#(also this was my second hoth option and since i went with the other one i still wanted to post this gif set becus its just too beautiful)

[marymekpop]

love language

[reluctant-mandalore]

Touch (Din Djarin x Reader)

Word Count: 1911

Warnings: Fluffy, love confessions, and some mention of violence/violence taking place. Not written by me, I’m just the poster <33

Writer: @tobusydaydreaming​

Note: Hey guys! This was part of the surprise I had for you today. Today you are receiving two fics!! (The other one will be posted later today) This fic isn’t actually by me, but is instead by my best friend @tobusydaydreaming​ who asked me to post it for them. They’re amazing and very talented so be sure to show them some love! Also, Reilly I love you, thank you for trusting me with your fic. You’re beautiful and I adore you <3

When you tell someone you like them, like like like them, it can go one of two ways: they either feel the same, or they don’t. If they’re nice, they’ll let you down gently. But what happens when you feel the same? A reciprocated love confession is typically followed by a dramatic kiss, or soft gazes and hand-holding. What happens when neither of you thought you would get to that point and are both internally panicking?

That was the dilemma that a woman and her Mandalorian partner were currently facing. Not three hours earlier were they staring death in the eye together. Both pinned down by a squadron of mercenaries, friends of one of their bounties. The blaster fire and explosions seemed endless, and the pair didn’t think they would fight their way out of this one.

“If we don’t make it out of this,” the woman had said, “I want you to know something!”

The blaster fire was so loud, that the two had to yell to be heard. If they made it, she was sure her voice would never recover. She quickly ducked down, a shot narrowly missing her face.

“And that is?” the Mandalorian, Din Djarin prompted.

“That I am so glad you asked me to be part of your crew. I wouldn’t trade this life for all the credits in the galaxy, and-”

A near-deafening explosion went off just beyond their pitiful defences.

“And I really like you!”

The Mandalorian peaked over the barrier with his blaster, taking down three men in quick succession. 

“I really don’t think this is the time!”

She peeked over the barrier too, only hitting one man. Much less impressive than her partner, but at least she didn’t hit the wall this time.

“No, Mando, you’re not listening!”

“Y/N-“

“I really, really like you!”

She watched the Mandalorian’s helmet snap over to where she was crouched. She was sure that his helmet could pick up on the sound of her extremely loud heartbeat. Their moment of pause was short-lived, however, when a brazen man walked around the Mandalorian’s corner, blaster raised. The woman was faster than him, getting a perfect bullseye right in the middle of his forehead, and he dropped. The Mandalorian didn’t even flinch.

“You like me?”

“Have since you saved my ass on Hoth!” she involuntarily shivered. The cold would forever haunt her nightmares. 

The blaster fire seemed to falter for a moment, which only meant one thing: recharging. Both the woman and the Mandalorian took this intermission to poke around the corners and shoot at their attackers for as long as possible. They each took down a handful before they started their fire again. The pair sat down beside one another behind their shotty cover.

“If it’s any consolation...I like you too.”

 She felt her heart soar and drop simultaneously. She learns the one thing she’s always wanted to know right before she’s about to die? Typical.

  How the pair got out was a little tricky to understand. In all the chaos, the Mandalorian and the woman had failed to notice the large crate of explosives three feet away from them. They were somehow able to get it, detonate it, kill everyone but themselves and walk away generally unscathed. Not even they were sure how it all went so perfectly. Maybe Lady Luck decided to stick her neck out.

 Their miraculous escape left them feeling sore, exhausted and desperate for hyperspace. The further they were from this hellhole planet, the better. They walked back silently, just looking over at each other from time to time to make sure the other was actually there. Actually alive and with them, because they had something waiting for them back on the Razor Crest. The kid.

 The woman had taken on sort of a maternal role for the little green child. She would watch him while his father, the Mandalorian was out hunting. She would play with him and feed him and sing him to sleep, and she loved her job. She loved the kid. She loved the kid’s father, and now he knew it. 

 This is what weighed on her mind as she sat shotgun in the cockpit of the Crest. The little babbling child had been so excited about his parents' return that he quickly tired himself out. He slept peacefully in the belly of the ship in his floating cradle, dreaming sweet dreams of little blue shrimp and jumping amphibians.

 He wasn’t aware of, or old enough to understand, the tension surrounding the Mandalorian and the woman. She knew that they couldn’t just act like they never said what they said. At least, she couldn’t. But she didn’t know if it was too soon to bring it up. They did almost just die, after all. But watching the stars reflecting off his helmet, the way they seemed to dance, she couldn’t wait.

“So...you like me too, huh? How uh...how long has that been a thing?” 

 She was about ten seconds away from throwing herself out the nearest window. The fact that they were in space made it all the better. She could die quickly and take her embarrassment with her. Her companion stiffened, but only for a moment. He stayed quiet for a bit, but that was nothing out of the ordinary. 

“Since Hoth.” came his modulated reply.

 The woman went big-eyed in disbelief. This entire time, he had liked her back? Did he also lay awake at night asking “what if?” Did he also let his gaze linger when she had her back turned? If she hadn’t been so shocked, she would have been furious. 

“You’ve got to be kidding me.”

A pause.

“Nope.”

