#and why didn’t she mention the dark saber

[rhaenyradaemons]

so you’re telling me my boy Din went through the horrors of life in order to get redeemed but then the Armorer took one (1) look at Bo-Katan and went "it’s okay bestie you can take the helmet off idc"??? even Paz was flabbergasted 👁️👄👁️

[gffa]

As I continue my rewatch my frustration with the timeline of The Mandalorian is not eased by having two seasons under our belts or more information on the Children of the Watch because there’s a very central question that haunts me:  Why does everyone act like Mandalorians not removing their helmets is the default and never mention any other way? To establish a timeline, centering the first season of The Mandalorian as year zero: - 28-31 years ago, the Clone Wars take place, which is likely when Din’s parents were killed and he was adopted by Death Watch - 11 years ago, the events Rebels takes place, in which Sabine gives the dark saber to Bo-Katan, who unites the Houses to rebel against the Empire - 9 years ago, the events of A New Hope take place - ?? years ago the Great Purge, the Night of a Thousand Tears happens, where the Empire wipes out the Mandalorians (this is likely somewhere around 10 years ago, but could be anywhere in this timeline) - 5 years ago, the Empire fell in the events of Return of the Jedi In the first episode, Mythrol asks if it’s true you guys never take off your helmets.   In episode 2, Kuill says he’s never met a Mandalorian, he’s only heard stories about them (and their battle skill is implied).  In episode 3, Paz Vizsla says that the beskar was from the Great Purge, the reason they live like sand rats now.  In episode 4, Cara asks what happens if Din takes off his helmet, despite that he never told her that about himself, but she has no mention of any other type of Mandalorian. The thing is:  The Mandalorians we know from The Clone Wars and Rebels were running around the galaxy eleven ago at minimum (likely less even!).  And the Empire has been gone for five of those years.  Which means, even if the Empire would have suppressed knowledge of the Mandalorians (and there’s no suggestion that they did, nor an obvious reason to), it wasn’t just within living memory, it was only a five or six year period where they would have had time to do so. So, within those eleven years, did the galaxy forget that any other kind of Mandalorian exists?  The Children of the Watch were wiped out in the same Great Purge, so it’s not like they sprung up in place of other types of Mandalorians, and they’ve lived in hiding ever since.  But are apparently common enough that people know they don’t take their helmets off, ever? I can believe that, despite that Din is fairly aware of the state of the galaxy (he knows the New Republic is a joke when Greef suggests reporting the Imperial remnants to them), he’s extremely unaware in other ways.  I can believe that even when the Mandalorians were running around the galaxy eleven years ago and he would have been in his 20s at earliest, more likely in his 30s, that the Watch was all he knew, he’s not a chatty guy, and somehow he avoided running into any other Mandalorians during the years of the Empire before Bo-Katan united the Houses. What I’m forever ??? about is how do people around Din seem to accept his religious rules as the default on Mandalorians?  Are we just supposed to think that everyone else knows most Mandalorians weren’t like that but don’t say anything because they know Din does follow those rules?  Are we supposed to think that they were killed off and eleven years is long enough that nobody remembers anything but the Children of the Watch version of Mandalorians, despite that all of them would have been plenty old enough to remember? My frustration is that people seem extremely aware that Mandalorians exist and understand that they don’t take their helmets off, they’ve “heard the stories” or they know tidbits about them.  I get that the Empire suppressed and changed knowledge of the Jedi, they had ~20 years of propaganda and Palpatine made a hardcore point of it because he didn’t want anyone else to have access to the Force.  And if all knowledge about Mandalorians had been wiped, okay, sure, maybe there was a reason. But people are aware Mandalorians exist!  They’ve heard the stories!  They know details about Din’s version of Mandalorians!  How do they know that, but nobody seems to be aware that Din’s not the default?  Or are they just extremely aware of the difference between the Houses of Mandalore and the Children of the Watch and so they know Din’s different, but they’re not interested in asking about other Mandalorians, only Children of the Watch? I just don’t really see how the galaxy goes from what we knew during the Clone Wars and Rebels to the state of the galaxy re: Mandalorians in The Mandalorian.  If nobody mentioned it and Din was unaware, sure, but multiple people around him seem like Din’s version is default and, like, JON, DAVE, I WATCHED REBELS, I KNOW THE STATE OF THE GALAXY, COME ON.

[claudiaaaana]

Here me out, secret agent/spy AU where Natsu is a field agent and Lucy is his support, basically feeding him his Intel through a piece in his ear while he's on missions. They rarely ever spend time in person, rather they bond almost entirely through banter while on missions.

Honestly, this reminds me of Healer—a kdrama where the guy was also kind of like a field agent and he had this woman (no ship or anything, this lady was way too older) who was his partner through the ear thing. She would arrange his missions, get the information for him, all through the computer BUT!! They didn’t know each other personally, he didn’t even know how she looked like, only she knew him physically because she would always see him through the computers and everything.

Now lemme drop some headcanons for that:

•Lucy’s office is a mess. Scattered books, manila folder, and files all over the place, a map with red strings pinned to her wall and ceilings, book shelves attached to the wall like a whole fvcking library, the place is always dark as she sits in front of the computer, being the only source of light in the room. She always wears skimpy outfits and likes to chew gum a lot, which drives Natsu insane when he can hear it through the earbud, not to mention he has super sensitive ears. She wears glasses sometimes. She’s one of the youngest in the organization Fairy Tail (lolol, can't think of any other name) because of her hacker skills and her tactician brain, and she gets paid very well, but she doesn’t have a fancy house or anything because she’s just horrible at being responsible with her money. She just buys lots of pink cars, pink motorbikes, and books. And just recently, she purchased different types of whips, and a set of latex. And she doesn't have any idea why she bought them, let alone where and when to use them.

•Anyway, quick background. Basically, Fairy Tail is a home for missions, agents, retired CIA, military or whatsoever. Their main vision is to destroy rings, auction and underground markets that sell women and children for -----graphy and blood rituals. They also take requests from the government, sometimes helping the paramilitary from destroying the terrorist. They also once unraveled the dirty secret of the previous government, some of them funding rings and auction. The previous gov can't overthrow their org since they're worldwide 🤷, and has several co-org like the Sabers, Lamia, and Mermaid. Has several warehouses and hq where they can take care of their saved victims and give them shelter and protection before reuniting them with their families. If they don't have one, FT gladly takes them in. Their org is invisible. The main hq, which is sitting in the middle of the busy city, is a tourist hotel. Some of their hq(globally) are restaurant, boutique, arcade, hotels, resorts, apartment, and etc. It takes any form and names, but they are all in one org, to not look too suspicious in the eyes of rivalry and corrupt gov. With Mira as the receptionist of the main hq, when someone slides a gold coin with intricate insignia of their org on her counter, she knows who they are, what is their position and rank based on the carved symbol on the back of the coin, and she exactly knows what to do with them (just watch John Wick. But the coin in JW is not exactly the way I describe it above) And Lucy is not working in any of their hq, she decided to have her own apartment and make it her own workplace instead. But from time to time, she would pay a visit. Only Mira and the manager (of course, Makarov) knows the faces of their field agents and hackers. While the agents themselves didn't know their support (their hacker partner) faces and identities, their support exactly knows who they are. Some field agents didn't even know that they already bumped their support in the middle of the street.

•Natsu's first meeting with Gray, and they almost killed each other. They didn't know each other, and didn't even know that they're co-field agents of FT. It just happened, you know, bumping into each other's shoulder in a banquet while they were in the middle of their own mission when they started throwing punches. Got them punished by the second arm of the manager, Erza. And finally learning each other's identities, they would still be at each other's throat. But seriously, they started to have a drink in an exclusive club after their tiring mission. They wouldn't admit it to themselves but they became the best of best friends. Still trying to kill each other, tho.)

•Natsu is a mess. Literally, a mess. He could look like Natsu with his hair down (idk, I like him more if his hair is down or wet🤷), but his role as a secret field agent forces him to use a black wig sometimes and other things, which he hates—no, loathes since it reminds him of Gray. He didn't have any other choice. With his unusual hair color, he'll be doomed if someone recognizes his trademark. Have this intricate dragon tattoo in his back. So whenever it's his duty, he needs to cover it with full coverage cream, can't take the chance of the enemy catching a glimpse of his tattoo if he ever ruined his attire, especially if he was wearing a tux.

•One day, he has this very difficult urgent mission and Lucy sends him a box, with a letter neatly folded inside, "Use this attire for tomorrow.” (Sometimes, field agents are obliged to wear a dress code like for example a tux, camouflage, waiter uniform, etc., according to the higher ups orders). So when Natsu opens the box he sees the female clothes: a tight sexy ass dress, heels, blonde wig, some makeup, full coverage cream to cover his tattoo, skin tone silicone gloves, fake silicone boobs and butt, a flash drive, and some special firearms with silencer. Fresh from the bath and with only a towel wrapped around his hips, he curses under his breath and brushes his wet hair back. He picks up the earpiece from his nightstand, and puts it in his ear, ready to wage war with her. It's not like it's her fault, it's the higher ups' order, anyway. Becoming a bait.

•Because she needs to hack the cameras of the building or whatsoever to keep track with him, whenever Lucy sees Natsu fights and manhandle someone, she can't help her mind but to wonder what would it feel like to be manhandle or headlock by him. And Natsu would literally yells at her because she's not answering him.

•They like to troll each other. But Lucy is in different level. She LOVES to troll Natsu as she talks to him through the intel earbud, in the middle of their assignment. When he has to talk to some people to get information, she would sometimes tell him the things he has to say, and sometimes she says random shit like “Fix your uneven eyebrows” or "I fvck with your mom" and since he's obedient as a fvcking dog, he would literally say it. Out loud.

•Like I mentioned before, they have never met personally. Natsu always complains and whines about the fact that she does know how he looks, but he doesn’t. After a mission is over, they *insert romantic ballad from kdramas* have some cute talks at night while Natsu wanders the nights of the city by himself. There are moments when they just stay silent...not really knowing what to say, and Natsu can’t see that Lucy is repressing a smile, and sometimes it’s like “Uhh, uhm…okay, so… I guess we’ll talk tomorrow". And Natsu would be like, “Oh, s-sure, yeah, if I need anything, uh, I’ll call you”. Lucy: "Don’t bother me too much, it’s really annoying having to listen to your whiny voice 24 hours at day. I'm done.” Natsu would snorts, and then she ends the call with a smile sjhsfkhdjghsddgja.

•Natsu smokes sometimes, but he's not a chain smoker. He just smoke to calm his nerves or if he's stressing the fvck out. So whenever Lucy see him through the camera or hear him inhaling the cancer stick, she will raise hell. She will constantly reminds him not to smoke nor litter. And guess what? He will listen, grumbling something under his breath as he crashes the stick in his fist before flicking it right to the trash can. He has this whole pack inside his drawer, and when Lucy got tired of scolding him, she said she hates the smells of it and hates people smoking it. He throws it all away in a heartbeat. Literally, emptying his drawer and throwing away all of his lighter.

•Natsu always tells her that one day he will take her out for dinner or for stargazing because she had mentioned before that she loves staring at the sky covered with twinkling star, and Natsu know some spot perfect for that. Lucy makes fun of him, but at the same time she feels a little bad because for some weird reason, the policy of their org doesn’t allow the field-agent and their support to meet personally? Who knows, but that increases their frustration when they are starting to like each other. Natsu has never seen her, so he literally ends up falling in love with her voice only. Sometimes, he spends time talking to her about how he thinks she looks.

"Brunette?"

"Nu-uh."

“Ginger?”

“Nope.”

“Uh, are you tall?”

“Jeez, are you really expecting me to be a super tall ginger or brunette porn star?”

“What? I wasn’t—!”

“I'm super short, you would probably have to look at the floor to see my face.”

•And he makes fun of her and her height, which ends up of him eating her series of curses and screeches before she cuts the connection.

•One day, he asks her if she has big boobs, big butt and wide hips. Lucy dies in embarrasment and ends the call.

•The fact that they’re constantly talking through an earbud DOESN’T GIVE YOU AN AMAZING NSFW THOUGHTS????👀👀👀👀👀🔥🔥🔥🔥 INTENSE AND MIND FVCKING ORGASMIC PHONESEX!!!!

•Talking about nsfw, imagine how intense their first encounter would be, after talking through a little device for years without being in front of each other…They would probably stay up all night, eating each other out, fighting for dominance, and fvcking each others' brains out. ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°) idc what anyone says but Mashima's artwork definitely confirmed that they were both sub and dom. You know, that chain thingy.

•Also it’s super bad for Natsu because sometimes Lucy gets into trouble with the organization (Lol, let's reverse the role. She’s a rebel here—Actually, no, they're both rebels. Idc), and they sanction her for days, even weeks, and she’s not allowed to speak to him or any of her co-workers friends out of work, so Natsu feels super worried all the time because she doesn’t get the chance to warn him first. He was given a temporary support, and he hates every minute of someone giving him instructions instead of Lucy. She just disappears and their organization is very dangerous (they’re spies, so they get into trouble with other people quite often) so he’s always scared that something bad might had happened to her. She then returns telling him that she’s fine, that she just got sanctioned for answering back or something. He then gets super mad at her, and she would give her rebuttal, "You're no better than me, idiot! Don't tell me you've already forgotten about the last month issue? YOU GOT SANCTIONED AS WELL! AND WORSE PUNISHED BY HER!!! BY ERZA!!!" And he would be like, "Oh, yeah? Then let me tell you something." And then they stays up late all night bickering and annoying each other. But once they're done and finally cuts the connection, there's a smile on their faces as Lucy laid her head on her pillow, while Natsu blows out a thick icy smoke from the cold as he rest his arms against the bridge railings, and looks up at the dark sky.

•Natsu once picks up a strange blue cat while still in the middle of the mission. Literally holding the poor blue cat close to his chest as he bangs his assailants' head against the table and wall. And he can hear Lucy's little cheer through the ear piece. They become fur-parent for this blue cat (we know who it is).

•Lucy also gets a bit salty when he’s on a mission and he has to flirt with a girl to get information, or when the girl starts flirting with him. Natsu doesn’t know how to flirt, so he’s always asking her to tell him things to say to the girls. As a little revenge, Lucy says “Tell her that her hair smells like spicy chicken salad". And oh boy, Natsu thinks that the smell of spicy chicken salad is really good, he loves that food, but the girl in front of him takes that as an insult and ends up slapping him. Lucy giggles at the other side, even if that will get her into trouble with the organization for not helping Natsu in the mission.

•I LOVE THIS SO MUCH. Lucy gets in trouble one day like one of their enemies storm her work place and abduct her to get information out of her, and Natsu's next mission is to retrieve her.

•Well, you know, the night before the retrieving-Lucy mission as he prepares, he gets anxious. Literally freaking himself out. And itching to inhale his old addiction (after meeting Lucy and becoming his partner, she became his new addiction, tho). And now that she's gone, he can't help but to light the devil. With only a first puff, he immediately regrets it. With the cigarette stick resting in between his lips, he can hear her in his ears. Angry adorable voice scolding him. He grits his teeth, nearly crushing the stick between his lips, before he chuckles softly and forcibly pulls out the stick out of his mouth and throws it away in the river under the bridge. He looks up at the night sky(his usual spot) and whispers, "I'm sorry, I littered again. Please, come back home. It's getting lonely here."

•Just imagine trying to stay calm as he infiltrate the enemy's base. But he can't help but be brutal to them. Silently yet brutally ending them with a bullet, and not giving them any mercy. He will stare at them dead in the eyes, asking them with only one question in his head, "Where is she?" And probably his eyes will be the last thing they see as he sends them off dead when they can't give him the answer.

•Imagine him first time seeing her personally. (well, he has already seen her in the picture before the mission). After an agonizing two weeks without hearing her voice, he finally hear her calling his name. She's here, in the flesh. Her in a not-so-good situation, tied up, black and blue bruise, blood, but she's putting up a fight. And him going in a rampage, sending someone in hell with his death burning glare. Insert dramatic kdrama OST.

[superfanficnatural]

The Son: Chapter 3

Pairing: Poe Dameron x Male!Reader (The Son)

Summary: You’ve finally broken free of the forces controlling you at a great cost, though the cost of doing so was even greater than you thought. Now, you fight for the antithesis of what you had been representing, and have to grapple with finding your own place in the galaxy while grappling with the person trying to find their way into your heart. Will The Son choose the light? Or the dark? Whatever the answer may be, may the force be with us.

A/N: Chapter 3 is here everyone! I really hope you’re enjoying this series so far as I am loving writing it. As always, I hope you enjoy!

Warnings: Mentions of Suicide, none others.

Word Count: 2,291

Italics are your thoughts

Masterpost

As your ship came out of hyperspace, you came face to face with a planet the navigation console called Yavin 4. As soon as you dropped out, you felt her presence. She was incredibly powerful and had a deep connection with the force, you could almost feel that the midi-chlorians loved her. You were appreciative of this presence as it allowed you to understand which part of the planet to pilot down to. As you were just entering the atmosphere, your center console began beeping and you realized that you had an incoming communication. Reaching over, you pushed the button that opened the communications channel. 

“Unidentified ship, identify yourself and state your purpose,” you heard a voice play overhead in the bridge.

“My name is Y/N Y/L/N, and I come looking for a woman named Leia Skywalker,” you responded swiftly. 

There was a slight pause on the other end, “What do you want with- You are not cleared for landing, turn your ship around and leave immediately or be blown out of the sky.”

You sighed, “Please, I am not with the First Order, I come in peace. I need to see Leia Skywalker.”

Your scanners picked up four other ships in formation behind you.

“This is your last- what?” you heard a slight commotion on the other end before they spoke up once more, “You are clear for landing, land at these coordinates.”

Your console beeped with the incoming coordinates which you promptly entered into your navigation computer and eventually set down your ship at. Exiting the ship, you were immediately met with a welcoming party, four soldiers with blasters at the ready, two people who looked like they worked communications, and Leia.

“I heard you were looking for me?” she asked as you descended the ramp.

“Indeed, you were the source of the light in this galaxy, and I knew that I had to come,” you responded as you walked up to her, keeping a slight distance so as to not alarm the guards.

She looked at you inquisitively, “You’re a Jedi? I can... feel your energy, it’s strong.”

You decided to spare her the details, at least for now, “Not quite, but... becoming. I have my crystals but no sabers.”

“Have you come to join the Resistance?” 

You thought to yourself for a moment, “I believe so. Though I must first speak with you, privately.”

“And why is that?” one of the guards asked.

You didn’t remove eye contact with her as you tried to convey your intentions to her. It seemed to work as she waved her hand at the guards, “It’s alright. Mr. Y/L/N and I have things to discuss.”

She turned and headed towards the main building, her entourage following as you caught up with them. After a series of hallways and a few people walking past your group, you ended up in a large room with a circular technological table at the center. Walking up to it, the group dissolved around the table and Leia guided you further across the room to a door, a smaller adjoined room behind it. 

Once the two of you entered, she walked up to her desk and turned to you, “What is it that you need to tell me?”

“It’s more of what I require of you, but I can also give you answers to questions you might have,” you responded.

“Who are you?” she questioned.

“I knew you would start with that, it’s my energy right?”

She nodded, “I can sense that you’re extremely powerful yet... it’s like I can’t sense anything at all at the same time.”

You sighed, “You are correct. I am currently suppressing my force energy as I fear if I unleash it all it could throw the galaxy into chaos.”

“You didn’t answer my question,” she solidified.

You looked her straight in the eyes, “I was once known as ‘The Son,’ a cosmic being and emblem of the dark side of the force.”

You were expecting her to have a reaction at what you had said but she stood unmoving, intently listening to what you had to say.

“My sister, she was known as ‘The Daughter,’ she was the emblem of the light side. My father, he was known as ‘The Father,’ and he was the one who held control over me and my sister, and by extension, the light and dark sides of the force.”

Leia made no moves to interrupt you and her aura was warm and inviting, allowing you to speak freely without judgment.

NEXT PARAGRAPH IS POTENTIALLY TRIGGERING (SEE WARNINGS)

“When I was,” your throat began to swell as the memories of what you had done had returned. “When I was the emblem of the dark side, I was a slave. I had no control over myself as I had no sense of myself. In my anger I killed my sister and nearly killed my father. Though, he ended up doing it himself,” you had to stop yourself from speaking as your words began to turn to whispers, your throat tightened as you tried not to cry. After a moment and a deep breath, you gathered yourself, “After my father died, his powers transferred into me, and with the help of... your father, I put myself into a slumber to ensure the balance would stay stable in the galaxy. I was only to awaken once a nexus event in the force occurs. Though I’ve come to find out that I am to assist this nexus event to occur instead, it should be sometime within the next two years.”

She responded immediately as she had intently listened the entire time, “My father? What do you mean?”

“Anakin Skywalker, my father had invited him to the palace for him to take over as the controller over my sister and I, as he was getting old and was going to pass away soon. We might have had immortality, but our father didn’t. That is when all of the events I told you about conspired. I swore him and his companions to secrecy, which I assume he kept, even though he turned to the dark side.”

“And now with your fathers powers, you’re able to feel both sides? Have control over them? Is that why you’re now able to control your own thoughts and actions?”

“Very astute, Leia. That is precisely my situation,” you responded with a smile, happy someone like this was in the galaxy. 

“You asked to speak to me privately,” she turned and began to walk the room, “which means that you don’t want anyone else to know about this.”

You nodded, “That is correct, as far as anyone else is concerned, I am a force sensitive pilot who has little knowledge about the mundane and wants to fight against the First Order.”

“Little knowledge about the mundane?” Leia turned to you.

“I’m afraid that I am unfamiliar with the rituals that humans go through on a day to day basis, and usually find myself befuddled at situations I haven’t been in... which is just about anything outside of a tropical climate or random acts and things I’ve seen through the force. Once I pick something up, I can see its history and its inner workings, but I have to do that for just about everything because I know nothing,” you tried to explain as best as you could. As you were speaking, a piece of your grown out hair fell into your face and you pushed it away, “I’ve never had hair before to shape, nor a beard to groom.” You also took a look at the large glass pane that let you see into the other room to look into your reflection, dirt all over your face from Utapau, “I’ve also never gotten... unclean to need cleaning.”

Leia sighed and closed her eyes, “So you’re a newborn baby aside from your emotional and mental maturity?”

