#darklight conflict

[retrocgads]

UK 1998

[derschwarzeengel]

@chisapuppy || Continued from here

Chisa was quiet for a moment hiding his inner intelligence with strangers like always as he was already subtly watching the other man, he was definitely tall and made Chisa feel his own 5'3 shortness but only for a moment as he never let his stature be a down side, plenty of boots or intimidating behavior was usually all it took to make someone forget he was on the shorter side. But that came with one secret and the occasional joke of "short people are closer to hell" often they'd all figure out their own ways to fight dirty and aim for the knees in a sense.

He felt an interesting energy from this person but wasn't too phased knowing plenty that were very dark in the metal scene, their darkness often brought a comfort to those really lost in vengeful hatred so he wasn't about to judge this individual, if anything he was growing curious as he drank more of his soda and smiled a little hearing them speak again.

"Oh that's very cool. I hope you're not like intimidated or something.. All I actually care about at the end is we all have fun on stage and no one takes an accidental nose dive on the floor.. That drop is no joke." His tone was a playful teasing one before sounding serious at the end, almost like two different people were talking, occasionally people would wonder if he had multiple personality disorder or a "system" he had something similar but in his own words, he was a believer of the "split soul theory" an occasional theory talked about in certain rock, metal and other Japanese bands. A result of extreme trauma causing their soul to break into different extremes of who they are as people. Still themselves at the core but always having an inner argument, discussion or conflict with their other sides.

Damon gave a wry half-smile. "No, I'm not intimidated. Actually, it's refreshing being the opening act instead of the headliner for once." Really, his band had dialed back on the live performances since the turn of the century and camera phones, video camcorders, and the Internet had become more popular. When they played live, it was in smaller venues with a strict no-recording policy... though occasionally they would agree to perform at Rock am Ring or Rock im Park in their native country of Germany and had once played the Dome back in 2006. The fewer chances of any of their fans figuring out all three band members didn't age and were technically immortal, the better.

Then Chisa mentioned the drop from the stage, and Damon's wry half-smile morphed into a grin. "Yeah, it's a drop, but that's what makes the stage-diving and crowd-surfing fun."

The Darklighter had definitely noticed the change in Chisa's tone near the end there; decided not to let it bother him. And gods, this wasn't quite small talk (the enemy of most Germans), but it was close. As long as they were talking shop and not about, say, the weather, he'd be fine.

[violettranslations]

Balancer (バランサー)

平行線上　半ば 曖昧返答　たられば 半端な癖が嫌んなった

If there happened to be some noncommittal reply halfway between these conflicting viewpoints, I'd have since gotten sick of this half-assed habit.

シャーデンフロイデ 洒落がくどいね 嫌いになれそうな夜に

Schadenfreude Chic is quite gaudy, huh? I could come to hate it on a night like this.

ひどく綺麗に見えて あざとい笑みに塵崩されて

It looks so horribly beautiful, and it crumbles to dust at a sly smile.

フラグ　 天来のバランサー 論外の未練がある ハイライト　裏側にダークライトなびく 毎秒のジレンマ　快感なるものが 知れたら 仕方がないことだと 改め立ち往生 考える事をやめたら 何この掃き溜めのような感情

Flag Divine balancer I'm dealing with unwarranted regrets. Highlight, and on the flip side, darklight flows. These pleasant sensations, they inspire a dilemma every second. If you know, then there's nothing I can do about it, and I'm brought to a standstill once again. So I stop thinking, and then— what's this garbage heap of emotions I'm left with?

敢えてそう言うのなら 関心無くさよなら 妄想は I wanna do ループ

If you're gonna go out of your way to say that, then I have no qualms about saying goodbye. My wildest fantasies exist as a loop of "I wanna do"

これはひどいね こんな思い出 引き裂かれないようにしてる

They're pretty cruel, huh? These memories. I make sure that nothing will tear them apart.

一人一つの宴　 人は永遠にしがない上辺

A lone feast of one. People will always appear worthless on the outside.

音沙汰の無いあの映画 お涙頂戴　南無阿弥陀 もういらないんだよ 耳を刺す愛の歌 ta-ta-ta-tara-ta こたえるから

I've heard nothing of that movie. What a tearjerker! May it rest in peace. I don't need it anymore, this love song that grates on my ears, ta-ta-ta-tara-ta I'll give my answer eventually, alright?

天来のバランサー 論外の未練がある ハイライト　裏側にダークライトなびく ヒントある行動にDing dong 鳴る鼓動 気付いても 言葉と心持ちは釣り合わないもの 考えても無理だと知る 最後の晩餐を前に踊ろう また不意に想ってしまう今日

Divine balancer I'm dealing with unwarranted regrets. Highlight, and on the flip side, darklight flows. Even if I realize that my heartbeat goes "Ding dong" at each suggestive action, my words and my feelings just won't ever balance out. I realize that dwelling on it is pointless. So let's get up and dance before the Last Supper. Again, I think of today unbidden.

[scarareg]

OTP GAME

Tagged by @mikotofubar and @meltsoul,thank you so much! It took me so long because I am indecisive af and I had to do a wheel with all my OTPs to do this lmao, most Libra stuff ever

Shippingname

Sasamiya

Characters

Sasaki Shuumei and Miyano Yoshikazu

Fandom

Sasaki to Miyano

Official picture

Introduction

Miyano is a bl fanboy who one day saw his bestie Kuresawa getting his ass beaten and he did not know if he should get into the fight,so Sasaki decided to help Kuresawa, and that is how they met. After that Sasaki starts to search for Miyano constantly,asking about his interests, reading his bl manga and stuff,and they fall in love

Reason I ship them

They have a super wholesome,soft,respectful relationship. Love how Sasaki was feeling attracted towards Miyano and he was like 'he is a guy tho...meh, whatever,we only live once,I want him!' King shit! 🩷 And Miya,my soft baby,was the one with more conflict about if he felt attracted towards men or was straight (because he had a crush in a girl before) , and one would think they would react in the opposite way because Miyano is the BL fan and everyone thinks he is quite femenine.

I also like the way Miyano thought for a long time if he really was in love with Sasaki and wanted to be in a relationship and Sasaki was always respectful.

Tagging:

@tinyarmedtrex @dumbasselric @rheawolf @ldwoolart @rukia-writes @constantreaderfool @darklight-owl @bluelric @fivekrystalpetals @modern-oedipus @illuminateandrelate @jwilliambyers @coffeekaspbrak @agentlilicarter

The Wheel lmao

[madamepestilence]

“In the early 32nd century, humanity had not been dealing well with the prospect of still not finding life in the universe other than themselves besides hints of potential microbes across the solar system as they expanded. Consequently, particle physics became one of the primary studies of interest anew, despite the nuclear tensions that spanned centuries prior.

The discovery of a previously unknown subatomic particle outside of the known range of quarks, leptons, bosons, and their anti-matter equivalents not only revolutionized the field of particle physics with its dissolution of the prior standard model, but also made the prospect of a, ‘darklight,’ or, ‘darkbulb,’ seem plausible.

This new particle, dubbed the abscondon, after its hidden nature, was unfortunately understood to not be the still-elusive dark matter, but had the peculiar effect of causing electron-photon mutual annihilation when focused into a beam. Under the prior standard model, only the photons should be annihilated, which rebirthed the search for a, ‘theory of everything,’ as it outmoded the previous understanding of virtual particles.

As particle physicists discovered how to focus and intensify abscondon beams, biologists and nuclear physicists alike immediately became concerned about high-penetrating radiation, and particle physicists at the Venus Organization for Nuclear Research [VONR] confirmed its radioactivity.

Unfortunately, the reformed New United States of North America had rebirthed its fascism for a third time, and public knowledge of VONR’s discoveries about abscondons led to quick developments on Earth, and the NUSNA finalized the creation of the previously unfathomable darkbulb.

Darkbulbs generated highly concentrated beams of abscondons that not only rendered entire regions completely blind from a lack of photons, but would also cause rapid atomic dissolution as electrons were removed, sending out large swaths of lone protons that led to rapid nuclear fission as the vacuum left behind drew in increasing amounts of electrons.

Unlike prior concepts in 20th-22nd century Earth cartoons, darkbulbs were unfortunately powerful nuclear weaponry that cascaded destruction from electromagnetic dissonance, vacuuming, nuclear fission, and finally, a massive explosion that converted all atoms in a radius dependent upon beam length and time used, into lead, and gradually lighter elements outwards.

