#like i think she loses it when she's fighting Vader

[sauntering-down]

woke up from a dead sleep with a Good Idea... how the fuck do i work it into the ficlet though...

[galactic-rhea]

It's ranting hours sunday for me: Y' know, I think when people complain soooo much about Padmé getting with Anakin, they're failing to see a lot of things. BUT ESPECIALLY...That it was her choice, and if speaks a lot of her character and personality.

She was already done dirty by the movies by getting so many deleted scenes, but then if you try to take away the agency she had on marrying a human disaster or her choices, like her forgiveness/understanding, it's actually undermining and flattening her character.

The fact is that she's actually very similar to Anakin, she's stubborn, deeply traumatized, compromises a lot for the sake of others and loves beyond reasoning. We, the audience, know that Anakin will become Darth Vader and one of the most iconic villains of history; so everything he does can be seem as a red flag that really isn't there.

From Padmé's POV, Anakin has done terrible things, but it's capable of incredible acts of love and compassion. They're in circumstances that aren't normal at all, she was queen at 14, and he was born a slave and joined the space wizard monks and his normal is kill or be killed. Our modern and omniscient POV can't be applied onto them because there's no point of comparison in this sci-fi-shakespearen tragedy-soap-opera-fantasy.

Besides...she was actually right in the end, and I don't believe is "feminist" or progressive to take away a big part of her core personality, that actually had repercussions in the whole story, and make her out to be either unaware and naive of marrying a monster, or (the worst one, imo) being jedi-mind-tricked-brainwashed-abused by her husband.

The "right, correct, girlboss and queen" actitude does more damage than help, leave Padmé to be a person. A person who wanted to have a fairytale romance with some guy who would fight for her and makes her laugh.

Also, the hell why you wanna blame her for something Anakin does, come on. That's a whole other can of worms, though. My point is, that trying to avoid or re-work-or re-contextualize the fact that she chose Anakin despite him literally telling her about murdering a whole village, is actually changing a big chunk of her personality traits.

She was a child queen, then a politician at the edge of an inminent war, manipulated by the same guy that groomed Anakin into a massive murderer, saw her people being taken into camps, had assasination attempts weekly and had to rip off of her individualism by becoming a public figure, giving up her sense of being a person by having several almost identical decoys, she had to stop being just Padmé to be Queen and then Senator Amidala and she did all of that showing little to no emotion.

Then Anakin does all what she herself had to rip off of her in order to be a politician: Honest, passionate, and able to show emotions; like love or anger.

She has morals and she represents democracy and justice, in a way. But I fully believe that inside her she had the same passionate anger and love capable of burning the galaxy that we know Anakin had, which makes them different sides of the same coin, and I think she realized that. Anakin perhaps didn't , as he never stopped of seeing himself as a slave and therefore inferior, whereas he held Padmé very highly, but I think Padmé saw them both as equals. She didn't have a "I can fix him" mentality, she had a "We're the same, we're both lonely, confused, hurting and scared of losing everything. And if he's like me, then I know he can do the right thing for love."

In other words: She was as insane as her husband, she only seems normal because she wasn't put into the monk warrior order and groomed by the devil for over a decade. (And I don't mean insane as, 'she's crazy for loving a murderer' harley quinn style, I just meant it on a daring, hopeless romantic and tenacious way)

[heartofaskywalkerprincessleia]

Luke Skywalker is a hero for people with anxiety

(Contains spoilers from Episodes 4-6).

A lot of people relate to Luke Skywalker. He's down-to-earth, honest, and always strives for the light. Watching Star Wars again for the first time in a while, however, I realized something. When I looked it up on the internet, I was surprised that I couldn't find a lot of discussions about it. What do I mean? That Luke Skywalker suffers from anxiety.

The deleted scene from Tosche station, which I recently saw for the first time, sheds some light on this aspect of Luke's character. In the scene, we learn from Luke's friends that he panics easily. They're all chiding him for ‘again’ thinking that the Empire is coming. Even though he's just seen Princess Leia's ship fighting with Darth Vader's ship, his friends begin gaslighting him.

Someone online pointed out that this scene causes Luke's statement “there's nothing left for me here, now” to be more forceful. Upon finding out that his Aunt and Uncle are dead, Luke doesn't go to his friends for help. You wonder what his friends thought upon hearing that Luke's family had been killed by stormtroopers, right after he'd tried to warn them.

This aspect of Luke's character, and how he is treated by his friends, conditions him to not ask for help. In the ESB, as he's dying on Hoth, he never calls for anyone. If Obi-Wan hadn't shown up, Luke wouldn't have started calling out to him. If he hadn't started shouting, Han Solo wouldn't have seen him. 

This trend continues. Luke panics about things, but doesn't ask for help. Yoda tries to help him, getting him to relax and clear his mind. But, the vision of his friends worries him too much. He makes light of Obi-Wan’s warning that the Empire is after him for his talents. Luke is still holding onto what he told Biggs in the deleted scene from Tosche station–that the Empire will never draft him. 

During the fight on Cloud City, Vader acknowledges that Luke has learned to control his fear. Remember, Luke canonically gets so scared of the Sand People that he faints in the first movie. There's almost a parallel of that first moment, as Vader knocks Luke down and holds his lightsaber to Luke's throat just like the Sand People knocked him down before.

Luke has always gotten through things on his own. But, at this moment, he loses his hand. Losing his hand is symbolic of Luke losing the ability to do everything on his own. His father, who he always idolized and held onto, is evil. He's alone. He realizes that everyone was trying to protect him from this reality. Even his aunt and uncle let him think that his father was a hero, because it helped Luke to hold on. 

He finally reaches out to Leia. He finally forms a real connection with someone, which requires being vulnerable, and overcoming his fear of not being taken seriously. And, Leia rescues him. 

In the ROTJ, Luke tells Obi-Wan that he can't do this alone. He starts working with Han and Leia, and realizing that he is actually important to them. He trusts Leia enough to tell her that she is his sister, and that he has to save their father. 

But, still, Luke is trying to do everything on his own. He goes to face his father, and tries to be calm. He tries to avoid becoming angry. He tries to control the anxiety that got him ridiculed by his friends. The anxiety that led him to destroy Vader in his vision during his training on Degobah. The anxiety that he sees as his greatest flaw. 

But, he panics. He goes after Vader, and cuts off his hand. And, that's when he realizes it. 

All his life, Luke has wanted to be like his father. He praised himself for the positive qualities that are like his father. Being a good pilot. Being a Jedi (before he knew that his father was Vader). But at this moment, Luke looks at Vader's mechanical hand, and realizes that his father is just like him. His father is anxious. His father was scared, and overwhelmed once, just like him. His father didn't have anyone to turn to. 

Luke stands up to the Emperor, but that isn't what causes this scene to be so powerful. It's the fact that, as Luke is dying, he says the words his father once desperately wanted to say to someone.

“Help me.” 

“Please, help me.”

And Anakin, who wished someone would help him, who told Luke that it was too late for him, realizes that he can be that person for someone else. The pain he's gone through his whole life doesn't have to be passed on. He can save his son from the same fate. And he does. 

That's why Luke Skywalker is a hero for people who suffer from anxiety. Because he shows us the importance of accepting ourselves. Of self-compassion. Of reaching out to others. Of not being afraid to ask for help when we need it. And, if we do, we might just be that little spark of hope that someone else needs. 

May the Force be with you, always.

[graceshouldwrite]

Writing Villains (Underrated Tips)

1. Variety

Not all villains have to be the next Darth Vader, Luke Castellan, John Wick, etc. Your villain’s arc doesn’t have to originate from the Big Traumatic Thing that happened when they were X Years Old. Here are some characterization ideas that still keep them interesting (no tragic backstory required):

misguided villain. They don’t think what they do is that evil/they think they are benefiting others (e.g. Thanos from the MCU)

IDGAF villain. They just don’t care about the disaster they leave behind them (e.g. Ozai from ATLA)

past bystander villain. Nothing bad happened to THEM particularly-- they just saw bad things happen to other people, and decided that they need to correct society (e.g. Light Yagami from Death Note)

I was bored villain. They were bored. And millions died for it. They’re probably also an ENTP. Oh, well (e.g. Ryuk from Death Note)

zealous villain. They do it for their cause--god, cult, organization, whatever--there’s a greater power that is their greater purpose (e.g. Cthulu cultists from Call of Cthulu)

staunch traditionalist (often allegorically racist) villain. They want to act according to, and preserve the statusquo (tends to be heritage, race, class, personality, etc.), and believe that any change is bad (e.g. Lucius Malfoy from Harry Potter)

These are just some examples of interesting villain characterizations that absolutely do NOT need a tragic backstory to function.

2. Spill the tea

Show how they treat the people closest to them.

Instead of just focusing on their actions, create moments where readers can see them interacting with their family, friends, etc. This is a powerful tool with the potential to humanize them in a softer way, or make them seem even more scary, merciless, corrupt, secretive, etc.

For example, the audience doesn’t just see Azula from ATLA fight people and conquer cities with a crazy amount of skill and power. The writers show how she interacts with her two best friends; the way she shamelessly belittles them to their faces, manipulates them as pawns, and has no problem putting them in incredible danger reveals a LOT more about her character in a way that only showing her actions cannot.

3. Polarize

Consistency isn’t always key. Sure, the cold and calculating overlord should generally make cold and calculating decisions, but to spice things up, find the thing that will make them snap. Change. Show weakness. Become their opposite, if only for a moment.