 She scoffed at him, but she had a large smile on her face. Then, the Mandalorian did something the woman did not expect. He hit a few buttons and moved a knob or two, before turning his chair to face the woman head-on. She stared into his visor, trying her best to look him in the eye. But she could only see the reflection of her own looking back at her.

 That was what always concerned her. He was a Mandalorian, and he lived and breathed their creed. The culture was something Din Djarin held very close to his heart, and the woman had always respected that. Her life and personality were vastly different from that of the Mandalorian, and she had always wondered if that eliminated any chance of being more than friends.

 “I’m going to be completely honest with you. I’ve never really had anything like,” the Mandalorian gestured vaguely between them, “this. I don’t even know where to start.”

 The woman didn’t think there would be anything else that could really surprise her. Yet here she was, being proven wrong. When he wasn’t terrifying and spoke more than one sentence, Din Djarin was very sweet. No matter how short or blunt they were, his words were always kind. So the woman couldn’t help but wonder why a Mandalorian woman hadn’t bagged him in the past.

“Can Mandalorians even date outside of the creed?” she asked.

 It was so faint she could have missed it. A louder than normal exhale of air from the Mandalorian. A chuckle. 

“We can. It’s just...not as common. Other Mandalorians accept the creed better than those who aren’t.”

 The creed. It was the creed that forbade her from ever seeing Din Djarin’s face. Unless they were married, which had been an impossibility when she had woken up that morning. Sure, she had felt his face before. In the dark of night, just barely making out the silhouette of his body. With a blindfold on, being guided by his hands. With her eyes closed in the biggest act of trust between them. She had always been accepting of the creed, but she couldn’t help longing to see the man under the mask.

 She wondered if that was part of why he liked her. She wasn’t exactly the cream of the crop when it came to dating options. Her aim was slightly off, she couldn’t tell you what tool you were holding and her flying was alright on a good day. But she was loyal and dependable and damned if she wasn’t determined. She was a stable constant in Din Djarin’s life, and that was no easy feat.

“I guess we can start wherever we want. Wherever we feel comfortable starting.” the woman said.

 Both the woman and the Mandalorian sat in a comfortable silence, deep in thought. The only sound that could be heard was the gentle hum of the Crest’s engine. If you listened closely, you could hear it straining through hyperspace. How the ship wasn’t falling apart at the seams, the woman would never know. But it had become home. The smells, the mechanical problems and the little corner of the storage room she claimed as her sleeping area. It was small and cramped, but there was nowhere else she would rather be.

“I have an idea if it’s not too much for you.”

 A modulated hmm was the Mandalorian’s response. The woman held out her hand, making a grabbing motion. The Mandalorian tentatively reaches out and placed his hand in hers. She smiled. It was a smile that never failed to made Din Djarin’s chest warm. It was that smile that made every bad thing seem worthwhile.

 The woman gently peeled the thick, leather glove off one hand. It was calloused, coated in scars and twice the size of hers. She held it gently in both of hers with a softness that was so very foreign to Din Djarin. At least, it was until he met her. She had felt his bare skin before, helping with the odd injury here and there. But this was a first. Hand holding for hand holding’s sake. 

 She played with her partner’s hand, moving her fingers gliding along his palm and intertwining their fingers every so often. It was one of the few precious moments that the two of them so rarely got. A calm in between the storm of hunting bounties. The Mandalorian spread his hand out flat, lining the two hands palm to palm.

 They sat like that for a few moments, just basking. The woman then moved her partner's hand, placing it gently against her cheek. The rough thumb of the Mandalorian began to rub small circles and patterns against the woman’s cheek. She sighed in response, closing her eyes and pushing her face more into the Mandalorian’s grasp. Physical affection was something both were new to, but craved so deeply.

“We can go as slow as we want, Din.”

 Din Djarin absorbed her words. Kind words that danced across his mind and made him feel light. Since he had never really put any thought into relationships, he never realized that he could feel so light. Genuine kindness, especially when it’s directed at him, was worth more than any credits a bounty could give him.

 The woman shifted her face even more so that her lips connected with the Mandalorian’s hand. She peppered a trail of soft, ghost-like kisses across the palm, up to the tips of his fingers, then back down again. She planted one final kiss in the middle of her partner’s hand, lingering there a little longer. The woman opened her eyes, still caressing the Mandalorian’s hand against her face.

“I’d like that,” he said. “I really would.”

[writingstruggles]

Ben Solo/Kylo Ren: a character analysis

OK, first things first: THIS ISN’T A STAN OR ANTI POST. This is a character study, and if you can’t handle this character getting impartial concrit, just don’t read. If, however, you don’t agree with some of the points I’m going to make and want to have a healthy discussion about it, then I’m all ears. I don’t think my opinion is the only valid one, so feel free to try and change my mind.

And second things second: I tried so hard to love the sequel trilogy, but when it became clear after TROS that the studio had no plan other than making money, it became very difficult. I’m aware that the main problem for all the characters is the lack of general planing in this whole mess of trilogy, so keep this always in mind while reading this post: the first problem of this character was that the studio didn’t even know what to do with him.