Fortunately, with the resignation of the NUSNA in 3314 after internal conflicts with the American Communist Association of Bureaucracy and losing numerous battles to the Kuiper Union and Jupiter Orbital Union, all New American darkbulbs were safely disassembled, and were outlawed across the solar system at the Geneva Convention of 3315.”

Interplanetary Health Organization 4301, A Brief History of Darkbulbs, The United Planets, accessed 14 October 4301, <http://ipw.iho.inp/topics/darkbulbs/en>.

[melcnia]

@queenotdamned​

There was a loss of heartbeat. Melania didn’t even know if her heart still needed to beat, as a darklighter, and yet--- she was certain it skipped one the moment she laid eyes on the woman who had killed her. The woman who had stolen her heart in every sense of the word. It’d been easier to convince herself she’d been protecting Qetsiyah. That telling of Silas and Amara would only break the woman’s heart, not telling her was far kinder, lying to her face was somehow a kindness. That selfishly, she enjoyed the time she had Qetsiyah to herself while Silas and Amara had their escapades. That perhaps, once she realized her feelings weren’t returned by Silas, that perhaps Qetsiyah would see Melania as more. It’d been unrealistic of a dream. They were two woman after all, and even beyond gender they were of far different social standings. Melania was a servant and Qetsiyah was a powerful witch. Yet--- Melania couldn’t help but dream. 

Dreams that, in her time in hell, turned into nightmares. All the truths she ignored suddenly screamed in her ear, no longer whispers in the back of her mind. How unjust her feelings were, how she had truly betrayed the woman she claimed to love, how she had chosen Silas and Amara even in their cruel affair, over Qetsiyah. If she truly loved her, telling her the truth would have been what she’d done. That Melania deserved her torment in hell. Both for hurting Qetsiyah, and for loving her. It was a conflict, but one she deserved. For how could you love someone and hurt them? For someone that was not yours to love. She suffered, and Melania knew she deserved it. Yet, laying eyes on Qetsiyah again for the first time since she breathed once more. That same breath fell short. “Hello.” She said, her voice small. She wouldn’t run, even if every instinct in her body told her feet to shuffle. Melania owed Qetsiyah that much. To ignore her own cowardice and to face the woman with the truth, for the first time. 

[mysxcmxgic]

" BORN TO DIE BY LANA DEL REY "

TW / VIOLENCE, DEATH, & TRAUMA MENTIONS

maisie hillington, born of a forbidden union between a darklighter and a witch, carries the weight of two worlds on her shoulders. her very existence is a testament to the chaos that reigns in new orleans, a city teetering on the edge of supernatural warfare. at first glance, maisie appears unremarkable - a slender figure with eyes that shift between stormy grey and venomous green, depending on which side of her nature holds sway. her hair, a deep auburn streaked with ash, seems to absorb light rather than reflect it. but it's the shadows that cling to her, even in broad daylight, that truly set her apart. maisie's childhood was a crucible of conflicting influences. her witch mother, desperate to shield her from her darklighter heritage, wove protective spells into lullabies. meanwhile, her father's essence whispered of power and retribution in the dark corners of her mind. by the age of twelve, maisie had vanquished her first demon - and resurrected it, torn between her dual natures. her most prized possession is a athame, its blade forged from melted angel feathers and quenched in demon blood. the dagger, like maisie herself, exists in a state of constant flux, capable of healing or destroying with equal ease. she wields it not with pride, but with grim necessity, a reminder of the precarious balance she must maintain. as maisie matured, her power grew exponentially, as did the danger she posed to both herself and others. her spells, tainted by darklighter influence, often yield unexpected and violent results. she's learned to harness this volatility, turning it into a fearsome asset for the resistance. yet the cost of such power is evident in the haunted look that never quite leaves her eyes. despite her allegiance to the resistance, maisie is viewed with suspicion by many. her ability to infiltrate the darkest corners of the supernatural world makes her an invaluable asset, but also a potential liability. she walks a razor's edge, constantly proving her loyalty while battling the seductive pull of her darker impulses. in quiet moments, maisie seeks solace in ancient grimoires, searching for a way to reconcile her warring bloodlines. she dreams of a spell powerful enough to rewrite her very essence, even as she fears the consequences of such fundamental change. for now, she remains a living paradox - a beacon of hope forged in shadow, a protector whose very touch can corrupt, a daughter of light and darkness fighting for a future she may never live to see.

[fullscoreshenanigans]

#fullscoreshenanigans impossible polls (via @thetinytimeturtle)

I refuse to accept that designation for this one when I gave a multiple choice option. 😤

#okay how to formulate my thoughts on this #bits and pieces maybe but never fully #but there needs to be a price payed #it can even be up to 90% of it and I'd still be satisfied #like she remembers Isabella but not what she looked like or things like that #it would also have to be a process of over time #I'm still not sure which of the options fit this best #but I'm also fine with her never regaining her memories perhaps that's my bittersweet loving heart talking (via @thetinytimeturtle) --- #mmmmmmmnah. #i honestly like that tpn has an imperfect ending #i've talked about this before but the thing is this series is about overcoming the shittiest situations imaginable #while still sticking to what you think is the right thing even if that means taking the difficult and punishing road #we see it in the escape arc when Emma wants to take everyone we see it in the KoP arc when she wants to find a non-genocide solution #and i think Emma giving up her memories in order to save all the humans is a sign of her conviction #that would lose all weight if they came back you know #the decision has to mean something it has to be difficult if it was easy there'd be no point (via @darklight-owl) --- #option two #because that was Shirai’s choice #I don’t love it because I wish it’d had time to settle and really matter #and I wish it had been built up to at ALL #imagine a human world arc where we see the kids struggle and we finally get a Ray + Norman vs Emma (because we already got the other combos) #as they try to find her #if people change the ending I’d prefer they change the outcome altogether and find a way to conclude without the memory loss #that can be fascinating and creative— but Emma regaining her memory always makes the amnesia-period feel pointless— #what did anybody gain or learn if it’s just reversed?? (via @esthelle18)

God actually seeing the Ray + Norman vs Emma conflict play out would be so good…

I went with the "I'm open to it depending on how it's handled" option because I also like having there be some gravity to that narrative choice and conflict to continue pursuing since Shirai opted out of exploring the societal ramifications of having thousands upon thousands of cattle children either build a new coexistence with the demons in the demon world (which symbolically I understand and appreciate, but I'll always gripe about this being a cop-out when demon hierarchy is purposely centered around maintaining human intelligence as the pinnacle of their existence) or the struggles of them integrating into the human world when they specifically go over the potential hurdles they'll face with this in chapter 97:

Peter also taunts them about these struggles again right before his death in chapter 173:

Only for Norman to quickly gloss over how lucky they are none of these things actually come to pass for them in chapter 179:

(not getting into the meta reasons for why this happens because, while the story does suffer for it, I personally find it hard to fully begrudge Shirai for wanting to wrap the series up on his own terms while simultaneously trying to salvage his declining health)

Much like the events of the Return to Grace Field arc, we as the audience aren't being given clues about this and experiencing these new developments alongside the characters deducing them. We're just sort of thrust into it, and I'd argue that Peter monologue makes it even more frustrating for bringing all those concerns to the forefront again right before the ending as a reminder of "hey, we did consider these things!" only to allude to them as more of a sidenote when the cattle children actually make it there. This is on top of them overthrowing the entire world order of the demon world that's been in place for a millennia by Leuvis coming back from wherever he was for two years to conveniently smooth over Mujika becoming queen.

So in light of all this, I definitely understand wanting to keep Emma's memory loss; it's the only major hurdle that's left since the Ayshe-Norman conflict was dropped and Sonju gives up his centuries-long desire to eat wild humans again after spending a total of two weeks hanging out with the cattle children, even if for a series with societal upheaval as the main goal it's a bit disappointing.

However, after reading amazing fics like SuddenWhisper's Tethered where her memory isn't instantly recovered and the Ratri clan is weary/seemingly actively against any action that could trigger her memories to return and undo the promise, or something else equivalent that allows for more philosophical introspection or character exploration, I'd be open to it, provided it's not the end of the story as it currently stands/within the confines of the set number of chapters we've been given.