You squinted your eyes and raised your eyebrows, “...yes? Though I am also fairly new to emotions outside of the scope of the dark side.”

She gave you a once over, “Well, no offense, but your appearance corroborates so I believe you. Now, what do you want from me?”

You straightened, “Information really. I don’t know much about what’s going on currently in the galaxy other than the control of the First Order. I need information on how things work, processes, the day to day in the life of a Rebel. I assume you are in charge which is why you are the best source of information to get this from.”

“That sounds like it will... take a while, I’m not sure I can accommodate you.”

You took a step forward, “I agree, while spoken word is the most comfortable way to convey information, there is an alternative.”

She looked at you questionably, “What is the alternative?”

You smiled lightly, “It’s nothing to fear, it’s simply a bit invasive as it requires me to search your memories and acquire the information that way.”

“You mean look into my mind? My memories?” she responded.

“Precisely. It will almost be like I would live through the events myself, it is the easiest way for me to acquire the information I need,” you stated.

“Why couldn’t you do this with anyone else? Why me?”

“Good question. Your connection with the force makes it easier for me to reach into your mind than most others. Additionally, while I enter your memories, I become vulnerable to influence from the person I do it to. I know that you do not have any ill intentions. To add to all of that, your memory will be the most educational,” you explained.

She thought to herself for a moment, “How is it that you are able to do this?”

“To be honest,” you rubbed the back of your neck, “I haven’t fully figured out how either. I was able to show people events of the future and even see it myself but I lost that ability after my fathers power entered into me. Now, I can only see flashes, nothing solid to make out. I suspect that the dark side of me has yet to fully accept me after turning from slave to master, or perhaps there is an individual who is blocking me.”

“Is there someone powerful enough to do that? Based on your story, you should be one of the strongest force users to ever live. I can feel it coming off of you,” she retorted. 

You sucked in a breath, “I’ve been suppressing myself in order to keep the balance of the galaxy. I suspect I will only be able to wield my true power at the time of the nexus event. Though what or when that is, I currently have no idea. Until then, I’m afraid I only have about the same level of power as your father, though with a few more... tricks for simplicity's sake.”

She pushed a button on the table which clouded the glass in the wall, visually cutting the room off from anyone else, “Very well, let’s just get this over with.”

“I appreciate your trust in me, you truly are filled with light, Leia Skywalker,” you said as you approached her.

“Enough with the formalities, I can sense your intentions as well, I know that you’re here to help us,” she finished.

“Apologies, I am unfamiliar with a more... lax way of speaking, your father had warned me of it before but it seems I must work on it,” you said as you reached your hands up to her head and closed your eyes.

As you reached out to her mind, you gave the force a command, let me live through her.

To the outside world, only mere moments had passed, though, you had lived years of memories through her. You maintained her privacy and only lived through events that had multiple people in it, the events of the war she took place in against the Empire, growing up with her family on Alderaan, the recent events of the war against the First Order. After you had seen what you deemed necessary, you released yourself from her mind and took a step back.

“I felt you inside... it was like reliving all of that once more,” she commented as she regained her bearings.

“I apologize if I submitted you to any past traumas, that was not my intention,” you apologized.

She shook her head, “Not at all, a fresh reminder was nice actually. Have you learned everything you’ve needed?” You nodded, “I should have enough information to go off of to live and fight.”

As you responded, your stomach growled and you realized the dull pain you were feeling was from your stomach.

“Hunger, something new?” she asked, understanding what was going on.

“I... think so, if this is any indication,” you chuckled nervously.

She gave you a kind smile, “I’ll set you up in some quarters and get you some food. Though, I’m afraid I cannot lie to my own people about your identity.”

You sighed defeatedly but she kept going before you could respond, “I will keep the personal details personal, but they have to know that you are a Jedi, and that you’re here to support the Resistance.”

“That’s acceptable, but please, no one can know my status as ‘The Son,’ I do not wish to sow dissent or create any kinds of issues, Leia,” you conceded.

“I can agree to those terms, and by the way, it’s Leia Organa, but you’ll be calling me General Leia,” she corrected.

You smiled, “Apologies, I only learned of that after I saw your memories.”

She smiled in kind and walked over to open the door, “Welcome to the Resistance, Y/N.”

Next Chapter

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Male Reader Tag List: @myybebe @denim-devil @spnfanboy777

The Son Tag List: @brymalibu

[ragnarssons]

so. incoherent train of thoughts on this episode, and the whole season in general so far.

- i guess i can now say that, given there’s only two episodes left, we can say how much of the season went. i know the two final episodes will supposedly tie to knot on the significance of this season buuuuut~

- first of all, i don’t want din djarin to become leader of mandalore. yknow, reflecting on satine’s role, on bo katan sitting on her throne all day and all, politicking (seems like a general thing, like look at padme on sw1 uuuugh b o r i n g), blah blah blah separatists and bowing down to people like ~~these people on this episode, i’m like NO THANKS. i don’t want that as the s4 mandalorian plot, no no no. din djarin deserves way better. so i’m okay with him embracing NONE of the symbolics of becoming the leader of mandalore, and truly walking through this season showing no sign whatsoever of wanting to seize or keep any power for himself. good on you din, you just know you want a good life for your son, so i’m actually okay with that.

- but then the other option is bo katan and??? NO???! i’m sorry, the mandalorian is co-written by DAVE FILONI yknow, the dude who wrote the clone war and rebels... ARE WE SUPPOSED TO IGNORE EVERYTHING HE WROTE ABOUT BO KATAN KRYZE ON THESE SHOWS? because if anything, these shows are like! “/!\ /!\ HELL NAH HELL NAH HELL NAH, don’t support bo katan kryze becoming the leader of mandalore!!! NOPE!!! /!\” so why is the mandalorian out there, expecting me to root for her? because she spent some off-screen time sulking about her fleet being gone? because she saved din djarin from a robot?? is that all it takes to “redeem” a character like bo katan kryze?? HUH? also, no mention of satine? of maul? of death watch literally WITH BO KATAN KRYZE leading some kind of coup against bo katan’s own sister, thus leading A SITH to seize power on mandalore???? HELLO? maul, whom OBI WAN defeated, and not even bo katan herself?? a dark saber that sabine wren won for bo katan and not bo katan herself??  and now you have din djarin winning the darksaber for her and being like “wELL TECHNICALLY-” because a robot attacked him by surprise and bo katan came to his rescue?? like i’m sorry, so then the darksaber should belong to grogu because without grogu, bo katan wouldn’t even have come like, mental gymnastic can lead you all kinds of places.

i’m sorry, i guess i could be like “okay bo katan might be able to do better” because it’s been years, she’s aged, she’s fought against the empire and all... but MAKE IT A BETTER STORY YKNOW?

because i’m sorry, but all the “awesome bo leading moments” were actually din leading or even more, the mandalorians acting TOGETHER, and somehow bo katan getting the credit for it. like, ALL the children of the watch decided to go chasing that dragon-vulture thing that snatched paz’s kid. ALL the children of the watch decided to go and help nevarro, and not because of bo katan but because of din djarin and paz vizsla. her seeing the mythosaur only happened because of din djarin. sooooooooooooo??? *shrugs* still not convinced in bo katan, especially since she didn’t even fight for the darksaber?? AGAIN???

so if the writing expects me to forget everything that came before and cheer and clap for bo katan, even tho she still does the bare minimum and yet again, never truly won ANY of her “leadership gold points” well... NO?! so i guess i’ll never be fullfilled on that one.

- but if the writing plans to go and see it as actually not bo katan really winning leadership points because there are glaring similarities between this supposed “new page” of her story, and her own past, then, maybe speed the process up?? because there are only two episodes left and so far it’s just “oh wow look at bo katan, how good of a leader she is!!!”... WE ALREADY KNOW SHE IS NOT. we’ve known since the two animated shows DAVE FILONI WROTE!! DAVE?? DO YOU REMEMBER?? DAVE??? WHERE ARE YOU???

(me capslocking is me being frustrated tbh)

- anyway. as for the rest of the show, each episode cements to me that this season will probably end on a cliffhanger, and since jon favreau even said that he was writing s4 while shooting s3, my guess is that somehow the two seasons are gonna work together to create this whole arc... which would be endearing if WE DIDN’T HAVE TO WAIT 3 YEARS BETWEEN EACH SEASON. like i’m sorry, i know production, and at least the show looks pretty and all, buuuut, THREE YEARS, yknow. THREE YEARS for 9 EPISODES! it’ll make this season feel like a waste of time if they truly built a structure like that for s3 and s4, because then nothing will be solved on s3, while you know, we have unnecessary episodes, like 3 (maybe more) monsters of the week this season. it’s really weird this sensation that, yes, the episodes do serve the main storyline and all, but somehow, they also feel like a waste of time?? at least this one did for me. i’d say it’s misplaced in the season, should have been sooner, but then there is the mandalore thing that can’t be sooner but... TWO EPISODES LEFT YKNOW. idk. *shrugs* i’m at this place where i don’t know what to feel anymore.

[cinnbar-bun]

EPIC OF REMNANT/ EXTRA: KINGDOM HEARTS

A/n: hey! It's one of my pieces for @teenyzines 's Uncharted Worlds zine (please check it out- it's free!)

Summary: After managing to defeat Solomon, Ritsuka is sent to explore a mysterious remnant of a demon god pillar. She's cornered by a mysterious figure, before an unexpected savior shows up.

Crossposted to AO3: here!

She wondered what this world must have been like before it was all incinerated. 

Just as she thought that, Ritsuka pushed it aside and explored the area, finding only dead ends and the material remains of whoever lived here. 

She was truly alone. 

Or at least, she wrongly assumed she was. 

A low chuckle echoed in the darkness and she jumped. 

“Who’s there?” She asked the darkness. 

“Ah… someone from a distant time… a distant place. But that’s no matter. I have something I need to do, and you’re the ‘key,’ Ritsuka Fujimaru,” a male voice answered.

“How do you-” 

“I know plenty of things,” the man responded. He stepped out of the darkness and under the light of a streetlamp. He had spiky, white hair and golden eyes that seemed to glow. “And you’re a ‘Master?’ Correct? That is what that demon told me.” 

Ritsuka shivered under his gaze but tried to remain firm. 

“And if I am?” 

“I’m only asking because I wish for us to join up together as one. It’s my first time being a ‘Servant,’ as you like to call it.” 

Ritsuka could feel the intense energy radiating from him. This Servant didn’t look particularly strong, but his Saint Graph must have been high enough to justify the frightening aura about him. Not to mention, he was working alongside the Demon Gods. 

“Not a chance! You’re my enemy!” 

The man sighed and rolled his eyes boredly. 

“I assumed this would happen,” the man said as he stepped closer to her before grabbing her wrist. “I am Alter Ego, Xehanort. A Beast candidate, on top of that.” 

“Let her go!” Another voice shouted and Ritsuka gasped as she saw three figures seemingly float down to where she was. 

She was confused for a moment at how they looked, with the first being a boy around her age with brown spiky hair and a black outfit. He held a comically large key in his hand and wore a grimace on his face. The second and third figures were an anthropomorphic duck and dog holding a staff and a shield respectively. 

“You three-!” Xehanort growled and the duck angrily stomped around before summoning a barrage of fire at him. Xehanort dragged Ritsuka towards him and leapt out of the way, until the dog with the shield threw his weapon at them. Xehanort retracted his grip on her and she sprawled to the floor, thankful she wasn’t hit by the fast-moving object. The brown-haired boy swiftly stood in front of her, prepared to block Xehanort with his key. 

As if this were a casual meeting, the boy turned to her and smiled. 

“Hey there! I’m Sora. Uh, Saber? I think? I dunno how this works, but I feel that’s the word!” 

“And I’m Donald! Grand Caster!” The duck smirked and chuckled to himself. 

“Gawrsh, I didn’t know you’d be a Grand servant, Donald,” the dog gazed in awe at his friend.

“Nice to meetcha! I’m Goofy, a Shielder!” 

“A Shielder and a Grand Caster servant?” Ritsuka asked in awe. 

“Don’t listen to those animals. The duck is merely a Caster with an above average Saint Graph. You, on the other hand,” Xehanort snarled at Sora. “How the hell are you a Grand Servant?” 

Ritsuka gasped as Sora awkwardly rubbed the back of his neck. 

“Uh, honestly? I kinda don’t know. One minute I was sleeping and next thing you know I was just here!” Sora shrugged. His carefree demeanor changed back to a serious one as he readied his position once more. “That doesn’t matter though! I’ll beat you again, right here, right now!” 

“Let’s see you try,” Xehanort snapped his finger in response and Ritsuka felt the Demonic Pillar’s energy burst free. Was Xehanort controlling it? What kind of Servant was he? Is that why the Counter Force summoned Sora? 

“You’re on!” Sora shouted before Ritsuka placed her hand on his shoulder. “Wait! Here, let’s form a contract! I’ll help you as much as I can!” She held up her hand and her Command Spells glowed a bright red as the three heroes stretched their hands towards her. 

“A-hyuck! This feels kinda funny, doesn’t it?” Goofy laughed. Donald nodded and waved his staff. 

“Now I really feel like a Grand Caster!” 

“Woah… so I’m a real Servant now?” Sora curiously asked.

“Yep. Follow my lead and we can hopefully get rid of this Demon God.” 

Ritsuka steeled her nerves and shouted commands at her new servants. Xehanort, however, had the power of a Demon God at his disposal and was much sturdier than he looked.

Xehanort summoned a key that looked similar to Sora’s and swung at Sora, who didn’t have enough time to parry his strikes. He teleported behind the Grand Saber and knocked him down with one heavy strike. Goofy tried to stand in front of Donald but before either of them could use their weapons, Xehanort had pushed them back with a flurry of darkness. 

“Now what will you do, Master of Chaldea? All your servants are incapacitated. Will you finally lend me your strength?” 

Ritsuka glared at him and shook her head. 

“I won’t. I won’t ever give myself up to someone like you. Not when I have my friends waiting for me at home!” She stood up and outstretched her arm. “Command Spell: Restore Spirit Origin!” 

“That won’t help you much!” Xehanort smirked manically, readying his weapon. 

“That’s what you think! Gandr!” Ritsuka shouted with all her might. The three servants regained themselves and felt more energized than before, while Xehanort was momentarily paralyzed by Ritsuka’s magic. 

“Sora, unleash your Noble Phantasm. Reinforce All!” She casted a spell and Sora could sense the extra strength within him rising. 

Despite never having done this before, it somehow felt like second nature. 

He closed his eyes and his normal keyblade morphed into a larger red and white key. 

“Donald, Goofy!” He chanted, swiping the Ultima blade on the ground. The Ultima keyblade summoned a heart shaped light, before increasing in size and turning Sora’s outfit white. 

“Step into the light. We’ll line the pieces together, yours and mine. My friends are my power! Ultima Formchange!” 

A large collection of swords burst from the light and rained down upon Xehanort, causing him to scream in agony. Donald and Goofy followed along with their Noble Phantasms and Xehanort crumbled to the ground. 

“Tch- no… this can’t be… how?” Xehanort weakly asked as he was fading into gold sparkles. 

“That’s because the world will never give in to darkness, no matter what. No matter how many dirty tricks you and others like you may pull,” Ritsuka explained.

“Not bad…” Xehanort grinned. 

He couldn’t say another word as he disappeared without a trace. The young Master turned to her servants and gave a tired smile. 

“Thank you guys. Seriously, it was a big help.” 

“Aw shucks, you helped us a bunch, too!” Goofy cheered before he wrapped all of them in a group hug. Ritsuka giggled as Donald cleared his throat. \

“I was the best though, right?” 

“Sure,” Ritsuka jokingly played along. She looked at Sora and ruffled his hair. 

“Hey! I’m not a little kid!” Sora whined, yet he couldn’t help but smile along with her. He was about to celebrate more when the yellow light glowed around all three of them. “Wait, is this goodbye?” 

Ritsuka nodded somberly. 

“You eliminated the Beast-level threat. Your job is complete and you used all your power so… you’ll return to the Throne.” 

“Then how can we meet you again? Can’t you summon us?” Ritsuka looked at him in surprise.

“I could, but since there’s thousands of heroes in the Throne, it might be a while before you ever answer, especially without a catalyst.” 

“A catalyst, huh?” Sora repeated. “Ah! Then take this!” Sora took off his crown-shaped necklace and let it drop in her hands. 

“Really?” Ritsuka gawked at the necklace. 

“Yep! We’re friends now, so I wanna help you more, too!” 

Ritsuka hugged Sora without a second thought. 

“I promise I’ll summon all of you again! I can show you all my friends at Chaldea. You’ll love them!” 

“You better!” Donald threatened in a faux manner. 

“See ya real soon, Ritsuka!” Goofy waved. Ritsuka waved back as the three soon faded into a glorious light. 

She held the necklace tightly against her check and vowed to keep her oath to her new friends.

[firealder2005]

A Month of Whump: Winter Whumperland Day 1. Shared Nightmares~PTSD~Stalking

Featuring: Leia Organa being the best friend and sister we all know she is.

the ptsd is mainly off-screen because Luke’s the one going through that, but you can tell he has ptsd. poor bby. 

don’t worry leia’s here to help!

@amonthofwhump here’s my day 1! :D

AO3 Link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/43351041

Enjoy!

-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-

She fell onto the metal catwalk, pain flaring up her back as she glared up at the menacing form of Darth Vader.

“You are beaten,” the Sith Lord’s vocoder rumbled, pointing his red lightsaber at her “It is useless to resist. Don’t let yourself be destroyed as Obi-Wan did.”

At the mention of the man who saved her life when she was merely 10, she flung her arm towards him, lashing out with the blue lightsaber in her hand.

(Why did she have a lightsaber anyway? She wasn’t a Jedi…)

Getting to her feet, she ducked underneath Vader’s counterstrike, and met his saber with her own. As she ducked again, she swung out and nailed him in the shoulder before darting away as he let out a guttural sound.

He clearly hadn’t expected that from her.

Dashing to the edge of the catwalk, she swung herself over the railings, dodging another of Vader’s attacks, and saw the Sith’s saber violently slice through the nearby poles, causing sparks to fly everywhere.

Desperately, she met his next blow with her own, but he twisted his saber around - and pain erupted in her wrist, making her cry out.

(But the scream didn’t sound like her…)

Clutching her severed arm underneath her armpit, she watched with despair as her father’s lightsaber fell into the bottomlessness of Cloud City, never to be seen again.

She fell back onto her bottom, looking up with terrified eyes as Darth Vader approached.

“There is no escape,” he darkly promised. “Don’t make me destroy you.”

Shuffling back, she began to slowly scooch herself away along the few metal poles connecting the catwalk to the gantry.

“Luke,” Vader said, and she momentarily blinked, feeling confused.

(Her name wasn’t Luke, after all.)

“You do not yet realize your importance,” Vader continued as she scrambled backwards. “You have only begun to discover your power. Join me, and I will complete your training. With our combined strength,” Vader’s voice rose. “We can end this destructive conflict and bring order to the galaxy.”

Anger flooded her, and she roughly shouted; “I’ll never join you!”

“If you only knew the power of the darkside,” Vader declared, clenching his left fist together. “Obi-Wan never told you what happened to your father.”

She turned her head around, feeling righteous fury continue to rise in her. How dare he speak of her father - the man he murdered!

(But Vader hadn’t killed her father…at least, not directly. Tarkin had given the order to do that…)

“He told me enough!” The words sounded foreign to her mouth, but she managed to swing herself onto another part of the gantry, glaring up at Vader from her perch. “He told me you killed him!”

“No…” Vader rumbled, and she was confused at how soft it sounded, like the Dark Lord was attempting to console her.

And as Vader pointed to himself, Leia awoke with a start, breathing heavily. Blinking, she rubbed her eyes, and frowned.

It happened again.

For some reason she kept dreaming of Luke fighting Vader on Cloud City.

And she knew Luke was the source of the nightmares, for he constantly looked exhausted, barely ate, and subconsciously rubbed at where his prosthetic hand met his flesh arm.

Kicking the blankets off her, she pulled on a jacket, laced up her boots, and marched out of her room.

She had to find Luke, and get to the bottom of this.

And, if she was able, find a way to help him.

She stopped in front of the room he shared with Wedge Antilles, and peeked inside. Immediately, she saw Luke twitching in his sleep, muttering incoherent words.

Leia carefully stepped inside, mindful of Wedge’s passed out form, and gently shook Luke awake.

“Luke,” she whispered as his eyes snapped open. “It’s just me.”

“Leia?” he mumbled, rubbing at his eyes as he sat up. “What is it?”

“It’s about…” she deliberated. “We need to talk.”

Luke raised an eyebrow, but slowly nodded. “Okay,” he said. Leia passed him his jacket and waited for him to slip his boots on before they both crept out of the room.

“What is it?” he asked once they both settled on a mattress in the rek room.

Leia pinned him with her stare. “Your nightmares.”

Luke immediately looked away. “They’re nothing, I can handle it-”

“Luke, no,” Leia interrupted. “You’re not fine. I know Bespin…I know Vader is the one haunting your dreams - stalking them, really.” she sucked in a breath. “And I have something to tell you.”

At Luke’s wary, inquiring look, Leia confessed; “I think I’ve been experiencing your dreams - your nightmares of Bespin. Of Vader.” At Luke’s alarmed look, she added; “I don’t know why, and I don’t mean too, but that’s just what’s been happening.”

“What…” Luke looked almost sick with horror. “What exactly have you seen?”

Leia folded her hands together, and bit her lip. “Carbonite room. Underbelly of Cloud City. And when Vader…” she glanced down at his prosthetic.

“When he cut off my hand,” Luke finished quietly. He peeked up at her from underneath his bangs. “Any…anything else?” he asked hesitantly. Leia frowned slightly at his tenseness.

“No…just up to when he asks about your father.” she scoffed at the reminder.

Luke, however, seemed to be staring off into the distance.

“Luke?” she prompted gently. “Did something else happen? After that?” When Luke clenched his right hand, Leia knew something did.

Hesitantly, Leia slowly stood from her seat and sat down next to him, rubbing his arm. “Luke,” she began. “I don’t want to force you to tell me, but I can’t help if I don’t know what’s bothering you.”

