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tianasficrecs168 · 5 months ago

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Random Naruto Fic recs

Most of these are going to be general fic recs, ones without a ship, just focused on family/friendship and whatnot.

Also I'm obsessed with time travel, so like. There's a lot of that here.

A whole bunch of abandoned works, as well, sadly. This doesn't mean they aren't worth reading just bc they're unfinished!!! Please give 'em a chance.

Edit: some fics from here have been moved to a different list (yes I figured out how to categorize stuff just now, shut up), you can find them on my Warring States Era Naruto Fics

Here's the sitch:

A black dot • means it’s a one-shot

Brackets (…) means it's still being updated/not done/WIP – and I'm paying close attention to it

(000) -> disappeared off the internet (don't worry I have a copy shh)

(general+) -> Time travel or dimension hopping – something along those lines

100demons: "Ten Years Gone" (general+) a series, one of three Thirty year old Kakashi was supposed to have been killed by Pein during the Invasion. Instead, he wakes up in the body of his twenty year old self. (It gets a lot more complicated.)

Chica Blanca: - "One Chance" (...) (general+) last update: 2020 Revenge never tasted so bitter. It never was supposed to be this useless waste of life. Now Sasuke has a chance to go back and change everything.

Frozen Shattered Roses: - “Loop” (...) (general+) last update: 2009 My name is Naruto and I'm cursed. I'm trapped in a loop of time, reliving the final fourteen years of my life for the third time. Only this time things will be different, because this time I have a plan to escape.

Phoenyxx: - “Unofficial adoption” (general) • A bed-ridden, sickly Kakashi receives a tiny unexpected visitor late at night, which causes a few interesting discoveries. Another moment to add to an alternate universe.

Jedi Honor Bound Ninja: - “To Be Cared For” (general) • Naruto doesn't often get sick, but when he does he knows his routine: hunker down and be miserable. But this time around maybe he can finally have a taste of what others normally have.

Laurelsblue: - “Summer Grass” (general) • There are many misconceptions about her. 20 Truths about Fuu, the Nanabi Jinchuuriki.

Blackkat: “Sweet baby, I need fresh blood” (general+) • Shukaku fixes the timeline. Grumpily. And with a lot of bloodshed.

Blackkat: “With friends like these” (general) • If she isn’t utterly mistaken, there's a flush rising in Orochimaru’s pale cheeks, one she only ever used to see when Jiraiya was being especially handsy during their genin days. It’s been a long time since Orochimaru got over that particular crush, and Tsunade stares at him now, at the averted eyes and rising color and aggrieved slant to his mouth, and feels glee bubbling up inside of her. “Really?” she says, delighted. “Who?”

Blackkat: “This is the passing of all shining things” (general) • There's a monster whispering in Minato's head, curled around his soul. It’s vast and hungry and full of fury, radiates it and basks in it and lets it spill over through the bars that cage it. If Minato had one ounce more energy, he would rage too, but— Anger is a luxury right now, an indulgence. He can't afford it.

Blackkat: “Switch It Up” (general) • Yamato is assigned to Team 7 as their jounin sensei. He may or may not be an evil mastermind, but it all works out for the better.

QuoteMyFoot: - “In The Name Of” (general) • Slowly, Sasuke forgets what 'living' is. (Post-massacre)

Searching.For.Enadi: “If the shoe fits“ (...) (general+) last update: 2020 Time travel. Technically, she could consider this the greatest mission she has ever undertaken, or a brilliant opportunity to finally hit the hot springs. (Or, the one where Haruno Sakura really, really needs a vacation).

Whispering Darkness: - “The life and times of Hatake Kakashi: nukenin” (...) (general+) In the sealed scroll he finds a Bingo Book – his own page marking him as an S-class nukenin with flee-on-sight orders. “Ok. That is definitely different.” In his head he blames Naruto – even if his number one unpredictable student had been nowhere near him on this mission. When things go this stupidly impossibly wrong it must somehow be the future Hokage’s fault. *it's marked as completed but the story's not done in my heart. so i live in delusional hope that it'll be updated one day

Narf—for-the-Garthoc: “Beautiful Day” (general) • Naruto focuses on his last day as Hokage and the people who mean so much to him.

Agent Malkere: - „What You Knead“ (...) (general) last update: 2022 It started, as most things did in Kakashi's life, with a mission gone wrong. (In which Kakashi accidentally acquires an emotionally healthy coping technique.)

Katlou303: - „Time Flies Like An Arrow“ (...) (general+) last update: 2021 Sakura traveled back in time with the intent of changing everything, but something went wrong, and now she's a four-year-old civilian having nightmares about impossible monsters and losing friends she has yet to meet.

Deletrear: - „Kick The Habit“ (...) (general+) last update: 2020 Yes, Itachi's emotional and physical well-being is his first and only priority. No, Sasuke does not have anything remotely resembling a plan to ensure this. It's fine, honestly.

Wroth_and_ruin: - „About Face“ (...) (general) last update: 2017 A little yellow-haired boy saves Sakura from the bullies. And everything changes.

Elumish: - „Adoption by Defenestration; or, A Family Can Be A Fox Demon, Its Jinchuriki, and Three Dozen Highly-Trained Assassins” (general) • He will not be the ANBU who let the jinchuuriki plummet to his death out a fourth story window. Let that be another ANBU’s legacy.

Elesrea: - “Anachronistic Drift” (...) (general+) last updated: 2021 Her plan was flawless. Save Shisui. Save the world.

Cyan96: - “Kurama” (...) (general) last update: 2018 Namikaze Minato makes a mistake. Uzumaki Kushina makes a choice. Naruto ends up growing up with a red haired, foul tempered older brother who wants Konoha to be atomized, preferably yesterday.

Dragonpyre: - “Time Travel? What the Fuck?” (...) (general+) last update: 2020 Basically, Team 7 vs. Kaguya, final smack down. Then suddenly POOF they’re twelve again and waiting to meet their sensei on team assignment day. With no way to get back they decide to stop the war before it begins, and maybe save some people along the way. But they’re twelve, how are they supposed to do that? Starring: Naruto Everyone's-My-Friend Uzumaki, Sasuke Maybe-I-Won't-Destroy-Konoha Uchiha, and Sakura Better-Than-This Haruno; with a guest appearance from Kakashi's guilt complex. We'll be in for a ride folks.

Tozette: - “Strike A Match” (general+) • Sasuke could have reversed time to save the world. He could have done it for his mother and his father, he could have done it for his clan or his village. That's... Those are sweet ideas. They're sort of like what might happen if you let Naruto imagine a motive for Sasuke to return to his hellish childhood. Save the village. Save the world. Be a hero. Sasuke makes a terrible hero.

YumeMadarame: - “I’ll fix it for you” (general+) Kurama wakes up in the dark, trapped inside a human body. The memory loss doesn't help. The Uchiha body either. When he finally understands he’s been sent years in the past, – decades, even – before Kaguya’s revival, before the devastation that had come with it, and before Naruto’s birth… he realizes he’s been given a chance to start anew. An opportunity to make things right, this time around.

Microgeek: - “Fox and Son” (...) (general) last update: 2021 Kurama has little love for humans and even less for his jailors, those Uzumaki with wind and tide in their blood, audacious enough to trap a god beneath their skins. But there is enough love left in him for his newest host, who had as little say in this life as Kurama did, and asked Kurama for friendship anyway. (In which Kurama raises a child out of love, hope, and spite, Naruto grows up to be terrifying, and Konoha collectively regrets that an ancient chakra-beast is better at parenting than they are.)

AvocadoLove: “Teach Your Children Well” (...) (general+) last update: 2010 What difference can one man make? After Madara and Sasuke's final attack on the village, Rokudaime Kakashi finds a time-travel scroll. Now he's Team Seven's sensei again. And this time, he's going to do things differently.

Lolistar92: “Kit and kin” (general+) a series, one of 8 (no this isn't a typo. 8) The Sandaime is resolute when he shakes his head. “No, Kakashi. Naruto is safe where he is. Return to your post, as ordered.” Kakashi doesn’t move. “I’ll give you time to reconsider,” he says, jovial tone chilling with how juxtaposed it is from his previous killing intent. ~~~~ Or, former Rokudaime Kakashi wakes up in the body of his 14 year old self, fresh from the Kyuubi attack. He may not have been allowed to save his first pack, but he sure as hell is going to save Naruto.

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dumbbitchenergy17 · 1 year ago

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Clan of Three - Chapter 16

Chapter Sixteen: The Mines of Mandalore

Plot: A Mandalorian, an infant with a history of the jedi, and a teenager with similar powers and a heavy role to bear. Now reunited their journeys across the galaxy are just beginning to complete their final mission.

Word Count: 5.5K

Pairing: Father Figure!Din Djarin x Platonic!Teen!Reader

Warnings: some wholesome moments, light violence/blood, Din being such a father

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The Boonta Eve is in full swing the festivities fill the streets of Mos Eisley as you fly through your home planet. Reaching the familiar hangar both you and Din land and you see Peli watching a wide grin on her face as both of your canopies open. “Whoohoo! You hear that? She’s purring like a nuzzle shrew.” Peli says

“No complaints. Still faster than I know what to do with.” Din comments and Peli laughs, “Well, I’ll tune her up, just the same. So, uh, where’s my guy?” Grogu perks up from his small port before worming his way to Din’s seat.

“Huh? There he is!” With a leap and flip in the air, he’s caught by the mechanic that exclaims in glee, “Now who taught you how to leap like a Lurmen, huh?” Both you and Din climb out of your ships as Grogu babbles at Peli.

“Was that his first word? I think he’s talking to me. Did you hear that? He said Peli.”

“We’re here on business.” Din says and Peli moves the child to her hip as she leads you further into the hangar, “Oh, are the Hutts back? Are you takin’ out Boba Fett?” She asks and Din shakes his head,

“I need a droid part.” Peli groans before turning to her pit droids, “Ugh. Boring! Hey, get the Jawas back in here before they hit the cantina. You know how Mos Eisley gets during Boonta week.” She makes a drunken impression and you smirk.

“Oh, I know my share of Boonta week.” You say, a holiday celebrated during your childhood your parents taking you to watch the pod-racing but during your time as an orphan using that time to get your latest coin and item to trade off with Jawas. Many aristocrats and wealthy figures would make appearances for the Tatooinian holiday.

“I’m looking for a replacement IG memory circuit.” Din says and Peli laughs as the Jawas are brought in, “Oh. Hey, Grandpa. They haven’t made those for a while,” She turns speaking Jawaese though much faster for you to translate you do pick up ‘memory circuit’ in the conversation. The Jawas speak amongst themselves before replying with the bad news,

“Sorry, pal, no chance cubes.” Peli says and Din looks at the Jawas, “They can’t find the part?”

The mechanic shakes her head, “Nope.” She says popping the ‘p’ in nope.

“I need my droid fixed now.” Din explains and Peli’s eyes light up as she returns the child to Din before standing beside an R5 droid, “Which is why I think you should buy this beauty here.” She pats the droid on its head as it clanks and gives frightened beeps.

“I can’t use an astromech. I need a droid that’s rated for spelunking.” Din explains and Peli gives him a look, “Spelunking? What are you spelunking?”

“I’m going to Mandalore. I need a droid that can explore ahead of me and test the atmosphere, make sure it’s safe to breathe.” Din explains and Peli nods but you see R5 start to retreat beeping nervously,

“Okay, well…Uhuhuhuh. Hey! Get right back here. Right back here, scaredy droid. Come on now, you gotta shine,” Forcing the droid to stand in front of you and Din as she laughs, “This R5 astromech is built for adventure.” The droid beeps completely disagreeing.

“What? Of course, you are. You’re supposed to be piloting starfighters across the galaxy and fighting tyranny.” She says and the droid continues giving worried beeps, “It’s falling apart, and besides, I got no room for it on the N1.” Din says.

“We have R4 remember Di-” You start but Peli cuts you off still in businesswoman mode trying to get a good deal,

“Nonsense. R5D4 is as good as the day it came back from serving in the Rebellion. And I’ll reinstall your droid port and this little baby here can even copilot,” She says and you see the droid trembling in fear, “Hey if you don’t settle your bolts, I’ll sell you back to the Jawas. And because it’s Boonta, what I’m gonna do is I’m gonna give you this for half the price and throw in a free oil bath.”