#sincerely in my mind i pretend has regained her memories #look for me its like this: #they went to the human world. got separated. she lost her memories. they search for her for two years just like in the manga #and when they find her she regains her memories #because I’m sappy and an act of true love can fix anything #and they searching for her for two years is definitely an act of true love #they find her. she regains her memories. and they live happily ever after the end 🙃 (via @bluelric)

As someone who got into the series within a few days of the S2 finale airing in Japan, I personally think it was funny how it seemed like half the fics that came out around 2020-2021 were No Reward AUs due to how rushed the last two arcs were. ("Yeeeah I'mma ignore that." lol)

It's also funny how often I find myself falling into playing around with "she gets her memories back/never loses them," but like I mentioned above, it all hinges on it not being at the same point that canon ends, assuming nothing preceding it has changed. Things like the Lambda sickness being not being completely cured due to unexpected developments occurring as the Lambda kids aged, the children not integrating as seamlessly into the human world (which may entail them unpacking all the trauma from their time in the demon world), they need to go back to the demon world, or some other conflict in that ballpark; if some combination of that is going on, it feels as though there's an equivalent price being paid.

#voted Combination of two or more listed options… #because No. I have no qualms about how it affects the story; I just don't like… #because she forgets about Isabella and Yuugo and Lucas and of course her dead siblings and friends #because she can't redo them. she can learn about her living family with no problems and start anew #but them? they are gone #and she even misses them! her dreams were very clear about it... #and this hurts #plus #I like playing around with it in fanfics/AUs #like in my Mama!Emma-AU the memories are gone and stay gone #with me making a point of Emma NOT wanting them back #instead she feels like she's a new person and can't replace the old Emma anyway #breaking Ray and Norman's heart #but they realize they like *the new* Emma just as much! and they want her in their life #Emma isn't the same anymore and that's okay #on the other hand in my Foreverland-AU I just couldn't bring myself to let Emma forget everyone... #it's important she still knows and misses her dead friends as well as her parents (via @officersnickers)

God yeah, the heartbreak of her being told stories about all her family members, people who inspired her to strive for her ideals, and forever having that divide of separation from them and learning about them as a stranger in the very memories she was a part of, of being given an entire family she wants to be a part of more than anything while going through the five stages of grief because she knows she'll never be that person they all have such fondness for again.

Foreverland has the tradeoff of the demon god coming up with a different deal, along with smatterings of other aforementioned conflicts/throughlines and character exploration, so it feels like an equivalent exchange has been made. To me anyway lol

#I have many thoughts on this but they’re both disorganized and too big for the tags XD (via @esthelle18)

That's what adding onto the main post is for. 😎👍

*No. I have no qualms about how it affects the story; I just don't like deviating from canon in works in general. **I like playing around with it in fanfics/AUs, but I don't think it should actually happen in canon. ***Yes, a thousand years of cattle children and the general demon population suffering should have been compensation enough. ****Combination of two or more listed options since tumblr won't let us have multiple choice voting.

Sort of a continuation of this poll from last year.

(Mystic Code Book Chapter 6)

[vgprintads]

‘Darklight Conflict’

[MULTI] [UK] [MAGAZINE] [1997]

At first blush, Darklight Conflict looks like what X-wing vs. TIE Fighter should have been: gorgeous SVGA graphics, amazing light sourcing, and a deep-space feeling that so many games in this genre are just plain lacking. But like so many others, it comes up short. The bottom line is, it's tough to make a really good space conflict game these days that finds the right balance of gameplay, graphics, storyline, difficulty and replayability.

The main problem with Darklight Conflict is that it uses what would be the real physics of space combat. Initially this makes for a very impressive feeling for the awesome dimensions of space conflict and movement, but in short order turns to a nightmare of nearly impossible maneuvers within very exacting missions.

There is also the ridiculous premise of the game, but that hardly deserves examination -- suffice it to say that you are basically kidnapped from your career as a navy top gun to be fused, for some inexplicable reason, into an alien spacecraft where you then, for some equally inexplicable reason, gladly fight and die for your abductors.

In its favor, Darklight Conflict flat blows away the competition in terms of look and feel -- there was obviously a great deal of thought and effort put into the realism of this game, but it might have been better as a deep-space flight sim than an action game for the seeming lack of thought put into making this beauty playable.

(...)Darklight Conflict comes up short because it has too many liabilities -- super-difficult gameplay, poorly-designed controls, the clunky old DOS environment, and a woeful lack of decent multiplayer options. Hopefully, the look of this game will impress other makers to the point where a truly great space combat sim can be born of the recent crop of near misses. ~Richard Law, Gamezilla

Source: Computer and Video Games, August 1997 (#189) || Internet Archive; Jason Scott

[somethingusefulfromflorida]

You wanna know what? I would pay money for a Star Wars Legends show. I would shell out my hard earned cash for something, anything, set in the original pre-disney canon. Mara Jade and Grand Admiral Thrawn and Jacen and Jaina Solo. No Rey, no Kylo Ren, no First Order, no hermit Luke, no baby Yoda, no Mandalorian, nothing since 2012. Marvel and DC don't give a shit about canon, they have multiple conflicting concurrent continuities; there are three different Spidermen (dozens if you include all the cartoons and video games), more Batmen than I can count, different incarnations for comics and TV and streaming and theaters and the straight-to-DVD bargain bin, so why can't disney let the Legends canon continue in parallel to their new stuff? They explicitly rebranded all the old stuff so they could differentiate the two universes, so why stop updating one of the universes? I don't want Legends characters reintroduced to disney canon like Thrawn was, I just want new Legends content. Please. I feel like one of those nintendo nerds begging their favorite company to let them buy and play old games, but the company won't let them, so they resort to piracy which makes the company even madder; like, if we are willing to give you money but you still won't give us what we want, you have no one to blame but yourself when we stop paying you altogether. The last Marvel movie I saw was No Way Home; before that, Far From Home in 2019; before that Homecoming in 2017, and Civil War in 2016. I've never seen Infinity War or Endgame, don't want to, probably never will. I haven't watched any of the Star Wars cartoons or streaming shows either, I've been checked out since 2019, and I don't plan on watching anything else in the future (everything I know, I pick up through osmosis from the people I follow on social media). If disney wants to pique my interest again, they'll have to start letting writers explore the original canon. Give us a Rogue One analogue with characters that people actually like and who don't all die at the end. Give us a Biggs Darklighter show that explores his life from rural farmboy to stormtrooper to rebel spy to Death Star trench run martyr. Give us an Old Wounds final fight between Obi Wan and Darth Maul that doesn't end in 2 seconds with a bloodless slash to the stomach. Give us a Sebastian Shaw force ghost Anakin giving Luke some advice before he passes on to the other side (people forget that force ghosts don't last forever; the Thrawn trilogy starts with Obi Wan saying goodbye to Luke and becoming one with the force permanently). Give us Queen Leia leading the Alderaani disapora in the aftermath of the war. Give us Mara Jade and Ben Skywalker and the Ysalamir lizards that can negate the force; that's an interesting concept, force sensitive animals who use it to hunt or hide, non-sentient force powers, passive force, because it's an energy field that surrounds and binds all living things, not just humanoids with magic bugs in their blood (I know that wasn't disney's fault, but it's still stupid). I only gave disney my money for the new Spiderman because I wanted to see Alfred Molina and Willem Dafoe again (Tobey and Andrew were unexpected but pleasant surprises), but I don't watch any other MCU movies or Pixar movies or new Star Wars content; I would lift the embargo just once if they released anything new in Legends, but until then I am done with this company.

[vanishedangels]

The Red Thread of Fate

Chapter 1 • Chapter 2 • Chapter 3 • Chapter 4 • Chapter 5

Summary: Luke Skywalker, Prince of Tatooine, helps Prince Din Djarin of Mandalore to kill the Greater Krayt Dragon and escape the labyrinth in exchange for a ride to Yavin 4 in order to reunite with his sweetheart. But a red thread will lead him to his true love.

Loosely based on The Myth of Ariadne and Theseus and Ariadne's Story.

Pairing: Din Djarin/Luke Skywalker.

Characters: Luke Skywalker, Din Djarin, Anakin Skywalker, Padmè Amidala, Obi Wan Kenobi, Leia Organa, Biggs Darklighter, Sheev Palpatine, Grogu.

Rating: Mature

Warnings: Tatooine slave culture. Slavery. Graphic depictions of violence.

Tags: Canon Divergence AU, Soulmates AU, Pining, Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, Getting Together, Protective Din Djarin, Confused Luke Skywalker, Matchmaker Padmè Amidala, Severe King Anakin Skywalker, Strict Father Anakin Skywalker, Sassy Obi Wan Kenobi.

Chapters: 5/5.

Navigation: <- Previous Chapter

"For a while, I thought you couldn't be real." Din added running his thumb over Luke's lips. "I mean, I still can't believe you are real."