Luke didn’t answer, nor did her look at her, but she felt him slowly relax. She reached her arm around his shoulder, and he rested his head on her shoulder, and Leia began to gently run her fingers through his hair until his breathing slowed and he nodded off.

Gazing at his face, she longed to know what was troubling her best friend, longed to know what Vader had said to him, but she knew she could not.

Not yet.

Leia was willing to wait for Luke to take that first step. But for him to feel comfortable to do so, she had to extend the offer to tell her this night.

But she’ll have to wait a little longer to find out.

For Luke wasn’t ready yet, and she had no desire to force him to relive something so traumatic.

His nightmares were torturing him enough for that.

[rosheendubh]

correcting Filoni…

…I’ve seen quite a bit of commentary on pacing in these first 2 ep’s…

—I’m just gonna toss out there—Filoni should have taken more lessons from Team Gilroy (Andor) or Team Joss (Serenity—a movie—incidentally, based on a series that most peeps weren’t invested in, hadn’t watched, didn’t know the characters, etc; yet, when casual peeps viewed, actually found the movie overall engaging…).

—My thoughts on how pacing, and backstory could have been improved if someone actually edited scripts, before looping actors into a strange mosh of empty feeling scenes and flat, driftless dialogue, and stoic glances.

—Open with the ending of Deus Ex Baline, but from Sabine’s perspective. —Fading to present day, either at Freedom Day ceremony already, as she/Sabine is listening to empty praises, or already gazing at Ezra’s message—the feeling that she’s done this 1000x over a decade communicates in seconds that there’s a bond there, of some sort. And it’s significant. THEN, she gets summoned to the ceremony-weariness of disillusionment in her expression—and we have a reason why she decides to shaft out, triggered by the superficiality of commemoration, or the hollowness that, for all the sacrifice of the Rebellion, the NewRepublic, after 10 years, was falling short of restoring what was hoped in expectation since the defeat of the Empire. She returns to her home, picks up the saber, and mentions something about having failed his memory, and her training… —Transitioning to the next scene of the Baylin/Shin freeing MorganElsbth on Republic ship…Elsbeth, as they’re rocketing off to next destination, mentioning Ahsoka, Thrawn, or both-why or what they’re off to pursue…

—Transition to Ahsoka finally, doing whatever she’s doing (frankly-her opening scene ought to have been merged with some kind of flashback, relating to Sabine, frankly, the training, whatever kind of breach occurred between them)—juxtaposed with her current mission retrieving that holocron-Mappy Thing…and go from there…

—Alternatively, the opening crawl perhaps, might have detailed the outcome of Lothal, Ezra-Thrawn-Imperial Fleet zapped into Deus Ex Baline (I hate that plot device, but whatever, space balines are part of the thread, so…hmmph), the sacrifice of the Rebel group, and the decade having left them scattered to various destinations and roles, with the Empire mo longer a threat after Endor, but new threats uncovered by a few vigilant heroes who aren’t so convinced of the Republic’s triumph continue to haunt distant realms of the Galaxy…

—or, a WhamBamOpening full of dire portent—an opening like that of LotR/Fellowship of the Rings (the actual GOOD movie from 2001), relating to a Dathomir sister, perhaps a particular Nightwitch having uncovered an ancient magic/power millennia before—dark experiments that led to a corruption of life and death, that wove itself into something uncontained to the point where the larger group of Nightsisters were forced to such stretches of enchantment and power draw to contain the evil they woke, that while they were ultimately successful, they were consumed by their own effort of dark power against the looming threat. Have the looming threat relate to Darth Sion (since, it seems, much to my dismay, there’s Filoni, mining Legends material and deploying it into a paler shade of itself to serve the purpose of his own plot device, and stripped of most of the originating richness—see his treatment of Thrawn), and the fact that some kind of gateway across space to *whatever threat* while sealed by these ancient enchantresses, still whispered to those who carried the song in their blood. Enter—Elsbeth in the opening scene where she gets rescued…

—*sigh*—I’m not a damn script writer, and these are really just my own musings of how ‘Ashoka’s’ writing is a lesson on *show-dont-tell*. They have so much good material, but this kind of story-telling is just more refined than what it seems the current production team is capable, or Disney cares to invest the effort for better drafting and editing of their script, and over narrative before the move to actual filming…

[galactic-pirates]

I live blogged the first two episodes of Ahsoka. Under the cut because length and also spoilers.

I legit screamed at the crawling text. Vintage iconic Star Wars, the only thing missing was the theme. But I also exclaimed “oh no! Not a secret map” and groaned “don’t they ever have any new ideas?” Because really? That MacGuffin had zero logic in a Force Awakens and again?

But then the first shot is of a ship and it is like a love affair for the movies. I am here for that. It’s a large Republic ship which is like their version of a Star Destroyer I guess? Cool parallel.

The way Baylan stormed through the ship and the accompanying music track, I could just feel that Dave Feloni I guess? Or whomever directed it had such love for Star Wars.

Ahsoka in that room with the orbs. I got real Uncharted puzzle room vibes. It was like “I have played that game” haha. Those exploding robots made for a really big blast. Ahsoka still having the call sign Fulcrum is both cool and strange, given that Fulcrum applied to a lot of people on purpose (e.g Kallus used it) to add a layer of deception. I wonder if Ahsoka is the only one that uses it now.

I am crying about this map. Why why why? It makes no sense. Say it is a map of the unknown regions, say it shows the location of the Chiss homeworld but if Thrawn is lost there is no map, and certainly not one in a secret vault underneath what looked like a ruined temple. How can there be a map to someone that didn’t know they were going anywhere, and had no control over the destination because purgills! Thrawn didn’t leave a map. Just like Luke wouldn’t have left puzzle pieces to a map when he decided to go be sad. I hate it here. Why do they think this is good writing? It is not! Ahem. I am upset.

But I am screaming because Hera!!!!!! And she mentioned Ezra. And they thought Thrawn was dead? But they saw the purgills? What about Ezra’s message that he couldn’t wait to come home?

Ok ok I am back to screaming because it’s Lothal!! It looks so good. I can recognise it. I am all starry eyed over it and it’s Governor Azadi and boy he looks like him A+ casting and he gives credit to Ezra and my heart is full. It’s what Ezra deserves. I didn’t realise that painting was official. I always thought it was something Sabine painted. Maybe she still did? The way the droid spun its head to say no was hilarious. I liked the expansion of the spectre callsign. It feels like maybe Sabine helped train those guys?

It sucks that Azadi tried to make her do the public spectacle thing when she didn’t want to, but I guess he was always a politician. He didn’t come across as a pure ‘good guy’ in the Thrawn book with how he tried to pressure Pryce for her mine. Politicians 🤷‍♂️.

Sabine has a pet loth-cat! OMG and after she drew them in her art so much. Oh man and that holo of Ezra. So many of the trailer scenes already! I love how they put Sabine’s art all over the walls of the old comm tower, that was Ezra’s home and is now hers I guess. I sniggered seeing the graffiti on the bunk in Ahsoka’s ship. Sabine graciously donates her art everywhere haha. Loth-cats, TIE’s and Chopper, just little doodles very nice.

Ok /sighing forever. I am still clinging to denial. How can they make Sabine force sensitive? Kanan trained her with the dark saber! It was specifically mentioned that she didn’t have the force! Kanan would have known!!!!

I did have to rewind and play the line twice about it ‘hard being a Jedi’ and “I would have made a good one” because the first time I legit thought I heard “I should have married a good one then” and I was like WHAT?!?! I mean I was getting like a bad break-up exes vibe but there was no way they would do that. Funny for the 5 seconds my eyes popped out of my head though.

I do find it sad that the Ghost family has gone their separate ways. That is only natural of course but I wish there had been direct contact between Hera and Sabine. They can do their own thing but I want them to still feel like family.

I remain unhappy with Rosario’s acting choices with Ahsoka is I am honest. She doesn’t emote enough. It’s like “serene wisdom” was a memo she got and she applies it to everything. Pretty sure I said that after her Mandalorian appearance. There’s none of the heart or humour that Ahsoka still had as an adult in Rebels. Yes she had grown and there wasn’t the sass of the Clone Wars but she still had a personality and an intensity. Rosario just looks bored most of the time.

I am not loving that faced with a battle Sanine grabs Ezra’s lightsaber rather than her Mandalorian blasters. Why not at least both? I guess there wasn’t time but it felt like a conscious choice to grab the saber. Sabine should still be allowed to be Sabine!

She got a saber through the chest!!!!!

OMG OMG. Did not see that coming. I mean a bacta tank should hopefully fix it but yikes. Good job I guess they dropped two episodes because holy cliffhanger Batman. Although I mean logically she has to be fine, we have seen her in the trailer with the short hair. Can I just say that if she’s been wearing I don’t know her ARMOR then that wouldn’t have happened. Mando battled Moff Gideon’s dark saber with a beskar spear so it makes sabers bounce a bit. Cut through eventually yeah but not like a hot knife and butter.

Right episode two!

It really doesn’t speak well to Ahsoka to basically do a passive aggressive “you have done enough” aka “this is your fault you should have stayed on the ship like I told you”. I mean that’s not entirely untrue and frustration is natural, but again I think it’s because she doesn’t emote. It comes across as a petty point score rather than an honest feeling. The Ahsoka I know and love from the animation just isn’t like that.

It is kinda cool that Ahsoka can sense echoes like Cal Kestis. Shame they don’t glow blue like in the game haha.

With the loth-cat it is a puppet like Grogu I think? And I can see his expression in the loth-cat. I guess it’s how they are constructed? It’s a bit funny though.

Finally! Hera and Sabine talk. I am on the fence about Hera’s actress. Sabine’s thought is good, I am getting a Sabine vibe (writing/story choices aside 🙄). Still getting a bad breakup exes vibe which is amusing me. Also the whole “haven’t seen her in years” is making me wish they would clarify how far past the rebellion this is. I don’t think they have? Or if they did it was a blink and miss it. I always thought the end Rebels scene was pretty much right after Endor. This feels like it’s been several years after that.

I am a bit confused about this whole two galaxies thing? I suppose that would definitely qualify as the unknown regions 🤷‍♂️ “Power like you have never dreamed” is a motivation I guess but I had read that these weren’t supposed to be Sith (hence orange blades, not red) so it doesn’t feel like it quite fits.

Screaming!!!! The Phantom 2!!!! *gasps* Chopper!!!! I did see somebody joking about why has Hera not upgraded the Separatist shuttle after all these years. I guess with the Rebellion it was very much ‘make do and mend’ and if it still flies then why bother.

Hera’s surprise at ex-Imperials working everywhere seems strange given her position as General (shouldn’t she know that?) and questioning their loyalty just doesn’t feel like a Hera question. The guy is practical in what he said about how the average citizen doesn’t care who is in charge, they just do their job. I just finished reading A New Dawn and Hera had similar views. Not everyone had the right mindset to be a Rebel and that was ok. I mean with how massive the Empire was, and how they made everyone they could serve it, people had to eat/take care of their families. Hera would understand that. It just doesn’t feel right that she would tar everyone with the disloyal brush. I mean ok that was the case, they were imperial remnants but it was a clumsy hint.

I have never really liked Jedi calling them apprentices rather than padawans as that was always a term I associated with the Sith. I do like that I felt Hera had mom vibes when she was talking to Ahsoka about Sabine. Sticking up for her kid, I approve of that. I really can’t shake the bad breakup exes vibe. It is amusing me greatly.

Rosario runs really slowly. I do not get Jedi physical enhancement at all. I don’t wish to be mean about her because I don’t want to be mean to anyone. I mean she has been cast as Ahsoka, this is who we are watching. It is annoying the feeling that she’s not doing the best job. But that’s mostly because I have an image of Ahsoka I guess and what I am seeing doesn’t match it.

I love that Hera is flying. When things are at their worst, she is at her best. The best damn pilot in the galaxy, I love that for her. I am laughing about Chopper looking through his junk drawer and just tossing stuff. The way Chopper emotes I just love it. The best droid. So much personality.

Sabine meditating and cutting her hair gave me chills in the trailer. That’s what Kanan did right before he died. That better not be foreshadowing!!

With the library I have a request in for the first Alphabet Squadron book. I think that was Hera on a mission at the shipyards? I wonder if this ties in somehow.

I know we saw it in the trailer but I do still love the redo of the Rebels scene with Ahsoka coming for Sabine at the painting. What I am not loving is that I can’t see blasters. Sabine where are your blasters? This is bugging me! If they do want to go the Jedi route why could she not keep them? Kanan carried a blaster. Ezra carried a blaster. It’s not like Jedi don’t, ugh!

Ok I have seen both episodes now. I am confused and frustrated. This whole map business… I hate it I really do. I am decidedly not thrilled at best about Sabine being a Jedi, and Ahsoka doesn’t vibe right. But oh man seeing Lothal, and the Phantom 2, and the whole shots of those Rebels scenes made live, and Azadi, the painting, Chopper!!! Hera-ish, still on the fence with how she vibes. Sabine is good. I’m not massively in love with this show but there is enough good here that I am counting down to next week.

Aaaaand I am still snickering about Sabine and Ahsoka being exes 😂 ok new headcanon for the laughs. They hooked up and they sparred because they are warriors. People saw and assumed Ahsoka was training Sabine and they must be master and apprentice, because Jedi don’t hook up. Kanan obviously did and so Hera guesses the truth which is why she was pushing so hard for them to make up. I know, I know, it mostly doesn’t pass or if it does there are power dynamics I personally wouldn’t ship unless they are joking. Ahsoka can do deadpan humour.

I can’t believe we made it two episodes and still no Ghost. I feel teased.

[phoenixyfriend]

Fake Sith TCW Trio

I have another fucked up time-travel AU! Who’s surprised? (Nobody.)

So like. Have you guys read that one fic where Luke and his students go back in time and pretend to be Sith Lords and are super hammy about it? (Sith Lord Swell by AMournfulHowlInTheNight)

This AU has contributions by @atagotiak, @the-lunar-system, @purronronner, @gelpenss, @creepingthroughthistidalwave, and @thisarenotarealblog.

I want TCW trio (plus Rex and Cody) to go back to several years pre-TPM and, since the Council DEFINITELY won't believe them about the Sith being back... they'll force the issue.

Anakin is weirdly excited about things and building up their backstory.

Anakin: Okay so I can definitely be a Maul type, with the unhinged ranting and manic laughter, Obi-Wan can be the whole Refined Rich Guy type like Dooku, where you can't even tell he's evil until he starts talking about getting out the eyeball scoops, maybe toss in a bit of mad science stuff? Ahsoka could play up like Ventress OR, oh oh, she can be the Light Side Child we need to PROTECT who's publicly begging us to return to the Light after our big dramatic Falls where we murdered like eighty people to save her, and-- Obi-Wan: Why are you never this enthusiastic about actual undercover missions. Ahsoka: Did you just have all this ready to go, or...? Anakin: WE COULD GET YELLOW CONTACT LENSES FOR ME.

Obi-Wan: How's my evil laugh?

Anakin going “Okay.. so if any of us need to murder someone to sell the bit it should be me, I think I could handle it the best. Why? No reason.”

Obi-Wan: I'm not sure a complete Fall could come from protecting Ahsoka, really-- Anakin: No, no, it could.

Obi-Wan: Surely you’d hold back because you realize neither of us want that for you. Anakin: Uh. Sure. Definitely.

Obi-Wan points out that none of them can channel the dark side to Prove they're Sith and Anakin just goes "Okay, give me like two seconds to stew in my negativity and--right, you can stop staring in horror, please."

Anakin rambles on that they can TOTALLY make the galaxy a better place while playing at being Sith! He's got a whole LIST of slave empires to "take over" and disassemble!

Anakin has a whole excited spiel about how EVIL soldiers and assistants are minions, in this case partly because Cody and Rex are too good at what they do to be mooks. Cody could pull off evil minion very well. Facial scar? Looks good in black? Quietly competent and sarcastic?

He also pushes for Obi-Wan to lounge in a fancy throne with a glass of wine while Anakin stalks the shadows and Ahsoka hangs out on the window ledge. The disaster lineage is dramatic, okay, Anakin’s just leaning into it, he’d appreciate it if everyone stopped looking at him like that.

Qui-Gon, surprisingly, ends up a skeptic about all of this. Everyone is freaking out about the Sith and he’s like “y’know I’m not even sure they’re darksiders.”

Some Jedi, possibly Qui-Gon for his conspiracy board, gets in a real risky situation and one of the Fake Sith saves them, but also panics and kinda drops character for a bit.

Jedi: You saved me! Why’d you do that? Anakin: I uh... just wanted the pleasure of killing you myself?

"You saved me. Why?" "Mmmm. Jedi." [walks away]

Qui-Gon: [trying to figure out what is up with these people semi-competently (from his perspective) pretending to be Sith] Dooku: [trying to protect Qui-Gon from Sith influence]

The gang is the most successful at pretending to be Sith to Dooku. Sure, they’re not gonna punish him for something he hasn’t done, but it’s not hard to act menacing and angry around him.

(They really do have so much fun irritating the heck out of Dooku. He hasn’t Fallen yet, but they want to keep an eye out.)

At some point, future Obi-Wan definitely drops that little tidbit of "What, you didn't think the Banites were the only Sith running around did you? You... didn't even know about the Banites. How... disappointing."

They REGULARLY use Ahsoka as an excuse to be marginally less terrible. They claim that if Ahsoka pouts, they stop. ‘Soka also uses them as an excuse for why she’s a lil feral. (To be fair, that one is accurate. She was already a lil feral before but it’s not like they did anything to stop it.) Ahsoka gets her "breaking into people's offices" jollies by bugging Nute Gunray's office.

The Jedi keep trying to Rescue Ahsoka.

Rex and Cody end up in real beskar, there's a whole Thing with Mandalore and Jango and Satine.

Obi-Wan is CONSISTENTLY worried about Anakin Falling for real, which... hey, at least he knows to be worried about Anakin Falling. Step up from canon, really.

Anakin is WAY too into killing the Hutts but like. It does... technically sell the bit.

Obi-Wan: Sure, I’m not sad that they’re dead, especially because we’re not connected to the Republic, so we don’t need to worry about starting a war and all that. But. Anakin is disturbingly cheerful about this. Rex: Wasn't he a Hutt slave? Obi-Wan: Well yes, but-- Rex: I'd kill Nala Se if I could get away with it.

Cody and Rex are very supportive of Anakin's murderous intentions.

Obi-Wan does understand anger, even killing someone in anger. Like Maul (the first time at least) and D’nar and a few others. All the same, like... y’know. The level of bloodthirst from the others is a little off-putting.

At one point, Anakin accidentally addresses young Obi-Wan by name, despite never having met before, and to cover it up, he... panic-flirts. He panics, and so he flirts, with young Obi-Wan.

(He will later blame this on old Obi-Wan, because he had to pick up the habit of flirting with the enemy from somewhere.)

Anakin vaguely implies that he's a wee bit obsessed with young Obi, and that the padawan should "get used to being the target of a dark-sider's interests," because he’s scrambling for Ominous Shit and, well, future Obi-Wan was pretty frequently a fixation point for darksiders, right?

The second he gets out, he just starts screaming into a bucket while Rex pats him on the back.

For the next however many terrible months, possibly years, he has to keep up the act while having an ongoing meltdown about how That's My Dad As A Twenty-Something.

(It doesn't help that young Obi-Wan reflexively flirted back.)

Old Obi-Wan, meanwhile, is just very "you dug this hole yourself, padawan."

There is an argument at the beginning about Obi-Wan’s outfit. If he’s gonna be a Sith, he can’t just go around in beige, but he’s like “I like this and it’s comfy.” Sure, he’s changed clothes for undercover stuff, but that’s always been temporary, y’know? He likes his beige.

We have a number of options.

My first instinct? Beige linen three piece suit, like a southern lawyer. "Now I may just be a simple Outer Rim force adept--"

And, of course, you can TOTALLY make the beige sinister: he’s impersonating a Jedi! Jedi impersonation would also explain why nobody has a red saber.

“Sure is good that the Jedi don’t seem to realize most of the galaxy doesn’t know red sabers are different and bad.” “Shhhh, stop poking holes in our story where a Jedi might overhear.”

Like.... if you do enough doublethink, it works! How would a Sith hide? In plain sight. Also, it’s a GREAT way (if they were actually assholes) to try to slander the Jedi name.

(Anakin and Ahsoka still think he could stand to put a little more effort in. Add a splash of color, for pity's sake!)

Though tbh part of me is like “What if Old Obi wore, like... a split skirt suit...” Victorian womenswear inspired because he misses his robes, but he has to look Professional, and like he's MOCKING Jedi instead of BEING one, so he wears a vintage-y split skirt thing over his leggings. Ends up looking a lot like what Ventress had for a while, but Beige. I also keep wanting to put him regency menswear.

Anyway. Obi-Wan’s wardrobe aside...

Anakin builds up his Tatoo accent again. It helps him with the (mostly true) "slavery helped me fall" backstory.

Either Cody or Rex offhandedly mentions being made to serve them (the Fake Sith) and now the Jedi are somewhat concerned about brainwashing. Are these Mandos the victims here?

“No like. Literally made for this. In a lab.” This is even more horrifying. So...

On the one hand good! The Jedi should be scared about Sith! On the other hand... it makes the Jedi more determined to stop them, specifically. They keep on getting in the way, just, all the time, and they’re not investigating the actual Sith problem, which is decidedly not great since the Team doesn’t actually know who’s a real Sith right now, except Maul, and who even knows where that guy is.

Obi-Wan, at some point: Do you think we've succeeded at this ruse... a little TOO well? Anakin: I don't follow. Obi-Wan, gesturing at the truly obnoxious amount of wealth they've collected, including "trophies" of their kills: Really? Because I'm a little worried! Anakin, planning out a battle to take on Nar Shadda: ...I'm not.

"How many people do we realistically we need to take over Hutt Space? Apparently... five."

(Mostly because Anakin is ridiculously op.)

ANAKIN AND YOUNG OBI GET KIDNAPPED BY PIRATES TOGETHER. It's tradition.

Anakin: Okay, so, I need to get really angry about something to pass as a Sith... time to think about my WIFE and how I'll NEVER SEE HER AGAIN.