1. Does Ben Solo becoming Kylo Ren make sense?

I checked the comics to get his background better. He had a happy childhood traveling a lot with Han and Leia, but when she discovered about the First Order, she sent him to train with Luke while Han and Chewie ran undercover missions for her. This is important: up to this point, he had a good relationship with his family, even if he was already being pulled by the dark side of the Force. It was during his adolescence that he started to be really seduced by Snoke, hearing the voice he thought belonged to Darth Vader. After the Luke incident, he did explode the cabin and thought he had killed his uncle, but he was not the one who killed all the other students and destroyed the temple: that was Snoke’s thing. He did kill some of his fellow Jedi apprentices later on, though. So, his turning points were Luke’s treason and Snoke’s coordinated abduction. And I would like to point out: the Sith training involves torture and brainwashing, so the first wrong impression I would like to correct about this character is that he was not simply a dick and revolted teen who ran away to join a cult.

BUT, there are some huge problems here. The first one is that when you watch the movies, you don’t learn anything about that aside from Luke’s part. In the way he’s presented in TFA, he’s Leia and Han’s son who betrayed his family, destroyed his uncles’ dream and joined the dark side for no reason. OF COURSE half of the audience wouldn’t like him. That wouldn’t be a problem if they just wanted him to be a villain like Darth Vader was, but it’s very clear that there was a plan (at least for one director) to make him a supposedly redeemable character. And how can we sympathize with his character like that? Even after we get to know what Luke almost did, the next question is simple: ok, so why he didn’t go back to Han and Leia?

And here is the second huge problem: we learned that after Ben leaves Yavin IV, Luke vanished, and Han and Leia broke up and went back to smuggling/leading a rebellion. And I can’t stress this enough, this doesn’t make any sense. The sequel trilogy killed Luke, Han, and Leia’s characters. These three characters that we have known for years would never, ever, had abandoned Ben Solo. Leia F*cking Organa and Han shot-first Solo would have brought their son back or die trying. Luke Skywalker is not a coward, he wouldn’t go into hiding and abandoned his only sister to clean up his mess during another war, let alone close himself to the Force, knowing full well he wouldn’t be able to feel if she was in danger. Just remember Han risking his life to save Luke in Hoth; or Leia leaving the rebellion to rescue Han from Jabba; or Luke straight-up disobeying ghost Obi-Wan and ghost Yoda to save Han and Leia, even if that costed the war. They were older and different, for sure, but we are talking about the quintessential things, the things that make these beloved characters themselves.  

(THIS ^^. This right here is the spirit of Star Wars)

So no, in the way it was done in the movies, Ben Solo becoming Kylo Ren doesn’t make sense to the audience, and that’s a huge problem. A friend of mine suggested once that instead of being a rip-off of ANH, TFA should have been a movie about the beginning of the First Order (because after we defeat the Empire on episode VI, episode VII starting with ANOTHER all-powerful evil government already dominating the galaxy and exploding planets just throws away all the previous movies’ efforts) and about how Ben Solo becomes Kylo Ren. Just imagine if Rey, Finn and Poe had interacted with Ben Solo before he becomes evil: the stakes would have been so much higher, and it could have been well done. It would have made this character more human and likable.

2. Kylo Ren’s motivations: what does he want?

If the OT was about hope, I think we can agree that the ST’s themes are legacy and belonging. Having their protagonists, Rey and Ben/Kylo representing two apposite sides of those things was one of the best ideas for the new saga.  Rey looks for belonging in the past she doesn’t know, while Kylo wants to abandon Ben Solo’s past and find his place in his future as Kylo Ren.

In that sense, his character arc was somehow solid. In TFA, it’s clear he’s still struggling with the dark side and feels the temptation of the light: he loses control easily, and he’s not doing anything unless Snoke orders him to. Ok, but why? Why is he clinging to Darth Vader’s ideals and staying in the sith path? Basically because he thinks it’s too late, and he has no other options. Which brings us back to the problem with Han and Leia: his parents didn’t go after him, they chose to go back to their old lives – of course he would think there’s no going back for him now. “But he is an adult man and could make his own decisions.” It’s a fair point, but again: sith training corrupts you and even if he had escaped, the only thing that would happen would be Snoke finding him again. It’s kinda like leaving an addiction: you supposedly can do it by yourself, but it is so much easier if you have help. Not a simple promise or offer, but actual, constant, and present help. I can not stress this enough, but I insist that one of the main problems with the sequel trilogy was not explaining in a satisfactory way HOW and WHY he turned to the dark side and stayed there.

3. Han Solo

Okay, I will admit: maybe my opinion on this specific topic is biased, because Han Solo is my favorite SW character. You may call me out as a fangirl if you don’t agree, but my point is: making Kylo Ren kill Han Solo was a bad idea. They basically killed the character for half of the audience, with zero chance of redemption.

It’s because it’s fratricide. Unless your father is Satan, the Emperor, or someone as equally villainous, fratricide is just that bad. It’s not easy to redeem a character who commits murder, but one that kills his own father? Who happens to be one of the good guys? And one of the most iconic and beloved characters in the franchise? There were other options to give Kylo Ren a tipping point, a conflicted moment that didn’t involve killing Han Solo. But they did, and he killed him. And now he’s no longer a villain we can sympathize with: now we think he’s a monster.

4. His interactions with Rey in TLJ

(I’m not wearing shipper goggles for this. I don’t even own shipper goggles when we are talking about Star Wars.)

Kylo Ren is conflicted after killing Han Solo, (and I will make a small pause here to reinforce how good Adam Driver’s acting was. He’s the only responsible for all the likable parts of Kylo Ren, especially in this movie). Kylo is once again unstable and Snoke is displeased with him, and for a moment we think he finally turned completely to the dark side, until he pauses before shooting Leia’s ship.