As night falls Peli reinstalls the droid port as R5 beeps fearfully to the side before it's being put in the ship “Oh, come on now, don’t be a coward. You’re an astromech, act like one,” The droid beeps fearfully and Peli looks at the two of you as you sit in your ships, “I wouldn’t rely too much on this one. Its circuitry is a little fragile.”

“I thought you said it was built for adventure.” Din says as Peli closes both of your canopies shaking her head, “What? Sorry, I can’t hear you!” She holds her hand to her eye as the engines of both of your ships startup. You begin your take-off as Peli waves off to you,

“May the Force be with you!”

The fireworks of the city fill the dark night sky in a multitude of colors reflecting off the glass and your face. Looking over at Din seeing the colors reflect off the beskar as Grogu looks at them in awe as they go off right beside you from your height. “All right. You ready for an adventure?” Din says as you leave the planet your mission begins to travel to Mandalore. Exiting hyperspace and reaching the Mandalore system you follow beside Din as he heads toward Mandalore you can see the planet and the storms that cover the planet. R4 beeps slightly grumpy still mad at Din for bringing a new droid when it was truly capable.

“I know R4, you are more than capable of this mission. Din just does things his own way.” You say and R4 grumbles in his beeps. Looking over the planet you couldn’t help the nerves seeing the planet.

“So this is Mandalore..” You say. “Yes…it looks scary but it was once green and beautiful, back when the songs were written. It’s Mandalore, the homeworld of our people. Every Mandalorian can trace their roots back to this planet, and the beskar mines deep within.” Din says as he speaks to the two of you.

“So you were raised there like Bo-Katan?” You ask and you see him shake his head from his ship. “No, I was not raised there. I’ve never been to Mandalore. I grew up on that moon. Concordia.” You see the moon beside the planet that was Concordia, that was Din’s home planet where he grew up and was raised.

“And that’s Kalevala where we visited Bo-Katan. It’s in the same system.” Din says and you see the other planet though further away but you could see it on your navigation map. You hear Grogu babble through your comms as you move closer to Mandalore, “A Mandalorian has to understand maps and know their way around. That way, you’ll never be lost.” Making your descent instantly entering a storm as the rain pellets down on your ship harshly, the thunder rumbling as your ship shakes. Looking at your maps seeing them jam and glitch.

“Din? Din, can you hear me?” You call through your comms getting and you get cuts of his voice though mainly static, “Ke-...ep G-Gooing…d-d-don’t tur-” It cuts off as the ship continues to rattle and you hear R4 beep worried as you try looking through the storm and the failing screens,

“I think the fusion bombs disrupted the magnetic field around the planet. We might not be able to communicate with anyone outside of the atmosphere. Keep your eyes peeled R4…down here, we’re completely cut off from the rest of the galaxy.” You say as the rattling of the ship through the storm finally breaks through and you reach the planet seeing the crystalized planet all of its shards of green glass just like the small piece you got from Jawas.

“K..kid?! Can you hear me?” You hear Din’s voice cut through your comms and you sigh in relief, “I can hear you where are you?” You respond by seeing a large dome but it’s destroyed. Everything here felt familiar though you’ve never been to Mandalore before, it still felt right being here.

“Sending coordinates now,” Din responds and you get through pretty easily, and soon you find a clearing surrounded by jagged pieces of glass landing happy to see the N-1. The child coos happily seeing you in one piece inside your ship, “I’m happy to see you too.” You say as Gorgu taps on the glass.

“R5, you ready? I’m gonna need you to scout ahead and analyze the atmosphere.” Din says to the droid apart of his ship and R5 beeps fearful and disagreeing to go, “That wasn’t a question. Go over to that split in the rock, and take an air sample of the ruins below.” R5 nervously but slowly leaves the droid port as it moves a bit further away before looking back and beeping.

“The droid will be fine. I just need him to take some readings to make sure it’s safe. Don’t be a baby. Just get the samples we need, and hurry up.” Din waves to the droid and it looks at the split in the rock nervously. You hear the droid port in yours open up as R4 quickly speeds past it grumbling in binary about needing to be the only droid. Reluctantly R5 joins the other droid glad to have a companion. You look over at Din as he watches the two droids leave around the corner.

“You got R4 jealous,” You comment and he gives you a look, “Jealous it’s a droid.” The child whimpers and Din points at the scope, “Here, look. You can watch him on the scope.” You can see on your own the two blinking dots of both droids as they head further out before they completely disappear.

“R4? Buddy, you hear me? R4?” You call out in your comms as you only get static, you would jump out there to go after your droid if you knew the air was safe, “R5, come in. Do you read me? It’s probably just interference.” Grogu babbles before Din sighs, “Fine. I’ll go get him. Normally, this is droid work. I was hoping to avoid going out there. I’ll pressurize my helmet, seal yourself in your pod. Be right back.” Din explains as Grogu climbs into his pod and once Din makes sure he’s secure he climbs out of the ship before heading to yours.

“I’m gonna look for the droids,” You go to move to join him your instincts running to be by his side but he shakes, “The air may be unsafe for you without a helmet. You stay here with the child.”

“Be safe..” You say and he nods, “Don’t worry, kid, I’ll be right back.” You’re forced to watch him walk away from your ship Grogu now letting himself out of his pram sitting in the N-1. You could hear the sad cooing and the fear in his babbles and you had your own concern but you didn’t try to panic the child more.

“Din’s gonna be already…he’s strong. Nothing stops him.” You say and you hear the child’s worried noises dialing down but you keep your gaze focused on the turn just waiting for Din and the droids to turn the corner. It felt like hours and you let out a sigh of relief seeing Din turn the corner followed by the droids. Gorgu babbles happily tapping on the glass to be let out but Din shakes his head,

“Hang on, kid. Not until I check the toxicity. You got an analysis on the atmosphere yet?” Din asks and R4 beeps revealing the readings as Din looks at them shocked, “The charts were wrong. The atmosphere is breathable. Bo-Katan was right. Mandalore is not cursed.” Hearing the news you quickly open your canopy taking in the fresh air happy it wasn’t poisoned and would kill you. You felt an energy deep in the planet as you step foot on the planet for the first time,

“So this is Mandalore…” You say in awe of just the surface of the planet as you join the group out in the open, “R4 you wait at the ship in case we need a quick exit.” You say and the droid beeps happy to help and enters the X-wing. Following Din, you enter a cave seeing the large green chunks of glass before you’re led to an opening off the end of the cliff and you take in the destroyed city.

“That’s the Civic Center. This is where Bo-Katan said to go.” Din points towards the middle of the large buried city. Looking down at the large fall as you take in everything, “Ready?” Din asks and you nod letting him scoop you up before walking off the cliff. His jetpack allows for a steady free fall as Grogu follows in his pram that hovers down beside you. Descending past the mangled metal skeletons of buildings that are long destroyed you stop on a metal platform as you look further down seeing the journey you still had down. “The mines should be further down. I guess we’re on our own from here.” Continuing down entering a large well, past ancient water pipes, this must be the system leading to the mines of Mandalore soon you reached the bottom. Brought to your feet stepping on the damp ground as you take in the area around you.

“These waters should flow down to the mines, and the Living Waters within.” Din points to where the water flows before you make your way through the caves, Din used the flashlight on his helmet to light the way, Grogu with his lights built into his pram, and your form of orange light coming from the beskar saber in your hand.

The large tunnel has more water pipes branching off though no large amounts of water flow through them just a steady drip, “Look, that passage heads down.” He says as you enter a smaller tunnel. “So how would we know what these Living Waters look like?” You ask as you continue down the tunnel. This all felt too familiar, remembering the candles and lanterns lighting your path a feeling in your chest pulling you towards the large cave of water.

“You will know,” Din explains and you continue behind him you come across a pile of rubble and a smooth piece of metal sticks out. Din kneels down pulling from the ground a Mandalorian helmet the visor broke. It looked years old, rusted, and encrusted in the dirt. You felt a sense of dread too late to get Din out of the way of the trap as it encloses him. Looking at the large creature that has Din in his clutches you dodge an attack before swinging your saber it cuts through not deep enough as one of its legs hits you throwing you back. Rolling to a stand something whips through the air connecting to your shoulder looking at your shoulder and seeing a needle sticking out of your skin. Ripping it out seeing it empty as a sudden wave of dizziness and nausea rushes through you. The saber falls from your hands shut off as you collapse into the dirt. From the shadows, Gorgu now out of his pram watches Din be in a tight metal cage, and a creature appears from the large mech suit tying a chain around your arms before retreating into the suit and disappearing dragging you along with the Mandalorian.

Your vision comes to feeling your arms encased above your head groaning from the pain in your skull. Trying to move your hands feeling the rattle of a chain that pulls you from the hazy as your vision clears. In a cave with a few lights, you see ahead of you this firepit with a cage on it, as this creature pulls things out of the cage with a large staff. You see the blaster and his other weapons hit the ground and your memory rushes back. Din, you hear him groan in pain as you tug at your restraints feeling no give. Looking at your person seeing your weapons gone as well in a pile beside Din’s stuff. The creature jabs the Mandalorian before disappearing elsewhere. Hearing shuffling and you spot the small child sneaking his way in to rescue the both of you. Grogu approaches Din looking at the cage that is on a spit, you see him raise his hand attempting to free him with the Force. You see the cage shake and groan though quietly to not alert the being. It beings to lift up when a piece of machinery holding the cage snaps off a large clang alerting the creature.

“Get to Bo-Katan,” Din says weakly as the creature grabs a staff to electrocute Grogu but he jumps dodging the attack. It attempts to chase after him as Grogu raises to his pram but you kick your free foot against its metal knee as it trips slightly. It glares at you raising the staff and digging it into you as it electrocutes you. A scream rips through your body as you seize before your head falls down your body twitching from the pain. It hurt like hell, your body drained and overloaded at the same time. But the child was able to escape so the pain was worth it. You just hope he gets to Bo-Katan and gains her help. You smirk up at the creature,

“That’s all you got?” It makes a snarling sound and raises the staff jamming it back onto your body as your screams fill the air before the pain becomes too much and you fall unconscious.

The small child escapes the ruins of the civic center reaching the N-1 and closing the canopy before a reptilian creature could attack it smashing into the glass. The R5 unit looks at the small child sitting in the pilot’s seat pointing at the viewscreen at the planet that resides a Mandalorian R5 quickly understands transferring the information to R4 who beeps confused not seeing his owner return with the child. Soon both N-1 and X-Wing rise and leave Mandalore.

A tired princess of a destroyed planet rests on her throne waiting for her life to wilt away. However, a droid interrupts her moping, “Your Majesty. Unscheduled visitors.” Bo-Katan sighs seeing both the N-1 and X-Wing fly past the castle’s large open windows. Sitting up grabbing her blasters and heading towards the ship the foot droid following behind,

“Let’s get rid of him once and for all.” She says as she reaches the landing pad sees the two ships and calls out to them.

“Maybe I didn’t make myself clear the last time. I want to be left alone.” The canopy for the N-1 opens revealing the lone child as it babbles and Bo-Katan looks over at the empty X-Wing only its droid in command, “What happened to them? Download the astromechs. Find out where they were.” She orders her droid as it takes the information from both astromechs. Once receiving the location she brings the two droids and the child onto her own personal ship.

“We’re going to find them little one,” Bo-Katan promises, though she felt some sympathy towards the child’s father her concern was more aimed at her own flesh and blood.

You were sure how long you were unconscious but you woke up to sharp pain. A hiss pulls from your lips as your eyes wearily open seeing a needle coming out of your arm. You hear a groan of pain and you look over to the cage Din is in seeing tubing coming from there. “Din..” You croak your voice hoarse from the pain of being electrocuted.

