because he hadn’t been standing on his own legs for two decades.

a distant fire is burning by e_va Review: Cal Kestis travels back in time and ends up in his 10-year-old body, sent off to be Obi-Wan Kenobi’s padawan, and everyone deals with the consequences. I love the perspective,   the video-game-esque aesthetic, and I want to see more of the changes in dynamics with this new addition to the dysfunctional Jedi lineage! Work in progress, as of 23 Jan 2023. Words: 40,214. Chapters: 7/?

Cal's "time travel" ability has its roots in me joking with a friend about how the game could have canonized the Meditation Points/death respawns in the game (the way they did with the Force Echoes being used as an excuse for worldbuilding.) Don't expect it to be wildly OP or get spammed; it's just a game mechanic that spawned this idea and will be used with reserve.

They Don't Care About Us by ironhoshi Review: Here is another Cal-centric fic! With an added time traveller: Boba Fett! Imagine if these two interrupted Obi-Wan’s meeting with Jango at Kamino, and ended up causing much confusion and interesting changes to the world? Work in progress, as of 27 Feb 2022. Words: 62,215. Chapters: 33/? Turn-Off(s): Obi-Wan/Jango

(I Promise) This Time Will be Different by Nation_Ustria Review: Yes, here’s a third one with Cal. I love the conversations and the interactions with the clones in this one! Seriously... There’s something about these fics... Work in progress, as of 05 Nov 2022.  Words: 21,975. Chapters: 7/?

Cal doesn’t know how he ended up back in the Clone Wars. Last he’d checked, time travel isn’t possible, but then, what would he know? He’d only been a Padawan for eight months before Order 66 had gone out.

To Fix the Shattered Past by Forever_A_Thief Review: Throw Obi-Wan, Anakin and Ahsoka from the Clone Wars into child bodies during Melida-Daan, and stir. I love the Grandpa Dooku vibes here. Sometimes it’s nice to have fics without the dark side showing in Anakin and Dooku, y’know? Work in progress, as of 22 Jan 2023.  Words: 35,976. Chapters: 10/?

Stop All The Clocks by Panda_2703 Review: This fic has Obi-Wan thrown into the body of his General body, and he attempts, through his trauma of dying four years into his exile on Tatooine, to save whoever he can 8 months before the end of the Republic. Ahsoka’s trial goes differently! Work in progress, as of 14 Nov 2022.  Words: 37,866. Chapters: 7/?

how to disappear completely by jaigeye Review: Have you ever read a fic with Jango Fett as the time looper? Not just a single travel back but he dies, so many times, and gets back to square one- at least, until we have a hopeful ending for everyone. Complete, as of 25 Feb 2022.  Words: 11,595. Chapters: 1/1

Touch Starved by CourtesyTrefflin for uncorrectgrammar Review: This is THE hurt/comfort fic starring Obi-Wan and Vaderkin. There is so much to unpack with these two... Complete, as of 15 Dec 2022. Words: 71,012. Chapters: 22/22

They are Anakin and Obi-Wan. They are Darth Vader and Ben Kenobi. It doesn't matter. Names mean nothing. Not for them. They should be enemies. They are a Jedi Master and a Sith Lord. And yet... nothing can truly keep them apart.

Fate Gives Second Chances by The_subtle_briar Review: Ben is not of sound mind when he wakes up in the past, and it’s understandable that years of trauma and in exile would make him think this all a sham at the beginning. Work in progress, as of 16 Sept 2022. Words: 111,199. Chapters: 30/35. Turn-Off(s): Longfic, Cody/Obi-Wan

there but for the grace of god by wanderlove Review: Let’s have Luke travel back in time from an alternate universe where he’s being raised by Ben! Miscommunication and misunderstandings ensue. Complete, as of 24 Apr 2021. Words: 49,217. Chapters: 12/12

The Kenobi Scandal by AppoApples Review: Both Luke and Ben travel back, and they explain Luke’s existence as Luke Kenobi. Shenanigans ensure for a grand fix-it fic! Complete, as of 23 Dec 2020.  Words: 97,426. Chapters: 19/19

Alternate Universe / Crossovers

💫 still much that is fair by RaineyDay Review: Padawan Obi-Wan dimension travels/time travels into a war-torn universe where his padawan saves him? He’s a Master? He’s on the Council?!? Complete as of 4 May 2021. Words: 21,173. Chapters: 8/8. Turn-Off(s): Suicide Attempt/Thoughts.

Aliit ori'shya tal'din by SilverRayan Review: This universe has the Sith Empire, the Mandalorian Empire and the Galactic Republic. The excuse to have Obi-Wan and Jango Fett fight for their sons is great. Work in progress, as of 25 Jul 2022.  Words: 18,847. Chapters: 6/? Turn-Off(s): Jango/Obi-Wan

Manda'kara by Virodeil Review: BB!Obi-Wan delves deep into the archives as he nearly ages out for Knighthood. The worldbuilding in this one is amazing! The idea of the culture of the Mandalorians still being preserved here... the POTENTIAL of this series! Completed, as of 22 Dec 2022. Words: 10,569. Chapters: 10/10

24 Seconds by c_m_li Review: Imagine Obi-Wan and Quinlan, teenagers sent off to a mission, go MIA, until they are found by the True Mandolorians. I like the respect in cultures/traditions in this. Complete, as of 26 Sep 2022.  Words: 11,314 Chapters: 1/1.  Turn-Off(s): Obi-Wan/Quinlan

devoted by loosingletters Review: If Anakin was more eldrich, god-like and this has consequences, in a world, “where the Force splits into aspects of itself, deities for all sentients of the galaxy to worship, people cling to their silent gods, wishing they could be just as powerful.” Complete, as of 06 Mar 2022. Words: 34,308. Chapters: 8/8. Turn-Off(s): slightly Anakin/Obi-Wan.

“You Jedi keep the Republic’s deities,” Shmi spoke before Anakin could. “Or at least those that are not owned by their planets. You have a certain pull to you.”

falling up by obiwanobi, shatou Review: This series is based on if Obi-Wan never got to take in Anakin as his padawan, and Anakin is raised by Palpatine. Vader shows up at Obi-Wan’s doorsteps, and this is Vader’s journey back to the light. Work in progress, as of 18 Nov 2021. Words: 24,060. Works: 9. Turn-Off(s): pre-Obi-Wan/Anakin hinted?

With no root in the land --(To keep my branches green) by llamallamaduck Review: This NARUTO crossover is something I never imagined to like, but wowza. Imagine Anakin, an eldrich being instead of our canon humanoid, dimension travels to the Five Great Shinobi Countries, specifically, Whirlpool. Uzushiogakure will never fall, but the other nations? Hm. Work in progress, as of 28 Nov 2022. Words: 25,490. Chapters: 7/?

He is not a human and he is not a beast and he is not a creature, but he is. He is a being, then. A being that changes and learns and lives. He thinks his name is Ani.

A Star to Steer By by dogmatix, norcumi Review: I’ve never even read/watched Stargate Atlantis before, and you don’t really need to after either. Just… Jedi are all snake-things. Sorta. Obi-Wan and the 212th Company arrive in an alternate dimension. Work in progress, as of 21 Dec 2022. Words: 115,437. Works: 2.

Not so long ago, in a galaxy not very far away at all, there's a Republic with an order of Jedi - a symbiotic species and their clone hosts.

Bare Your Teeth, Soldier by phoenixyfriend Review: OKAY AS A HEADS UP THIS IS NOT A ROMANCE. IT IS NOT SMUT. Now, imagine our regular, canon duo, The Team, ending up in the omegaverse. Yes. This is that fic. I highly recommend, please suspend all disbelief, for the worldbuilding. Work in progress, as of 19 July 2022. Words: 13,306. Chapters: 2/?

A pair of assholes, covered in blood, land in your conference room during a meeting. They bicker for five minutes without even acknowledging the dozen people that were already here, and then greet your coworker like they know the guy, immediately asking why he isn't dead anymore.

