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xinambercladx · 2 years ago

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"Figment" CH2: Self Sabotage.

Rating: T Characters: Cad Bane, Anakin Skywalker, Ahsoka Tano, Obi-Wan Kenobi, Mace Windu Summary: The job went down hill, fast. Perhaps he lost his footing. Perhaps he had wanted to get caught. The difference between laying a trap and laying breadcrumbs was negligible. He was playing a dangerous game. Chapter warnings: child death (Full fic tags in the # section). ----------------------------------------------------

Apathy is the death of the heart . Guilt is the proof of a conscience.

Green blood dripped on the metal floor. Bane was surrounded by Clone Troopers and two Jedi. He did his best to act calm, but the adrenaline was threatening to spike.

Calm down, Bane told himself. De gig ain’t up yet.

Cad Bane hid his alien visage within the shell of a dead clone trooper. The clones and Jedi were none the wiser. Bane had staged his demise, swapping his attire with that of the clone, Denal. Lucky for him he was only a couple centimeters taller than the clone so the suit fit over him, if a bit loose. He stayed quiet. Unless he spoke, unless his numerous enemies looked down and saw the blood, he’d be fine.

“Well, it looks like the Holocron was destroyed,” Padawan Ahsoka Tano said. “But at least the Separatists didn’t get it.”

Skywalker concentrated, “Bane’s dead but… I can still feel him.”

Just don’ look down, boy, Bane thought.

“That was close, Master,” Ahsoka Tano said.

Skywalker replied testily, “And if we had jumped off to retrieve the Holocron, we wouldn’t have made it."

“I know, but I didn’t! And you wanted to go after the bounty hunter,” Tano pouted, “I just wish we could have at least gotten the Holocron back. Master Ropal deserved that much.”

“It’s out of Bane’s hands, and the hands of whoever hired him.”

Dock already, Bane thought. The momentum of the Sheathepede transport shuttle shifted. ‘Bout time. The shuttle landed on its four extended, stilt like legs. The door lowered and the two Jedi exited alongside an astro mech.

“… now that he made it off this time,” said a clone to another clone. “Hey, Denal,” the clone said, slapping a gloved hand on Bane’s shoulder. Bane tried not to wince. “Good job frying that bounty hunter.” The clone left down the ramp.

“Yeah!” agreed another who followed and said as he passed Bane, “Let’s get some grub. You hungry?”

Grub? Bane thought, confused. Oh. Food. He means food.

One of the clones in the back, who had removed his helmet, waved him off, “Yeah, I’ll catch up.”

Bane followed them off the ramp but turned left. He made it maybe ten meters before he heard, one of the clones call out to Skywalker, “General! Something I think you should see.”

Not good, Bane thought. He resisted the urge to quicken his pace. He squeezed his arm tightly, trying to stop the blood from trailing more. He was feeling lightheaded, not only from blood loss, but also the entire ordeal. He heard little footsteps behind him.

“Hey, trooper!” Tano called, “Are you alright?”

Not good, Bane thought, still walking.

He heard the girl mutter, “Must have been hit in the head…”

In de arm. By you, Bane thought. I’ll be sure to not let you deflect blaster bolts at me next time, kid. Suddenly the girl was in front of him, blocking his path.

“Wait! Your injured!” she exclaimed.

Not good, Bane thought, hesitating.

“That might be serious,” Tano said with concern, taking his arm for a better look. He would have felt touched by that concern, if not for his own deception, and the fact she was the one who caused the injury. The green blood she found quickly changed her tune. “You’re no clone…” she realized, looking at his stolen helmet in shock.

“AHSOKA!” Skywalker called out, running from the shuttle.

Gig’s up, Bane thought. He didn’t have time to fight two Jedi, especially in his current state. He slammed his knee into her stomach, knocking the wind out of the Padawan. She collapsed, clutching her middle, gasping for air. He went to an all out sprint across the docking bay of the Venator starship. The damn shoes pinched his toes with every step, and the older Jedi was hot on his heels. He headed straight for the star fighters, lined in a perfect row. Two yellow vested crewmen attempted to thwart him boarding. Bane removed his backpack and swung it. The hefty durasteel pack knocked the first clean upside the head and the clone went down. Continuing the momentum, Bane swung a right hook into the other, which also fell. He climbed aboard and hopped into the cockpit. Just as he switched on the engine, Skywalker jumped aboard the wing during take off. Bane flew and turned the fighter toward the docking bay exit. He saw movement and suddenly Skywalker tore his helmet off, unmasking him.

Picking up speed, Bane jostled the stick. The fighter obeyed, jostling the Jedi. Skywalker did not falter, but merely flipped over the cockpit and landed on the other wing with ease. Bane flew the fighter out past the energy shield. Skywalker wisely jumped off as not to wind up getting spaced. Free of the Jedi, Bane looked for the hyperspace controls as the wings lowered into flight position. They were inactive. This type of fighter required a docking ring, he remembered, and quickly punched in the activation command. He followed Venator’s causeway to a cluster of rings ahead. The first ring was released and launched upward, readying departure. The lights blinked on and the fighter’s tail rose and locked into place, just as the fighter connected with the ring. The engines hummed. Stars stretched.

So long, Jedi, Bane thought, now safely away in hyperspace.

Cad Bane guided his stolen ship to a nearby moon. The stop was only brief enough to disable the tracking beacon, which was much easier to find than it should have been. Following a suspicion, he searched a bit more and found a secondary tracker. He disabled that too. Once back in orbit, he considered places in which to store the Holocron and contact his employer. The hideout on Tatooine was too far out his way, however the Rogue Antar System was half the distance, and he had a hidden base of operations there he hadn’t used in a while. He punched in the coordinates. It would be hours before he would arrive. While deactivating the tracker, he had found a medical kit. He reached below the seat and pulled it out. He set the box on his knees with relief. Bane let his head hit the back of the chair and he took a long breath, blinking. He didn’t let himself close his eyes.

The stolen armor of the clone, Denal he had been called, made Bane look more muscular than he was. It was roomy for the thin Duros and was easy to slip on in time for the escape. He slipped the bracer off and grimaced. The Padawan named Ahsoka Tano had deflected a bolt from his own blaster and hit his arm. It had stopped bleeding, but his tussle with Denal and the other clone trooper had reopened it. The dripping blood had nearly given him away. Humans have red blood, he reminded himself. He rolled up the black under suit sleeve. The wound had stopped bleeding again. It wasn’t as bad as he thought it might have been. His own bracer mostly protected him. He was thankful for this given that his custom LL-38 pistols were more powerful than most and could have done more damage. Bane soaked gauze in a cleaning solution and wiped away the dried blood from his blue skin, which was already bruising. Once clean, he looked for ointment. To his surprise he found a small canister of bacta spray.

“Dey actually spend money on bacta for common pilots? No wonder dey’re always complainin’ about funding issues in de Senate…” Bane shook his head. He popped the cap and made a test spray onto the wound. It was cold, but had a nice tingle. He sprayed again more generously. More cold, more tingles. He waited for the microorganisms to soak in and work their magic. The cold and tingles dissipated and the pain slowly lifted. He raised a brow. He had forgotten how wonderful bacta was. He had used it before, of course, but lately he had reasoned against the expense. Bacta was rare and expensive even before the War, but now it was being hoarded by both sides. Access outside of armed forces was limited to hospitals and the rich and powerful. Zaltin Corp and Xucphra Corp were the sole manufacturers of the miracle substance on the planet Thyferra. With rising demand, a neutral political stance, and a monopoly on the outsourcing, the two corporations increased the prices tenfold. Bane capped the bottle and grabbed bandages. The bacta would heal the wound in no time, but a lifetime of treating wounds forced him to finish the process. He wrapped fresh gauze around his forearm. Half an hour later, the pain had ceased entirely.

No longer in pain, his exhaustion took over. The venture on and above the planet Devaro had been a long twenty seven hours. He had orchestrated the largest task force of his entire career. The Sith Lord had given him access to a battalion of battle droids and even a battle cruiser, and Bane had even hired more bounty hunters for extra help taking the surface. The bumps and bruises were numerous from fights with not one, but four Jedi. The blurred starlight lulled his eyelids to drooping. The tired Duros drifted off to sleep, dreaming of fields of grass waving in the wind...

Several Weeks Later.

Bane was surrounded. For once, the Jedi had outmatched him. Two of them questioned him for hours. One was Obi-Wan Kenobi, a bearded man he had outrun once before earlier in the assignment. He seemed prim and proper like a stuck up nobleman. The other was Mace Windu, whom he hadn’t tangoed with before. He seemed even more high and mighty with self righteous arrogance. Both of them were furious, despite their precious code. They hid it well, but Bane could tell it was only boiling under the surface. Force sensitive types were always unhinged, emotionally stunted, prideful.

He tapped his finger pads together, reviewing his capture in his head.

The job had quickly turned from bombastic to sneaky. He went from laying siege to fortresses to kidnapping innocent children. When Sidious had told him that, Bane was almost flabbergasted.

“Kidnapping innocent children? Dat seems like a small time crime for the likes of you,” He had told the Sith Lord.

“Amongst the Jedi, there are no innocents,” Sidious defended, as if he truly believed that.

“Sure, sure,” Bane replied, withholding the disgust and disappointment from his voice. “As long as I get paid, makes no difference to me.”

Bane himself had never hurt the children, only delivered them to Mustafar on Sidious’ instruction. There they would become test subjects for the Sith Lord. Bane had chosen the children at random upon activating the Holocron. The first two children were easy enough to kidnap. He had simply walked in wearing a cloak from one of the Jedi he had killed on his first assignment for Sidious. The first child was a Human baby girl from Antilles, less than a year old. The second child was a Durosian grub, maybe less than two. He delivered the girl first. Then the Duros grub was delivered to Mustafar later. The place stank of sulfur and made the eyes sting. He didn’t blame the Duros grub for crying, but was glad to be rid of it.

Cad Bane was met at the entrance by a femme programmed service droid. The droid beckoned him inside this time. It rolled ahead and led him further into the dimly lit facility. The unsettling feeling was everywhere. It made his hackles go up. The pyramid walls bent inward as it reached the ceiling, pressing down on him. Even indoors the scent of ash and sulfur hung in the air. Leave it to a lava planet to smell like hell itself. His lip twitched above his fangs. He couldn’t help but feel … watched. It seemed every shadow could contain the cloaked Sith Lord. He half expected Sidious to appear out of one, puppet master hands ready to take the child from him. Instead, it was the droid who reached out. He handed the kid off and the droid placed it into a poor excuse for a crib. Made of metal and thin cushion, it did little but confuse the child. Its little blue hands pulled at the blanket.

“Ahhh… another test subject. Excellent.”

That voice. It grated his ears. Bane turned behind him, not surprised after all to see a full sized hologram of Darth Sidious projected from an R4 type astro mech.

“Two more remain, Bounty Hunter. You have served me well. Perhaps this one will fair better. I have high hopes with this one.”

Cad Bane crossed his arms, “I’ll be treadin’ more careful now. The Jedi will catch on soon enough. Don’ wanna push my luck.”

“There is no such thing as luck,” Sidious replied flatly. “There is only the Force.”

“Dispose of the failure. Begin preparation for the procedure on the new child.”

Bane stopped. Dispose of the failure? One of the droids spoke words of obedience. The hum of the holoprojector ceased. His mouth went dry. He had done his job. He delivered the kid. Sidious had said they were to be test subjects, but he didn’t think… he wasn’t paid to think, not about the outcome of assets. He wasn’t paid to care. Among the Jedi, there are no innocents. The words crawled across his eardrums.

“Excuse me, Bounty Hunter Bane,” said a droid behind him. Bane moved out of it’s way, and froze. In the droid’s cold, robotic arms was a tiny bundle, about the size of the little girl.

He stopped a gasp. He heard the motors of the R4 unit behind him. He was being watched. He knew it. This was the Sith Lord’s lair. The man only trusted him so far. The shadows in the corridor held countless horrors here. That unsettled feeling had been his gut warning him, his skin crawling with the knowledge of danger in the air. Cad Bane forced himself to follow the service droid. The R4 followed him in turn.

Tiny screams echoed from behind him. Duros screams. The procedure had begun. The test subject being subjected to pain. His legs screamed to run. The bounty hunter kept walking. The grub screamed again. He kept walking. The screams faded behind him. The corridor stretched in front of him. The droid ahead of him exited the hatch. He followed. The R4 unit followed him. The door closed behind them with a hiss and a lock slammed down. He forced himself not to jump. He wasn’t out of the lava pits yet. He headed for the Xanadu Blood, the custom Rogue Class Starfighter he had requested as payment for this very job. Bane headed for the ship, trying to ignore the droid that headed for the edge of the platform. He tried to ignore the robotic eye watching his every move. He tried to ignore seeing from the corner of his eye that the droid callously dropped the tiny bundle over the edge.

The calm, yet angry voice of Obi-Wan Kenobi snapped him to the present. He sat at a cold table, handcuffed and bombarded with questions and accusations.

“We know you’ve taken at least two children. Where are they?”

“Beyond your reach,” Bane replied, telling a truth. Two children would never be found. The other two however…

“Who are you working for?” Mace Windu demanded for the eighth time.

A madman, Bane thought. “I work alone,” Bane telling a truth. The contract had been completed. He was for-hire again.

“It’s only a matter of time before we locate the Holocron,” Kenobi said. He leaned forward for emphasis, “Make it easier on yourself.”

The way his human eyes narrowed wasn’t a very good veiled threat. The Duros would have laughed, instead he mocked the man, “What are you goin’ to do, Jedi? Torture me?” Den you’d be just like dat no good Sith Lord. Just as low as me, torturing your Jedi friend, Ropal.

The bald human, Windu, stood in a dramatic fashion in front of the exit of the holding cell, a dark silhouette in front of a golden energy shield. He said gravely over his shoulder at the bounty hunter, words slow and careful, “I think the fear of whoever you work for outweighs your fear of us.”

The Jedi hit that right on Bane’s nonexistent nose. The screams of the Duros child echoed in his mind. If the Sith had been willing to torture innocent children…

“This conversation is over,” Bane said, sitting back in his chair. The Jedi left him.

The clues were all there. They just had to use their brains instead of relying on the Force. Or was Bane overestimating their competence? Perhaps Skywalker would figure it out. He was a clever one, bold, and had pursued Bane in unprecedented ways. All the young man had to do was look closely over his fighter jet.

‘Xanadu Blood’ he had named it, not knowing he would have the blood of children on his hands. No. He did know. He had just never seen the results of his captures, no, kidnappings before. Nearly thirty years of bloody work. After his third trip to Mustafar he fired up the engines and had returned to the Black Stall Station, eager to rid himself of the sulfur smell from himself and the star fighter. As if it would wash those sins away. The Duros child was nowhere to be seen in the room of four cribs.

“Another failed test subject,” the Sith Lord had lamented.

The last two children were delivered. The job was completed. Cad Bane had fully intended giving his ship a thorough cleaning, wax job and all. Unexpectedly, Sidious contacted him again before he could do so. He offered extra pay for an additional child. Bane wanted to be rid of this client. Kidnapping children was beneath his skill set. He was insulted. He was disappointed. He was angry. He was tired of not being able to sleep at night… But he had accepted the assignment because that was his motto. Once paid his fee, he’d take any job, right? At least, that’s what he led Sidious to believe. That’s what he had fooled himself to believe. After wiping his nav computer he moved to his fuel computer and his hands merely hovered above the deletion routine. The monitor prompted two options.

Fuel Records. Deletion confirmation required:

CONFIRM? CANCEL?

He considered the question. He considered his options. Bane moved his padded forefinger from above CONFIRM and pressed CANCEL. The monitor lit green and returned to the normal menu, fuel records intact. Bane closed the fuel system back up and left it untouched. He left the ash and sulfur untouched. He put both hands on the fuselage and breathed out. His ship was as a pile of filth, just like himself.

When he went to Naboo, he fully expected the Jedi to be there waiting. He sneaked into the Gungan household, a giant plasma bubble construct. He sprung the trap. The Padawan Ahsoka Tano popped out from her hiding place. Just as he had sworn to himself, he disarmed her before she could deflect another blaster bolt at him. He made for an escape, ran into Skywalker and fought him too and rocketed away. The Jedi caught him. His boots failed and they both fell to the ground. He was captured. He was led away in handcuffs, just as he intended.

“You’re daughter is safe now,” Ahsoka had told the Gungan mother.

Cad Bane snarled, furious, “Do you really believe that?!” Those Jedi fools had no idea. If they didn’t act fast the last two children would be dead too.

And he was still here sitting at a cold table being interrogated, and waiting for them to figure it out. Bane couldn’t give the answers away easily. He had his pride. Also, the Sith Lord would suspect betrayal. He was playing both sides. The difference between laying a trap verses laying breadcrumbs was negligible. The bounty hunter tapped his fingers again, his mouth absent a toothpick to chew. The golden energy door opened and four grim-faced Jedi stepped down into the cell. The unsettling feeling returned. The Duros’ skin prickled. The sense of danger returned and there was nowhere to run. ----------------------------------------- Chapter Links: Chapter 1 Next Chapter

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tennessoui · 3 years ago

Note

You know one of my favorite Star Wars fic tropes? Evil, feral Anakin being horribly mistreated his whole life and hurt, and then being comforted and nursed back to health by Obi-Wan. And instantly imprinting on him, like, in a "I will kill anyone for you" way. Could be any Obi-Wan! Nice Obi-Wan for that sweet sweet hurt/comfort and kisses and turning Anakin from his murderous ways with the power of kindness! Evil Obi-Wan for sweet double trouble action and delicious obsession with each other!!

this is also one of my favorite star wars tropes!!! i love a needlessly protective and feral Anakin who distrusts everyone except for Obi-Wan.

unfortunately. um. this went a little sideways. and there is no being nursed back to health. but there's some delicious obsession and protectiveness and also future mutual obsession so i'm counting the prompt fill as like 3.5 out of 5 stars for following the prompt, which is. let's be honest, higher than most of my prompt fills. this is a bit dark and contains references to mind tricks, but there is no sex or kissing that could be construed as dub con. just like. dub con emotions i guess

(2.2k)

Quinlan has that look in his eyes, as if he’s about to say something that he knows Obi-Wan won’t like.

Carefully, Obi-Wan puts down his cup of tea and laces together his fingers in his lap. He can already feel a seed of anger blooming inside of him. Since Anakin has re-entered his life and the Temple, he’s found that this deep, swirling rage is harder to give to the Force. And easier to feel at a moment’s notice.

Like almost all the differences in his life now, this can be put on Anakin through no fault of the boy’s own.

After all, Obi-Wan thinks to himself, it is much easier to feel this sort of fury at the galaxy’s injustices when living with someone who has suffered most all of the most grievous kinds.

“Just say it, Quinlan.” Obi-Wan says.

Vos clears his throat. “Where is...your charge?”

“My charge,” he repeats, unimpressed. “You know his name.”

“I know both of his names,” Quinlan fires back. “Does he prefer Anakin or Vader?”

The anger inside of him grows larger at the mention of Vader. As if Anakin would ever prefer the name Sidious gave to him. As if he had chosen it for himself.

As if the Jedi had played no part in the birth of Vader.

“Anakin is asleep,” is all Obi-Wan says.

Quinlan makes a show of peering down the hallway of Obi-Wan’s quarters to the two closed bedroom doors. “In whose bed?”

His hands tighten into fists beneath the table. “That is a bold accusation to make.”

“Why?” his old friend’s posture is forcibly casual, slumped in his seat and hand loosely wrapped around his cup. Obi-Wan wonders if this is how he looks when he’s undercover on missions. The thought settles heavily into his stomach and makes him sit up straighter. If this is a mission to Quinlan Vos, then what is his objective? What does he want with Obi-Wan?

With Anakin?

“The boy’s legally allowed to spread his legs for anyone he wants, Obi-Wan. He's nineteen and everything.”

Obi-Wan can feel his teeth grind together. The fury in his chest is building at an alarmingly fast rate. The thought of anyone touching Anakin like that when the boy’s so obviously traumatized and in need of a tender hand--if he were a lesser Jedi, he’d snarl at Vos to leave.

“Any consent Anakin offers anyone would be dubious at best,” he snaps. “He is nineteen, but he has spent the past ten years of his life being tortured and enslaved by Darth Sidious.”

Quinlan narrows his eyes and looks over Obi-Wan’s face. “That’s not your fault,” he finally says quietly, leaning forward as if to grip his arm before he thinks better of it. “Obi-Wan, listen to me. What happened to Anakin is tragic. Awful. Despicable. But it is not your fault.”

Obi-Wan looks away, his jaw clenched tightly before he forces himself to relax. “I only blame myself for not verifying what I was told.”

“Do you blame the Jedi Council then? For sending the boy away?”

“My master begged me to train the boy, Vos. And while I was in the Halls of Healing, they sent him back to Tatooine. And no one ever checked to make sure he got there. Sidious grabbed him because we--because they allowed him to. And then spent ten years torturing and breaking down a child right under our very noses! Who would you blame, Vos?”

“Sidious,” the other man answers easily. “The Council had no way of knowing that Sidious even knew about the boy, that he was in any danger at all--”

“He was nine!” Obi-Wan roars, slamming a fist on the table, unable to swallow the dark, heavy fury anymore. “He was a child. A slave! They were going to send him back there!”

“To his mother!”

“To his chains,” Obi-Wan corrects fiercely.

Vos purses his lips and crosses his arms. “He is not a child anymore, Obi-Wan. He’s a killer. He’s dangerous. It’s worrying to me that you can’t see it. Or don’t want to see it.”