(SPOILER WARNING for Arcane)

Silco is a drug kingpin in an underbelly city that is full of gangs, criminals, murderers, thieves, and the sort (you get it).

He not only survives--he THRIVES in that kind of environment as one of the scariest authorial figures. He himself had to experience crazy backstabbing, and grew to be nothing but calculated, manipulative, and ruthless...until he unofficially adopted a daughter! He realized that she had “undone” him to the point where he refused to give her up for a dream he would have been willing to die for.

It DOES sound pretty inconsistent for the ruthless drug kingpin to sacrifice EVERYTHING he’d worked for to clean up after an insane daughter who runs around making murderous messes that attract flocks of authorities. And, it is. Like he says himself, he loses “nothing but problems.”

But, real humans are almost never 100% consistent, and this sort of polarity will humanize your villains without necessarily requiring a tragic backstory or a noble motivation.

∘₊✧────── ☾☼☽ ──────✧₊∘

instagram: @ grace_should_write

Hope this was helpful, and let me know if you have any questions by commenting, re-blogging, or DMing me on IG. Any and all engagement is appreciated :)

Happy writing, and have a great day!

- grace <3

[podsn]

⚠️ Major spoilers for Ahsoka ep 4 ⚠️

This fucking episode was so good. My favorite so far and I just can’t believe how much I’m enjoying this show.

First I know all the Marrok theorists are punching the air rn. I had a feeling he was gonna be a nobody especially when he was fighting Ahsoka. She disrespected this man so bad using only one saber the whole time.

Shin vs Sabine rematch was cool. Nothing too crazy like their first fight but the “you have no power.” Line was delivered so well. It sounded almost as if Shin was making fun of Sabine or calling her weak. Something like that

We got Ahsoka vs Baylan which was very cool to see. Now despite Ahsoka losing I do think they are evenly matched. Ahsoka had the disadvantage of focusing on the map. Also I didn’t expect that it would burn the shit out of her. I’m really excited to see if they will have a rematch later.

Ahsoka force throwing Shin into a wall. At first I thought Ahsoka was gonna force choke her and I was like okay go ape shit then but no just a force throw.

Sabine not destroying the map was interesting. Shows that she has too much attachment. She literally would rather join (get captured by) dark side users for a chance to see Ezra rather than let him go to prevent a war. I’m very excited to see where they take Sabine’s character.

Also Shin force choking her afterwards. Shin is an interesting character. I can’t tell if she hates Sabine but I also feel like Shin is the type of character that would rather prove herself by killing Sabine in battle but she force choked her and almost went for an easy kill. Idk cuz we don’t know much about Shin and where she stands morally yet so yeah.

Okay and now for the most exciting part. HOLY FUCKING SHIT WBW AND ANAKIN. HAYDEN CALLED HER SNIPS AND SHE RESPONDED WITH MASTER AHHH. HES HERE IM SO EXCITED FOR WHAT WE ARE ABOUT TO SEE NEXT EPISODE WITH THESE 2.

I think Ahsoka is gonna ask Anakin for advice with Sabine. I also think they are definitely gonna confront the past both clones wars era and talk about Vader (maybe) but definitely talking about them in the clone wars

[anime-fan-05]

Hi this is my first time doing this so I am so sorry if what I’m asking for is confusing. Could you do Fem! of GN! Reader that is Arkhamverse Jason Todd with Muzan, Kokushibo, Douma, and Akaza(separate). If you aren’t aware of who Arkham Jason Todd is; he basically gets tortured by the Joker for a year or two and all that mental manipulation for him to hate Batman. So in Batman: Arkham Knight, he appeared there as the Arkham Knight to kill Batman, at there were times he almost succeeded. So for this request, I was thinking that the reader does get tortured for a year or two(so they are mentally fucked up) and while being tortured, their captor just shows them pictures of their s/o with someone else. Which means their captor is manipulating the reader into believing that their s/o had just replaced them like that.(Which does not correlate with what actually happened). And so for things to line up in this universe, capability wise, the reader would be more like Darth Vader(weapon, fighting style, force: maybe, suit: maybe; I’m so sorry that I’m doing a lot of crossovers; I apologize if I am being overwhelming). The reader was manipulated to hate their s/o, and want to kill them(not by actual will, the reader is confused and needs help). The reader and their s/o had a few run ins, and the reader got close to killing them a few times. So perhaps on one of the run-ins they have, the reader gets unmasked(they intentionally do it) and their s/o is just shocked that they were alive. And just what their reaction and response would be to this, and would go on from here. Would the s/o or reader die? Do they somehow clear this misunderstanding? I came with this request purely for angst with a hint of comfort, but please do have fun with this. And so sorry for the confusion I might have gave you.

Kimetsu no Yaiba ~Cheater?~

Manga/anime: Kimetsu no Yaiba

Warnings: angst (nothing that it's unbearable), but there is a happy ending, except in Douma's

(Y/N): your name

(S/O): significant other

Premise

How could that happen? Why is (Y/N) fighting him? What happened to her?

A year ago, the demon who was supposed to keep an eye on her told him she had disappeared; (S/O) looked and looked for her, but he never found her.

And now he finds out his (Y/N) is alive and she's attacking him?!

Muzan is shocked: for the first time in his life he's experiencing the fear of losing someone.

What should he do? Should he kill his wife? Should he make her a demon? And, if he did that, what would happen? Would she lose memories of all the time they spent together? Is he really willing to take this risk?

"What is it, cheater? Don't you know what to do?" (Y/N)'s voice brings him out of his thoughts.

"It's too late to regret!" She lashes out at him.

Muzan acts on instinct: before he knows it, his left hand has already pierced (Y/N)'s stomach.

He's shattered: how could that happen? How could he do it? Why was his body behaving like this? Why didn't his body act according to his will?! Why? Why? Why?

(Y/N) is also shocked: she didn't think he could act so quickly. Now she understands: she could never have defeated Muzan. He's too strong for her.

However, she isn't understanding one thing: why is he holding her so sweetly in his arms? Why does he look so shocked and worried? Why hasn't he given her the final blow or left her there to die yet? Why is he trying so desperately to save her? Didn't he hate her? Hadn't he cheated on her?

"Why-"

"Don't talk!" She decides not to listen to him; she needs to know the truth.

"Why are you saving me?" He looks at her questioningly.

"How 'why'? You are my wife!"

"You cheated on me!"

"What?! I've never cheated on you, my love. When they told me you were missing, I looked everywhere for you. I've never felt such discomfort when I couldn't find you."

"You're lying... The boss told me..." (Y/N) begins to understand: Muzan never cheated on her, she was only deceived by a demon who wanted his ruin.

"Muzan -tears begin to fall down her face- I'm sorry..."

"Shut up and drink here." He offers her his arm where he had just made a cut deep enough to draw blood.

In the end, Muzan's decision was made like this...

(Y/N), his sweet wife... What happened to her?

"What happened, tsuma (wife)?"

"Don't you dare call me that! Not after everything you've done!"

"'Everything you've done'?"

"Don't you remember? I'll refresh your memory: you cheated on me. I'm only getting revenge! Die, cheater!" After these words, (Y/N) attacks Kokushibo, drawing her sword.

They begin to fight: (Y/N) attacks, slashing with her sword; Kokushibo defends himself, thanks to his Breathing Style, not wanting to hurt her. His purpose isn't to defeat her, but it's to block her movements to be able to talk to her.

Hits and parries, parries and replies, replies and counterattacks... Their battle seems very long to (Y/N), but, in reality, it only lasts a few seconds. Those seconds are enough for Kokushibo to make her sword fly away and to trap her in his arms.

"Let me go, cheater!" She squirms in his arms, shouting at him all the insults that come to her mind, and trying to punch and kick him.

"Why are you calling me 'cheater', tsuma? Why are you calling me that, even though I didn't do anything?"

"You cheated on me! I loved you and you just kidded me! As soon as the boss took me with him, you immediately looked for my replacement! Didn't I mean anything to you?"

"Who told you that? Was he the one you now call 'boss'?"

"Yes!"

"He lied to you. I've never cheated on you and I never will. I love you. I love you so much I would die for you." He hugs her gently when he notices she stops fidgeting.

"It isn't true... I... I..."

"Do you think I'm lying? -he breaks away from the hug and takes her face in his hands, making her eyes look into his- Look into my eyes: do you see lies behind my gaze? Does it feel like I lied to you?"

"No..." Her voice cracks; she's about to burst into tears.

"Don't cry, tsuma." He sweetly wipes away her tears.

"I'm sorry, otto (husband), I'm sorry."

"Don't worry, tsuma. It's all over: let's go home."

"Ara ara? What are you doing, beauty-chan?" Douma is weirded out. He doesn't understand: why is she attacking him? Why does she seem so angry?

"I'm taking my revenge!"

"Oya? Why?"

"Do you even dare to ask me 'why'?!"

"Of course, since I didn't do anything to you. Are you angry since I killed your maid? Sorry, beauty-chan, she was so delicious I couldn't stop eating her. I'll find you a new one and I'll try not to eat her."

"Monster! I'll kill you!" (Y/N) dashes against him with her sword drawn.

"Beauty-chan, don't attack me! Otherwise, I'll have to counterattack!" Douma takes his fans in hand, ready to hit (Y/N).

In a second, he's already activated his Blood Demon Art: ice flares everywhere from his fans, creating spikes which trap her.

"Let me go!" She's trying to free herself from the spikes, still swinging her sword in hopes of hitting him; he stands a few centimeters away from her, waving his fan.