On the other side by esama Review: What-if Obi-Wan never became a Jedi Knight? AgriCorps = academics and plants. Much love. Complete, as of 20 Dec 2020.  Words: 53,143. Chapters: 14/14

Canon Universe

💫 Reputations. by outpastthemoat Review: There’s something to be said about a fic that captures a badass Gary Stu from POV Outsider, and then POV Obi-Wan is like: ??? Me??? Perfect??? What is a consummate jedi because it ain’t him, fumbling along. Read when you want a feel-good. Complete as of 18 March 2021. Words: 36,738. Chapters: 12/12

not the place that I was born in (doesn't mean it's not the place where I belong) by ghostwriterofthemachine Review: Worldbuilding on Jedi Traditions, in Anakin’s POV. Could be AU and lead to a hopeful future, but too short (and sweet) to know for sure. Complete, as of 06 Aug 2020. Words: 5,030. Chapters: 1/1

Acknowledged by EclipseMidnight (EternalEclipse) Review: What-if there was more initiations to be done to become a Knight of the Jedi Order? 25 Sept 2017. Words: 14,328. Chapters: 1/1

The Folly of Foresight by Blue_Sunshine Review: The author of Desert Storm made a side-story about canon Obi-Wan knowing his fate with Infinite Sadness, and I live for this. Complete, as of 18 July 2022. Words: 2,431. Works: 2

twin suns by too_obsessed_with_everything Review: There’s something special about fics that verge off the script but still end up back into canon. Leia from Obi-Wan Kenobi (TV Series) is precious and precocious and this really captures a dangerous, coming-of-age adventure. Complete, as of 18 Dec 2022. Words: 37,610. Chapters: 15/15

everything I have ever learned by Fialleril Review: I’m sure everyone and their mother in the SW fandom has heard of the author of Double Agent Vader and the originator of the Tatooine Slave Culture tag. It’s again, amazing worldbuilding, focusing on Luke, and can coincide mostly with canon! I missed this years later, so here’s a flag you missed it too! Complete, as of 04 June 2019. Words: 12,717. Chapters: 2/2

Remedial Jedi Theology by MarbleGlove Review: This one is old, and I was going to leave the big-name, many-kudosed fics out of this list, but I felt like this one may be harder to find. The fic that made me first click the Obi-Wan Kenobi & Anakin Skywalker tag. Complete, as of 15 Aug 2018.  Words: 51,336. Chapters: 7/7

Let us consider the fact that the Jedi Order is a monastic religious organization based out of a temple, with five basic tenets of faith. Ch 1: Death, yet the Force (meeting Anakin) Ch 2: Chaos, yet Harmony (teaching Anakin) Ch 3: Passion, yet Serenity (teaching a teenaged Anakin, good grief) Ch 4: Ignorance, yet Knowledge (Anakin is a Knight now, why is he still Obi-Wan’s problem?) Ch 5: Heresy, yet Orthodoxy (actual plot? Ie, Clones and Sith) Ch 6: Emotion, yet Peace (epilog) Ch 7: extras / deleted scenes

[blogger360ncislarules]

The missing-plane drama Manifest has had a hell of a ride. First came the now infamous cancellation by NBC, followed by months of uncertainty over the show’s remaining two seasons and then culminating in a last-minute, 20-episode order from Netflix. The second half of the abbreviated final season will hit the streamer June 2 — right in the middle of the WGA strike that prohibits its prolific writer-showrunner, Jeff Rake, from promoting the series.

Luckily for the show, star Josh Dallas (who plays Flight 828 passenger Ben Stone and will appear at the ATX TV Festival with other castmembers June 1) is picking up the baton. He spoke to THR — while enjoying his time at home in L.A. with his wife, actress Ginnifer Goodwin, and their two young children after five years of production in New York — about Manifest‘s marquee ending and the state of episodic television going forward.

What was your reaction to the plot of the show’s final episode?

I had a deal with Jeff from the very beginning that I didn’t want to know how it was going to end, so when we did the final table read, I was in tears the whole time. It’s twofold, right? It’s bittersweet because we’re saying goodbye to these characters and this world, and also to the TV family we’ve created, the crew and everyone we’ve worked with for the past five years. It was charged. But as far as the ending, Jeff has known how he wanted to end this story since the very beginning.

What kind of emotional resolution did you want for your character?

I wanted him to learn from his experience and be able to do things over again with a new perspective. If there was a sequel after the final scene, I hope he would go forward armed with knowledge and tools to take life as a gift.

So you envision a scenario in which there’s a reboot or sequel? Maybe like a “flash sideways” on Lost?

I think there’s major sequel or spinoff potential here. Maybe we go into the future and see Eden [his character’s daughter] at 21 or so as she’s navigating the world, or we follow the younger passengers. Maybe we go back to 2013 and deep dive into the investigation with [NSA director] Vance.

If you look at the TV landscape today compared with 2011, when you started on Once Upon a Time, could you have imagined booking another show with 100-plus episodes?

I have been extremely lucky so far when it comes to that. I definitely think that the days of shows running for five or seven seasons are going away, and there are pluses and minuses to that. It’s a great shame that we’re losing the longevity that doesn’t exist in other mediums, to be able to explore the evolution of a character and a story. On the other hand, shorter seasons allow storytelling to be concise and exciting.

Is there anything to be replicated from the process of Manifest being canceled by NBC and picked up by Netflix?

Honestly, I don’t think there’s much you can do beyond trying to make the best thing you possibly can and hope it connects with people. Once Upon a Time and Manifest are similar in terms of their genre-leaning audiences, always the greatest TV watchers because they’re so passionate about their shows. It is a huge part of why we came back. I wish there was a formula. If anyone knows it, please put in the comments below. (Laughs.)

Do you feel extra pressure to promote the show while Jeff Rake is on strike?

There’s certainly a feeling of responsibility because I want to do right by Jeff and celebrate the show in the way it deserves, but at the same time I want to support Jeff and all our writers in their negotiations and what they’re going through. There’s no pressure, though, only joy and gratefulness when I talk about it. If I mess anything up, we’ll have to call him after the strike.

[hannahhook7744]

Descendants and ouat masterlist part 1;

🏴‍☠️🏴‍☠️🏴‍☠️🏴‍☠️🏴‍☠️🏴‍☠️🏴‍☠️🏴‍☠️🏴‍☠️🏴‍☠️🏴‍☠️🏴‍☠️🏴‍☠️🏴‍☠️🏴‍☠️🏴‍☠️🏴‍☠️🏴‍☠️

Once upon a time fanfictions;

Papa Rumple and Neal;

Summary; Neal never died because Emma found a way to separate them both. Neal is in the hospital and Rumple is no longer under Zelena's control. Not a swanfire fic. Can also be found on wattpad.

You're getting what?!;

Summary: Neal never died but he's not with Emma, and he finds out about Rumbelle. How he reacts is not what anyone expected. There will be a part 2 of him talking with Belle. And a part 3 of him talking with Rumple again about the issues discussed down below. Can also be found on wattpad.

Fanart;

Devie fanart;

Summary; Fanart for the descendants couple, Doug/Evie (Devie).

Mulan fanart;

Summary; Fanart of Mulan wearing a shirt that says 'those who crossdress together stick together'.

Merida Fanart;

Summary; Fanart of Princess Merida wearing a shirt that says 'bows before Hoes'.

Once upon a Hope Au:

Part 1:

Summary; Where a 10 year old Killian Jones runs away from his care giver, Avery Gold, to find the lost princess from his book so she can go and break the curse.

Part 2:

Summary: same as first part.

Part 3:

Summary: Same as other parts.

Part 4:

Summary: Same as other parts.

Part 5:

Summary: Same as other parts.

Part 6:

Summary: Same as other parts.

Part 7:

Descendants fanfictions;

Hans is so gone;

Summary; How Hans met Drizella Tremaine and fell in love.

Cedric regrets everything;

Summary; Cedric is Zevon's dad. This is his reaction to Zevon kidnapping Ben.

Love exists on the isle;

Summary; what the title says. Shows alot of vks.

The isle is posioned;

Summary; The isle of the lost is posioned. That's something Evie knows quite well. More than she's willing to admit actually, even as she reflects back on it. Even as it slowly tears her apart.

Isle kids interactions in Auardon part 1;

Summary; The isle kids are fish out of water in Auardon. This makes for some interesting interactions.

Unsteady;

Summary; The barrier has been taken down and the residents of the isle are settling down, getting jobs and houses, and going to school. Anthony and Dizzy are no different.. or so the residents of Auardon thought. Aka Auardon assumes some things, Dizzy avoids fairy godmother, and Dizzy meets the charmings.

That time EVERYONE wanted to kill Diego;

Summary; What could possibly go wrong when you let Diego de Vil babysit Hadie?... you'd be surprised....

The isle kids are werid;

Summary; The Auardon kids think the isle kids are weird. And that they make the Auardon adults act unexplainably werid..... It's not until they're adults that they understand why this is.

Free;

Summary; Hadie and Mal are free at last. Free to be actual siblings for the first time in forever. Words cannot express the joy this brings.

The de Vils "I lived";

Summary; Diego and his band play their first gig in Auardon, and as he sings, he thinks of his family. Past and present, and imagines life through their eyes as he does so.

You being out the worst in me;

Summary; dark auardon kids take over.

A very isle wedding;

Summary; Harriet Hook and Anthony Tremaine get married with their friends and family present. It goes better than expected.

Soaring Angel;

Summary; LeFou Deux Loves Claudine Frollo.

I'm sorry brother;

Summary; Lars writes to Hans.

Doofen-dad;

Summary; Carlos finds out his dad is Dr Doofenshmirtz.