You see the creature return coming over to a droid and starting it up seeing it being to pump, a hiss comes from your mouth and you hear a groan come from Din. Looking at the needle your eyes widen seeing your blood being drained by it and you can assume it’s not going to stop. Pulling at your chains trying to force the needle to be ripped out only for the blood to be drained faster. You can feel your body grow weaker from the energy being put in and the quickly draining blood. A blaster bolt hits the pump droid stopping the extraction and you let your head fall trying to stop the black spots from filling your vision. You hear footsteps and gentle hands cupping your face, “Y/n?! Can you hear me?” You’re surprised to see the bright orange hair and the woman’s face. You spot the creature sneaking up behind her with the electric staff,

“Be..behind.” You mumble and Bo-Katan realizes and was able to dodge the attack but is hit multiple times stunning her as she groans in pain. Rolling on the ground grab the Darksaber igniting it as your head falls back down. You hear the struggles of fighting before a large sound of metal being cut and it grows silent. Bo-Katan comes over to you pulls the needle out of your arm and starts working on the chains but you weakly shake your head, “Din…” Your grand-aunt sighs before going to help the Mandalorian as you rest your head back trying to get rid of the waves of dizziness but soon fail falling back unconscious.

“Din, are you okay? Can you hear me?” Bo-Katan asks looking around at the cage and seeing him lying on his stomach she couldn’t even tell if he was breathing, “It’s Bo-Katan. I’m gonna get you out of here, all right? Can you move at all?” The Mandalorian mumbles something but she shakes her head,

“Din, I can’t hear you. Are you trying to say something?” The Mandalorian weakly speaks two words, “Behind you.”

Bo-Katan barely dodges the attack of the creature in the large mech suit it was not dead the first time. The large suit stomps trying to crush Bo-Katan as she rolls out of the way cutting off one of the limbs. It brings a leg dodge but she brings up her shield deflecting the attack. With much more grace than Din has even wielded the blade she has ease chopping off the limbs before chopping the head of the machine. Before the cyborg creature could try to escape again Bo-Katan stabs the creature straight through its mechanical/organic head.

A fire crackles far away from the caves as the once-trapped Mandalorian begins to stir away. Din wakes up groaning in pain holding his head and taking in the new location as he sees the female Mandalorian tend to the fire, “What happened?” He asks looking seeing the small child beside him babbling happily and seeing his father awake.

“I saved your life.” Bo-Katan says and Din notices one person missing trying to sit up faster but groans in pain, “Relax she’s alright just still asleep.” Bo-Katan gestures over to your sleeping body Din sighs in relief seeing you alright. He had heard your cries of pain that was inflicted on you but he was useless in helping you. Bo-Katan with the help of the small child had to take two trips to first bring you to safety and set up camp while the child stayed with his father before Bo-Katan returned to bring them both to the set camp.

“How did you find me?” Din asks getting himself into a sitting position, “Your kid. He’s tougher than he looks.” She points to the small child who sputters entranced by the small fire, the flames though much larger than him, “And he’s quite the navigator.” She adds and Din nods,

“Thank you for rescuing me. You were right. Mandalore is not cursed.”

“Was I? Look around. There’s nothing left. A great society is now a memory. I once ruled here for a brief time,” Bo-Katan says reminiscing old and dead memories, “Now, it’s destroyed. Nothing to cling to but ashes.” She sighs getting up holding a small cup filled with a mystery liquid Din looks at it curiously,

“What is this?”

“You’ve never eaten pog soup?” She says shocked and Din shakes his head, “No.”

Bo-Katan chuckles at the irony, “Can you appreciate the irony? Any Mandalorian worth their armor was raised on this since they were his size. You should rest. I’ll get you back to my ship soon enough.” She explains as Din drinks part of the soup lifting his helmet slightly though not revealing his face before giving the rest of the soup to Grogu. He rises with a groan shaking his head,

“I’m not going with you.” He says and Bo-Katan watches him behind to put his weapons and jetpack back on him, “What are you talking about?”

“I must continue to the Mines of Mandalore so that I may be redeemed.” He says finishing by grabbing the darksaber to return to you.

“I honestly think that it’s adorable that you actually believe these children’s stories. But there is nothing magic about the waters.” She says trying to convince him to but he was already on a mission he was not going to drift from.

“Without the Creed, what are we?” He asks her moving to the fire grabbing the last cup of the pog soup and moving towards the sleeping girl, “What do we stand for? Our people are scattered like stars in the galaxy. The Creed is how we survived. You rescued me and I’ll always be in your debt. But I can’t go with you until I fulfill my obligation.” He kneels down and slowly shakes the girl awake.

You feel a gentle caress on your head as you stir from a dreamless sleep, “Come on kid,” You hear Din’s voice as you slowly blink your eyes open a groan coming deep in your chest as you see him kneel down beside you.

“Din..” You whisper as he helps you to sit before he holds out a cup, “Drink. Regain your strength.” He says as you accept the cup drinking what is soup as he looks over you taking any injuries you might have sustained but you just look tired. Bo-Katan watches the gentleness that the Mandalorian gives to you. How the fierce warrior that fought against the Imperials and many bounty hunters and lived act so soft around a small green infant and her own grand-niece.

“I will take you.” She says and you both look over at Bo-Katan, unsure what the context was of their conversation.

“To the Living Waters?” You ask and Bo-Katan nods, “Yes. You’d never find them on your own. Not in all this wreckage.” She says and Din nods,

“Thank you.”

“Don’t thank me until you see them.” She says and soon you begin your journey once more through the ruins of the old city. The place seemed trapped in time the ruins holding the history of this planet or the few Mandalorians that escaped the purge. Everything felt familiar and welcoming about this place, never once have you stepped foot on Mandalore but it feels like you were returning after years of being apart. An unknown force connects you to this place as Bo-Katan leads you through the city ruins.

“It’s hard to believe that this all was once filled with our kind,” Din says as he takes in the ruins of the once glorious city. It was rare to see a Mandalorian in the same system or planet but having them all together cultivating a planet, growing up, and raising foundlings here, Din couldn’t believe it. He wishes the planet was in its state of prosperity, he would raise you and the child here as foundlings, and you would be back on the planet of your ancestors.

“It wasn’t that long ago. You’d never know it looking at all this destruction.” Bo-Katan says taking in the ruins.

“It looks like it’s been centuries.” You say spinning around while walking and looking at the buildings that are high above you, you imagine Mandalorians traveling by jetpacks or trains and speeders. The people in their armor with pride. You try to imagine your father, being born here. You wonder what he would say if he knew you return to his homeworld, did he wear Mandalorian armor? Did he speak the Creed and Walk the Way?

“The Empire set out to punish us. To wipe away our memory.” Bo-Katan says and Din glances over at the woman, “It must pain you to see it like this after witnessing its beauty.”

Bo-Katan is silent before speaking up, “What pains me is seeing our own kind fight one another time and time again. Killing each other for reasons too confusing to explain. It made us weak. We had no hope to resist being smashed by the fist of the Empire. There. The entrance to the Mines of Mandalore.” She points ahead and you see a tall entrance before you that still remains intact.

“olaror adiik…at te oya'la pirun” (come child…to the living water) A chorus of whispers calls out to you, and the harmony of voices graces your skin. An electric feeling dances along your body the hair on your skin standing feeling the presence. It was the same feeling as you felt that energy from your dream as Din spoke but it felt drowned under your thoughts

“This area looks much older.” He says and the feeling of eyes watching you fade as his voice becomes clear,

“The mines have been here for thousands of years. The Living Waters are in the chambers below.” Bo-Katan explains and you look over at her, “Have you been there?” You ask and she nods,

“Yes, when I was a child.” She says before glancing at you briefly, “So was your father.” You perk up hearing the mention of your father.

“Really?” You ask wanting to know more about your family and their past. The history that connected them so deeply to this planet and its people.

“I was part of the royal family. I took the Creed and was showered with gifts. But the rituals were all just theater for our subjects. They loved watching the princess recite the Mandalorian tenets as her father looked on proudly. Such a heartwarming spectacle. Your father was the same reciting the Creed though he wanted to grow and be the right ruler to Mandalore. One that Mandalorians could fight for and alongside.” Bo-Katan says glancing at you with a nostalgic expression seeing the familiar features of her nephew on your face, “Our family thought it taboo what he believed in at such a young age. He wanted Mandalorians to know that wherever they were in the galaxy they had a home on Mandalore…” She grows quiet glancing at Din slightly, “No matter what Creed they follow.”

Your wide eyes turn to Din and you can sense the surprise coming off him, from your father’s ideals at such a young age. “He would be happy,” Bo-Katan says looking at you, “That you are home.” She says before looking away and you can tell this was a very emotion-filled conversation she hadn’t expected to have in a long time or ever. You grab her hand and she looks at you surprised,

“Thank you for telling me about my father…Your father sounds like an interesting man as well. I would’ve liked to have known him.” You say, you felt like so much of your history was hidden, with only one living relative and the planet that would hold all its secrets in ruins. You could only grasp pieces of your fragmented family legacy. Bo-Katan nods squeezing your hand in return,

“They were great men. They died defending Mandalore.” She says and you knew that even though your father didn’t die defending your planet like your great-grandfather but your father had protected you all those years ago. Keeping a piece of the Kryze Clan alive, protecting his last piece of Mandalore.

“This is the Way.” You speak the words of both Mandalorians' Creed surprising them both. Bo-Katan felt like a piece of her lost family restored with your words, the last living members of a dying clan. Din felt pride and complete shock as well as hearing you speak the words of his Creed with every intent behind it.

“This is the Way…” The two whisper back as they look at the young girl. You were of two dying worlds; the Jedi with its people massacred many years ago being the grandchild of a great Jedi Master and the Mandalorians their planet destroyed their people scattered across the galaxy grandchild of their late Duchess one of the last survivors of a clan.

“ibic cuyir te ara” The chorus echoes through the caves but you’re the only one that turns to the sound. Your hand drifts from Bo-Katan’s as you take the lead. Returning to a familiar tunnel the holders for the torches and lanterns are now destroyed you don’t even use the light from your saber letting that energy guide you. Din, Bo-Katan, and Gorgu quickly follow behind you as you are pulled into a daze turning down a complex system of tunnels as they catch glimpses of you as you move ahead.

“Kid! Wait for us!” Din yells seeing you quickly disappear around a corner of darkness the three of them having light while you travel in darkness, “She doesn’t even know where she’s going.” Din grumbles but Bo-Katan shakes her head with a surprised expression.

“She’s going the right way…” She says as the three quickly follow after the two adults confused about how you knew the way.

“ibic cuyir te ara…olaror adiik” The voices whisper again as turn down another path the darkness surrounds you but it guides you the whispering of Mando’a becoming louder and overlapping as it echoes through the tunnels until you reach an opening. A vast pool of water is accessible by a wide stone staircase. Pillars of stone though roughed by erosion, a greenish glow fills the cave from the green glass that surrounds the planet. It was just like your dream, remnants of broken lanterns make a path toward the murky waters. It’s completely silent as you look out into the water and it ripples and you sense something in there.

Lo te pirun

The voices whisper as you slowly move forward and you pull off your holster holding your blaster and vibro-knife as they fall to the ground.

To mhi

It echoes around as you pull your saber letting it clatter to the floor, the voices whisper into your ears pulling you to the water as you take a step down the water licking at your boot. You pull the Darksaber from your belt the weight heavy in your palm as you ignite the blade the light draining from the room as your gaze follows the sword-like energy coming from the blade. Whispers and haunted memories flow from the blade. Presences fill the room as a hand reaches from behind you grabbing your wrist that holds the saber you look to your side seeing a human man wearing grey Mandalorian armor with blue accents his head is shaved and his eyes a storm blue, another hand grabs your other wrist and you see a man feeling his presence in the force his black robes with red skin and black markings, his head covered in spikes and his eyes a mixture of red and yellow.

“Blood for the Mand’alor.” The Mandalorian says his hand guiding the weapon to your other hand. “Blood for the Jedi.” The red-skinned man hisses. You feel numb as the Darksaber slices across your palm feeling a muffled heat before the blade is pulled back and palm pours from your palm. The force-sensitive man holds your wrist out as the blood pours into the water a ripple of red mixing with the murky water. Your grasp on the Darksaber disappears as the men’s grasp leaves you and the weapon clatters to the ground.