Obi-Wan wants to scoff. Anakin Skywalker is not dangerous. The boy gets night terrors, begs to be let into Obi-Wan’s bed, and can only sleep if he’s being cuddled up against his chest. He holds his blasted hand in public because he’s terrified of being separated from Obi-Wan again. He’s refused to even touch his lightsaber since the first night Obi-Wan stumbled upon him, bleeding in one of the lower levels of Coruscant. There are some days he won’t even let Obi-Wan touch him to hold him, and he shakes apart in the shadowy corner of his closet, reliving traumas Obi-Wan can’t help him with.

Dangerous. Dangerous.

“No, Obi-Wan, come on. You have to see. The boy’s turning you against the Jedi, against the Council!” “He doesn't need to," Obi-Wan says coldly. "The Jedi seem to be doing a fine job of that themselve."

“That's what I'm talking about!” Vos exclaims, waving an incensed hand. “The Obi-Wan Kenobi I knew would never say that! He would never think a bad thing about the Order, let alone say it! Let alone threaten to leave in the middle of a war if the Council didn’t grant him permission to keep the boy in his rooms! People talk, Obi-Wan! They’re not being kind!”

A thought bubbles up in Obi-Wan’s mind, vicious and sharp. Obi-Wan should not expect kindness from the Jedi. Not about Anakin. Everything they’ve ever done to and said about the boy proves that. Obi-Wan would have to abandon Anakin again to ensure the Council’s kindness and trust in him.

Obi-Wan would rather die than abandon the boy now when he needs him so obviously. He’d rather Fall than turn his back on Anakin, even if that’s what it took to stay in the Order.

“I think you should leave, Vos,” Obi-Wan murmurs quietly. “I think there is little left to say.”

His old friend stares at him from across the table in shock before he stands up without another word. At the door to his quarters, he freezes but doesn’t turn around. “You are attached, Obi-Wan. The Jedi Council will not stand for it. They will not allow it to continue.”

There’s something off with his voice, but Obi-Wan is too concerned with what he’s said to focus on anything else. “What do you mean?” he asks sharply, springing to his feet.

But Vos just shakes his head and leaves.

Obi-Wan collapses back into his seat as the door slides shut behind the man, his head buzzing with thoughts. That had sounded like a warning. Would the Council be so bold, so cruel, as to separate Obi-Wan and Anakin forcefully?

Yes, the thought flashes across his mind, followed by a swell of fury.

And then there’s a sleepy little questioning tug on the bond stretching between him and Anakin. His charge must have just woken up and found Obi-Wan still missing.

Obi-Wan tugs back, helpless against the urge to comfort Anakin. The bond explodes in a tidal wave of joy, the way it always does when Obi-Wan uses their illicit connection to communicate. He hadn’t in the early days, too afraid of the Council and the Code to do something so forbidden.

Now he cannot seem to muster enough regard for the Jedi to care. It is nice to feel Anakin in his mind, where he belongs. Where he’s always belonged.

---

In the bedroom that Obi-Wan keeps on insisting is not theirs, Vader allows his eyes to open as he slips out of meditation. He had been too forceful there at the end with Vos, fed him the exact words he needed him to tell his new master.

That sort of mind trick is too sloppy and easily discovered. It is much harder to trace emotional manipulation, especially over time. He’s been doing it for months now, the Jedis’ mental shields no match for his raw power trained to be sharp as a vibroblade.

It’s all just been a matter of slowly strengthening the other Jedis’ already existing mistrust and doubt about him, all the while crying to Obi-Wan about his past and his fears. It served to highlight the Jedi hypocrisy to his new master, and when he felt that first seed of anger grow in Kenobi’s mind, he encouraged it to grow faster.

The downside, of course, has been that Obi-Wan sees him as a scared child in need of protection. Vader is working on that too though, lengthening the touches they share and letting his shields fall at inopportune moments, like when he’s playing with himself in the fresher, so his master understands that Vader is capable of bringing him pleasure of all kinds.

It’s very important Obi-Wan understands that he can get everything he needs from Vader alone. There will be no one else, for either of them.

Sidious will die soon. The Jedi will die sooner. Vader and Obi-Wan can take their proper place, as Emperors of the Galaxy.

After Obi-Wan falls, of course.

It won’t take long now though.

Joy at the thought of one day looking into Obi-Wan’s golden eyes pushes Vader out of their bed and into the common area. He rubs at his eyes with the back of his hand a few times, and then it’s Anakin who’s crossing the space separating him from his master so he can settle in Obi-Wan’s lap.

Obi-Wan accepts him into his arms immediately, and Anakin has to fight the urge to smile in victory as he squirms in an attempt to get comfortable, only stopping when he’s straddling his master, sitting directly over his cock.

He wraps his arms around his master’s neck and buries his face in the juncture between his shoulder and throat.

Feeling daring, he licks slightly at the skin there, just to feel the way Obi-Wan’s hands tighten on his hips. “Missed you,” he murmurs, inhaling greedily.

Nothing in the entire universe smells as good as Obi-Wan, holds Anakin as gently as Obi-Wan, cares as much about him as Obi-Wan does.

He’d kill everyone in the galaxy for his master, if it was asked of him. He wouldn’t even think twice about it. And one day, soon, his master will feel the same.

Especially when his pesky Order has been dealt with, an execution order stamped with Sidious’ name. The only good thing his old master has ever given him.

The Jedi will die, Anakin will be blameless, and Obi-Wan will be safe from harm’s way. That’s why he’d had to push Vos so messily at the end there. Obi-Wan needs to be safe before the planned Order #66, and there’s no telling what Sidious will do now that Anakin has escaped.

“I heard voices,” he prompts, when Obi-Wan seems content to just sit silently and trace shapes on the bare skin of his back.

Obi-Wan hums. “Yes,” he admits. “An...old friend came to visit.”

Anakin bites gently at the skin of Obi-Wan’s throat and pulls back enough to make eye contact. He doesn’t know if his eyes are blue or gold right now, but either way Obi-Wan seems entranced by them. Riveted.

He pouts. “Your old friends never stay around long enough to meet me,” he says with a tremble in his voice, as if he cares about Obi-Wan’s old friends.

Obi-Wan reaches a hand up and thumbs over Anakin’s bottom lip. Anakin holds his breath. It’ll ruin everything if he sucks at it right now, despite how much he’s craving to map the whorls with his tongue.

“Anakin,” Obi-Wan breathes out, and Anakin changes his grasp so he’s now holding tightly to the front of his robes. “I must tell you something you may not want to hear.”

The Dark inside of him roars and snarls at this statement. If Obi-Wan has decided to make him leave, Anakin will not go quietly. Anakin will kill the entire Jedi Order himself, until this glowing angel--so warm, so bright in the Force--only has him.

“The Council will try to take you away from me,” his master murmurs.

Anakin makes his eyes go round and wet. It’s not even that much of an act: he just has to think of Obi-Wan agreeing with his stupid Council, and suddenly he’s appropriately tearful and afraid.

“No, no, Anakin, don’t cry,” his master croons, grasping the back of his neck and touching their foreheads together. Then, in a firmer tone, he says the words Anakin has been waiting to here for months. “I will not let that happen. We must leave the Order. I’m sorry, dear one. I can only imagine how much you wanted this place to be your home.”

Anakin has to rip his head out of Obi-Wan’s grasp and bury it in his neck so his dear master can’t see his smirk. Oh, Obi-Wan. The man may never understand that the only thing Anakin wants is already holding him tightly against his chest.

But Anakin will remind him. Anakin will remind him for the rest of his life.

“When do we leave?” Anakin whimpers, wondering if he’s overdoing it slightly, but Obi-Wan’s grip on his back only tightens.

When Obi-Wan speaks, his voice doesn’t waver at all. There’s not a single shred of indecision in his force signature either. “Tonight,” his master says, brushing a barely there kiss against the crown of his head. “We leave tonight.”

Vader smiles in bliss and burrows impossibly further into his master’s arms, nipping at his master’s skin again, just because he knows he will not be pushed away. This is the safest place in the galaxy, and now it will be his forever.

Victory tastes sweet. Obi-Wan’s skin tastes even sweeter.

#asks #prompt fill #cw: dubious consent #due to lying and mind/emotional manipulation #ill have you know i pulled up a gif set of anakin in aotc and stared at it while writing this #obikin #vaderwan #anakin latches onto obi-wan emotionally and wont let anything happen to him #but he also does everything in his power to make sure he wont be left behind again

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imagineyourworld-old · 4 years ago

Text

Cuddles

Rex x Fem!Jedi!Reader

Summary: You are extremely affectionate with everyone but Rex and even though the Captain knows why it bothers him, he refuses to acknowledge his feelings

Warnings: Mentions of injuries, mentions of sex

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It wasn’t unusual for the Jedi to send additional healers on dangerous or very long missions. Nor was it unusual for said healers to be Jedi, not only could their force sensitivity help them locate, and to a certain degree heal, even the toughest injuries, they could also help out in battle when needed. And so no one was surprised when you were send along with the 501st on a mission to the outer rim.

-------

“Have you seen General Skywalker? I have a few questions regarding his plans for tomorrow”, Rex asked Ahsoka.

The Padawan looked up from her datapad to point down the corridor.

“I think he wanted a quiet place to work.”

The way Ahsoka said the word made Rex second guess whether the General was actually working or talking to his not-so-secret wife. And even though he didn’t want to interrupt him, he knew how important time with loved ones was the night before a big battle, he really needed his questions answered.

“Thanks.”

Ahsoka smiled at him before turning back to her datapad.

-------

Rex opened and closed a few doors in vain.

Finally he opened the last door of the long corridor and found the General sitting on a blanket he had laid on the floor. But he was not alone.

Rex was surprised that Anakin actually seemed to be working, he had a datapad in his hand and another laying next to him, but that wasn’t what caught the Captain's attention.

You were with the General. Your head was in Anakin’s lap and one of his hands was stroking your hair, which had gotten loose from your bun and was now covering part of your face. Your closed eyes and deep breaths told Rex that you were fast asleep. But instead of thinking how relaxed you looked when sleeping, when for once you didn’t have the weight of protecting the galaxy on your shoulders, he felt as if someone had just shot him right in the chest.

“Rex, is something the matter?”

The Captain tore his eyes away from you to look at Anakin. He tried his best to be professional, not to let a blush rise to his cheeks or his feelings show.

“I have a few questions about tomorrow.”

Anakin nodded. Although both men spoke in quiet voices and the General moved only slightly you began to stir and opened your eyes a moment later.

Being a trained Jedi it took you less than a second to remember where you were and who you were with. Slowly you sat up and looked from Rex to Anakin and back again.

“Hello, Captain”, you said with a soft smile.

And no matter how hard he tried, heat now crept up to his cheeks.

“I am sorry for waking you.”

You shook your head, still smiling.

“Nonsense, I shouldn’t have fallen asleep anyway.”

You looked at Anakin again, who had been watching your interaction with great interest.

“I’ll leave you two alone and get back to work then.”

The Jedi nodded, a smile now gracing his lips as well.

Never in his life had Rex felt as out of place as he did in that very moment. This was a private interaction and he had no business witnessing the smiles the two of you gave each other, nor the loving expression in your eyes. But he couldn’t tear his eyes away, not even when you pressed a gentle kiss to Anakin’s cheek before grabbing the second datapad from the floor.

Rex stepped out of the door to let you pass, careful to put a bit of space between your bodies. But even the few feet between you didn’t stop him from smelling your sweet perfume. Where Jedi could get perfume in the middle of a war was beyond him, but he had come to love every whiff of the scent he got. Though now, more than ever, he knew he shouldn’t. He knew you weren’t his and would never be.

“I’ll see you around, Rex”, you said. And for a moment, just for a short moment, Rex thought you might reach out to him. He braced himself for the touch, but it never came. Instead you smiled before closing the door behind you.

Usually he tried his best to be respectful to General Skywalker and any other Jedi, but he couldn’t help himself.

“Does she know about Senator Amidala?”

Anakin got up from his spot on the floor and looked at Rex with raised eyebrows.

“I’m not sure what you’re referring to.”

Try as he might, Rex couldn’t keep the anger out of his tone.

“Does (Y/N) - I mean General (Y/L/N), of course - does she know you are married to Senator Amidala?”

Anakin stepped closer to Rex. The Captain couldn’t quite read his expression.

“(Y/N)”, he said your name in a way that made it very clear he had noticed Rex’s slip earlier. “Does not know about Padmé.”

“Do you think it’s fair then, to lead her on like this?”

The Jedi looked at Rex for a moment before answering.

“I am not leading her on, I wouldn’t do that. (Y/N) is a friend, she knows it as well as I do.”

Relief flooded over Rex. He had to admit, it wasn’t like General Skywalker to lead someone on, and much less like him to cheat on his wife, but to see the two of you so close made him question everything he though he knew about your relationship.

“Rex, I hope you know that you can be honest with me about... well, you and (Y/N).”

The blond took a step back, then another, until his back hit the wall behind him.

“I don’t know what you’re implying. There is no me and (Y/N) - General (Y/L/N), I mean.”

Even though Rex tried to sound convincing a smirk played on Anakin’s lips.

“Of course, Captain. Of course.”

The next couple of days his conversation with Anakin kept replaying in Rex’s head. It kept him from sleeping, haunted his dreams and even distracted him on the battlefield. So much so that it he let a blaster strike his shoulder and was send to the med bay, where he ran right into you.

“Captain, I heard what happened”, you greeted him. “Let me have a look at that shoulder and we’ll get it as good as new again.”

You reached out a hand to his injured shoulder, but without thinking Rex stepped out of the way.

“I’m fine. There are others who need your help more than I do.”

You let your hand fall as your eyebrows knitted together in worry.

“You are my last patient for today, everyone else is already taken care of. Now let me help you, I can see you’re in pain.”

And no matter how much his head protested, his heart made him nod in agreement.

He followed you to one of the few beds that were not occupied and sat down as you gathered any supplies you might need.

“I must admit, it is not like you to get hit”, you said while you opened and closed drawers.

Rex just shrugged. It wasn’t as if he could tell you that he had been distracted because he was jealous of your relationship with Anakin or, worse, that he suspected the General knew about his feelings for you.

You finally finished and turned to Rex.

“You’ll need to take your armor off. And your shirt as well. Even I can’t heal you without actually seeing the wound.”

Once again Rex found himself trying not to blush. He hurried to do as you told him and just a few seconds later he was shirtless.

You moved closer, so close, that he could feel your body heat, even through your robes, and smell your perfume, though now there was also a hint of sweat beneath the sweet scent.

You laid a soft hand on his shoulder, careful not to touch the wound but Rex tensed nonetheless.

“Does it hurt?”, you asked softly.

He shook his head. It didn’t hurt, at least not on his shoulder. But he felt as if his heart was being ripped apart by being so close to you, but not close enough, never close enough.

“It looks worse than it is”, you mumbled more to yourself than Rex. He felt something cold, probably a bit of bacta spray, hitting the wound and a warm, tingly feeling a moment later. Your soft fingers danced over the now closed wound as you applied a bit of salve before placing a plaster on top.

“That should do the trick.”

You stepped back and for a moment Rex could have sworn you were looking up and down his unclad upper half, with a look in your eyes that didn’t speak of medical professionalism. But surely he had to be imagining that, you had spend most of the day patching up his brothers, clones that looked just like him, you had no reason to be checking him out.

“How are you, Rex?”

For the first time in what felt like an eternity he met your eyes. A look of concern was in them, along with a softness he didn’t even know he needed after the rough day he’d had.

“I’m fine.”

With a sigh you sat down next to him just as Rex put his shirt back on. You were careful to keep space between you, but once again Rex could swear he felt heat radiating off of you.

“We both know you’re lying.”

That, right there, was one of the things Rex loved most about you. Others pretended to care or said nice words solely to motivate him in his fight for the republic, but you cared. You seemed to love the 501st like family, more than a Jedi was probably supposed to. And not just Ahsoka and Anakin, the clones as well. You never made any of them feel like they were worth less, you made them feel loved and like they belonged.

“Can you tell because of the force?”, he tried to joke. You, however, remained serious.

“I can tell because I know you. And I know you’ve not been yourself lately. What’s going on?”

He looked down at your hand that has found its way to his thigh. The second his eyes landed on it you removed it and even though he knew it wasn’t possible, Rex thought he could see your cheeks darkening a bit.

“I’ve just been thinking about something General Skywalker recently said. About... me and a girl, a woman. He thinks there’s something going on between us, but that’s rubbish.”

Your eyes glazed over with something that almost looked like sadness, but it might as well have been confusion or just understanding. No matter what you were feeling, you gave Rex a small smile.

“Why would you say that?”

He thought about how he should answer your question honestly without giving away that he was talking about you.

“She’s not really supposed to be in a relationship, due to her... religion. And besides, she’s way too good for me. She’s kind and funny and caring and the most beautiful girl I’ve ever laid my eyes upon. And I’m just... well, I mean, why should she choose me even if she could?”

Rex tried his best to avoid your eyes and instead opted for looking at the floor. He knew that you would figure out who he was talking about the moment he looked at you.

You didn’t say anything for a while and Rex almost worried he had scared you away. Perhaps you did know he was talking about you, perhaps you were disappointed or mad or even disgusted.

“Oh Rex”, you finally said. He felt your light touch on the small of his back before your fingers disappeared again, leaving behind a cold that was not there before.

“Anyone would be lucky to have you, and I do mean anyone. You’re all those things you said she is. You’re one of the kindest men I know, you’re funny in your own way, you care so much about your brother, about Anakin and Ahsoka and about me, I hope.”

You stopped for a moment.

“And you’re beautiful as well. Sure, you may look like your brothers, but there is an inner beauty in you as well. You’re one of a kind and anyone who can’t see that doesn’t deserve you anyway.”

Rex couldn’t help himself, after your kind words he just had to look at you. Tears were shining in your eyes and a smile was on your lips.

It took Rex all the courage he had to lay his hand on top of yours, but the way you gripped it tight and stroked it with your thumb made up for the nerves.

“Thank you, (Y/N). That means a lot to me.”

The interaction in the med bay stayed with Rex for weeks on end. He though of it when he needed something to distract him from all the horrors he saw on a daily basis or when he needed to escape from his brothers or General Skywalker for a while. But mostly when he needed to remind himself why he was fighting this war, who he was trying to protect.

“Rex, are you with us?”, General Skywalker asked, pulling him out of his thoughts.

“Yes, Sir.”

Rex could hear Fives snickering behind him, but he could easily ignore it. Especially when you were standing just a few meters away in between Anakin and Ahsoka.

It was late and General Skywalker was just recapping the latest mission to General Kenobi over the holo. And while Rex did listen with one ear, most of his attention of on you.

Everyone was tired, but you seemed especially so, maybe because using the force to heal the clones, and Anakin as well because he couldn’t go a single battle without an unnecessary injury, took its toll on you. You had one arm around Ahsoka and your head rested on her shoulder as you nodded along with Anakin’s report. It seemed as if you were half asleep in your friend’s embrace, which reminded Rex of the time he had found you sleeping in the General’s lap. Your exhaustion was obvious and all Rex wanted to do that very moment was to wrap you up in a blanket and have you fall asleep in his arms, to make sure no harm could come to you in your most defenseless state.

“Thank you, Anakin. Now everyone get some sleep, especially you, (Y/N)”, Obi-Wan finally said before ending the holo.

Anakin repeated the words to the clones and added that they would have a rare day off tomorrow. He then turned towards the other two Jedi and said something to them in a low voice. You just nodded along, though Rex was sure you were too sleepy to really understand what the General was saying.

“Rex”, Echo said, clapping a hand on his shoulder. “Are you coming or are you gonna keep staring at General (Y/L/N)?”

The Captain turned to his brother, making sure no one had overheard what he’d just said.

“I am not staring. I’m just concerned, she should get some sleep.”

“And you wanna take her to bed?”, Fives chimed in, wiggling his eyebrows.

“Shut up”, Echo said before Rex could.

He couldn’t deny Fives’ words, but right now all he wanted was for you to get a good night’s sleep.

Rex moved his brothers along towards their quarters. But he couldn’t resist to look at you one last time before the door closed behind him.

You and Ahsoka were now in a full embrace and he saw her gently kissing the top of your head. Once again he felt the pang of jealousy at how close you were to anyone but him, how everyone else constantly seemed to be touching or hugging or kissing you and he was too nervous to make any kind of skin to skin contact last longer than half a second.

Anakin stayed true to his word, so the next day the 501st found themselves on some small tropical planet with lush forests, golden sand and a clear blue sea. Everyone was in a good mood, swimming in the cool water, laying in the sun or getting caught up in some shenanigans Rex didn’t bother investigating. Almost everyone that was, General Skywalker seemed miserable. He was sitting under a tall tree on the edge of the beach, careful to stay on the grass and not to touch the sand. Rex had heard rumors that Anakin hated sand more than any separatist, but part of him though that he was just sad there wasn’t enough time off to visit his wife.

“C’mon, Skyguy, you’re missing out on all the fun”, Ahsoka shouted at her master from the edge of the water. A smile made its way to Rex’s lips at how hard she was trying to get everyone to enjoy the day. The smile only grew when his eyes landed on you. You were right next to the Padawan in as little clothing as Rex had ever seen you in. Compared to what many other women wore to the beach it was still incredibly modest, though he supposed Jedi didn’t really own bikinis. Instead you wore a pair of shorts that cut up in the middle of your thigh and a top that showed just a little bit of your stomach and more of your cleavage than he had ever seen. Rex tried his hardest not to stare, he really did, but his eyes were just drawn to your figure.