R.I.P To Everyone;

Summary; Sequel fic to unsteady about how Anthony and Dizzy Tremaine handle the lose of their family.

I didn't mean to;

Summary; this is the story of the tremaine fire.

Guardian Angel;

Summary; Shiro atones for his sins.

Descendants/ouat fanfictions;

Stolen away;

Summary; Chad Charming and Harry Hook are not from this world. Cs /captain swan angst.

He's a stick;

Summary; Harry's reaction to Jafar getting turned into a staff.

Bruises;

Summary; someone has hurt captain Hook's son, Harry, and he is not pleased at all. He wants answers and he isn't gonna leave until he gets them ( can be found on wattpad here).

A wish fulfilled;

Summary; a Chad and Audrey centric fic where they get sent to the world of ouat and meet a different version of our favorite sea three who take them in. And find what seems to be a happy beginning. More is to come.

That's illegal;

Summary;literally just the descendants kids reminding eachother and their parents that something or another is illegal.

Operation baby au;

Summary; The Vks (along with Chad Charming and Audrey because I say so) are originally from the ouat (Once Upon a time) verse but were stolen by their Auardon parents. A few years later (before Ben's proclamation) ,Fg accidentally summons the parents to Auardon because of Ben and of course they aren't too pleased that their kids are afraid of the people who they think are their parents. Or their fear towards them for that matter and take their kids back. Oh, and the kids inherit their parents' powers, so that oughta be fun, right? (Can also be found on wattpad).

Remember me;

Summary; Not long after Hope is born, Killian Jones (Captain Hook) looks back at the children and his past loves he had lost in the past.

Operation Kowalski;

Summary; Emma deals with Jay, Chad, Harry, and Gil after they steal a Penguin.

Word buliding:

My ships;

How would you write your version of Descendants?;

My descendants ship names;

Small/deleted descendants characters;

Descendants and ouat edits/scenes part 1-14;

Auradon kids aesthetics part 1;

Auradon kids aesthetics part 2;

Auradon kids aesthetics part 3;

Auradon kids aesthetics part 4;

Auradon kids aesthetics part 5;

Tourney players;

Auradon background characters named;

More descendants ocs/fancast;

Descendants in Storybrooke;

Summary; A help sheet for my friend about the disney descendants in the world of Storybrooke. Using Movie, show, and book info (on wattpad).

Happy Valetine's day!;

Summary; Bal, Jonnie, and Janlos edits I made for Valetine's day.

Descendants theories:

2nd parent theories 1-5;

Summary; my theories on who the kids' other parents are.

Ouat/descendants incorrect quotes:

Harry's been spending too much time with his dad and friends:

Papa Hook incorrect quotes part 1:

Chad, Evie, and Harry ;

Chil Gay Name:

Harry and Uma about Gil:

Ouat Gaston about Gil:

Gil, Harry, and Jay:

No more YouTube (Incorrect descendants quote):

Chad doesn't care;

Descendants wasted potential series in which I tell/rant about the wasted potential descendants characters had:

Wasted Potential in disney descendants part 1;

Wasted Potential in disney descendants part 2;

Wasted Potential in disney descendants part 3;

Author's note; I have a wattpad account-- slimeypirate7744, where I write mainly descendants/ouat crossover fanfictions as well as original works. Enjoy and please check it out. More works will be added later.

And a special thanks to my good friend @descendants-extended for being my beta and proof reader. Go check out her blog and the blogs of the others listed. You can also find me here: Wattpad and Ao3.

[danjaley]

8 favourite characters

thanks for the tag @nocturnalazure​ !

Share ten different favorite characters from ten different pieces of media, in no particular order, then tag/send to ten people (anon or not).

Feel free to join in, I have cold, tagging people is stressing me out more than usual.

Filifjonka (Moomin series, Tove Jansson). While there are a lot of characters in this series I share attitudes with, I especially identify with this one. The Filifjonka is tidy, cares about family while not being very gregarious by nature, is frequently nervous to the point of totally panicked, but always manages to regain her ground. Then again she’s unexpectedly brave and rebellious or freaks everyone out by saying overly dramatic things (”When will our execution take place?”) In the end she learns to play the mouth-organ, to become a little more like Mumrik, whom I also admire.

Thursday Next (The Eyre Affair (and sequels) Jasper Fforde): Okay, maybe it’s not the character alone, but this is the most brilliant work of (meta) fiction I ever read. I appreciate that Thursday, as the protagonist of a fantasy novel, is over thirty, and I like her matter-of-fact way to deal with the most surreal of situations. As the first person narrator she doesn’t get kitschy or sentimental about her own feelings, and never loses her sense of humour. The whole book manages to be the most hilarious of Jabberwocky and deeply touching at the same time.

Andrej Bolkonsky (War and Peace, Leo Tolstoi): Even at dying he was better than other people! I also relate to the feeling when you’d love to speak to someone on eye-level, but everyone around you is more interested in meaningless small-talk. He did an interesting thing in my head. At the beginning of the novel I imagined him a light blonde, but the more he realized there was no place for him in this world, the darker-haired he grew. Also: That feeling when you’re heartbroken about a book, but nobody understands how you could read War and Peace in the first place. In 2018 I felt that as an expert on the Napoleonic times I ought to tackle it. My mother had bought our copy in order to disapprove of it. I read past her bookmark from 1982. Actually I was surprised how many characters’ storylines, outside the Rostov-Bolkonsky connection, just ran into nowhere. This wouldn’t have happened with Victor Hugo!

Gösta Berling (Gösta Berling, Selma Lagerlöff): Most things he does end in disaster, but in such an incredibly aesthetic way, it’s a delight to read. Also no amount of tragedy stops him from being the coolest historical guy in Sweden.

Desirée Clary / Bernadotte (Desirée, Annemarie Selinko): Again, this is generally one of my favourite books. It follows the (somewhat fictionalized) biography of the first Bernadotte Queen of Sweden and her entanglements with Napoleon Bonaparte. In the course of the novel she goes from a silly teenager to a world-wise adult to a slightly patronizing middle-aged lady, while always staying true to herself. The transition is almost imperceptible. She also speaks the author’s charming Austrian German :)

Leslie May (Rivers of London series, Ben Aaronovitch): My role-model on how to maintain dignity and self-respect in the event of ones face falling off. (This mainly refers to volume 1-3. In volume 4 she changes sides and rarely appears any more. I quit reading it when I realized the series wasn’t working towards a conclusion.)

Walter Blythe (Anne of Green Gables series, Lucy Maud Montgomery): I am rather a fan of the later volumes of Anne actually. Not to say anything about his story being truly heartbreaking, he’s a great example of how to build up a tragic hero while still letting him be a kid. In general I’m deeply fascinated with how the World Wars impacted serial literature for young girls. If I had stayed with history of literature, I would have done research about this.

Alm-Öhi (Heidi, Johann Spiry): Admittedly, as a child I identified more with Heidi herself, but I was always in awe of her grandfather. He reminded me a little bit of my own grandfather. He’s self-reliant and can do anything that needs to be done in their little world. He cares about his family while not being a gregarious person at all. When I was five years old myself, I thought he had lost his son a lifetime ago - but in fact it was less than five years. When I grew older and became a historian I also started noticing his occasional references to his past as a soldier.

[kylorenisadorkable]

The Importance of Life After Redemption and the Power of Storytelling

Star Wars may be heightened fantasy, so the situations that the characters are in are extreme for dramatic effect but the emotions of the characters are still very human. When we watch a film, we as the audience “put ourselves in the character's shoes.” 

That's why the opening scene of the Last Jedi is so effective in getting the audience invested in the stakes of the film. Rian Johnson said that “Star Wars wasn’t about space ships but about the people inside the space ships.” Because while it's really hard for an audience to care about “the galaxy” being at stake if the heroes lose. When a movie gives us character's that we can connect with and relate to, then it makes it easier for the audience to care. For example, I care about what happens to the resistance because Rose is part of the resistance and I care about Rose because Rose lost her sister and clearly loved her, I can relate to this idea because I have two sisters and would be devastated if anything happened to them. 

I think this human element is what makes memorable and inspiring films.

No film illustrates this concept of the emotional connection between the characters and the audience better to me than one of my favorites, “Saving Mr. Banks.” (Which also just so happens to be about writers misunderstanding a redemption story and is also a Disney movie) 

“She's as real as can be to my daughters. And to thousands of other kids. Adults, too.” - Saving Mr. Banks (2013)

In fact, studies have shown that the relationships that we feel for fictional characters are very real and we can feel very strong emotions for them. “The interesting thing is that our brains aren’t really built to distinguish between whether a relationship is real or fictional, So these friendships can convey a lot of real-world benefits.” Those can include self-esteem boosts, decreased loneliness and more feelings of belonging.”- Jennifer Barnes (Assistant Professor of Psychology at the University of Oklahoma)

This is why fiction can feel like such a personal and intimate experience. I find it interesting that the writers of “The Force Awakens”, chose to make the villain of the series the son of Han and Leia two characters that audiences growing up watching the original trilogy loved and connected with. What is interesting is that OT Audiences are now Han and Leia’s age in the sequel trilogy and many have their own adult children. I believe that this was done intentionally because the audience is suppose to feel sympathy for Ben and see him as “their own child” in a sense. The audience is suppose to consider “what if this was my own child and they were struggling? What would I want to happen to them?”