“I swear on my name. And the names of the Ancestors..” The voices echo and you repeat the words as you draw deeper into the water at your hip

Ad be Kryze…kemir te ara be Manda'yaim

“That I shall walk the way of the Mand’alor… and the words of the Creed shall be forever forged in my heart.” The chorus of voices some familiar you pick but they speak in harmony as you repeat what they whisper to you.

t'adyc ad be jetiise Kenobi. t'adyc ad be Mando Kryze.

“Ibic cuyir te ara” You call out the water reaching your chest, “This is the Way.” The chorus echoes as you feel that presence in the water grows stronger.

Mand'alor be cuun adate

“It ends here Mand’alor.” “Kid!” Moff Gideon’s and Din’s voice fills your head the haze that covered you clears right as you walk off the shallow shelf and Bo-Katan and Din see you abruptly disappear in the water.

Tal kelir galar par gar

Both Din and Bo-Katan dive into the water without hesitation using their jetpacks to speed up the quickly sinking girl. Their lights look around frantically for the girl before Din notices the seemingly lifeless body of his daughter resting at the bottom of the trench. Swimming down wrapping an arm under her armpits quickly using his jetpack to assist him to get to the surface with Bo-Katan following behind as cover. Din is so focused on getting his daughter to safety as Bo-Katan watches out into the dark water when they suddenly pass a giant reptilian creature with white horns. Bo-Katan’s eyes widen when her light hits the creature seeing its eye open and staring back at the woman. A creature only told in myths said to be long dead but the symbol of its people. The mines according to folklore said to be the lair of this creature. She lets out a gasp as they speed away as she watches the large creature swim off into the darkness. The three reach the surface crashing onto the steps as Bo-Katan gasp for air while Din who also struggles to catch his breath hovers over the young girl trying to get her to wake up. Sudden coughs fill the air water expelling out of her mouth as she wheezes trying to get air back in her lungs but she was alive.

The small clan of three comforts each other from the event as the female Mandalorian stares out into the waters taking great, heaving breaths. She wasn’t sure what she saw down there or if she even saw something down there at all. They were meant to be extinct the last one seen during the age of the first Mandalore…then why did she see a mythosaur in those waters.

#star wars #star wars fanfiction #the mandalorian #clan of three #clan of three series #din djarin #din djarin fanfiction #din djarin x reader #din djarin x teen!reader #din djarin x jedi!reader #din x reader #din djarin x y/n #mando x reader

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ninjigma · 1 year ago

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RexObi Week Part 1/7 - Next

Day 1: “Rise and shine, sleeping beauty.” Track: 'Who Do You Love' (E) - Mariana's Trench (Spotify / YouTube)

The sun was warm on Obi-Wan's face, splitting through the gently swaying curtains of the open balcony door. The blankets he was still tucked beneath were cool but heavy, and he was loath to open his eyes at all and break the hazy feeling of still semi asleep. It was a peace he hadn't known in a long while so why would he ever want to break it?

Well, there was perhaps one reason.

Silently there was a new weight on the bed. The sun that had been valiantly fighting to wake him was blocked by shadow, and Obi-Wan hummed absently at the relief, shifting his head slightly more toward the weight he recognized long before they spoke.

"Rise and shine, sleeping beauty."

Obi-Wan's smile couldn't be helped, and he knew now there was no chance to feign sleep even if he wanted to. "I am not sure who you are talking to my dear. I am neither asleep nor do I think my bed head looks beautiful."

"Well," Rex's voice was soft, not wanting to break the quiet moment as he set something further down the bed and leaned closer. "You have definitely slept in. Missed the breakfast cart and everything. And-" at this Obi-Wan felt some fingers brush against the wrist tucked near his head. "If I didn't think the messy look was beautiful, you may be out of luck."

Obi-Wan finally couldn't stop himself. The loving jab was just enough to prompt quiet laughter to bubble out of him, eyes opening to finally take in Rex. The clone was in fact leaned towards him, stomach down and only wearing tight black neoprene shorts that definitely didn't give Obi-Wan any quick reminders of the night before. He focused instead on how Rex was in fact reaching out, the warm fingers brushing over him also holding a cup of gentling steaming caf. Steam that rose and swirled up past Rex's face framed in short golden curls that had dared to grow out in the last few weeks, boldly caught the sun streaming behind him and used it to light up around his head like a true halo. And the more Obi-Wan looked, the more his smile grew and eyes crinkled, until Rex was tilting his head and knitting darker brows together.

"What? No further protest sir?"

"Maybe I just finally learned not to protest such things?"

Rex pulled a face of disbelief that made Obi-Wan out right laugh this time, rolling more on his side and righting himself to better see that Rex had also brought a caddy with baked goods and fruit, along with another steaming caf. "Obi-Wan Kenobi," Rex started, the full name falling from his lips a rarity that still made something in Obi-Wan's stomach flip. "I would believe that just as much as I would believe you saying you had become a sith."

Obi-Wan hummed, and slowly brought his own hand up to cup over Rex's jaw, the clone no longer hesitating to lean into the touch. "Well, when it is you saying it, I find it has become much easier to believe."

A breath. Their eyes locked together in honesty, in growth; in how Obi-Wan gave out a bit more trust and Rex offered a bit more faith, as if they hadn't both already committed so much so readily. Somehow they still had further to go, and did so with all the excitement of a youth neither had truly experienced.

No. Right now, with Rex taking a breath to make a retort Obi-Wan knew would make him laugher brighter then he had in years, the oh so great High General Jedi Master Obi-Wan Kenobi felt like nothing more then the young fool in love that Rex had made him into.

@rexobiweek

#rise and shine sleeping beauty #am I writing these the day of?#perhapsssssss #but we are having fun #rexobi fest 2023 #obi wan kenobi #clone captain rex #rexobi #obirex #obi wan x rex #star wars #clone wars #fanart #my art #my writing

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spectordameron · 3 months ago

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Okay, so now that I am a little more coherent (by a margin), I do very much want to talk about the recurring motif of light/darkness that surrounds Poe's story arc in the trilogy from the beginning to the end, because once you notice it, you can't un-notice it:

the first time we meet Poe, it is at night. He is bathed almost entirely in shadows from the perspective of the viewer, giving him something of a mysterious air - we can see more of Tekka's face here than Poe's, but Poe is surrounded and backlit by soft, amber lighting; he turns his head, towards the map and away from the viewer, towards the light.

Our first close up of his face, our proper introduction to him, is another interesting bit of lighting work; Poe is bathed in amber lighting, with a bright burning lantern/candle to the left of him, and the shadows at his right and just behind him. It fits what is quickly and firmly established: the galaxy is filled with a dark and looming threat that hides in the shadows, and Poe is rooted firmly in the light, keeping it at bay - but he's not immune from those shadows either.

The rest of the sequence on Jakku has similar Light/Shadow plays, with Poe often surrounded by amber lighting/fire, firmly associating him with the imagery that's going to become prominent from a story perspective in The Force Awakens, and then later with the Resistance as a whole.

The light/shadows motif continues even aboard the Finalizer, albeit on the other end of the color spectrum. The First Order is cold and dark, and there's no warmth here: the only warm tones here in this shot is scarlet lights haloing Poe's head and the blood on his cheeks, but even surrounded by the enemy, tortured until he's practically unconscious, Poe is cast in a soft light - even here, they cannot touch his innate goodness.

The biggest threat the Resistance faces in this movie, is Starkiller base, a weapon that, according to Finn -

And it's next target is D'Qar, to wipe out the Resistance once and for all - a plot beat that holds considerably more weight after The Last Jedi and the Rise of Skywalker, as sun imagery becomes synonymous with hope - the lack of which nearly tears the Resistance apart in TLJ, leaving them with a sense of hopelessness in TROS.

"But as long as there's light, we got a chance" is essentially the thesis statement to Poe's characters and his core beliefs, that we see go challenged in TLJ: as long as there's light, there's a chance. As long as good people fight, they can win. They will win.

It is Poe who makes the final blow against Starkiller base, and when it is destroyed, a sun is born in its place. He saves the Resistance, D'Qar, and countless other planets across the galaxy - and in the Resistance's retreat, Poe is shown (more so than any other pilot) to be swathed in the shine from the newly reborn sun:

In this sense, he's restored some hope to the fight too! Sure would be a shame if the next movie challenged his belief when there seems to be no light at the end of the tunnel - oh right that's exactly what happens in the next movie.

But first, the cloaked binary beacon. We're introduced to it by Leia helpfully describing its purpose to bring Rey back to the Resistance as such:

It's a statement rife with symbolism; Rey's never had much to call home before, at least not until the Resistance, and she spends a large part of the movie being drawn to the Dark due to her connection to Ren, and her own longing and inability to let go of the past.

Leia is the one to initially hold that tether to bring Rey home, but drops it following the spacing, and Finn picks it up, who then later gives it to -

Poe, for safekeeping. So, the device that is immediately associated with Light, and specifically the Light that calls to Rey in the film, is given to Poe to protect and keep safe. And the shot immediately after Finn gives the beacon to Poe is

a rising sun on Ahch-To, to really hammer in the light/sun imagery and Poe's association with it (and Rey of course, she's got a lot of that too, but this is a Poe meta).

The next time the Light motif comes up, is during Poe's confrontation with Holdo. While I'm definitely trying to keep this focused on what we see in the movies, I do think it's worth noting that in the novelization, Poe spends most of his time trying to boost morale, helping the evacuations of other ships (until he's randomly and inexplicably grounded by Holdo) and try to keep everyone's hopes up while Holdo remains distant and secretive from her people.

Obviously, Poe is a very proactive character and dislikes being sidelined and unable to help (this is established firmly in the opening sequence of TFA), but I think it's notable that one of the primary things that has him angry enough to confront her - and yell at her, which Poe rarely does even when he's upset - is the fact that their situation feels dire and hopeless, and he's desperate to know there is hope, and they're not just hurtling towards their deaths (in the depths of space, the ultimate darkness), at which point Holdo reminds him:

Poe finishes the saying seamlessly, implying it's something Leia has reminded him time and time again of; it's a far cry from, and nearly the opposite to his thesis statement in TFA, that so long as there's light, they have a chance. He struggles with keeping hope if it's out of sight, which is a character beat that TROS takes and runs with.

(side note: I love how fucking IRRITATED he looks when she brings up Leia. He's like DO NOT. TRY TO CALM ME DOWN WITH MADRECITA RIGHT NOW. I love him.)

Later aboard the shuttles, we see the Light motif once again: ostensibly Leia is talking about Amilyn here (and is, but there's certainly a double meaning here in my mind), but it's overlaid by her reclaiming the beacon from Poe, who has been keeping it safe all this time:

I would say that quote definitely also applies to Poe, as much as it does Holdo - both were doing what they thought was best for the Resistance and what they thought would best protect the Light, whilst not caring if they seemed like a hero or not (for Amilyn, it was appearing cold and distant and like she didn't care, for Poe, it's the mutiny).

The last time the Light motif comes up in dialogue in the film (and I think in the trilogy, at least in conjunction with Poe's arc), is Poe's rallying speech on Crait:

It's of course, a statement he learned from Amilyn; but rather than the return to the status quo that hers implies, Poe's is more focused on ridding the galaxy of its current evil, with no thought of returning to what was, which of course ties into the film's theme of letting the past die, the trilogy's/resistance's message of moving on and continuously doing better than the past rather than stagnate, and rounds us back to Starkiller, I think: because it is about change. They are the Light that will change the galaxy, they are the spark that will change a weapon into a newborn sun.

We also get a play on Lighting, again, with the lifting rocks sequence. Poe is the first character we see react to the rocks being lifted (with Leia in the background), and he goes from being trapped in the shadows to once more being bathed in sunlight:

Hope has, for the moment, been restored to the Resistance, and to Poe, but the fight is far from over.

TROS takes Poe's struggle to keep hope when all seems dark in TLJ, and goes further with it, giving us a Poe who is more emotionally fraught, and near despair that all he has done - everyone he has lost - has been for nothing and the First Order will prevail. As such...Poe is rarely in the sunshine at all in TROS: there is some initial moments on Ajan Kloss where it's clearly daytime (when he's arguing with Rey, and later when he's checking in on her before they leave), and majority of the Pasaana sequence, but the rest of the time, he's usually in extremely shadowy settings such as the sand burrows:

We could take the dick joke and make it serious about him keeping a form of light closeby, but I think the dick joke is funny considering the irony of putting it in the movie where those pants makes it clear he's got nothing to worry about, ahem, anyway.