Since Anakin’s life never goes as planned... this does not work. Instead of getting properly angry, he makes himself sad. There are tears. There is wailing. There’s a distraught rant or two. Young Obi ends up awkwardly trying to comfort him.

“Oh no, this… Sith?? Is crying on me. What do I do???”

Later on, when the Council wants intel: "So... one of the Sith cried on me about his wife. I think she's dead? He wasn't very clear about it but it, uh... it sounded like it might have contributed to his Fall. Also the relationship was a little unhealthy? He basically worshiped the ground she walked on and kept ranting about how he would have given her the galaxy on a platinum platter of she'd only asked, but that might be new and inspired by the Dark."

One of the random Jedi is REALLY good at detecting the truth Through The Force, and asks Anakin how he Fell...

Anakin just. Tells the Tuskens story.

They don't get pinged as lying, but oh boy does old Obi have a LOT of questions for Anakin once they're in private.

There are other things happening to help sell the ruse. Some of them are necessary! Some of them are... not.

Obi-Wan: What's the best way to show we're rich and kind of evil, but like... classy about it? Anakin, immediately: I sit on the floor next to the throne, leaning against it, and you call me pet names while stroking my hair, and then when you need something killed I get to do it for you and then I go back to the floor and you thank me for the directed violence, and then you go back to Negotiations with criminals while I’m sitting there covered in blood. Obi-Wan: ...is there something you want to TELL us, or...?

"You're all going to get a glimpse of something normally kept hidden about me." "Anakin, you don't have to do that." "No, I'm gonna."

(Anakin has decided hes going to peel his kink tomato to sell this ruse, and the others are slightly uncomfortable with that.)

Anakin: Okay, I cannot keep flirting with you. Young Obi: Wait, what? But that's the best part of any time we run into you! Anakin: You look WAY too much like my Master did when I met him. Obi: O...kay? If someone looked like my master when HE was young, I'd-- Anakin: My Sith Master half-raised me. He's basically my dad. Obi: ... Anakin: What's that look for? Obi: I mean, you spend a lot of time lounging at his feet, and, like, given how much you hate slavery, I... kind of assumed it was a kink thing? Anakin, brightly: Oh no, I just have a LOT of trauma. And neuroses. Snips says they’re neuroses.

Young Obi is a little upset because he was actually getting REALLY into Flirting With The Enemy and was hoping it would go somewhere. He mopes to Qui-Gon about it. Qui-Gon isn't sure whether to be proud about Obi breaking rules, or worried over Obi-Wan falling for a Fake Sith.

(As Tia put it: "You enjoy making young Obi-Wan have a completely unrequited crush on Anakin, don’t you?")

Fortunately, one of those attractive Young Mando boys very kindly helped him tape up his ribs this one time, and has thus caught his eye...

I feel like having Cody date Young Obi would court an entirely different kind of (internet) drama because clone ages, but whatever.

Also please imagine an element of "so I'm dating the genetic identical of my boss... who's dating the man I'm a genetic identical of..."

(It's probably not actually Jangobi but man would that be funny and also stupid.)

Somehow Young Obi figures out that the "Sith Master" is a future him before he realizes that they're not actually dark. In his defense, Anakin was pretty convincing. Especially with the wife rant. It makes HIM more obsessed with Anakin, in a reversal of the implied earlier dynamic, which is all kinds of weird. Less romantic but like. Still weird.

"Future Me Scares Me" with Extra stupid. "Future Me Annoys Me." "Future Me acts like grandmaster Dooku, but more sass." "Future Me raised a really hot evil guy that refuses to bang Present Me." "Future Me might be a Sith, but I'm getting more and more convinced he's just fucking with us all." "Future Me is really rocking that beard, and I can't BELIEVE we figured out a way around the babyface."

"I’m kinda concerned about the whole evil thing, but I’m also glad that I know I’ll stay hot as I get older."

Quinlan approves of the priorities.

Also a lot of interactions with older Obi are very Anakin: [does/says something deeply unhinged] Obi-Wan: So, do you want to…. Talk about that? Maybe? Anakin: What’s there to talk about?? I’m fine, everything’s fine! Anyways how about those plans for tracking down Maul?

Anakin later, like way after the ruse is lifted, just blankly tells everyone that he did Fall, once, and Older Obi made him get therapy about it after the truth came out between the two of them a few months into the Fake Sith thing.

Where'd they find a therapist? I'm sure there's one SOMEWHERE around. Denon and Herdessa are close enough, and they've done enough "your criminal empire now belongs to me" that they can pay well. They make sure to find one that takes confidentiality real seriously.

It's all very "we need some more time to unpack all that."

Therapy helps get Anakin to figure out Sheev’s whole deal. They don't necessarily figure out he’s a Sith from it, but they figure out he’s sketchy and they need to look into that more. Obi-Wan probably already thought he was sketchy, but the whole active gaslighting campaign was a little surprising. They realize that he kinda benefited a lot from a lot of Sith plots and they still probably don’t think he’s a Sith but Obi-Wan is definitely starting to think he’s working with one.

"Okay, we're already bugging Gunray, should we bug Palpatine just to be safe?"

They get away with a lot of slicing because Anakin is a technical genius from twenty years in the future.

The reasons they're so good at Taking Over Hutt Space: 1. They know parts of the future. 2. They have superpowers and FAR less reason to not use them, now that their actions aren't going to reflect on the Republic. 3. They have Cody and Rex, who are two of the greatest military minds in the galaxy, and know EXACTLY how to wage a war that covers a solid third of the galaxy, starting from a position of relative weakness. 4. Anakin's charisma is scary high, and his knowledge of slave culture means they gain a lot of trust from the people they free, and they just... keep acquiring volunteers for the army they didn't plan to have. Obi-Wan doesn't know what to do. He thinks they might have started a cult?

In his defense, Dooku sort of started a cult, and Komari got kidnapped by a cult, brainwashed into joining it properly, and then took it over as head figure of said cult. It's practically tradition!

Comics Vader is the central figure of like three different cults, it was really just inevitable.

Anakin: Aw, don't worry master, it's not a cult, it's a revolution! Ahsoka: They're worshiping him, though. Anakin: ...it's still a revolution! Just... with some misunderstandings.

Also, if they got wind of people trying to keep people from being able to leave and other culty stuff like that, they’d probably put a stop to it pretty damn quick.

Names! Time for names. As per usual, it's easiest to keep track of Obi-Wan's alternate Older Self by just calling him Ben.

Darth Ben.

Ahsoka: You should be Darth Boring. Obi-Wan: I can still make you run laps, you know.

Anakin: The Force is telling me to call myself Darth Vader. Obi-Wan: ...why? Anakin: I dunno, but it sounds cool, I'll run with it.

Someone: Ben has all the answers; we shouldn’t question him, ever. Ben: One time I lost a planet, and a five-year-old found it for me.

More options: Going with the "evil word with the prefix 'in' chopped off" that we get with Sidious and Vader: Darth Surrectus (as in insurrection) Just random Latin words: Darth Temporus (time) Darth Commenticius (fake)

Anyway, back to Nonsense:

Maul goes after young Obi early, because the Fake Sith are really invested in this one random Padawan (Sidious is saying he might be a cousin of the false Sith Master? They do look similar enough) so someone needs to investigate. Naturally, Anakin shows up with some wild screeching to fight Maul, and when someone questions why he got involved it gets very "Kenobi is MINE!" and like. Okay. So.

Anakin means it in a very Sith "to toy with" and "to torture" way, or the ‘my chosen opponent!’ way, just the same kind of Obsession as Maul had with Obi-Wan in the original timeline. Unfortunately, Anakin’s a weird-ass person who flirts with Young Obi against his own better judgement, so there's some awkward "Like... your boyfriend?" from young Obi. Anakin just screeches in SOME emotion that nobody wants to interpret, and couldn't even if they wanted to, and starts whacking away at Maul again.

(Anakin hasn't explained the "you look exactly like my dad, sorry, it's just too weird" thing yet, and he is HAVING MANY REGRETS.)

There's definitely at least one instance where a person asks Anakin if he's planning on dating That One Jedi Twink, or at least banging out the tension. At that point in time, Anakin doesn't actually know who the fuck they're talking about, because "Obi-Wan + Twink = Does Not Compute" for dear, dense Ani, and instead he just ends up ranting about how he is LOYAL TO THE MEMORY OF HIS LATE WIFE, how DARE anyone so much as INSINUATE that he would TARNISH HER PERFECT MEMORY and UNWAVERING KINDNESS and WHOLESOME BEING, and the person who asked doesn't end up lightsabered but they do end up with a LOT to tell whoever they're reporting to.

Young Obi-Wan definitely hears Anakin mutter the phrase “something to discuss with my therapist later” a few times, and he’s a little bewildered because darksiders definitely don’t seem like the type of people to go to therapy. They’re the type of people to need therapy, sure, but not the type to go to therapy.

I think it would be very fun for Young Obi to continue sighing over Anakin (who's pretending to be fine with it and even flirting back because he's in too deep to stop and hasn't worked up the courage to explain the elephant in the room) while Anakin is covered in grease and infodumping while having a slightly manic hyperfocus on engine repairs while the two of them Somehow got stranded together in the middle of bumfuck nowhere (it's Plagueis's doing, he finds the interactions between THESE two in particular to be the most informative regarding the fake Sith).

Anakin, at some point while stranded with young Obi-Wan, and having actually started unpacking some stuff in therapy, though he’s def still got a ways to go: I’m pretty sure Ben cares about me. He acts like he cares, like he’ll do stuff like put extra blankets in my quarters in the spaceship because I get cold real easily or track down those droid parts I need for a project and he always has my back in a fight but y’know it’d be nice to hear him say he loves me once in a while. Especially because we kinda had a rough start and idk I don’t think he wanted me around at first.

And uh. Obi-Wan definitely relates to that a bit too much, y’know?

I want to say that Young Obi ends up mentioning All That to one of the clones or Ahsoka later, because they seem probably invested in Anakin's well-being, even if Ben is, well, a Sith, so Obi-Wan's a little worried the man's affection really is fake, but at least Ahsoka...

(Ironic, given what Anakin's actual eventual Sith would-be-Master was like.)

Young Obi mentions Anakin’s most recent rant to Ahsoka, and she just goes "Wait, is that why Skyguy likes to sit by the throne and get called pet names?" "Uh... I don't... know... but it sounds like all of you have a LOT to unpack there, Miss Apprentice."

Later on: "Master Kenobi, you need to tell Skyguy you love him 'cause apparently he's been having a lot of emotions about you not telling him you care and he's been talking to mini-you about it whenever they get stuck together and--"

Young Obi-Wan is just constantly the "Now we don't have time to unpack all of that" John Mulaney gif. Anakin in particular is a mess, and young Obi-Wan slowly goes from "I want to date that" to "I want to study that" about him.

Obi-Wan gets stuck somewhere with Ben, tries to small talk, gets on the topic of Vader, and spills the drama. He gets an awkward “Thank you for bringing that to my attention.”

It’s followed by a fairly frustrated “I try, but Anakin refuses to communicate his needs to me, and it feels like I’m always falling short.”

At least one member of the group is in therapy, probably all of them, but they’re still using young Obi as a sounding board for all this stuff. On the bright side, this is probably good for impressing the importance of good communication on Obi-Wan.

Good for Obi-Wan! And... whatever Padawan he eventually has.

As for baby Anakin, who is approximately age four, I want to go with "Anakin decides to be his own uncle, and Shmi just rolls with it because fuck it, she’s not a slave anymore, and a Fake Sith is a solid defense against anyone trying to re-enslave them."

[This is a backstory I've had them use before (see here and here).]

Seeing Big Ani and Little Ani in the same space might be what finally pings the "oh shit, that's future me" thing for Obi-Wan... you know, if he’s ever allowed close enough to see Little Ani in the first place.

Little Ani stays with the fake-Sith and is sorta jointly trained by all of them, and young Obi-Wan teaches little 'Soka at the Temple. Ani and 'Soka still end up friends somehow, but it is fairly different.

Every time little Ani addresses Old Obi as "Dad," it's just like ten kinds of awkward. The one time someone tried to explain that Ben wasn't his new dad, Shmi glared them down. She is of the opinion that, all the gods be damned, Ani deserves to refer to the most mature man in his life, who raised another him in another timeline already, as a father.

Ani doesn't NEED a father, Shmi herself is more than enough, but he does deserve to have this if he wants it.

An alternative conclusion to the time travel is uh. So the Mandalorians are genetically identical (give or take a hair gene) and really resemble Jango Fett, though whether anyone notices that is up in the air. Then the three ‘Sith’ (two fake Sith and their morality chain tag-along) have three younger, identical copies show up….

It could be really weird cloning shenanigans. Now, it makes no sense that they’d make clones, and stagger their production like that, and leave them as babies on various planets for Jedi to find. IDK what reasons Obi-Wan would come up with for that, but it’s a fun little detour before he gets to time travel.

There's a really painful moment (for the audience, who know about canon Vader) where someone tries to convince Ahsoka to leave the Sith and she's just like "no way, they'd never hurt me!” Then she clarifies that “someone has to keep them from doing stupid Sith shit whenever they get bored, you know?"

A bunch of Jedi probably think she’s delusional, but the few that have seen her get into trouble that is legitimately too much for her, which isn't often, have then seen Anakin show up like the devil himself to save her, and it's like. Oh. This is why she isn't scared of them hurting her.

We’ve discussed how Anakin does get concerningly in character with the fake Sith thing. However, Anakin and Ahsoka are, just once in a while, surprised by how Ben gets sometimes when playing the bad guy.

After all, he stabbed a dude with a fork and threatened to eat him during his time as Hardeen…

He has the same dramatic streak as all the rest of the lineage. He can be vindictive and creepy and scary as fuck.

HOWEVER:

Obi-Wan: I know I'm supposed to be playing at evil right now, but how do we feel about me making that evil a little... fruity? Ahsoka: Fruity, master? Anakin, who knows where this is going: [buries face in hands] Obi-Wan: You know, the... [limp wrist] Ahsoka: ... Obi-Wan: I mean, I'm already bisexual and well-groomed, I can play it up.

What’s the point of being evil if you can’t be flamboyant?

Anyway, I had to put in a lot of thought for what to do with Rex and Cody, because there's a solid place for them in terms of strategy, but it doesn't do much to give them independent narrative arcs, and 'young Obi-Wan has a crush' isn't much of an arc, you know?

So, basic info first: Cody, Rex, and Anakin all hold the rank of General in this AU because, like... who else is gonna. Ahsoka remains a commander because everyone declares her Baby, and also to keep up the "I'm a morality chain" ruse.

Cody maintains a very stern and unyielding public persona, but the second they're behind closed doors, he's roughhousing with his little brother.

Rex has some fun pretending to be a sadist whenever he and Anakin have to team up, because hamming it up as an evil bastard in front of Jedi is actually really fun... but usually, he's a competent fucking professional.

Because here's the thing: someone has to be.

They both kind of hate the army they've gotten, because these people don't even have proper trigger discipline, let alone any actual discipline.

This army? Tragic. They hate it. Give them the clones.

They have to be drill sergeants for months before they have anything worth sending onto the field.

I think that might be how/when they end up reaching out to Jango. Like, the first inroad is absolutely "we're your clones from the future and you were a Shit Dad so you owe us," but then they actually talk him around into letting the Fake Sith hire him. He brings along all the Mandalorians he can get to answer his calls, and on suggestion from Those Mando Twins, joins the army Ben doesn't even want.

Darth Boring doesn't want an army! Unfortunately, Cody thinks that's stupid as hell, and is overruling Ben so they can actually work on this 'cleaning up the galaxy of slavery' thing with actual resources.

Cody and Rex are super competent, and it shows in their horrified disdain for the state of their troops.

Rex: Fucking natborns. Anyone who isn't in the know: What's a natborn? Rex: [leaves without answering] People: WHAT'S A NATBORN???

(I'm assuming that the word smush is harder to parse in Basic.)

I think young Obi-Wan's new crush on Cody should also be unrequited. Cody's just like... bemused. Very "Okay, then, that sure is an Affection you've decided on."

Cody and Anakin both: Sorry, it’d just be too weird. Obi-Wan: Why would it be too weird? Cody and Anakin: Reasons.

Rex has to deal with the "whyyyyy" from both his brother and his (former?) General.

Young Obi-Wan just likes cute boys that fight good! Is that so wrong???

Ahsoka: So since we're not officially Jedi anymore-- Obi-Wan: We're still Je-- Ahsoka: Can we date? Can I date now? I want to date someone before we go back to the Code. It's a classic life experience for most teenage girls, and I want to Have That Experience before we're back at the Temple. Obi-Wan: You're not... you can date, Ahsoka, that's not actually banned by the Code. I mean, you'd have to keep it casual, but-- Ahsoka: I CAN DATE!!!

(Great priorities, Ahsoka.)

An idea I'm toying with is that one of the clones ends up Legally Engaged to Satine for political reasons, and young Obi-Wan is just like ???? because not only can he not date the hot boys, but one of said hot boys has become Mr. Steal Yo Girl.

Young Obi-Wan is suffering, and Quinlan is the worst friend ever because Quinlan is laughing at him.

There is obviously the question of

"How would Satine ever end up agreeing to that, given what their public personas are like and all that? She puts duty ahead of personal feelings but all indications are that it’s a terrible decision both ways." (as stated by Tia)

Which, yes, I forgot to actually say that I was imagining Jango had declared "those twins" his heirs after telling people they were his younger* cousins. Because reasons.

* Jango is about 27 when they land in the past, and I’m going to say the accelerated aging ended after hitting physically twenty because no, I don’t want to deal with that. As far as anyone knows, Cody and Rex are about five years younger than Jango. They’re less than year apart, which isn’t very visible, and most people assume they’re identical twins (except Rex’s hair), and that Cody just looks slightly older because of the scar.

Darth Boring had convinced Satine that the way to keeping Mandalore peaceful was to work with Jango (because Darth Boring, which is not his actual title but it is what Ahsoka insists on calling him in private, has a vested interest in keeping Mandalore and all interested parties calm), and he... maybe accidentally set up a political marriage between her and one of the clones.

It wasn't on purpose! Satine never married in his timeline, okay, he didn't expect her to ever get married here, either! He didn't even suggest it! This just happened!

(I want to say that Cody would be more competent at having a political marriage? But IDK.)

Do I do the Satine thing? It has potential, but also it's a bit of a cop-out. Do I have Cody be a diplomatic representative for their pseudo-Sith empire? He could be, but I think he'd hate it. Do I have Rex date one the Chaos Entities (Anakin or Ahsoka), or is that too repetitive with my other works? THERE'S JUST TOO MUCH GOING ON.

Part of me wants Quinlan to get a crush on Cody, and the crush gets bigger specifically in response to the fact that Cody refuses to take him seriously and/or just doesn't give him the time of day.

Based on their one interaction in TCW, they probably let get along ok. Cody maybe likes him back, buuuuuuut internally he's just a little "you were tolerable at almost-forty; early twenties you is obnoxious."

Just imagine the absolutely puppyish attempts at gaining approval and Impressing The Hot Mando General. Quinlan keeps having vague daydreams of seducing someone to the side of the Light. He really leans into the bodice ripper fantasies of saving someone evil with the power of love! (And also the power of really good sex.)

Bant looks at Quin and Obi and wants to throw them both into the nearest pond because they're idiots, but on this topic they are the same flavor of idiot. She considers calling up Reeft and Garen to help her knock some sense into them.

Quinlan: Can I volunteer to go undercover to the Sith? The Council: No. Quinlan: ...what if I-- The Council: No.

Tholme tries to get Qui-Gon to commiserate over their Padawans getting obsessed with Hot Sith Boys, but Qui-Gon just finds the whole thing funny. He knows from the chats he has with Ben that Anakin feels so completely, utterly, incredibly awkward about all of this.

(Ben continues to hold to "Anakin brought this on himself.")

(Ben also “kidnaps” Qui-Gon a lot.)

Also, hey, at least Quinlan isn’t actually into hot Sith boys! He’s into hot Sith minions which is... probably a step up. At least Cody’s not a Sith himself!

It's a step in some direction but Tholme has no idea which one.

(Quinlan sees Cody in dress uniform once and just keeps the mental image for Ages. It’s in his dreams. Sometimes said dreams overflow to Tholme via Force Mind Magic and Quinlan wakes up to someone smacking his face with a pillow.)

Arguably, Quin's also a lot more romantic about his crush than Obi-Wan is, in this case. Quinlan: I want to save him... Obi-Wan: Hey, hey, cute boy. Look at me. Let’s bang.

Cody: There are currently two future Jedi generals having some form of absurd romantic fixation in my direction. I don't know how to feel about this. Rex: Bed them. Cody: ...I'm not saying that's not eventually an option, but one of them is the younger Kenobi, and I'm not sure I'm comfortable with that. Rex: Pat him on the head like a tooka and then bed his friend, it'll be funny.

I think the Quinlan thing and also general exasperation of leading an absolutely useless army can function pretty solidly as the basis for Cody, but I have another idea for Rex now.

Komari is currently brainwashed in a cult, yes? So.

I keep bouncing around back and forth on what to do with Rex, but part of me suddenly really likes the idea of, after Team Fake Sith finds and dissolves the cult (as one does), and takes Komari into custody (because she's dangerous and deeply unwell), Rex kind of ends up her touchstone to being a decent person. He’s not a morality chain, and it’s not really a redeemed-through-love thing, just This Is A Solid Dude who doesn't pity her or thinks she's irredeemable (however you choose to define such a thing), but actually relates to the kind of conditions living like that can involve, and just kind of...

I don’t know. I think Rex's arc in this AU could be very heavily grounded in something to the effect of "You're not the worst darksider I've met. You're not the only person who was in a cult. You're not even the only former Jedi I know that's committed awful, horrible crimes. My question is just this: What are you going to do moving forward?"

Later Anakin: Wait, who do we know that was in a cult? Rex: What did you think Kamino was?

(Rex isn't as chill as he'd like her to think, but he's trying, and she's fairly reliant on the Force to understand emotions, and is currently in nullifying cuffs, so he can bluff.)

Komari needs someone solid and dependable to rely on for at least conversation, and I think Rex needs to feel needed.

I’m not sure if it’d be romance or friendship, but I think there's a solid basis to work with, potentially.