And that is why I can’t support this interpretation of Leia’s character: 

“Why did you have to make him so cruel? He was not a monster! You all have children, yes? And do those children make letters for you? Do they write letters? Do they make you drawings? And would you tear up those gifts in front of them? It's a dreadful thing to do. I don't understand. Why must Father tear up the advertisement his children have made and throw it in the fireplace? Why won't he mend their kite? Why have you made him so unspeakably awful? "In glorious Technicolor"? "For all the world to see"? If you claim to make them live, why can't he... they live well?”-Saving Mr. Banks (2013)

I can't view Ben's death as this hopeful positive thing that they've been trying to portray it as. Parents want what is best for their children, they want to see them succeed. What parent wishes for their child's death? Especially after he's just found hope. Now that they've “seen the light” wouldn't you want them to live their life to the fullest?

“I swear that every time a person goes into a movie house – from Leicester Square to St Louis, they will see George Banks being saved. They will love him and his kids, they will weep for his cares, and wring their hands when he loses his job. And when he flies that kite, oh! They will rejoice, they will sing. In every movie house, all over the world, in the eyes and the hearts of my kids, and other kids and their mothers and fathers for generations to come, George Banks will be honored. George Banks will be redeemed. George Banks and all he stands for will be saved. Maybe not in life, but in imagination. Because that’s what we storytellers do. We restore order with imagination. We instill hope again and again and again.” - Saving Mr. Banks (2013)

Star Wars has many themes, but the most prominent are redemption, compassion, family and most importantly of all... “Hope”

 The reason we love redemption arcs is because they give us hope that anyone can change. They can inspire us to turn our own lives around and hope for a better future for ourselves and our family. The way TROS ends, with Ben’s death, creates a disconnect with the films message. 

George Lucas believed that it was possible for lost people to find their way again and make a difference. But killing Ben Solo off after he’s done one good deed, goes against this message. If you want people to change, you have to let them live to correct their mistakes. 

“Characters like Finn & Rey are examples of doing right. But you have to speak to the lost ones too if you want them to come home." -Unknown.

*Again I hope this makes sense, I have a lot of thoughts!

[barnes-dameron]

As Strong as the Force

The Mandalorian x Jedi!reader

*gif not mine

Summary: After Grogu’s rescue, an arrival from an unexpected guest causes the Mandalorian to lose two of the most important things to him. 

Word Count: 1.6k

A/N: Kind of a sequel to Balance. Season finale spoilers, so read at your own risk The reader is gender neutral, btw

***

The rhythmic pounding of the Dark Troopers against the sealed doors didn’t scare you. Adrenaline was coursing through your veins at this point from the fighting you and the others encountered earlier. But it was all worth it. Your heart beat against your rib cage as you tightened the grip on your blaster. Ahsoka’s words rung through your head, A blaster isn’t a weapon for a Jedi. You shook it away, not needing to be reminded of your failed potential. 

You looked to the Mandalorian, wielding his beskar staff as the others stood with their weapons ready. But in a split second, everything changed when an X-wing flew by and docked in the hangar. Grogu made his way to the security screen, and reached a tiny green hand towards the hooded figure’s image. You watched as the figure weilded a lightsaber, destroying all the Dark Troopers that he encountered. Another Jedi... The pounding at the door ceased, much to your surprise, causing the Mandalorian to turn and watch the monitor screen alongside you two.

The Jedi’s skill was nothing like Ahsoka’s, but he held the same power of the Force. Slashing through the heavy droids, and crushing one like it was nothing. It was at this moment when Mando picked up Grogu, and then ordered for someone to open the doors. This was the moment that he has been waiting for. This is the missing piece that will help him complete the mission he has been tasked with. A part of you, however, wondered if he would go through with it. You couldn’t deny that you watched him grow closer to the Child, surely it will be difficult to part from him if given the opportunity.

You took a sharp inhale of breath when the dark figure entered the bridge, his green lightsaber glimmering in the muted room, the hum coming from it filling the air as everyone else remained silent. He turned off his weapon, clipping it to his belt before removing his hood. Your eyes scanned over his face, observing the sky blue eyes and sandy blond hair. 

“Luke,” you whispered, remembering the moisture farmer from Tatooine. 

You’ve seen him and his uncle many times, and you remembered how much Obi Wan worried about him. But to Luke, Master Kenobi was just Ben. It was strange to see him in Jedi robes compared to his sandy poncho. He only wore one glove on his hand, causing you to wonder what he has seen and done during all these years away from your dry home planet. You’ve heard rumors and stories, but you never believed any. The same boy who grew up on Tatooine being the one to play an essential part in the fall of the Empire. But seeing him now, you could see it was all true. He lost his boyish grin, and the look in his eyes have changed from wide eye innocence to ones who hold wisdom despite his young age. He is so different from the last time you’ve seen him, but you’ve both changed. He was now a Jedi, and you were the Mandalorian’s traveling companion. 

“Are you a Jedi?” the Mandalorian asked, as Grogu looked from his place on the seat. 

“I am,” Luke responded, folding his hands in front of him. You watched as he raised his ungloved one towards Grogu, a smile playing on his face. “Come little one.”

Grogu cooed, then looked towards you and Mando. The Mandalorian turned his head away from the Child to yours, scanning your face before addressing the Jedi.

“He doesn’t want to go with you,” he said.

“He wants your permission,” Luke replied. “He is strong with the Force, but talent without training is nothing. I will give my life to protect the Child, but he will not be safe until he masters his abilities.”

You watched as the Mandalorian picked up the Child, holding him in his arms.

“Hey go on,” he encouraged. “That’s who you belong with. He’s one of your kind. I’ll see you again. I promise.”

You felt tears stinging in the back of your eyes as Grogu placed his tiny hand on the Mandalorian’s helmet, caressing the smooth metal. Mando raised up a hand towards his helmet. Sensing what he was about to do, you took a full step forward. You knew what his Creed meant to him, but the Child meant more. However, there was a part of you that wanted to give him the same respect before he broke his oath. You trained your eyes on the ground, resisting any temptation to look behind you. All you could hear was the Child’s cooing.

“All right, pal,” the Mandalorian said. “It’s time to go.” Grogu whined at Mando’s words, but he comforted him as any father would when letting go their child. “Don’t be afraid.”

You watched in silence as Grogu made his way towards Luke and his droid, and your heart nearly broke when it was Luke holding the little guy in his arms instead of the Mandalorian. You switched your gaze to the floor, concealing the tears that threaten to escape from your eyes.

“Come?” A voice said, echoing through your mind instead of hearing it with your ears. It wasn’t something you expected or even heard before, the sound so foreign yet familiar in a peculiar way.

You snapped your head upwards, meeting Grogu’s dark eyes as they peered into you with an expectant look. Your breath hitched as realization struck you like a force of lightening. He reached out to you. For the first time since your meeting, the little guy reached out to you. You looked to Luke with widened eyes. However he just tilted his head as he waited for your answer; he must’ve heard.

“Are you coming?” Luke asked, his blue eyes peering into yours the same way that Grogu’s did.

You began to stutter, trying to answer but not being able to form any words. This man, that you once knew as a simple farm boy from Tatooine, is now offering to teach you the ways of the Force. But in the same way, he’s asking for you to leave your companion whom you love. Your heart began to pick up as your nerves began to jumble and settle in the pit of your stomach. But you were drawn out of your thoughts and anxieties by a gentle hand that placed itself on your shoulder. By instinct, you turned your head and finally saw the face of the Mandalorian. His hair looked soft as his locks at the top of his head poked out in different directions, his lips were plush, and his eyes were a beautiful shade of brown, yet there was sadness traced within them. He brought his hand up from your shoulder to cradle the side of your face, swiping his thumb along your cheekbone.

“Go with him,” he said, his voice smooth without the helmet’s modulator.

“But what about you?” You asked, your voice trembling as a sob threatened to escape past your lips. A tear dripped out from the corner of your eye, trailing down your cheek before being swiped away from Mando’s thumb.

“I’ll be fine,” he reassured. “Go with him and the kid. I’ll come back for you both.”

“Promise?” You asked, gripping his wrist, feeling the rough fabric beneath your palm.

“I promise,” he whispered, leaning his forehead against yours.