"Ara ara? Are you still angry, beauty-chan? Aren't you playing?"

"Why should I play? You're the one doing it, pretending not to remember what you did to me!"

"Beauty-chan, I already apologized to you for eating your maid! What else have I done to you?"

"You cheated on me!"

"Oya? I did it?"

"Yes, you did it! I made revenge my only goal, but, now that you've captured me, there's no point in me living anymore."

"Huh?"

"Sayonara (goodbye), cheater." (Y/N) moves her torso slightly, managing to pierce her heart. Immediately the blood flows down from her wound, and she lets out groans of pain, coughing and spitting blood.

Douma has a strange sensation. He feels bad like he has never felt before: his stomach tightens and he almost wants to cry. However, he isn't understanding the reason: he has never felt so bad, not even when his parents died, so why does he feel this way now? Is that the pain (Y/N) told him so much about? Without him realizing it, a tear falls down his face.

So, (Y/N) dies, without discovering the truth.

Akaza has a strange feeling which creates pain in his chest and dizziness and which makes him tremble. However, he doesn't understand: why does he feel this? Is this fear? Is this pain?

Although he isn't understanding this feeling, he realized one thing: he cares about (Y/N) so much he wants her to stay by his side forever. He wishes her to be his wife and to spend all her time with him; he no longer wants to fail to protect her, as he did before; he longs to hold her in his arms forever. But what can he do now? What can he do to make her come back to him?

"What happened to you, my love?"

"Shut up and don't talk, cheater!" (Y/N) draws her sword and prepares to attack Akaza, who prepares to defend himself, positioning himself to perform his Blood Demon Art, although he doesn't want to fight her.

"Please, my love, don't attack me: I don't want to hurt you."

"Who tells you you'll be able to hit me? You won't even be able to see me!" It all happens in an instant: (Y/N) throws herself at him; with a lightning-fast movement, Akaza grabs and holds her to him, preventing her movements.

"Get off me!"

"No, I won't do this." Akaza holds her tighter.

"Please, listen to me. I haven't cheated on you, and I never will. I love you, I love you, I love you. What can I do to prove it to you?" Meanwhile, the sun is rising.

"When the sun fully rises, go where there will be light."

"If I do this, will you stop fighting?"

"Why do you want to do this?"

"Because I love you, and I can't see you like this: you're my sweet girlfriend, not a cruel murderer. I've spent my whole life fighting and killing, but you've been nursing and healing: you mustn't kill. Please, promise me you won't do this."

"I..." (Y/N) begins to feel again the beautiful feeling she had always felt when she was with Akaza: love.

The sun has fully risen, illuminating the entire area they are in.

"Sayonara, my love." Akaza approaches (Y/N) and, when he sees she doesn't move away, he kisses her gently, before heading towards the illuminated area.

However, he feels her hand holding his arm, stopping him from killing himself, so he turns to look at her. What he sees amazes him, but it also makes him happy: she is looking at him, with tears falling from her eyes.

"Stop, please stop." (Y/N) hugs Akaza.

Her anger has totally subsided.

💮 Rules 💮 Masterlist 💮

[writerbuddha]

Good evening, @writerbuddha. I'm a little confused about Anakin's arc in "The Phantom Menace", especially in the climax. What is Anakin's arc in Episode I about and how is that reflected in the film's climax and ending? What does the character learn or fail to learn at the end of the film?

Hello! :)

George Lucas described The Phantom Menace as basically Act I in an epic, where the characters and the basic themes are introduced. Episode I is actually the beginning of Anakin's arc, arching over the trilogy. We're introduced to him and his flaws as well.

We see that Anakin is a very compassionate, courageous and kind person who "gives without a thought of reward" and "knows nothing of greed," and being a Jedi Knight, a guardian of peace and justice in the known universe, who lives for others, is what he dreams about doing. However, we get to see the crack on his armor: Anakin has a fear of losing is mother, he doesn't want things to change, although Shmi tells him, "you can't stop change any more than you can stop the suns from setting." The Jedi Masters, explaining, there is always fear behind anger, there is always anger behind hate, and these are add up to a state of suffering, and lead to evil behavior. Because he has much fear in him, the fear of losing a coming and passing thing, there's a possibility for that to grow into much suffering, not just on his part, but on the part of others. This is the groundwork upon which Episode II and III is built, the foreshadowing of the fall of Anakin Skywalker and the rise of Darth Vader.

With that said, in The Phantom Menace, Anakin learns some lessons. For example, he has to acknowledge that being clean of fear is not limited to having the courage to die for them - it also includes having the courage to live without them, and in that sense, he is very much fearful. He also has to face with the fact that a Jedi Knight can be killed, which feeds into a larger realization: when the good guys win, sometimes, one of them dies, and you must accept the fact that in life, there is no clean, perfect, absolutely satisfying happy end. There are things that we cannot control, so we will never get it just how we want it. Anakin is accepted into the Order, but he had to leave his mother behind. He saved Naboo, but Qui-Gon died. I think it's important that at the end of the movie, everyone seems content, smiling, but Anakin only smiles at Padmé. So, to me, that shows, he has troubles with emotionally accepting this. Which, again, is the inability to let go of what cannot stay.

The way I see the movie, the character who learns something at the end of the film, whose arc is completed in the movie, reflected in the film's climax, and it's also the central arc of the movie, is Padmé and Naboo as a whole: the peaceful and the warrior-like are frowning upon each other, one lives on the surface, in flowery cities, the other is underwater surrounded by beasts, one is led by a queen the other is by a king. Padmé is despised of the concept of war and insist, negotiation is always the answer, but eventually, she must realize that sometimes fighting is necessary. Instead of waiting for the strong and wise leader to solve her problems (which is how tyrants get power: sit back, people, leave this to me. I will fix it, I will make a safe and secure society… in fact, why don’t you put me in charge of everything? You can get on your life, I will bring your security, safety and prosperity!) she decides to stand up, to not to descend into political passivity and apathy, and save her planet. She reconciles with the Gungans, as well as her own warrior-side, and they mutually accept each other at the end of the movie, in harmony and balance.

I hope this is helpful! :)

[iouinotes]

Heroic love (part 4) | Luke Castellan

pairing: Luke Castellan x female!reader

show: Percy Jackson and the Olympians

warnings: betrayal, dark romance, no verbal consent, angst, smut MINORS DONT INTERACTE

summary: Luke finds out your plan and you give in. After all, it is better to be with him than with the monsters that suround you.

authors note: The reader joins Luke rather unwillingly, even though she still loves him. I just want to say up front that Luke's threat at the end is not meant serious. He would never do something like that to her. He only does it so that she realizes that there is no other way than to join him. If it's too dark, I'm sorry... @qwertydddddddddd wanted to be tagged, so I hope you enjoy it <33

Sometimes you think to yourself, this is real love. I'm gonna marry this person. I will spend my life with them, building a home and a family.

Well thats the regular scenario, I mean for the people who are regular. Not demigods.

And you see, even though we dont have an easy life, fighting monsters, losing friends, being scared and anxious all the time, that some bad evil guy suddenly wants to rule the world- we live. Because we have to and because we have each other.

So, for me, I was prepared for it to become harsh. I always knew my life would be like sitting on a rollercoaster, never having the chance to exit.

But I found comfort in this reality. I would imagine being on this attraction, but holding onto something that grounds me. Someone that gives me strengh, so I don't lose myself.

For a long time, I held hands with Luke.

Then of course, something did go terrible wrong, as if they goddess Aphrodite wanted to watch an exciting, action packed romance movie, with the plot twist of I-hate-to-love-you-because-you-left-me trope. Something like this.

Well, I think the movie sucks. In the last months, everything was just not right- Luke leaving camp to join Kronos? Betraying everyone and kidnapping me? Showing up here, messing with me and then holding my own dagger to my throat? (Deja vu)

No, that just isnt what I Imagined to happen in the future. I didnt want my boyfriend to turn into the bad guy, who we swore to fight.

But now I guess, thats up to me. At least some part of it.

"I think Luke ist turning into Darth Vader." Sometimes I'm not sure whats going on in Percys head.

"I never heard of this monster?" Annabeths parents are so wrong for not watching Star Wars with her.

"Guys, after we discussed this, you can have your movie night. But please, let's focus." My voice sounds harsher than I intended, so I immediately feel bad about it.

"Sorry, it's just very complicated. I want to know what our next steps are, what we are planning to do with this- situation." I don't know how else to call it.

"We need information. Who is the spy? What are Kronos plans? Where will he attack? Who joined him? So many unanwered questions." Chirons voice sends a shiver down my neck. He's right, but how do we achieve it?

Percys gaze unnerves me and when I turn my head to meet his eyes, he immediately shakes his head.

"I am not letting you alone with him this time. Nope." I sign, conflicted how I would want to deal with this.

All eyes are on me and when I turn to them, I try to explain my plan. But I cant even finish my second sentence and already everyone seems to be against it.

"We cant let him out!"

"He will kill us!"

"His army is already searching for him, he would escape!"

Annabeth raises her hand and the voices calm down. As she looks at me, I sense her own doubts about the situation.

"They are right. How do you know he would trust you? Could you convince him?"

I nod my head, ignoring my doubts.

"I can."

⚔️⚔️⚔️⚔️⚔️

The moon shines beautifully in the sky, but it helps nothing to calm down my nerves. Im so stupid, why did I thought I could pull this off?

"Youre sure, you want to do this? You dont have to." Percy's standing next me, as always trying to comfort me.