Per Tia:

One thing about Rex and shipping is like. If you want to do Rexwalker again that's fine, but if you're worried about repetitiveness but still want to like. Ship him in a non-political-convenience way. Rexsoka here actually would be different than your other stuff.

I'm trying to figure out if I can make it work because Ahsoka thematically fits very much into a little sister shaped hole here? She feels younger than in other works, despite not actually being younger than she is in, say, Commander Buir. In those other fics, she has some time alone to function and prove herself independently of Anakin and Obi-Wan.

I usually pluck Ahsoka out at sixteen if I'm pulling her from TCW, so she's got most of her competence but hasn't gotten quite all the trauma yet. Commander Buir, in particular, also has baby-shaped Anakin for contrast.

That said, I can see a decent source of narrative conflict in her wanting to experiment with romance and all that, and Anakin trying to tell her she's too young.

A year into this whole time-travel mess, she wants to give the dating thing a shot, and it spirals into "You were only two years older than me when you got married!"

I think I could build a plot out of Ahsoka wanting to do these things, and Anakin as an audience insert not quite processing that she's old enough to make these decisions. If she's choosing to date Rex, whose age works out as being close to hers when one takes into account Kamino fuckery, and whom she trusts absolutely, it’s arguably extra weird for Anakin to be upset with it.

"Senator Amidala was five years older than you, and you married her when you were nineteen and had only really known her for a week! I can go on a date with a guy we both know is one of the most trustworthy people alive if I want, Skyguy!"

I can definitely see Ahsoka getting annoyed with Anakin being overbearing and controlling at some point before that unrelated to romance, too. It’s not exactly a new fault of his.

My god, just imagine someone snidely asking Anakin "where's your little shadow?" and Anakin, being Himself and also a Fake Sith, has an emotional breakdown about how Ahsoka yelled at him for micromanaging her and not trusting her to make her own decisions in life and so she got herself a multi-month solo mission from Ben that Anakin isn't allowed to know any details about, and--

It's another one of those "oh, you have PROBLEMS problems with your mental health" incidents for the Jedi to add to the file, because Anakin having emotionally charged rants about his issues at seemingly terrible times is how they get a lot of information.

Some of the rants are planned.

Many of them, actually.

They want the Jedi to know these things.

Just, well. Anakin.

He really is a little Like That.

On that note, I'm low-key imagining that Anakin gets put on mood stabilizers by the therapist in this context, and he's doing good! He's handling his issues! He's--been captured with Obi-Wan the Younger again and his medication was confiscated.

Anakin is... not great. He's a little out of practice managing his unmedicated self, and when adding withdrawal symptoms onto that... poor Anakin.

(Poor Obi-Wan.)

I think it would be best if Anakin makes a bunch of ominous blustery comments at their captors about how they won't like what's coming to them if they take his belongings (AKA the fanny pack that has his backup pills), and then Obi-Wan just gets to watch Anakin get more and more erratic, because like. Yes, Anakin is using the Force to compensate, but unfortunately he's mostly cut off, and the stress of the situation is pushing him away from depression and into the beginnings of a manic episode.

Anakin is aware of his issues to the point where he's mostly managing, and he keeps asking Obi-Wan "would it make sense for me to [slightly deranged, very impulsive action]," and Obi-Wan realizes he's being the morality sounding board for the Hot Sith because ??? reasons?????

Eventually, Anakin does flop back in bed and dramatically throws his arm over his eyes, and says he needs his meds back, he's absolutely going to lose it, and Obi-Wan tentatively asks what kind of medication. There are levels to worry about. Mild allergy medication is one thing, but heart medication that needs to be taken every four hours is another, you know? He wants to know how much panic is appropriate.

Anakin lets him know that it's Psychiatric In Nature. Obi-Wan suddenly realizes that he really, really, really doesn't want to know what a properly erratic, unmedicated Anakin is like.

(An unmedicated Anakin really isn't nearly as bad as Obi-Wan fears. Anakin's been dealing with this for a while, and knows what his issues are and some of how to deal with them. He'd need to be running on no sleep and higher levels of stress, or to have been drugged with something meant to increase his aggression, to really lose his shit and do something worthy of Vader. RotS levels of stress and sleep deprivation is required to pull RotS levels of manic paranoid delusion.)

Tia asked:

How long does it take the Jedi in general to catch on to how like. They have opportunities. But these Sith never seem to harm any Jedi. And it’s not just like, the past timeline parts of the disaster lineage. They probably get opportunities to hurt other Jedi. Ones that are less skilled at saber work. And more importantly ones that they don’t seem weirdly interested in."

I'm not sure, really. The Jedi don't spend as much time in the Outer Rim as they could, and that's where the Team operates, so actually running into them by accident is unlikely for anyone other than Shadows.

Fortunately, it's really easy to toy with Shadows with the excuse of "I want to see how long it takes before you Fall with us."

I do want like... okay. Here’s the mental image:

Qui-Gon calls them out on being Fake Sith pretty quickly, so Ben just sort of eyes him, dramatically, and orders out "Leave us" to all non-team people. The threat of torture is implied but not stated. He gestures with wine to keep in character. He definitely makes sure Young Obi-Wan is ushered out, so it's just five time travelers, Qui-Gon Jinn, and Ahsoka's immortal force birb.

"...so, what's the reason for the farce, Obi-Wan?" "How in all the hells did you figure it out so quickly?"

(Qui-Gon cheated a bit. He could feel the broken training bond that was never properly severed due to Traumatic Death Of A Master on Ben's end)

Ben didn't realize he'd feel it! Young Obi-Wan can't feel his older self or a training bond with Anakin or Ahsoka, so why could Qui-Gon?

IDK if there would be anything on the level of crying and hugging it out, but I think it would be very funny if, every time young Obi and Anakin are getting captured by pirates or something, Ben and Qui-Gon are just having a nice afternoon tea and checking their watches to see if their respective walking bundles of neuroses are done with their adventure yet.

The Council is So Done, because Qui-Gon continues to insist that they're Not That Bad, but every time anyone other than Qui-Gon brings up the friendship, Ben laughs and makes a comment about how absolutely gullible Master Jinn is.

Obi-Wan is skeptical of his own experiences with Anakin, at least, if only because he's skeptical about Anakin's everything.

"I don't know if Vader is telling me the truth. I don't know if he's telling himself the truth. I don't think he's a great source of information even when he thinks he's being honest."

Anakin could tell Obi-Wan the full and complete truth, and Obi-Wan would worriedly put a hand to his forehead and start doing tests for hallucinations and paranoid delusions. In his defense, this is a very reasonable assumption to make with an individual like Anakin. It's just also not accurate, this time. I don’t know if Anakin hallucinates in canon without a weird inciting incident like Force Nonsense or getting drugged by the enemy, but paranoid delusion is pretty much all of RotS.

"I’m your time-traveling padawan who’s pretending to be a Sith to catch some other Sith who’re going to start a galactic civil war and those Mandalorians you like are from a clone army based on a template of Jango Fett made to serve the Jedi (because that’s totally something he’d sign up for), and one of the Sith is your grandmaster but he doesn’t seem to have fallen yet, it’s probably fine," is hard to believe.

Honestly, even if he seemed stable before saying that, which he doesn’t, it’s all real far fetched. There's a lot going on and Obi-Wan wouldn't even begin to believe it without evidence.

I've had it in my head that he and Bant and Quinlan have been gossiping about the mess for months if not years about these idiots, and at one point it became common knowledge that Ben was a Kenobi, and Bant convinced them (since the two were among the most likely in the entire Order to encounter the Fake Sith) to get a DNA sample, probably hair or blood since that's easiest so they can figure out HOW these two are related, if they are, and then there's a whole big thing.

Bant: No, no, this must be contaminated, it's coming up as Obi-Wan! Are you sure you didn't accidentally grab some of your own hairs? I know it's a little long for most of your hair, but the braid-- Quinlan: Wait, they keep claiming stuff about cloning, right? Maybe someone's a clone? Check for artificial telomeres! Bant: ...okay, so, there aren't any artificial telomeres, but the ones from apparently-Ben are... a lot shorter... um... I don't know what to do with this. It's like I have two samples from the same person, twenty years apart. Quinlan: Obi-Wan, what's that face? Why are you-- Obi-Wan: Vader told me he was a time-traveler. I thought it was the fever talking, but...

That’s how he finds out that Ben is future-him before finding out about how he’s not evil!

"Master Jinn... I think... I think the Sith controlling the Outer Rim is me from the future." "Oh, you finally figured it out?" "I AM HAVING A CRISIS HERE."

Obi-Wan, after a few hours of dazed realization, runs screaming to Quinlan and Bant like 'GUYS GUYS THIS EXPLAINS WHY VADER KEPT SAYING IT WAS WEIRD AND THAT I LOOK LIKE HIS MASTER AND THAT IT WOULD BE LIKE DATING HIS DAD.'

You know, the important stuff.

I think Qui-Gon tells him that Ben isn't evil because, like, That Sure Is A Crisis Obi-Wan's Having. He could hold off for shits and giggles, sure, but Obi-Wan’s on the edge of something Really Concerning, mentally. Best help calm him down on at least one or two things.

Obi-Wan’s maybe still a little skeptical until he confronts them over it. Because their Sith act was real good and also like. Maybe Qui-Gon just wants to believe the best of his Padawan, y’know?

Quinlan runs into Ben before Obi-Wan does, after this whole mess, and gets to observe as money changes hands and people act like sore winners about bets made for When Does Obi-Wan Figure It Out.

Anakin was saying 'soon' because he really didn't think the fever-fueled rant would be discounted as easily as it was.

Cody was of the opinion that it would take at least a few more years since they're actually pretty damn good at this whole schtick.

Quinlan: Wow, he's... going to be really disappointed that you have such a low opinion of his intelligence. Cody, gesturing at Ben: Experience. Darth Ben: ಠ_ಠ

Cody just rattles off some of the Extremely Stupid Shit that Ben's done in their time working together.

Rex cheerily offers up "You didn't even realize General Skywalker was married, sir! And they weren't subtle!" "I knew they were together, I just didn--" "Everyone knew they were together, sir. Everyone."

(Rex had the lowest opinion of their deductive capabilities. He claims it would have taken until Baby Ahsoka showed up at the Jedi Temple.)

-Once Obi-Wan accepts that they're decent people after all- Obi-Wan: Wow, Anakin, you're real good at acting unhinged! Anakin: Haha. Yeah. Thanks?

[obislittleone]

What Once Was Mine

Chapter 6

Summary: Locked away in a house her entire life, she always dreamed of exploring the nearby kingdom for just a day, believing it could make the rest of her days in solitude bearable. What she was unware of, was the real reason she'd been hidden away for so long. Changes comes swift like a flying dagger when a thieving bounty hunter seeks solace in the old home.

Din Djarin Royalty!AU / Tangled!AU

Pairing: Din Djarin x Princess Kryze!Reader

A/n: i mean... didn’t you watch tangled? this one sad asf

Warnings: angst, death of a main character, mentions of stabbing, blood, the whole sha-bang

SERIES MASTERLIST

Din trudged into the fog, weary of his old partner. How was he able to escape palace custody in under a day? Ran was never so coordinated and had fewer abilities than he or Xi'an ever had. It was also perhaps relevant to mention that Ran was never the brightest flower in the garden. He picked up on things here and there, and was a natural born leader of operations, mostly thievery, but he never had the brains to figure out something so complex as a prison break. Maybe he snuck away before they even got him to the gates, that was more likely. It would also explain why Xi'an was not in his company.

When Din reached the end of the bridge, and met the end of the foggy haze, he saw Ran sitting cozy on a log, sharpening a stick with his pocket switch. He was illuminated by the simple glow of a small lantern which sat by him, and as soon as Din was visible from the fog, he stopped what he was doing, throwing his switch to the dirt beneath him.

"Fancy seeing you here," the older man chuckled, shaking his head and putting his hands on his knees to lean forward.

"I'm not looking for trouble, I know you saw," Din was rather confident, knowing that if this went south he was good enough a fighter to overpower him. He only had one intention, though, and would rather keep his hands to himself.

"Saw what? Oh, you mean your pretty little girl?" He stood to his feet, but stayed where he was, knowing Din was already antsy about him being here. "She's lovely, no wonder you ran off without us. If I had someone like that waiting for me, I'd leave my friends for dead, too."

"We aren't friends."

Din was sure that by now he'd be back with you, but this conversation was being steered away from his original perception of it.

"Right, that's why you never showed us your face, huh? Funny, now that's all I see."

Din didn't answer, he only held up the satchel containing the dark saber in front of him, his eyes narrowing.

"You can take this, the reward, all of it.... but you stay way from here," Din took a few steps forward, opening up the flap and proving that indeed the contents were there. "And you stay away from me."

Ran flicked his eyes only once towards the saber, unimpressed about the majestic object, as if it held no monetary value to him whatsoever.

"I don't know, Djarin... I've been pretty upset about you running off yesterday. I think maybe we'll take her instead," he waved away the dark saber, and Din's eyes narrowed with intense anger. He grabbed Ran by the arm aggressively before he could even begin to walk towards your general vicinity.

"You would hurt her just to get to me? What could you even possibly want with her?" His voice was low and demanding, and his grip got tighter on the man's arm. Ran winced only slightly, trying to keep calm just long enough to rile him up.

"That's just it," Ran started, ripping his grip from Din and coming closer to his face. It was different than what he imagined. "A girl with healing magic? Many would pay a pretty penny for her. I'd say you've been holding out on us."

"Us?" Din caught the plural usage that time, and went to call your name, knowing there were more dangerous forces at play here, but a horrible bash to his head brought him to the ground within a second.

She was right... she's always right. Your mother warned you about this very instance. She told you he didn't feel anything for you, and that he was indifferent, but you were too trusting. You made a poor judgement because you were naive and inexperienced.

How could he ever love someone like you? How could you have possibly thought it would even be an option? You were stupid, and blind. He had no reason to stay after you gave him that saber, yet you offered it up anyway. All those lies about him wanting you to stay, to have adventures with him. It was all just a fantasy he procured to make you give him what he wanted. You were too foolish, and couldn't have possibly comprehended that it was a trap.

You planned on living the rest of your life in the solice of this old home, where you could grow old and die in peace, with no more bouts of curiosity that lead to pure heartbreak. That's what this was, heartbreak. Utterly and completely, in every sense of the word.

In your books, the losses of love are described so poetically, they make heartbreak sound so tragically romantic and somehow coveted. Next to forbidden love, the next most romantic is unrequitted. Oh how difficult it is to see the beauty in this remnant of shambled destruction that is your emotional state.

You're convinced that you'll never love again, not only because you refuse to put yourself in a situation where that could be possible, but also because there will never be another like him. The worst part about all of this, with the shedding of tears and loud sobs that escaped you, was that you still thought of him as the most perfect man you could ever conjure in your mind. He was still flawless and you still felt for him the way you did last night and the night before. You still wished for his arms to be around you while you cried and you still wished you might have shared a kiss with him before he left you and your baby alone in the middle of a bridge.

"Darling, you need to stop crying so much, it can't be good for you... and besides, it won't mean this much to you in a few days, best forget about it now."

Your mother was never the type to coddle you when you needed it, claiming that she was too happy of a person to be sad for another. She didn't want to hold you and tell you it was going to be okay because she was sure you already knew that, and just needed to get over yourself. Whenever you cried as a child, she left you with your favorite stuffed bunny, and told you to try and be quiet so she could sleep. You always did so, knowing her wrath of mornings when she had little sleep.

You were absolutely destroyed right now, and she didn't know how to handle that, so she wanted to just put a stop to it altogether.

"He was so good to me... I don't understand," you told her, hoping and praying with everything in you that she might sit down next to you on your bed and wrap her arms around your shoulders while you cried. You needed to be held, to feel safe and secure. You needed affirmation that you were not dying of a broken heart, that it just felt like it because the moment was still so fresh in your mind and it hurt that much.

"He's a con man, nothing more. You'll learn to see him as such, just like everyone else."

She left the room as soon as she came, taking away the dress that Din bought for you yesterday. She claimed that even that subtle reminder would be bad to have around you, and gave you one of her old dresses to wear. Funny how she never offered it to you before, when you only had one dress. This one was blue, with elbow sleeves and a sensible skirt.

You fell back onto the bed, letting more tears stream down the once rosy and smiling part of your cheeks. You hadn't smiled so wide before in your life until yesterday, but that day was over, and the sun was rising on a new day, the saddest one you'll ever experience.

Why did you ever leave the house? You could have been spared so much agony had you just given Din his satchel back and sent him on his way. You would still have gotten a chance to meet him, and the image in your mind would be a good one. One with brown eyes and a deep voice. You never would have had to deal with everything else that transpired.

You wished you could hold Grogu and feel his comforting thoughts in your head while you sobbed, but he was still asleep in the other room, recovering from last night's events.

You tried your best to calm down, start taking deep breaths. You couldn't bear to be yelled at by your mother in such a fragile state, and you knew she would if you didn't stop crying.

You were able to sniffle the last few tears away, forcing a smile onto your face to rid yourself of any other sadness that might have come back.

"I am okay, I am fine, nothing has happened to me and I am okay," you recited the words over and over, like a mantra to forget all of the past events. It seemed something within you didn't like what you were saying, that you were trying to reverse it all. Something within you was stirring and it needed you to remember every detail.

It hit you like a brick moments later... a calling through the force you held, your magic whispered the truth in your ear before you could speak another word. Visions flashed through your mind of palace halls, of a caretaker not much older than yourself holding a baby, and sneaking it away from the castle. You saw the dark saber that Din had stolen. You saw it in a throne room, surrounded by royals, then you saw it in your hands. When you'd picked it up, it sent a shockwave through you just a few days ago... it didn't resonate with you what it was then, but it absolutely did now. You knew that it was your magic sensing the object from long before you possessed it, from a time in your past. It somehow knew you were who it really belonged to. You saw the image of a portrait, an infant baby done in mosaic tiles, resting against the castle walls in the courtyard of kingdom Mandalore. The woman who braided your hair told you of her, and exactly how long she'd been missing. She even told you the day she was born, and ironically, you shared that same day of birth. You never knew where you came from, only that your mother hid you away as a baby to keep your powers from the outside world. You understood everything now... it all fit together like the most intricately cut puzzle of all time. You kept hearing the echo of your power ringing through your head, telling you that you were the one, it was always you.

You fell over yourself onto the ground, hands and knees holding you up while you heaved heavy breaths. The sounds of crashing alerted your mother from the other room. She came rushing in the door to see you in your state and came to stand by you.

"Dear, you need to stop being so dramatic. This is all just a waste of time," she warned, but when you looked up at her with a knowing glare, she froze. It was like looking into the eyes of another person, and you were. You weren't her daughter, you never were... but you could see that now. You see everything clearly now, and the anger of it all burns through you like a fire.

"Where was I born?" You demanded, and her eyes widened. You knew, she didn't know how but you knew. "And tell me the truth."

"I think you already have a guess," her tone turned dark, and she looked at you like you were now her prey. Not anymore. This woman has manipulated you since you were a child, and you weren't even hers. No more shall this go on.

"I am not your daughter," you stood up, the glare on your face intensified, and you tilted your head with narrowed eyes. "I am your princess, the rightful ruler of Mandalore."

Her shock was hidden well with the power she thought she still held over you.

"So it would seem, but no one would ever believe you," she tried to keep an upper hand position, but you were quickly growing tired of the games she played. You were going to win against her for the first time. You wouldn't stop until she was defeated, metaphorically or otherwise.

"I have my ways," you spoke, stepping towards her. She took a step back, and you smirked. You had power now that she didn't have. She never had it before, but you were smarter now.

"And if they aren't convinced? Where will you go? He won't be there for you," she taunted back, though with every step backwards she took, you proved to be more dominant.

Another piece of the puzzle came together. Din may not have left you at all, she may have taken him from you in order to bring you back with her... if she touched a hair on his head...

"What did you do to him?" You asked through gritted teeth. You were emintaing subtle bouts of power from yourself, making the ground beneath you vibrate. The portraits on the walls shook violently as you became more enraged with her lack of answer.

"I didn't do a thing. It is his own actions which have doomed him."

"What am I supposed to make of that?"

She smirked devilishly before jutting our her chin to spew the words. She thought of them as exciting news.

"He is to be hanged this morning, in the center courtyard for everyone to see," she saw how the darkness in your eyes was intensified for only a moment before it was replaced with sadness. If what she said was true, he didn't leave you, he was taken. He was taken away before you could begin your new journey together. Your chance at a happy life was gone, and now the man you fell for would be, too.

"No," you whispered, the tears beginning to resurface as you tried to hold yourself strong. You'd backed your so called mother into the main sitting room, where she had secretly been working with her hands behind her back to open a drawer you hadn't noticed before. Nothing was ever kept there, which is why she found it the perfect hiding place for her intended object.

You held a fury in you that had never before surfaced in your life. You wanted more than anything to make this woman pay for everything she ever did to you. She lied to you, hurting you day after day because she wanted to keep you from the presence of others. She never allowed you to find your own joy, only inflicting upon you what she deemed nessacary. Worst of all she took away your only chance at love and romance, destroying the dreams you've harbored for years on end.

"You did this. You are the reason he's gone, and you're going to pay for it."

Your hands began to raise from your sides, and your necklace glowed green from within the dress where it hung.

She took the opportunity to pull her weapon from the confines of the drawer. It wasn't her knife that she kept in case of emergencies, it was a crystal. It shined with light brighter than the sun, and as it came closer to you, you could feel your power subside immensely. You tried to push her back, but the weakness installed in you by this crystal was painful. It tampered with your powers, making you a shriveled mess on the floor within seconds.

"You are nothing without your power," she said, standing over you with an authoritative tone. "You may have been a princess once, but those midiclorians you possess made you an outcast."

You'd never heard that word before, but you assumed it had something to do with your powers. You knew she had taken a trip to the crystal kingdom of Ilum last year, but you never assumed she brought back such a thing that could weild your own power against you.

"You are nothing, but I can still use your power, dearie."

She reached for your arm, seeing as you were moments away from sleep. The crystal took your consciousness before you could even comprehend what was happening.

Din recalled the events of his prior day while locked in a cell, getting to the place where it all went wrong. He let out a huff of distress, his heart couldn't handle the fact that you'd been left up for grabs in the presence of his former partners. He shouldn't have been so stupid. He should have left the saber on the bridge when he had the chance. He should have taken you and run to a safe place.