The blonde stared at him slightly parting his lips "Why?" He said and experimentally kissed Din's thumb.

Din's chest plate was moving fast "Because of this, the way you make me feel, it is beyond comprehension, I want to come back to you every day of my life. Please Luke, let me come back to you every day of my life." He said with softness in his eyes and Luke couldn't refrain his longing anymore.

Chapter 5: Love

Inside the captain room everything was silent. Big blue eyes surveying the black of the visor of the man before them.

The Prince of Mandalore looked down, avoiding his gaze, then looked up at him again.

"You are here, but still I feel you are parsecs away." Din said quietly.

"I am here." The blonde retorted, but the expression on his face said otherwise. He knew he couldn't hide it, he was feeling anxious, unshielded. So vulnerable and at the same time he didn't know what to do.

He frowned staring down, he was conflicted, he came back to Din of his own accord, although, now, with the man in front of him he didn't know how to react.

"You told me you were following your heart." The mandalorian said, walking in a slow pace towards the Prince of Tatooine. "If your heart led you to me, I need to tell you something, Luke." He said ducking his head.

Luke heard a hiss, but he didn't understand what was going on until it was too late. Din was lifting his helmet with both hands, revealing a patchy beard and thin lips crowned with a well trimmed moustache, and the blonde prince's eyes widened before he squeezed them shut, shaking his head frantically.

"What are you doing, Din?" He asked covering his eyes with one hand, he swallowed hard, he could feel his heart thumping in his ears and the image of that beautiful sight burning his pupils.

"Please, cyare, open your eyes." He heard the voice of Din cracking a little and his heart fluttered.

"No..." He said breathing in "It is not allowed. You-you said that to my father." He pressed his hand against his eyelids a little harder as his other hand curled into a fist by the side of his thigh, desperate to reach out and caress Din's tanned skin.

"It is allowed when you finally find the one you will have and hold. Forever." Din said and all Luke could see was darkness, still the warmth of Din's bare hand against his own made him shiver. He could feel Din's soft breath against his ear. "It is allowed when you finally find your partner, your riduur, the one that will raise warriors with you, the one you choose to be your clan. And that's you, Luke."

"Clan..." Luke sighed, absentmindedly interlacing their fingers. He knew he wanted what Din was offering him, he knew he was the one he loved. He started moving his fingers on his eyes slowly, as if he was awaking from the most beautiful dream, hoping the dream wouldn't vanish the moment he opened his eyes.

The blonde peeked through his fingers and he froze, finally drawing his hand down. Marvelous and intense brown eyes were boring into his own, stripping his soul, leaving him breathless.

"I know you..." Luke said to him squeezing his hand, fingers still intertwined. "I know your face, I..." He trailed off, gazing at Din's face in astonishment.

"I know." Din said nodding sheepishly, not breaking eye contact with the blonde, a shade of soft pink blossoming on his cheeks.

"You know?" The Prince of Tatooine asked reaching out, he hesitated but Din grabbed his hand encouraging him, Luke nodded and softly touched that pink cheek, stroking the facial hair under his fingertips. "Din, what is going on?" He asked tilting his head.

The taller man drew in a sharp inhale, basking in Luke's touch against his skin. "I've always known it was you. The day I saw you for the first time, it wasn't really the first time."

"Din..." Luke said leaning in, his face inches apart of Din's "I've been seeing you in my dreams since I turned fourteen." He said breathlessly.

Din chuckled "Yes, and so have I." He cupped his face in his hands "You're my soulmate, Luke."

Soulmates.

Luke's head was spinning, his mind ran to the nights he awoke from those dreams, feeling complete and overwhelmed, he remembered strong arms around him, and soft lips against his eyebrows, a moustache tickling his cheek and brown eyes roaming his blushing face. Eventually he tried to solve the puzzle and he concluded that the face he was seeing in his dreams was his friend's, Biggs, a little distorted but he convinced himself that since dreams weren't clear enough, his childhood friend was the one visiting him every night in his unconscious visions, therefore he believed he needed to fall in love with him in real life, still he couldn't feel a thing.

It made sense now.

Din brushed his face with his fingers bringing him out of his thoughts "But I didn't feel love, real love, until..." He pressed his lips together and Luke arched his eyebrows. "Until that red glow poured on me, like a rain of love, I don't know how to explain it."

So Din experimented the explosion of the red thread as well.

Luke closed his eyes, softly, fluttering his eyelashes and Din sighed.

"For a while, I thought you couldn't be real." Din added running his thumb over Luke's lips. "I mean, I still can't believe you are real."

The blonde stared at him slightly parting his lips "Why?" He said and experimentally kissed Din's thumb.

Din's chest plate was moving fast "Because of this, the way you make me feel, it is beyond comprehension, I want to come back to you every day of my life. Please Luke, let me come back to you every day of my life." He said with softness in his eyes and Luke couldn't refrain his longing anymore.

The blonde closed the space between their faces and pressed his lips against Din's, kissing him softly, Din hummed bringing their bodies closer resting his hands on his lower back.

Luke placed his hands on Din's nape, parting his lips and capturing Din's lower lip between them, that made Din whimper. The Prince of Mandalore walked them towards the wall, pining Luke against the metal surface.

"Din..." The blonde said sighing with a crooked smile on his face.

"You look so beautiful like this, Luke." He said kissing him with more intensity now, his hands leaned on the wall at Luke's sides, then he drew them down to squeeze his waist. Luke groaned inside his mouth, the beskar pressing against his body didn't bother him, all he wanted was melt in his soulmate's kiss and arms.

When they finally broke the kiss to breathe Din muffled a chuckle staring at Luke's ruffled hair, then his eyes traveled down all the way to his lips, red and swollen "Gods, cyare, I would die right here if you keep going."

Din looked as sinful as Luke, with his brown hair tousled and his face flushed. Luke realized that the bridge of Din's nose was red as a strawberry and he couldn't help but kiss him right on the nose, cupping his face and Din's hands tensed against his back.

"I love you, Din, I can't believe how much I love you." He sighed closing his eyes as Din ducked his head slowly, finally resting his face against Luke's collarbone.

"I love you more, cyare." He whispered kissing the blonde's neck.

"Ah, Din." He said treading his fingers in Din's brown hair, but all of a sudden he froze against his lover.

"Luke?" Din asked pulling his head back a little to stare at his eyes, confusion radiating off of him. His hand on the blonde's chest.

Luke put his hand atop Din's, stroking his fingers, his heartbeat picking up the speed "You said you love me more, but you let me go." He stated rubbing his face against Din's.

"I did." He said kissing him on the corner of his lips.

"How come?" Luke asked brushing his hair reverently.

"Mesh'la, that was your desire, and even if I had lost you forever when I left you on Yavin 4, I would never force you to do something against your will." He kissed the dimple in Luke's chin.

The blonde Prince closed his eyes lifting his eyebrows, he was trying to focus but Din was making it difficult.

Gods, it is real. You are the right one.

He swallowed and frowned, clearing his throat finding his words again "Love, I want you to come back to me every day of my life." He smiled staring down at Din's face.

"Gods, cyare." Din said moving his head up to kiss him again and his hands traveled all over Luke's body.

"Wait, love." He said still kissing him "Wait, wait." He took Din's face in his hands, boring into his brown eyes "We need to put an end to my father's abusiveness, you won your people's freedom fairly and he had robbed that of you." He said stroking Din's cheek but he couldn't avoid the anger taking him over, it was time, he was facing the King for the very first time.

He was resolute and the Prince of Mandalore tried to persuade him but he failed.

"Please Din, tell your people I need to go back to Tatooine or you will never be in peace, you deserve peace, this is my gift to you, to each one of you, don't take that away from me." He kissed Din's forehead slightly standing on his tiptoes. "My heart is so full of love and the force will be my ally, don't be afraid, my love."

Din tilted his head a little, blinking and staring at his blue eyes, he sighed cupping his face and he kissed him softly "And you will have me by your side, cyare, my love, my Luke."

The blonde Prince considered his soulmate's offer and swallowed hard, he knew he couldn't stop Din, he considered it still looking at him, so close, so right, he ran his hands down Din's arms "What if I lose you there?" He muttered, his heart aching as his face was showing his pain.

"What if I lose you there?" The mandalorian retorted.

"Din..."