"He will believe me. I always had dreams, where I thought he-" I need a moment to finish my sentence.

"-died. That he got hurt or is in pain. When I had this sort of dream, I would always sneak out of my cabin and came to him. I would walk into his cabin and he somehow always knew what happend. He would tuck me in his bed, letting me cry and cuddling me. Resurring me that everything is going to be okay, that he will live. That was always my biggest fear, that he would die and I would be helpless to do anything against it. He knows that."

We stand in silence for a moment.

"If you need me, I will be there. Just be careful." I smile at him.

I take a deep breath and go trough the doors, seeing that the only light he has, is a small lamp on the ceiling. I quicken my pace so he can hear me coming. When I stand in front of his cell, he is already on his feet. He looks alarmed.

"What-" his t-shirt is wrinkled and his eyes are sleepy. My breath catches and I don't even have to pretend to be confused and afraid, standing in front of him alone in the dark is enough.

The bars are the only thing that separates us.

At first I don't say anything, I just look at him with watery eyes. And just like I said, he knows it. He always knows.

"Another nightmare?" His voice is so gentle, it makes me remember the old days when everything was good. When he took me in his arms and wiped the tears from my cheeks.

I just nod, I don't think my voice is stable enough yet.

I have to play the role, I can do it. He has to believe me.

I slide down the wall and put my head in my hands, all the despair and pain I've been carrying for weeks suddenly coming out of me. I'm crying so hard that I'm almost afraid of waking up the others.

"Shit, princess- what can I do? Let me help, please." He sounds so desperate and it's only now that I realize, that I don't actually have to act. Because my tears are real.

"Y-you ruined everything! And I'm still s-so scared that something h-happens to you" I meet his gaze and see the remorse in his eyes. His heart hurts too.

"I didn't want something like that to happen- please, darling. Come here." Sniffling, I stand up. My knees feeling weak and unsteady. If I go in there now, I won't be able to defend myself properly.

“You hurt me, I shouldn’t even be here. You're an idiot, Luke. I hate-" but I can't bring myself to say it. I cant say that I hate him. Because I don't, at least not yet.

"I know, believe me. I hate myself too. Only your belief in me has always held me together." He grips the bars, I see the inner conflict within him.

"But you won't change. You've never been able to do that well." I know I'm right and he knows it too. Silence surrounds us.

"Let me hold you. Just for- a few minutes. Please. I can't stand seeing you like this. You've always been the sunshine in my life. I don't want my sun to be obscured."

The key jingles in my hand and I look at it uncertainly.

"I won't hurt you, never again, I promise. I also got an anklet. I can't escape." His eyes look so honest. I'm feeling nervous, my heart is beating way too fast.

I put the key in the lock and open the door, freezing in my movements for a moment. What am I doing here? But then I hear his voice and I know why.

“It’s not that comfortable on the floor, but you can sit on my lap." I close the door.

As I move towards him I see how thin he has become and how brown his eyes still are.

Slowly, he raises his hands and when I stand in front of him he puts them around my waist. My knees buckle and I sink carefully onto his lap. My hands rest uncertainly on his shoulders, then moving down to his neck. Playing with the strands of his hair, lost in thoughts.

His face is right in front of mine, both of our breaths are uneven. His hands linger on me, holding me tight to him. Warmth fills my chest as I look into his eyes.

"You're so beautiful. So, so beautiful." A sob tries to escape me, as I do something, I always loved. I put my head in the crook of his neck and wrap my arms around him.

He holds me for a few minutes, stroking my back and whispering soothing, sweet nothings in my ear.

Once I've calmed down, I'm basically lying on top of him and can hear his heartbeat. It's almost soporific.

"Luke?" my voice is calm.

His head turns to me. "Yes?"

"I...I want to be with you. I don't care how or- or where. I just know that I can't live without you." I see his eyebrows furrow.

"You dont mean-" I am silent. Just looking at him, sitting up a little, straddling him.

"I need you. I tried not to need you. But it's out of my control, nothing helps to ease the pain. Only you, only you matter."

Is it the truth if the words escape me so easily?

His hand finds my cheek and I lean into his touch.

"We're the only ones that matter. We will get through this, together and united. You don't have to fight my darling, you just have to be by my side." His hand around my waist pulls me towards him, the other one, he continues to lay on my cheek. Caressing the skin, drawing invisible heart-shapes.

Then his lips meet mine and my eyes flutter shut. The kiss so intoxicating, that I forget for a moment my real intention. Forget why I'm participating in this madness.

As he pulls away from me, I hear his whispering voice.

"You won't betray me, right? You won't do that to me?" He tugs on my hair, ever so slightly, to get my attention.

"No, Luke. I won't." Lie.

The key in my hand is no longer idle as I remove his shackles carefully.

"Then princess, let's get out of here." I slowly get off his lap, but before I stand up, he lifts me up in his arms.

"I promise you that I will never hurt you again. You deserve only the best." As cliche as it is, he carries me out of the cell, which isnt locked anymore.

He lets me down outside and breathes in the fresh air. It's still night, maybe 4 a.m. Everything is quiet.

His hands cup my face and place several kisses on my skin.

"You are incredible, I knew you would join me. For real this time." He takes my hand and intertwines our fingers. I don't see Percy anywhere.

"Let's go. I know where my troops are stationed. Nobody will notice that we're gone until it's too late."

⚔️⚔️⚔️⚔️

Joining Kronos' army was the hardest thing I've ever had to do in my life, and that includes keeping the truth from Luke.

That I'm a spy for the camp, better hidden than anyone else ever could. No one would accuse or suspect the leader's girlfriend, because everyone can see how much I love him.

After all, it's the only reason I'm tolerated here. Because Luke would kill anyone who even came near me. He has already done it to a dragon lady who was too pushy and even when I tried to stop him, he showed no mercy.

Because he can't afford to do that, if he shows that he has a heart, it will be taken away from him.

Every day it is torture to witness this evil, to help maintain cover, to save my friends.

And every day I feel worse, because I lie to Luke. But it is the only way. I cannot help in the camp, if my heart is somewhere else. Here, with him, my thoughts are not always here, but my heart is.

At least it's enough for me to function. When Luke isn't distracting me.

When I wake up that morning on the Princess Andromeda, it is still quiet. In the presence of these monsters, I have not been able to sleep well for months. Even the dreams I have, make me wake up in the middle of the night and the only thing that calms me down is Luke's touch.

His fingers gently stroke my exposed skin, and as I turn my head and look at him, I see an emotion in his eyes, I've only recently noticed. There is a desire in his gaze, as if he wanted to consume my entire being, to have me just for himself.

My voice, my body, my thoughts, my feelings. Simply everything. He wants it all to be his.

"I wish I could erase every bad dream you have and send whoever is responsible for it to burn in hell. It should scare me that you make me think like that, but if I'm honest, it doesn't. Are you scared?" His eyes look into mine.

Slowly, my fingers intertwine with his. "Not when you're with me."

The next thing I notice is his lips on mine. The way his hands grip my hips and pull me onto him.

He leans towards me, his lips caress my ears and I hear his whispering voice. "Every day I hear one my followers talking about you. That they want to have you, to decorate your beautiful body with scars, with their initials." I freeze at his words, wanting to pull away and look at him, but he holds me tight. Makes me continue to listen to his voice.

"They want to see you bleed, to alternate between pain and pleasure when they push their cocks into you. Do you like that? That you are so desired? That you turn everyone's heads, when you go by and they start wanting to see my head roll? To get close to you, huh?" I want to shake my own head, but he holds me even tighter.

"Do you know how hard it is not to execute every single one of them? Do you know that? I would, if I could. I would kill every single one of them, in front of you, so that everyone knows that you belong to me. Do you understand? No one will speak to you anymore, because your voice is mine. No one will look at you, because your sight is mine. You keep your hands to yourself, no more help with injuries, I don't care if they die. Your hands only touch me."

As I start to sqirm, he leans back, keeping his hands on my hips until a finger strokes my cheek.

"No one will ever kiss you except me. And anyone who even thinks about fucking you, I will let die in battle. You may think my loyalty is to Kronos, but it is to you. My beautiful girl. Now think carefully about who you are pledging your loyalty to."

When his eyes look into mine, I fall silent. Then, even though I try not to, my voice trembles.

"What do you mean? I'm loyal to you, Luke."

His hands caress my skin, examining how the sun shines on me. I'm only wearing one of his T-shirts and my panties. His hands, stroke my bare thighs.

His eyebrows rise, slowly his fingers wrap around my panties, pulling them down until I am revealed to him. My heart is pounding so loudly in my chest, that it feels like it's about to give up. I hold my breath as he places the tip of his cock at my entrance.

What am I doing here?

"I think you're not being completely honest with me, princess. Let's try again. Who are you loyal to?" As he slowly enters me and his hands hold my hips, I moan. I lay my head back for a moment and enjoy the stretch, feeling his hands slide under my shirt and stroke over my stomach, to my breasts and to my neck.

"Luke, what's going on? I'm here with you, I'm-" But I can't finish my sentence as he plunges into me with a violent jerk, right up to the edge. My eyes roll back.

"These sweet lies that come from your lips. Of course you are here physically, but with the mind? Oh no, while I fuck you, your thoughts are on Camp Halfblood. On Jackson. Can you believe it?" His hands push my hips down until I am connected directly to him and can feel every inch inside me. I almost melt as one of his hands presses into my lower back and I move even closer to him.