He knew the physical toll healing people took on you, and if you were forced to do it on a larger scale, it could kill you. You would die a slave in the presence of someone you were trying to heal, and he couldn't handle that thought. He was about to die, too. Death by hangman's noose.

He'd been close to death plenty of times, but never was there one so set in stone like this one was now. Each minute that passed, and the sun got higher, he knew his time was fast approaching. There was no escaping this one. He hated that he was thinking so much about something he could not do anything to stop... but you were so important to him. Spending every hour with you, getting to know every little thing that makes you tick, what made you happy, what caused you excitement. You brightened his life from the darkness it sat in for so long. At last he could see the light, and it was like the fog has lifted. The sky was now new, and beautiful. What you made him feel was warm and real, and bright, and the world had somehow shifted. All at once everything looked different, the moment he saw you.

The door of his cell was slammed open on it's hinges, and he stared back into the face of the man who opened it. The captain of the royal guard. He'd been after Din for years, never once catching him for he always slipped away. This time it seemed too easy, like he was handed over on a silver platter. The captain would never complain, his long days of hunting the hunter were over.

"It's time."

Din brought a hand to his neck, not ready to die with the crack of it by a rope. He wasn't ready to give you up. He would search to the ends of the earth to find you and your little goblin.

As they walked him down the hallway, they passed by other criminals in the prison, waiting their turn to be executed as well. Din assumed he took top priority over the others. He was the most wanted man in nearly every kingdom. His death would be announced as a great triumph for those of the law.

He noticed that as all the eyes were directed to him, he felt a sense of nakedness. Not being covered by his mask and hood in the presence of these men felt forgein. It didn't feel that way around you, or even just when he was by your side.... but it made him very uncomfortable as of now.

He tried to keep his eyes anywhere but the path, avoiding how far away he was from the door to the courtyard. A pair of familiar faces caught his eyes in the cell coming up, and he was confused, and determined.

He tripped one of the guards that held him, using his weight to crush the other one against the metal bars of a cell.

He wasted no time in pulling close the man he knew. Ran's face colided with the bars and he winced weakly.

"Where is she? What did you do to her?" He demanded, yaking on the man's collar to gain his attention more thoroughly.

"It wasn't us, I swear on my mother's name, Djarin."

Ran was wildly afraid of Din, even though he was about to be killed on display for everyone to see.

"She's with that old woman," Xi'an piped up from the corner. She couldn't care less about him or you, but she didn't much like how her sleep was being interrupted. "Honestly, I think she would have been better off with us."

Her maniacal chuckle burned Din's ears. He knew exactly who took you, and he knew what she was capable of. That damn woman kept you locked away all of your life just because you were special. He couldn't imagine the punishment she probably had in store for you, now.

Din was regained by the guards, moving faster to the door, while cuffing his hands behind his back to avoid any other surprises.

He knew he couldn't die, now. He was so anxious to get outside, because he would have more options of escape once he reached that courtyard. He knew you didn't normally need rescuing, but that woman did things to you that you wouldn't even stand up for on your own accord. He feared what she may have already done to you.

The crowd of people on the outside of the cell block were yelling and jeering in disgust at Din. They were ready to see the legendary bounty hunter, thief, and over all criminal get the rope. They wanted to see him swing.

He was forced up the steps of the platform, watching everyone around him for any sign of weaknesses. He was unlucky in finding anything suitable or useful. His hands tried fumbling with the chain at the base of the cuff, seeing if there was any way to dismantle it without brute strength, but again it was a dead end. He was all out of options, and stood right above the trap door.

They placed the rope around his neck, pulling it tighter than it needed to be. The man who did it chuckled at the way Din turned his head in discomfort, giving a nod to the executioner behind him. Din ignored the way his crimes were announced to the crowd, with thunderous amounts of cheering from their end.

The executioner placed his hand on the lever, about to pull it down before a loud whinny of a horse could be heard from across the courtyard.

"Razor Crest," Din murmered, a smirk playing on his lips as the majestic beast vame running toward him.

"Pull it now!" The captain yelled.

Din jumped over his hands just in time, the executioner pulling the lever to make the trap door fall beneath him. Din's feet never made it back to the ground, and the rope was around his neck, but as he fell, he used the momentum of his swung hands to remove the rope from himself. It was an incredibly close call, but he landed with his feet on the dirt a moment later.

The horse had scared everyone out of the way, and Din was able to meet him in front of the stands before any of the guards could touch him. Arrows were fired from the walls above, but they missed him and the horse by inches. Razor crest never stopped running, and Din quickly grabbed hold of his saddle and pulled himself up before he was passed by.

The guards came yelling about, surrounding the areas to try and block the path the horse was taking, but it wasn't going to work. The horse was brilliant even by human standards and knew the fastest route from the courtyard out of the kingdom.

"Alright bud, let's see how fast you can run..."

With that, Razor crest was faster than a flying arrow, going through the village, dodging people and objects like he'd done it a thousand times. He probably has, and ironically, it would be while chasing Din.

They made it to the kingdom limits, and the closing gate ahead of them brought a sense of nerves on Din's behalf, but the horse was confident, and brushed past it with ease. They made it. The bridge to the forest was long, and it only spurred on Din to his destination even more, given that this was the place it all went south. He needed to know you were okay, and he wouldn't rest until you were.

The road to your old house in the woods was shorter than he remembered it... or maybe that was just the value of having a horse. It should have taken him hours to find you, but he was there within minutes. He stopped Razor Crest at the hill of rocks, sending him running in the other direction to keep the guards away, beginning the climb and decsent downwards. He was so close, and the heat of a chase warmed him even in the chill weather. It was cloudy skies, set for rain pehaps.

When the house was in view he immediately breathed a sigh of relief. Almost there, a few steps away. The creaky porch was a lovely sound, but he surpassed the old planels of wood and barged in through the door.

"Mesh'la?" He called out in an asking tone, rushing through the first and second hallway to see if he could find you. It didn't ever dawn on him that he might not, that you may already have been taken and never to be seen again.

"Din," a soft voice could be heard from the sitting room he'd woken up in the day he came here. He smiled sweetly, waiting no longer to have you in his sights.

He walked in the room and saw you practically motionless on the ground, with chains binding you as you leaned against the old fireplace. You had tear stained cheeks, and your hair was a gruesome mess atop your head.

He raced towards you but your eyes widened in terror.

"Din, you have to leave, go away from here, please."

Your pleas were unanswered. Your tears were desperate attempts to keep him safe, to get him far away as you possibly could. He need not bear the brunt of your mother's harshness like you would.

"I won't leave you, not again," he looked down at the chains that bound you, noticing the crystal they were carved from. It must be to keep you from using your powers, though he doubted you'd intentionally use them against anyone anyway.

You cried and cried, telling him to go before it was too late. You couldn't see that your mother was admiring the pitiful sight behind him, but she came closer, wanting to get a personal look of your face when she made her mext move.

"It's going to be okay, I'm going to get you out of here," he said, inspecting the chains once more.

"No, but it was fun to see you try."

The voice behind Din made him spinn on his heels, but before he knew it, a knife the size of his forearm was plunged into his abdomen, sending him to the ground in seconds.

The shriek that erupted from you was quite positively the most terrifying thing anyone within miles could have heard. Your sobs for the man before you could be heard in every room of the house. Grogu woke from his slumber when he heard. He began to make his trek from bed, wanting to see the fuss.

"Please, don't let him die... I beg of you, please," you pulled on the hem of your mother's dress skirt, unable to fully grasp her from how you were bound.

"Why should I turn loose a criminal like him?" She chuckled darkly, her hands waving to his huddled over form in emphasis.

"Because I need him alive."

Your damaged whisper caught her ear. It was different than your other pleas, more gentle and sincere, as if it was the only thing you wanted.

"I know you want me to stay in your captivity, but I will never rest until I have escaped," you told her, tugging on your restraints and pulling them from the hatched place of drywall they sunk into. "However, I will go willingly with you and play the perfect part of your daughter for the rest of our lives, so long as you let me save him."

This proposal peeked the interest of your mother, her devious ways said it was a good plan, and would cause her less struggle in the long haul.

"You will never fight me, you will always do as I say, and not a word of this will ever be mentioned from this day forward."

Din was writhing in agony, trying to push himself from the ground, but his attempt were so futile, and he fell back every time.

"If that is what you wish, I promise it will be granted," you replied, stalling your tears for a few moments incase she agreed.

She took a few moments to decide, but Din was dying slowly with every moment passing. His blood seeped into the floor boards of the old house, and soaked into the fibers, making them to drip red with his life source.

Your mother knelt down, unlocking you from your chains, and clasped the cuff around Din's hand instead.

"You won't be coming with us, inacase you began to have any ideas," she said through gritted teeth, clearly annoyed that he wasn't dead yet. To make things easier on herself, he would just have to let him remain so.

Feeling a bit more energized with the lack of crystals to bind you, you crawled over to his barely living form, bringing him into your arms and holding onto him for dear life.

"It's alright now, I'm going to help you," you told him sweetly, caressing his face gently. He took your hand in his with the one that had the crystal cuff wrapped around it, and you winced slightly, withdrawing your hand. He instantly understood.

"It weakens you for your power," he guessed, his assumption was right and you just nodded to him with a sad smile. You brought your hand down to the blood soaked region, ready to close his wound in a moment, but he stopped you.

His eyes glanced at your lips and you knew what he was thinking.

"Just let me..." he trailed off, leaning in so close you just had to let your eyes flutter shut. You felt his hand at your cheek, then it dropped to your neck before dipping into the front of your corset dress.

Din, no.

He pulled the necklace from your neck with a quick snap, and the next second he slammed the emerald jewel to the ground, shattering it to bits and pieces. You felt all of your magic drain from you for the first time in your life, and it was like you never possessed it at all.

You mother let out a shrill screech before an unknown force caused her to run and trip on her dress. She fell with the knife she held facing upwards. It pierced her straight through the heart and within mere moments, she was gone forever. You payed no mind at her, there were further pressing matters before you.

Grogu tripped her. He was watching from the upstairs balcony, and as he slowly made his way down, he saw what she was doing, and about to do. He didn't care if he knew her as a caretaker for all the days he lived in this house. He never liked her anyway.

You tried to pick up the fragmanted pieces of stone from the ground, to force them back together.... but they were completely shattered.

Din knew his time had come, and he knew that there was no saving him now, but he did what he had to. He would rather die than allow you to live your life as a slave any longer. If he should free you and set you off into the world for your own good, his death would be a small price to pay.

You were panicked, not sure what to do, now... but you placed your hands on the bloody wound anyways, trying to heal him despite feeling no connection with the usual force around you. You closed your eyes, focusing... you couldn't feel anything. Nothing but blood and cold, and his fleeting breaths becoming slower.

"Din, I can't-"

"I know... it's okay," he said sadly with a smile. He was so calm, like he knew this would happen, like he knew he would die for your sake, and he made peace with it. "Mesh'la, you won't forget me, will you?"

You smiked at his sweet gesture, referring to the book you both read just yesterday.

"Me? Forget? Never...."

He tilted his head away for a moment, letting out a short cough that showed you how close to death's door he was. The blood that erupted from his mouth was enough to convince you he was already gone.

"Would you-?" He paused, trying to draw in a deep breath in order to put forth the correct words. "Would you sing me that song?"

You knew what he had in mind, and nodded instantly. You'd do anything for him. You wished more than life that you could give yours in place of his. It would be fitting... you loved him enough to sacrifice yourself for him. You struggled to conjure the lyrics in good tune with the shakyness of your voice, but you wouldn't dare deny him now.

"When the moon comes up to the shine of a face

The birds are fast asleep

And the lanterns hang from every post

The fairies leave the keep

They join their hands and sing their songs

That nary a soul can hear,"

His breathing was shallower and uneven, before it just stopped.

"In the springtime when the earth is new

To the fairies they draw near

To the fairies they draw near...."

With that, he fell limp in your arms. Din Djarin, the one you were convinced would have been the love of your life, the man who consumed you, and stole your heart, was dead.

.

.

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[acourtofsnakes]

Beroya - Rogue, Chapter 37 - The Mandalorian x Force Sensitive!F!Reader

Summary: (din's pov from the end of chapter 35) Din is still trying to wrap his head around your disappearance, trying to figure out why you did it. Why you felt the need to hide yourself away when all he wants is to help. Ahsoka shares what it was like to lose someone to the Dark, but Din just grows more desperate to find you.

Warnings: Angst, jumbled up feelings, flashbacks, mention of death - Order 66, blood, violence, knives, a very reduced version of the whole of TCW

Words: 5.6k+

A/N: You just know why I had to include *that* story from Ahsoka. And a reason for an Ani gif since I'm fully in my Ani era. Also, I'm starting a new job tomorrow, so updates might slow down again, when they've just picked up🥲Aaaand, i have double checked this, but I apologise if there's any mistakes in there!

Series Masterlist | Masterlist

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Din Tags: @snipskixandbeskar @weirdowithnobeardo @the-bottom-of-the-abyss @kenoobiwan @sarahjkl82-blog @seninjakitey @boomtowngirl @goldielocks2004 @what-iwish-you-knew @greeneyedblondie44 @itsnottilly @welcometothepedroverse @xgoldenjenny @mamacitapascal @heyitsjaybird @amyk-37 @mikariell95 @justdrawings101 @roxypeanut @drebi-san @quicksilvermad @sweetdayme4427

Mando'a Translation: Beroya - Hunt

// 6 days since she left //

“You’re fighting it too much. You need to relax and move on instinct.”

The Darksaber clattered from Din’s hand once more, the blade disappearing as it hit the earth. Again.

He looked at Ahsoka as she rose from her battle stance, sabers glowing brightly in her grip, and she was fighting a smile.

“I am moving on instinct. This thing is heavy.” He tilted his head down toward it, glaring at the thing through the visor of his helmet.

Ahsoka rolled her shoulders, still speaking with that unshakeable calm despite the repetition of the next words, “It’s heavy because you’re fighting it. The more you resist it, the more you’ll lose the connection with it and you’ll be fighting yourself as well. It’s not just a weapon, Mando, it’s -“

“A legacy. Yeah, I know.” He cut her off before she could finish, before she could remind him of the mantle he could claim, if he wanted it.

The ruler of a city turned to glass. Great.

His hands clenched at his sides, curling into fists as the conversation he had with you on that damn cruiser came roaring back.

Of course, when you had said it, it seemed like a good idea. Maker, he could even imagine it, the pair of you reclaiming the lost planet and turning it into something good. Something worthy of the stories – honourable and strong. He’d bring in these new ways he was trying to wrap his head around, the thought of being able to take your helmet off for anyone, not just the one you loved and were bound to or married to.

Married to.

You and Din were supposed to be married.

It seemed like forever ago since he had proposed and slipped that beautiful ring onto your finger, back on Coruscant.

There’d barely even been a day of happiness inside him, this feeling of light and hope growing before everything had gone wrong.

But it was okay, because once you were off that Cruiser, he told himself, once you were all safe and that shadowy bastard was gone, you could go back to that.

He could watch your face turn to awe when you passed bridal shops. He could see the light grow in your eyes, the animated way you moved your hands as you talked about where you could have your wedding, who you’d invite, where you could go to celebrate. Maybe that Sanctuary moon you’d both always talked about.

Grogu would have the rings of course, provided he didn’t eat them.

Din thought by now, you’d be planning it… Not that he ever believed he would get to the point of deciding who his best man would be.

He always assumed it would just be him and his bounties, trailing through the galaxy until there nowhere else left. But then along you had come and his whole world had been turned upside down, for the better.

And now it was upside down for the worst. And he didn’t understand why.

His feet had barely set foot on the ground of Corvus before there was another blinding flash of light, a feeling like heavy pressure on his body and then you were gone again, leaving nothing behind.

Just… gone.

Din didn’t have an explanation for what happened on that ship, and initially Ahsoka hadn’t either, but he was more than happy to find out with you. To research with you. To be with you.

But that obviously wasn’t in your plan.

He had cycled through every stage of grief and emotion in the last six days alone, over and over like clockwork.

Devastation, confusion, disbelief, anger, loss. Every single emotion, every single thought raging inside his skull until it felt like his head was pushing against the inside of his helmet.

He thought he understood. He thought he made you feel safe enough that you didn’t have to hide from him.

“She’ll come back; you know. Eventually.” Ahsoka’s voice broke through his thoughts, pausing him mid-spiral like she knew where they were headed.

She most likely did, could sense it from him.

What did he know? Clearly what little he had learned about the Jedi and the Force wasn’t enough to keep you by his side.

Din avoided her gaze, instead turning to watch Grogu playing with his ball nearby. His jaw clenched beneath the helmet, willing himself to think of anything else other than why you left them.

Ahsoka’s footsteps drew closer, the hum of her sabers rippling in the air, “What happened on that ship… I’ve barely heard of it, let alone seen it. I doubt anyone still alive would have either.” She was quiet for a moment, “But I do remember coming across something like this in the archives, back when I was still… When I was younger.” Her voice faltered for a second, before carrying on a touch unsteady.

And as much as he wanted to know what it was, he couldn’t resist jumping on that chance to take the conversation away from that night.

It was cruel and unfair, but he was feeling selfish. And he needed to know how it all led to this. He needed to know the truth, rather than the stories he’d been fed. “What happened?”

Ahsoka grew still behind him, so quiet he couldn’t even hear her breathing.

He may not have powers of a Jedi, but he was a hunter, the best of the best and he had his own senses too. He knew when he had someone cornered, when he’d hit the mark that would be an opening.

He was a bastard.

But Din asked it anyway. Very evenly, very softly, “What happened that night? To lead to all of this.” It felt like dangerous ground, like a betrayal of some kind, but he couldn’t help himself, he needed to know something, “What happened the night of Order Sixty-Six?”

For a second, he thought Ahsoka might strike him down.

The silence drew out, making him wonder if she’d ever answer but she slowly disarmed her lightsabers and attached them back to her belt, each movement slow and measured like she was trying to control herself.

Even Grogu had gone still, his ears drooping as he no doubt remembered that awful night, the fall of his friends and the home they all cherished.

He shouldn’t have brought it up.

But Ahsoka had sat down heavily on the same log Grogu was perched on, and she bowed her head, looking at her hands, “Before I get to that night, you have to remember that things were… They were different. The Jedi, they… We… believed that everything we did was right, that the war was necessary to defeat the Separatists. We knew how many were suffering on both sides, that it was a matter of politics as much as it was the actual fighting, but it seemed like it was the right way to do it all.” She rubbed her hands over each other, her body held tightly as if in pain, because it was a type of agony to recall those memories, “I was so young, and assigned as a Padawan to a Jedi. There’d been a mix up, so I was assigned to Anakin Skywalker.”

Her lips lifted slightly, “They hoped that teaching me would settle him, would calm the wildness but I don’t they planned on that passing onto me.” She laughed softly, just a little laugh.

Despite the pain so clearly lining every inch of her body, that smile that curved her lips now was one of fondness, “Anakin was… incredible. He was headstrong and brave, and always wanted to do the right thing no matter the danger to himself. He was passionate about what he believed in, and those he cared for despite all the rules that said one shouldn’t have these attachments. And he was an amazing fighter too, saved my life more times than I care to admit.”

She laughed a little, more an intake of breath as she touched the sabers at her side, “I was lost quite a lot when I was younger, trying to find my own way and beliefs but he never gave up. He let me find those things on my own… He was an incredible teacher. Fair but firm when he needed to be… Even when we did all get in trouble... A lot.”

Din chuckled faintly too, imagining a young Ahsoka and her friends, getting into places they shouldn’t and causing a headache for the superiors.

“There was this light inside him that you couldn’t help but be drawn to. He just… You wanted to be around him; you know? Everyone did.” She looked over at Din, “Sound like anyone else we know?”

Din smiled fondly behind the helmet, “It certainly does… They sound a lot like each other. That’s why you were drawn to help her?”

Ahsoka nodded slowly, “They would have gotten on so well. Both of you would…” Then she sighed, that hint of fond amusement fading, “And then he found out about the prophecy. The three of us – me, Anakin and Obi-Wan – we somehow ended up on this planet that was like nothing you’ve ever seen before, and you wouldn’t believe me if I told you. But there were these beings there… Personifications of the Force, they said.

There was the father… His Daughter was meant to be the Light side, and his Son the Dark. He told Anakin that he was to be the balance between both those sides, to bring them together and settle that upheaval that had happened since… Well. Since all this began.” She waved her hand in the general implication of the galaxy.

“Long story short, the Son tried to lure Ani to the Dark side, and showed him…” She clenched her jaw, “Showed him what he would become. Ani was heartbroken, and believed if he joined the Son, he could prevent that. But the Father took that memory from him, said the prophecy was too important, that he was the Chosen One and it had been predicted since the dawn of time, or something.”

Din blinked, his hands slipping to the sides as he murmured your name, “That… that’s almost like the exact the prophecy He told us about. That she – we – would be the one to decide if light or dark should take over. He said… something about one born with the powers of both sides of the Force, that whatever she decided, my rule of Mandalore would either create an army of those to spread that darkness, or people to live in peace.”

Ahsoka looked over at Din, her face thoughtful, “It would make sense. When Anakin fell, that prophecy was never really completed. So who better to bring it back than someone like Haran?”

Din made a noise of agreement, but he didn’t want to think too much about all of that. He couldn’t.

“So, if Anakin was meant to be peace… Shouldn’t your Council and everyone have believed in him?

Ahsoka smiled faintly, grimly, “Exactly. Except… The Council were so set on winning this war, that they were right, that they did the one thing they were trying not to do. They pushed him to the dark by isolating him. Asking him to turn spy. They wouldn’t help him save the one he loved, they wouldn’t listen to him or grant him the roles he deserved… They told him he was too uncontrolled, felt things too strongly and even when Palpatine revealed himself as Sidious, they didn’t listen until it was too late. And in the end, it broke him.”

She shook her head, frowning as her eyes shimmered with pain and guilt again, “No one was there for him after he avenged his mother, no one but Palpatine… And then that betrayal, his fear... Anakin was gone and Vader was born. Palpatine had everything he needed, all the pawns set up in place, every little plan finally having worked out.”

