#touch: epilogue

[write-and-wander]

Touch: Epilogue

Pairing:  Kylo Ren x Fem!Reader

Warnings:  Non-canon AU

Word count:  1K

Author’s note: As much as I loved the ending of the last chapter, I can't resist a little epilogue to show where I imagine things would go in my version of the sequels.

(Part 1)

(Part 2)

(Part 3)

(Part 4)

(Part 5)

(Part 6)

(Part 7)

Epilogue: Future's Path

“General Kenobi?”  You hear Poe call out to you.

“Be there in five!” you call back, looking back down to your journal.  It’s been a while since your last entry, and you just wanted to finish recording things before The Path Forward’s first meeting for Project Rebuild.  With a deep breath, you think back on all that has transpired since the Final Victory.

The first order of business was to repair what had been broken.  For the Path- which, at the time, was still the Resistance- that meant tending to the wreckage of the bases we had built in the past.  They settled on rebuilding in D’Qar as, for most of those who stayed after the Victory, it felt like home.  Though many people left the Resistance after that final battle was won, feeling satisfied with having achieved what they had set out to accomplish, some still remained, determining that the work was not yet finished.  Those that stayed reached out to those that left and other allies to raise funds and gather supplies, and while the Resistance itself was gone, the spirit of working together to make the galaxy a better place yet remained.  We all had managed to gather enough not just to rebuild the base we once had, but to also improve upon it with the hope that future generations would be using this place to continue to strive for better.  In fact, reconstruction and renovation just came to completion- hence the meeting I’m about to attend.

General Dameron seamlessly took over the Path after the Victory.  Those of us who joined prior to Leia’s passing knew that it was exactly what she would have wanted- and seeing him lead now confirmed that it was for good reason.  He really was the perfect choice for the head of the organization.  Poe, having grown up with the group and being- well, himself- made for a natural leader.  While some members, new and old alike, still disagree with the risks he’s willing to take, it’s hard to argue against his decisions when they always seem to work out.  I don’t want to discount his natural talents, but I also believe that none of it would be possible without the force’s favor over him.  Regardless, he really is the best we’ve got.

General Storm would agree with me- and, being as force sensitive as he is, I trust his word (admittedly, sometimes more than I trust my own).  Finn’s wisdom is unparalleled, and his bravery and even head makes for a perfect counterpart to General Dameron.  I’m still getting used to calling him General Storm; it was the last name he had taken for himself while Ben, Poe, and I were working out logistics for the Path.  We were shocked when it was the first name he offered for himself, being a reference to his time with the First Order as a Stormtrooper.  However, he said it best himself: “It’s who I am.  It can always mean something new.”  It was a short deliberation, then, on how we would be referring to Finn upon his promotion to General: ‘Storm’ it was.  Shortly after, Rey took the same sort of inspiration, having found out the truth of her past- though, there was no concern about a proper title, as she would not be stepping up into any sort of leadership for the Path.

Now make no mistake, Rey was still working in a close alliance with the Path- which I believe is at least in part due to General Storm.  Instead, she had also taken on her own mantle moving forward.  She had kept both Luke and Leia’s sabers, as well as some of the ancient Jedi texts- which, I just recently learned, were otherwise turned to ash on Ahch-To by Jedi Master Yoda; meaning that the ever-resourceful scavenger managed to recover some before the fiery incident.  With those few relics, she determined that the Jedi tradition should not so easily die.  She decided to try again what Luke had failed to do in his lifetime- rebuild the Jedi Order.  While we disagreed with her decision, we’ve also decided to respect it; with the caveat that the Path would be keeping a close eye on her new Order.  Understanding the hesitation and wanting to be held accountable for the sake of the galaxy’s security moving forward, she easily accepted the conditions.

General Solo- my beloved Ben- took a similar path for himself.  While he was more invested in the Path than Rey was- enough to be given a proper title and position- he also still pursued more, taking the last words of his uncle to heart.  Actually, it’s a project we’ve both been working on for a while now.  We want to forge a new future; to pave a new path for those who are strong with the force.  It will be a way of balance, where the dark cannot exist without the light, both in the galaxy and within ourselves.  We hope to honor our ancestors with the work we do- and, having taken advantage of the presence of their force ghosts to seek out guidance from them, we can confidently say that we’re off to a good start.  Together, we began to teach new, young force-wielders what true balance and harmony with the force might look like, and how one can harness the power within that.

Finally, both sides of the force are intertwined into one, just as intended; and to think it all began when the light first touched the darkness.

You jump at the sound of the door opening, but relax when you see Ben walking in.

“If you show up any later, they might think you’re nervous,” he teases.

“Nervous?” you scoff, “Never.”

Ben laughs.  “The journal can wait, my light,” he says with a kiss to your temple. You stand.

“There’s just so much to record, I wanted to at least start-”

“Will you two stop making out in here?” Poe butts in, “We’ve got a project to start.”

You laugh and give Ben a kiss.  “Okay,” you say, taking a deep breath.

Ben grabs your hand.  “Together?”

You nod as you both follow Poe to the meeting room.  “Together.”