You closed your eyes, squeezing them shut to keep away the tears. This is not how you want him to remember you, as a sobbing mess. Your heart ached in your chest at the thought of this being your last moment with him until he returns. The only time you’ve seen his face is when you have to leave. You reached up a hand, placing it on his cheek; feeling the slight stubble of hair peeking out from the skin. You opened your eyes, looking into his before Mando placed his lips on yours. It was as soft as you imagined, the gentle pressure washing away every worry that you held.

It was at this moment  you realized that Ahsoka might be wrong. Holding an attachment doesn’t make you weak, but the fear of losing the person is what does. It was at this moment, with the man you love, you knew that the Mandalorian would come back and keep his promise. You knew that you always will be with him and him with you even if you’re light years apart, in both this life and after death. The Force wasn’t the only thing that binds the universe together, but love as well. Love doesn’t make you weak, but strengthens you.

You wrapped your hands into his hair, the locks threading in between your fingers as you pulled him closer. Your chest pressed into his beskar chest plate, the coldness of the metal coming through your seemingly thin shirt material. The hand on your cheek tightened, as he placed one on your hip to hold you against him a little longer. It hurt to do so, but you had to...you pulled away from his lips and it saddened you to see him chase them for a split second. But realization and sudden acknowledgment of his surroundings caused him to pull away as well, straightening his spine as he looked at you. You gave him a smile, squeezing his hand before turning around to walk towards Luke, who was waiting patiently with Grogu and his astromech droid. Luke nodded to Mando.

“May the Force be with you,” he said, before turning away.

You walked alongside him as you approached and entered the elevator. As you waited for the doors to close, you stared at the Mandalorian, memorizing every single detail of his face, from the bridge of his nose to the little dimple on his cheek. He kept his composure, even smiling a bit, yet his beautiful brown eyes were glazed. At this point, you were no longer saddened. You knew that you will meet him again, that you would be together again. What you two had, it was something as strong as the Force.

Taglist: @absurdthirst @tangledlove27 @caswinchester2000

[skyjennysworld]

exposed from my sequels trilogy review: - i rewatched "the force awakens" and "the last jedi" (tomorrow i will review "the rise of skywalker"). Well...everything changed when I watched star wars resistance KKAKSKSKS. I even kept looking for any reference to "Colossus". But anyway, a lot has changed since I shipped dinluke, because it sure made me change a lot. Before reviewing tfa and tlj I was having several dreams and imaginations about Ben Solo and Grogu. I was thinking a lot about what Ben's mind was like, what it felt like to be him... I even cried a lot.

I have a weird gift (or maybe it's just my excessive daydreaming disorder) where I embody the character, making me be like him, it's like I act and see everything he's going through, and I feel it. So because of that I can describe the characters a lot because it's like I'm in their bodies, so I understood for a moment. but moving on, I was thinking a lot about all stages of Ben, from childhood to teenager. and also i thought a lot about dinluke (which i don't know if it will ever be canon) and the grogu in action. in many, many things (one day I will make a specific post about this) and.... Ben's soul is so lonely and troubled that I think I have a kin in this character.

another reason that made me want to rewatch it was some videos on tik tok and several reviews on yt. all the characters deserved much more than that, more development!!!! so much wasted potential. because honestly, I really like the story, but I could always have added something more like in the prequels era and the original trilogy.

Now watching it again, I see how much I like it a lot and I don't need to hate it like I did before, because of the influences in the fandom. who is always complaining. do you have reason to complain? YES AND A LOT. but I think we should also remember that it's still a sw story. It's at these times that I love ao3 fanfics more than ever (disney, you have to hire the writers there as screenwriters).

now as a shipper of Luke with Din, every sentence of old Luke in tlj hurts me and makes me cry a lot. please don't hate old Luke, he has all my love and I would do anything to make him smile. Now with this new phase that we saw in TBOBF, I'm not at all prepared to see his fall... his shine disappear, you know? to see him corrupted by these jedi laws that made him lose himself in who he was.

there's probably going to be more stuff with young Luke trying to find his way around. and there was one thing that Yoda said in tlj which was that Luke is always looking too far... at what could happen, when in fact he should be seeing what's right in front of him. what he already has. and bro... i cried a lot and a lot now that i saw this more than i saw it for the first time. because I'm completely understanding this sentence. Luke is a perfectionist and pessimistic person: he's afraid of being alone, of losing someone he loves, of failing, he demands a lot from himself (he demands too much) and he always thinks it's not enough.

that he will always want to be someone better. he doesn't hold back with who he already is. because he doesn't feel he is worthy. he blames himself. do you know how i know this? I'm like this. I identify with him. Luke is not my favorite for simple reasons, I basically know how he feels. so... that thing about me shipping dinluke also has a reason, I kind of feel better with Din in a different way. because Din is also a part of me. and now with the mando series having involvement with the sequels era, he's probably going to die... Grogu too, I don't know. one word: despair.

I love star wars, but this thing is making me have emotional/technological dependence and I cry a lot about it. "star wars is a family story" half the characters don't even have a family and the others have a dysfunctional family KAKWKWLDKDKFKD (I don't know if I should laugh at this).

but anyway... I want more exciting stories, I know they will break me and make me very bad (I'm very sensitive, is it PMS????) but that's it. please recommend happy fanfics to make me feel good. from the sequels era, by dinluke, i want to delude myself with the hc. because I know that at least in the headcanon everything is possible and I don't have this void

[zepskies]

Series Masterlist - Break Me Down

Pairing: Soldier Boy/Ben x F. Reader

Summary: You’re a private investigator by trade, but now you happily sit at a desk — leading a surveillance team at Supe Affairs. After managing to end Homelander in New York, Soldier Boy escapes custody. You are recruited for the manhunt, joining Butcher’s team.

Truly, you joined the S.A. for the right reasons. But after you become his accidental hostage, Soldier Boy will break down every single one of them…

AN: For those of you who enjoyed “Checkerboard,” here’s the requested prequel series! It’s gonna be a long road to get to that version of Soldier Boy. Technically this is an AU set post-season 3.

Series Tags/Warnings: **Rated M. (18+ only.) Enemies to frenemies to lovers. Angsty, messy, moral quandaries galore. This is a romance, but it’s a dark world with morally gray and dark characters, including Soldier Boy, of course. **Smut, language, misogyny, violence, and other chapter-specific tags.

🎵 Listen While You Read:

BMD YouTube Playlist || BMD Spotify Playlist

BMD Music Playlist Posters

Chapters:

Prologue

Part 1 - The Game Begins

Part 2 - You Move Me, Baby

Part 3 - Somewhere Down Below

Part 4 - On the Inside Out

Part 5 - Morning, Night & Day

Part 6 - A Hot Meal

Part 7 - Until Midnight

Part 8 - Something in the Way

Part 9 - Breach

Part 10 - Caught in the Balance

Part 11 - The Lion's Den

Part 12 - All Your Wicked Ways

Part 13 - A Generous Deal

Part 14 - Safe House

Part 15 - The Tower

Part 16 - Soldier Boy

Part 17 - More Than Words Can Say

Epilogue - All My Living Time

Series Complete!

Did you like this series? If you'd like to keep supporting me as I continue the BMD-verse, you can:

Ko-Fi Me ☕

Become a Patreon Member 🌟

Not done reading this version of Soldier Boy x Reader? Well, there's more to their story.

(**Notes 18+ only and/or smut)

One-Shots:

In the Dark You and Ben have tackled the insurmountable together, but no one said the recovery would be easy.

Checkerboard** You’re not a supe. You’re breakable. Soldier Boy sometimes forgets that.

Wanderlust** Your wandering hands are keeping Ben up at night.

Love Actually** Ben gets in late on Christmas Eve with a Grinch-like attitude, but you’re determined to force some holiday cheer into his system.

Part 1 || Part 2 || Part 3 - Complete

Wake Me Up** [MINI SERIES] A few weeks after you and Ben celebrate your first Christmas together, he is returning from another mission with the Supe Affairs team. When he discovers that you’ve been taken, he’ll do whatever it takes to find you. And then, to help you heal.

Series Complete!

Strong As Blood** After you accidentally break through a solid wood table, you know there’s something wrong with you. You begin to have your suspicions, but can you keep it from Ben long enough to find out? 

(In other words: This is the story of how you and Ben discover that you’re pregnant.)

Part 1 || Part 2 - Complete

Until Morning A quiet moment between you, Ben, and your newborn daughter.

This One's For You Late one night, finding no other recourse, Ben sings to his infant daughter to help her sleep.

Lesson Learned** There’s only so much teasing Ben is willing to take. He has no choice but to punish you. (Sequel to This One's For You)

Green** Ben spends the day alone with his daughter, to varying degrees of success. When you get home, it prompts a serious conversation.

Calculated Risks You and Ben argue about your commitment to being a working mom. When a rogue supe gets loose at Supe Affairs, mayhem ensues, putting not only your life at risk, but your daughter’s as well.