"Cyare, I am a mandalorian, a warrior. We offer our lives to sustain the greater good, we are supposed to die in the battlefield, it is our destiny, and it is our honour." He revealed and Luke shuddered in his arms, Din's words sending shivers down his spine. "My clan will never face danger all by themselves, if you do this, I will be there with you."

"I am... I am scared." Luke said, his voice broke into a quiet sob as tears brimmed in his eyes. He was brave enough to face his father on his own, but the possibility of losing Din by his father's hand made him feel hopeless and lost in the most terrifying darkness.

"Do not be scared, we will protect each other." He promised and rested his forehead against Luke's.

The galaxy shrank around them and, for a moment, it felt like they were the only two people in it.

~

"I am the one that brought order to this miserable planet!" The King yelled stomping out of the throne room. "How dare they revolt against me?" He held his hand up and the doors of the corridor opened slamming against the walls before him. He was entering the palace's north wing with the force of a whirlwind, devastating and furious.

Until something stopped him completely in his tracks.

King Anakin frowned, in anger, flaring his nostrils, he breathed heavily.

"Damn you, Obi Wan! Let go of me!" He was certain his former master was behind him. He insisted "You are certainly going to regret it, desist from using the force against me or I will-"

The older man cut him off "Or you will kill me, Anakin?" He asked with a serene voice.

"By all means I will." The King taunted his old master and Obi Wan sighed behind him.

"I know you want to destroy whatever is crossing your path today. I always knew this day was coming." He said putting a hand on Anakin's shoulder, still standing behind him "I love you, Anakin, and that is why you can not do this. Not today."

"Let me go to hell, Obi Wan, if you are trying to save my soul, you will only encounter frustration."

"And pain, I know, notwithstanding I will never leave your side. You are part of me, as I know I am part of you." He stated and Anakin went silent.

Obi Wan squeezed his shoulder and nodded, walking around him in order to finally be face to face with his former Padawan.

The King stared into his master's eyes, Obi Wan smiled fondly and a lonely tear ran down over Anakin's cheek, as he was invaded by the older man's affection.

"Release me, please, Master." Anakin finally pleaded.

"I can't my King." Obi Wan said stroking his cheek reverently, tracing the path of the lonely teardrop. "You know I can't, my brother."

All of a sudden, Obi Wan was thrown away with violence, his body ramming against the corridor wall. The King fell on his knees and hands, staring at his master's motionless body on the floor, he crawled towards him, placing both hands on his chest.

"Now you are free to do as you please, my King." The sinister voice of the counsellor echoing around them, Anakin snapped his head up to look at him.

"He is alive." He said still feeling the heartbeat of his Master under his hands.

"Anakin there is no time, leave him." The man under the hood said.

The King frowned staring at his obscured golden eyes standing up "Show me your face." He demanded.

A creepy laugh crawled up the counsellor's throat "You know my face, King of Tatooine." He curled a finger under Anakin's chin "You have been seeing it since you were a little baby."

The King squinted and swallowed tight "Yes, you were always there, but I want to see you now."

"Why?"

"My gut tells me you are hiding something from me." He retorted grabbing his wrist and moving the old man's hand away.

"I am loyal to you, my King, the only purpose of my life is to look after you, ensure your safety and security." He pointed at Obi Wan on the floor "To protect you from traitors and ingrates." He walked around the King in circles. "Those who said they will always be there for you are letting this happen." He whispered in his ear "Your old master, your children, and even your wife."

The King was curling his hands into fists again. His blood boiling inside his veins. His chest heavy.

"Yes, let me feel your anger, Anakin. I am the only one left, the one that will support you until the world ends, you only have me. You only had me since the beginning." He motioned his hand towards the corridor, encouraging him to keep walking as he grabbed him by his arm. "Show them who is their King, do not hold back."

The King took two steps forward but came to a halt staring at him over his shoulder "Where is Padmé?... And Leia?"

"Probably braiding their hair, waiting for you to find your demise." He deadpanned.

But the Queen and the Princess remained frozen inside the throne room, they didn't get a chance to leave the place, immobile and under a sleeping spell, like two human statues, beautiful and still.

When the King was approaching the corridor that took him to the main door, the roar of the crowd outside the palace was getting louder and his blood boiled again. He felt a cold hand seizing his arm "Wait my King."

The air thickened.

"He is coming." The counsellor muttered in his ear "The prodigal son is returning. I can feel it. We will wait for him." He said moving his hand in the air and the King was as frozen as his wife and daughter, still standing on his feet, with a stern expression and eyes as cold as an iceberg. "Do not worry my King, you will come back to the waking world without even notice this happened."

Tick-tock.

~

The two princes walked down the ramp of the mandalorian ship hand in hand. Koska stood immobile inside the aircraft, reluctantly hitting the button to close the ramp as soon as her Prince and his soulmate were heading towards the King's palace.

"You will go to Mandalore, you will not look behind you, this is not your quest, this is mine. Go to your Mand'alor and tell her to wait for my return. This is the way."

She remembered his words and she clenched her jaw, turning around and locking eyes with her vod, Axe.

This is the way.

~

Carefully, they landed on the outskirts of the city and as soon as they approached the palace's surroundings, something heavy settled down Luke's stomach.

His blue eyes widened when he contemplated the scene before him. He frowned as he let Din's hand go. He plodded around villagers, staring at their eyes, they were icy, mirroring the rest of their bodies. He was gaping, hesitantly touching the shoulder of a man, the man looked furious and carrying a homemade spear.

"What is this witchcraft?" The Prince of Mandalore asked walking through the street eluding the frozen villagers.

Luke moved his head to look at Din behind the man holding the spear, exuding confusion "I-I don't know what is going on here." They kept walking "Do you think they are alive, Din?" He said swallowing through the lump in his throat.

"You are afraid this is your father's doing, cyare. I can tell." Din said trying to catch his blue eyes behind the living statues.

They kept moving, heading to the palace in prudent silence, the blonde Prince gasped when he saw the royal guard fencing the palace and unmistakably repressing the people gathered by the entrance. He looked down, bloody sand under his black boots making him shudder, he squeezed his eyes shut and he only opened them when he felt the soft touch of Din's gloved hand against his cheek. "Cyare, I am right here."

Luke nodded and put his own hand atop Din's "We need to find my father."

"Oh, but he will find you first, little Prince." The sound of the unmistakable creepy voice of the King's counsellor made both of them startle. They looked at him still not processing what was unfolding before their eyes.

"You!" Luke sputtered "You are the one behind this." He said leaving Din's side and going up the palace's perron until he was facing the hooded man.

"Prepare yourself young Skywalker, he is eager to see you." He waved is hand in the air and Luke frowned, all of a sudden the young Prince understood that this man in front of him was a force-user. How could Sheev Palpatine manage to hide this from them for so long was beyond him.

Swiftly, he turned around and he yelled at the Prince of Mandalore "Run! Run Din!"

The mandalorian did run, but he ran towards Luke.

"No!" Luke said almost pleading as Din drew his blaster and pointed at the counsellor.

"Pathetic live form, rot in hell." He only needed to curl his hand into a fist to let Din out of breath, and he was dropping his weapon to take his hands to his throat.

Luke ignited his lightsaber "Coward! Face me!" He said digging the green humming blade into the man's arm. Palpatine groaned in pain releasing Din and the mandalorian crouched down coughing, the blonde prince was breathing fast savouring his little victory when the counsellor laughed mockingly.

When he shifted his gaze from Din to Palpatine, Luke's mouth hung open as he spotted his father, the King, behind the hooded man.

The young Prince moved his lightsaber taking careful steps to change his stance, he looked at his father's face with piercing eyes.

"Here he is, my King, your offspring. Him, who bruised your pride, him, the one that humiliated you in front of your people. He is the one to blame. The one that hurt you the most." He leaned in to whisper in Anakin's ear.

The King didn't move, still his son tilted his head, the King looked down and realized that somehow, even when his son was rather small for a man, he was efficiently shielding the mandalorian with his own body.

"You love him." Anakin observed. "I know you love him, what I am not certain about is if you are ready to kill me in order to protect the man you love."

The blonde prince grimaced, something in his father's words were making him feel uneasy. No. He was not ready. Not at all. He loved his father, even after the recent events.

I don't want to kill you father.

"Answer me Luke, will you kill me to protect Din Djarin from Mandalore?" He insisted.

"That is not up to me." He said extinguishing his saber.

"So be it." Palpatine said and Din was levitating, slowly, as Luke tried to use the force to keep him down, but Palpatine was stronger than him and while the blonde was giving everything, Din kept flying away, and up, up.