[poorly-drawn-mdzs]

Laios's three Boy Best Friends. And yes, they hate him.

[artbyfuji]

near collapse of society but still taiyang's lawn must be mowed.

[psink]

Whilst overall I prefer the manga to the anime, there's one aspect that I think the anime does better - the very ending.

Compared to the manga's very compactly shown thoughts of the cast, the anime gives each of them a short scene.

But although that change already is great, what matters to me the most, is this added scene of Saiko.

Despite it being so short, it feels so fitting and important to Saiko's character, making its absence in the original seem wrong. (They also added Rifuta, though comparatively, her scene isn't so significant.)

[natalievoncatte]

Even in the vast softness of Caitlyn’s bed

(their bed)

Vi felt the jolt. It was either that or the soft, pained exhalation that woke her, but it didn’t really matter. She snapped awake with the sudden alertness she’d been taught by Vander and had honed in Stillwater. Even though she came around in an instant, she still expected to feel a cold concrete floor beneath her aching side and smell the charnel stink of sweat, desperation, and blood. Waking up to soft linens and the clean, fresh smell of sheets washed in lavender water, and *Cait* felt fresh and new every time.

“…no…” Cait mewled. “…no… stop… Jinx… Cupcake! Cupcake she calls me-“

Vi hesitated, unsure whether to wake her. She’d seen plenty of people cry out in their sleep and knew that eight times in ten it was better to let them ride it out instead of waking them in the middle of something that might make them lash out or hurt themselves.

When Cait let out a blood-curdling scream, Vi lept wxross the bed and pressed a hand to her cheek, finding a cold sweat sheening her skin.

“Cait, wake up.”

Caitlyn’s eyes (*eye*, a bitter voice added) snapped open and she looked around, jerking up from the bed, her chest heaving as she drew in ragged, pained breaths.

Vi pulled her into an embrace, wrapping Caitlyn up in her arms and bending her body as much as she could to form a shield around her while Caitlyn desperately hugged her back and buried her face in Vi’s neck.

Sometimes they said more this way than they did by talking. Vi sat up and gently rubbed the back of Cait’s neck with her fingertips and pressed light kisses to the crown of her head, for no other reason than she loved her and she was free to show it.

Finally Cait said, “I had a nightmare.”

“Do you want to talk about it?”

Cait didn’t answer, instead resting her head on Vi’s shoulder while her finger aimlessly traced the tattoo on Vi’s arm, sort of half-humming on exhalation. Vi had learned that Cait wasn’t being rude when she didn’t answer her and that these little things she did to soothe herself were just as important. That Vi could savor Cait’s touches forever was incidental. Vi hadn’t touched her enough and would make up for it for the rest of her life.

“Do you remember the… the tea party.”

Vi swallowed hard. That night had been one of the most painful of her life, when all her sins had marched out of the darkness to revenge themselves on her tenfold. It was the terror she felt when she saw Cait’s eyes that shattered her, but the worst, the worst…

(I paid your girlfriend a visit…)

It hurt to even summon the thought, like touching the edges of a barely healed wound, feeling the scab lift and pull at the raw flesh beneath.

For a moment Vi knew that Jinx was going to lift that lid and Caitlyn’s severed rotting head would be sitting there staring at her with blank eyes and she cringed in horror and fear, a shiver ripping through her.

Cait knew; Vi didn’t have to say yes.

“Did you ever wonder how she knew you called me cupcake?”

Vi shook her head. “I thought she must have heard me. On the bridge maybe or…”

“She might have, but she delighted in making me tell her. I was helpless, terrified. She spent hours hurting me, but she kept saying she wouldn’t kill me because she was waiting for you. She said you’d do it.”

“Did you believe her?”

“No, never.”

Vi let out a long, slow sigh in relief.

“I hurt you. I hit you, but you would never hurt me.”

“We talked about that, Cait.”

“I know.”

There was a brief silence in the dark. First light was beginning to peek through the curtains and soon it would be time to get up. Most nights Vi hated waking now. She wanted nothing more than to spend then rest of her life in soft sunlit moments with Cait, making love under the warming sunlight as often as not.

Cait’s hand worked between them and traced over the scar on Vi’s belly, in the same spot where Cait’s rifle butt had smashed the air from her lungs and left her begging, sent her spiraling into a booze-fueled nightmare of longing where the pain of a fist to her face was the only thing that kept her awake long enough to keep looking for someone to kill her in the ring before the drinking did.

They held each other a little tighter.

“No one is going to get you now,” Vi promised.

“You’re not my keeper, Vi. You mean more to me than what you can do for me.”

“I meant you can hold your own. You took me out, remember? Do you know how many people can say that?”

“You let me win because I’m me.”

Vi shook her head. “Not until I was already face up on the ground. You took down Ambessa.”

“I had help.”

“You’ll have help if someone comes at you again. My help.”

“I told you, Vi, you…”

“No. It’s not because I owe you something, it’s because I love you.”

Vi hadn’t said the words yet, despite all this time, but it shocked neither of them.

“We protect each other, then.”