The sand burrows is an interesting sequence, because it's specifically one of the few moments we see Poe genuinely panicked and afraid. He's easily the most freaked out of the group when they're in the sinking fields, grows increasingly irate with everyone the longer they're trapped (I suspect it might be Crait trauma), and he's just generally anxious about what could have made the tunnels, about the bones, and then he's the most worried about the snake (except Threepio).

The next time we see Poe in the dark, is on Kijimi. I honestly don't even know if Kijimi has a daytime, and I can't find anything on it, but I don't recall it being mentioned much in Free Fall. Either way, when Poe confides to Zorii just how much he's begun to lose hope that they could win, that he's even making a difference, and this has all been for nothing, it is in the middle of the night:

But even at Poe's lowest, there's still Light: it's an inverse to the establishing shot we get of him in TFA, where there was shadows looming just beyond his shoulder; now, the shadows are in front of him, and the Light is behind him, just out of reach - he can't see it, but Zorii can, and she reminds him that this isn't who he is, and that he doesn't truly believe all is hopeless.

However, even after hearing that much needed reassurance, we still don't see Poe around any natural lighting, either. They sneak aboard Ren's destroyer, and then go to Kef Bir to locate the Wayfinder. Here, we see Poe's second lowest moment of the movie: his and Finn's argument, where Finn (unwittingly) affirms Poe's deepest insecurity, that he's not enough because he's not Leia:

Kef Bir is an overcast, rainy planet, so visually, Poe is still without hope. When he, Finn and Chewbacca return to Ajan Kloss, there is sunlight, and I think that's partially to represent that they were going to Leia for help - she was meant to be represented by that sunlight, but then once they find out she's gone, we return to the drearier sets on Ajan Kloss:

And once Poe realizes that he is alone, without his mentor and fellow leader, he retreats further into the darkness:

But he is looking towards the Light, just behind Leia:

As Lando approaches, Poe steps further into the Light, filled with newfound resolve and hope: Zorii and Lando both believe that all they need is each other, that they aren't alone, that there's hope, and that's all that Poe needs.

The lighting isn't so noticeable, but he's not in the shadows anymore. It's even glinting off his mother's ring, which represents a future Poe hasn't gotten to live yet.

Obviously though, this is a story, and the climax requires a falling action before it can rise again, so when they arrive on Exegol (a planet that is nothing but Darkness, with no sun at all due to an ongoing storm) and the situation grows increasingly more dire, the Light/Dark thing grows more prominent.

When the fleet arrives, there's a patented JJ lens flare that goes over Poe, and Poe flies his X-Wing out of the shadows of a stardestroyer, into the light of the fleet:

I'm sure there's probably more instances during the actual Battle of Exegol, but I haven't seen it a lot of times to say for sure because I am allergic to Poe crying and avoid the sad parts of the movie quite a bit, but it's worth noting that once they win, the storm on Exegol ends, and we get the sun again:

And of course, we return to Ajan Kloss for our final celebrations, which bookends Poe's introduction quite nicely. For the entire duration of the sequence, he is surrounded by life: greenery instead of desert sands, people instead of being isolated and alone (no offense Tekka), and sunlight. Lots of sunlight.

In fact, our last closing shots of Poe, are him smiling and utterly bathed in the soft rays of Ajan Kloss's sun:

Poe's sun/light imagery is simultaneously overt, through dialogue, and subtle in the various ways they manage to include it in the lighting of his scenes, and the slow progress of him being surrounded by Light in TFA with the dark looming behind him, all the way to TROS doing the inverse by having him covered in shadow with the Light just behind him.

Poe is inarguably the anchor point of the trilogy, he and BB-8 are the first characters we are introduced to, and he is the sole primary character who's loyalty to the Light is never in question: he is continuously a foil to Ren, who repeatedly rejects the Light in favor of the Dark, and is the one to safekeep Rey's way back to the Resistance/to the Light for the majority of TLJ. In the TROS novelization, Poe is given by Leia the legacy of House Organa, effectively putting him in the most Light Side family of (mostly) non-Force Sensitives in the entire Star Wars franchise, and the trilogy's habit of pairing him up with its primary themes (Hope/Light/Sun imagery) really goes to show that Poe is a critical part of the story, and without him, the trilogy would be wildly different...and possibly even without hope.

#nym speaks #poe dameron #my meta #long post #star wars #st

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simslegacy5083 · 7 days ago

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Today's (11/14/2024) Episode: Hiding In Plain Sight

Noemi woke up on the second day of their family Batuu trip with her husband snuggling her gently. “Mmm, good morning handsome” she mumbled.

He gave her an impish grin and rolled away, hopping to his feet. “Ready for another day of adventure?” She grabbed his arm and climbed as much up her spouse as she did out of bed, ending with him fully ensnared in her arms and unable to escape her passionate kiss.

When she was convinced she’d properly laid claim to the dazed Luigi, she knocked on the frame of the loft bed next to them. “Rise and shine kiddo! This is your last full day as a child, and your last chance to explore space for quite some time; you don’t want to spend it laying around!”

In fact, given the crummy way he was feeling that morning, Skye wouldn’t have minded staying in bed at all. However, he dragged himself out from under the covers and did his best to pretend everything was OK, forcing a bright smile when he saw his dad glancing back his way.

His parents hadn’t said anything to him when they’d returned to The Dwelling early the previous evening, but it was obvious to the sensitive sim that they were disappointed by how things had gone. “It was all my fault for being a stupid scaredy cat” he berated himself “I’m not going to ruin today too!” He climbed carefully down to get changed, doing his best to ignore the ache in his bones and behind his eyes.

“Well, that was fun, wasn’t it?” Noemi asked later as they delivered a fresh meal from Docking Bay 7 to the hungry “alien” waiting for it. “You did a great deed for The Resistance today, Skye, and got to learn all about the local cuisine!”

“You know, I really enjoyed interning here and learning all the park exclusive beverages when I was in University” Luigi interjected. “I’m pretty sure they have a culinary internship too. Maybe you can apply for that one when you’re a student.”

“That would be cool.” Skye nodded his head and immediately regretted it when a lightning bolt of pain lanced from his temples down his neck.

As soon as his parents' backs were turned heading towards Black Spire he winced, closing his eyes and taking a deep breath. “No more vigorous nodding” he said to himself. Exhausted and itchy all over, he hoped at their next destination he could find somewhere to sit down for a minute.

“Are you sure you don’t want to try it?” Noemi asked her husband, placing her new Kyber crystal in her saber hilt in preparation for her first duel.

Luigi nodded and gave ger a roguish grin. “I can’t wait to see you in action, but hokey religions and ancient weapons are no match for a good blaster.”

In truth Luigi thought a lightsaber battle sounded amazing, but he knew his hand just wasn’t up to it. Pushing through the pain of Carpel Tunnel to achieve a successful game launch and championship tournament win had left him struggling with tasks requiring good grip strength and fine motor skill.

“May the force be with me” Noemi said with a smile a few minutes later, drawing her weapon and preparing to do battle.

“Take my picture Skye!” she called out, striking a pose. He started fumbling around in his inventory for his camera, suddenly lightheaded: “Hold on…”

“Here kid, let me give you a hand” Luigi looked at him oddly as he came over to help. “Are you feeling OK?” When his son mumbled something about being hot and tired, he tried to encourage him: “We’ll hit The Cantina next for cool drinks and then relax until its time for cake – how’s that sound?”

“Perfect” Skye told him, relieved. He quickly grabbed a snapshot of his mom, calling out “Good Luck!” as she squared off against her opponent.

Unfortunately, Noemi’s Jedi adversary made short work of the untrained swordswoman, ending their duel with a gentle mocking that stung her husband’s pride.

“That guy is doing a great job of playing a very punchable jerk!” Luigi grumbled as they walked to the bar. “He’s lucky I’m above that these days.”

“No harm done” Noemi promised him “and I was pretty slow out there – should have practiced first.” She shrugged: “but I wanted to move along to the real highlight of the trip – a Robot DJ dance party! Skye, you’re going to love this guy, he’s the slickest bot I’ve ever seen, and I’ve seen a lot!”

“Sounds like fun” Skye lied. There’d been nowhere to sit during the battle, and he was feeling worse than ever. Still, he didn’t complain when they pushed him ahead of them onto the dance floor, even though he was dizzy, itching all over, and his skull felt like it was pounding in time to the beat of the music. “Mom and dad had a great day, and its only a couple more hours” he told himself, determined not to ruin things a second time.

View The Full Story of My Not So Berry Challenge Here

#sims 4 #sims 4 legacy #sims4 #sims 4 nsb #sims 4 challenge #sims4nsbstraud #sims 4 not so berry #sims 4 let's play #sims 4 gameplay #sims 4 lets play

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alons-ycreeper · 9 months ago

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Me, heelys-rolling up on the last day of kesett week with a Starbucks: here's days 1-7 clusterfucked into a single ficlet, enjoy 😎

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"This is never going to work." Boba gripes as tugging on the stolen robes before coming to sit beside his Jedi at the controls. "I swear if we end up chained together again in some–"

"We haven't even gotten there yet and you're already complaining." Cal smiles, looking his partner up and down. "You look good in my robes by the way."

Despite the fact a blush would be harder to see on his complexion Boba still tugs the cloak hood further down to hide his face. Cal giggles at the frankly adorable display. It's rare that he ever gets to see his partner so flustered thanks to him wearing a helmet near 24/7. Cal has tried that helmet on multiple times and still can't understand how the bounty hunter is able to wear it for so long. That thing is stuffy!

"Why didn't I turn you in again?"

"Because you fell for my charm and wit. And you couldn't bear the thought of me rotting away in some prison."

"Wanna bet?"

They laugh. Their banter having eased the tension a bit that they soon fall into comfortable silence. A beeping coming from the dashboard alerts them that they've arrived at their designated location.

Cal can feel Boba's apprehension, his sadness. He reaches over, grabs Boba's hand and gives it a reassuring squeeze. He's a little surprised when the other actually accepts the comfort instead of his usual batting away.

"Trust me?" Boba nods.

Kamino, 7947. Just a two years after the Invasion of Naboo.

The planet is the same as he remembers it. Dreary clouds blocking out the sun as they pelt Tipoca's domes with constant heavy downpour. Dark waters crashing below hiding the unforseen horrors that lurk in their depths.

"Masters Jedi." A familiar voice greets them at the city entrance. Boba feels his heart sink to the bottom of his shoes. There in the doorway stands Taun We. She looks younger. She is younger. "Follow me, please."

Sterile white halls and bright florescent lights. The contrast between the outside world and the dome-life city are truly light and dark. Boba feels a bit sick from it.

"The prime minister is eager to meet you both. He's bit apprehensive about your arrival seeing as we have not yet produced anything worth–"

A loud crash followed by the small voices stops them in their tracks. But those are no ordinary voices. Those are the voices of clone cadets terrified out of their minds. The bounty hunter doesn't think twice, booking it down the hall in the direction of the cries. He knows Cal is right behind him so there's no need to worry there. This is his chance to do the right thing. All that matters right now are those boys.

Boba skids the corner finally coming upon the cadets. One of the clones stands poised I'm front of the others, a blaster pointed directly at their threat, Orun Wa. Boba hadn't known the Kaminoan personally like he had Taun We but he didn't need to. The sleemo was just like the rest of them.

"Get away from them!"

"Mister Fett?" Orun Wa stutters in shock.

Boba quickly steps in front of the six boys–because that's what they were, boys. Not units, not soldiers, but little boys forced into a life they had no choice in. Little boys sold off into slavery by a man who was once a slave himself.

"I said, 'get away from them'." Boba repeats, voice cold and demanding.

He sees Cal step behind him, slowly approaching the kids and calmly asking the one with the blaster to please lower his weapon and hand it over. Surprisingly the kid does. Once the weapon is in his Jedi's possession he quickly hands it Boba for safe keeping. Cal immediately goes back, checking the boys over for any injuries. The kids seem to take a shine to his Jedi. Good.