Imagines:

Getting jealous.** 💚 Ben needs new clothes, but the shop girls think your boyfriend is fair game.

Ben’s reaction to his girlfriend on her period.❣️ How he takes care of you.

Ben loses you. 💔 Includes a “twist” ending…

Talk to Me 💞 In the wake of his vivid nightmare, you confront Ben about his fears and get him to open up. [Sequel to “Ben loses you.”]

Headcanons

Inspiration behind the Part 17 plot twist. It has to do with my love of Smallville. (Spoilers for BMD Part 17.)

How many kids would you and Ben have? The answer is...

Ben's reaction to his daughter Lila's first crush (vs. his son's). The double standard here is ridiculous!

How Ben would react when Lila gets a boyfriend (or girlfriend). Dad!Ben is pretty much what you'd expect...

How Ben reacts when his daughter (Lila) is dating an asshole. He sees an unfortunately "kindred" spirit.

What if Lila caught Ben on a bad day? Featuring reactions from young!Lila and teen!Lila.

Moodboard below created by @chernayawidow:

"But you move me, baby. All my livin time..."

"A fight for love and glory, a case of do or die..."

Soldier Boy Masterlist

Main Masterlist

[ariainstars]

Didn’t Star Wars Use to Be For 12-Year-Olds…?

I guess anyone who follows me or reads my meta’s from time to time is aware that I love Rian Johnson’s The Last Jedi to death. I really do. I will be eternally thankful to him for bringing back Star Wars’ magic after all of those years.

However for the last two and more years, I could not bring myself to decide whether it came up to the movie that until now is ranked as the saga’s best, The Empire Strikes Back.

And sadly, having thought about it for a while, by now I have to confess: no. It doesn’t.

I can’t forget something a friend of mine told me who had been to the cinema with her eight-year-old nephew: that he found The Last Jedi „boring“. The daughter of a friend of mine, who was a few years older when the sequels hit cinemas, said the same.

The faults in the new Star Wars movies have been plucked apart and discussed to shreds by now, and I’ve written my fair share about them, in particular after the disaster that was The Rise of Skywalker.

A major problem is, as I already wrote before, that we are left too much in the dark about what drives the characters. Though they are less confused than in The Force Awakens, in The Last Jedi their actual desires are still not defined enough: we mostly know what they want to avoid, not what they actually want. Which is probably meant for the element of surprise but keeps too much in the dark, made worse considering that The Rise of Skywalker answered no question at all.

Between the classics and the sequels thirty years have passed which remain largely unexplored. But that’s exactly the point: if the new movies were really well told, it would not matter.

When e.g. Vader kills Obi-Wan in A New Hope, the one who has a close connection with Obi-Wan is Luke, and it is he who is devastated when his mentor dies. Vader's personality is not explored in depth here because the story is about Luke, so whatever fall-out Vader and Obi-Wan must have had is not important narratively.

The sequels however are Ben's story; and since we do not know how Luke’s and Ben’s relationship was before the fatal night at the temple, we can only imagine that Ben must have loved his uncle a great deal, or at least trusted him implicitly. But without that knowledge, Luke’s moment of panic and why it pushed his nephew right to the Dark Side remains difficult to understand. Also, Ben’s redemption loses a lot of its narrative weight without knowledge of his grandfather’s past.

In the classic movies, we get some hints at things that happen or did happen behind stage, but they’re not what the story is about; we can watch them and thoroughly enjoy them without getting frustrated. The emphasis is always on the new storyline.

While ever since the prequels, the saga seems to have largely become a set-up for further stories, paving the future by neglecting the present; e.g. one of Attack of the Clones’ major problems is that it’s fraught with side plots and characters, since it’s also a set up for The Clone Wars and the return of Boba Fett.

In itself, I don’t think that’s bad. Fans ask for new Star Wars content and it’s a producer’s right to make as much of his stories as he can.

However, there is no way that the new stories are ever going to reach the vigor and freshness of the original story, going on like this.

The audience wants to know what’s going on and why. The audience is often new and doesn’t know what went on before. The audience wants to be entertained, in particular younger people.

I think the DLF studios are naïve if they automatically expect that the viewer will understand this and that, “knowing the saga”. But that exactly is often not the case. New fans or viewers who don’t like to delve into themes and connections between plotlines will often just get confused and simply feel stressed, or even bored. The classic movies never get old and you can show them to children, too; they will understand the storyline, if not the nuances.

A new or relatively young viewer

- will not know that Chancellor Palpatine is the future Emperor - will not realize why it is so important that Anakin can’t control his dark sides - will not understand why he and Padmé get married although they’re not supposed to - will not recognize Han, Luke and Leia in the sequels, or hardly be interested in them - will not know the legend of Luke Skywalker and consequently, why his falling out with his nephew was so fatal - will not know Anakin Skywalker’s backstory and thus not why his grandson’s redemption is so important - will chafe at the idea Luke takes Grogu away from Mando etc.

I realize that with a franchise like Star Wars, which is quite unique, it is difficult to tell new and original stories while connecting them to the old ones. The Rise of Skywalker is an awful example for this - it’s easily understandable because, apart from a few good scenes, it’s simply stupid where the classics were linear and clearly cut-out.

If the studios want to keep writing quality stories, with this franchise they ought to wonder: what will my eight-year-old-nephew say to this?

Clues: if he gets bored, you’re not there yet.

If he doesn’t but his teenage sister is pulling her hairs out at the roots: same.

[innuendostudios]

Thoughts on... some funny games

[no spoilers to speak of]

Thoughts on Lair of the Clockwork God

The wisdom of the gaming cognoscenti insists that comedy is hard to do in video games. Having grown up with Monkey Island and Zork, I've never found this convincing. But one true thing is this: it's hard to write about comedic games. The ineffability of humor is hard enough to describe in less-interactive media; I can't even explain to my partner why Gretchen saying "I met January Jones once!" on You're the Worst busted me up, and they were sitting right next to me when she said it. Throw in the "you had to be there" nature of the player's active participation and I lose myself in a cornfield. The thing I found hilarious might come a beat to early for you, or not at all, or not be funny in text like it is in gameplay.

Why did I like Lair of the Clockwork God? It made me laugh.

The premise and particulars are a lot of "that could go either way." Ben and Dan - stars of Ben There, Dan That and Time Gentleman, Please! - have returned. Ben is still an adventure game star, but Dan has adopted platforming mechanics in an attempt to get with the times. So playing the game involves switching back and forth between a character who can leap across canyons but can't pick up items or talk to people, and one who can combine inventory but can't climb over a 3-pixel rock.

Does that sound potentially funny? Potentially grating? Yes to both!

The plot centers around our heroes trying to save the world from several simultaneous apocalypses and having to teach human emotions to a supercomputer in order to do so. (Don't ask.) These means, rather like Ben There, Dan That, traipsing through a number of fantasy worlds (read: computer simulations) until the correct emotion is provoked. This requires cross-genre cooperation: finding ways to get Ben to areas only Dan can access, getting Dan new power ups by combining objects in Ben's inventory (an act Dan insists on calling "crafting").

The best bits are at these intersections, when Dan's platforming is the puzzliest and Ben's puzzles take advantage of Dan's skills. Periodically the game gives you a Dan-centric platforming gauntlet the controls are NOT precise nor pleasant enough for, or a Ben-only moon logic puzzle that leaves you googling the walkthrough.

But I liked it! A lot. The genre-hopping seems to have invigorated the developers, Ben Ward and Dan Marshall. I discussed my favorite joke in Ben There, Dan That (in what is probably the least popular video I've ever made that wasn't asking for money), but was also dismayed that the game was never that clever again. But this one is, several times over! Progression here involves cheating your way to a better respawn zone, goofing around in game menus, exploiting "glitches," exiting out and loading up entirely other games. There is a lot of poking and prodding at what a game of this nature can or should be.

But, honestly? The only real selling point is... it was funny. The humor is as anarchic and metatextual as in previous titles, but it feels good-natured in a way BT,DT didn't. And there are, here and there, little bits of meat on its bones - the characters wondering if, as a couple thirtysomething white guys, the world hasn't left them behind, no longer comfortable with the juvenile humor of their youth but not really understanding the youth of today, but having not yet fully escaped the mentalities they used to hold. (There's an unspoken humor to Dan's idea of "modern" gameplay being 2D platforming mechanics, especially at a time when adventure games are significantly more popular than on his last outing; this is a good joke whether or not it's intentional.)

Also: this game contains the most poignant urinating-on-a-grave puzzle in gaming history, and you may quote me on that.

Having finished it months ago, I can't even remember what all the gags were that tickled me at the time. Comedy fades from memory faster than drama or frustration. Mostly I just remember having a good time.