When I try to answer him, my voice is a mixture of horror and pleasure. "Luke, that's not true. I only want you, I'm on your side- ahh-" Faster than I can react, he thrusts into me. Once, twice. So hard and ruthless that he hits the spot inside me, that makes me see stars. I can't concentrate.

"How I wish you would tell the truth. There's nothing to be ashamed of, sweetheart. Admit it, I already know. My girlfriend is the traitor. Behind my back, she talks to the person I hate the most and yet, she sits on my lap and rides my cock. What would Percy say about that?"

His hand wraps around my neck and holds me tight, his hips keep pounding into me and even though my brain tells me to stop, my guard is down. I want this.

"How-" But when I want to ask, he pushes me onto him again. So fast, too hard, it almost hurts, but it also feels so good.

"I have my eyes everywhere. It took me a while to figure out how to deal with it, how to deal with you. But I found a good solution. After all, Percy lets you be here, without cover, without protection. Hoping I wouldn't find out that you were passing on information. That I wouldn't hurt you."

His last sentence makes me tense up, but even though his face twists in amusement for a brief moment, he doesn't stop talking.

"Your pussy won't save you either. And since I have given you my word, I will not harm you. I found a better punishment. A choice."

He suddenly stops moving and I almost cry, wanting to move myself, but he takes my face in his hand, tightly. Focusing all attention on him.

"Either you stop your underhanded loyalty to Jackson immediately and serve me, or I will make the wishes of everyone behind this door come true and you will be used like a beautiful, little doll. From each one of them, I assure you. But after that, you won't be so beautiful anymore."

Tears well up my eyes, whether it's from the tight grip he's holding on me or from his words, I can't tell. And I'm scared, it feels like I'm being buried alive. With no prospect of ever being able to breathe or be free again.

Without me saying anything, he starts moving inside me again, letting my hips sink onto his. I breathe in loudly.

"Come on, move. Your choice. It's either my cock or anyone else's."

When I look at him, the person I once loved has disappeared. It's like looking at a stranger.

My heart feels like it's been stolen and in the back of my mind I realize, that I should have never gone with him.

But then I close my eyes, put my hands on his shoulders for support and sink down onto him. Again and again, even stronger. Until my thighs shake and tears run down my cheeks. Until I hear Luke's quiet voice again.

"If you think you are strong enough to be like me, treacherous, cold-hearted and ruthless, then I have to disappoint you. Your heart will be soft forever unless the world hardens it. I will protect you for that, princess. Forget camp halfblood, you only serve me now."

His lips are hot on my skin, a strong contrast to my heart, which feels like it's made of ice.

And when I receive the next secret sign from Annabeth a few days later, I ignore it.

[this-acuteneurosis]

a interesting doyalist/Watsonian messes with different interpretations of Characters by different writers, and your use of Grevious has been interesting. From Micro V.S. 2008 I usually like using that old Napoleon quote, You must not fight too often with one enemy, or you will teach him all your art of war. Grievous when new danger can ambush murder multiple Jedi all at once, old hand, arrogant enough to do straight duels against Ventres and loses. Using him for Ambush is really Smart narrative.

Grievous of this story is definitely more heavily influenced by the 2003 Star Wars: Clone Wars micro series than by his later appearances. The scene where he's picking off Jedi in the dark is, I think, a really effective scene as far as making him seem terrifying. I really felt like he gave off an impression of being inevitable, and that made it really satisfying when people were able to thwart him.

I liked that vibe for this story, partly because it seemed like a more dangerous foe to throw at Leia, but also because Leia doesn't know who he is. He isn't someone who really got brought up a lot when she was taught about the Clone Wars (in this fic). So I felt like this worked for the story, both plot structure and tonally.

I also felt like it was easier to show him off as a proto-Vader this way. And I really wanted that to come across. Part of this arc in particular has been Leia realizing how much Anakin specifically was a target during the Clone Wars. As she realizes how much groundwork Palpatine has been laying for that specific conquest, it really makes her angry. It complicates the narrative in her head and forces her to confront the pain she's still carrying and how she's taking it out on Anakin.

Anyway, yeah, Grievous. We're going for sneaky hunter vibes more than General Grievous.

[layla4567]

Hello there! I love your May The Force Be With You so much that I am requesting one! Here’s mine: The reader calms Cal down when he is using the Dark Side (During Jedi Survivor near the end when he’s chocking Lan Denvick) but you choose the reader calms him down.

oki doki!

I'm right here

Pairing: Cal Kestis x Fem reader Summary: Cal seeks revenge by using the dark side of the force against the hidden base of the Imperial Security Office. You arrive just in time before he does something crazy Warnings: Blood, violence, fight, chocking, spoilers of jedi survivor, angst but fluff ending kinda (If I forget something let me know) A/N: This is my first request, sorry for the delay, btw I had to research the game to write this lol

Cal walked with sure and furious steps towards the base, wielding his saber that now shone bright red ready to attack anyone who crossed his path. The red light contrasted with his green eyes and gave him a menacing look, Cal wanted revenge, to avenge the death of his friends and his seething anger toward embracing his dark side. You stayed on the ship praying that nothing bad happens to him or that he doesn't cause a lot of blood to flow. You understood Cal more than anyone and how painful it is to lose a loved one, especially when they had already lost someone before.

Finding Lank Denvik sitting behind a command desk, Cal approached him with BD1 slung over his shoulder. The redhead's gaze showed no compassion or patience.

"Cak Kestis"-Lank said

"Listen carefully, deactivate the alarm system now"

"Or what? You're a Jedi, I know what you're capable of and what you're not capable of."

Denvik took out a blaster that he had hidden but Cal was faster and took it out of his hands thanks to the force. The freckled man took out his own gun without stopping pointing it at him.

"On the comms. Now"-The redhead said impatiently and intimidatingly, knowing that one mistake and he would just have to pull the trigger.

After deactivating the alarm Cal explained that he was there because of Bode, and saying that he found him thanks to a tracker. Unsurprised, Lank, as if accustomed to her pathetic carelessness, simply casually commented that Bode's reports indicated that the two of them had become quite close since Coruscant. Cal's gruff expression softened slightly as he lowered his gun slowly, something in his brain clicking, as if his gears had been set into motion.

"You were the one who sent him to infiltrate my team.."

"That's right, he was my weapon for a long time, he was very effective. Not like those armored idiots in the inquisitorious"

"So it's true, Cere died because of you"-Cal's gaze became hard as steel again as he gritted his teeth.

Lank leaned forward in his seat. "No, there are still months until Operation Jedha"

"You're lying!"-The redhead used force by clenching his fist to push Lank's back against his seat and immobilize him.

"The empire burned the archives led by Darth vader!!"

"Lord Vader? I have to stop this while I can"

The man approached the commandos again but Cal extended his hand firmly and pushed him back again in anger.

"Don't you understand? He lured you here to destroy me! They're coming! I'll be a dead man unless-"

The redhead clenched his jaw, tired of listening to him speak, without thinking twice he drew his fist towards his chest and Lank's head hit the table making a thud. Cal looked at him with a sullen expression, the only thing he felt was displeasure for that man. With his black inquisitor suit, to go unnoticed, he decided to head towards where Bode was always with his droid at his side. When she arrived she saw Bode's daughter Kata packing her bags, the little girl explained that that was what her father had told her to do because they were supposedly going on a trip. At that moment Bode entered the room, when he saw Cal his muscles tensed, the redhead took a step with a predatory look in his pupils but Bode extended his hand in a stop sign and explained his past. That he was a Jedi Knight assigned as an undercover agent during the Clone Wars. Bode also talked to him about how he met his wife and they had Kata and the deal with Denvik. Cal let his guard down a little at Bode's story but that was his only mistake. Using force, Bode pushes him making him fall on his back and escapes with Kata and the compass alerting the imperials.

Cal, flushed with anger and with dilated pupils, leaves the room without being able to stop Bode and his daughter, just at that moment dozens of imperials are preparing to shoot him. Cal wields his saber embracing the dark side and faces the soldiers, dodging and blocking each blow while with his red saber he cuts the armor and flesh of the Imperials. He is an unstoppable beast, like an enraged bull he cuts the skin and impales several imperials without much difficulty, the desire for revenge and anger moves him as if he were carried away by a wave or ocean currents. Memories of all the people he received love from and then lost came to his mind. He no longer knew how to differentiate between anger and sadness, a whirlwind of emotions debated inside him but an emotion stronger than the others surfaced and won everything. Hatred.

Meanwhile in the Mantis

You and Greez were waiting for Cal to finish his mission. Since you were used to fighting you already had your uniform and your blaster on your belt, you nervously felt it to know it was still there. Greez reassured you by telling you that Cal knew how to defend himself and that he would be fine, but Cal knowing how to defend himself is exactly what worried you. Many times you had seen him succumb to the dark side of the force and you had to hug him so that he would return to the light, you hoped that this time it would be different, that Cal would not make too big a massacre. But you couldn't blame him, if he were you you would have done the same, he was just hurt and he needed to somehow vent those feelings into something to make sure Cere's death wasn't in vain.

Suddenly a roar and screams shook the Mantis and made the ground vibrate. You two had to hold on to your seats to keep from falling to the ground. You looked at Greez with concern and fear, you had to get out of there as soon as possible. After the tremor passed you jumped up from your seat and headed towards the exit of the ship. Greez stopped you screaming

"Wait! where are you going!?"

"I need to find Cal, he's the one causing this."

You adjusted the blaster to your belt and were about to leave when he grabbed your arm firmly, you turned to look at him with a frown.