The force bond was the most interesting part of the movie. I don’t agree that he used it to manipulate Rey: if anything, he was completely harsh and blunt and kind of a dick to her, but he didn’t lie. He told her things how he saw it, with so much conviction that she started to see his side of the story. And since she was probably the first person in years that actually listened to him, his decision of murdering Snoke and inviting her to join the dark side makes very much sense.

We are talking about motivations and his are simple: let the past die, forge a new path. When he kills Snoke and no longer has a master, he only has one option: to become the master. That’s why he takes over the FO, and wants Rey to be his apprentice. Does the character suffer from sith-tunnel-vision? Definitely. But it makes sense. His decision-making is not overly complicated: he feels alone, and he wants a purpose: he decides that the solution for both is Rey joining him in the dark side. When she refuses, he still has one purpose: the FO.

This is, however, the point where he turns his back to the light completely: on Crait, he orders the FO to explode the Rebel Base and kill everyone, knowing full well his mother was in there. He orders them to exploded the Falcon out of the sky, once again knowing that Chewie and Rey are on board. When facing Luke, he repeats that he will kill Rey and the rebels. His transition from conflicted sith apprentice to the new villain of the franchise was actually well done.

And exactly because of that, the next topic pisses me off so much.

5. The continuity problem between episodes VIII and IX

Introducing Palpatine here was bad for so many reasons: backtracking Rey’s arc, making us think about Palps’ sex life, insisting on beating a literal dead horse when there were new things to explore, etc etc. And it was also bad for Kylo Ren’ arc. As I said before, the way they finished episode VIII, everything pointed to Kylo becoming the final evil Rey would have to face, and that would have been awesome. We didn’t need Palps, or ANOTHER all-powerful evil army ready to conquer the galaxy with exploding-planets-tech (seriously, is Alderaan a joke to you, Disn*y?).

  But, in the third movie, they went back and decided they didn’t want Kylo Ren to be the ultimate villain anymore. They wanted him to be redeemed. And that’s not bad per se, but an actual redemption arc needs to be planned, and I think we can all agree, there was no planning in the sequels. And again, FRATRICIDE. So they introduced an old, more powerful evil to make Kylo Ren less evil and less of a threat in comparison. And evil so definitive, and with such a bullshit connection to Rey, that it makes Kylo reconsider his previous promises of killing the last jedi and going back to the plan of making her turn.

And so, his character spends the movie going after Rey, to tell her the bullshit truth about her parents, to convince her to join him. At least his arc is still somehow solid, because once he’s decided on his path, he doesn’t lose control like in the previous movies, and his body language is more firm and lethal. Which, honestly, thanks Adam Driver, he knew the character way better than the director at this point.

He finally comes back to the light when Leia dies. Although it was rushed, I agree that, at that point, it was literally the only thing that could have made him turn. Rey reminding him that he wouldn’t be alone if he hadn’t chosen the dark side helped, too. It was clear that the moment with Han Solo was supposed to be with Leia, but I’m really glad Harrison Ford agreed to come back to fill in the role for his old friend.

6. Ben Solo

Okay, there’s so much to unpack here. When Ben Solo finally comes out to play, it’s very good. We can finally see some things that explain Kylo Ren better – it’s so obvious how awkward he was in his own body trying to be an evil sith lord when he is clearly a natural disaster. He still suffers from tunnel vision, but at least now it’s Skywalker-do-or-die tunnel vision. It’s like a weight was lifted from his shoulders, and the way his actions scream Han Solo makes me, once again, wish the first movie had been about him, and not the whole “find a map/ Star Killer base was ANOTHER ridiculous idea / I know R2’s alignment is chaotic bastard but COME ON”.

Star Wars has a notorious story with pulling Force powers out of nowhere, and I’m not going to pretend to be an expert in SW lore, so I won’t complain about the dyad thing (and the weird stuff with the light sabers). I honestly liked the concept. There’s a lot I have to say about the final battle against Palpatine, but I think it would fit better in a future character study about Rey (God, that’s going to be another long ass post). I just want to add that after Luke insisted on her taking both light sabers to Exegol, and after all the crazy stuff Ben did to get to her, they should have, you know, actually fought side by side against 85% dead Palpatine? Aren’t these two idiots supposed to be stronger than that?? I’m not complaining about Rey bringing him down “alone” since she is the protagonist yada yada, I just wished that Ben had done something, instead of being thrown into a hole.

(Palps did that out of spite because of his grandfather? I bet he did.)

I won’t say I didn’t cry hearing the voices of the past jedi talking to Rey, because I definitely did. If anything, it was great to see so many beloved actors getting a chance to honor such iconic characters. But are you freaking shitting on us? Where were ANY of those assholes when Luke, Leia and Ben needed them, like, ten years ago?? “Well, force ghosts should not be used as ex machinas, and they don’t see the future” Tell that to episodes IV, V and VI. Anakin, Obi Wan and Yoda can show up for Vader weird funeral/party with ewoks but they can’t send a jedi signal for the Skywalkers to warn them about Sith bullshit about to happen? “They were probably ahead in the world the comes next and they didn’t have a way to come back, they just talked to Rey because Exegol is a Force nexus and-” And so is Ach-To. And so is Yavin IV. And so is Dagoba (Yes, Snoke sent Ben there for training). Look, I have no problems with Force Ghosts, I love them bastards. I’m just so freaking mad with the lack of coherence in this trilogy. If they did not talk to the Skywalkers – and I’m sure at least Luke and Ben asked Obi Wan/Anakin to show themselves A LOT – they should not have talked to Rey. It was a crowd please moment, for sure, but it was another gigantic middle finger to Ben Solo (before he becomes Kylo Ren).