Vi nodded in agreement. She could see Cait’s eye growing lidded and the tension slit out of her body as Vi lay down with her. She was asleep in a few minutes, snoring lightly against Vi’s neck.

Vi vowed to stay awake, Cait was too soft.

[disguisedcheezed]

Backlogs from last year, inspired from the fic puppet loosely strung by nutrimercenary.

I also have an older post that looks awfully the same as the 2nd image....

[corpusdiem-seizethedead]

Husk: When I said "bring me back something from the beach", I meant like a seashell.

Angel: *struggling to hold a seagull with all six arms* Well, you didn't fucking say that!

[taylortruther]

Personally I don’t believe for a second that taylor had matty in her mind for years. It minimizes what she had with joe and what even matty had with other people. This whole idea that they were into each other for 10 years, writing about the other seems like a reach and a fantasy. Which is literally what taylor says in ttpd. I’m sure she loved matty, maybe she thought he was the one, but it was lowkey a fantasy. An obsession. She made up a lot of stuff due to her ideas of fate, star crossed lovers and twin flames. And in her head, it made sense. But in paper?. Oh, the reality is there. A lot of us been there. I don’t want to undermine what she had with matty bc that’s up to her but from ttpd.. a lot of the pain was self inflicted because of her own ideas, beliefs and projections. She wanted matty to be the one so she couldn’t think about losing the one she thought it was her endgame. And thats the tragedy of it.

and that's the tragedy of it

[baylardian-1]

the kind of couple to technically be "in secret" about their relationship but the whole fleet knows the fleet commander is rawdogging voyager's captain

[clandestinegardenias]

Alexa, search what to do when you read an achingly beautiful fic about two old men in love and now you’re crying at midnight but you have to get up for a flight in the morning and you think love is both more real than it’s ever been and also a phantasm you will never grasp

[ers-543]

what if?

[incomingalbatross]

things I would like to see explored in Saiki K. powers loss/powers reveal scenarios:

powerless Saiki grappling not only with the fact that he is suddenly Vulnerable without his powers but also that his friends and family are a normal amount of vulnerable for squishy humans, and he can't watch out for them now

contrast between his internalized view of himself as Guardian Protector and his friends' view of him as Just One Of The Gang

Saiki realizing that sometimes you owe the people around you a certain amount of openness in day-to-day life. Gradually letting his friends on on more of the Internal Snark.

more interaction between his Classmate Friend Group and his Secret-Keeper Sidekicks/Friends Group.

Saiki having to drop stories of the insane things that have happened as they come up in conversation, because you can't fit all of it in one reveal. His friends just keep stumbling across new insanity - what do you mean that was your dad at your birthday party? wait, when were we in a time loop? what do you mean there are different kinds of time loops

"did I ever hate my powers or is it just that living in the world is an inherently difficult thing to learn" (<- this is where Mob would be a helpful consultant)

being able to share with his friends all the ways he relates to their various struggles, which he couldn't before because their struggles and his were Secret.

[asleepygremlin]

HERE IS THE OTHER HALF

First half here: https://www.tumblr.com/asleepygremlin/739254697891971072/i-just-finished-the-epilogue-so-heres-half-a

Don’t mind my rambling here

The epilogue was honestly what I expected it to be and I mean that in a good way, after the situation in the indigo disk this was a good way to calm down after that and see old friends meeting new ones (their interactions were amazing in this) but I do personally wish the situation was a tiny bit tense. I think I just wanted Pecharunt to feel more of a threat than a nuisance but that’s just my opinion. All in all a great experience :D

[thatlittledandere]

Why is every single conversation between them solid fucking gold. Dave is gay and linguistically gifted but has no filter and Karkat as a tsukkomi is a perfect foil to him. And so they can have a conversation about Jake's ass that's just WORKS

[revvethasmythh]

I started playing BG3 bc of your post about it and I really love it! Who do you think Veth would romance if she played BG3?

I'm so glad you're enjoying it! Also, what a great question. i have thought about this somewhat extensively already, admittedly. There are a few options here and Veth does love to be horny about multiple people, so I think it'd be something like this: I think she would be unbelievably horny about Karlach in a Sunbreaker Olomon kind of way (but also genuinely love her because how can you NOT love Karlach), have a more Fjord-esque love/hate thing going on with Astarion, and Shadowheart is exactly the kind of pretty, mean, sadgirl that I think would utterly bewitch her (she loves mysterious people, she thinks it's sexy). But still at the end of the day i think she'd be head over heels for Gale. That woman LOVES a dorky, incredibly intelligent man who is physically weak and struggles with hubris. This isn't even a Caleb-specific theme, she's like with Yeza, too! Gale would be a great balance of the adventure and domesticity that she wants in life, in addition to being EXACTLY her type of guy

[michsmeesh]

haiii.... if ur still taking requests could I ask for some jack in the rdr1 epilog :33333 he's so realness I could go on and on about him.....

a little jack portrait for u anon <3 also gave him a little ponytail bc it felt right

i was gonna draw something entirely else but its almost 7 am already and i need to sleep ahaha 💧👁👁