Thoughts on The Darkside Detective

Here's a hook: sometime after the mayhem ends in Ghostbusters, The Exorcist, Evil Dead 2, or some other paranormal blockbuster that you watched over and over in the 90's until the VHS wore out, some overworked detective has to come into your town and piece together what the hell happened.

This is his story.

It's a good gag, and the devs wring every drop from it. Existing in a world where these things are commonplace and you have to fit them into some notion of "police procedure" is just funny. Like, it's one thing to have a running gag where you keep observing the moon in outdoor scenes, commenting, with increasing hostility, that its behavior is suspicious (it has been present at multiple crime scenes); it's a slightly different thing when, given the things you've encountered, the moon being the Big Bad is actually somewhat possible.

The game is divided into six main cases and three bonus DLC missions (which come included in the base game now, and the third of which is the proper ending/setup for the sequel). You are the cop tasked to deal with The Other Side - and, when The Other Side bleeds into our own world, its cops have to deal with you. You have a sidekick with a mental maturity of about 6, which I guess makes you the straight man. (You have to grade on a curve to find a straight man in this game.) And you solve tasks like rounding up escaped gremlins or finding an AWOL lake monster all juxtaposed with mundane problems like inter-office squabbles and having not bought your Christmas presents early enough. It's (pleasantly) lo-res and sparsely isolated, so the dialogue and premise do most of the work, but they are ably up to the task.

The gameplay... not so much. I'm an adventure game lifer, so I can put up with a lot of nonsense. It's mostly straightforward inventory puzzles and occasional minigames. Most of the puzzles are fine enough. As the cases progress, things get more involved, and the DLCs especially involve some awful moon logic. And the minigames are not above using that same jumping peg puzzle you've solved in a dozen other games already. So gameplay ranges from serviceable to irritating, but it mostly exists to string together funny lines and silly images. (Christmas mall elves being secretly in service to Krampus - that's the kind of thing we're talking about here.) You won't feel much guilt for opening up a walkthrough; the puzzles aren't why you're here.

The sequel has just been released, and both games are cheap, so check them out if you feel like smiling.

Thoughts on The Procession to Calvary

It's rare for a game to be hilarious to look at.

The Procession to Calvary takes its name from the Bruegel painting. It also takes all it's graphics from Renaissance oil paintings, and the designer delights in making famously rendered heroes and religious icons steal, stab, fart, and swear.

A strong Terry-Gilliam-with-After-Effects vibe is what we're describing.

You play as a lady knight from a war that's just ended, which sucks for you because, in this age of peace, you're no longer authorized to kill. And killing's, like, you're whole thing. But the one person your new, pacifist king wouldn't stop you from killing is the warlord you just deposed, who fled to the South. So you embark on a nonsensical journey to seek out the one human on Earth you are authorized to kill, because killing is just The. Best. Ever.

Of the three games we're discussing, this is the most overtly cheeky, and, at times, the most scatological. I could've done with a bit less scatology, if I'm being honest, but the cheekiness is very winning. As with Lair of the Clockwork God, a lot of jokes could go either way - a field of people being tortured and a woman on a blanket selling commemorative torture merch could be painfully try-hard. But something about the victims being seemingly everyone ever crucified or broken on the wheel in a famous painting, and having them writhe on their crosses in a way that is both gruesome and goofy, and having a cacophonous soundtrack of their screams and moans that you will now imagine every time you look at one of those elegantly elegiac paintings from now on... it works. That the music score is being played by an extremely jaunty piper who dances behind you just out of sword's reach as you traverse the field pushes it over the top.

Oh, and the puzzles, while never hair-pullingly obtuse, will leave you stumped at times. Push past that to get the proper ending, but, if you're sick of trying, you can, at any point, just start stabbing your way through problems. Which, again: it takes a very deft touch to make "protagonist resorts to violence" actually funny rather than lazy and obvious. And maybe, in another game, the perfect timing of every animation, the clever quips, the careful contrast of cathedrals and high-society music halls with gleeful sword-swinging wouldn't be enough. But something about it being frickin' Renaissance paintings carries it the last mile.

This is probably the basest game of the three, but it's also the one that made me giggle the most. Having a BFA that required several art history classes may have something to do with it. But check this thing out.

[dalekofchaos]

Killing The New Republic and Luke’s New Jedi Order killed the Sequel Trilogy

Disney you’re a business, who’s all about money, but then you chose to destroy the New Jedi Order and New Republic, that is definitely killing your billions, even after refusing to put storytelling first and foremost, and then having the audacity to claim “we don’t have source material” never mind the countless series of video games, comics, novels, tv shows and films, merchandising etc. Not to mention all the fucking stuff you could’ve done with the NR in BATTLEFRONT! YOU COULD HAVE MADE WITH THE NEW REPUBLIC AND NEW JEDI ORDER!

But no. Instead you made Leia an incompetent general leading an even weaker  and an on the budget Rebel Alliance. Han’s character arc was dropped, Han and Leia’s iconic romance was broken up and they were both turned into absent parents and Luke’s Jedi Order failed and 30 years of peace was undone pointlessly. But instead you just wanted Rebels vs Empire 2.0, but only this time around it’s dumber. 

Do you know what we could’ve done with The New Republic? Leia as Chancellor. Han and Lando as her Ministers of Defense. Boba Fett, Din Djarin and Bo-Katan leading The Mandalorians together as allies to the New Republic. We could’ve had a House Of Cards/West Wing/Game Of Thrones styled writing for the overall politics of The New Republic. You could’ve made a goddamn fortune on New Republic troopers, armor, weapons, fighters and frigates. Hell, you could even have The New Republic wield their own Star Defenders as opposed to Star Destroyers.  I am well aware that canon demilitarized The New Republic and already made a post on why disarming the New Republic in new canon was stupid.

What should have happened is that the NR commanders the Imperial Fleet and starts protecting systems who join the NR, all while chasing down and fighting any of the Remnants (Moffs, Warlords, Crime Lords, etc) who have grabbed power in the resulting vacuum. We could have seen an evolution of ships from Old Republic to Empire to NR ones. They could have renamed Star Destroyers into Star Defenders. Hell, they could have had a Republic of independent systems, each with their own sizable military, so that power isn't centralized.

Here is what the Sequel Trilogy could’ve been with the New Republic in power.

This could have been an interesting question for the ST. What happens after you win a war? How do you not make the same mistakes or become the thing you fought. What happens in a power vacuum? The NR should have been the dominant emerging power, and the Remnant should have been a small, secretive, unknown order, striking strategically from the UR where they hid, and causing fear and panic to spread in the NR. But no, instead of telling an interesting story, we are force fed the recycled poorly written rehashed Rebels vs Empire and the Rebels are made to be weaker than The First Order. The First Order are a terrorist movement, they should not be reigning after Hosnian Prime’s destruction, ESPECIALLY AFTER LOSING STARKILLER BASE! Concentrating your government and defenses around only one system is really stupid(AND BAD FUCKING WRITING) The New Republic’s forces should have been spread far across the galaxy. So after Hosnian Prime, The New Republic  sees the bigger picture and mobilizes their fleet and unites their forces with The Resistance. Instead The New Republic is stupidly destroyed because Rian wanted the Rebels to be the Rebels again.(lol this movie is fucking dumb) God forbid we get The New Republic fighting the First Order and making the heroes looking strong in force instead of stupidly having all the Rebels fit inside the Falcon. For the love of fucking god I hate this fucking timeline.

As for The Imperial Remnant. Thrawn, and Rae Sloane would lead the fleets and  Darth Plagueis and the Knights Of Ren would would be in command of the dark side.

Do you have any idea how fucking frustrated it was to play The Battlefront games with The Resistance who are just discount Rebels? They look fucking pathetic.

JUST LOOK AT THE NEW REPUBLIC IN THE MANDALORIAN!!!!!!!! SO MUCH POTENTIAL!

Oh and just look at the NR Troopers from Legends and fan concepts

SO. MUCH. POTENTIAL!

As for the New Jedi Order.