And then Rey died, and Ben brings her back. I know how many funny jokes are going around in the fandom about how resurrecting Qui-Gon or Padme would have saved the galaxy so much trouble, but again, I’m okay with that. It was previously established that since they were a dyad, they had this living Force between them (although it was rushed in the final like everything else). And it does make sense Ben doing that: he had just come back to the light, and his parents were both dead. Han and Leia were gone because of him, the last time he saw Chewie was as his captor, and before that, he got shot by him, etc, you get the idea. He had nothing else, only this: the chance to make it right by a person that genuinely cared for him. Exchanging his life for Rey’s was nothing: he knew that his family would be waiting for him in the world that comes after.

So, did I like the Bendemption? It. Was. Not. A. Redemption. It was the right choice, and it made things right between him and Rey, because she forgave him for everything. But that’s it. He did not face the consequence of any of his previous actions. “But he died for her!” And we just established that it was not a difficult choice, considering that he had literally no reasons to stay alive if Rey was dead. If you want to see an actual redemption arc, go watch Avatar the Legend of Aang.

And finally, the kiss and the death. Okay, I know I’m digging my own grave by addressing that, but my mama raised no coward. Here it goes: it was fan service, pure and simple. It’s there to make part of the fanbase happy. Good for you, reylos, but to us, not shippers, it came out of nowhere. And I’m not questioning if they had feelings for each other or not: I’m talking about pacing and characterization. I’m not 100% convinced that Rey, as a character, as she was presented to us so far, would have done that. It felt out of place, and it broke the immersion of the scene. I was emotionally invested on what was going on, I was happy to see Ben smiling at her and everything, but then suddenly they were sucking faces and the “FAN SERVICE” alarm was so loud in my mind that I immediately lost interest. If they wanted that in the movie so much, there was probably a better way to do that.

It makes sense that Ben had to die to bring Rey back: one life for another and everything. I still think that, story-wise, it would have been better if none of them had died a ridiculous death, and Ben had faced the consequences of his actions as Kylo Ren, but okay, moving on.  The main problem here is what happens after he dies: nothing. Absolute-effing-nothing. He dies, he disappears – which, again, I won’t question because Leia was involved and Skywalkers do whatever they want with the Force and I’m no expert – but that’s it. Rey, the same Rey that had just jumped his bones fifteen seconds earlier, doesn’t even mourn him. She doesn’t cry, she doesn’t do anything for him in the end, she just goes to Tattooine because it makes sense to the Skywalker saga to end where it started. She sees more of those Force Ghosts who never appear when they freaking should and that’s it.

Why is it bad? Well, first, like it or not, Ben Solo/Kylo Ren was one of the main characters and he deserved an actual final. Finn and Poe too, but those are long posts for another day. And second, it makes the fan-service in that kiss scene more evident. You can’t have the girl kiss him and in the next scene act like it didn’t matter at all. “Ok, then it was a thank-you kiss and there were no real feelings of loved involved”. But that makes it worse, it would be even more completely out of character for Rey – who avoids physical contact with people on the regular – to just kiss someone as a thank-you. Do you see how the math does not compute? If she had feelings for him, and therefore kissed him, she should have mourned him. If anything, she should at least miss her other part of the dyad thing. And if she didn’t mourn him because she didn’t have actual feelings, then she should not have kissed him. A little consistency, it’s all I’m asking.

7. Conclusions (aka tl;dr)

He was a somehow consistent character, but the lack of plot for the sequels was a huge problem. If the trilogy had been about Ben Solo becomes Kylo Ren – Kylo Ren kills Snoke and becomes the real villain – Rey faces Kylo Ren and she either saves him or kills him, it would have been so much better than the mess the studio did.

His story in the comics is so much more complex than what it is shown in the movies, but what they did to Han, Leia and Luke was a crime.

It was clear that one director had a vision to give him a redemption, and the other to make him the ultimate villain.

Adam Driver did what he could to make this character solid and somehow likable, let’s thank him for that.

There was no reason to bring Palps back,

Rey’s actions in the final are contradictory,

He should have stayed alive to face the consequences of his actions,

and the studio is charged guilt for getting our hopes up just to crush them with their lack of interest in doing something descent for the fans.

But again, that’s just my analysis of this character. Feel free to disagree with me, I would love to see what other people think about Ben Solo/Kylo Ren.

[darthlorddiamond]

Broken Doll

This is the fourth episode of the Black Diamond story, if you want to read the previous episode or follow the next ones you can check my Masterlist.

Summary: Once in Depatar, Liam was trying to get the best deal to sell to Mitsu when an unexpected buyer closes the sale, giving her a new chance.

Words: 2,866

Reading time: 12 min

Category: Bio, Angst

Warnings: Human traffick

__________________

Broken Doll

A short time after I boarded the ship of the scavengers, we´re almost ready to land in Depatar, where, I had understood by the talk of the crew before being locked in Liam's quarters, is the most important of the black markets in the Cularin system.