“I don’t think there’s anything in the Jedi code that forbids sex, just relationships”, Fives said.

Rex hadn’t even noticed his brother sitting down next to him. But he did make an active choice not to reply.

“I think she’d say yes if you asked. Of course you’d have to get over your nerves first”, Fives continued.

This time Rex was about to answer when the sound of your laughter interrupted him. You were surrounded by four of his brothers, all of them stripped down to the trousers of their blacks, who were splashing you with water and tickling you. Another couple troopers were chasing after Ahsoka, probably trying to give her the same treatment, but Rex only had eyes for you.

He knew both Anakin and Ahsoka saw you as a friend, nothing more than a close friend, but he hated that he couldn’t say the same for his brothers. Of course he knew they weren’t trying to anger him, most of them had hopefully not even noticed his attachment to you, but he couldn’t help jealousy rising up in him.

He finally turned back to Fives.

“Did you give them the same speech?”

By now you were no longer playfighting with the clones, instead you had your arms around two of them and watched the others chasing Ahsoka.

“It’s not my fault you get jealous so easily. All I’m saying is that you should talk to her. The worst that could happen is that things stay the same, but maybe if you got laid you’d loosen up every once in a while. And I’m sure she’d be great. Don’t they say the once who seem innocent are the best in bed?”

Sometimes Rex didn’t need words, sometimes a single glare could make even Fives shut his mouth.

For the rest of the day Rex tried to keep his distance from you. With the sun shining in your eyes, a relaxed smile on your lips and more skin than usually showing he didn’t trust himself not to say something he might regret.

It wasn’t until the evening that he saw you again.

Rex walked into the sleeping quarters he shared with his brother, he wanted to get a fresh set of blacks to change into after his shower, but once again he opened a door only to find you curled up next to someone. This time it was Echo and Fives. Each of you was holding a datapad, you and Echo seemed to be reading while Fives was apparently watching some holovideo. You sat in between Echo’s legs, leaning against him with your back pressed to his chest and Fives head was laying in your lap.

After staring at you for a moment Rex decided to make his presence known.

“I hope I’m not interrupting”, he said and could have slapped himself a moment later. Of all the things he could have said, that’s what he had to settle on.

All of you looked up from your respective holopads and Fives even sat up from his place on your lap.

“Rex, I mean Captain, I mean Captain Rex”, you stuttered and this time not even Rex could deny that you were blushing. “You’re not interrupting, at all. In fact, you can join us if you’d like.”

If it weren’t for his brothers Rex would have agreed. He would have ignored how nervous your mere presence made him and how much he shouldn’t want to be near you, but instead he turned around and walked right of the door.

It wasn’t until he was halfway across the ship that he realized that he hadn’t even given you an answer.

Rex hated to admit it, but he missed you terribly. Ever since that day off he barely saw you and when he did you wouldn’t meet his eyes. Even that one time he was send to the med bay you didn’t go near him and Kix took care of his injuries instead. The worst part was that Rex knew it was his fault. No matter how often he told himself that it was for the better, that the two of you would never have worked out, he couldn’t stop the guilt. If he had just acted normal, not so cold, around you you might at least be friends.

It was especially bad when he walked into the med bay after another battle, expecting to at least see you from a distance. Instead he was met with Kix mumbling under his breath and med droids going about their business.

Most of the beds were empty but Rex stepped closer to the ones that were occupied to see which of his brothers were injured and how they were feeling. Just as he made his way to the last bed Kix stepped in front of him.

“Can you take care of her for a moment? General Skywalker is waiting for me to report on the injured and the droids should clean up while I’m gone.”

Rex tried to sneak a peek over his brothers shoulder.

“Is Ahsoka injured? What happened?”

Kix’s face softened as he put a gentle hand on Rex’s shoulder.

“It’s (Y/N)”, he told him.

Within a second Rex was at your bed. You were paler than he’d like, eyes closed in a fitful sleep, hair a mess on the pillow.

“What happened?”

Rex hated how broken his voice sounded, but he hated it even more that he hadn’t even known you were injured, let alone unconscious. How could he not have known? Had he been so focused on keeping his distance or was it because you were avoiding him?

“The General put her in battle last minute, to watch our backs. But no one was watching her’s, she got shot right in the stomach and barely pulled through.”

For a short moment Rex allowed himself to touch your shoulder. You were colder than usual, colder than you were supposed to be.

“I’ll be back soon, all you need to do is stay close in case she wakes up. I simply don’t want her to wake up alone.”

When Kix kissed your forehead none of Rex’s usual jealousy appeared. Maybe it was because Kix, who you spend most of your days with, was like a brother to you, or maybe he finally learned that he had no reason to be jealous.

For a while Rex just stood there and watched you. From time to time his gaze wandered over to the monitor next to your bed that was recording your heartbeat and blood pressure and other medical necessities.

The next time he turned his eyes back to you your own were slowly opening.

“What happened? Where am - Rex? Rex, what are you doing here?”

He didn’t know whether it was the sound of your voice, which told him you were alright more than any machine counting your heartbeat ever could, or the way you said his name, but tears appeared in the corners of his eyes.

“You’re okay. Oh stars, you’re okay.”

He leaned down to brush a strand of hair out of your face. You smiled at him, slowly the colour was returning to your cheeks and a moment later you used the little controller to sit up in your bed.

“I’m more than okay.”

And just like that Rex’s heart stopped for a beat.

“(Y/N), I owe you an apology. I know I’ve been distant and I just want you to know that it’s not your fault. It’s me, I just -”

“I know”, you interrupted him, the smile on your lips turning a bit sadder. “You feel forced by me and you’re right, I should try to keep my distance and that’s what I’ve been trying to do but -”

You stopped and looked around the room.

“Is everyone else asleep?”

Rex was confused, but he nodded. The injured clones had been put to sleep to really recover from their injuries.

“I’ve been trying to keep my distance, but it breaks me. I like cuddling with Anakin, I like when Ahsoka kisses my forehead, I like being hugged by your brothers, but a little brush of your fingers sets off fireworks in me. And I know you don’t like being touched, but touch is my love language. I want the people I love close to me, I want to be touching and hugging and kissing them.”

By now there was not only colour in your cheeks, you were blushing furiously. You lifted a hand to run it through your hair and tried to watch Rex only out of the corner of your eye.

“You don’t have to say anything, I just wanted you to know.”

But you had interpreted Rex’s silence wrong, he wasn’t offended, he was stunned.

“You - You love me?”

He didn’t think it was possible, but you blushed even deeper.

“You really don’t have to say anything, we can still be friends. The last thing I want is to push something on you you don’t want, whether it is a touch or a kiss or even a secret relationship, because I know those can be though. But you deserve to know how I feel about you.”

Before you could say anything else Rex was leaning down and pressing his lips to yours. At first you were too shocked to respond, but you soon melted into the kiss, into his hand on your cheek and the other on your hip. You moved your arms around his neck to pull him even closer.

When you finally let go to catch your breath Rex leaned his forehead against yours.

“I love being touched by you, I love you. But every single touch made me nervous and happy and confused, but every slight brush of fingers was all I thought about for days. And that time in the med bay, when I had injured my shoulder, was like a dream come true.”

You smiled up at Rex, a smile bigger than any he’d seen on you before.

“Can you say that again?”

He mirrored your smile.

“Which part?”

You pecked his lips in a loving kiss.

“You know which part.”

“I love you.”

He pressed a soft kiss to your lips.

“I love you.”

Another kiss.

“I love you too.”

And another kiss.

“I won”, Ahsoka announced with a smile.

Both Anakin and Fives shook their heads.

“No way, he kissed her first!”, the Jedi protested.

“But she did say I love you first”, Kix chimed in.

“Technically Rex said the words first”, Echo added, which earned him eye rolls from the others.

“How about we just make a new bet to see when they tell us they’re together”, Kix suggested.

“I bet you five credits (Y/N) is gonna tell me within a week”, Anakin said with a knowing smirk.

Ahsoksa shook her head. “No way, she’s gonna tell me first. Ten credits.”

Her master smiled.

“Deal!”

#captain rex #captain rex imagine #captain rex x you #captain rex x y/n #captain rex x reader #star wars imagine #star wars self insert #star wars the clone wars #clone wars imagine #clone wars

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empiresmostwanted · 4 years ago

Note

better late than never, but for that list of prompts you posted (great idea!): "What are you humming?" + Rex & Ahsoka : )

Thank you so much @countessofbiscuit for the request! This one was super exciting, I really appreciated the chance to write some Rexsoka – in fact, I may have got a little carried away. Oh well, hope you enjoy 😘

posted on AO3 | the prompt list | my writing

Words: 3.6k (oops) | Warnings: Mild Language, Angst, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Post-Order 66, Canon Divergent (I mean, I'm really playing fast and loose with the events of the Ahsoka novel here)

Summary: 17BBY | Rex and Ahsoka are in hiding on the planet Bakura, at the edge of Wild Space. It might keep the Empire away, but the ghosts of the past are trickier to dispel.

THIS PLACE WE'VE CALLED HOME

"I know you're there, Rex. You can come in."

Once his heart slowed from the painful flutter of getting caught, staring, Rex squeezed through the faulty blast door into a makeshift storeroom, somewhat abashed. He rubbed the back of his neck as a telling flush began to creep under his skin. Had he really thought she wouldn't notice his presence? She was still a Jedi, even if she wasn't a Jedi.

"Ahsoka, I'm sorry – I didn't mean to spy. I was just curious."

Ahsoka looked up from the assortment of spare parts on the workbench in front of her, and smiled. "Rex, it's okay. And as you're wondering, I'm pilfering some supplies to modify the hilts for these lightsabers."

"The ones you took from the Inquisitor?" As soon as he said it, he could have smacked his head against the wall. Idiot. Of course that's what she meant. What other lightsabers would she be talking about?

She chuckled, as if she were privy to every thought that flashed through his mind. Maybe she was. The back of his neck grew hot.

"Yeah, those lightsabers. I couldn't leave them as they were before – too much hatred and anger had bled into the hilts, as well as the crystals. But I can't seem to get them how I want them."

"How do you want them?"

"I'm not sure," Ahsoka confessed, a frown forming between her brows. "It's more of a feeling: they have to suit my form, and usually they're made up of materials that mean something to each individual. But there's not very much to work with here."

Rex looked around the dimly-lit storeroom, his eyes falling upon the same spare and broken parts of engines and farming instruments that littered namana farms across the western hemisphere: the likes of ancient afterburners, electrostatic baffle vanes bent so out of shape as to lose their integrity, and repulsor modulators left too long in Bakura's inclement atmosphere, among other things. Very little to inspire, indeed.

But it explained the smudge of black dust on her cheek.

"Maybe I can help?" he suggested, the driving force his own curiosity, certain there was little he could offer in the way of assistance – but happy to offer it all the same. Then it occurred to him she might prefer to be left in peace. "Mind if I join you?"

He half-expected her to turn him away, but she half-surprised him when she said, "Be my guest," and gestured to the bench beside her.

After six standard rotations in a row of grueling labour on a secluded namana farm, the muscles in his legs burned as he took a seat next to her, the chill of the metal surface seeping through his boiler suit. He winced, and rubbed his sore thighs, but found he didn't really mind. The physical discomfort was grounding.

"Can't sleep?"

Rex shook his head and ran a hand through his hair, longer these days than he'd ever worn it. "Still haven't got used to these long rotations. And Wolffe's nightmares are getting worse: he's shouting and tossing and turning. I wake him and he doesn't seem to know where he is at first."

Ahsoka nodded, eyes downcast. She never enquired about the nightmares, but he suspected she didn't have to. On more than one occasion, she'd sat with Wolffe while he writhed in his sleep, sweating and stammering some variation of You brought this on yourself, or I'm sorry, I couldn't stop it; she'd touched her fingers to his temples, and focused on slowing his heart rate. It worked … for a while.

"So, how come you have your blasters with you?" she asked.

Old habits die hard. "Well, I haven't inspected them since we arrived, so I thought I'd strip them down, make sure they're still in working order. And—" He hung his head, shame clawing at his innards. He had to push the words past his teeth. "—I let down my guard on Raada – it was so quiet, I thought we were safe there. It won't happen again."

"I understand, Rex. But it's not your fault," she replied. His eyes snapped up as she placed a hand on his arm, and met her own, wide and concerned for him. Her skin was warm against his. "I should have seen it coming. I've allowed too much distance to grow between myself and the Force. It's time I changed that."

For a moment, their gazes remained locked, and Rex's pulse began to beat out an erratic rhythm at the base of his neck. But her eyes shone a little too bright, and there was something in her voice, something between the determination and the guilt, that made him frown.

Before he could speak, she was pulling away, and taking her hand with her. His skin hummed where her palm had been.

"Well, then," she said, and cleared her throat. "You dissemble your blasters, and I'll rearrange the parts for these hilts. Let's see who finishes first."

Their hearts weren't in it. But they worked side-by-side in an easy silence – bar the persistent pattering of rain against the high, transparisteel windows that looked across acres of pale namana trees, their delicate blossoms tinged blue with the approach of another damp dawn. Early birds sang their cheerful songs, blissed out on the flesh of the addictive fruits.

Rex had stripped his DC-17s down to their base parts, cleaning each component as he went. The blasters, along with their stun setting and his impeccable aim, had made him popular with the local farmers, who occasionally found their land inundated with the natives birds that feasted on the namana fruit. Once upon a time, their natural predators, the arboreal cratsch, had kept the population at bay; but their own declining numbers had seen whole trees picked clean in a matter of days.

Ahsoka had risen more than once to sift through the piles of parts scattered about the room. Then she would return to the workbench, each time her shoulders a little heavier. Old balance turbines and hydrovalves weren't of much use, nor were sheets upon sheets of durasteel.

Over the din of the roaring wind beyond the farming complex, and accompanying the intermittent birdsong, Rex became aware of another, more melodic sound. He turned to Ahsoka, and realised she was humming.

It wasn't like anything he'd heard before. His trips to 79's back on Coruscant, though they had been few, were characterised by the fast-paced music with a heavy bass that scrambled the brain after prolonged exposure; on Kamino, he and his brothers were taught the anthem of the Galactic Republic, martial and rousing in its very nature; he'd even heard folk songs on the planets of Ryloth and Felucia, sung by the locals in great waves of joyful reels. But this was slower, at once sweet and melancholy.

He listened for a while longer, his own task forgotten, while Ahsoka tinkered with her sabers, somewhere else entirely. Her deft fingers moved over the complicated components as if by instinct, rearranging and reevaluating as she went. The tune ceased when her lips parted to take a breath, and once or twice her eyelids fluttered closed, lost as she was to her memories.

Then she was looking at him, and Rex was caught for the second time that night, staring when he shouldn't.

"What were you humming?" he asked, even as his cheeks heated.

Was it his imagination, or did her lekku flush a little pink, too?

"It's a Kel Dor lullaby, I think. Master Plo used to sing it to me when I was a youngling in the crèche. Then he taught it to me, so when he was away from the temple, I could sing it to myself if I was sad, or scared. I used to be scared of the dark, you know. And there was something calming about that tune. Although it always worked better when he sang it, so maybe it was his voice. He has a … had a nice voice for it."

It still had a way of creeping up on them sometimes. They'd thrown themselves into manual labour on Raada, and once again when they fled to Bakura. While they needed to earn money and keep a low profile, it was just as much about evading the extending reach of the past as it was about outrunning the new Empire. But it would find them in their dreams if it couldn't catch them in the cold light of day. Would it ease, with time?

"What are you afraid of now?"

She opened her mouth as if to answer – then seemed to think better of it, and pressed her lips together with a small shake of her head.

"Ahsoka, you can talk to m—"

"What are you holding?"

He hadn't realised he'd been leaning towards her as she spoke about her old life, about a Jedi who'd been a sort of father figure. He didn't know what that felt like. Jango Fett, for all of his passing-down of wisdom and experience, hardly fit the bill, more a teacher whom a young clone might aspire to be like – until that clone came to realise what said teacher's extracurricular activities entailed. But Rex knew such a presence in one's life was desirable, and to lose it must have hurt in the same way it hurt him to lose a brother.

He leaned away again.

"Oh, this?" he said. "It's an ignition chamber, from one of my Deeces."

Ahsoka eyed it with curiosity, and Rex understood. He took the other chamber from the twin blaster, and passed them to her across the table.

"What are you doing?" she asked.

He shrugged, suddenly self-conscious. Had he misinterpreted the whole thing, after all? "I, uh, just thought you could give them a try."

Her fingers tapped a speedy rhythm into the table as she mulled it over, her eyes flickering between him and the Deece parts. At last, she said, "Are you sure?"

"I'll find others. Mine don't need to be … special." Fek, was that too presumptuous?

But still she hesitated.

"You're overthinking it. I want you to have them," he insisted. This time, he took her fidgeting hand in his own, the back of hers in the palm of his, and placed the ignition chambers right there in her grasp, closing her fingers over them.

She smiled, the corners of her eyes creasing. She wouldn't meet his gaze. "Rex, thank you."

He didn't want to let go of her hand, surprised to find that holding it felt as natural as breathing, calloused as his own and warmer still. But she was already pulling out of his grasp. "You're welcome."

She didn't ask him to leave when she closed her eyes and held her palms out over the lightsaber components. From the periphery of his vision, Rex watched as she slipped into a state of meditation, like sinking beneath the surface of still water. She pulled back her shoulders and dipped her chin; then her breathing slowed, chest barely rising and falling, and it seemed as if a part of her was somewhere else, even as her body remained fixed in place. Then, one by one, the parts began to rise under her guidance, and the very air seemed to come alive around them.

Rex hadn't seen Ahsoka use the Force since Raada. Between hiding and farming and running for their lives, she'd resisted the temptation to use the easy way out. Not so long ago, she'd confided in him that it felt wrong, somehow, in a way she couldn't explain, the balance skewed beyond her comprehension. It frightened her.

Did it scare her still? Was that her fear?

The novelty of it never wore off for Rex: he looked on with the same fascination now as he had almost five cycles ago, at the very start of the war. But it was rare indeed to bear witness in a moment of complete tranquility: no blaster fire, no horde of clankers, no fight instinct to harness nor flight instinct to kick. Through the Force, Ahsoka rearranged the stolen and borrowed parts of the lightsabers, each integral piece slotting into place before him, until they resembled something familiar, something powerful.

And it was done.

Ahsoka opened her eyes, and reached out to take the hilts from the air. Anticipation hung in the space between them, crackling. Then she steeled herself and ignited the sabers – pssshewww – illuminating the room with a bright, wh—

"I win."

Rex tore his gaze away, and glanced from Ahsoka – a performative smirk on her face – down to his blasters on the worktop – incomplete and forgotten – then back again. He shook his head, and laughed.

"You win. But your lightsabers are white," Rex said on an outward breath.

Ugh, she doesn't need you to tell her that, stupid.

"I don't know what it means," Ahsoka admitted, flicking the activation switch and pitching the room into semi-darkness once more. "I've never seen a lightsaber like this before. But the crystals are white when we find them in the caves on Ilum, before they bind themselves to a Jedi. At first, I thought it meant they're not bound to me, even after I cleansed them. But they called out to me for a reason, I'm sure of it. Maybe they just know, somehow, that I'm not a Jedi anymore."

"Perhaps," he began, "it's not about bonding, but bringing the crystals back to their purest form."

He'd be the first to admit that he didn't know as much as he'd like about the mechanics of lightsabers, on a corporeal level as much as a spiritual one; he could have been talking absolute banthashit for all he knew. But he wasn't going to sit there while she tore herself to shreds from the inside out. He could see the words turning over in her mind, before a small, tentative smile began to form on her lips.

"Rex, you might have just given me an idea," she said as, with a sort of reverence, she returned the deactivated lightsabers back to the worktop.

"What's that?"

"I'll tell you when you're older," Ahsoka teased, flashing him a wink.

"Har-har."

"I'll tell you soon. It's only really half an idea right now."

"But when it's fully formed?"

"You'll be the first to know."

"I like it already."

"Rex …"

His name on her lips, spoken just like that – barely above a whisper, loud enough to ring in his ears and the cavity of his chest – was enough to make him ache. Within the space of a breath, the gap between them lessened, their fingertips brushing on the tabletop, noses almost touching. In the low light, her pupils were oddly dilated, blue irises roaming between his and down to his mouth. He could have kissed her then, as her eyelids fluttered closed and she spoke his name again.

But in the next heartbeat, she was gone.

"Rex, I have to tell you something."

He blinked, all lethargy and confusion, as if waking from a deep sleep. He had to be quick to school his expression into something neutral before his disappointment could show itself.

The tone of her voice was agitated, nervous, her brows high and pinched.

"Ahsoka, what's wrong?" he asked.

In one swift movement, she'd risen from the bench and paced towards the high viewport, looking up at the pale foliage bowing under the weight of the rain. She crossed her arms over her chest, and beneath the whispering and rustling of the wind, he heard a sigh.

"Rex, I'm leaving."

Had she doused him with a bucket of icy water, she could not have done a more thorough job of dragging him back to reality. A peculiar reality, where everything he'd struggled to make sense of for the past cycle suddenly made no sense at all.

"I don't … I don't understand."

Ahsoka's head drooped, the line of her shoulders taut. "I told myself that sticking together and keeping low was the right call: we could watch each other's backs, and look for your brothers without drawing too much attention to ourselves. But that Inquisitor found us on Raada because of me."

"You don't know that. What if the whole thing was just a coincidence?"