Ya’ll were sitting on a GOLDMINE with the New Jedi Order. You murdered the goose which laid thegolden egg. Imagine proper video games, novels, animations, films in that era.  Think about all of the unique characters and designs we could’ve seen, all the unique toys they could have sold, plus they could’ve centered Galaxy’s Edge around becoming a Jedi, building your own lightsaber, and undergoing training at Luke’s academy. I know they have a lightsaber-building thing there currently, but it would’ve made a lot more sense if they could’ve tied it in to the new trilogy with the New Jedi Order. Plus, Mark Hamill was the only one of the major OT actors who was willing to continually reprise his role well into the future, and they reduced Luke’s role to a cameo in 2/3 sequel movies and ruined his character and killed him off in the other one. They could’ve kept Luke around for several more decades and thrown him in to as many TV series, video games, and movies as they wanted to, and people would’ve flocked to see or purchase whatever he’s in, because it’s freaking Luke Skywalker. Destroying the New Jedi Order offscreen and ruining and killing off Luke Skywalker were the two dumbest decisions made with the sequel trilogy. They could’ve made BILLIONS off of this stuff. The continued pre-trilogy and post-trilogy stories, the toys, the merchandising, the video games, the books and comics, everything. What makes matters worse is that as I said, Mark Hamill was the only one who wanted to continue with his role,( Also he is an accomplished voice actor so he would have done well in the animated stuff, which also gives him opportunities to do action scenes without being young) he honestly probably would’ve been willing to reprise Luke up until he was in his 80s or even into his 90s, hell, Billy Dee Williams was just over 80 when he reprised Lando in TROS, and Luke wouldn’t even need an action-heavy role as he got older, as the Grandmaster of the New Jedi Order, he’d be able to have a similar role to Yoda in the prequels and The Clone Wars, where he provides wisdom and guidance the majority of the time, but he every once in a while he steps into battle, while the new characters go on the vast majority of the adventures. They really shit the bed with these new movies, because using the New Jedi Order with Luke as Grandmaster would’ve made them BILLIONS. I truly don’t understand how such a money-hungry corporation could’ve missed out on this, because using the NJO would’ve been like printing money. It’s genuinely baffling.

We could’ve had it all

Source

Source

For story purposes. It could’ve been like this. 

Luke starts to rebuild the Jedi by training his sister Leia. Leia could not fully commit to the Jedi because she had to lead the Republic as Chancellor, but she is made an honorary member on his Jedi Council. Leia would agree to be trained as a Jedi Master. Leia has a Yellow Lightsaber she keeps hidden should the moment arises. Leia’s most powerful force ability is Battle Meditation. After training Leia, Luke eventually encountered The Emperor’s Hand Mara Jade. Their dynamic and romance would be the same as in Legends. Eventually after Ezra Bridger returns, Ahsoka Tano, Cal Kestis, and Ezra Bridger return and join Luke’s Jedi order. The Jedi council would be this. Luke Skywalker, Leia Organa, Mara Jade, Ahsoka Tano, Cal Kestis and Ezra Bridger. The new Jedi Order embrace both the Light and Dark Sides Of The Force instead of repeating the mistakes of the Jedi of old and so balance can be brought to the force. Balance would mean understanding both aspects of the force and you can indulge in your anger and more toxic emotions, but you can’t let them rule you and when you can come to peace with that, that’s when you have balance.

Also, Luke’s Jedi order would include multiple aliens species from Wookies, Twi'leks, Iridonians, Trandoshans, Mirialan and you get the picture. 

Finn would be a mix of Kyle Katarn and Finn Galfridian.

For those not familiar with either character. Kyle Katarn, a self taught force sensitive who was a former Imperial Stormtrooper that later became a Jedi Master, Battlemaster and a Jedi Council member. Finn Galfridian, a Jedi who is from Royal background and is part of the New Jedi Order who was being taught by Luke Skywalker Finn could still be a Stormtrooper that chose empathy and to walk away, this results in Finn becoming Force Sensitive and brought to be trained by Grogu. We would later find out that Finn is a lost prince of Royalty stolen by The Imperial Remnant. Perhaps, in this scenario. Finn could be the lost Prince of Naboo. Finn would of course continue fighting in the war, but with Artorias on the New Republic’s side, they will gave more funding and at least another ally. It would also provide Finn the ability to have a home for the Stormtroopers after Finn liberates the Stormtroopers from the Remnant. Finn could allow the Stormtroopers that still want to fight to serve in the Naboo military. The Naboo having weak defenses could greatly benefit from having trained soldiers serve them and if the Stormtroopers would prefer a peaceful life, Finn can offer them a civilian lifestyle away from the judgment the rest of the galaxy would give them for their past, even offering them reparations.

Also, Finn would find love with best damn pilot in The New Republic, Poe Dameron!

Luke and Mara would have a daughter. Kira Jade Skywalker(who of course would be Rey) she would grow up loved, with her family and with the Jedi. They would all truly be With her. 

Ben Solo, Breha Solo(Played by Billie Lourd) and Jaina Solo(played by Millie Bobby Brown) would be the Solo children. Ben, Breha, and Jaina would all grow up close and would thrive as Jedi while their parents would visit and shower them with the love they would naturally receive from Han and Leia as their parents and Han and Leia would stand strong together leading The New Republic

You could have Ben Solo being the most promising of Luke’s Jedi Knights. He can either stay as a Jedi or choose The Imperial Remnant and become Kylo Ren. The Jedi Order is split between the Jedi loyal to Luke and those loyal to Ben. I will say Ben’s fall would be similar to Jacen’s. Because he sensed something terrible coming. The Grysk. He feels that the Jedi and the NR would not be enough. So he gives in to Darth Plagueis and leads the Knights Of Ren. But when The Grysk attack, Ben shows us his true colors and returns to his family to fight The Grysk and unites both The New Republic and Remnant. 

If Ben doesn’t turn to the dark side, Ben would stay true to the Jedi and his family. Ben would lead the Jedi to face the Knights Of Ren and destroy Plagueis.

Together Kira, Ben, Breha, Jaina and Finn would rise together and destroy Darth Plagueis and end the Sith once and for all.

But that’s not the end, because The Grysk would invade the galaxy.

Towards the end of the Trilogy, The NR and FO will join forces to fend off The Grysk invasion. Sloane will call for a cease fire and signing a treaty with Leia, where The NR and FO align their forces and build The Galactic Federation. Building a better galaxy together. Leia's vision for a Republic and Sloane's virtues for the Empire.

We get the legacy characters getting treated with respect, we get the new generation built upon and being prepared for the coming war and are all treated as important heroes, we have a FO treated like strong villains and a stronger threat to unite both forces and we have peace in the end. This is how I think the ST should have been handled.

The theme should’ve been family. It’s about how the Skywalkers and Solos lead and protect the galaxy. How well Han, Luke and Leia became after the fall of the Empire and the upbringing of their children. It should end with all is well with the Skywalker and Solo families. Not end in misery.

As Carrie Fisher said

“It’s about family. And that’s what makes it so powerful.”

We could’ve had it all.

[softieskywalker]

conflict about how to reshape the jedi order would be so great… it's an endless debate in every religion cycle i've ever seen. a conflict that i think it would be interesting for luke is the dilemma of when forgive and when not to forgive, if he ever had a sith nephew i know he'd struggle with that.

honestly yeah!!!! imagine this. in 25 years luke managed to build a decently sized jedi academy, with like around 100 students ranging from ages 3 to grown adults. young adults and older can take care of themselves, and some children have parents to return to. but being force sensitive in a galaxy where it was forbidden for two decades probably meant a lot of abandoned children, a lot sold into slavery. so most of the permanent residents of the temple are orphans, who's main parental figure is luke. i imagine there's more adult jedi around like ezra (but he's probably more the cool uncle rather than the dad figure) or ahsoka who's relationship to the jedi institution is shaky at best. so luke has to dedicate A LOT of his time to those kids. now, since ben was born so early after the war ended, leia was probably very busy with senate work and restoring what's left of the alderaanian people. so there's a high chance he spent a lot of time with han and luke, but luke is the one he would have bonded a lot more since he understands the force and how it changes the way you see the world. also he's the cool hero uncle!! now, imagine teenager ben who gets in trouble at school finally getting his way and going to live permanently at luke's temple. something that leia didn't want, but if that's what ben really wants... but now ben feels abandoned, because luke barely has time for him, and he also won't give him any preferencial treatment. ben would grow resentful, like nobody understands him. he's influenced by whatever evil guy and starts falling, and luke panics. because everything he's been doing up to this point was to prevent this. and he knows anakin was very resentful towards the jedi council and obi wan by the time he fell, so luke doesn't confront ben, thinking that silent support is what he needs. but that's exactly what ben doesn't need, he needs attention, because ben isn't anakin. so he falls. now, he's not successful murdering all his classmates i think narratively speaking to burn down the jedi twice in 50 years is stupid. so ben falls but he runs away. so what happens? leia blames luke. she feels guilty for being absent, and she projects her anger on him. but ups, luke also feels guilty, because he didn't do enough. now you add ahsoka losing her shit, saying that this proves attachments are the issue and they should have never changed that policy. luke seriously losing his mind because what's one of his fundamental beliefs about life (that love is the most important thing and that everyone is worthy of redemption) is now in question because what if anakin wasn't the rule, but an exception? what if saving vader wasn't the triumph of love over darkness but rather a fluke in the system? what if the jedi of old were right, and maybe he should have killed his father, and he just got lucky?

well my point wasn't to re-write the entire sequel trilogy but to say yes absolutely a religious crisis would have been so much more compelling as a conflict that's then a catalyst for a personal conflict in luke rather than backwards.