Shortly before arriving, Liam returned to the room, carrying with him some rags and cleaning products "I can't get a good deal if you look like this" and he throws the things he was carrying in the sofa and turned to see me with a stupid smile on his face "As much as I like the way your little face looks covered in my cum, you have to clean up and make yourself presentable so the clients can see you pleasantly" turning his back towards his desk, he took the chair and sat down while lighting another cigarette "What are you waiting for? Change!" apparently I would have to undress in front of him again, a fact that made me not like it in the least and made me feel unpleasant again, but I had no other choice but to do it, so I started to take off, one by one, each of my heavy clothes, designed to withstand the cold of Hoth, every one of it fall to the floor, leaving my body completely naked. 

Liam was still sitting in his chair smoking, once again running my whole body with his eyes, despite what had happened, I felt very embarrassed, so I turned my back on him, and I went to take one of the garments that were on the sofa when he spoke "No, no, no little diamond, first you have to get clean until the last corner of your skin" I couldn't feel more ashamed, I took one of the rags that were on the sofa, wet it with the liquid that was in one of the bottles that he had brought and I started to rub it all over my body "I really wouldn't like to sell you, but if you stay on this ship, you probably won't go out never from this room and that will not make Grunt very happy” I turned to see him, I was very angry with him, but also with myself and thinking that I could stay locked in this place with him forever just made my stomach turn, he just smiled at me, and continued smoking.

Once I finished cleaning myself, I took the clothes he had left for me, I didn´t understand why these scavengers would have women's clothing on board, probably from one of the many lootings they had committed. The tunic he choose for me, was black and somewhat long, made of a slightly more porous fabric, I was very grateful that it reached below my knees, because I didn´t have underwear anymore, and what I least wanted at that time was that more people saw my full body in the market.

Once I finished dressing, Liam stood up from his chair and approached me, brought one of his hands to my face, gently held my chin and lifted my face while his gaze fell on me "Now we have to do something with your face and your hair. Sit in the chair” I wasn't very happy with the situation, but I still nodded. I approached the desk and sat down, Liam stood behind me and started brushing my hair and anointing it with oils whose scent perfumed the whole room, once he has finished grooming it, he braided the sides and joined them in the back "You have beautiful white hair" leaned in slightly to smell it, closing his eyes "I have to point all your features as much as possible, that way customers will find you attractive" passing by my side, he opened one of the desk drawers and took out a small wooden box.

Recharging his hip on the edge of the desk, he opened the box and start to take out jewelry, which he placed on my ears and neck, inspecting what was the best option to compliment my outfit "I´m curious that, even when you look human, your ears have a pointed shape..." brought one of his hands to my neck and stroked it gently "Without a doubt, you´re a very particular specimen" and without saying anything else, he selected from the box some long rings that delicately placed in each of my ears and bracelets for each of my hands "You aborded this ship like a diamond in the rough and you will leave here being a finest one" turning his back to me, he opened another drawer and took out some cosmetics "You´re a very pale girl..." he fixed his eyes on my face, lengthening his gaze "I have to put on you a little color or you´re going to look like you're sick..." for a moment I could swear he was looking at me tenderly "Nobody wants to buy a sick girl, they will think that you´re useless” my idea that there was someone friendly behind him completely disappeared, and he started to place a little color on my cheeks and lips; even when his hands were touching me with great delicacy, I couldn´t stop thinking that this man was the same brut that last night had raped me “Done! You're perfect!" his gaze extended for a few more seconds than normal on my face again, and shaking his head he walked towards the door without turning to see me "Prepared to disembark little Diamond, we have a very long day ahead".

Once on the streets of the Depatar´s black market, Liam walked beside me, arm in arm, giving me zero opportunities to stray from his side, until we reached a stall in front of an open door. It has a wooden table with various droid spare parts and a series of heavy fabrics covered it from the sun.

"Well, well, what are you bringing me today, Liam?" commented a somewhat old man looking at me, "I thought you were only interested in the spare parts market”, the man was missing an eye and it was obvious that he had spent years marketing prohibited products "Do you know the problem that you can put on me with a girl in my stand?" slowly he approached to Liam, who just snapped his mouth "Please Kam, don't lie, since I knew you, you have smuggled X category products" the other man just shrugged and pulling Liam by the neck whispered something in his ear that I wasn´t able to hear.

A few minutes passed while the scavengers put their loot inside the door of Kam's stall. Liam was always close to my side, all the movement made me feel a little anxious and I kept rubbing my hands, an act that Liam noticed "Don't worry, I won't leave you alone with him" he lit two cigarettes and handed me one, turning to look askance to me "You are my little Diamond..." I took the cigarette Liam gave me and started smoking without looking at him "I will not let your price drop easily only for sale you quickly" I tried to ignore the last comment.

While Liam gave some instructions to his men, I take a look around me, there weren't many options where to fly, aside from the possibility that the other tenants knew Kam quite well and, it was certain that, if I try to run, one them would grab me and bring me back. My only way to leave was to wait once the buyer of the Hutt Clan arrived and hope that he´s stupid enough to give me an escape window.