"We both know it wasn't," said Ahsoka, turning back to him. She sounded tired. "They've been trained to hunt down Jedi, and I'm worried that the longer I stay here, the more I'm putting you at risk – and Wolffe, and Gregor. We've only just got them back, I can't jeopardise that. But if I leave, soon, you'll be safe and I'll know you're not alone."

Rex scoffed, and climbed to his feet. "Was that the plan all along?" he said, a bitter taste at the back of his mouth. "Find me someone else to play with, so you don't have to feel guilty about leaving?"

He regretted the words even before the shock and the hurt registered on her face.

Idiot, idiot, idiot!

"Of course not, Rex. We've been through so much together, through things that no one else could understand. Everyone I've ever cared about, everyone I've ever loved, is gone. Except you." He looked at her then, and her eyes were so soft. Was she saying what he thought she was saying? "I don't want to leave you. But I can't stay. Those sabers found me for a reason, I'm sure of it. Just like the Force brought you and Wolffe and Gregor back together. My duty isn't finished. But yours can be. I know you, Rex – and I know you don't want to fight anymore. Nor are you obliged to."

It was true enough. They'd given everything, he and his brothers. Everything for a cause they were told was a righteous one, the path of heroism and selflessness. But its conclusion had erased all of that. The freedom and peace they'd fought for was nowhere to be seen. So what had been the point of it all? His brothers were dead, or brainwashed. The Republic that had commissioned them was gone, the Jedi along with it. And the galaxy was unrecognisable, his place in it murky at best. Truth be told, there was no fight left in him.

And she'd made her decision. He could see it in the set of her jaw, her proud posture. A rumble of thunder shook the foundations of the complex.

"I'm sorry," he said, looking anywhere but at her. "I shouldn't have snapped at you."

"It's okay. I kind of sprung it on you."

Rex sighed. "Where will you go?"

Her relief was palpable, and she stepped towards him. "I have an appointment to keep," she replied. "On Alderaan."

He frowned. "What's on Alderaan?"

"A spark."

None the wiser, and sensing she was determined to be vague, he nodded. "When?"

"Not yet. I'll need more credits to get off-planet. But soon."

Soon. Not yet.

She edged closer, until she was right before him; her eyes were almost level with his these days. And then she was throwing her arms about his neck, pulling him into a fierce hug. Caught off guard, he froze, elbows locked by his sides and heart stuttering against his ribcage.

"I'll keep in touch this time," she whispered. "Any way I can."

He shivered at the ghost of the breath on the shell of his ear, and gave himself over to her embrace. With his arms around her, and his hands pressed to the small of her back, he pulled her closer, until their bodies were flush. He let his head drop to her shoulder, cheek against soft lekku, and her skin was redolent of the sweet namana fruit.

When they'd first arrived on Bakura, one of the farmhands had told Rex all about the tree their livelihoods depended on: from the tips of the pale leaves to the properties of the nectarous fruit – it all had a purpose. But the most peculiar part of all, he'd said, could be found beneath the roots themselves: a network that ran far below the ground, invisible to the humanoid eye, connected each tree. Resources could be shared, and a signal of mourning sent out if one succumbed to disease; those nearest would shed their leaves, and bear no fruit for several years.

After the Tribunal's crash, Rex had found himself privy to Ahsoka's dreams on more than one occasion, to her emotions, the beat of her heart – and she to his. If he closed his eyes and focused, he could sense a cord stretched between them both, invisible to the humanoid eye. With her in his arms, it seemed to thrum.

She squeezed him tight, then pulled back to meet his eyes.

"We'll see each other again, Rex. I know we will."

These days, Rex knew if she was lying or not, and smiled. He brought a hand to her cheek, and with the pad of his thumb, gently brushed away the trail of black dust she'd smeared across her face.

He'd look back on that moment, and wouldn't remember who'd kissed who.

Don't leave, he thought. Don't leave again.

Perhaps she really could read his mind, for she pressed closer and kissed him harder, her lips tender beneath his, fingers entwined in the hair at the nape of his neck.

Kamino had been his home, once. He couldn't say when that had shifted, when it had become a person instead of a place. For a moment, Rex and Ahsoka inhabited some liminal world, at the precipice of their past and their future, a place and time in which the rest of the galaxy held its breath.

Thank you so much for reading to the end! Do let me know what you thought, and feel free to send me any prompts/requests you may have 💜

Were it not for the taste of salt water on his tongue, Rex might have thought it was just another one of his dreams.

#my writing #my fic #rexsoka #rexsoka fic #the clone wars #the clone wars fic #tcw #swtcw #star wars #star wars fic #star wars fanfiction #sw #my fanfiction #my fics #captain rex #ahsoka tano

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crab-instruments · 3 years ago

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Dust in the Wind Part 3 (tbb)

Master <Part 2 Part 4>

Pairing: Hunter x Secret Jedi! Reader (GN)

Rating and Warning: General audience, not much happens (yet)

Words: 1K

a/n: some notes at the end. I didn't think this would get any attention really and I did not know how good it would feel, so please give that little heart like to the fics you read (not just mine lol). I really liked Fallen Order so if you haven't played it and can, I would recommend it, but I'll be incorporating pieces of that game into my fic. I've been using italics for thoughts, if it's in quotes it just means it's being said at not a normal volume (like through a door or spoken really fast). If that doesn't make sense in the fic, it's something I can work on.

Image Credit

The reflection that stared back at you in the mirror looked like someone else. Your hands gripped the sink hard, in an attempt to focus. In your head, you chanted loudly your new identity. My name is Maxis, I’m a freelance mechanic, and I’m now… temporarily… a part of a crew I’ve never met. Kriff, am I insane? That question was rhetorical, the answer was an resounding yes, although this may not be the most outlandish situation you’ve gotten yourself in.

The necklace under your top felt heavy. You pulled it out, staring at the parts. Carrying your deconstructed lightsaber wasn’t the smartest idea but it was something you couldn’t let go of, even before The Purge happened. Most of the pieces were on a long wire that you wrapped loosely around your neck and it hid fairly nicely, looking like just random junk on a wire. The parts that didn’t fit on the necklace well sat on your wrists as bracelets. You tucked it back in and moved your welding goggles from your head to your neck, hiding it further down.

“That’s fine Hunter, but where are they going to sleep? We barely have space as it is,” a muffled voice came from outside the door, drawing your attention back to reality.

Hunter had stepped out leaving you in the small room alone, thinking that explaining the situation to the squad would better. It had been a few minutes since he had left and by the sounds of it, was still trying to sell the idea of you being here was a good idea.

Moving quietly towards the door, your curiosity got the best of you. You pressed your ear to the cold metal, attempting to listen in on the conversation.

“They can sleep in the gunner’s mount with me!” a small, cheerful voice piped up.

“That’s very kind of you, Omega, but we’ll figure it out later,” Hunter’s voice had a hint of favor to it, he obviously adored the child he who had offered space for you. He was probably giving her a small smile, the thought was contagious enough to bring a small smile to your own face.

“I would like to go back to the fact that we know nothing about this ‘Maxis’ or their past. They could very well be a dangerous criminal on the run, based on the story they gave you,” the very pragmatic voice cut through the rest.

At that accusation, you crossed your arms and pouted. “Dangerous? I’m about as dangerous as a bogling.”

Suddenly, the door you were leaning against had opened, sending you dropping to the ground. You shot your arms out, attempting to grab something to stop your introduction to the ground. Luckily, strong arms grabbed yours, steading you. Your eyes met Hunter’s, and stars, did you wish you could stay there. However, five other pair of eyes were on you. Quickly, you attempted to gain your composure and stand up straight.

“What was that about a bogling?” There was a hint of humor in Hunter’s voice. I barely said that above a whisper, how did he hear that?

You cleared your throat and adjusted your tunic. “Uh, I just meant that… I’m not dangerous to you. I’m just a mechanic and got caught up with... I just…” you tried to swallow the nothing in your dry mouth. “IsabotagedanImperialSoldier’sspeederbecausehewasactinglikealaserbrain.” It was a risk to insult the Empire in front of this crew without knowledge of their current standing but more than likely by their hasty escape, they weren’t friendly with the newer overlords.

Everyone’s eyes went wide at your confession, except for the silver haired man who’s grip on the toothpick in his mouth got tighter.

The little girl, Omega, stepped closer. “You sabotaged an Imperial Soldier’s speeder? He caught you and that’s why you were running?” Her eyes may or may not have held something like admiration.

You nodded. “Yeah… It was… worth it to see the bike fall a part under him while trying to catch up.”

The largest one laughed loudly, probably didn’t have any other setting other than ‘loud and explosive’, but it wasn’t threatening. It seemed he also enjoyed the thought along with Omega. “I think Maxis does belong with us if that’s why they’re running.” The others were also holding back laughs.

“If you know how to put machines together, you know how to take them apart,” a slight smile crossed your face. “Of course, when I’m working on your ship, I’ll only put in quality work. I’ll treat the ship like it was my own. That is… if you’ll have me.” The others gave looks to each other and eventually nodded, looking back at Hunter for direction.

“Of course. We aren’t exactly… on great terms with the Empire either. Well, since that’s settled…” He gestured to the paler man to his left, starting the introductions. “This is Echo, part machine, all tactics. Crosshair is our sniper, doesn’t say much. Tech, on the hand, will talk about everything in the universe. Wrecker does explosives and takes down anything in his path. Lastly, this is Omeg—”

“I’m Omega! It’s so nice to meet you!” She was obviously very excited to meet new people. She grabbed your hand, shaking it. “Hunter, can I show Maxis around the ship?” Her eyes sparkled.

Hunter met your eyes and you gave a slight nod. “Of course.” Omega dragged you past the boys, starting the tour of your new home.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

After a few standard hours, you found yourself sitting in the cockpit watching hyperspace fly by, Omega in your lap slowly falling asleep but doing her best to stay awake. How she could become fast friends with you was something you’d never understand, but it felt like you’d known her for much longer than you did.

Most of the others went to sleep for the rest of the ride, Tech seemed to be tinkering with something just beyond the cockpit. Hunter had been with you but stepped back a bit, possibly figuring out space issues.

“Omega, you’ve been a great hostess but you can go to sleep.”

She rubbed her eyes before laying her head back on your shoulder. “I’m not sleepy”.

“Ha, okay.” You brought your hand to her head to stroke it, running your fingers through her hair. She seemed to melt closer to you. Your eyes were also heavy, and this would fix the shortage of beds problem, if you just… slept here. Almost absentmindedly, you started to hum to Omega, lulling her to sleep.

“♪ I close my eyes

Only for a moment, and the moment's gone

All my dreams

Pass before my eyes, a curiosity

Dust in the wind

All they are is dust in the wind ♪”

Unbeknownst to you, Hunter had returned and leaned against the doorframe. In his hand, he had a blanket. He waited until both of your breaths became even to make sure you were asleep before putting the blanket over both of you and took a seat.

Part 4

_______________________________________________________

Notes:

Bogling: basically a racoon sized squirrel. Could be dangerous if they get into the vents of your ship, but otherwise, pretty cute. First Fallen Order "reference".

Dust in the Wind - Kansas: This is where the name of the fic comes from. Roll credits. It'll come up a few times like a connection. There's a reason, not necessarily a good one but it's not like a "aha! gotcha" sorta thing. I hope that it's not too cheesy.

#dust in the wind #tbb x reader #tbb x you #the bad batch x reader #bad batch x reader #hunter x reader #hunter x you #crab fics

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fancoloredglasses · 3 years ago

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Ewoks: the Battle for Endor (Space diabeedus)

youtube

(Thanks to Video Detective)

[All images owned by 20th Century Fox Disney and Lucasfilm Disney. Please don’t sue me]

This is the second of the “Ewok” TV movies. The first was Mace’s “coming-of-age” (or at least “learning not to be a prick”) film. This one, for reasons you’ll soon learn, was very much Cindel’s story. This one did not have Burl Ives explaining what is going on, because in the time between The Ewok Adventure and this film, Wicket has apparently learned English Galactic Common (which is why I said these movies must take place after Return of the Jedi)

If you would like to watch the film, it’s available on Disney+.

We open to discover that the family have repaired their cruiser and will be leaving Endor soon. Cindel tries to explain the concept of “good-bye” to Wicket, to which Wicket decides “Good-bye not good”. I can’t really argue with that logic.

While the pair head to the Ewok village, Wicket sees and smells smoke. They arrive to see...

...the village ablaze and strange humanoids capturing the Ewoks! What’s more, Cindel’s life monitor winks out on the area showing her mother (meaning she’s dying) She rushes to the hut to where the family is staying to see Mace with his blaster out, warning Cindel to run. She does so, but...

...HOLY SHIT this got dark really quick for a kids’ movie!

With Mace and Catarine dead (and Wicket captured) Cindel rushes to Jeremitt. However...

...the raiders’ leader (Terak) has decided he wants the power core of the cruiser (or as he calls it “the Power”) and tears apart the cruiser to find it. Once Jermitt sees Cindel approaching, he fights back and flees, getting a glancing blow from a blaster. With Jeremitt and Cindel fleeing the scene, Terak’s pet witch Charal plays with the ring on her finger, transforming into a raven-like creature and flying after them.

[OK, gonna stop right here for a moment. First, where was Terak and his raiders during Jedi? I’m assuming they’re native to Endor as (with the exception of Charal) they dress very primitively. However, they speak English Galactic Common. I would mention the high-tech firearms they carry, but that could easily be written off to raiding the Imperial outpost for anything the Alliance New Republic left behind. Also, magic doesn’t exist in the Star Wars universe (unless you count the Force) None of this seems to fit in with what we know from Jedi.]

While hiding from Terak’s raiders, Jeremitt tells Cindel to find the Ewoks and stay with them while he provides a distraction. I’m pretty sure you can guess what happens next.

With her family killed, Cindel runs as fast as her little legs can carry her. However, Charal flies to her and transforms back to normal.

“There’s no escape for you, my little one.”

Charal takes Cindel back to Tarak and some pretty badly rendered stop-motion beasts towing cages full of Ewoks. (Industrial Light & Magic they ain’t...

...well, okay then...)

Somehow Cindel winds up in a cage with Wicket as the beasts jerkily move out.

Wicket does his best to raise Cindel’s spirits by reminding her the Ewoks will look after her, starting with getting out of the cage. The Ewoks manage to pry a loose board from the bottom of the cage, but most of the Ewoks are too large for the gap...except Wicket (and Cindel, but she’s not an Ewok) HOW CONVENIENT! Also convenient that the raiders are too dumb to notice a human and an Ewok scurrying from under a prison cart.

Unfortunately, one has a flash of observation and notices, taking one of his fellow raiders to chase down the escapees.

Fortunately, they aim about as well as your average Stormtrooper. Wicket spies a nearby crag (wonder if it’s the same one his siblings were stuck on in the last movie?) and climbs it with Cindel (why would you go to a point that you can be cornered? I mean, that’s horror movie survival 101!)

youtube

(Thanks to Creagan Dow)

Sure enough, the goons scale after them, firing their blasters as they go. Wicket finds a small cave for then to hide in as the blaster fire causes a rockslide...

...with predictable (if badly greenscreened) results. Unfortunately, the cave mouth is now blocked. However, Wicket is confident there’s another entrance somewhere, so off they go deeper into the crag.

Sure enough, Wicket finds another entrance, but it’s awfully high up. However, Wicket conveniently finds some bones and tanned skins. Remembering the last movie, he makes...

...a skin glider! He just needs one final piece to support the frame. He finds the prefect bone and goes to pick it up, but...

...another badly animated creature wasn’t done with it. At least that explains the bones, but what about the tanned hides? The creature jerkily chases Wicket back to camp. Wicket tries to fight it off but...

...it grabs Cindel and jerkily flies away. Well, no time like the present for the maiden voyage of the skin glider! Fortunately, Wicket managed to do a passable job of construction. Wicket manages to overtake the creature (that must be some tailwind!) and drops a rock on it, causing it to drop Cindel (what did he think was gonna happen?)! Wicket dives and gets under her, catching her with the top of the glider. Unfortunately...

That’s gonna affect the glider’s aerodynamics. Wicket manages to safely crash on the forest floor out of sight of the creature. Of course, now neither of them have any idea where they are. Wicket finds a hidey-hole to camp for the evening.

The next morning, Wicket awakens to discover...

...a furry sneak-thief going through his pouches. The creature runs off (almost faster than we can see) far enough to taunt Wicket, but Wicket eventually catches him. However, Cindel wakes up and tries to befriend the creature.

The creature (Teek) agrees and takes them to...

Given the size, I kinda doubt Teek built this.

The three enter as Cindel and Wicket begin exploring. The place is so filled with debris you’d think Fred Sanford lived there.

(Thanks to Classic TV Rewind)

Since the place seems to be abandoned (except Teek), Cindel suggest moving in.

Then the owner shows up.

If he looks familiar, then you’ve likely seem him on TV

youtube

(Thanks to TheClassicSports)

Yep, that’s Wilford Brimley, who most of you will know from “diabeedus” ads and the movie Cocoon.

Anyway, the man (Noa) yells at Teek for inviting them in and promptly throws Wicket and Cindel out. Noa then helps himself to the food Wicket prepared, but feels sorry for the pair and deliberately turns his back so Teek can sneak out and give food to the trespassers.

That evening, Wicket makes camp near Noa’s house since it’s at least free of danger (if not free of grumpiness) Wicket builds a fire to keep warm, but...

“What are you two little wood rats trying to do? Burn down the whole forest?” (I love the fact that Noa’s lines sound like how I would expect a space version of Wilford Brimley to talk)

After screaming at them, Noa invites them in for the night...with the condition that they head out in the morning (yeah right)

That night, Cindel wakes up and hears a commotion behind the front door. She gets up to see what’s the matter and finds...

Then she wakes up screaming from her nightmare. Noa immediately wakes up and comforts Cindel, letting her sleep next to him for the evening. Yeah, they ain’t going anywhere in the morning!

The next morning as Noa leaves to forage for the day, he and Wicket have a heart-to-heart that Cindel and Wicket need to find their way home, which Wicket takes to mean they need to rescue the Ewoks.

Meanwhile in a castle that even the Empire shouldn’t have missed when they commandeered Endor, Charal is trying to use her magic to activate the power core (note that it’s not hooked up to anything. She’s just waving her hands and chanting over it) You can imagine how well that’s going. Tarek is growing increasingly impatient with the lack of results, threatening to kill her if she can’t do it (typical Evil Overlord behavior. Maybe his second-best witch will do better?)

Tarek eventually suggests (under pain of death) tracking down Cindel, as she obviously knows the power core’s secrets.

Later when Noa returns home, he discovers Wicket and Cindel actually left (are you surprised? You pretty much threw em out!) After saying how much he didn’t want em around, Teek discovers he brought home two bedrolls (one the size of a human child and the other the size of an Ewok) Noa claims he made them for Teek, but no one’s buying it.

Then the “unwanted guests” return from their own foraging, and Noa just grumps at em (but doesn’t throw them out) After Cindel and Wicket make dinner, Noa tucks them in for the night (yeah, they ain’t going anywhere)

The next morning Noa lays the law down, saying Cindel and Wicket have to keep the house tidy while he’s gone (Why? It’s not like Noa kept the place tidy) As Noa wanders off, Cindel suggests following him to see where he goes.

Teek knows this is a bad idea

[Quick note: Teek’s facial expression doesn’t change throughout the entire film. Almost like the makeup people didn’t know how to make a working mask]

After following Noa through the forest, eventually they come to...

...a spaceship. While Wicket is wandering around the perimeter...

...he runs afoul of one of Noa’s traps to keep prying eyes away. Noa comes out and frees Wicket and tells his story.

On his first mission out of the Academy (was he a pilot for the Empire or the Old Republic? He doesn’t say), he and his co-pilot crashed on Endor (and the Empire didn’t find him when they initially scanned the moon?), damaging their power core. His co-pilot went off in search of replacement parts and never came back (I’ll admit that when I first saw the film I thought his co-pilot would be revealed to be Terak, who was driven mad in the wild)

Later that evening, Noa and Cindel share a Moment talking about Cindel’s family before everyone goes to bed. But outside...

Not entirely sure how Charal found Cindel. Probably deus ex magic.

The next morning, Cindel wakes up hearing Catarine’s voice and wanders out looking for her. Later Wicket wakes up to find Cindel gone. He tries to wake Noa up, but he’s fast asleep, so he gets desperate (in a bit of comical revenge from earlier in the film)

Catarine’s voice lures Cindel deeper into the forest (with Wicket and Noa in pursuit) It turns out Catarine’s voice is Charal in disguise. I can’t find a video clip of this scene (or really any clip from the film) so I’ll use a similar clip from another Star Wars-adjacent film to convey what happens next...

youtube

(Thanks to Curtis Jordan)

Noa and Wicket arrive just in time to see Charal ride off with Cindel.

So there are horses on Endor too? So many things Jedi forgot to mention!

Noa and Wicket race back to the house to prepare a rescue, with Noa dressing in what I’m assuming is his old uniform (since it’s not Stormtrooper armor or Imperial green, I’m assuming he was an Old Republic pilot) Noa and Wicket (with Teek zooming after) then head out (how does Noa know where Tarek’s lair is?)

Later, Chanal returns to the castle and drags Cindel before Tarek, who demands Cindel release “the Power”. Of course Cindel has no clue what Tarek is talking about, so he orders Cindel put to death, as well as Chanal. Chanal tries to transform and escape...

...but Tarek takes the talisman that allows her to transform, then sends them both to the dungeons with the Ewoks.