"What are you doing? Don't, please don't!" Luke said still using the force, his eyes brimmed with tears.

The King looked down avoiding his son's eyes, and ignoring his desperate plea, he was still feeling anger, he wouldn't interfere, this mandalorian was taking his son away from him. Palpatine was right, Luke hurt him, and deep down inside him he wanted to see him suffer.

"Let him go." Luke said exhausted.

"Gladly." Palpatine deadpanned and suddenly Din's body hit the floor with a force that made Luke startled as he heard a growl coming from him that was inhuman, and the blood in his veins turned into ice.

No.

Luke ran towards Din, he sank to his knees and clutched his shoulders desperately as tears started running down his face, like a wild river that he couldn't contain anymore.

"My love, Din." He rested his ear on his chest plate trying to hear his heartbeat but the beskar was getting in the way. He drew his hand up and press his fingers against his neck to find his pulse underneath the black fabric, there it was, slow, but Din wasn't answering, his blue eyes roamed his entire form realizing he wasn't moving and his leg was injured.

"Father, father..." He said between sobs "He needs attention, father, please." He added still staring at Din's visor. A broken gasp crawled up his throat when he moved his fingers away from Din's neck and he realized his hand was covered in blood.

The King started walking towards his son who was kneeling and hovering over his lover's body, but the counsellor grabbed his arm. "This is my gift to you my King, now let me finish this." Anakin frowned and stood still.

"Damn you, Palpatine." Luke said igniting his lightsaber again but before he could rise to his feet, Palpatine was hitting him with lighting coming out from his hands, it was unreal, it was unexpected. The King have never seen something like this.

He was killing Luke. Painfully and slowly. He was finishing this.

While Palpatine was torturing his son with electrical shocks, Anakin could see Luke's skeleton glowing through his skin from time to time, and it was slowly tearing the King's heart out.

He understood that this was really happening.

"Father... Please." Luke whimpered through the blue lighting, one hand still protecting the Prince of Mandalore's body, hovering over him, as he was holding his other hand up, trying to reach out, trying to hold his father hand, still believing in him, even now.

"Fath-" The Prince choked on his words and he rested both hands on the floor, not able to take it anymore.

Palpatine was laughing with an evident sadistic pleasure that made Anakin's stomach clench.

The counsellor was enjoying killing Luke greatly and he didn't even notice that the Prince's lightsaber disappeared from sight until he heard the sound of the blade igniting.

He gasped staring down at his own body and he took his hands to his chest where the end of the green blade was humming and the lighting stopped abruptly. Anakin was standing behind him, pushing the lightsaber deeper and deeper into him.

"Anakin?" The counsellor asked, his voice breaking. He couldn't turn around but he was trying to hold his hand up against Luke again and Anakin didn't hesitate, he pulled the blade out of him and with a rapid move he cut his head off.

Silence.

He stood there staring at the lifeless body of his counsellor hitting the floor. He looked away, finding his son curled up into a ball next to his mandalorian, he looked so fragile but still so strong, still alive, his endurance was impressive and he couldn't be more proud of him.

The people around them started moving, as the counselor's spell died with him. The sound of voices mingling, turning suddenly into a deafening silence. The royal guard and the villagers stopped their clash, while all eyes were on the Prince of Tatooine and the mandalorian lying on the floor.

Anakin leaned forward and touched his son's back reverently, the young man shuddered and crawled towards Din, still trying to find his pulse.

As the King was assisting his son, the Queen, the Princess and Obi-Wan appeared behind them.

"Father, he needs attention." Luke said with shaking hands, boring into Anakin's eyes, the young Prince frowned when he realized his father was crying.

He rested his hand against Din's helmet and he closed his eyes. Luke's eyes widened when he understood his father was using the force to heal his wounds.

He breathed in as he opened his eyes "He will be just fine, my son." He stood up. "Guards! Take the Prince of the free planet of Mandalore to the infirmary."

Luke startled the moment he heard his father calling Mandalore a free planet, he parted his lips to say something but he couldn't, the royal guard was taking them inside the palace.

~

"I know you are leaving." The King said standing by the window, his arms folded behind his body.

The Prince closed the distance between them "I knew I would find you in my room, father."

Anakin looked away moving the curtains to excuse his need to avoid his son's stare. He sighed "I am so ashamed, Luke. I need you to know that I am sorry."

"I know."

The King flinched when he felt the soft touch of his son's hand on his shoulder. He couldn't look away anymore, he stared down finding Luke's eyes "I am so sorry Lu-" he was cut off by his own tears as he rested his face against the Prince's shoulder "I love you, I love you and I am so proud of you."

The Prince stroked his back "I came to say goodbye, father."

The King nodded against him.

"My husband-to-be is returning home and I am going with him."

The King composed himself and straightened up is back "The Prince of Mandalore is the luckiest man in the world." He tried to not sound affected. "He is a free man now, and he is the man Luke Skywalker loves, luckiest man in the galaxy."

The blonde prince chuckled "I am the lucky one, father."

"Whatever you say." He snorted waving his hand.

"You are a man of honour father, you freed us all of the shadow that Palpatine cast over the galaxy, you were under his spell, do not think otherwise." He tilted his head smiling at his father "You saved my life and you saved Din's as well. That was you, winning your fight, that was really you." He hugged him tenderly "And this, right now, this is really you."

The King breathed in, reveling in the sweet scent of his son's hair, threading is fingers in those golden locks "Go on, future Prince Consort of Mandalore." He pressed his lips against each other in a fondly smile "Do not worry about us, son, someday your sister will be the righteous Queen of Tatooine."

Luke nodded knowing that that was always Leia's destiny "Promise me you will not push her, still I know in my heart that that is her desire."

~

"How do you like it?" The blonde prince asked him entering the cockpit.

Din was sitting down on the pilot seat staring around "Are you telling me that we can keep it?"

"Yes, it is a gunship, it is very old but I thought about you when I saw it, it suits you." He rested his hand on the mandalorian's pauldron. "Well, how do you like it?" He asked again, this time he sounded a little anxious.

"Wait." Din said reaching out to grab Luke by his waist, moving him until the blonde realized what he was trying to do, he sighed nodding, sitting on Din's lap. "Now the ship is perfect." He chuckled pressing the blonde's body against his chest. "Help me taking my helmet off, cyare."

Luke obliged and his heart melted when his blue eyes met Din's brown eyes, he pressed a kiss on his lips "I love you."

"Remember I love you more." Din said bringing their foreheads together.

"Arguable." Luke insisted kissing him long and soft until they were one, still embraced by the red glow of their red thread.

"Not arguable, I will show you, Skywalker." They both chuckled into their kiss and, again, Luke felt like they were the only two people in the galaxy.

~

After their marriage, Luke and Din traveled through the galaxy helping people in need, there were tales about them, the two princes that freed fourteen worlds with the strength of their love, the fourteen worlds that once were under the tyrannical reign of Tatooine.

They landed on the distant desert planet Arvala-7 not knowing they would get involved in a war against nikto mercenaries that were terrorizing the people surrounding their encampment.

When they eliminated the last of the mercenaries, they walked inside a chamber where Din discovered a hovering pram. Luke joined him pressing the button at the front and the pram opened.

He raised his eyebrows when he discovered big brown eyes staring at him "Din..." He said under his breath.

Din reached out and offered his gloved forefinger to the little creature inside the pram, he held Din's finger with his clawed hand.

"He is an infant, Din."

"I can tell." Din added.

Luke frowned when the child was sending him a message through the force, a wide smile appearing on his face "Hello, Grogu." He whispered.

"Grogu?" Din asked looking at him.

"You will not believe this but he is communicating with me through the force."

"You are telling me that he is... He is like you?" Din asked gently taking the baby's hand in his own.

"Yes. And he is scared, he wants to leave this place behind him." He explained staring at the child.

His eyes followed Din's moves, the mandalorian was carefully taking the little one in his arms and the image before him sent shivers down his spine, feeling a warm wave invading his body. The sight was beautiful, seeing his husband with that baby against his chest elicited something beautiful inside him.

"Hello Grogu." Din muttered and the baby chirped happily, moving his big ears as the man stroked his green skin. "We need to find his family, Luke." He said staring at his riduur with those kind brown eyes that Luke loved with every fiber of his being.

"He is a foundling, Din." A foundling, an orphan. Din looked surprised and his eyes were sparkling at the revelation.