"No, no no wait! Don't do anything stupid. Trust him"

You removed his hand with a distressed gesture.

"You don't understand, he is in contact with the dark side, he has no self-control. I am the only one who can stop him!"

Before Greez could say anything you jumped off the ship, landing on one knee on the cold floor of the base and ran like hell. Greez yelled something at you but you didn't listen, all you thought about was finding him. You ran and ran with your hair flying in the wind wishing it wasn't too late. At your sides there were imperialist soldiers on the ground dead and bleeding, you looked away in horror.

"Please don't let it be late"-you prayed in a low voice without stopping running

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

Cal continued massacring soldiers, he was breathing heavily and his hair had stuck to his sweaty forehead from the effort. The lightsaber gave off red sparks like fire and hummed with every cut and movement, the freckled man did not notice the fatigue, the hatred and aberration he felt was like pure adrenaline injected into his veins and drove him to continue attacking no matter what. When there was no more imperial, Cal, breathing like a rearing horse, deactivated his saber. You were still running around the corpses when you finally saw him, you felt your heart beat out of your chest and with slight relief you trotted towards him. Cal saw you and a look of surprise wrinkled his forehead, he didn't expect to see you there.

"Cal!"

You shouted his name as you quickly approached him with a small smile and great relief, at least he was still alive. You were not even a meter away when your smile faded and with horror you saw how Denvik was approaching Cal from behind with a blaster in his hand.

"Watch out behind you!!"

The redhead already saw it coming, so returning to his sullen and enraged gesture, he unsheathed his saber and blocked the shots with ease while he attracted Lank with the use of force, preventing him from moving. Cal raised his saber and held it tightly dangerously close to the man's neck, the red glow shining on Cal's face and giving him a menacing look. You closed the distance between you and Cal and came to stand close to him at his side, scared of what he might do.

"Come on Jedi, if you're going to kill me, do it now. Do it!!"

But Cal had other plans. He put his saber away and raised his clawed hand, levitating Lanken as he writhed and put his hands on his neck, coughing. Cal was choking him.

"Cordova, CERE! THEY ARE DEAD BECAUSE OF YOU!! And now you're going to pay for it..."

Lank was beginning to cough and gasp for air, his face was turning slightly purple while his eyes wanted to pop out of their sockets.

"Cal, enough is enough..!"

Your cries of fear and anguish were words inaudible to Cal as if they had been carried away by the wind. He couldn't listen or even reason, he only had eyes to see Lanken die, the man who made him suffer so much and took away his friends, his family. Cal's gaze fell on the man's face as it went from violet to pinkish red, and a slight grimace of satisfaction crossed the redhead's lips for a moment. Cal seemed to enjoy his suffering, using force was much more pleasant than if he had impaled him with his saber, a slow and painful death was what Lanken deserved. You, horrified, placed a hand on Cal's tense shoulder, hoping he would listen.

"Cal listen to me, I'm here, please don't do it. Don't become a murderer like him."

Cal didn't seem to listen, he just kept seeing his enemy, you tried to attack from the other side.

"Do you really think this is what Cere or Cordova would have wanted? Prove that you're better than him."

You grabbed the freckled man's cheek, forcing him to look at him. He looked back at you, blinded by fury, but you didn't care.

"Cal look at me, this won't make them come back, please come back to me, I'm begging you"- you cried.

The redhead's face softened and he released Lanken who fell abruptly to the ground while holding his chest and coughing and retching. For a moment Cal seemed to come back to himself, as if a blindfold had been removed from his eyes and his gaze softened, once again showing that sweet and gentle look that made his green eyes shine with heavenly intensity. He looked around as if seeing it for the first time, realizing the damage he did, feeling a little guilty under the sad sight, you approached him and rested your forehead against his, grabbing his cheeks gently.

"It's okay, it's over"

You rubbed your forehead against his like horses would and then hugged him tightly, burying your face in the crook of his neck, not wanting to let him go again. He sighed, holding you and he relaxed his body as if you had lifted a great weight off of him. As you slowly peeled yourself away from the hug, you noticed that his eyes were watering. You tenderly wiped away the tears that surrounded his cheek with your thumb. You understood Cal's pain more than anyone and you didn't want him to suffer alone because he wasn't alone, and he never was. You gave him a sweet kiss on the lips to reassure him and assure him that you would always be by his side supporting him and then feeling slightly better he gave you a shy smile, the one you missed seeing so much.

"Let's go back to the ship, Greez must be worried"

You told him as you placed a hand on his back and you both walked tiredly towards the Mantis.

[ontherocks21]

Someday I'll Write It

Lady Vader Part X

“Save her!”

She knows that voice.

“Pl -- can’t lose --”

Even unfocused and disjointed, the cadence and timbre resonate deep within her soul. Its panic stirs something in her own, makes her startle and kick against the leaden weight dragging her under. She fights back hard; knows she’s winning when the muffled words ring clear.

“Please, I can’t lose them!”

Anakin!

She means to yell out for him, assure him she is here, that she isn’t lost to the abyss. But what escapes her is a guttural moan, an animalistic noise she doesn’t recognize and only heightens her husband’s fear tenfold.

“Padmé?!”

Nearer now, the darkness calls and she struggles against its alluring lullaby, tries to sit up until her nerves flash with lightning and her muscles scream from her effort.

“Oh gods,” Anakin groans, “that’s a lot of blood.”

Pressure increases, agonizingly so, at the juncture of her hip and belly, and she tries to wrench away from it until a new warmth washes through her, dousing the flames licking along her veins.

“Be still, Padmé! That’s enough, Anakin.”

That is Obi-Wan!

If she could frown at his bossy commands, she would, but the warmth recedes and she’s left shivering, a dreadful chill crawling inside her bones.

“We’ll be at the medcenter in two minutes!”

Bail?!

“We may not have two minutes. They could be suffocating.”

Icy fear numbs her remaining pain, freezes her struggle into place. Almost to the surface, she floats just shy of the black void’s hold, weighing what it may cost her to break free, knowing that there is one price she will never ever be desperate enough to pay.

They hadn’t discussed names, and now she might not be able to. But there is no stopping that now. What she can do is use her dwindling strength to help him make one last impossible decision.

Help him see it’s the only choice.

Through pain’s veiling haze, her fingers somehow manage to find his wrist, wrapping themselves around tacky flesh and squeezing insistently. She forces fire into her lungs, burning her children’s names into existence.

“Luke…” she breathes, then gasps, summoning all her energy to choke out, “Leia…”

She tries to locate his face, her eyelids fluttering, her vision swimming, her hand falling limply out of his.

“No, no, no!!!! Stay with me!!!” he begs her.

“Save them,” she thinks she says as the darkness takes over once again.

*****

She hadn’t really known what to expect afterwards, but this is definitely not it.

It’s far too bright for one thing.

It also looks too much like a medcenter for another.  From the sparse sterile furnishings down to the pervasive stringent tang of bacta in the air, she would be lying if she said she wasn’t expecting more of the beyond.  But there’s no agony searing her alive anymore either, so she supposes she should be grateful for small victories.

Despite the incessant beeping from a monitor positioned somewhere above her head, a soft coo and responding murmur draw her attention.  Padmé looks to her left and all thoughts of her disappointing afterlife vanish.

Not even her worst nightmares would cast her husband in them, so she’s not dreaming and she’s not dead.

Anakin glances up at her movement, the indescribable smile he’s aiming at the bundle in his arms giving way to a paradoxical mixture of exquisite relief and noticeable concern.  Gingerly, he shifts over to her bed, managing to perch near without jostling her or his cargo.

“Hi,” he whispers, trying for bravery but cracking around his edges.  “Look who’s awake.”

Padmé starts to ask whether he’s talking to her or about her when a tiny hand pokes it way out of the blankets in Anakin’s arm.  A thousand emotions pass through her so quickly she can’t begin to name them, but the one she lands on feels like ineffable joy.  She thinks her heart might actually burst as devastating hope steals her breath.  “Is that…?”

Anakin nods, his face now reflecting the incandescence blooming within his wife.  “Do you want to meet her?”

It’s all too easy to ignore the sudden ache pounding in her lower half as she sits up and Anakin places her daughter into her arms.  Brown eyes stare up at her with the same wonder returned in her mother’s gaze.  The little fist waves erratically before five perfect fingers touch Padmé’s lips, instantly dissolving her into a sobbing mess.  She tries to hide her quivering by pressing a kiss to the dark downy head.

“She’s perfect.” Padmé turns to Anakin, a smile permanently stretching her lips even as the tears continue to rain excess emotion over her cheeks.  “What do you want to name her?”

“Leia.”

Padmé’s eyes go wide.

“You heard me??” she whispers.

“I did.”

Easing off the mattress, Anakin moves to retrieve another blanketed bundle tucked in a nearby bassinet.  Just as he had with Leia, he cradles the swaddle gently, and carefully presents her with their son.

“This is Luke.”

Oblivious to perhaps the most important introduction of his nascent life, Luke sleeps soundly.  Cautiously, reverently, Padmé can’t stop her free fingers from their need to run over his tuft of blond hair.

“What color are his eyes?” she asks.

“Blue.”

She only tears away her adoring gaze so she can see the color her husband confirms.  “I can’t wait to see them,” she beams.

Anakin chuckles.  “Oh, he’ll be awake soon enough.”  For the first time, Padmé sees the dark circles beneath those cerulean pools and notes the paleness of her husband’s complexion.

“What happened?” she asks.