Meanwhile, Wicket, Teek, and Noa have somehow found Tarek’s castle.

In the dungeon, Chanal tells Cindel that they encountered Noa’s co-pilot, who was looking for “the power of the stars” (a power source for the star cruiser) and was killed by Tarek for it.

Outside, the rescue party has reached the castle, but there’s a moat surrounding it (of course! Every good castle needs a moat, even it it’s nothing but a long drop) Wicket tries to swim across before Noa stops him and sticks a branch in the water, showing Wicket what would’ve happened.

...the ultimate in weight loss! They never show exactly what is in the moat, but it’s obviously hungry!

Instead, Noa has a grapple gun he fires at the ramparts. Once checking the grapple is secure, he sends Teek speedily shuffling up the line. Then Wicket makes his way up. However, a guard approaches before Noa can start his ascent (the guard makes slightly less noise than a landspeeder, allowing Teek and Wicket time to hide) Fortunately, before the guard can pick Noa off (or something sensible like sound an alarm)...

...Wicket ties the line to the guard and sends him over. The guard’s falling weight is enough to pull Noa (who was tied to the other end) up. I guess those guards are heavier than they look. At least whatever was living in the moat got a main course after the salad Noa fed it.

Once inside, they make their way to the dungeons to look for Cindel and the Ewoks. Just one problem...

...Terak’s audience chamber is in the way. Fortunately (?) Teek has an idea.

He steals the rags outfit of one of the goons, then everyone hides under it with Wicket being the face of this new recruit as they cross the chamber. When they reach the chamber, they see two guards being very alert and attentive...

...to their card game. Teek rushes over to steal the keys, but the guard adjusts himself, sitting on Teek’s hand. Teek snags the keys, but is still trapped, so he slides a card up the guard’s sleeve. Inevitably, it falls out, making it look like he’s cheating.

Well that escalated quickly! With both guards dead, Noa and Wicket free Cindel and the Ewoks. Charal calls to Wicket to free her as well, but...

...Cindel stops him, throwing the keys into a sewer drain.

Wicket leads the escapees to the way out (how exactly does he know the way? The only path he knows is through the audience chamber, down the ramparts and into the belly of the moat monster) However...

...oops! Someone shoots the goon in the foot (I don’t see who, but who the hell let an Ewok have a blaster?!) and he runs off to sound the alarm, with the Ewoks scurrying the other way.

With Our Heroes trapped in the dungeon, Noa shows the ingenuity they taught him in the Republic Academy...

...by using explosives to make a way out!

Meanwhile Wicket and whatever Ewok has the blaster are holding off Terak and his goons to give Noa time to figure a way past the moat.

Noa uses the grapple to make a zipline across the moat and the Ewoks shimmy their way across. As the Ewoks make their way through, Cindel explains to Noa what happened to his co-pilot. Cindel also shows Noa the power core (why did Terak leave it with Cindel exactly?) Noa grabs it and they make their escape as the rear guard retreat back to the dungeon and make their way as well.

Unfortunately, Terak’s goons start their way across as well. However, that Ewok still has a blaster and shoots the grapple.

The moat monster’s gonna have one hell of a breakfast!

Chanal pleads with Terak to free her, as she learned from Cindel about Noa’s ship and promises to find it for Terak. Terak frees her, giving her back her ring. She immediately transforms into the raven and flies off to follow the escapees.

...but not before Terak takes back the ring (meaning she has to return successful or stay a bird forever) Terak mobilizes his forces as he puts the ring on a cord around his neck (I’m sure that’ll be important later)

Noa leads the Ewoks deep into the forest where Terak’s forces are hindered. Eventually they have to give up their banners, horses, and claymation lizard mounts and continue on foot. Eventually Noa brings the Ewoks to the ship. Noa plans on using the power core to fire up the ship. While he does so, he puts Wicket in charge of holding off Terak’s forces (shouldn’t be too hard, given what the Ewoks did to the Empire)

Noa plugs in the power core and hits the switch, but nothing happens (to be fair, I’m sure power core technology has advanced quite a bit since he crashed on Endor; there could be comparability issues), causing him to drop an actual F-bomb on a TV Movie aimed at kids!

...unless you had the sound off and the closed captioning on.

While Noa tries to swear the power core into being backwards compatible, Terak’s forces advance on the ship and Wicket mobilizes his team. Then the battle begins!

Noa desperately tries to power the ship up as the battle outside goes about as well as you’d expect.

Then the Ewoks get a hold of blasters and the tide starts to turn. However, Terak has numbers on his side and eventually reaches the ship (would it be wrong to call it Noa’s Ark?) Just then Noa finally gets the ship running...

...and he’s letting the Ewoks man the cannons?! Apparently it’s enough to send Terak’s forces running (lord knows it I saw a murder bear with a gun I’d run too!) However...

...Wicket once again runs afoul of one of Noa’s traps (how did none of Terak’s forces run into any of them?), causing Cindel to rush out to help. I’m sure you can guess what happens next.

Terak sends Wicket to Noa with his demands: he will trade Cindel for “the Power”. Noa arrives with a counter-offer: Release Cindel and they’ll fight for it. Somehow Terak thinks this is reasonable (to be fair, Terak is a warrior who likely fought his way into leadership while Noa is a washed-up ex-pilot with diabeedus)

Noa fights valiantly, but Terak is too powerful. Noa basically does a fighting retreat, trying to keep Terak’s attention. Eventually, Terak knocks Noa down, but just as he prepares the killing blow...

...Teek jumps into the fray! Terak throws him off, but it’s enough of a distraction for Noa to recover, though not enough to get up. Once again, Terak prepares the killing blow, but this time Wicket is on hand with his sling...

...hitting the ring (remember that?) The magic inside the ring is released...

...killing Terak. Noa is saved!

Too bad for Charal, as she’s now stuck in her bird form.

Later, after the Ewoks help Noa clear about 30 years of growth off his ship, it’s time for Noa and Cindel to return to space. Cindel bids farewell to Wicket with a callback to the beginning of the film...

(Excuse me, I have a bit of melancholy ending in my eye)

And with that, Noa’s Ark flies off and we fade to black.

#star wars #ewoks #warwick davis #wilford brimley #Fan Colored Glasses

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forcefully-awoken · 4 years ago

Text

Disruption of Nowhere

Chapter One: It Happened One Night

Read on ao3

Masterlist

Summary: You were a mechanic just trying to make it in the resistance, working on the Falcon. A confrontation between you and Rey leads to one of the most thrilling moments of your life. You two fall into each other, and into a relationship that explores the darkest parts of each other. Set during The Rise of Skywalker, though I will be playing fast and loose with canon.

A/N: This was originally posted to my ao3, I’m in the process of moving it over here as well.

Warnings: force choking, horny dreams.

Word Count: 3,019

Pairing: Rey x Reader

This wasn’t the first time you had been called to work on the Falcon, not by any means. But this was the first time you had been called by name for it. It was the first time someone had seen something in you. Now you would be in charge of servicing possibly the most important vessel in the resistance.

At least that’s the mantra you repeated to yourself as you walked down to the Falcon, making sure not to trip over any of the vines criss-crossing on the ground. The jungle was alive around you, the gentle hum of all the machinery blending in with the distant animal noises. It frightened you when you first arrived on Ajan Kloss, the thought that there could be anything out there, but nothing had ever happened. This was your biggest moment to date-- now you would have the chance to prove yourself in your own right, that you were not a leftover from parents who were better and more skilled than you. Now you would be able to prove that you were a skilled mechanic in your own right.

And then someone bumped into you, barely even glancing back to see if you were okay. You huffed, adjusting the supplies you were carrying before moving forward once again. You didn’t want to let anything ruin your day: this moment was yours. That was, however, before you saw the condition that the Falcon was in. It looked like someone had tried to make the Kessel run in it again and failed miserably.

“POE DAMERON!” you shouted, momentarily forgetting all pretense of professionalism, as you knew the so-called daring pilot and incredible pain in your ass had to be around here somewhere. The call had come to you quickly as the Falcon needed immediate repairs. “I know you are around here somewhere!”

“IT WAS FINN’S FAULT!” came Poe’s immediate reply as he quickly came around from the back of the Falcon. He pointed accusingly at the man following him. “He distracted me and I’m only so good, you know!” They both looked about like the Falcon on a good day- just slightly scuffed up.

“I did no such thing!” the former stormtrooper shouted, pointing his own accusatory finger right back at Poe. “I heard you yell at Poe last time!” Both of them were distracted by the approach of Rey and Leia. The approach of the General and the last Jedi forced them to quickly abandon their argument.

You rolled your eyes as you marched forward to the Falcon. You made small notes on your datapad and annoyed noises under your breath as you took in the damage, of which there was a lot. You sighed when you realized that it would take a week to fix everything. Maybe less if you worked through the night, which you were often asked to do. The Falcon was a symbol to the resistance: the ship they toted out the most. It would have to look as good as it could and fly like new.

“Get out of here and let me get started,” you muttered before looking around to see that there was nobody else around now. You wondered what you had missed now, stuck in your own little mechanical world. With a small shrug, you went about the first and easiest round of repairs. Despite these repairs being the easiest, they still kept you working well past dinner. You were only aware of the passage of time when your stomach began to growl. You blinked a couple of times, in an attempt to wet your eyes again. You came to a stopping point and rolled your shoulders, forcing yourself to release the stress that had gathered there.

With your most recent repair finished enough not to explode or ruin anything else, you made your way back through the jungle to the main camp. The one tent that had been designated as a cafeteria was barely even a quarter of the way full of people. You grabbed some food off the table, not caring what you got. You sat down at a table alone like you did most nights, even when the caf was full of people.

It wasn’t necessarily that you wanted to be alone, but people were complicated. Especially now, with everything seeming so dire after everything that happened on Crait. You thought there was a rumor of a spy going around camp, but that side of the resistance was foreign to you. Another reason why you often ended up eating alone--too busy thinking about the next repair to try to carry on a conversation.

“You’re working on the Falcon,” a voice said, jarring you out of your thoughts as you ate. You looked up to see Rey. You knew of her, of course, having been rescued by her along with everyone else, but this was probably the first time Rey had spoken to you. You were struck very suddenly by how close she was to you, and for the first time you truly saw her face up close. There was something about her eyes that sent a pang to your cunt. They were dark, and there was something that looked like anger in them. You couldn’t figure out why she would be angry at you

“I, uh, I am,” you managed to mumble out, swallowing hard to clear away any nerves before you dared to speak again. Rey had her Jedi powers, which was frankly intimidating, but from all accounts she was a decent enough person to not use them on you. “I am working on the Falcon. Why? Was there something you wanted me to do?”

“I want you to not break it,” Rey immediately fired back, a frown on her delicate features. “That’s Han’s ship, you know; you have to be careful with it.” You were taken aback by the hostility in her voice. You two had never spoken before, and you had been making smaller repairs on the Falcon for ages before someone finally noticed you doing more than the average mechanic and called for you. Where did she get off with this superior attitude?

“I’m well aware of whose ship it is! I was in this fight long before you showed up,” you replied, not bothering to watch your tone with her. New Jedi Order be damned. Suddenly you weren’t that hungry anymore, and the food on your plate looked less than appetizing. You stood up, forcing her to back slightly away from you. Rey was taller than you, you realized now, by a few inches. You had to look up at her. Your eyes met, and you could see something in her eyes--curiosity? You imagined almost everyone on the base naturally deferred to her, but you had been here for years with your parents, and quite frankly, you didn’t care about her weird powers.

“I’m going back to my repairs now,” you told her. You were forced to move around her when she stood directly in your way. Your arms brushed for just the briefest of moments, and there was no denying there was a spark this time.You made sure not to wince when Rey jerked herself away from you. You told yourself you didn’t feel her eyes on the back of your head as you walked away, thankful there was nobody else around to see you.

You made your way back to your tent in a haze, trying not to read too much into the interaction. You knew what desire felt like, having had previous partners. But never had you felt anything from someone intentionally trying to antagonize you. Part of you wanted to turn around and go back to apologize. The other part of you wanted to go back to demand an apology from her. You did neither.

It was only when you had gotten back and your roommate commented on it that you realized you still were holding your dinner. You put away your leftovers, in case your appetite returned later. You sat on your bed, scrolling through your datapad and prioritizing the remaining repairs, adjusting the list until you were happy with it. The leftovers would give you an excuse to skip breakfast the next morning and get back to work faster. With a plan decided on in your mind you set the datapad aside to finally sleep. As you tried to settle into bed it seemed impossible to quiet your mind enough to drift off to sleep. Your thoughts compounded upon themselves, and you tossed and turned until you were too exhausted to keep your eyes open a moment longer.

Her lips were soft but insistent upon yours, parting your mouth with ease, pressing her tongue in right after. You moaned into her mouth, eagerly trying to grab at her, only to find your wrists held down by some invisible force. You struggled against it, your naked torso needing any sort of stimulation, but the woman in your dreams only pulled away from you and chuckled, her voice dark.

“You’re a needy little thing, aren’t you?” she asked, the voice sounding so familiar to you, but in your lust you could not place it. Her face was obscured by some sort of mist, and you were only able to focus on her mouth. You nodded, agreeing to whatever she wanted, desperate to get her hands or her mouth back on you. The woman laughed again, and it sounded dangerous.

Without warning, her hands shot between your legs, pressing them apart so she could settle herself between them. She reached up to part your lips, her fingers going immediately to your clit. The sensation of her fingers there shot pleasure through you like lightning. Her touch was not yet quite what you needed, too light to truly send you into an orgasm, and you threw your head back with a loud groan.

“Please,” you begged, looking down into brown eyes as the woman’s face finally swam into focus, “please, Rey..”

You woke up with a jolt, breathing heavily, trying to ignore the lingering tingling between your legs. You couldn’t believe you had had a dream like that about Rey. It had been a while since you had been laid, but to have a wet dream about a stranger was completely outside the norm for you. Your thoughts tended to stray towards previous encounters, or the intense novels you kept hidden on your datapad.

You were too keyed up to go back to sleep, though, and decided to work through some of your dream-induced lust with some more delicate repairs on the Falcon. When working, you were free to drop into a peaceful, thoughtless zone. Your hands would be the thing you had to worry about. Just the parts in your hands, and nothing else. The focus of doing repairs on the Falcon would help you ignore your dream.

You slipped through camp as quietly as possible, not wanting to wake anybody else at this time of the night. You had barely dressed, only tugging on proper pants with your night shirt to give the appearance that you weren’t running naked through the night. You didn’t need to add any gossip that you were having a secret tryst. You wanted to focus on yourself in the wake of everything that had happened.

It was the best time of night. Everybody had finally gone to sleep; even Poe and Leia had ceased their battle planning for some much needed rest. The two were prone to working late hours, with others coming and going as they planned out as much as they could. The camp was as quiet as it could be despite strange creatures making their strange noises all around you in the forest. There was an undercurrent of mechanical whirring, something that usually lulled you to sleep. But now it only reminded you that there was still more work to be done to get the Falcon to rejoin the symphony.

Everything in the Falcon sounded too loud when there was nobody else around. The hiss of the ramp as it went down. The lights as they clicked on. It all sounded like it would wake the whole camp and bring them running. You made your way up the ramp, fingers tracing over the familiar paneling as you made your way towards the cockpit. The Falcon was something you could see--and had seen before--in your dreams. It was beneath your eyelids when you blinked after you had worked on it so often. You weren’t sure when its repairs had become your job, but they had. Today was the first day of many, you were sure, when they would call for you to focus on it until you had fixed everything. You were one step closer to your goal of becoming a lead engineer.

You settled into the pilot’s seat, picking up a couple of frayed wires, as you reached around into the toolbox. You weren’t sure what the hell Poe had gotten into this time, but it must have been bad for the Falcon to have such extensive damage. You didn’t like to think about all the dangerous missions the others went on while you were stuck planetside. You had known Poe nearly your entire life, thanks to your parents. But that had been before everything changed. For a time you had wanted to be out there too, risking your life, but you knew deep down you would be better working on the ships rather than flying them.

Time slipped past you as you worked methodically, checking and double checking your work as you went. You were on the very last of the cockpit repairs when you realized you could hear someone else on board the ship. You figured it was another engineer, someone else who couldn’t sleep and wanted to be useful rather than toss and turn. The footsteps came closer, and you thought about pausing to see who it was, but decided that if they truly needed to talk to you, they would.

“What are you doing?!” Rey demanded, her voice harsh. Before you could reply, you were thrown out of the chair and slammed into the wall beside you. Her lips twisted into a snarl and she threw her arm out in front of her, using the Force to keep you suspended above the ground. You felt pressure around your throat, like her hand was there, squeezing it.

“Who said you could do this?!” Rey asked, though it didn’t seem like she was interested in an answer as she increased the pressure around your throat with a twitch of her fingers. You tried to gasp, fingers flying up to claw at the invisible hand around your throat--your lungs screamed for air. As they burned, your head started to swim. Everything combined to bring you teetering to the edge of pleasure.

She leaned in close to you, her eyes ablaze. Unbidden, your lips fell open, and your tongue darted out. Rey’s eyes immediately traced it as it happened, and they darkened in a different way. She changed the pressure on your throat yet again, and you moaned.

With that, the vice around your throat disappeared and the moment was broken. Rey jerked away from you like she had been burned. You took a long breath, sinking to the floor as she released the Force pressure that had held you in place. You felt a throb between your legs that you ignored as you looked up at Rey with wide eyes. Her face was completely red, a deep blush coming up from her neck. Her eyes were wild in a different way now; there was nothing but fear in them as she stared at her hand in horror.

“I-I-I’m sorry!” Rey burst out, running from the cockpit as soon as she realized you weren’t terribly hurt. You knew there would be a bruise forming tomorrow. You struggled to your feet with blood rushing back up to your head. You wanted to call out after her, but you weren’t sure what you would say. You didn’t think you should apologize for your reaction, but something nagged at you. Maybe it was the look on her face.

You finally made your way out of the Falcon a few moments later, as soon as you were totally sure you would be alone again. You rubbed at your throat lightly, trying to make sense of the reaction to the Force being used on you. You had never experienced anything like it before.

The sex you liked before always had been a bit on the rougher side, but there was something dangerous about adding the Force into the mix. You were forced to totally surrender yourself to something in that moment--you had no control over anything that was happening at all. It thrilled you.

But, besides, even if you had liked it--what about Rey? The look on her face had been horror struck; she seemed afraid of what she had done. You knew nothing about Rey and her previous experience. A new fear crawled into your mind--was Rey afraid of what she had done or was she afraid of the reaction you had given?

Sleep evaded you for the rest of the night, and you tossed and turned in your bed. Your mind raced with the different possibilities. Should you seek Rey out? Would she come to you? Were you to simply ignore everything that had happened? Part of you wondered if you should tell someone else that Rey had so easily lost control of herself. Nothing about this had an easy path out.

You heard your roommate stir when it was time to get up for the day, but you buried yourself in your blanket and waved her away, mumbling some vague excuse about not feeling well. You knew someone would eventually come to check on you, but you hoped to be asleep by then.

After a few more attempts to get comfortable and push the thoughts of your night out of your head, you were finally able to drift off, and thankfully, your dreams were pure nothingness.

#rey x reader #rey palpatine #rey skywalker #star wars fanfiction #rey skywalker x reader #rey palpatine x reader

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obiwanobi · 4 years ago

Note

It has always annoyed me that the Light Side and Dark Side of the Force are tepid Good vs Evil dynamic isn't of Apollonian and Dionysian. The Sith aren't very passionate about anything but Conquest and Revenge. WHERE ARE THE MASSIVE SPACE ORGIES, EMOTIONAL EXCESS, AND MADNESS? Seduce to the Dark Side, should be 'Seduce' to the Dark Side, leave the robe on the floor and come to bed.

YES I LOVE THIS

I get why Lucas wanted a good vs evil battle in star wars, and that’s why we have such a strong dichotomy between Jedi and Sith, but I would love to have more options here, while still keeping the light and dark side system. You can’t tell me that there wasn’t any schism in the Jedi Order since its creation centuries ago, that a faction of Jedi couldn’t or wouldn’t follow parts the Code or recognise the authority of the Council, and decided to leave and settle their own little community of Force-sensitive people living together with their own goals and rules.

So I want to believe that it’s also a possibility for the dark side, that you have Sith going “yeah I love using the Force for my own selfish pleasure and everything, but I’m not really into fighting or getting absolute power to rule the galaxy, can I just get drunk and high by a massive force-induced suggestion, start a cult to worship the Force but basically consists of seducing people, dancing naked in the woods at night and slowly turning into a giant orgy instead?” and that would be IT, they’re just here to enjoy themselves with the help of the Force, let their instincts guide them into chaotic excess but nothing related to war, carnage or power because they have no interest in battles, and hey, they’re not even carrying a weapon anyway (”A lightsaber? why would I need a lightsaber? I mean, I could think of one use, but it would a bit impractical”)

Now think about the poor Jedi who are sometimes sent to ‘check to see if this one dark side faction we have no idea how to handle hasn’t gone completely off track, they’re not good force-users and have a reputation of playing fast and loose with people’s consent and general mind-tricks, but no one has complained yet so we can’t just kill or restrain them’ and the second the satyrs and maenads dark siders lay their eyes on a pristine, restrained, guarded Jedi who is asking them questions and trying very hard to stay serious and professional, they consider it a personal challenge to seduce them and make them lose their moral high ground and rigid facade at least for one night

#'leave the robe on the floor and come to bed' god i love it #meanwhile 'real' sith are so ashamed about them that they just pretend they don't exist #asks #anon #sw discussions #au

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wolffesimp · 4 years ago

Text

Beach Shenanigans

summary: the war was won. order 66 was never executed. the 501st, 212th, and 104th battalions along with y/n, obi wan keniobi, ahsoka, anakin, and padmé enjoyed their much needed island vacation. what ensues is beach shenanigans and MORE! stick around for a day full of laughs, crying, tanning, and swimming! 2.3k words of my imagination and clone happiness!

warnings: OH MY GOD SO MANY SHENANIGANS I SHOULD GET PAID FOR THESE ORIGINAL FUCKING IDEAS!!!!!!!!! alcohol is consumed. some mature themes. nothing explicit uhhh lots of fluff and cusswords cuz they make my writing ✨spicy✨yeah that’s pretty much it :)

y/n was unceremoniously awoken by rex

who was the devoutly loyal boyfriend

for him, she would fight a million more wars

“mornin princess. up and at em!”