Luke leaned forward and brushed the baby's white little hairs pressing a soft kiss on Din's cheek. "Maybe it was destiny, we walked into this place being two and now we are leaving it being three." He said sheepishly, his cheeks turning pink at the mere thought of it, raising children alongside his Din.

They kept traveling through the galaxy helping people in need, there were tales about them, the two princes and their little son, the couple that once freed fourteen worlds with the strength of their love, the fourteen worlds that once were under the tyrannical reign of Tatooine, and now they were known as the clan of three.

[silencedminstrel]

NIGHTFALL OF NEW HAVEN - THE SEEMINGLY DISTRAUGHT DARKLIGHT SWORDSMAN REMINISCING THE PAST CONFLICT WITH HIS MYSTICAL WEAPON

"I will see you burn, Master David!" Oh Mater Dracon--no...not again! Argh! How can you still praise the one who promised to murder you after all that you...? (Sigh) Oh, David...! It's a miracle you're still able to think straight when men far stronger than you already fell to pieces--Meditate, Master David...! It's the only way--Ah, I'm tired of acting so monkish, my friend!

'Tis not me nature, forsooth! Okay...! All my life I've but praised Mater Draconis--just like mine parents and their parents before them! And to think I did see Her in-the-flesh twice? And twice She addressed me via two very different personalities? It's hard to believe She was a monster and a goddess! How am I supposed to carry on living now? To whom now should I

Pray to; give mine thanks? Alas the Patriarch's outlandish concept of logic and reasoning rubbed me cold--I still need higher powers in my life! Well, you still have the unfathomable wisdom of Great Father of The Wheels...! (Sigh) I don't know what to believe anymore in truth--even more after knowing my faith's philosophical aspect is

But a mere Outlander in disguise! Well it could be worse, Master--Nope, nope! But it's--I will suffer none of your conspiracy theories today, Darklight Gemstone! (Scoff) Lord Morforoko had assured me our Eastern friends were far more accepting of their fate than us! Hence I'd rather be doing errands all year long than to start distrusting...! (Sigh) Care for a tipple? Start pouring, my friend!

Knight by Dan Burgess via ImaginaryKnights

[darkwalk]

Knights-in-Training

Sideswipe stared at the group of younglings and idly wondered if he was going to survive this. 

“So, uh...,” He clapped his servos to get their attention, “What do you guys do for fun?”

A sea of suspicious, bored, and annoyed optics stared back. Some of them just looked empty, a feeling he commiserated with. But his job at the moment was to keep them “occupied” and “out of trouble” which was difficult with regular younglings. Trying to keep Darklight younglings out of trouble was a whole other beast that required creativity, stubbornness, and no small amount of luck. 

But he could do this. It was only like twenty or so kids-

Twenty-ish kids out of the hundreds that had died-

Don’t think about it.

“Anarchy.” One of the older ones finally drawled, giving off the aura of general punk attitude with a healthy dash of survivor’s spite. Honestly, he could relate to that too. But it wasn’t helping him in the slightest. 

Thankfully, Sunstreaker finally strolled over to join him. After observing the horde of ankle-biters for a moment, and being observed back, he leaned over towards Sideswipe to mock whisper, “If you don’t move, they can’t see you.”

That took a second to process, as his brother’s serious tone conflicted with their situation. “Then why the frag did you move?!” He hissed back.

Giggles burst from the horde, sly smirks growing from the older ones and Sunstreaker. Sideswipe rolled his optics and tried again. “Alright guys, really. What do you wanna do that won’t get us killed or grieviously injured?”

One of them must have decided she did have a speck of mercy in her spark because a chubby orange femmeling piped up, “Tag?”

“Hide-an’-seek.” Another suggested.

Sunstreaker shook his helm. “It’s too dangerous for hide-and-seek or tag in the ruins. You could be injured and lost and it would take us a long time to realize. What’s something we can play altogether?”

“I Spy?”

“Boring!” Another yelled with some nods to back them up.

A mechling thrust his fist in the air, a long length of wire in his servo. “Jump rope!”

That had a very mixed reaction, as quite a few of the kids growled out negatives or noises of disgust. Sideswipe shrugged, “I don’t think everyone likes to play that.”

“Can we explore the ruins if yer with us?” A rather small kid asked. “‘Cause I wanna know what’s in there but all the adults keep yellin’ at us not to go ‘cause it might not be safe.”

The twins shared a look, knowing full well that despite many of the adults yelling-ordering-asking the younglings to stay close to camp and not go exploring, they already had a few times. Sideswipe was surprised they were bothering to ask at all. Tilting his helm side-to-side, Sunstreaker answered slowly.

“I....think that would be alright. As long as we all stay together and check the ground for stability before walking on it. Who knows, we might find something useful.”

“OH!” Most of the kids jumped at Sideswipe’s exclamation, “I have a great idea! We can play Treasure Hunt!”

“We’re treasure hunters?” A rumble of agreement came from the horde. Quite a few faces looked interested. One of the kids, on the larger side and missing an arm, spoke up. 

“Can we be Knights? Like the old kind that go on adventures and find treasure to bring back home.”

The rumbles of agreement picked up. Bouncing on his heels, Sideswipe beamed at his brother. Lady Luck still liked them after all. His bouncing paused as another kid yelled out. “Wait! Knights are ‘sposed to answer to the temples! Or the Prime.”

“Or a king.” An older femmeling replied. “Like the City Leaders in really old times. Their knights went and brought back treasure.”

“We’re Darklight! We don’t need a king!”

Oh no. Coughing, Sideswipe quickly interjected. “We’re just playing a game, guys. Since we’re obviously old-fashioned knights in search of treasure, we would need a leader to bring the treasure back to. They don’t have to be a king.”

“Since it’s pretend....” One-armed kid stated slowly, “We can pretend it’s a Darklight King.” Seeing only a few mutinous face, he continued. “I think Orion should be the pretend King since he is the leader.”

Sharing another quick glance, the twins simultaneously raised an optic ridge each. Sunstreaker’s lips turned down. This kid was up to something, some sort of political play, and Sideswipe wasn’t sure he knew where it was going. Trying to work around Darklight authority issues was a problem and a half, even with the younglings.

“He’s kinda scary.....” One of the younger ones whined.

Sideswipe’s optic-ridges furrowed in confusion. Orion wasn’t scary. Honestly, he gave off the whole ‘gentle giant’ vibe way more than necessary. The only time he was scary was when people where trying to threaten them....

“Challenge fights.” His brother murmured. Oh. Oh right, there had been a lot of those lately.... And he probably did look a little scary to the kids with a missing optic.

“Well,” He intervened, “Orion’s only scary when people fight him. He’s actually a bit of a nerd most of the time. Likes to read a lot.”

“Hypocrite.” Sunstreaker coughed.

He rolled his optics again. “And he would never hurt kids. Would you like for Sunny and I to ask him for our quest?”

With most of the horde agreeing, and the non-agreeing at least shrugging like they didn’t care, Sideswipe started to bounce again. “Awesome! Onward, oh Knights-in-Training! To the King we go, to receive our quest and find lost treasure!” 

He ignored the warning look Sunstreaker sent him. It was a game for the kids. No one was really taking the ‘Orion is a king’ thing seriously.

“To the One-Eyed King for a Quest!” One-armed yelled, stepping into place beside the twins. There came a scrambling of limbs as the horde moved forward to join him and echoed his cheer.

“To the One-Eyed King!”

Oh, the adults were going to be pissed.

[pinkievie]

maybe i’m just too harsh on the show because i’m so invested, and I know that not everything in the plot has to Have A Point and be meaningful but seriously i’m just confused, someone enlighten me

was i the only one who thought they were foreshadowing to harry and jimmy being “put back together again”? what with harry seeming very depressed about not feeling whole and then he seemed to really like the idea of merging with jimmy when macy mentioned that they might be able to do it

but then they just never mentioned it againnn?? and harry preferred to just STAB JIMMY instead i mean what changed, macy liked the darklighter at first anyways so i thought it was literally the perfect full circle narrative of harry and jimmy becoming one and dealing with all the conflicting feelings and macy aLso dealing with it, am i wrong ??

[oldgamemags]

Saturn Power #3, August 97 - Review of ‘Darklight Conflict’.  

[jasontoddiefor]

hey so for the emporer luke thing would luke eventually get to see biggs/meet him cuz they're cool

As if I could leave my second fave Tatooine kid out of any OT story! Read on AO3

Biggs Darklighter was fifteen years old and he still dreamed of going to the stars someday. He was a good son, helped in the household, and took care of his younger siblings, and would his parents ask him to stay, then Biggs would. If they’d let him go though, Biggs would seek the unknown parts of the galaxy, chase after the adventures he had dreamed of ever since he was a little boy, running around in the courtyard of his family’s home or jumping up and down on Luke’s bed, pretending to be a ship in the sky.