"Master Jedi," Orun Wa begins. "Please excuse these defective units. They may be highly intelligent but they are deviant, disturbed–and uncommandable. As Mister Fett is well-aware we only allow the highest quality to be produced here. That is why these units must be terminated."

Every word coming out the Kaminoan's mouth only serves to horrify Cal and anger Boba further. He lifts the blaster the young clone had been aiming with–

"Put the blaster down, boy."

Boba finally understands how Cal feels when a Dark-sider is near. Cold. So very cold.

He turns to face the man he hasn't seen since he was ten years old.

"Dad."

. . .

"What happens next?"

Cal meets the wide-awake eyes of his youngest. Of course A'den would still be up. He's the only one of his brothers that ever makes it to the end of Cal's stories. He never knows if he should be flattered or insulted.

"Guess you'll just have to find out tomorrow night." Cal tucks his son's blanket up under his chin and kisses the top of his head. "Goodnight, A'den."

The little clone yawns, "Goodnight, Cal'buir."

Quietly Cal exist the kids' room, entering the hall where his husband is waiting for him.

"Telling them false stories again."

"Have to entertain them somehow." Cal holds his arm out. Boba rolls his eyes but takes the arm anyway. "Shand back yet?"

"She just got in. Along with Vanth."

Cal groans, "Does he have to be here?"

"I don't see why you two can't just be civil."

"He's the one that starts it." Boba snort at the childish tone his husband's voice takes. "He's just jealous that's all."

"I'm starting to wonder if Din has these same problems with Skywalker."

"You wouldn't have it any other way."

Boba smiles, "Wanna bet?"

#kesett #kesettweek2024 #also this is gonna have some jango criticism but like very briefly

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buggstuff · 1 year ago

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CODYWAN WEEK DAY 1!!

Aha. I just woke up!

@codywanweek

Day 1, writing prompt: Rebel AU/Cody with a lightsaber. It also can be found here on my ao3!

"Cody!" Obi-Wan calls out as he slips in the fight, hilt flying out of his hand.

Cody quickly grabs the saber and activates it, slashing the attacker quickly, then spins around and grabs Obi-Wan by his robes, holding him carefully over the edge. He brings Obi-Wan back up, slowly.

"You really need to stop dropping this," Cody scolds, clipping the hilt onto his own belt.

"I'm aware, but, I do need that back-"

"I'm aware," Cody echoes, teasingly. "You'll get it back when we're done."

Obi-Wan stifles a laugh, following Cody through the dark canyons. They walk quietly, the dirt and pebbles crunching under their boots.

It had been 3 years. 3 years since Obi-Wan left the Jedi Order. He hadn't known how persistent Cody would be. It was quite impressive, actually, how well the trooper had hid from Obi-Wan and put up mental barriers. The only reason Obi-Wan found out Cody had followed him was because Cody let his guard down, and the rogue Jedi sensed him. Why did Obi-Wan leave?

That was indeed a question.

<em>"Why did you leave?" Cody prompts, voice quiet in the dark cave, lit dimly by their lantern.

"Why did you follow me?" Obi-Wan retorts back, seeming amused.

"Obi-Wan.."

The older sighs and gives in.

"The order... It wasn't for me. It had just taken too much. My family, so many of my friends, any chance of.. Well, a romantic relationship. And the last straw was..."

Obi-Wan shudders at the memory. Of Ahsoka, facing charges for something she never would have done.

Anakin and Obi-Wan both left the order that day. The trio kept contact, but travelled the galaxy separately.

Obi-Wan was glad he had Cody.</em>

Obi-Wan takes deep breaths as they walk, calming his body after the sudden attack. The breeze is gentle, a bit chilly, as you would expect in the dead of night. Three moons shine brightly in the sky, passing ships visible where they are. Creatures call out, making a natural melodic sound of the forest. The ground was dirt and pebbles, brown, meanwhile the trees had a dull, dark brown wood and round, glowing cyan spores in place of leaves. It was quite beautiful.

It would be, if the two weren't constantly being attacked by robbers, rogue pirates and predatory animals out here.

Obi-Wan caught Cody's blaster and began firing, the forest lighting up at the green blasts, clashing with the blue saber in such a lively way. The sounds of chaos ensued as they ran, Cody hitting anything away from the front while Obi-Wan aims back to shoot there. They were hostile animals of this planet, a 'kill-on-sight' sort of thing. A whole pack of them.

Cody and Obi-Wan share a glance before going back to back, keeping away the predators with ease now. They moved fluidly and they moved together, fighting the animals off. Obi-Wan turns and shoots one far away that was approaching quickly, while Cody blocks off attacks on Obi-Wan's side. They spin back around and continue.

"Cody, dear, we may not be able to win this one!" Obi-Wan shouts to his partner, it seemed like the animals didn't stop coming.

"I gotta agree with you there!" Cody shouts back.

The two share a nod then begin running, fast through the forest, making sure the other doesn't get left behind. Their weapons now tucked away, they moved easily between the trees and vines, dodging and weaving- The animals don't have that balance and fluidity. They eventually reach a cliff, seeing dirt and a river at the bottom.

Obi-Wan looks at Cody.

"Don't hate me," He says.

"I don't think I'm able to do that."

Cody smiles.

Obi-Wan launches Cody up and to the side, dangling over the ravine, before he jumps down and releases the force-hold on Cody.

They fall and fall, Obi-Wan landing safely thanks to a common force-trick, but as he rolled to land, his hands scratch on the sharp pebbles. He hisses quietly through his teeth, but quickly lifts his hands to begin catching Cody. His speed slowly declines until Obi-Wan places him on the ground. He looks unamused.

"I may take back my statement," Cody deadpans, swinging the saber once before deactivating it and clipping it to his belt again.

"Oh, you would never," Obi-Wan grins.

"Sure," Is all Cody says.

They start walking once more, the river flowing fast next to them. Obi-Wan looks at his callused, dusty and scratched hands, then tugs his sleeves up a little. He turns direction, striding to the side of the river now. He lets out a soft exhale as the cold, almost freezing, water washes away the dirt and blood on his hands. He hears Cody's soft footsteps, then his saber igniting. He sees the blue glow and brings his hands out of the water, standing as he shakes them off.

He turns to see Cody in an opening stance of Ataru. It was a bit sloppy, but good for someone not trained well. He takes in the form before approaching Cody, standing at a close diagonal to him, gently adjusting the form.

"This is.. Form IV?" Cody questions, turning his head to look at the former Jedi.

Obi-Wan smiles and nods, hands gentle as he makes minor adjustments, then gently moves Cody's head by his chin to face forward.

He'd never forget the sight- Cody using his lightsaber, learning everything he could before the sun rose and they could peacefully continue their journey. The way the sun rose, it lit up Cody's body, making his dark skin so vibrant, his eyes sparkle, his mix of old armour and tan robes looking slightly younger than they actually were.

He just couldn't believe Cody was truly his.

#codywanweek2023 #cww23 #obi wan kenobi #my writing #star wars #the clone wars #commander cody #codywan

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topwan-obikin · 11 months ago

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SECOND HALF OF REVEALS ARE UP!

Here it is the second half of reveals for the first deadline of our fest. and the official conclusion of our first deadline!

We are so happy about all the engagement and love you have showed us, and we can't wait to see even more submissions for our second deadline!!

From this moment on, the authors mentioned in this post will be able to promote their creations however they like! You are free to post your work on your own social media and we will promote it alongside the reveal of your fic. You can include moodboards or other creative images in your promotion! Just be sure to tag the fest in some way.

If instead you didn’t have the chance to look through the creations revealed, now it’s a great time to do it. Give them some love and share the ones you loved more!

From next week, the blog will restart our weekly recs friday and wips wednesday, plus our games. And look out for the 26th because we'll drop a Christmas present for our 300 followers milestone!!

For all who'd like participate in our second deadline, all infos are pinned on our blog!

Now let’s dive in!

☆ Show Their Truth by dragons_and_angels

[Explicit - 2,270 w]

With every action, Kenobi proved Vader's Master a liar.

☆ Tied Together With You by dragons_and_angels

[Explicit - 4,375 w]

Anakin Skywalker is bad at sex. He knows this, but that doesn't mean he wants his boyfriend to find out.

☆ Snake in the Grass by KnockKnockOut @knockknockoutblog

[Explicit - 6,718 w]

Anakin has been in love with Obi-Wan for as long as he can remember. And because Obi-Wan is a Jedi's Jedi, he knows Obi-Wan will never love him back. But that's okay. Anakin has enough love for the both of them. When Obi-Wan comes to Anakin asking for help with a mysterious problem right before they're deployed on their next mission, Anakin knows it's his only chance to show Obi-Wan just how much he loves him.

♥ Yours, Mine, and Ours by MutteringRetreats @mutteringretreats1

[Explicit - 6,169 w - chapters 2/?]

In a world in which unmated omegas are free for anyone to use—any time, any place—newly presented Anakin is ecstatic that he finally has his alpha master’s attention. The problem is, he wants Obi-Wan’s attention, not everybody else’s. Good thing his attentive master is there to help him perform his duties.

♥ there is a charm about the forbidden that makes it unspeakably desirable by veloursdor @veloursdor

[Explicit - 1,610 w - chapters 1/?]

Anakin begins receiving dick pics and sexts from Obi-Wan, unsure of what to make of them. He has always felt something towards the older man, always wanting more and more from him, but the spicy text messages weren’t something he had ever thought he’d get from the man that married his mom.

☆ Unexpected Surprise! by StarryAri (damndameron) @starryariart

[Explicit - Fanart]

Obi-Wan Kenobi has had a long day doing various Jedi things. Anakin is waiting for him to get back with a special surprise!

☆ keep a stern hand by faultlessly

[Explicit - 5,662 w]

“Captain Kenobi,” Prince Anakin breathed, his eyes still wide and blown black in the candlelight. A memory came to him of the first time he’d caught the prince in the act. Anakin had only been sixteen years old at the time, but the stable boy whose hand was moving in the front of his trousers was equally as youthful, and it was that tiny detail that kept Obi-Wan from promptly putting his sword through his gut. He’d said the same thing back then, and his title upon the prince’s lips had sounded like an apology; as time passed, it morphed the syllables into an expression of insolence. Now, it sounded like a plea. * * * Or: Obi-Wan is a little too good at being the head of the crown prince’s guard.

☆ and the sun will shine upon us again by Viraha @virahaus

[Explicit - 2,363 w]

Anakin reveals to Obi-Wan that he's married. Obi-Wan doesn't take it well and decides to teach him a lesson. And if the lesson includes multiple orgasms, well, that's just to drive the point better into Anakin's brain.

If you know the handles of any of the authors we revealed today we did not tag, please let us know and we’ll add them!

You want to join our community and chat a bit? Join our discord server, invite here.

Twitter thread here.

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kalevalakryze · 1 year ago

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A Persistent Predator

Fandoms: Ahsoka Series, Star Wars - All Media Types Pairings: Shin Hati/Sabine Wren, Shin Hati & Ahsoka Tano, Shin Hati & Ezra Bridger, Sabine Wren & Ahsoka Tano & Ezra Bridger Characters: Shin Hati, Ahsoka Tano, Sabine Wren, Ezra Bridger, Huyang, Baylan Skoll Warnings: Ahsoka Ep 7 Spoilers, Hurt/Comfort, Abandonment Issues, Notes: So... are we gonna talk about Baylan abandoning Shin, leaving their Padawan braid, Thrawn only ensuring his own men could retreat and leaving Shin to be captured etc etc etc? Also; I know Sabine was starting forward with violent intent for Shin, but... I'm gay, and soft, and I can't stop thinking about how red Shin's face got when they were about to cry , so I just need them to get lots of hugs, now. Also, again: "let me help you." NONSTOP. There is a high chance of this being continued for some proper wolfwren, i just wanted to lay out my bones first, but i am out of spoons rn. Word Count: 3,034 AO3 Link: Here!

“Let me help you,” Ahsoka Tano, the enemy, the woman of nightmares passed along in tales of horror from Master to Apprentice.

Emotion hung thick in the air, their heart hammering in their chest as they bit back the warble of their lip, teeth sinking into her tongue hard enough that the familiar taste of iron flooded her senses. Shin had straightened then; Baylan had told her the stories of what happened to Jedi who got too close to Ahsoka Tano, and while they were not a Jedi, they would not allow themselves to meet Marrok’s end, or the end of her ‘friends’ under her orders.