“don’t wanna get out of bed...”

just then, there was a knock on the door

before anyone could announce come in

the door was busted down by a very enthusiastic battalion

namely, the 501st

y/n gaped at them

fives and echo held buckets and shovels for a sandcastle

smiles bigger than the deathstar

jesse’s nose was white from the sunscreen that kix insisted he put on

tup’s naturally curly hair was finally down, a lei adorning his neck

dogma and hardcase had pool noddles in hand

meanwhile fives held a gigantic inner tube

kix had big sunglasses on, fresh glass of orange juice in hand

y/n could only stare for a few minutes

they all began to speak in sync

incredibly excited to finally dip their toes in the water and run on the beach

she laughed at them “suppose i should get out of bed!”

rex laughed with her, shaking his head at the antics of his brothers

standing up and shooing the boys out of her room, he made sure to close the door behind him

oh rex, he was too considerate for his own good

y/n slipped on her favorite swimsuit

along with one of obi wan’s t-shirts

grabbing her beach bag and slipping on her flip flops

she was out of her room

the clones were waiting impatiently downstairs

practically itching with excitement

y/n reached the landing, sliding on her favorite sunglasses

“hey guys! ready to go-“

fives picked her up into her arms, sprinting out of the house

“first one at the beach wins!”

the clones chased after the two

y/n squealed as fives held tightly onto her

“don’t worry y/n, i’m not gonna drop ya.”

“i know but rex is hot on our tail!”

fives panted

“like hell i’m gonna let him win!”

y/n giggled as rex fell behind

“hey rexie, suck my toe!”

“watch your mouth, y/n!”

she stuck her tongue out in response

rex chuckled at the antics of his girl

obi wan, cody, anakin, and padmé were far behind them

probably too mature to participate in such activities

let’s be honest if padmé wasn’t there anakin would be running too

ahsoka ran beside rex, smirking

“rex and i are gonna beat you!”

y/n finally saw the beach at the end of the boardwalk which they were running down

“c’mon fives! we have to win!”

he smirked down at her

“you know we never loose!”

fives cheered as they were the first one to reach the beach

setting down y/n, they waited for the others to catch up

in a frenzy, the clones ran to the ocean

ahsoka and y/n giggled at their faces of pure joy

“hey, wanna share this umbrella and mat i brought?”

ahsoka turned to y/n, smiling contently

“that sounds great!”

the two girls set up their camp for the day

towels beside each other

books, sunscreen, water bottles and everything in between

y/n also brought out the extra towels she had

setting them by obi wan and cody

“for the clones who forgot their own”

obi wan was distracted by the clones in the ocean

“do they know how to...swim?”

cody and y/n stared at each other

“oh-”

“shit!”

y/n ran towards the clones

“PAUSE! PAUSE! PAUSE! EVERYONE OUT OF THE OCEAN! NO ONE IS DROWNING ON MAMA Y/N’S WATCH! JESSE, DON’T YOU HIDE, GET OUTTA THERE!”

cody knew it was taken care of

he sat back down, basking in the sun

obi wan laughed heartily as y/n shouted at the clones

“WHY DIDN’T YOU TELL ME Y’ALL COULDN’T SWIM!! SWEET MAKER!!!! ONE OF YOU COULD’VE DROWNED!”

“kix would’ve saved us!”

“THERE’S ONLY ONE KIX, YOU IDIOTS!”

ahsoka giggled

y/n took off her shirt “hold this for me, sokie! lifeguard y/n’s on duty”

the boys catcalled y/n teasingly

“oooh yeah y/n!” ahsoka called out, hyping her older sister up

the boys earning icy glares from rex

she kissed his cheek

making it clear that there was no need for jealousy

y/n waded into the ocean

motioning for them to follow behind her

“now...is anyone feeling nervous?”

well as it turns out...

the clones loved swimming

they all easily caught on

even becoming faster than y/n

much to her dismay

y/n and ahsoka playfully splashed each other

giggling as other clones joined in

cody and obi wan decided to join in on the fun

and when someone splashed cody it went quiet

y/n glared at fives

she knew it was him

fives whistled

looking around as if to say

“who? me?”

cody full force splashed fives back

next thing she knew a splashing war broke out

the 501st, ahsoka, and y/n went up against the 212th, obi wan and 104th

boil and waxer were head to head with echo and fives

y/n and ahsoka combatted obi wan and cody

it seemed like no one was backing down

until someone got kicked in the leg

practically drowning

mfs are genetically modified

getting kicked by them would probably seriously injure me i mean jesus christ

“dammit! this is why the 501st can’t have nice things!” rex cursed

tup was weak in the knees

but mama y/n was there to wrap him up in a towel

careful to dry his curly hair

setting him up comfortably

“we’re having lunch soon, so stay put for now, alright hun? make sure to hydrate!”

“thank you, y/n.”

“mhm!”

she took rex’s hand

dragging him back into the ocean

“tup will be fine! hey fives and sokie, let’s play chicken!”

explaining the game rules, y/n perched herself on rex’s broad shoulders

ahsoka was on fives shoulders

smirking at her opponent

“this’ll be fun!”

y/n and ahsoka’s arms collided

their laughs filled the air as they attempted to fight each other off

meanwhile rex clung to y/n’s thighs

making sure his princess didn’t fall into the water

fives attempted to kick his captain

only to earn a snarl and forceful blow to the chest

fives was knocked into the water

sending ahsoka flying

y/n wheezed

“holy shit!” rex remarked

quickly recovering her senses, concern taking over

“wait- AHSOKA! FIVES! ARE YOU GUYS OK?”

fives’ thumbs up shot out from the water

ahsoka’s montrals emerging from the blue sea

rex laughed pityingly at fives and ahsoka

“round two?”

well, there ended up being 10 rounds

all four of them were soaking wet by the end

breathless and ready for a break

rex carried y/n as per request

she could be a little shit sometimes

rex secretly loved it

ahsoka and y/n made room for fives, rex, and a few other troopers

“hey ahsoka, where are anakin and padmé?”

they looked around curiously

the place where they once resided were empty

“they are probably...ya know...”

y/n made crude gestures eluding to sex

ahsoka cringed, throwing a tube of sunscreen at y/n

“gross!”

rex put his head in y/n’s lap

her hand ran through his blonde curls

which had been growing out since the end of the war

well maintained by y/n

who insisted on doing his hair

“oh get a room!” ahsoka teased

“we can always make out in front of you guys”

“ewww”

“please don’t”

“i would rather not see my mother figure do that”

y/n and rex laughed

they were so beautiful together

it was clear that they would spend the rest of their lives with each other

as the day drags on, y/n falls asleep blissfully on her towel

luckily rex helped her with an umbrella so she wouldn’t get sun burnt

the boys shenanigans continued on without her

fives and echo built a sandcastle the size of a shed

rex, cody, wolffe, and obi wan enjoyed margaritas beside the sleeping y/n

while ahsoka had a virgin piña colada

jesse was buried alive by dogma, tup, kix, and hardcase

a few of the members of the 104th were flirting with a group of twi’lek girls

flexing their muscles and battlescars

the remainder swimming in the ocean

the 212th were playing a competitive game of frisbee with island locals

fives and echo decided they were done with their sandcastle

ushering the generals and jedi to check it out

they didn’t want to admit it, but they were very impressed with their work

y/n was still sleeping

fives was bored

so he took his bucket

washed out the sand

then refilled it with clean water

while echo was talking with the generals and jedi

unintentionally distracting them from the scene that was about to play out

fives chuckled devilishly

pouring the water onto y/n

she screamed as the cold water hit her face and chest

eyes opening to an entertained fives

until he saw the look in her eyes

fives was so dead

instead of facing death in its face

he took off running, screaming to anyone who would listen

“Y/N’S GONNA KILL ME!”

“HELP! ANYONE!”

“PLEASE HELP ME!”

*violent screams*

y/n was in hot pursuit of the dumbass himself

running shockingly fast

not even breaking a sweat

rex cheered her on

having no idea what happened

but wanting to be a supportive boyfriend

fives looked helplessly at anyone

having nowhere to run

y/n stopped running

finding an innocent sea creature on the ground

“hi lil crab...you are gonna help me out here”

fives continued running as far away as possible from her

the crab settled in her palm

calmed by the aura y/n generated from the force

“fives! stop running! i’m done with your ass!”

fives was panting

knelt over

hot in the face

“i am so not sorry for what i’m about to do”

“wait wha-”

y/n shielded her eyes away as she dropped the crab into his swim trunks

fives let out an ear piercing scream

“WHAT IS IT IN MY SHORTS?!! ITS CRAWLING UP MY ASS!!!”

y/n was completely incoherent

laughing so hard with tears come to her eyes

“IT’S PINCHING ME! OH IT HURTS! OHHHH MY ASS CHEEKS”

y/n couldn’t breathe

knees buckling as she fell onto the sand

obi wan and cody were extremely panicked

what the hell is wrong with fives?

obi wan approached him

fives was jumping up and down

running in circles

looking like a complete madman

“fives what are you doing?”

“CRAB IN MY SHORTS”

“how is there a crab in your shorts?”

“GET IT OUT! IT’S IN MY ASS-”

wolffe was flabergasted

“what?”

rex crossed his arms

already knowing who the culprit was

“y/n?”

she staggered over to him

leaning into his chest as she wheezed

“shit- imma...imma pee my pants!! oh fucking hell if i would’ve known this-”

obi wan glared at her

fives screamed once again

“I HAVE TO DO IT!”

“do what?”

all of the 501st instantly knew what he meant

“fives don’t-”

“wait wait wait-”

“i swear to maker-”

“if he does it-”

fives dropped his shorts

revealing his ass and the rest of the land down under

y/n screeched

she saw something she could never un-see

the beach went silent

oh my god

fives just flashed the e n t i r e public area

echo looked embarrassed for his vod

but the relief on fives face...

the crab was promptly thrown across the beach

fives quickly pulled up his shorts

praying to god that nobody saw

they did

“give us a warning next time, fives!” cody said judgementally

obi wan couldn’t even look at him

y/n hid her head in rex’s chest

“i want to go blind”

rex chuckled, playing with her hair sympathetically

“i know i’m big, y/n!” fives called out teasingly

well someone recovered quickly

“FIVES!” tup lectured

hardcase and jesse chuckled

meanwhile kix and dogma looked apologetically at y/n

“i can’t believe you...” she muttered to no one in particular

the rest of the day went swimmingly

filled with even more laughs

a million holophotos

is that what you call them??

followed by the envious photos from mace windu, plo koon, and kit fisto

they were definitley coming next time

ahsoka tried her first ever drink

don’t worry, only y/n saw!

and ahsoka was above the drinking age on the planet they were in!

who else would permit her to do it?

besides, she had a theory ahsoka wouldn’t like alcohol

the theory was proven to be true

ahsoka spat it out

giving it back to y/n

shortly after

y/n and ahsoka baked cookies for the boys

while rex, cody, and wolffe grilled out

wolffe was the real pro

even having an apron that said

“kiss the grill dad”

comet and sinker found it on some sketchy website

it proved to be one of the best gifts

the rest of the boys brought down silverware, tables, and the firepits

preparing for another long night

waves crashing into each other as the tide receeded back

by the time ahsoka and y/n were back they enjoyed dinner and dessert beach side

a magical sunset painting the sky

hues of pink, orange and purple

ahsoka snapped a picture of y/n and rex’s not-so-secret-kiss

the sunset it the background

ahsoka needed to frame it and give it to y/n as a surprise

the sun was down

fire crackling

soft conversations between all battalions and jedi

calmed down by the end of the night

the distant sound of music

to the clones, it felt like a dream

none of them thought they would make it past this war

but here they were

and they couldn’t be more thankful

finally, their future was promised

masterlist for more of my content

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cooltrainererika · 4 years ago

Text

A Star Wars Noob’s ideas for fixing the Disney sequels

Okay so just to get this out there, because it won’t leave my mind.

So I’ve been binging on SW lately and the sequels only annoy me more and more by the day. So just wanted to throw my character ideas out into the world. Focusing on characters because I like writing characters way more than plot. Hopefully if I ever actually write this thing, or even somehow pitch it to someone with the right connections to animate it with the actors as voice actors, this wouldn’t have gone viral. But since no one looks at my blog it probably won’t lol. Hopefully.

But just in case, I’ll say that this will probably contain spoilers for a story which may or may not exist by the time you read this.

I’ve deliberately been trying to avoid as much emotional spoilers and normal spoilers as I can before the sequels despite the temptation, so sorry if some stuff is a bit off. Augh I hope I can get the time to watch the full OT and PT soon. I was too tired from hiking when I watched SW4 and I now really wish my dad didn’t show me when I was half-asleep.

Rey: Rainbow of possibilities; Cynical Scavenger, Adventure-seeking Audience Surtogate Geek, or Lawful Good to the core Paladin Padawan with a personal grudge, and may be descended from a family line, maybe not, but currently most likely a Skywalker by blood. Story and other character arcs change dramatically depending on which route chosen.

Finn: Stoic soldier man learns power of friendship, finds meaning of life, causes Stormtrooper mutiny, probably becomes a Jedi and second main character and hooks up with Rey. “What‘s a joke?”. Awkward dork and stunted socially but doing his best. May instinctively find it hard to disobey orders. He may be the one wanting to find his family; but that’s dropped soon enough to focus on what’s ahead.

(Alternatively: Proud warrior guy who acts like a stereotypical North Korean soldier who finds himself outside the First Order, learns power of friendship etc. The rest is the same)

Poe Dameron: What we Japanese people call The Aniki. The funny charismatic ace pilot who keeps everyone sane, overall bro. Wholesome but a bit rough, that guy you would want to share a beer with. But within that easygoing nature burns a hotblooded, determined, dutiful streak, and an even stronger snarky streak. The one with the social skills. Loves his droid like his son though Cynical!Rey and Finn find that initially kind of stupid/strange.

Kylo Ren/Ben Solo: Appears to be yet another quietly imposing Star Wars villain with added edgelord factor, but actually a mentally unstable, borderline yandere berserker of a man crushed under the weight of a legacy, with a horrifying inferiority complex, identity issues, and an unhealthy obsession with familial honor, constantly stuck between Dark and Light. Despite his high rank, basically the First Order’s attack dog. Usually has the emotional maturity of a 16-year-old, if not younger. If anyone is, he’s the damsel in distress of this story.

Luke Skywalker: Cuddly sunshine headmaster sage doing his best, has been on many adventures before that are hidden ads to future Lucasfilm projects. May have gone to search for answers as to what is causing recent events, or is still present at the beginning. May survive at the end. He could be anywhere from kind of jaded but at his core still that sweet optimist, to Basically Uncle Iroh, to can-literally-summon-Porgs-by-whistling/Space Sage Mr. Rogers.

Han Solo: General of the Republic Armed Forces or courier who decided military life just wasn’t for him and now delivers important messages through still unstable areas of the New Republic, a war hero, and a dad doing his best. Wants to hold hope but may have at least outwardly given up on Ben, with Poe filling in the void. Has gone clean from his life of crime and still married 30+ years strong with Leia. He would be the one who is the closest to Poe if he’s still in the military and Leia is a Jedi, with Poe being seen as his likely successor. He might die at the end of 8? Maybe Hamill and Carrie would somehow talk him into sticking around past 7? He might still die in 7?

(Side note: I wish we could have seen Old Harrison Ford in a military casual coat-cape. He would have looked awesome in it. I mean no one would really complain that he plays fast and loose with the dress code if there even is one, he’s Han freakin’ Solo and he gives no f*cks.)

Leia Organa-Solo: Preferably a Jedi Knight, leader while he’s away if he’s away as well as their tactician, or senator considering her personality; maybe have basically what Colin Trevorrow planned for her (I mean… why not just use CGI at this point? They’ve done it before. I’m sure Carrie wouldn’t have wanted her swan song to be such a passive role either), with her bond with Luke being a major factor and us actually being able to see it in practice. May have outwardly given up on her son as well, but still is at the end of the day a mom doing her best. Basically a strong, smart lady like how she’s always been.

Chewbacca: How he always is, but he plays more of a role than basically the guy bussing the cast around, an active combat role definitely. Han’s second in command and maybe fellow dad. Possibly the part-time chaperone of the mess that is the new main duo. Also was Ben’s first friend, and you bet there will be drama here.

Lando Calrissian: Business mogul who probably helps the heroes out, maybe by selling them stuff and using his many connections to get information. And/or he’s basically an economic diplomat for the Republic. Has known Ben since he was a child and may have snuck him on too many joyrides without telling Leia, to her chagrin and Han’s amusement.

Grand Admiral Armitage Hux: Basically how he was in SW7. Calculating, manipulative, coldhearted, intelligent, and ruthless, the brains to Kylo’s brawn. Son of former Imperial officers, killed his own father to get where he is. Gives no f*cks, except when he goes full ham. Maybe even he goes cold and pale if Kylo starts getting angry, just to show how terrifying he can be, but I also like the idea of him being one of two people who can manipulate Kylo out of a tantrum and not end up a pile of flesh or choked to death.

Captain Phasma: How she is in supplemental material probably. A walking chrome machine of merciless death. Probably not very talkative, and probably does not take defectors lightly. She may defect at the end or not depending on how truly evil she’s portrayed to be, but I’m thinking she’s likely this cruel disciplinarian who expects complete and utter, machine-like obedience to the end, and Finn flinches at the mere mention of her, though she herself is equally as extremely loyal to the cause.

Snoke: A mysterious being, the likes of which are not of this galaxy. Probably some kind of ancient eldritch abomination who can torment vulnerable minds with an untraceable curse. Not your average Sith, and despite how it may seem it may not be connected to them at all… Or perhaps it is. Or perhaps it itself serves a larger master. It wants to use Kylo Ren for… something. Just what it is is what Luke has been trying to find out for years.

Knights of Ren: Idea borrowed from Thor Skywalker (check him out on YouTube!); possibly a military cult of Sith/Vader worshippers who see Ben as the second coming of Vader, and have aligned themselves with Snoke. Probably basically Kylo’s personal guard and troops. Or possibly directly liked to whatever otherworldly entit(ies?) Snoke is, not being of this galaxy themselves.

Anakin Skywalker: Determined grandpa doing his best for his kids, grandkid(s), and the galaxy. Doesn’t appear often, but plays a major role in the story; maybe he’s the one who led Rey to his lightsaber, and maybe he advises Luke while training Rey, or secretly follows Kylo, trying to speak to him but unable to be seen or heard by him. He’d be the one who ultimately convinces Ben to return to the light, and to, in an echo of the words Ben heard when he was being impersonated, “finish what I started”.

Rose Tico: A probably relatively new, wide-eyed young recruit in the Republic Military, and maybe seeks revenge on First Order for killing or kidnapping her sister. Not sure if she will be needed, but if there’s room for her she might be interesting. Maybe she’s one of Poe’s friends or part of his squad. She could also be the resident girly girl because there aren’t many of those here.

Vice-Admiral Amberlyn Holdo: She’s in the Aftermath books, and those seem pretty good, so she’s probably how she is there. A quirky mostly background character that is probably at most there for Han and/or Leia and Ackbar to give commands to and salute back, but most importantly she actually does her job properly, even if she’s still a bit of an odd person. Also Poe knows her and they have a way more amicable work relationship. Also give her something which actually looks like something military personnel would wear. She could even be a legitimately good tactician who comes up with off-the-wall tactics.

(Side note: I heard that she basically has the Star Wars version of Autism, and while I’d appreciate that as an Aspie myself, I’ll also have to say that Autistic people would probably be terrible military leaders due to us not being able to adjust to sudden changes well and our bad communication skills. So yeah, sorry, unless she’s recast to something like, say, a mechanic or logistics or medic or any other more Autistic-friendly job, that’s going to have to go)

Maz Kanada: …Admittedly not sure what to do with her. But she’s more likely to be an acquaintance of Lando before Han, if she doesn’t know both. In fact, Lando may be introduced early alongside her. But she would still have the important role of keeping Anakin’s saber; how she has it, either Lando found it, or basically what was cut from TFA showing that she’s indeed pretty awesome.

BB-8: BB-8 doesn’t have to change. He’s perfect as he is. Maybe what he can do should be more consistent though. Poe and him are basically Ash and Pikachu, they stick together whenever possible. If Rey or Finn need a droid to tag along and Poe isn’t in the party at the moment, R2 is right there. I once read a fanfic in which BB-8 was actually a droid Luke made for Ben and I liked the idea… though it probably would be a bit of an unnecessary detail in practice.