In the brightness of the room, Anakin’s face darkens considerably, his hand tightening fiercely around her shoulder.  “We aren’t going to worry about that right now.  You’re safe.  Our children are safe.  The galaxy is safe.  This is a happy moment.”

He smiles down at her, and she can’t fight her smile’s radiant return, nor can she recall another time in her life that she has felt more blissful content and divine joy.  Padmé snuggles closer in her husband’s embrace, and for the first time, basks in true peace.

“The happiest moment of my life,” she agrees.

Image Credit: Eli Hyder

[carcassarkis]

Big Idea

Been rewatching Star Wars with my grandma (she’s only seen ANH until now) and had an idea I kind of like.

So you know how, in TFA, it is established that the stormtroopers of the First Order were taken as children for brainwashing purposes?? I propose that the same goes for half the officers there. Several volunteers, of course, but many of the extreme loyalists are part of this group of people conditioned into being members. And any kids of those who are part of the Order would be inducted into the group, too.

Here’s where the idea changes the sequels a bit (read: a lot):

Ben Solo was one of those who were taken and brainwashed. He would not be called Kylo Ren; in fact, he’d probably have some number like the troopers did. It’d be easy to make into a name though, like Finn. And, as a Force user, he’d have a different numbering system than those used for troopers or officers. He’d probably have something (hypothetically) like KR-00.

In this scenario, he’d have been given to Luke for Jedi training, as is canon. Then BOOM some terrible entity (Snoke) reaches his nasty little fingers out one night and takes little Benny boy right out from under the nose of the last Jedi. He’s probably like 8 or 9, idk. To cover his tracks, Snoke burns the school to the ground. Luke and a few students manage to survive, but seeing as there is no Ben, Han and Leia lose their shit.

They distance themselves from Luke, seeing as he got their kid killed (or so they think). Luke, along with the select few survivors of the fire, try to rebuild elsewhere. They vanish.

Several years pass (like 15 idk stop asking bro) and, in that time, the First Order has become an immediate threat to the New Republic. One of the most notable threats is their masked, Force-wielding attack dog. Someone with clear training and skill in the art of swordsmanship and wielding of a lightsaber, who has (seemingly) deliberately teamed up with this terrorist group/cult to destroy the New Republic.

The Resistance refers to this person as the Knight due to their armor and fighting capabilities.

The Knight has a reputation to keep. A brutal and bloody one. They’re Snoke’s right-hand (in a Palpatine-Vader way) and are expected to act as such. No one knows what they look like. They’re a perfect anonymous figure. They could go undercover and no one would know.

So, when word gets out that a Force-user claiming to be a Jedi has appeared, the Knight starts to track them down. Luke Skywalker is a valuable man, dead or alive. A First Order battalion is sent out to the planet this was reported on, which brings the Resistance to doing the same.

Which is how we begin our scene on Jakku…with the Knight, a stormtrooper, a pilot, and a Jedi.

[twinsunstars]

Thrawn: Alliances - A Discussion of My Favorite Parts

Hello! I recently finished reading Thrawn: Alliances and I loved every bit of interaction with every character featured in this novel. The novel goes back and forth from the present to the past, focusing on the Imperial Era with Darth Vader, and the Clone Wars era with Anakin Skywalker, as Thrawn has met both. Note that I didn't put every excerpt in order of how the book goes, I just placed my screenshots and went along with my thoughts.

SPOILERS AHEAD IF YOU HAVEN'T READ IT YET!

Anakin misses her so much… I wonder how the book’s plot would have gone if this took place before Ahsoka left the order. She would possibly be on the mission with Anakin and would have met Thrawn long ago.

This was too funny. I really want to hear Anakin try to pronounce his whole name. It would be great if Star Wars brought this scene (or all of the Clone Wars scenes in here) to life in either animation or live action.

R2-D2 is one of the best companions anyone could ever have. R2's survived through so many events and battles, and he loves being alongside Anakin. R2's ready for anything.

I love it when Thrawn focuses on tiny details that are important to the big picture. It's definitely all part of his love for art. I think Anakin is really fortunate that Thrawn came along his path and joined his mission, and without him Anakin would be having a lot more trouble trying to find Padmé.

Back in the present, Thrawn and Vader just continue to keep on arguing and disagreeing with each other. I found it quite funny.

I love how R2 is always watching out for Anakin, it's really cute. Losing him towards the end of the Clone Wars probably took a toll on him, and he never knew what happened to his old master, and he's the only droid who remembers him so closely.

Anakin's really trying to be like "I don't know what you're talking about" while Thrawn is already figuring out that Anakin and Padmé are basically an item.

I love how Thrawn is willing to stay loyal to his homeworld while making the choice to be an Imperial. He chooses to fight for both sides, and nothing will stop him from doing that.

Vader really keeps telling Thrawn that "Anakin Skywalker is dead", and Thrawn just keeps nodding his head with it. Like he knows, but isn't addressing the fact that he knows. He just has to go along with whatever happened to his old friend.

We all know Thrawn loves art. Every piece of art has meaning to it, from the colors to the textures to the lines. Thrawn's art analyses are something I'm always willing to read and pay close attention to.

Thrawn said "we", and Vader caught that. He himself claimed he killed Anakin Skywalker himself back in the Obi-Wan Kenobi series, and the inner Anakin deep inside him remembers that Thrawn knew him. Vader has the need to correct Thrawn, as Vader was never with Thrawn before, but Anakin was.

Padmé really wanted to hug Anakin, but they can't do anything with others around watching them. Anakin didn't like the idea of splitting up and Padmé going with Thrawn instead of him, but he makes sure Thrawn will take care of her.

Padmé tells Thrawn about a useful tactic Ahsoka had created that is sometimes used in battles, and Thrawn takes inspiration from this. Unfortunately, Ahsoka isn't here since she had already left the Jedi Order, but it would have been interesting if she was here and had met Thrawn years ago. It'll be interesting when Ahsoka meets him in the series.

I love this line. Thrawn will serve his own people more than anyone else, and protect them more. Nothing else matters when his people are involved in an event.

I need to physically SEE Thrawn holding and fighting with Anakin's lightsaber. He naturally somehow knows how to fight with a lightsaber and use the weapon.

This part was funny. Most of the time, Vader has no idea what Thrawn is talking about, while Thrawn is like "It makes sense, just go along with it."

Honestly, Thrawn should really be keeping those Force-sensitive Chiss they found far away from the hands of the Emperor, but to me it wasn't too clear on what Thrawn and the Emperor had actually been talking about regarding the Force-sensitives, and it's different for them on his homeworld. Vader is definitely thinking out of the box here.

With this, I finally got to understand how the Force works with his people. I began reading the Ascendancy novels, and the girls with the "Third Sight" are definitely being overworked to the point where their ability begins to fade. Or it could be something that they get the Force but it just starts to fade.

Sureee, until a clan of purgills comes to take you far away and strand you with one of the Jedi rebels you're trying to defeat...

I made a post before talking about this part, and ever since I finished the book, this part has just stuck with me. Thrawn remembers Anakin how he had met and known him, and he will never forget it.

Vader said "us", similar to the scene where Thrawn said "we". Vader making this error in speech just further confirms Thrawn's suspicion of Vader being Anakin under all that armor.

You've reached the end! I really liked this book, and Thrawn and Anakin's dynamic was enjoyable to read. I'm excited for the Alliances comic that is set to release next year, and we can finally see this book in visuals. Let me know your thoughts of the novel!

[notmaplemable]

Hot Buttons issue: Do you think Cinder should have died at the end of V5?

Hmm, good question.

Well, thinking about it simply from a power scaling point of view. Cinder to that point has killed the main mentor of RWBY in Ozpin, and the strongest of the protagonists in Pyrrha. Not to mention she's a fully fledged maiden, so we can assume she's pretty much the strongest of the antagonists outside of Salem.

Of course, she still was recovering somewhat from getting silver eyed at Beacon, so she's probably not at full strength at Haven.

So who could beat Cinder and not break the power scaling? Raven can since she did in canon. And that makes sense, as she's a maiden herself with more experience.

Qrow? He was having a hard time with Tyrian, and did technically lose that fight, but that was with Ruby kind of getting in the way. And I'm not going to bring up the Atlas rematch, since that's kind of ex post facto.

If we assume that Qrow is close or as strong as a aura user can get without magic, than you could have him win a 1v1 without it feeling like he pulled a win out of nowhere.

I don't think any of RWBY or JNOR could beat her 1 on 1. And with how things were going up in the... courtyard? Whatever you want to call it, I doubt they would be able to get more than one or two people to go down and actually do anything there. And I still don't think they would beat her 2 on 1.

And if Raven's still down there, it would basically still just be her win with some assistance.

And I guess Ruby could technically beat Cinder with her silver eyes, but seeing as she hadn't used them once after Beacon, and hadn't been trying to train with the either, that would feel a bit anticlimactic for me.

------

So, Raven and Qrow are probably the only ones who I would think could beat Cinder without it feeling like an ass pull.

But there is a problem there.

Neither Raven or Qrow really have much of a personal vendetta against Cinder. Raven kind of does when Cinder killed Vernal, but Vernal is kind of a nothing character, so that doesn't really work for me.

Qrow has absolutely no connection to Cinder outside of the fall of beacon and everything that happened around it.

Blake is busy dealing with her personal antagonist in Adam and Yang was doing much the same with Mercury. They don't have any sort of personal vendetta against her more so than they have with any of the other characters involved in the fall, besides Adam and Mercury. And it's the same with Weiss. Since none of them really had much of a personal connection with Pyrrha outside of being in the same friend group.