"What are you thinking about little Diamond?" Liam took me by surprise while holding my face, I directed my gaze to his eyes "You're not thinking of doing something stupid, right dove?" I shook my face, Liam caressed my cheek with his thumb, lightly tracing my wound “What a good little Diamond!" Liam suddenly leaned towards me and kissed my lips "Because it would be a shame to hurt this beautiful face again” even when his kiss was only a caress, it felt extremely threatening, so I took my gaze from his and out of the corner of my eye I could see how a tall man walked between the stalls near us. The man must have seen the scene that passed between me and Liam because he was walking towards us showing a false interest in some of the items in Kam's stall.

"Good sir, good morning! What interests you? Kam's parts will have what you are looking for!" the strange man, with a huge and false smile, played with some droid parts without seen Kam "I don't think your shop has what I'm looking for, scavenger" replied the man with a snap, looking around with disinterest "Of course I have what you are looking for! Just say it!" the voice of Kam was somewhat annoyed by the man's disdain "If you say so..." the man stopped playing with the pieces of the stall and advanced a little towards where Liam and I were "You will see, I´m looking for fine products of X category..." and slightly smiling he turned his gaze towards me "Not to mention sir..." whispered Kam, holding the man by the sleeve of his robe "The girl is reserved for the Hutt Clan..." Kam raised his gaze slightly to the man, while he just turned to look at him askance "The decadent Hutt Clan is more interested in spending their money on weapons than on little girls, instead I..." the man turned to see Liam with a huge smile "I can pay quite well, but if you are not interested..." he turned around and started walking away, Liam without thinking twice ran to him and grabbed his arm "Good sir, I think we can make a deal" the man looked at Liam over his shoulder and turned around "I see someone here knows how to do business".

We entered Kam's house through the door that was behind the stall and, indicating with a wave of his hand, Liam ordered me to sit in one of the chairs of the small table of the instance while offering the other of the chairs to the other man. 

For a brief moment, neither spoke, I was quite nervous about not knowing what was about to happen, so I continued rubbing my hands while my stomach began to growl. Once the three of us sat on the table, Liam lit another cigarette and registered the man with his eyes, the man just stared at me, making me feel ashamed, so I looked down and Liam took advantage of my action to break the silence "The price is 25,000 credits" the man just laughed and turned to look at him "25,000 credits for a girl with a scarred face?" and his laughter grew louder "It will be a somewhat a broken doll..." Liam reached out to grab my chin and lifted my face, fixing his gaze on me momentarily as he licked his lips "But it´s quite useful..." Liam turned to see the man with malice and a grotesque smile on his face, telling him with his eyes perfectly what he meant. The face of the man changed immediately into a rictus more stoic "I give you 15,000 credits, take it or leave it" Liam turned to see me with anger "15,000 credits!" Liam shouted getting up from the table and crashing his palms on it "You're crazy! You're wasting my time!" the man looked at Liam and without breaking the look of his face, he spat to him "It will be the best deal you can get".

A few silent minutes pass. Liam walked around the room like a locked animal, while the man didn´t take his eyes off me, for a moment he intimidated, so I chose to see another way, I needed that Liam close the deal, I needed to get out of there, I didn't want to spend another moment with him "15,000 credits..." Liam muttered under his breath "Republic Credits Chip or Coins?" interrupting his endless path Liam stood in front of the man "Coins, I don´t think the Republic Credits will be of much use to you out there" replied the man while clasping his hands on the table "It´s a deal!" and with those words, the man stood up from the table, put aside his robes and took out a sachel that he threw to the table scattering all the golden coins, coins that still had the symbol of the Empire on it.

Liam leaned over to the table, completely forgetting about me, I was disgusted to see how he pounced on money. The man circled him, approaching me, he moved closer to my ear, holding my arm and whispering "It's time for us to go". 

We left the store by the back door and walked away from the black market. All the way neither of us said something, however, from time to time I could see how he looked at me. I'm not going to lie, immediately as we left Liam behind, I was able to breathe freely again and felt my body break from a burden. We entered into the streets of  Depatar´s downtown and the man stopped at a stall to buy something. That was my time to run away, but before doing anything, the man returned to where I was and extended his hand towards me with a small box with food inside "I´m sure that you have been days without eating..." I took the box "I know perfectly well that the scavengers aren´t the best hostess” a small smile was drawn on his face and for some strange reason, his kindness made me feel like a child again and, although I didn't want to let my guard down, my intuition told me that I could trust him, this feeling was also because, since we left Kam's store, the man didn´t place his hands on me at any time "Let's find a comfortable place where we can sit down to eat, is that fine?" looking askance at me I could see how his smile was still there; I felt my cheeks flush so I looked away from him and nodded my head.

We arrive at a small space within the city with benches scattered in the shade and we take a seat. None of us spoke while we were eating, I hadn't realized how hungry I was “You know, not a long time ago, a neighboring village of my clan suffered an attack and two young boys of your age refugee among us..." the man fixed his gaze on the ground "I cannot imagine the terror that they must have experienced while fleeing from their persecutors..." then, he made a long silence while turning to see me "However, I cannot, nor do I want to think about the horrors that you would have lived at the hands of these scavengers..." I didn´t notice, but the tears had already formed in my eyes; Suddenly the man placed his hand on mine and held it tightly while still looking at me "That was why, when I saw you with them, I decided to buy you..." he took a deep breath that resonated in his chest "You have nothing to worry about, you will be safe among the members of the Scyre Clan" when I turned to see him, a huge smile crossed his entire face.