Din watched her, his blood chilling in his veins as he realised what came next. He quickly reached out and scooped Grogu up, setting him on his lap and he wrapped his arms around him, drawing him in close.

Grogu cooed softly, shrinking into Din and he hugged his little ball to his chest.

Ahsoka’s voice had gone hollow, distant, “I wasn’t there that night. I was in deep space with Captain Rex, Ani’s second in command. But we still saw the effects.”

She lifted her head, gazing off across the barren landscape, “Palpatine issued the command to ‘execute Order Sixty-Six.’ It identified all Jedi as traitors and meant their immediate execution. Didn’t matter if they were loyal to us, one moment we were their friends, the next their enemy.”

Din wasn’t sure if he should break her stride, but he asked softly, “Why? Why would they turn on you all if they were loyal to the Jedi?”

She shrugged lightly, “Their chips. It was preprogramed and meant it was practically impossible for them to disobey. So across the galaxy, clone troopers turned on their Jedi commanders and slaughtered them.” Her voice was still flat and hollow, the sign of a memory that never faded and a pain that never got easier, only constant.

“And… Anakin?” Din’s voice was a mere whisper, chills running down his spine and Grogu flinched, burrowing deeper into Din’s arms with a soft whine.

Ahsoka flinched too, sucking in a breath that ended with a laugh that carried no humour at all. It was disbelief and that same guilt that never went away, “It wasn’t Anakin that walked up to the temple. Vader led the 501st up the steps of the Jedi Temple on Coruscant…”

She swayed lightly, like the mere thought was a physical blow, “And he slaughtered every single Jedi in there. Even the younglings.” She finally moved, turning to look down at Grogu in Din’s arms, and she reached out to stroke a hand over his head.

Her hand was shaking, that control broken for the first time Din had known her. He sensed there was more to her past, things that even you hadn’t shared with him, and he respected that. But what little he knew… it was awful.

Din… didn’t know what to say.

He’d heard the stories passed on over the years, everyone had, but hearing it first-hand from someone there at the time, someone who knew those involved… It was harrowing.

He knew that feeling, hiding for your life whilst everything you knew was being torn down around you, whilst those you loved were slaughtered merely for being who they were. 

And suddenly, despite his new ways of looking at things… his armour felt wrong. Everything he was wearing was built to repel the powers of the woman beside him, the child on his lap, and the woman who had his heart.

It didn’t matter that the Mandalorian and Jedi conflict was before his active service, and sure, the Jedi had slaughtered plenty of Mandalorians too, but it would never really end would it?

Over and over, war destroyed lives, even long after it was over. It left people with memories that never escaped them. It broke worlds that should have been filled with peace. Wasn’t that what the wars were meant to achieve?

Din sighed softly, shaking his head, “I’m… I don’t know what to say. I’m sorry, Ahsoka. For bringing it up, and for what happened to you. To your master and your friend.”

Ahsoka shook her head, heaving a sigh that seemed to come from deep within her soul, “Me too. Maybe if we’d tried harder, if we saw that Anakin was falling…” She shook her head once more, sharper this time, “It’s done now. It’s… it’s done. He’s gone, for good this time.”

She’d felt it.

Ahsoka got back up before Din could speak, and when she turned to him, there was new determination in his eyes, one he knew not to mess with, “She won’t fall too, Mando. I promise you; I will not lose another friend.”

// 15 days since she left //

Din couldn’t take this anymore.

Ahsoka took one look at him as he walked up to her, bags over his back, Darksaber at his belt and Grogu in his arms. She either sensed it or saw straight through the beskar, because she just nodded, holding out one of the delicately beaded chains from her headpiece, “Bring her home.”

And so, with that necklace carefully tucked into a pouch, he made his way back to his ship.

Back toward you.

And hen the dark spread of space rose around his ship once more, he felt something awaken in his blood.

He was done waiting.

It was time to start hunting.

// 21 days since she left //

“Where is she?!” The modulator cast Din’s voice even deeper, even more menacing as he dug the tip of his spear into the neck of the maintenance worker he had against the wall.

The man sobbed, holding his hands up in surrender as he tried to pull his head away from the beskar digging into his flesh, “I told you, I don’t know who you’re talking about! No one like that has passed through her, barely anyone passes through here. You’re in the wrong place!!” The man screwed his eyes shut, whimpering for his life.

Hm.

It seemed to be the same answer wherever he went.

He trailed all the places he knew you’d once been, back from when he was tracking you all that time ago. He followed every trade route, every off-grid path and even the trails of the spice-runners but there was absolutely no sign of you.

You hadn’t been here. Or any of the other places he had searched.

So where were you?

With a disgusted growl, he dropped the man to the floor, before turning and stalking back through the heavy rain to his ship, irritation and anger vibrating through his blood.

As much as it pained him to say so, he needed help. He needed help from people who wouldn’t hunt you down themselves.

Fortunately, he knew just who to ask.

The inside of the Razor Crest was toasty warm when he made his way back inside, shutting the ramp behind him. It seemed to be the only way he could get Grogu to settle and sleep, which was a battle he fought every single day.

The little womp-rat had refused to rest since the moment you’d disappeared, and he sat up every single night waiting for you to come home.

Not to mention Din had done the exact same thing.

But when it became clear you weren’t coming back of your own accord, Din had to try and get Grogu back into a schedule.

A schedule that neither him nor Ahsoka could get him to adhere too.

What made it worse, is whenever Grogu had been like this, you’d pat Din on the shoulder, make your way to the fussy green baby, and within moments he’d be fast asleep in your arms to your cooing or soft singing.

Just like that.

Din swore he did it on purpose.

He sighed now as he walked through the too-quiet ship to Grogu’s little bed, quietly opening the hatch only to be met with a set of glossy black eyes, already staring at him as if asking, “Is she here yet? Did you bring her home?”

Din didn’t need the powers of a Jedi to understand that melancholy look and the pout of his tiny mouth.

He scooped Grogu up, holding him close, “I’m sorry, buddy… She’s not here either. We’ve looked everywhere and I just… I don’t know where she’s gone.” He ran his fingers on the back of Grogu’s ears, earning himself a little coo. “Let’s get going, maybe Boba knows where she’s gotten to.”

A few minutes later, father and child were seated back in the cockpit of the ship, which was rising into the heavy rainclouds.

When those clouds had been replaced with the endless blanket of space and stars, Din pushed a few buttons on the control panel, sending through a signal until Boba’s hologram popped up from the panel,

“Well well, Mando, we wondered how long it would take for you to come back to the land of the living again.”

Din couldn’t help the faint hum of laughter from his friend’s remark, tilting his head to look at the flickering hologram, “You know it takes more than a ship being torn apart to take me down, Fett.”

Fett laughed again, clearly seated at a throne of some sort by the looks of it, “So, what can I do for you? This obviously isn’t a social call.”

Din sighed, leaning back in his chair and the words sat heavy in his chest, like they couldn’t lift up and come from his lips, “It’s not, it’s…” He huffed, hands tightening into fists – why couldn’t he say it? Why couldn’t he just acknowledge what had happened? It wouldn’t change anything. Saying it out loud didn’t make it real or not real. It was done.

Grow up.

He shook his head to clear it, telling Fett a shorter version of the events of the Cruiser, and your… disappearance.

Boba was quiet for a moment, observing Din with a slight frown on his face, “I’ll get in touch with my contacts, see if they’ve heard anything. The Batch stayed around for a while to do some work for me, they might have heard too.”

Din nodded faintly, “Thank you, Boba…” Maybe he’d finally get somewhere now.

Boba nodded, inclining his head and then he was gone.

Din slumped back in the pilot’s seat, tipping his head back against the headrest and he closed his eyes, feeling the weight of his armour and the last few weeks heavier than before.

He was so damn tired, again. That same bone-deep tiredness that plagued him from before he met you.

He’d always known how much light and peace you’d brought to his life, and always been grateful for it… But now he wished he’d made even more of a point to be grateful.

All was quiet for a few minutes, until there was a soft coo, and the warm weight of Grogu patting his chest plate.

Din opened his eyes, tilting his chin down to see his baby, staring up at him with those big eyes that held an ever present trace of sadness lately, “What’s up, kid?”

Grogu gurgled softly, half climbing up Din’s body, little fingers gripping the edges of his armour until he could pat his hand on the side of the helmet, making an inquisitive noise.

He wanted the helmet off. He wanted to see his father.

Din had barely taken the helmet off since that night on Corvus.

Before that really, only the few stolen moments on Haran’s ship when the ‘king’ was nowhere nearby.

But since you decided to disappear in a cloud of red haze, the armour and helmet had stayed on. Firmly.

It was… He couldn’t completely describe it, but it felt like he couldn’t shed the armour like he once had. Taking it off just felt too exposing, leaving him too open to the emotion that was waging war in his body every single day.

If he had the armour on, he could shrink back into that impassive shell of ice that he was famed for.

No one could read the pain in his eyes, or the way he couldn’t focus or sit still, waiting for you to come into his field of vision or run your hand against his arm.

The armour became quite literally that, something to protect his heart, not just his body - which he actually couldn’t care less about right now.

But with those eyes, those big, bright eyes blinking up so sadly… How could he deny him this? When so much had already been taken?

Din nodded softly, reaching his hands up, fingers catching on the little buttons that released the hiss of air and he slid the helmet off. The cool air of the cockpit brushed over his heated skin, making it prickle uncomfortably but he resisted the urge to rub at his jaw and eyes.

Grogu’s face brightened, his head tilting with a delighted coo and he lifted those tiny hands to Din’s jaw again, feeling the rough and messy scruff of stubble.

He had to admit, the pats of Grogu’s hands was a balm to his shattered soul, so he lifted the kid higher into his arms, allowing him to reach more of Din’s skin and ragged curls.

~~

A couple of hours later, Grogu’s tiny snores filled the cockpit, urging Din to sleep himself. It was rare lately that he even fell asleep for long, but he’d take whatever he could get.

Unfortunately, the galaxy had other plans for him, because a shrill beeping filled the space, signalling an incoming message.

Din jolted awake, quickly looking down to make sure he hadn’t been disturbed.

The baby was still fast asleep, nestling his face deeper into Din’s chest, his big ears all folded up under his head with one hand still stretched up to touch Din’s cheek.

Din scrambled for his helmet, tugging it on before he answered the call and Boba’s face popped back up, “That was quick, Boba.”

There was the soft rumble of lots of voices behind him, like there was a party or he was in a busy cantina, “Sorry, Mando, did I disturb you?”

Din shook his head, skin already crawling for the information he prayed his friend had, “No, it’s fine. Do you have news?” Straight to the point - he couldn’t wait.

Boba nodded, looking over his shoulder then turning back toward him, “The Batch were approached by someone wanting to hire them for a job. Apparently, there’s trouble in some backwater planet in the edges of the Outer Rim.”

“Isn’t that pretty much every planet in the Outer Rim?”

Boba smirked faintly but there wasn’t really much humour in it, “True, but this one speaks of a woman with a bite as fierce as her bark, taking bounties and leaving a trail of bodies behind her.”

Could it be?

Din tried to keep his voice even and calm, so as not to reveal the emotion simmering beneath his skin, “How do we know it’s her? That could be any bounty hunter.”

Boba inclined his head, “Well, what if I told you that there’s rumours of an explosion in the outer terrorises? Of forests being levelled and leaving nothing behind? And a few weeks ago, there was a storm of red lightning.”

It was.

Din swallowed, his hand tightening on the arm of his chair, “Send me the coordinates, I’ll go and check it out. It sounds more than I’ve had in a while.” He hesitated, “Thank you, Fett. And pass my thanks to Hunter and the others too.” His knew his voice had a trace of gruffness to it, unable to hide the sheer gratitude making his hands tremble.

Boba saw it, of course, but didn’t comment. “Of course I will, Mando. I’ll have Fennec send you the coordinates now.” He looked over his view of Din’s flickering image, “If you need us, call us. You know where we are.”

Din’s skin prickled again, still not used to this despite working with his friends for a while now, the camaraderie and support. “I will. Have a good night.”

Boba signed off, plunging the cockpit into silence again, yet the inside of Din’s head was the complete opposite.

You’d levelled a forest? And now you were leaving bodies behind you?

He needed to get there, now.

Mere moments later, the coordinates came through, and Din pressed them into the navigator, nearly getting them wrong in his haste.

Finally, he was doing something. He was in his way to you, with a promise of your presence dancing on his tongue like the starlight he always saw in you.

Finally.

// 38 days since she left //

Boba hadn’t lied.

On his way down through the atmosphere of this planet, there’d been endless clusters of trees, close together like a surprisingly verdant blanket.

And then… they weren’t.

In a perfect circle probably a mile in each direction, it was as if some massive creature had stamped directly into the forest.

The trees were completely flattened, lying dead to the ground and leafless.

The earth itself looked scorched, devoid of life and even from this high altitude, Din swore it still smouldered.

Was this why you’d left? Because you turned into a human Force-bomb?

Were you okay?

Dumb question.

Clearly not if you were leaving a trail of bodies behind.

He needed to get eyes on you, and soon.

~~~

He’d found you.

Finally.

A forgotten planet that was like the darkest levels of Coruscant and the shadiest parts of Tatooine combined, yet there you were, walking the streets like you owned them.

He’d missed that walk. That confidence that oozed from you after you had grown comfortable with yourself and your history, become at peace with the power in your blood and the beloved sabers at your sides.

There was something slightly different about that walk now though and the way you held yourself. It was almost predatory.

Coiled energy, waiting to strike.

Something humming beneath your skin and wanting out.

Somehow, you’d failed to sense he was here, which he hadn’t expected. But then again, maybe you were too busy causing fights every night to even notice.

Every cantina he’d been in so far look like a rancor had smashed through the place, and his enquiries were all met with the same response.

A woman dressed head to toe in a sweeping cloak, who sat at the bar collecting bounty pucks and then returned a day or two later to brawl with whoever dared sit too close.

Some fights were provoked, when the other back-alley scum decided to try and deter this woman from their bounties, or to question just who she was.

Other fights came from nowhere. One moment, everything was relatively peaceful, and the next knives were flying, bones were breaking, and this woman was standing in the midst of it with blood running down her face and a peaceful smile on her lips.

Something had unsettled you.

He knew it wasn’t like before, when you had been playing everyone in your faux loyalty to the King of Shadows.

This was real… This was messy.

This was you expelling energy and lashing out rather than feeling the emotions inside you.

And how did Din know this?

Well, he knew you, for starters. Inside and out. And had that not been his own behaviour for the past month?

But this was just careless.

If the right people were looking, they’d see the pattern and know where you were.

They’d come for you.

Din sighed, lowering the scope from where he was hidden a few metres away from where he watched you enter your third cantina of the night, dragging an unconscious female behind you.

Tomorrow.

Tomorrow he would find you, and he would bring you home.

~~~

//39 days since she had left. But no longer.//

Din heard the jeering and the roaring far before he reached the door to the cantina, and that meant only one thing.

You were fighting again.

Thankfully, the streets were near empty, since everyone had piled inside to watch this brawl.

He made his way toward the roughly hewn building, sticking to the shadows and he poked his head up to the window.

And there you were, like some avenging essence of hellfire, dancing across the dust ycantina floor as if it were made of air.

Two Twi’lek males were on you, coming at you from both sides with wickedly sharp knives and fists, but you were laughing.

There was blood on your fists and face, and he noticed the way you held your weight just slightly off balance – broken ribs then.

Din’s blood heated in his veins at the way you weaved between them, delivering punches and kicks despite their sizes against you, the way you opened up cuts on their body before they even realised you had been up close.

He always loved to watch you fight. There was a wild yet controlled beauty about it, the way you treated it like a dance and moved with the fluid grace of someone who had been doing so for… years.

A small part of him couldn’t help but agree with Ahsoka that you would have gotten on well with her old master, before all of the darkness came.

In those mere seconds he’d been thinking, you’d been pinned by the two males, brutal blows delivered to your face and body that made him see fire.

Yet before he could react, you’d ducked, had taken down one of the Twi-leks and were already in the final stages with the other. He knew that from the way your moves became even more precise, even more deadly. Like a snake about to strike – or a wolf about to tear the throat from its prey.

You’d become even more deadly, it had seemed.

Din moved as soon as he saw you pin down the remaining male, saw your vibroblade go to his throat.

The bastards might deserve it, but he knew that he couldn’t watch you kill them. He knew what that would do to you, how it would tear whatever control you had.

And he just couldn’t watch you shatter, not with Ahsoka’s story still playing in his mind, the thought of you being alone in this.

He pushed through the ground, the mere presence of his armour and the metaphorical weight it carried sending locals skittering out of the way.

Din stepped into the cantina, knowing full well what little light there was in this place was already bouncing over the freshly polished panes of his beskar, the weapons lining his body sharpened and honed.

The Darksaber hanging from his belt. The imposing T of his visor hiding the man beneath and leaving behind a warrior as deadly as his weapons.

Everything went silent as people realised a new fight was about to begin… One they didn’t want to stick around to watch.

“That’s enough.”

next

[sarasapen]

Among the Blues and Greens

Another installation of the Little One series.

Summary: Meditation often allowed for Jedi to discover and learn about their thoughts and feelings, aiding them in solving their problems. This meditation session unfortunately reveals more than you’d like.

Or the one in which Obi-Wan’s Padawan realises she loves him.

Warnings: Language, meditation, slow dancing, yearning, revelations, forehead kisses, Past Obitine relationship mentions

Word Count: 3k

Star Wars Masterlist

-------

 You were a fraud.

 Whenever you felt particularly emotional, you meditated, as any good Jedi was supposed to do. Before daybreak, the gardens at the Sundari Royal Palace were relatively uninhabited, at least by people. You didn’t mind the plants and animals. Their energies were soothing, incorrupt, they just were. That’s how you find yourself there, for the third day in a row, trying desperately to calm the tempest that’s seen fit to take up permanent residence in your mind.

 Why were you a fraud? A fake? A poser?

 Because here you were, years of training under your belt, pretending to meditate. Fraud.

 It was an old ‘trick’ that young Padawans- very young Padawans, you added- resorted to when they were made to meditate. Sitting there with your eyes closed, trying to keep your breathing even. No actual self-exploration or deep diving into your mind, just putting up a facade that any force insensitive being wouldn’t see through.

 Unfortunately for you, Obi-Wan Kenobi was Force sensitive.

 “You’re pretending,” He muses, lowering himself beside you and crossing his legs, assuming the same position you were in. You keep your eyes closed, forcing your breaths to remain even as if he hadn’t even spoken. He sees right through it, amusement weaving into the deep blues that were his signature.

 Oftentimes you wondered what it was like, to be in the middle of all that was him. Observing one’s signature from the outside was very much different than actually experiencing it. Each individual’s signature was different, and his signature was always so wonderful… You wanted to learn more about it, about him. But you knew you wouldn’t ever dare to be brash enough to even brush your signature against his, let alone delve into him fully.

 His signature morphs, from the vibrant, rich hums to a gentle, soothing wave. He’s meditating.

 You scowl.

 He’s barely been sitting down for a minute, and he’s already accomplished what you’ve been trying to do for the past three days.

 “Focus your thoughts on something,” He suggests quietly, sending out a wash of calm over your prickling irritation. He’s guiding you, as he used to do years ago when you were a young and distractible little thing, and you let him.

 You’d let him do anything.

 You’re swept backwards into the deep abyss that’s your mind, and you fall freely, watching Obi-Wan’s signature withdraw slowly from yours. It’s like watching waves upon the shore, gently sweeping backwards and away, taking with it such tiny, essential parts of you while simultaneously shaping you into a thing to behold. It was always, before anything else, soothing.

 He didn’t like studying others’ energies too closely. It was a common trait amongst blue sabers, whilst reading people's energies were crucial for the Jedi, studying them at great lengths could often prove to be uncomfortable. But yours, he had said. He wouldn’t mind spending days traversing the inside of your mind if you’d let him.

 When you were younger, you’d asked him what your signature looked like to him. He said it was a mass of shades of green that were so beautiful he doubted the mere names of the colours or any other descriptive words would be able to do them any justice.

 Beautiful, was the word he’d always use.

 And he was…gentle, and kind, and smart. You exhale slowly, no longer stiff in your posture. He’s always been so patient with you, even with his occasional sarcastic comment. The perfect Jedi.

 Even as a youngling, you’d hear exaggerated stories from Padawans slightly older than you, or, at least, he insisted they were exaggerated. A few years into your training with him, you began to think that maybe the far-fetched stories weren’t so far-fetched after all.

 You’re so lucky, younglings would say shortly after you had become his Padawan. After all, Master Kenobi’s previous Padawan was the Chosen One. You’d have to be something special to attract his attention.

 And you were lucky. But not for the glory and the awe that sparkled in people’s eyes at the mention of his name. It was for his undivided attention on you, his genuine interest in the things you enjoyed, his efforts to shift your training to aid in what you wanted to specialise in, even if it was wildly different from what he was good at.

 Not that there was much he wasn’t good at.

 You loved the way he carried himself, not with arrogance or pride (both of which you thought would have been deserved), but with a humble sort of almost shyness. You loved that he pushed to do better, to be better, not for himself but for you and Anakin. You loved the way he conducted himself with people, even those considered to be the lowest of the lows, he treated them with so much respect and kindness.

 Perhaps it was just that he was a decent human being, but that didn’t mean you loved him any less.

 You loved the way he’d throw in a sharp remark when facing an adversary, or the way he’d stand tall even in the face of-

 Hold on.

 You loved him.

 You loved him. Fuck. Fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck-

 “What are you thinking about?” Obi-Wan calls from beside you, his voice no louder than a low murmur, and it still makes you flinch. “You’ve grown tense.”

 Play dumb. You could do that. Just… blurt out something random and leave it at that, and then you can-

 “She seems nice.”

 FUCK. Not that fucking dumb oh stars above you were so fucking screwed-

 “She… The Duchess?”

 “Yeah, your Duchess.” Oh kriffing hells, if you could just. stop. talking.

 “Duchess Satine is not my Duchess,” His force signature dips suddenly, as if he’s reeled everything back into himself. It pulls you along with it, and you can no longer pretend that you’re meditating. Not with the way your Master turns to face you, studying your features with a concerned curiosity. You tense up again, keeping your eyes trained on a lone tree, a distance away. There’s a caterpillar crawling on one of the branches, and you focus on that. You can tell that he can tell. He’s always been so good at reading you.