R2-D2 and C3P0: They’re basically business as usual. They would still have that boke-tsukkomi dynamic they had going on, sometimes with the added childlike cuteness of BB-8 in the mix. If there’s any extra time left for comic relief scenes, or if they’re sent on some kind of mission together, I can see these three messing around doing their thing (or rather, BB being childlike, cute and curious, Threepio being overly nervous, and Artoo being too old for this sh*t and/or BB’s cool uncle/older brother) being both cute and hilarious.

Also Worldbuilding stuff will be featured at the bottom

Elaboration on the “big four” of the sequel cast:

Rey: Aged 19, speaks with Daisy Ridley’s normal accent, not RP (I mean really, her accent isn’t that hard to understand). A whole rainbow of possibilities with this lady, though many don’t realize it. I might be leaning towards her being Luke’s daughter, though her being Just Rey may also be interesting, and her still being a descendant of Palpatine or the main villain could also have potential, though if Finn is a Jedi I don’t think there’s any need for her parents to be nobody. But the three main routes I can think of for her are these three: Cynical!Rey, a Rey with a backstory identical to the canon Rey from her abandonment onwards, Fangirl!Rey, a sort of estimation of a dorky female Star Wars nerd in-universe and the most lighthearted start out of the three, and Padawan!Rey, a Rey who is already Luke’s Padawan at his academy. Maybe making her starting point less crushingly bleak and Fangirl!Rey could work, but it might dilute both ideas, and that characterization might be a bit too similar to ANH Luke.

As is apparent, Cynical!Rey, is, well, cynical. She’s strong and independent, but extremely distrusting, on-edge, and not used to friendly interaction. Think Female SW4 Han Solo but even more antisocial and probably not even bothering with the bravado, and basically with Anakin’s upbringing except she doesn’t even have a loving mother like Anakin did. Fangirl!Rey was my initial idea but I’m starting to become less partial to it because of the aforementioned similarity to ANH Luke, but my idea was she’s basically Harry Potter, living with stepparents who hate her, or she’s still used as basically child labor but her conditions are nowhere near as bad as Cynical Rey’s, and she would have grown up on stories about the Rebels and the Jedi and everything else in the past movies, collecting every single bit of memorabilia she can get her hands on. If one wants to go for very lighthearted and slightly meta for SW7 this is the route. Padawan!Rey could go anywhere, but I’m thinking she would basically be our D&D Paladin; ever since Ben Solo went berserk and ran off to join the First Order, she’s become very protective of her fellow students and has a really understandable personal grudge against him. She might be the strongest pupil left after the Second Jedi Massacre, and by the end maybe she becomes the successor to headmaster of the academy. It is possible that she was found abandoned on Jakku or Luke’s doorstep, however, so the theme of growing up lonely is there, and because being a Jedi is what has given her meaning in life it means a lot to her. But while I don’t want her parentage to be revealed early if it is Luke, it does raise the massive plot hole of why this was never disclosed to her or to Ben.

And yes, I did say fellow students and academy. Wiping the new Jedi Order feels really cheap and it makes the whole hopeful Jedi Starting Anew implication that I’m 90% sure the OT ended on feel very pointless. I’d prefer them still being there, though their inclusion would be obviously way more natural in the Padawan Route. This also has tons of marketing potential for Disney, because I wanted to take IRL realism into account; what’s in it for Disney? Maybe potential to expand on other students and Luke’s academy? It could be like a smaller Jedi Hogwarts/Xavier Institute basically. Though the survivors wouldn’t be too numerous; just, like, four at most. Maybe there would be elements of an Avengers/Infinity War/Endgame-esque team movie, even if the rest are a bit out of focus.

I did think maybe the heroes would still go to Ahch-To after SW7 where Luke would have been hiding with his students researching the new threat, but maybe I could have him stay and sort of take a few cues from Harry Potter by introducing the heroes to the world of the Jedi early and giving them a break in the action as they settle in their new homes, so there’s more time to develop the padawan side characters, what the academy is like, and Luke gets to appear in SW7 as well so there can be a OT trio “reunion” (not a reunion in-universe). Though that kind of messes with other parts I want to include like Rey and Finn having to take on Kylo and getting completely whipped because he’s a rampaging madman before having to be saved by Luke. Also Rey getting kidnapped has potential for developing her trust in others, and her and Finn getting a breather moment at the Republic after the heroes and Han regroup would kind of remove a point where that could be easily slotted in the story. It would also require everything before this to be crammed in the first act.

(Newer edit 5/27/21) I also like her getting a golden double-bladed saber like many fans depict her. It’s not only awesome looking (because she only gets her own saber at the end of TROS… Why?), but it’s more toys for the moichendise! It fits her starting with a staff, it has more reach, and it would fit Cynical Rey especially for her to have a style centered around keeping as much of herself defended as possible. Watching Battlefront 2 footage has made me think about fighting styles a bit, and if she and Finn are a duo how their styles of combat might compliment each other, especially as their relationship develops (coincidentally she and Finn apparently are a very good combination in BF2). A Cynical Rey would probably contrast the most, with a fighting style based on keeping enemies away, trickery, and defense (a good choice for a blade made of light), maybe a bit wild at first but initially her goal in fighting would be to hold out until there is an opening to get the hell out, only staying to fight if she has no other option. Fangirl Rey wouldn’t really have a fighting style initially, and it’s gonna be very dependent on where her arc goes. Padawan Rey would have the most Prequel Jedi-esque, choreographed style, showing a lot of skill though not quite mastering it and with tons of openings at first. A Cynical Rey may have an uncanny skill to detect suspicious people, which would make her trusting the heroes easier, and though this ability isn’t super strong and is more “a slight gut feeling but it could be nothing” than “human lie detector” it could maybe be honed more. And while not quite wall vision like in BF2 (because wat? Where do they come up with this stuff?), maybe she’s good at detecting people’s presences too. These are very apt ambient skills for someone in her position. Meanwhile, Fangirl!Rey would have probably suspected she had the Force already, and her ambient abilities could be whatever, just rather passive abilities unless trained.

If she is Luke’s daughter though, that would open up the can of worms of who her mother is. Just making it so that she died before the events of SW7 might seem a bit… unfortunate? I kind of want Luke to have found love sometime (and seriously with how much of a bombshell young Luke was, in addition to him being such a hero, I’m shocked that he never got one. I can see why Mara Jade wanted a piece of that. *wolf whistle*), but then I’d have to figure out how to incorporate her in this already character-dense story without her having cheaply died offscreen. I might be able to think of something? I could always go digging in the dusty pile of old fan theories, I might find something good. Thor Skywalker did hint at her but his story stopped at the end of where SW8 would have. If I do name her Mara there’s probably going to be extra pressure to do something with her. …But I can’t be the only one who thinks that Daisy Ridley kind of looks like Natalie Portman. Then again I’m pretty face-blind. I guess blond hair and blue eye color genes are also recessive traits for Star Wars humans. Though it seems the height genes skipped a generation because she’s actually pretty tall for a woman at 170 cm - I’m sorry what. That’s as tall as the average Japanese man! Holy sh*t Daisy! She only looks a bit small because she’s often depicted with Kylo and Kylo makes everyone not Phasma look diminutive. I guess Ben would get it from Anakin and Han (though he’s still taller than both of them…), so maybe a taller actress would be cast as Mara (?). And despite Rey’s malnourishment in the Cynical route, this actually isn’t that implausible, because stunted growth apparently only happens if children are deprived from gestation to about 2 years of age.

And again, why wouldn’t Ben know about this? But if this isn’t the Padawan!Rey route (the hardest to incorporate Rey The Actual Skywalker into), maybe Ben took Rey’s assumed death as even more of a reason to burden himself with the entire Skywalker legacy? This would give him a reason to already care about her.

Further edits: According to the Aftermath books, Jakku was a “Lightside Nexus” planet. Maybe this has to do with her powers? (Perhaps she was kept sane by the Force speaking to her on occasion, in dreams or as she lies staring at the ceiling after a long day, showing her the loving life she used to live and unknown to her she will return to someday). Or why she was dropped there? Maybe she was supposed to be living with Lor San Tekka (the old guy Kylo kills at the beginning of TFA), but got lost one day or was kidnapped by bandits to be a scavenger because her small size would have been perfect for getting loot from small spaces? Why not take her back then? This probably is one of the biggest plot knots in the Cynical Rey Skywalker route, alongside who her mother is.

Small detail lightning round before moving on: I once read a Japanese fic, and in it she mentioned she hates alcohol because she saw how it turned people into monsters. I actually kind of liked this headcanon, and maybe a bit unexpected. Though there’s also the route of her just being too used to it, setting her apart from previous more wholesome protagonists even more. Also Daisy would have to start hitting the gym and protein shakes because I think her character design evolving from her thin build to a very athletic, Wonder Woman-esque body type would be pretty good in representing her growth as a character, and combined with her height she would be so very badass looking.

Finn: Probably around 23? Infamous for lost potential, so his backstory is the same. However, I’m thinking that due to his dehumanizing upbringing, he’s a bit robotic and pretty stoic initially, a total opposite to Poe. He doesn’t understand jokes or sarcasm, and now that he’s completely left the life he’s always known, he feels pretty lost. He would basically act like a male Rei Ayanami, though I was going more for Drax at first. Alternatively, he’s a proud warrior type, imagine a stereotypical North Korean/Prussian soldier. He’d be a bit more emotional and probably less cartoonish here (I mean I have compared Star Wars to anime but full-on anime tropes in live action probably looks super corny), and he’s a massive hardass who also doesn’t get sarcasm or jokes and fanatical and would have thought of his fellow soldiers as a collective as his band of brothers and comrades, collectively serving the FO like a smoothly running machine. My initial thought was that after a life of war crimes and the influence a certain pilot whose cell he was guarding who gave him his name, and maybe witnessing the death of a comrade, he had defected from the FO, but I started thinking it would be plausible if he defected from the FO probably by accident. Highly likely to be the second protagonist, if not POV character, and if so I think it’s logical that it’s Finnrey that becomes the canon ship here. In the Padawan!Rey route, he’s the newcomer protagonist, not Rey. If they’re shipped, or even as friends, they may bond over their dehumanizing, harsh backgrounds and the feeling of being lost in the world. Also he likely starts a mutiny. Like it was such an obvious plot point but they never use it for some bizarre reason. It’s like the DM didn’t read his character sheet at all. Actually one didn’t and the other kept forgetting it in the third campaign.

There’s two ways I think his arc could go; first would be a focus mainly on his search for identity and becoming his own person. Second, his guilt about having done the First Order’s bidding for so long. Probably a combination of the two, though I’m not sure how to address them both. He also wants to see his colleagues free from slavery. But I am sure about I’d that he’d have to overcome his conditioning, learning to regain his humanity.

Especially if Rey is a Skywalker and he becomes a Jedi, he’d be the one who the movie makes a point about being from nowhere. He has no idea who his parents are, but it would not even matter in the end, it’s what he makes of his life from here on out. And if he and Rey end up together, which is extremely likely in this scenario, he not only finds his family in the figurative sense with the other Jedi and his new friends plus girlfriend, but in the literal sense as well, going from nameless Stormtrooper FN-2187, to just Finn the ex-Stormtrooper, to Finn the Padawan and then Jedi Knight, to finally, Finn Skywalker, Jedi Knight; maybe the last movie ends with one of them proposing to the other, with SW8 having previously ended with the climactic big damn kiss that cemented that they are a thing now. (Cue Luke jokingly asking when he’s getting grandchildren and How It Should Have Ended!Anakin squeeing over him getting great-grandchildren lol) His name would have this real symbolic value to it with how it changes as he goes from nobody to somebody. Not to mention “Finn Skywalker” is just a freakin’ awesome name. If they make up the leading duo, he and Rey may have some kind of inherent connection, or they progress into two parts of the same whole, even attaining something like a Dyad.

I thought an interesting thing to do if Rey is a Skywalker, and this is Cynical Rey, is a twist on the expected pattern by making him the one who sees the good in Kylo, not Rey. Because while Rey might be his cousin, she’s also a very distrustful person who couldn’t afford to think deeply about people act the way they do when she was growing up and fighting to survive. Meanwhile, Finn knows Kylo, and he also knows what it’s like to be determined to be a killing machine from a very young age, and if he has to forgive himself, or if he’s able to see the light, that Kylo deserves a chance as well. It would be the ultimate show of kindness from him, to show him forgiving the man who works so loyally under the same organization that enslaved him. I can also see Kylo being angry at himself for being unable to sense the Force-Sensitive in their midst.

Maybe he was born on a “Lightside nexus” planet too so that it makes sense that he can keep up with other characters? Presuming he’s in his early 20s, I don’t think him being raised by the Order since he was a baby is that plausible, so maybe he was already an orphan? I can see the First Order spinning their Stormtrooper program kidnapping street orphans as “rehabilitating” them, which combined with good old Victorian style citizen apathy to street children allows them to get away with it. But if he was, say, around 6 years old when he was taken away, it would make sense why he was able to break out of his programming. Perhaps Poe showing him friendship awoke the humanity long dormant in him. But on the other hand, the younger, adolescent soldiers may be beyond saving, and I can see that being absolutely heartbreaking.

I can see his fighting style with a saber being direct, forceful, and pragmatic, but unlike Rey the emphasis would be on engaging and keeping up the fight, and be very disciplined, calculated, and controlled in contrast to Cynical Rey. At least he’d attempt it while he gets used to the properties of a lightsaber, before there would probably be a lot of awkwardness as John is directed to swing this weightless prop blade with a weighted hilt like he would a club or sword. If he isn’t a Force Sensitive, he’s a good sniper just like in BF2, in fact this would be his primary combat ability, though still able to hold his own in melee combat. Though even as a Jedi he’d probably still use a gun as a sidearm, and his good aim would also translate to him being very good at spotting openings and spotting danger from a distance, as well as enhanced ability to dodge.

Poe Dameron: Age 29 (?). A total bro. I’ve kind of come to think of him as this embodiment of the good, wholesome side of traditional masculinity. I can best describe him as the guy you expect to think of when you think of the guy who takes the boys to the bar for beers on the house and hosts Super Bowl night (for the Americans out there). Basically just that big bro/cool uncle everyone likes. I think he’s the least changed from how he is in SW7; he’s a laid-back pilot with no special powers, and while he’s probably the most static and admittedly flat character (and unfortunately more minor than the other two) he has tons of charisma and optimism to compensate, though being the one who keeps everyone sane definitely helps. Not to mention his piloting skills; which, note, are never eclipsed by Rey, because that’s dumb. His skills are a bit more downplayed here, but he’s still extremely good, especially for his age. Despite being the pilot he’s the most down-to-earth, and may be the only one of the big four with any social skills, even if he’s a bit dorky, especially regarding BB-8.

Son of Rebel pilots, graduated top of his class in the Republic Flight Academy, and his background is squeaky clean, no drug trading involved, though he spent a lot of his adolescence and his adulthood in the Academy or in the military, just like in pre-TROS supplementary material. He’s the main source of jokes and wisecracks out of the trio in all but the most dorky of Fangirl!Rey routes probably, teaching Cynical!Rey and Finn what it’s like to smile and laugh. He still has a close relationship with Leia and Han; possibly closer to the latter due to the latter being a pilot and likely still a General. Not sure about him keeping his rank because him starting and staying at the top might mesh awkwardly with the rest of the trio, but maybe he’s still a Commander; whichever makes his inclusion in the main cast most plausible. Due to an adorable Pixiv comic I found he may have been inspired to become a pilot by Luke or Han. I’d like to think that he breaks the hotshot pilot cliché a bit by not being too overly arrogant, immediately setting himself apart from Han by being a wholesome guy there for his buddies from the start, even if he is fond of wisecracking and snarkiness (probably from hanging around Han and Leia), and inside that laid-back personality lies a hotblooded, passionate, unwavering core. Like, he’s not exactly hotheaded like a Latin stereotype (*ahem*), but he’s got this more subtle, but still apparent, underlying fiery hotbloodedness to him, something that especially makes itself apparent in high-stress situations and when it comes to his loved ones. He’d also be Rey and Finn’s mentor of sorts in stuff that doesn’t involve the Force, being their role model for what a functional member of society is. He may make some self-depreciating jokes about being “normal”, but I think mostly he’ll take it in stride. Though I can see him and Han having a chat about this in a more quiet scene.

Ironically, out of the trio he could maybe be said to be the most suited to be a Jedi personality-wise, despite the fact that he has no Force Sensitivity whatsoever; he goes with the flow, he isn’t troubled, he’s happy with the simple pleasures in life, he’s just a good, genuine guy who does good things, passionate but not obsessive, and he’s forgiving, willing to give even an enemy soldier a chance, appealing to the humanity in him. The last one is particularly Luke-like, don’t you think? Oh, to elaborate on the escape; I still like the idea of him giving Finn his name (though another idea I love is a fallen friend giving Finn his name, that would change stuff around a lot from what I am thinking at this moment). I also think that perhaps supplemental material or some flashbacks, or even an animated short could be made showing just how Poe broke Finn’s programming; by showing him genuine kindness, because somehow, despite his lack of Force Sensitivity, he saw that FN-2187 could be talked out of his programming if he was constantly nice to him, befriending him, starting up casual chatter with him, and after a while the trooper starts opening up to this pilot. …Yeah, Luke-like indeed. Though since there is the plot hole of why Finn could be convinced in mere days and why he’s the only one guarding such a high-profile prisoner, a more realistic idea may be that they talk to each other this way a few times, then Poe escapes and Finn goes after him before they both crash on Jakku and have to work together, with Poe immediately being friendly with Finn and later Rey, to his (and her) confusion. (I can just imagine Poe being all chipper and trying to engage Finn in conversation, or telling him “Good job, sport!” after they fight off bandits or something, and Finn just is all deadpan and “We are enemies, we have no reason to fraternize” and I find that kind of cute).

He may ultimately be the most static of the main cast, but I can see him having a huge impact in more subtle ways; like maybe Rey and Finn think of what Poe might do in a given situation in their training, and he could be the catalyst behind why Finn thinks that Kylo can be redeemed, just like how Poe was able to light another way when it felt like there was only one path for him. He also definitely wouldn’t be the type to be so reckless with his men like he was in TLJ, if he’s still a Commander; he cares about his men a lot, and in fact they may be the reason why he tends to act like an older brother. I can imagine a pretty poignant scene with Finn where Finn sees Poe by himself and BB-8 paying respects to his fallen comrades by this handmade cenotaph, as he sets some flowers down and pours a drink to them, and Finn once again is able to see how different the culture outside the First Order is, as he would have never been mourned like that if he died on the battlefield, nor can he imagine he ever would have done so himself. Or maybe Rey is there too, because if this is Cynical Rey she’s only known a life where people exploited each other. Maybe other characters like Jessika (who he’s already close to I think? Did she show up in the movies though?) or Rose would have the opportunity to be more than background characters by being part of his crew, and we’d get some charming scenes about the bond he has with his squadron.

Again, admittedly he’d be the least deep character out of the big four, with his feelings not being explored nearly as much. But he probably doesn’t really hide his feelings much anyway. For any supplementary shorts involving him, they would be mainly lighter stories about his relationship with the OT cast and their families and his friendship with BB-8 and his crew, or action-y ones about missions he’s gone on; as opposed to, say, Finn, which would show his life as an expendable trooper who knew nothing but war, Cynical!Rey and her crushing loneliness and growing disillusionment to the world as she struggles to survive, or Padawan!Rey and her anguish and grappling with the Dark Side in the aftermath of the Jedi Massacre.

I can also imagine him being this adorable Shipper On Deck for Finnrey lol. Just looking at his two friends, all proud, maybe even tearing up like “*sniff* I’m not crying Buddy, you’re crying!” when the inevitable big kiss scene happens. I can also imagine him being the one to tell Finn that “Hey Finn, what you’re feeling is love!”…And then he has to spend hours trying to explain what love even is to him lol. He always has his friends’ back after all. Again, he’s most likely the one guy who isn’t completely socially inept among these dorks. I’ve also had the potential idea that he could maybe be a good cook, and he’d be the one who introduces Rey and Finn to actually good food. Some fics I’ve noticed tend to show him cooking stuff probably for that reason. It’s just kind of cute, and it sets a good example if despite his traditionally masculine, salt-of-the-earth character, he likes some less “manly” stuff like such and sees no shame in it.

He may sacrifice himself in a blaze of glory towards the end, especially because quite frankly he may lose his plot relevance as the story goes on, though it would definitely be way more respectful than a lot of deaths were treated in the sequels. But I also want him to stick around because I want to imagine him being all proud of Rey and Finn after they propose to each other and giddily planning their wedding, and I feel he could have some very good interactions with Ben to build on for any spinoffs taking place after the trilogy. Speaking of…

Kylo Ren/Ben Solo: AKA Yet Another Ball Of Lost Potential: Anti-Villain Addition. This is gonna be a doozy, so strap in. He was probably the most developed character here but that just makes his lost potential stick out even more, so I have so much to say about him.