He was around his thirties, someone could tell that, in his youth, he had been a warrior because I could see some old wounds in his arms and neck "My name is Egil. What's yours?" he never took his eyes off my face or his hands from mine "I know you can speak, don't be afraid, I assure you that nothing bad will happen to you". My name? My name... For a moment in my mind crossed the memory of Tato shouting me to enter the hut for the meal, however, Mitsu had died more than a year ago in the forest of Hoth "Diamond" I whispered and the man released a slight laugh accompanied by that big smile "Very well Diamond, I´m pretty sure that Phasma and Keldo will be happy to have you at home".

What did he just say? Home? Me? The monster that put into an eternal dream the last tribe of Hoth, the beast that hid among junk to fly away and let that a nasty scavenger use her body just to get out? Did I really have a chance to return, to have a home? 

Rising from our place, Egil extended me a hand "I think it's time to return" and without hesitation, I took it. For the first time in months, my heart was beating with hope, I could feel my tears running down my cheeks, but this time they were because of happiness and a smile was painted on my face after months. I felt it again, I felt that, for some reason, there was light at the end of my dark path.

Note: I would like to especially thank @kyloren-theprince​, @thetorturerwrites​ & @kylorengarbagedump​​​ who took time to read this first part of my saga and sent me observations with all the patience in the world.

[sheyshen]

Ran the Traitor arc flashpoints +Iokath on Auren today and jotted down my thoughts as I went. I wasn’t expecting it to be as long as it ended up so I’m putting it under the cut. Sorry mobile peeps.

where was everyone??

koth your ship blew up! don't you care?

No reaction from senya, arcann, or koth to finding out their gods are real and are machines?

the male agent's voice acting is still on par.

Zenta, where the hell are your eyebrows? you're hair is great, but you didn't put any time to make sure you had eyebrows?

awkward reunion with temple

seriously, where was everyone? we get 30 seconds with arcann and about the same with hylo, sure, but nobody else? nobody at all? that would, y'know, be connected to Zildrog or the Gravestone?

Auren, why do you seem annoyed Theron fake betrayed you to play double agent, you did the same damn thing.

Nathema is still terrible, though I love it's sky now, and the music is still creepy as hell. 0/10 why do I keep doing this fp?

Wait, Theron doesn't do that mega heal anymore? this sucks

Dammit Shara, I thought we were a thing and I'm just an "old friend" to you? c'mon. Auren loved you.

"You lied to me, Agent. So now I can never trust you." Really? Auren's a spy! Lieing is part of his job description!

The "you worked for the SIS all along" reveal was pretty lacking tbh. No reaction from Lana or Theron? Really? Nothing? I'm so disappointed.

I had to switch Lana to heals for the Guardian Droid fight and THEN Theron does the OP heal. Thanks man.

But seriously? No reaction to Auren being SIS? None at all?

If anyone tells me the reason they didn't add any other npc to this aside from Theron and Lana was due to them being killable I'm going to shake Arcann at them.

I could believe budget reasons to a point. But for the 30 secs of "Please be careful." we get from Arcann we could at least get that or a letter from our romanced companion. I mean seeing as we got both from him.

Don't get me wrong I love him to death, and I still love that letter, but BW couldn't done the letters at the very least. No need to worry about tracking down the voice actors for such a small amount of lines then. (I know Aric's VA, Timothy Omundson, had a stroke a bit ago so I dunno if he's still voice acting since he wasn't able to be in the Psych movie. Or if he’s back to work since he seems pretty active on twitter. so I can understand for Aric not showing up)

Ok, so if Zildrog is the Gravestone, what are those eggs in the dark sanctuary? his AI core? or a connection to it at least?

This isn't the first time Zildrog went after the fleet, right? Based on Koth's story when you first find the ship it's gone up against the fleet before and won. So what does it have against those poor droids? and does that mean the fleet was a lot bigger before Zildrog was put on snooze?

Oh, Theron only uses the OP heals on Lana. Thanks, I feel the love.

Lana catching Theron when he gets stabbed and thrown is still funny. Theron and the commander have matching lightsaber gut scars. how sweet.

I still kinda feel for Vinn, he just wanted to help his people and went waaaay overboard. Like please chill. talking it out isn't a bad option. Resurrecting gods was a bit overboard.

Also for someone who supposedly hates Arcann he sure fights a lot like him... At least he didn’t stun himself with his own lightning.

I know people want to romance Vinn, and I probably would check it out on one character at least if it was added, but we know barely anything about the guy, we’ve only have about 20min total of screentime, jeez. Is it the hair?

So if they had like a power outage on Nathema and it shut off Zildrog would the Gravestone have spontaneously exploded? That was lucky.

Idiot spy boyfriends are now idiot spy husbands. I love it.

Also, shush Saganu, I'm not gonna shoot someone who's unarmed. don't give me that 'our loyalty was not mutual' BS. I was the same when we worked together on Hoth, I'm not going to change now.

Seriously, no comments about the SIS thing??? I feel cheated.

I got Vector on him right away too, and gotta say I love his new coat. I'm still debating on what I want to do for Airi, if she's gonna keep her romance with him since I do like him, but at the same time I still have a  hard time with the bug thing.

Next alt? Alessia, so I can romance Lana on my green-bean Jedi lady.