That we see at least.

Ruby's had a few run ins with Cinder, and watched her kill Pyrrha. And Cinder has a thing against Ruby. So Ruby killing her off would work from a narrative perspective.

Jaune, Ren, and Nora all of course have the personal connection in Cinder killing their teammate, good friend, and partner in Jaune's case. So any of them killing her off would work too.

And having team RNJR come together one last time before disbanding to beat Cinder would be a good send off for the team. But I don't really think they could beat her, seeing as they couldn't beat Tyrian and Cinder should be stronger than him. Not to mention that they all probably wouldn't be in a position to fight Cinder alone as it is.

------

And of course, you run into the problem that you'd be killing off your most dangerous antagonist who isn't Salem in the middle of the second act.

That would be like killing off Darth Vader during the asteroid scene in Empire. It just doesn't quite work. Not that Cinder is anywhere close to Vader's level as a character, but I digress.

And you also have to go looking for the new fall maiden if you kill her off by having Raven beat her in the same way. Cause I doubt Cinder would be thinking about anyone else than Raven in that moment.

------

So in summary, despite the fact that I don't really like Cinder as a character. I don't think it any of the characters who could kill Cinder would be very satisfying to have do so. And any of the characters that would be satisfying to have beat Cinder could beat her without pulling out the eye lasers.

And if those two things did or could happen, it would be too early in the story to kill off the most threating villain who isn't the big bad.

[polyhexian]

Eda refers to the Martlet as Marty. I feel like Jasper would find this endearing. Idk if they're friends (does Jasper even HAVE friends in this AU? sad) but they'd at least be running in the same circles. Casual acquaintances who appreciate each other's work. They exchange idle chit-chat in the night market.

If anyone figures out who the Martlet is before Jasper makes his identity known, it's Luz. She's smart, she's genre-savvy, she still low-key thinks she's in a fantasy story (lol), and she IMMEDIATELY clocks the Martlet as 1) Having a mysterious identity, 2) Having a mysterious BACKSTORY, 3) Being low-key sad, like, ALL the time despite his cheerful badass persona, clearly he is HIDING INNER PAIN, 4) HE'S GOT A SERIOUS SOFT SPOT FOR KIDS AND AN APPARENTLY-PERSONAL HATRED FOR BELOS, THIS IS NOT ADDING UP TO ANYTHING NICE, 5) It is entirely possible she gets a glimpse of his Emperor's Coven sigil at some point.

It's not a priority for her to figure the guy out, and it'd take a while for her to collect all the pieces to the puzzle. But after meeting Hunter she pesters Lilith for information about the Golden Guard, which leads to talk of the old one, so she knows Jasper existed. She knows Hunter is an orphan being raised by an Evil Emperor, which is just…welp, there are stories that go like that and they ALWAYS involve parental drama. She sees the Martlet and Hunter fight and notes that Marty's not as antagonistic as he could be.

…Bahaha, I have no idea how to make the timeline on THIS concept make sense, cuz she doesn't know Belos = Philip until Hollow Mind and who knows how that episode would even go down in this AU, BUT imagine her cornering Jasper like "ARE YOU CALEB WITTEBANE???" and Jasper just. fucking losing it. XD

(Does Jasper know Belos's name is Philip? Does he know the surname Wittebane? Does he even know he's human? Or does he put two and two together when he catches Luz watching an echomouse journal entry? Does he get just as interested in the journal as she is, but his interest is more morbid curiosity?)

Once Luz figures things out, or once things come out, she is just, like. Unholy screeching. OH MY GOD IT'S LIKE A REVERSE DARTH VADER SITUATION.

"Human," Hunter says, infinitely tired, "WHAT are you talking about?"

"Huh, yeah, it kinda is," Eda muses.

Jasper says that bullshit "people like me don't survive stories like this" line exactly one time around Luz and she is NOT having it. NUH-UH. NO SIR. You are NOT allowed to become a sacrificial father figure immediately after being reunited with your son! Her insistence on this is only PARTIALLY due to her own paternal loss trauma, it is also very much fueled by her love of storytelling! She drags out a whiteboard and does an impromptu presentation on TROPES and CHARACTER ARCS! She gasps as she realizes - it's not HUNTER'S redemption arc that's the big one here, it's JASPER'S. He's been riding a redemption arc for 16 years! You don't just kill off a character after that kind of development! Everyone knows Redemption Equals Death happens, like, IMMEDIATELY after the Heel-Face Turn, we are WAY past that threshold! Jasper is kinda overwhelmed but appreciates her optimism.

YEASSSSS

He doesnt have FRIENDS.... but he knows people. Like he works with the CATTs fairly often. He probably shows up to meetings and stuff and hangs around. People KNOW him. He probably does know eda, they're very similar and both hate Belos. He's cagey and he's not going to reveal much but I imagine there's been a time or two he's gotten seriously injured and it's her doorstep he shows up on. He might work with the CATTs but he doesn't trust them. He feels in his bones a trust for eda. She won't turn him in, she won't pull his mask off or tear his identity from him. She'll annoy him sure. But she won't MAKE him do anything. So once in a blue moon he shows up bloody and miserable on her doorstep to ask for help. He stays the night and he's gone by morning. He probably leaves something as a thank you. Maybe some stolen snails. Maybe a stolen owl beast potion. Potion ingredients. Whatever he has.

Luz ABSOLUTELY clocks his shit IMMEDIATELY. The only thing is she doesn't know about Grimwalkers. She's missing info on the golden guards. But it's obvious he's Hunter's dad and it's obvious Hunter doesn't know that. So she thinks like... maybe he escaped Belos but left Hunter behind... but like he is still his like biological dad. She thinks he left Hunter behind and is filled with guilt.

It's not until he is unconscious on Camila's couch and she knows what Grimwalkers are that she's like... putting the pieces together

AND ABSOLUTELY SHES ON THE "NO MOTHRRFUCKER YOU DONT GET TK DIE TRAGICALLY NOW"

[thechaoticfanartist]

For the ask game:

mistake: What's the worst mistake your OC ever made? What led to them making it? Have they been able to fix it? How have they moved on?

heartbreak: Have they ever had a relationship that ended badly? Experienced some other kind of heartbreak? What happened?

fear: What is your OC's greatest fear? What do they do when confronted with it? Are they open with their fear, or do they hide it away?

oc asks: not-so-nice edition

Mistake:

The worst mistake Grim probably ever made was when she accidentally revealed the existence of the multiverse to Darth Sidious. She had just been defeated by him and was terrified for her life. Despite this she tried to be brave and attempted to sass him saying and I quote: “I know a lot of things, you’re going to have to be more specific. Are you talking about how much I know about math and science or are you asking about how much I know about this universe and you being a Sith Lord?”

Yeah that didn't end well.....

She couldn't fix it and wasn't really able to move on from it considering this ended up leading to Sidious learning about Grim being from another universe. Which completely changed everything about Grim vs Palpatine, especially because she ended up also revealing she pretty much knows a lot of his plans.

Heartbreak:

I can talk about the complex tragedies of the Grimsoka and Grim & Anakin relationships !!

Anyways yes for a romantic relationship example, Grimsoka doesn't always end well. They break up during The Clone Wars when Ahsoka leaves the Jedi Order, although it was a mutual understanding that they couldn't be together without Grim leaving the Jedi as well (which she was never going to do, she gave up her entire universe to save them, she wasn't going to throw everything away for one person). They reunite during the Rebellion but end up drifting apart again after Ahsoka fights Vader, both because she died (and came back). They don't really see each other again until after the events of The Empire Strikes Back. I haven't decided yet but because of how Ahsoka acted in her series, I just don't think Grim could be with her anymore, so I've been considering the two of them having a full on divorce arc.

With Grim and Anakin it's a lot. I mean obviously any relationship with Anakin is going to be tragic but I feel like Grim's relationship with him has an extra flavor to it. She knows who he is and who he'll become right from the start, and yet she decides to trust him anyways. Grim knows everything about Anakin, she's seen his entire story play out. However, Anakin doesn't know much about Grim. He's the only character within the group of main relationships I write with her that doesn't know she's from another universe. She's constantly afraid of him as The Clone Wars goes on, and he never knows why or understands it. He becomes Vader and despite Grim knowing it would happen she's still betrayed, because she still trusted him and still loved him. When everything is over they're each other's endings. As I write in ghosts:

And of course Grim has experienced other forms of heartbreak. She lost her entire universe, and then she lost the new family she made to Order 66 (and to Anakin, someone she considered her brother). She has lost everything multiple times, heartbreak is far from a stranger to her.

Fear:

Grim's biggest fear is losing those she loves. She is terrified of the people she cares about dying. At first she tries to push back against the fact that it will happen, she gives up everything to stop what will kill her new family. She denies that it can happen, she will stop it, she has to stop it. Fear drives Grim as much as her love and compassion at times. Her goal starts off selfless and noble, but over time there's another more selfish layer to it. Of course she fails, and she has to learn to let go. She has to let go of her fear of losing those she loves, although she never is fully able to put that fear aside it stops controlling her, she learns to control it instead. She tries to hide just how much losing people scares her, she doesn't talk about it much, if ever. It's too hard to talk about because it's so real. And if she talks about it, then wouldn't she share how she'll lose them too? Because the worst part about it, is that she knows how they'll die or leave, and she knows when it will happen too. And the future is never something she wishes to talk about, and when her fear is so connected to the future, then how can she let people know?