It was strange how easily he had accepted Luke’s disappearance when he was younger. Tatooine was a harsh planet, cruel to the bone, and the death of a loved one happened far too often to be unfamiliar with how tightly life and death were woven together. He hadn’t forgotten about Luke, had mourned his friend and joined his mother on her trips to the Lars homestead, but he hadn’t let Luke’s fate dominate his every waking thought. There had been other things to worry about, such as the suddenly escalating conflicts due to Jabba’s death.

Now it seemed like the exact opposite was happening to Biggs. He couldn’t keep his friend out of his mind. The weekly trips to the Lars homestead, checking in on its state and the refugees hiding there for the next transport that would them smuggle off-world, were now spent trying to see whether Biggs could find any sign of His Imperial Highness in the murals and carvings they had made into Luke’s bedroom walls as children. He had been there when they had found Beru and Owen’s bodies, eleven years old and wondering whether Luke had made used of his uncanny ability to hide away so that he hadn’t been killed too. His aunt and uncle had been half-buried in the sand already, left behind to rot without a proper funeral. It had been easy to figure out what exactly had caused their deaths and what it meant for Luke. In the aftermath, when the news of Jabba’s violent end had reached even the Darklighters, they had traveled to the palace and the nearby city once, trying to see if anybody had heard of a child by the name of Luke Skywalker, but nobody had known a thing.

And then, just a year later, Luke had appeared again.

The Republic had never really cared about Tatooine and neither had the Empire, but even they had heard rather quickly about the Emperor’s death and his heir.

The Luke in the holos had looked like a doll, fake and imaginary, like a wind spirit. His face hadn’t been any different, it still matched the one Biggs remembered, but nothing else seemed to fit, not his name, not even his accent.

And yet he had been sure that the child appearing in front of the Senate was his friend.

All that had remained from Luke Skywalker were his blue eyes, the blond hair and the kindness that had made the other children scoff at him. Luke had been too good to understand, to naïve or perhaps he just hadn’t cared for their petty words. Biggs hadn’t known how he could smile so openly when the others took their teasing to far, but Luke had never lowered his head, at least not where he could see it.

Biggs missed his best friend, the one who would help him fix up old droids and fly speeders and skyhoppers more accurately than anybody else, even though he really shouldn’t be able to do so. Luke would certainly have the time of his life now, rushing across the sands at maximum speed, the wind hitting his face so harshly it almost cut into it. Luke had always enjoyed listening to the wind, from the sweet breezes in spring to the heavy sandstorms towards the end of drought season. Being stuck inside with nothing to do hadn’t been too bad with Luke around to narrate what the wind was telling him.

The distance between the Darklighter homestead and the Lars’ Rest, as they had come to call that safehouse, wasn’t too large. Biggs crossed it quickly even in his slightly beat-up ride that could use an upgrade or two. As far as he knew, no runaways should be staying there for the remainder of the week until they got the next group through. There were fewer and fewer slaves in need of transport nowadays. Tatooine was still, as it had been for the last years since Luke’s disappearance, caught in civil war between the former Hutt slaves, freedom fighters, whatever good soul they could convince to join their cause and those crime syndicates who sought to make use of cheap labor. Where the Hutts had that thought they could reclaim Tatooine quickly following Jabba’s death, Tatooine had wanted to prove them wrong. More and more slaves had escaped every day, more people stood up to fight for what they believed to be right.

Biggs wasn’t allowed to do much, not really. His older sister and her partners were heavily involved in the fights while Biggs could only do supply runs. He knew they were important, but he itched to do something more proactive.

But perhaps that wouldn’t be necessary anymore.

It had become more and more obvious that the Hutts were also a thorn in the side of the Empire and whoever was actually pulling the strings behind their Emperor was set to do something about it. There had been skirmishes so far, a few imprisonments. Nothing too large yet, but the horizon was darkening and if the last years had shown anything, then that the Empire didn’t tolerate disobedience. Biggs wasn’t sure how it would influence Tatooine at large. He didn’t know all that much about the way the Hutts operated on a galactic scale, but he figured that whatever took their attention away from Tatooine, even if just for a while, was good.

Soon Biggs was approaching Lars’ Rest and was surprised to see figures standing in the distance. Biggs frowned and slowed down his craft. He was absolutely certain that no group should be coming in today. The position of Lars’ Rest was kept quiet so that no slaver would discover this particular hideout. The only other groups that knew of it were smugglers and the sand people, though they hardly bothered coming down the underground tracks these days. They had decided to target moisture farms far deeper into their territory or, in the case of some clans who were not as isolated,  target the rich of Tatooine so the poor would cease trying to expand further into the desert.

Biggs reached for his rifle. If they were slavers, he had to be ready. It was obvious that he was doing supply runs, who else would be out here, and if they took him, that could be disastrous for the whole organization.

Tatooine was a horrible planet to plan an ambush on. Sand for miles, the open desert, and skies, nothing could hide you or provide adequate cover. Once your enemy spotted you, that was it.

Biggs could of course leave, drive back home. They didn’t keep anything too incriminating at their homestead, so even if they were to follow him, there was be nothing to be found there. And yet, somehow, Biggs couldn’t bring himself to do so as anger flared up in his stomach like the midday heat.

That house had belonged to his best friend. It was supposed to be a safe haven now when before its inhabitants had found death or worse. Nobody had any right to ruin those memories.

With newfound bravery and strength, Biggs sped up again. He was a good shot, the best in his family, he’d definitely hit them before they could shoot him.

As Biggs got closer, he saw that the group was larger than he had thought at first. Ten, perhaps fifteen figures. He had been confused because their forms had not been easy to make out with the sun bearing down on their light uniforms, no, armor. The armor was mostly white, but some patterns appeared to have been drawn on it. He saw the green ones first, their color standing out the most against the yellow and blue background of Tatooine. Then there some men with blue, orange, and red patterns, those being much harder to see. Biggs’ eyes were good, but not that excellent.

Nevertheless, he readied his rifle. It was easy to get stormtrooper uniform, and to paint it in the color of the Emperor’s guard was even easier.

Biggs took aim. He wasn’t going to shoot unprovoked, but he was going to shoot first if the situation escalated.

“Hey!” He shouted once he was within hearing distance. “Get the hell out of here!”

As expected, the armed men immediately raised their weapons as well. Biggs didn’t know why they hadn’t done that the moment they had seen him. Now that he was standing in front of them, Biggs wasn’t so sure his move had been the smartest. There were way too many of them and only one him.

“Move away,” one of the troopers, a red one, said.

His armor looked pristine, the paint new. This has to be a trick, though he no idea what somebody would get from parading around in trooper armor here. There were certainly more effective ways to pretend to have more power than you actually did on this planet.

“This land doesn’t belong to you,” Biggs said, forcing his voice not to waver. “Move.”

“Listen here, kid,” one of the troopers said, then suddenly stopped talking. Another man had put his hand on the man’s shoulder and leaned forward, probably telling him something. Even though Biggs couldn’t see their faces, they didn’t look too concerned by it all

“I’m not joking!” Biggs insisted and raised his blaster just a little more, set on using it if need be. “I will-“

“Biggs?”

The voice was barely louder than a whisper, certainly not above the noise the wind and the engine were making, and yet Biggs still heard it clearly.

“Your Majesty-“ The red trooper hissed, but in between the trooper’s bodies, a smaller form pushed through.

The person was short, but not as by far not as tall as the holos made him out to be. His hair had darkened as well, wasn’t the light blond Biggs remembered, but the eyes, clear blue, were definitely the same.

“Luke?” Biggs couldn’t believe it.

His clothes were far too fine for Tatooine, at least for standing outside where sand could easily get stuck everywhere on your skin. His robes looked soft and were decorated with gold and red lines interconnecting to images reminiscent of flowers and vines.

The boy's face split into a smile and he looked like he’d jump into a sprint if not for the trooper’s hand on his shoulder.

“Biggs! It really is you!” Luke said excitedly. “I didn’t think I’d see you again. I was hoping someone would look after the farm, but I-“

He cut himself off to shake his head, a gesture so familiar that it had to be Luke standing in front of him, brilliant pilot, Emperor of the galaxy.

Biggs hurried off his speeder and fell to his knees.