They had felt the strength she had over the force, still had bruises and abrasions on their abdomen they’d refused to let heal, poking and prodding at purpling skin in fascination; a beauty from afar, but vile up close, Ahsoka Tano was just as dangerous as Baylan had warned, both physically, and psychologically.

She couldn’t take her offer, couldn’t part with her saber; had never parted with the weapon, not since Baylan had helped her make it all those years ago, since he’d secured them a passageway to Ilum, and gave her a proper ‘gathering’. There hadn’t been many crystals left, but her crystal shined to her, because it was alone, it had been left behind in the wake of the mining and destruction; just them.

Running was a no-brainer; Baylan wouldn’t have wanted them to stay, she’d never been taken prisoner unless it had been in the plans to lure their enemies, and now, without him to back her up, she wasn’t sure she could do it.

It was just a good thing the tears didn’t fall until her boots were shoving through the grass, alerting the silver Howler to her need to go before the Togruta could hunt her down, and likely give Thrawn exactly what he wanted for the Mercenaries.

The Howler’s fur was coarse, but it became a comfort as she pressed into its neck, not caring about direction or cause; how could they? Baylan parted ways, and Thrawn had left her at the hands of the enemy to secure his troops, she was merely a distraction, a pawn for both Thrawn and Baylan to get what they wanted out of this blasted graveyard.

When the Howler stopped, Shin did too, sliding from the beast's back to offer it relief from her sagging weight. The stream of water wasn’t the cleanest, yet the howler lapped up the water anyways.

Dropping their weight into the least-sandy portion on the nearly dried-out riverbed, they were forced with the reality of the situation, and then the ultimate vast question of their next moves without Baylan’s guidance.

“Master,” They reached outwards, into the force, past the buried fear, the exhaustion, and the hurt, looking within herself to find him. He’d never walled her off before, but as her presence was halted, it was clear what he had done. Their paths no longer walked aligned; he was done with her.

Pain, sorrow, and a childish spiral had them tucking their legs up onto the expanse of not-so-smooth stone, fingers flexing and unflexing around the hilt of their saber as she stared out at the rippling water.

Meditation was calming, familiar; the only familiar thing they had right now, when everything was so alien. At some point, the Howler returned to her from his break, sitting expectantly in front of the conflicted Apprentice. When Shin did not move, he stalked around to their back, before settling up in a way that had fur catching onto the thick wool of her tunic, and she could feel the saddle against her back, a tether to the world they didn’t know they needed.

▬▬ι═══════>

“Let her go,” Ahsoka had ordered, pushing back on Sabine’s chestplate until the Mandalorian pulled back, watching the red-faced and distraught opponent retreat.

“Ahsoka-’ Sabine started, raising her hands up, gesturing to the blonde Apprentice’s shrinking form as the Howler moved away. “Ezra, are your friends alright?” The woman questioned instead, turning her head to face the Noti slowly emerging from their homes. The conversations were muted to Ahsoka, however, who’s gaze was on the empty horizon, the panicked thud of Shin’s heart and the padding of her Howler’s paws against the earth keeping her aware of trajectory.

The Noti wound up setting their next camp up where they had halted, under the protection of Jedi, a starfighter, and an ancient archivist droid.

As the sun set, Ahsoka rose from her seat, nestled comfortably in the small community of bustling Noti as they fixed their crawlers and restocked their rocks. “Sabine,” She called the attention of the Mandalorian away from where she was helping a small family set up their dinner.

“Let's take a walk… Ezra, would you like to come?” A smile turned on the Togruta’s face at the young Jedi, scuffing his boot in the dirt and pretending not to listen, despite Ahsoka’s call across the camp.

“Well, I suppose if it’s not intruding,” As Sabine approached, he threw his arm around her shoulder. “So, Fulcrum, where we headed?”

Shaking her head, Ahsoka began leading the two Rebels from the camp, Sabine’s Howler picking up his head and quickly trotting along to keep up with her. “I’m not giving up on her.”

Sabine’s sourness was almost tangible in the air at her words, Ahsoka’s head turned to catch the twisting of the Mandalorian’s lips into a scowl. “I’m not giving up on any of you,” Walking in quiet, Ahsoka’s hand moved to rest on Sabine’s shoulder, fingertips brushing Ezra’s arm as well. “I’ve made many mistakes in the past, I am not omnipotent; but I can’t pretend that running from my mistakes, from you-” Her hand squeezed at Sabine’s shoulder, trying to express what she couldn’t truly word enough of. “I can’t pretend like those were the right choices for anybody, no matter the delusions I gave myself to believe otherwise. I am sorry that I’ve failed you, both of you; and I will make it up to you; and make it up to them as well,”

As they crested a hill, it was clear why they hadn’t used a crawler to get around. The riverbeds were running a particularly dry season, with thin streams cutting through sediment filled dirt. The silver fur of the Howler was as unmistakable as the platinum hair pressing into the beast’s side.

Shin had always carried themselves with a commanding presence and the promise that you were only alive because they allowed it; the young woman curled up in the Howler’s side, legs drawn to their chest, chin nestled between her knees, and hands clamped over her ears, well, it was hard to process the woman as the same one who’d guarded her on the Eye of Scion.

Sabine started once more, boots scraping loudly against the dirt as she moved to take off for the blonde, anger simmering under the surface. Once again, Ahsoka had to reach out and place a firm hand against her armor to stop her. “Impatience for victory will only guarantee defeat, Sabine, we wait until she’s ready.”

The trio moved slowly towards them, only halting at the bristling of fur on the Howler’s neck as his eyes blinked open. “I know you’re there,” Their voice was thick with an accent Sabine could not place, entirely different from the controlled cadence they’d delivered on the few occasions she’d spoken.

“I would be disappointed if you didn’t.” Ahsoka countered, like before, her voice was anything but unkind. “A person with your skills, you have done very well for yourself,” The woman bristled under Ahsoka’s borderline praise, walking a fine line that could lead to the blonde bolting.

Their attention turned inwards, lips pursing as they focused on anything but the three not-so-hostile enemies at their back.

Gesturing to a patch of dry land, the trio set up shop, with Ezra and Sabine dispersing quietly to gather timber and other things they could use for the coming cold. By the time the moon was officially hung high in the sky, a deep chill frosted over the land; Ezra seemed quite accustomed to the cold by now, though Sabine firmly burrowed herself between the hot-blooded Togruta and Ezra, tugging her cloak around her arms properly to keep some warmth in.

Just at the edge of the fire’s light, Ahsoka could see the red catching Shin’s nose and the blue of her lips, jaw tight to prevent their teeth from clattering, unable to properly meditate as she stayed alert for an attack that would not come.

Adjusting the thick white cloth around her shoulders, Ahsoka worked the bag from her shoulders. “Are you two hungry?”

“Makers, yes!” Both Mandalorian and Lothalian expressed themselves in tandem, though Ezra was rightfully more excited as Ahsoka retrieved some of the better New Republic rations from the pack.

Red-rimmed silver-blue eyes caught onto the side of Ahsoka’s head from where she sat, montrals twitching at the sound of Shin’s stomach rumbling. At least her plan was working, Shin showed them interest that wasn’t based around fighting, and now that she knew there was food, necessity would drive her to them… If they were lucky.

As the hours dragged on and Shin’s shivering became more pronounced, Ezra and Sabine laid back from the fire to look at the stars. The young Jedi offering stories of his adventures with the Noti and the exploits against Thrawn and his troopers.

It wasn’t until the rebels were asleep that Shin’s iron will crumbled. Ahsoka’s attention pulled from the fire at the crunch of footsteps and the quiet grumbling of the Howler being woken from it’s sleep. The woman didn’t say anything, keeping her gaze down at their slow approach, moving like a wounded animal right into the trap.

The light on their face was enough for Ahsoka to see the mess they’d worked themselves into; smudged and running eye makeup, chapped lips, rosy cheeks with dried tear tracks, cutting away the dirt on her face, and heavy bags under her eyes.

The silence stretched as Ahsoka reached back into her bag to retrieve another ration pack. “I’d like you to put your lightsaber between us, please,” The request was quiet, gentle, and Ahsoka still offered the peace of not looking at them yet. She set the packaged ration on the ground between them as her own offering, remaining impassive even as quick hands snatched the food away.

Their hand shook visibly as the lightsaber was pulled from their belt and placed against the dirt, fingers lingering before another incessant growl from her stomach had her digging into the field ration in a way they hadn’t since first meeting Baylan Skoll.

As an offering of peace, Ahsoka’s own sabers joined the pile as the blonde ate, fire crackling under the last of the timber; they’d held out longer than she thought they would, and while her resistance was commendable, the Togruta knew the flames would not be enough to keep them warm enough for the night.

Rising to her feet, tired, wary eyes snapped to her attention, watching as Ahsoka stretched her shoulders, arms above her head before slipping the heavy poncho from her shoulders. When the woman passed behind them, their entire body went rigid, fingers stilling over the crumb of the ration wafer left in the package.

They recoiled at the weight of Ahsoka’s poncho settling over her shoulders, but the warmth concealed in the fabric was enough to have her sinking, quicker than Baylan would have liked to see, into the fabric that allowed them to feel their icey skin start to thaw.

“Come with us, Shin.” Ahsoka broke finally as the flames burned away, closing the circle of warmth and bringing the blonde closer to the fire. “We want to help you,”

“I don’t need help,” Their voice was rough, thick with a million emotions they were trying to keep buried, though their accent was hidden under the layers of cover once more, like they were trying to do to themselves.

“I’ve been here, you know…” Their eyes wandered to her again in wonder, sinking further into the given poncho for the fading warmth. “Not Peridea, but where you are; Of course, I walked away from my Master,”

“He did not walk away from me,” There was a desperation in their tone, trying so hard to make their words believable, more so to herself than to Ahsoka. “It was time,” Their fingers curled around the tightly wound braid in her hair, pulling at it in a worrying way- Ahsoka didn’t have hair, but knew human hair tended to be fragile, and painful to yank on.

Leaning across the distance between them, Ahsoka’s hand moved to curl around Shin’s. “You’re in over your head, and you’re alone; it doesn’t have to be that way.”

“He did not tell me-” Their eyes locked onto their hand, so much smaller in Ahsoka’s, even with the thickness of leather gloves and the frozen metal plate attached to it. “If he would have told me,”

“His plans didn’t involve you,” The muscle in their jaw ticked at the bluntness in her tone, eyes tracking the way her hand released her own and rose to the braid. “If what he said was truthful, why would he leave you with this?”

Shin’s face was steadily growing warm once more, embarrassment and shame showing in the twitch of their muscles under Ahsoka’s scrutinizing gaze.

“I’m not telling you this to be unkind, this is a war; and your Master failed to teach you how to survive in it,” Their lips parted to counter it, to find some way to defend the man that raised her, though when Ahsoka’s hand rose to silence her, she obeyed immediately. “Thank you. Your Master did not prepare you for an environment where you would be alone, on another planet, in another Galaxy; He did not tell you of his plans for this world, and perhaps he figured he was saving you,”

Shin’s lips twisted into a grimace as Ahsoka finally released the braid, their eyes welling up again despite desperate attempts to keep it all inside. “I don’t want to force you into coming with us, but you do not deserve to be left behind because someone did not see how important your role in the Force truly is.”

“What will happen if I follow you?”

“Then I will finish your training, properly.” Ahsoka’s eyes moved back to the sleeping pile of humans across the fire, sprawled out across each other with Sabine’s elbow digging into the side of Ezra’s face.

“I have attacked the New Republic, killed commanders, and ruined their fleets,” Fulcrum’s facial markings pulled at the reminder. “I’m aware; They won’t be particularly happy, but that’s something we can figure out together.”

“The Mandalorian is your apprentice, a Jedi cannot train two,” They were fishing for reasons to justify not coming with them, for reasons to die in the wasteland, far from home and everything they knew.