About 27 probably. While people complain about it, I actually like him being a manchild. It makes him a bit unique in this series. It’s kind of like Vader if he didn’t get stuck in that suit and kept acting like Anakin. In fact, that could make him even more terrifying if that feeds into how destructive he can be; at first he seems like your typical intimidating SW villain, not even that bad a leader with a seemingly calm if tense, imposing air, but it eventually becomes clear he’s this terrifying, volatile berserker who can throw some of the most destructive tantrums ever, and is ultimately a pathetic, broken, pitiful shell of a man. …He just happens to be a very powerful shell of a man. Maybe if he becomes emotional or angry enough, he can unleash powerful shockwaves that basically blow up everything around him, or cause mini Force Storms, or cause any number of unpredictable effects. Though he’s not quite constantly raging either; these berserk states are indeed triggered by anger, but I’m thinking that they are also basically weaponized panic attacks, there’s a sense that it’s also a self-defense mechanism that he lapses into when emotions overwhelm him or when he otherwise feels threatened (though whether it’s necessarily involuntary all the time I’m not so sure; but while he’d definitely want to be able to trigger them voluntarily, there will always be some sense that he doesn’t have full control over it). Also a lot of his rage is directed inwards as well, much like with his grandfather. I thought that maybe his unpredictability in these rages would be the key to his destructiveness, though I can see how someone who is out of control would also pose a problem, no matter how powerful; so maybe this is when he becomes the most focused, becoming locked onto the elimination of the perceived threat at all costs, and/or he can be controlled by his Master more directly like some kind of attack animal.

Luke’s first padawan, or at least after Leia or Grogu (I might make him show up as Luke’s first knighted pupil and allude to this, providing more exposition on Kylo, and being one of the Jedi who help fight in the final battle as the Skywalkers go on to take on the final boss (and Grogu’s name being revealed would be a massive hype moment in The Mandalorian)). Due to his storied family, plus the name of his uncle and grandfather’s own master, he had heavy expectations on his (at the time) small shoulders from an early age. However, he had long been tormented by the Dark Side due to an untraceable curse placed upon him by Snoke, and probably a pre-existing anxious personality. The expectations placed on him, or maybe perhaps just self-imposed expectations, only worsened his turmoil, resulting in a festering mess of self-hatred, extreme perfectionism, and an obsession with familial honor and obsessive attachment to his family, especially Luke, that is a nasty combination of hero-worship and the abovementioned complexes and may border on almost incestuous.

There’s three ways for his backstory to go; “Underachiever Ben”, where Ben is either mediocre as a Jedi or still good but outperformed by others, or “Elsa Ben”, where he’s basically like Elsa from Frozen, possessing an extreme amount of power but barely able to control it, possibly due to Snoke’s curse, and a sort of middle ground, where Ben was super strong and a quick learner, but the dark side in him made Luke feel mixed about Ben’s increasing power, which Ben sensed. If the former, Ben becomes increasingly frustrated at himself for being such a “failure”. If “Elsa Ben”, there’s that, and also the added pain of him growing up terrified of himself and able to sense the terror he causes to those around him, so he was taken in by Luke so hopefully Luke could figure something out; he could have been destructive from the start, or maybe he started to become increasingly destructive despite his training. If the middle ground route, he takes Luke’s mixed emotions to mean that he doesn’t think he’s good enough. How severe Snoke’s curse would have been I’m not fully sure on; he could have voices in his head and nightmares keeping him up for days, chipping away at his sanity, tempting him to accept the darkness, or it may have just been an amplifying of his already unstable emotions. They could have even started as the latter and escalated to the former. But I’m thinking that to best explain his behavior I’m leaning towards the Elsa route. Eventually, his nightmares morphed into repeated visits by Darth Vader, his grandfather, who told him about the truth of his lineage and how he became Vader, slandering everything and everyone he ever admired or loved, telling him of his “true” destiny, and how he should give up and embrace it; unable to hear the real Anakin’s ghost screaming at him to not repeat his mistake. This extended campaign of mental torment stunted his emotional growth in many aspects, and at times he may seem to regress even more. Maybe other padawans were afraid of him because of this dark side presence, avoiding him, and/or were jealous of him because of his lineage and relation to Luke. He often felt entitled to be Luke’s right hand, getting jealous at other students and taking any reprimanding, no matter how gentle, extremely personally. Luke would have needed to struggle between not seeming to be biased towards his nephew and giving him the attention he needed, especially because Ben would feel like Han and Leia abandoned him because they weren’t able to help him, but considering how attached he is to Luke this would hurt him. So when Luke went to speak to him one night, or rushed in sensing an overwhelming dark side presence in his room, and was suddenly attacked by Snoke with a vision of what his nephew would become and making him go into fighting mode for a split second, drawing his weapon to protect Ben, and/or earlier admitted in anguish that he had no idea what was tormenting him despite his efforts, the straw broke the pedestal and he resigned himself to his “destiny”. Ironically he’s just exchanging one sky-high ideal for another, but he’s too emotionally immature to realize this, nor does he fully realize the fact that Snoke merely sees him as a malleable, gullible means to an end. Yet he still feels that pesky pull to the light, and he becomes increasingly frustrated with himself that even as a Dark side user, he still can’t be “perfect” or “worth” anything, not even able to sink himself into the darkness and finally rid himself of his pain. For all the privilege and power he has, or because of it, he always feels worthless.

Basically I want to break him down and make his pitifulness obvious, but that’s what makes him sympathetic. He’s nowhere as far gone as Vader, even if he wants to be, kind of like a reverse Jekyll and Hyde situation where the Hyde is dominant but Jekyll hangs on, so to speak? Maybe? Is that the right analogy? Or I guess it is kind of like Anakin but sort of not, but he’s rapidly going down the same route of hurting his family like his grandfather.

From researching a bit, his proposed behavior seems pretty close to the symptoms of BPD, which is actually pretty fitting because I was thinking Luke’s philosophy on the Force would be influenced by a more modern understanding of psychology, and Dialectical Behavior Therapy actually seems pretty in tune with what I understand to be how the Light Side of the Force works (I mean it even has basis in religious meditation…). Perhaps a mystical version of DBT was one of the things Luke was studying in exile. Though obviously it isn’t exactly BPD; portraying an actual, named mental illness not only has way too much baggage behind it, but it breaks immersion. And with him a lot of it will be the influence of the curse, though I think I would rather him have a personality that made him vulnerable to it from the start, so the curse had something to latch onto.

Going with the “Elsa Ben” scenario, his “real” personality is anxious and even a bit shy. While I like the idea of him being cheerful when he was very little, the shyness always being there is also a characterization I like. Combined with his lumbering physique from his teenage years onwards, this made him a kid who gave off an impression of being extremely dorky (an act that would probably be very natural for Adam Driver to pull off lol) and/or withdrawn and aloof, the latter of which may have made some other padawans think he thought highly of himself and start to resent him. Unlike Anakin he’d be probably a dutiful student, almost creepily obedient, probably actively distancing himself from rebellious behavior, though his way of speaking isn’t exactly super formal either because of the influence of the adults around him. In his obsessions lies a genuine love, even if twisted, of his “favorite person” so to speak. He was also a genuinely sweet kid who wanted to please these special people in his life. He could be said to be actually really selfless in a weird way, because ultimately he values familial honor and being “good enough” for whatever higher purpose more than he values himself. TROS implied some sassiness with that Han-like shrug, and while I can maybe see some of Han rubbing off on him like that, that might be something that started from him trying to copy his parents’ air of confidence, and another coping mechanism. He might, like Vader, have a 501st legion 2.0 which Phasma is in charge of and Finn is part of, and show a more nicer side to them. Perhaps he opened up one or two times to Finn specifically; I can see this image of him venting to him while Finn stands still like how someone might vent to their dog, not really expecting Finn to be listening (also sarcasm might help Kylo obscure his true anguish from Finn, because FO troopers don’t understand sarcasm probably).

He will be redeemed at the end… and live. Even if not necessarily paired with Rey. I’m neutral on Reylo (though admittedly I have a weak spot for pairs involving a strong woman and a troubled guy, so it’s kind of growing on me), but I really think this ship, or even centering the story strongly around a platonic relationship between these two, could have worked if it was built up strongly (Though if I were to go this route Finn would have to be established as a secondary character from the start, with Rey as the definitive main character, to focus on this). But either way, he’s definitely going to have to face the consequences of what he’s done, make up for his atrocities at least somewhat, and think about what he truly wants to do from now on. I can imagine him quietly reading stories to younglings as Rey, Finn, and Luke train some other pupils outside, or thanklessly working behind the scenes in other ways. For his haters out there, I could make the pill easier to swallow not just by making the reasons for his fall and how he was slowly and meticulously gaslit more clear, but also making him not as awful. Yes, he’s extremely destructive, but he could show more reluctance, or pause after his berserker rages, staring at the destruction he’s caused as the weight of what he’s done sinks in. He’d of course resent that he still has mercy left in him though. I don’t think that there will be a Starkiller Base, but even if there was he might argue with Hux a bit over whether it’s really necessary, until Hux sneers at him for having mercy, saying that Vader never hesitated when blowing up Alderaan, and Kylo reluctantly backs off.

…Actually, what about making him and Rey cousins? On one hand, if Rey is a Skywalker by blood, a direct daughter of the Master himself no less, Ben is now suddenly freed from carrying the weight of the family legacy on his own. On the other hand… He basically loses the thing he has spent his entire life building his identity around; since his fall would have partially been because of his obsession with Luke, he may become jealous and extremely resentful of her, and/or take this as even more reason for Luke to not “need” him anymore. Or perhaps, he pulls a reverse of “I sense the conflict in you” with her, wanting to “save” her from embracing the Light and wanting her to embrace the “true” Skywalker destiny with him. He could even be overjoyed that he could have someone else alongside him to carry on the legacy with; in this scenario he could have an unhealthy obsession with her that might also start crossing into “are you sure this isn’t incest?” territory. Yeah it’s a “join me and we can rule together” scenario again, but it would be done differently. Or perhaps it’s a mix of some of those. Exploring that and how he chooses to take it could be extremely interesting. Maybe it’s resolved when Anakin tells him to “finish what he started”… not just by saving the galaxy, but by also living the rest of his life loving his family not as an ideal, but as family, like Anakin wasn’t allowed to. And platonic Reylo sounds nice too. Though that’s going to make all that shipping fanart so awkward lol. Well it’s not as if Star Wars shippers haven’t been cockblocked by incest before (though his obsession with family and extremely questionable mental state would probably make such shippers go nuts anyway…).

And going off of Poe being close to his parents, while the main interactions with Kylo from the heroes would be Rey, Finn if he’s the second protagonist, Luke, and his parents, I can see potential for an interesting dynamic and some interesting conversations between them too. Much like how he might react to Rey being Luke’s daughter, I can see him being jealous of Poe and resenting him for being his “replacement”, but after his redemption I can see potential for seeing the start of a friendship between them in epilogue comics, novels, or a mini-series. It would be pretty in-character for my version of Poe to want to help rehabilitate his sort-of stepbrother. Also I now have the adorable mental image of Ben quietly helping Poe (and maybe the rest of his squad) decorate and arrange Rey and Finn’s wedding, or the two surprising Finn with a very elaborate bachelor party, though I’m not sure if those exist in this universe. And because of a certain Inside Llewyn Davis scene I’m also imagining Poe getting Ben to sing with him and BB-8. It’s adorable.

Also if both Rey and Finn are the main heroes, he might have some kind of link with both of them, and the main duo would both contrast him in their own way (lonely scavenger who no one expected anything of and nameless trooper who defected from the First Order vs. someone who grew up in greatness but seemingly threw it away and chose to be in the First Order; and much like Kylo Finn in particular has been manipulated from childhood to do heinous things, so he may sympathize with his situation). Maybe he’s the missing piece needed for both him and the leading duo to reach their full potential, or the main duo are the last piece needed to finally break Snoke’s curse on him, or something. Or it could simply just be Finn showing his growth and strength of character by understanding and forgiving Kylo, despite him now understanding just how badly the First Order treated him, which makes Rey (who, again, might start as this super cynical scavenger or may have seen Kylo go berserk and massacre her friends and betray her Master) come around to the idea. In this scenario it may actually be even more important to emphasize that Rey and Finn are two making up a whole, so as not to bog stuff down. It’s possible to ship Finnrey and want Kylo to have a better ending, what a shock!

Maybe Rey and Kylo could switch places, and he comes back to the light in SW8, which is an idea I’ve seen floated and is something that would make the story truly unique. He would seem like basically a less stable Vader 2.0 at the start, but over SW8 he could be seen breaking more and more out of his own terrible mindset, coming to a head in a cathartic realization that bring him back into the arms of his beloved family. It would also add an interesting dynamic that he and Finn have to be equals now. But that may mean that Rey would have to be killed off and I’m not so sure about that.

Though speaking of her, since in all these scenarios a common thread is that she understandably doesn’t like him, it would be a bit of a twist if Finn sees the good in him but Rey, if she’s a Skywalker, his cousin, doesn’t.

And to bring up Poe again, I also really like the idea of them having been childhood friends and thus knowing each other before the events of SW7; after all, they’re around similar age, it isn’t that far-fetched to think that former Rebel families would be still pretty close to each other, and I’ve seen some adorable fanfics with the concept. It also adds connection between them and adds even more tragedy, even if this relationship may have to be elaborated more in supplementary material due to time. I can definitely Poe speaking like an old friend to Kylo and constantly calling him “Ben”, to his irritation. The abovementioned feeling of being replaced could be what caused Ben to suddenly break off the friendship. And making the main cast kind of tight-knit like this might also help make the cast easier to manage.

Granted, there is the possibility of killing him off, though. I heard that one of the initial ideas for TFA was apparently that Kylo would be a reverse Vader, falling deeper and deeper into the Dark Side as the trilogy goes on. In fact, this may have been where Kylo killing Han may have been leading to. This actually sounded like a super cool idea, but considering the backstory I laid out I thought it would be way too bittersweet for the concluding movie of the saga, and if one were to say Kylo basically has BPD… That might lead to some unfortunate implications. I mean nothing is stopping me from not using the Elsa backstory, and if I didn’t use it maybe this route would be pretty viable, but I’m kind of starting to get attached to it.

—

Other characters:

Hux: I’ve never really been a villain person. I mean I liked sympathetic villains, yeah (but even then I preferred anti-heroes for a while; I’m talking like nothing beyond N from Pokémon levels of “evil”), but straight-up villains I just have merely seen as obstacles. Like back in my Smash fic days I was often like “Eh… They’re there… Because they want to take over the world I guess?”. It’s why I’m having trouble with Snoke probably lol. But for some reason Hux interests me. If I take a guess it’s probably because of the potential he had as an actual foil to Kylo in his own faction. He had so much potential as a villain, and in having this tense dynamic play out. In fact he does seem to have been set up that way in SW7. But yeah, I imagine him as one coldhearted bastard. His backstory, though not elaborated on in the movies, would be much like TFA supplementary material set him up; he’d still have killed his father, but while yes, Brendol was abusive and strict, Armitage didn’t kill him completely because he was a young man who wanted to break free from his strict father, but also genuinely because he knew doing so would be good for his standing. Unlike Kylo when he (most likely) kills Han, he doesn’t regret killing Brendol at all. While he might have a tragic backstory kind of explaining his behavior, it doesn’t bother him at all, while Kylo, who considering what happened to him and how he’s literally under a curse you’d think would have a much steeper fall into unabashed evil, is constantly conflicted. It’s a very Sith Lord-like backstory funnily enough… In fact I’m pretty sure that Palpatine had a backstory very similar to this with his parents.

He’s a very logical, analytical, brutally pragmatic person, and he looks upon Kylo’s emotional state with condescension. I’m increasingly starting to like the idea that he’s somehow able to talk Kylo down, while still being hardly nice. Perhaps he preys upon Kylo’s constant need for approval from others, even if he doesn’t like the person in question (this may also be why Kylo reacts so strongly to Finn escaping as well, in fact. He genuinely cares about people’s loyalty, even from literal no-name soldiers). Though I can’t decide whether he’s this deceptively charming snake or basically an evil Spock. I also can’t decide between him being in this constant state of “Why do I have to babysit this manchild” or giving absolutely no visible f*cks around Kylo no matter what happens, or even straight-up trolling him often, toying with his emotions because it amuses him; preferably two or a bit of all somehow? I can see him using having met Vader as a child to mock Kylo for how much of a pale, childish imitation he is, or reminding Kylo of how much better he is as a leader objectively; perhaps that’s what he holds over Kylo’s head. Or him explaining to Kylo how he was raised by less than stellar parenting and tried so hard to live up to his strict father too… So he brutally murdered Brendol in cold blood (possibly with Phasma’s help), became a better admiral than he ever was, and got over it “Like an adult. Unlike you.”. They’d be in this constant state of delicate, tense equality; Kylo can easily overpower Hux if he pisses him off a bit too much, but Hux is able to walk that fine edge seemingly without much effort.

But when he realizes whatever grand cosmic plot he and the entire First Order has been participating in this whole time is when, ironically, there would probably be a really dramatic villainous breakdown from him. It’s kind of a Zuko and Azula situation with Kylo and Hux perhaps? Or is this Hux more a mix of Azula and Zhao’s roles rather?

——

Worldbuilding stuff: Since I’m more a character person, there isn’t much here, but because the worldbuilding was another issue in the movies I’ll also be adding these.

The New Republic isn’t nuked in the first movie. In fact it stays there for the duration of the trilogy and the hero faction is now its armed forces, not The Resistance (Also that name makes no sense. Seriously. At least name them The Peacekeeper Corps or Vigilantes or something, or since they’re basically Leia’s personal military maybe the Organa Free Army or Organa Corps or something of that sort. No wonder people mistakenly call them The Rebels sometimes. It’s a similar setup to Chrom’s Shepherds in Fire Emblem Awakening, albeit with a better relationship with the kingdom; it would be downright strange if the Shepherds called themselves The Resistance despite literally existing with the queen’s permission, and it still is here. Hell, Leia’s Shepherds is a better name). There would be elaboration on the political stuff going on behind the scenes, and if Leia isn’t a Jedi that’s her plotline probably, though a big part of me wants her to be part of the action instead of being stuck on the homeworld.

Meanwhile, The First Order is made up of Imperial Remnants and people and planets who were unsatisfied with the democratic but still new and fragile New Republic. Basically think White Russians if the Soviets weren’t also awful. It happens a lot in history. While it may have some mining planets in its orbit (not literally, you know what I mean) so it can plausibly refurbish anything Kylo wrecks with his tantrums, Starkiller Base is probably a bit much, and a lot of their equipment might be old Imperial or Rebel stuff, or stolen from the New Republic, with new stuff being produced but not in overly high quantity. Some of the equipment deemed less important might even be kind of crappy due to how old they are. They’d probably be at most an equally powerful faction to the Republic, if not smaller than them, seeming more like a terrorist cell. I don’t have much of an idea why Snoke would want to be involved in it yet though.

But while the First Order might be smaller, the New Republic is hindered by it just now finally gaining its footing, and the military previously only having been used for peacekeeping and sniping stray Imperial remnants. Because it’s peacetime, it might have been kept pretty small, and also the military academies are literally not even 30 years old at this point, so new that it’s possible Poe, despite his youth, was one of the earliest graduates; one of the military’s most high-ranking officers is literally a scoundrel with no formal training - even if he is good at his job - it isn’t exactly a well-oiled machine, though its less rigid, casual structure also does benefit it in some aspects. Also the FO can easily use Kylo as intimidation, and its upper staff is nothing if not driven and motivated as well as ruthless. They may engage in more underhanded actions like sabotage and suicide bombers, or rely on small elite units like the Knights of Ren or small companies of troopers, to poke holes in the enemy just as much as open combat. And maybe if all else fails Snoke causes something really bad to happen seemingly out of nowhere.

While I do think that making the baddies an Empire 2.0 is an… uncreative decision, I want to keep Finn’s backstory, plus it fits Kylo’s story too so blah, I kind of have to keep it. Plus I want to do Phasma and Hux justice. Maybe Snoke or whatever it serves turns into a giant Eldritch abomination and have no use for the FO anymore. And again, reactionary forces are a thing that have existed throughout early modern history. But as already mentioned, due to the nature of the First Order’s existence, maybe the Stormtroopers aren’t kidnapped, but they were orphans picked off the streets, and/or some more dedicated Imperial parents gave them their children? I had the idea that Troopers like Finn are “Junior Troopers”, the child slave type, while older members, “Senior Troopers”, would be legit Imperial revanchists and former troopers. Maybe there’s a separate company of Juniors who think they’re cool by fighting for the First Order, but generally Juniors would be the lowest on the social rung, though some might make it into higher positions, and don’t know any other life than what they have now. Though I also like the idea that Finn was part of an elite unit directly connected to Kylo Ren like the 501st, so he has a reason to be particularly hurt by his betrayal (but that could throw a wrench in the whole Finn was a faceless cog in the machine thing). They’re pretty Prussian in command structure; officers work under mission-tactics, but the rank-and-file are machine-like in their discipline, more than even some actual droids. The Republic’s forces also probably engage in mission-tactics a lot, except how far it is acceptable goes way further down the chain of command, so stuff like the Holdo situation doesn’t happen. If that situation were to happen when mission-tactics were to be expected Poe’s independent action would be seen as reasonable. This would have potential for very interesting battles and tactics, though I’d need a lot of help with those because I’m the furthest thing from a tactician you can find (but even I can tell the bomber scene from TLJ was dumb, which should say something).

I kind of realized that it’s possible that the four OT legacy characters may end up basically representing four major aspects of the New Republic; the Jedi (Luke), law and justice (Leia, if she’s a senator), the military (Han, if he’s a general), and economics (Lando). I think some worldbuilding into how the republic functions should be explored through these characters as they move the story forward, except for the Jedi since they’re obviously a central focus, and Luke might very well be introduced after them, and the military will also get focus for obvious reasons, and Poe exists. The information definitely needs to be conveyed as efficiently and organically as possible through the story, because there’s two, likely three, equally important main characters and an unholy amount of secondary characters who aren’t exactly minor.

May write more later idk. I need to be doing other stuff…

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