Ahsoka stood once more and offered her hand, much like she had just hours before. “We aren’t Jedi, we’re survivors,”

Staring at Ahsoka’s hand, Shin seemed to bounce between the options available. They did not want to die, they didn’t want to be alone, and… well, they did yearn for the disgusting companionship between each of them. Most of all, they wanted their Master back, but if she wasn’t good enough to aid him in his quest, then maybe she was just barely good enough to be not-a-jedi with the enemy.

Hand resting in Ahsoka’s, the Togruta helped pull the young woman to her feet, steadying them by the shoulders when their body careened dangerously to the side. “Can I hug you?”

Blinking, Shin’s look of surprise must have shown clearer than the moon in the sky, the older woman’s face splitting with a smile and a shake of her head. “Come here,” Strong arms pulled her against the woman’s chest, igniting that same old spark of fear deep in their chest.

Fear was melted away quickly by the smell of cinnamon and morning grass, soothing away the cold that had frozen their bones and tore at her soul; when the force reached out to her from so close, it felt bright, painfully so, that letting her shields lower had been a process only achievable when her hands fisted into the fabric of the woman’s tunic, shields lowering for the orbital bombardment that was Ahsoka Tano’s force signature.

It was overwhelming, the kind that made their skin tingle and the noises reverberate through their skull, the kind that would have her actively seek Baylan out to ease the plague of pain. “I’ve got you,” The woman promised as Shin held on tighter; as tight as they’d wished they’d held on to Baylan, if they would have known then it was her last time.

Waking up to find Ahsoka all but holding Shin wasn’t the weirdest way Sabine had ever woken up, but it still topped one of the highest lists she’d ever had. Sabine struggled to untangle Ezra from her with a series of half-shoves until he was grumbling and rolling in the dirt.

“You really did it?” She whispered as she rose, approaching the two as Ahsoka shifted their dead weight further into her arms, glad the sleep suggestion had finally made it through their exhausted system.

“Was there ever any doubt?” The blonde wrapped up in Ahsoka’s poncho burrowed further into the woman’s shoulder, in a way that was almost endearing: if that face hadn’t nearly ended her life on several occasions.

“For you? No, for them? Many,”

“I find your lack of faith disturbing. Now wake Ezra and let’s go, it would be a horrible day to lose two Apprentice’s and a Jedi to hypothermia,” “Yes, Master,” Sabine teased with a smile, turning to shake Ezra as the two Howlers rose from their own rest, following the not-jedi back to the Noti camp and the T-6, offering Huyang only a minor circuit overload at the sight of Ahsoka carrying the Apprentice they’d been hunting.

#shin hati #sabine wren #ahsoka tano #ezra bridger #spoilers #ahsoka spoilers #ahsoka series #“let me help you.”#THE WAY SHE ALMOST CRIED #star wars #wolfwren #star wars fanfiction

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ravensilversea · 9 months ago

Text

Victory Comes Late

Summary: Victory came too late for Ponds and for so many other brothers. Three years of war plus some months of hashing out a peace treaty written in the blood, sweat, and tears of his brothers but makes no mention of them at all. It’s a Senate proclaimed accomplishment, like they hadn’t refused to even consider peace for three years.

Tags: Canon Divergence, Palpatine Dies AU, Post-War, Light Angst, Grief/Mourning, Reunions, Bittersweet Ending

The largest exhibition hall in the Jedi Temple is almost too small for the sheer number of clone troopers in it now. Really, it is actually too small, but none of them are too concerned with the concept of personal space when this is the first time they’ve all been together for three years.

And yet, Fox pulls his helmet off and tucks it beneath his arm. His guard brushes past him, calling out into the space that’s already echoing with brothers trying to find each other. And yet, they aren’t all here.

Rancor Battalion is still on Kamino and participating in negotiations alongside General Ti to hopefully place the cadets and tubies into the custody of their brothers. The thought alone is almost inconceivable: entire batches of clones who never have to serve on a battlefield, who can stay together and stay alive for years longer than their elder brothers could.

“You joining the party, Fox?” Stone asks, coming to stand beside him.

“You really think Salvo would let us miss it?” Fox walks into the exhibition hall instead of just hovering in the doorway. “Besides, someone has to tell them all how the chancellor really died.”

Ao3

Stone coughs into his hand. “Would that be the actual story or another one of your tales this time?”

Fox refuses to learn about any of the details of Chancellor Palpatine’s, unfortunate, accident. It would ruin the fun of coming up with stupider and stupider ways the late chancellor died and sharing them around the caf brewer. Call it his own personal revenge against the man who insisted on calling each and every one of his brothers by CC or CT number and number alone, the way the Guard all but tiptoed around him, how many of his brother assigned to the chancellor’s guard when traveling off planet simply disappeared without a trace, and every single shiny who the chancellor sent down into the lower levels who came back in a body bag, if at all.

“I have a list of stupid ways for asshole politicians to die, and this might be my only chance to share any of them,” Fox says primly. “Allow me my fun.”

Stone shakes his head. “If you say so.”

They weave through a particularly thick crowd of brothers, and someone flags them down. “Hey commanders, I think your squads are meeting over on the stands!”

“That’ll be Cody’s idea,” Fox mutters as Stone thanks the brother for the directions. “Always did need to be on top of things.”

“Not sure the stands top Tipoca City’s comm tower.”

Fox looks up at the ceiling that rises so high above their heads it can barely be seen and then gives Stone a look.

“Okay, so maybe they could.”

The commander squads are gathered in a clump in the middle of the stands, and sure enough, Cody’s yellow-orange paint is higher than anybody else, shining like a beacon. Fox and Stone pass Alpha Squad on their way up the stands where Wolffe and Thire look about two seconds from murdering a squadmate or two.

“I’m sorry,” Gregor says just as they pass by, “but do you think you could repeat that? Or maybe replay it? I’m not sure I heard you correct-ly!” His voice rises sharply as he falls back under the weight of two brothers, and Fox hops up a handful of rows. Stone jumps back with a curse.

Poet looks up from their padd with a distinct ‘can you believe I’m stuck with them?’ expression of their face. Fox bites his lip and shakes his head, mentally wishing them good luck.

Force, Alpha’s only missing Blitz whose stuck on Kamino. They all made it, the lucky bastards.

“Fox! Stone!” Salvo slams into Fox with a broad grin and pulls Stone up the remaining steps to wrap his arm around him too. For a moment, the three of them just breathe. “It’s good to see you again,” Salvo whispers.

“Yeah,” Fox pulls away and meets Gree’s eyes over Salvo’s head. “Wait until you hear what happened to the chancellor.”

“The old one, right? Cause the one we have now is an upgrade.” Gree throws a thumb back over his shoulder. “C’mon, we grabbed a spot by Chimaera.”

Fox starts laying out the first ‘So this is what I heard from somebody who heard it from somebody’ as they walk lengthwise along the stands until Gree and Salvo pull them down onto the benches. Just above them sits Chimaera Squad with it’s three near-silent members. As he tells his story, Fox watches Neyo try to get Keller and Faie to say more than a few words strung together, and it suddenly hits him that both Lock and Colt were dead.

The story ends, and his brothers make noises of disbelief. “Oh really?” Fox says. “Well, how about this one that I heard from a janitor who heard it from his sister’s husband’s brother’s friend.” Stone buries his head in his hands with a groan.

Ponds would have told Fox to stop by the second story, but he’s not around to hear them. The lack of protest from that quarter sits heavy in Fox’s chest. He barrels through the story anyway, almost even more spitefully.

Victory came too late for Ponds and for so many other brothers. Three years of war plus some months of hashing out a peace treaty written in the blood, sweat, and tears of his brothers but makes no mention of them at all. It’s a Senate proclaimed accomplishment, like they hadn’t refused to even consider peace for three years.

Almost four years of war because of one man who strung them all along like dew drops on a tent-line.

Fox’s eyes land on a small empty space in a sea of brothers, and his next words die in his throat. There’s a brother standing in the middle of the empty space. He’s thin with shaved hair and implant scars. What’s left of one arm is in a sling across his body, and Fox knows who he is even without the blue of the 501st edging his almost shiny-white, probably borrowed armor.

Come get your Dominoes, Rex had messaged three years ago.

Unless they’re commanders, I don’t claim them, and even that’s debatable, he had messaged back.

Within days, Rex had informed him that due to the sudden death of their commanding officers and the subsequent lack of collection by Fox (Fox had rolled his eyes at this), he was personally taking them under his wing. Rex then spent every other message to Fox bragging about ‘his Dominoes’ like there wasn’t hundreds of Domino training squads spread throughout the army.

For a moment, Fox selfishly wishes that Echo truly had died on the infamous Citadel mission. Seeing him standing alone in a sea of reuniting brothers when Fox is the one who killed his last squadmate…

Victory really did come too late for Rex's Domino squad.

The reunions and conversations continue on around Fox, blurring into the background. A sea of noise and color turning into a drone as a time seems to slow, but Echo never blurs. He continues to stand alone, seemingly in the middle of a swirling galaxy of brothers without a single person to welcome him home.

Fox finds his feet moving without any input from him. He's halfway down the stairs before Salvo asks him where he's going. “To get another Domino,” he says, almost under his breath, but his squad hears him just the same.

The floor of the exhibition hall seems to echo with his footsteps. Which is impossible. First of all, the sheer number of clones in the room alone would drown out any noise Fox could possibly make even if they weren't talking at loud volumes. Second of all, there was no way in hell that the Jedi didn't sound proof this room within an inch of its life given the number of lightsaber duels- duels between children at that!- this room must have been used for.

Maybe his footsteps are echoing through him, Fox muses. He takes another step and feels it in his chest.

Time and sound suddenly crash into Fox. Conversations burst into a roar, suddenly Fox can hear so many squadname jokes all at once. It no longer feels like he's stepping through taffy, and all he can do is stand there. Like an idiot. Just in front of Echo.

Force, all he has to do is lift his arm and he could touch this orphaned shell of a brother.

Well, maybe not a shell, he reconsiders as Echo straightens, jutting his chin out a bit and brown eyes flashing with a challenge. There's still quite a bit of fight left in his one, which is more than Fox can say for the Chimaera commanders back on the stairs.

“Echo,” Fox says, figuring that's as good a start as any.

“What do you want, commander?”

Fox falters. Opening and closing his mouth, he glances back at his squad who have ceased any and all conversations to stare at him trying and failing to talk to a CT.

“If you're here to apologize, don't. There's nothing you can say,” Echo continues, and Fox winces. If it was his squadmate shot and killed by another's hand, he doesn't think he would have said those words so mournfully acceptingly. No. Every trooper in this hall would likely have to hold him back from trying to beat the shit out of the one who killed his squadmate.

He flexes his hands, tries not to imagine how Aurra Singh's neck would feel wrapped in them as he squeezes the life out of her for what she did to Ponds.

“It's not something that can be forgiven, no matter how much I regret it,” Fox says. “But that isn't why I'm here, trooper... Echo.”

“Then why, sir?”

For a moment, Fox hesitates, unsure of whether his invitation, his touch would be welcome, but he decides to do it anyway. He reaches out and gently grabs Echo's remaining wrist and lightly tugs it in the direction of the stadium. “Come on. No Domino gets left behind.”

He waits for Echo to take the first step, watching his brother's eyes blink, widen, and then sharpen. Echo looks past Fox towards the Domino commanders, and whatever he sees there, convinces him.

Fox settles Echo down in the empty spot where Ponds should be, and the way Echo looks around with brighter eyes and a harsh swallow tells him everything about how Rex's little dominoes must have gathered too.

Setting that aside, Fox turns back to his brothers. “Now, where were we? Oh yes, so the Chancellor had ordered breakfast and for some reason, this involved fish. And you know how fish have these tiny little bones they don't always manage to get out when preparing them?”

Gree sighs loudly as he realizes where Fox is going with this latest story about Palpatine's death, and Salvo begins slapping Fox's knee like that's going to stop him. Behind him, Echo muffles a snort, and Fox grins.

Victory came late, but not too late. There are still brothers here who were saved after all.

#star wars #commander fox #arc trooper echo #commander stone #raven's pen #*shakes out scrivener and another years-old one-shot falls out* oops #anyway i made a phonetic alphabet for star wars and fox randomized into the commander domino squad and that was too perfect and tragic #also squadnames are like childhood nicknames and wolffe and thire are Very Tired about the jokes made about theirs lol

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