 “You…” He starts, but stops himself, straightening and regarding you once again.

 “Sometimes I find myself having to meditate more than usual. Even up to a few times a day, if I’m…” Obi-Wan’s gaze flickers down from your eyes for just a split second, a movement so quick he doesn’t even realise he’s done it. “Distracted.”

 There’s a stutter in your signature, one you try to hide by slamming up your walls, but the brush of Obi-Wan’s hand against your arm has you faltering. The waves of him approach slowly once again, waiting patiently beside the storm that’s your signature.

 “What’s gotten you so tense?” He probes gently, the weight of his hand against your shoulder mirroring the gentle reassuring taps of his signature against yours.

 “Do you love her?”

 You know what. There’s a ledge. Right there. You could just jump off. If you were dead you wouldn’t be facing this amount of embarrassment.

 “...I used to,” Obi-Wan reveals, and his admission surprises himself more than it does you. Not that he wasn’t aware of what the extent of feelings for Satine used to be, but admitting it, out loud? It was something he had never done before.

 “Used to?”

 “It was a lifetime ago, when I was still a Padawan.”

 It’s strange. Neither of you want to continue talking, to keep delving into dark and murky uncharted territory, between the blurred depths of what’s allowed and what’s forbidden. It scares you. It scares him too. 

 “So… what? You decided to give her up?”

 He should say something about the way of the Jedi, that attachments were forbidden, and that had anyone else known, they would’ve expected him to leave Satine. If it were anyone else asking him this, he would’ve said it, accompanied by a deserved lecture on subtlety and manners.

 But you’re the exception.

 You’d always be his only exception.

 So, instead, Obi-Wan says, “The Duchess, while a remarkable woman, has a very different outlook on life than I do, even back then.”

 There's a stretch of silence that he feels like he needs to fill. “Besides, it gave me the chance to meet people even more remarkable.”

 “Not many people can compare to the Duchess of Mandalore,” You mutter, closing your eyes to block out the sight of him when he gets to his feet.

 “No,” Obi-Wan agrees. “Although the Duchess couldn’t come close to comparing to you.”

 And with that heart-stopping revelation, he leans down and presses a lingering kiss to your forehead.

 “Focus,” Obi-Wan whispers in your ear, and then he’s gone.

 Now you really couldn’t concentrate.

——

 “Breathe,” Obi-Wan had instructed you, sitting beside your fidgety body with his own long-since perfected form.

 It was the second week into your Padawan training, and it had taken Obi-Wan twenty three minutes to get you to sit still. Not including the sixteen minutes it took to get you past the normally three minute walk from library to your room, or the seven minutes it took for you to pad over to him and sit beside him. Not for your lack of trying, Obi-Wan mused, watching you fidget once again.

 Your eyes fly open at his words.

 “If I stop breathing during meditation will I die?”

 Yeah, okay, that one was on him. It takes a lot of control for Obi-Wan not to choke on his overwhelming surprise at your words.

 “Meditation can only occur when you stop speaking, little one,” He hints, keeping his posture straight. Thirty two minutes now, he’s been sitting in this position, not meditating, but focused on your wild little signature.

 “Oh, yeah,” You concede, shifting again and screwing your eyes shut.

 Master Kenobi, the whisper-shout in his head very nearly startles him, and Obi-Wan can’t keep pretending his focus is impeccable. He turns to regard you with wide eyes and raised eyebrows. If I stop breathing during meditation, will I die?

 Again, to your credit, you weren’t exactly… speaking.

 Perhaps that’s why, with a self-indulgent smile, he sends back a quick no.

 Okay, you accept happily, shifting again in your seat. Your early days were so much like Anakin’s. Both of you, filled with a curiosity and outlook on the world that only children could view, and it baffled him to no end that both of you viewed him in exactly the same way.

 You just accepted everything he said without much thought, readily eager to believe that your Master was always right, because what else could he ever be? It was perhaps that specific period of time during both his Padawans’ training that Obi-Wan was the most stressed. The first few years were the years he felt as though he could disappoint you the most, to fail to protect you and teach you and nurture you.

 He didn’t fail. He didn’t even come close. You’d tell him if you could. Anakin would tell him too. But it just wasn’t a conversation Jedis had.

 And…there.

 You’re not meditating. Obi-Wan opens his mouth to say something, but the words die in his throat when he feels you oh so carefully reach out your signature. He follows along at a distance, careful not to alert you, and he watches as your signature gingerly approaches the plant situated outside your apartment door.

 The plant. You were connecting with the plant.

 You’re calm, he realises. Nearly ridiculously so, if he didn’t know any better he’d think your signature was that of a fully trained knight. The spurts and bursts and branches that were usually your energy flutter gently down, acting obedient and serene.

 It’s… for lack of a better word, beautiful.

 So with your thoughts centered around that little plant outside, all Obi-Wan has to do is give you just a little nudge that blocks out all other distractions for you- maybe it’s cheating, but he wants to see what will happen.

 And then you’re meditating.

——

 “It’s the first time I’ve worn a dress!” Swishing the fabrics of the skirt around you, you’re easily entranced by the movement. It’s a pretty dress, courtesy of the Mandalorian court, floaty and airy with barely there off-the shoulder sleeves. It reveals more of you than Jedi robes would ever, but you’re so enraptured with such innocent curiosity that Obi-Wan doesn’t even try to suppress the affectionate smile he gives you.

 “You look lovely,” He responds honestly, pushing himself off the couch and taking slow steps towards you.

 “I feel like a… like a…” You pause, glancing up from your skirts to fix your eyes on him, mind racing.

 “Like a?” Obi-Wan prompts.

 “Like a cloud!” You settle for, twirling around as if to emphasise your floaty feeling.

 “A cloud?” He confirms, voice laced with amusement. He takes your hand, twirling you around once more through your giggles.

 “Yeah.”

 “Well, you’re the prettiest cloud I’ve ever seen,” Folding his hand over your own, he steps into your space mid-twirl, his other hand coming to press flat against your back. He doesn’t know what propelled him to do this, to press you against him and pull you into little steps around the room. The giggles he gets from you are enough to diminish any second thoughts he gets, so he hums softly, pressing his cheek to the top of your head.

 Your little impromptu dance session is made to end as quickly as it started, a knock on his door reminding the both of you the reason for such fanciful dressing.

 A dinner.

 It was exciting to you, as most off-world mission events were, so different from the usual routine of your life on Coruscant. Your excitement is blindingly obvious, and yet Obi-Wan, who’s long since tired of having to accept invitations lest the Jedi be perceived as discourteous, Obi-Wan says nothing at all. He gives you a warm smile and gestures for you to move towards the door.

 And oh, what a dinner it was. The food was marvelous, the company a little less so, but the moments you’d glance up at your Master to find him already watching you made up for it. If only he weren’t seated so far away… and so close to the Duchess. You don’t turn your head in their direction again.

 Apparently a royal dinner on Mandalore was not just dinner, so after an hour of sitting at a table several seats away from your Master and surrounded by boring politicians, you’re ushered into a ballroom. Several ask for your hand to dance, but you turn them down with a polite smile and even politer excuse. You want to dance, you do. Just… not with them.

 Then you see her.

 She had changed her dress, and she was gorgeous. Elegant and beautiful and carrying herself with such grace even on the dancefloor, she looked every bit the Duchess she was. You sort of hated her.

 “The prettiest, huh?” You mutter bitterly under your breath, taking a moment to try to calm yourself. You take another breath when you turn to face Obi-Wan, expecting his eyes to be on her. Everyone’s eyes were on her.

 He’s looking at you.

 You immediately curse yourself out for the snide comment, hating that you’ve revealed yourself, your insecurities, that he’s going to admonish you for a silly little comment that just slipped out.

 Instead, he holds his hand out towards you, and bends down a little in a bow.

 “If I may have this dance, my dear?” The words come out as a low murmur, and even with the loud applause of everyone around you signalling the end of the Duchess’ dance, you hear him perfectly. Your cheeks are flushed and you’re trying impossibly hard to keep your breathing even as you slide your hand into his, letting him lead you to the middle of the dance floor.

 It’s strange, you think.

 The two of you have been in arguably far closer quarters than you were in now, with a decent amount of space between your bodies, joined only by your hand in his and his other hand on your waist. You’ve trained together, sparred together, been forced into close confines in the middle of missions and on occasion even slept in the same bed together.

 Obi-Wan’s grip on your hand tightens, the tips of his fingers skimming up your back and brushing tantalisingly against the skin that’s uncovered by the dress.

 No, this… this, in front of a whole room of people from all over the galaxy, this was far more intimate than anything ever before. It’s almost as if you’ve been transported back in time just a couple of hours ago, when it was just him and you in the privacy of your quarters.

 “The prettiest,” he confirms, voice low in your ear. Your breath hitches at his statement and all its implications. “It’s not even a competition.”

 Good things, as all things do, must eventually come to an end. Obi-Wan guides a slightly tipsy and very giggly you back towards your room, laughing despite himself when you trip over your own two feet. The last thing he wants after a successful mission is for you to get concussed by falling.

 He bends and effortlessly sweeps you into your arms, letting you swing your legs in the air. It’s not the first time he’s been in this position with you. Perhaps he’s carried you like this a little too often. His thoughts don’t linger on that topic for long.

 You change out of your dress and sit cross-legged in front of him, letting him brush out your hair and pull it back into a braid for you to sleep in, actions so practised that they’re not even spoken about.

 And on the floor of your room, discarded almost carelessly at the end of the bed, lay two weapons beside each other, one green, and one blue.

-----

The next one will be Obi-Wan’s revelation ;)

-----

Obi-Wan taglist:

@allinmymind @ginger-swag-rapunzel @mugoi-usagi @babymango-writes @fluffyhales @whinsical-ash @filthy-thots @altarsw @mando831 @ruleroftides @soft-and-lush @softlikefairydust @bumblegadget @stafskislava @torihester @shedobeclownin @satikryze @buwnni @mando-amando @mrskenobi19 @butch-medusae @fandomtrxshh @a-c-lee @neji85 @reejero @silverpuppi @thereluctantherosrose @shinybananapastanickel @hey-there-angels @grumpymuffinmama @hufflingpuffling-blog1 @kyle9no @qt-ane @arsowon @aesthelliec @lovelyweepingrebel @marvelranger @lovelylostminds 

[mandos-sluts]

The Visit

This is Part One of a three-part series

The Visit Part Two

The Visit Part Three

The Mandolorian x Fem!Reader

Rating: Explicit

Word count: 3.5k

Warnings: Smut, dubious consent, fingering, dirty talk, mentions of sex work

Summary: You are Luke Skywalker’s Padawan, training directly under him at his Jedi Academy. Din Djarin is staying at the compound for a few days to visit Grogu.

A/N: Please message us or comment if you want to be on our tag list!! Also we love feedback <3

“What does he look like?”

“He’s a Mandalorian. Big silver shiny armor. Can’t miss him.”

*************************************

Boy was he right. You spot Din as soon as you step into the cantina. He’s standing at the bar, leaning over it slightly. His visor catches your eye from across the room, and he stares at you for a while, looking you up and down, before turning his head back to the bar. He’s never seen someone so beautiful in this parsec before.

Your Master, Luke Skywalker, told you to meet Din at the cantina and escort him to the Jedi Academy. Luke had similarly informed Din that he was sending his Padawan to rendezvous.

You know all about Din Djarin. You know his whole deal with Grogu and the Darksaber, and his run-ins with the Empire and the Guild. The story of his miraculous rescue of Grogu made its way around the school after Luke brought the child back to the Academy.

The cantina that you’re at is located in the town that lies right outside the Jedi Academy compound. It’s a place that many students go to blow off steam and hang out.

You find yourself surprisingly nervous as you walk up to the tall intimating Mandalorian. “Excuse me.” You say.

“Not interested.” He says shortly without even looking at you.

”What?” You asked, confused.

“I said I’m not interested.”

“Not interested in what?”

”Your services.”

”My services?” You don’t understand. Is he wanting to travel to the grounds by himself? That’s not an option....he wouldn’t be permitted on the estate without an escort. Didn’t Luke tell him of this arrangement?

Din exhales, clearly annoyed, and finally turns to look at you. “Do I need to spell it out for you? I’m not looking for a whore.”

You stand there, completely dumbfounded, your mouth slightly open from shock. A whore? What the fuck?!!

In his defense, you are wearing a rather skimpy-looking outfit. You have on what is essentially a tennis skirt and a bandeau; it’s the hot season on the planet. Even so, this guy is an asshole.

You take a breath and put a fake smile on your face. “My apologies….Din Djarin.” You say in a suggestive manner. Turning around to leave, Din whips around and grabs your upper arm tightly, yanking you closer to him.

“How do you know that name?” Din loudly whispers in a demanding, low voice.

You’re not stupid, you know that his name is known only by a few. “My industry has very skilled people.” You respond, hoping he will get the hint that you are in fact not a sex worker, but actually the person he’s supposed be meeting.

”Are you telling me your brothel somehow got a hold of my name?” Din is pretty pissed. Is this what he gets from doing dealings with Jedi? His name gets leaked to brothels?

You let out a sigh as your eyes roll. You snatch your arm out of his grasp and move swiftly out the door into the street. What a jerk. This guy can find his own way to the compound.

Din tries to follow you, needing to know how a random whore got his name, but the streets are pretty crowded.

”Oh, Mr. Djarin!” Din hears someone say. He looks over his shoulder and sees Luke Skywalker approaching him.

“H-hi, Master Skywalker.” Din says, deciding to give up on his pursuit of you, after all, that’s not the reason he’s here.

“I’m surprised to see you here, did my Padawan not pick you up?” Luke asks.

“No. He never showed.”

“Oh, I’m so sorry about that. Let me take you to the Jedi Temple.”

************************************* You hear your Master’s voice and footsteps nearing the empty lounge you’re sitting in. It’s a pretty big, dark lit room. There’s a conference table on one end, and an arrangement of couches and chairs spread across the place. It’s always empty, and you often use the area to meditate or exercise or just hang out. You pretend to look busy, eager for what’s about to occur.

“It is strange that my Padawan did not show up to greet you.” You hear Luke say behind the wall. He pokes his head around the door. “Ah, here she is.” He says walking into the lounge.

She? Din walks a few feet behind Luke. He turns the corner and walks through the door, freezing in his footsteps as soon as he lays eyes on you. There you are, the woman who approached him at the cantina….Luke’s Padawan.

You stare into his visor with a smug half smile on your face and slowly rise from your seat. You’re reveling in how taken aback he clearly is.

“Y/n, this is Din Djarin. I thought we discussed that you’d meet him at the cantina and escort him to the Academy? He says you didn’t show.” Luke says innocently as he stands between you and Din.

“Oh. I did go to the cantina. I guess I missed you.” You say slowly with your eyes locked on his helmet. “My apologies, Din Djarin.”

Din clears his throat. “Um n-no worries at all.” He chokes out. Shit! Din can’t believe he called you a whore. How did he not see the laser sword on your hip?

“Alright, well I’m gonna get to my meeting. Y/n, show Din around, alright?” Luke says.

“Of course Master.” You say with a slight bow of your head. You plant your gaze back on Din’s helmet as it rotates to watch Luke exit.

He slowly turns his look back to you, staring at him confidently with your hands on your hips.

“I’m sorry.” He says flatly through his modulator.

“For being such an asshole?” You say tilting your head.

“Yes. And assuming you were a prostitute.”

“There’s nothing wrong with sex workers. I’m not offended that you mistook me for one.” You say. But….why does it kind of turn you on that he thought you were a whore? Ugh and why does it turn you on that he is such a jerk??

There’s an awkward pause as you both stand there examining each other.

“So, you’re also a…Pawa-don?” Din asks, trying to fill the quiet. He has never been uncomfortable with silence before, in fact, he more often than not preferred it. But right now for some reason he feels different.

“Padawan.” You correct him. “And yes.”

“So are you doing the same training as the kid?” He further probes.

“Kind of. Grogu is more in the elementary stages of training. His focus is mainly on developing and fine-tuning his sensation with the Force. Most of my training nowadays centers around my lightsaber mastery and combat.” You inform him.

“Hm. Wonder when you’ll be good enough to battle me.” Din says casually as he takes a breath.

“What?” You ask.

“I said I wonder when you’ll be good enough in combat to put up a fight against me.”

Is he serious? Is he trying to provoke you? Even after the predicament he just found himself in with you? “Ha….um….I was good enough to fight you years ago.” You declare

Din looks at you for a moment. “I’m a Mandalorian.” He says simply.

“.....”

“The Mandalorian who wields the Darksaber. So you’re either overestimating your own ability or underestimating mine.”

You take a deep breath and take a step closer to him. “I know most people think that Mandalorians are the greatest warriors in the galaxy, but that’s because they don’t know of the Jedi Order. My connection with the force gives me strength that you will never know, that you will never be able to comprehend.”

Din takes a step closer to you. “That may be, but I have decades of combat experience that is simply unmatched by you, not to mention the most imperishable armour in the galaxy.”

“So what I’m hearing is that you would like to duel.” You say as you remove your saber from its holster and activate its blade. It’s a light lavender color, thin and sleek.

“That’s cute.” Din says. “Just a reminder, little girl. You were given that light saber. I won mine in battle.” He proclaims as he detaches his saber from his belt. *see gif*

“I made it. But fair point. Now enough talk, Mandalorian, are you ready to duel or what?” You say as you get into a battle stance.

Din holds his hand out. “If, by some miracle, you do happen to overpower me, don’t touch the saber. Bo-Katan is already mad enough that I have it, I can’t imagine what she’d do if a non-Mandalorian gets their hands on it again.”

“Yeah yeah, I’m well aware of the bizarre way that the ruler of Mandalore is chosen.”

“Alright then, princess, I won’t hold back.”

You feel heat rush through your core at those words. Princess. He won’t hold back. Uggh... focus! This guy has been demeaning you since the moment you met him, show him how powerful you are!

*************************************

You and Din battle for a good seven minutes, the two of you are pretty evenly matched, neither one of you gains the upper hand for very long. Just as you’re feeling your strength falter, you’re able to knock his saber out of his hands, and you push him onto the ground. Din tries to get up and reach for his saber but you plant yourself on top of him, straddling him. He looks up at you in defeat.

He takes a deep breath as you stare down at him. That’s when you notice the tent in his pants. You’re sitting on his legs so that his bulge is right above your crotch.

Adrenaline is pumping through your veins from your victory and a smile stretches across your face. “I have another quality that puts me at an advantage that I forgot to mention: your attraction to me and your primal desire to fuck me.” You say as you slowly place your hand on top of his clothed erection. You lean down and bring your face close to his helmet. “I bet your face is just bright red underneath this helmet of yours. Not only did you lose the battle, but your urges got the best of you.” You say in a condescending tone.

Din stares up at you, his chest moving up and down as he breathes.

“That’s where you and I differ.” You say. “A real warrior has self-control and self-restraint.”

Din moves his hands to your thighs and runs them up to your hips. “Who said I was trying to restrain myself?” He says in a raspy voice.

You’re a little caught off guard. You were teasing him, and this was not the reaction you were expecting. You thought he’d be embarrassed, you thought he’d want to get out of this situation as soon as possible.

“Face it.” You say after a pause. “You can’t repress your arousal, and your lack of self-control is a disadvantage to you.”

Din’s hands are still on your hips, and he pulls you up his body ever so slightly. “So since you have such great self-control, your panties wouldn’t happen to be wet right now, would they?” He inquires in a low, sultry voice.

You’re taken aback at his shameless words. “O-of course not.” You stutter as your confidence recedes.

“Let me see.” He demands flatly.

“What?” Did you hear him right? Your heart beat is pounding, you can’t tell if he’s joking around with you or not like you were doing with him.

“I said let me see.” Din says moving his gloved hands to the bottom of your skirt. “C’mon, pull this short little skirt up just a tad more and show me that your panties are dry.”

“N-no I–”

“Fine.” Din cuts you off. “I’ll do it myself.” He says as he removes one of his gloves. He then moves his bare hand under your skirt up to your pussy, easily pushing the thin panties you're wearing aside and planting two fingers inside your sopping wet folds.

You jerk at the contact of his soft skin on your sensitive pussy. “Din!” You exclaim. You grab his hand, but don’t move it.

Din chuckles. “Looks like you don’t have as much self-discipline as you claim.” He brings his other hand and cups your cheek. “Awwww, your face is just bright red right now.” Din mocks.

“W-whatever, you still lost.” You say out as you’re overcome with humiliation.

“Mmmmm. Congratulations.” Din says lazily as he removes his hand from your cunt and grabs your hips once again. “So, y/n. You showed me how Jedi fight. Let me show you how Mandalorians fuck.” He says as he pulls your hips and grinds you against his bulge.

Your panties are still pulled aside and the friction of his clothed erection against your clit makes you whimper.

“You– you wanna fuck me?” You ask hesitantly.

“Ha. Of course I wanna fuck you. Look at you.” He says as he lifts you off of him to stand up. Standing tall, he towers over you and brings his non-gloved hand to your chin, pulling it up gently to meet his gaze.

The unexpected and prompt shift in the power dynamic has you all turned around. Just moments ago, your confidence was through the roof. You were giddy claiming your victory against him, making fun of him for getting a boner during a duel. But the tone between the two of you has completely changed. He has you weak and timid, he’s looking down at your wide doe eyes as if you’re his prey.

“Come on, little Padawan. Practicing self-control is great, but let me show you what it’s like to lose all control over yourself.” Mando says as he wraps his arm around your waist and pulls you closer to him. “Cuz I would just love to tie you up and have my way with you.” He mutters. Dins hands slide down to your butt as he gropes your flesh, pulling you flat against him. “Let down your guard for just a moment and let me show you how rewarding it can be.” Din slips his bare hand back under your skirt to find your cunt even wetter than before. You let out a whimper and bat your eyes at him.

He starts slowly circling your clit, and moves his other hand up to caress your cheek softly. “Come on.” He whispers in your ear. “I promise you’ll enjoy it.”

High-pitched breaths are escaping your lips as he gently runs his thumb up and down your cheek bone.

“Can– can you not–” you breathe, sliding your hands up his chest.

“What. What is it?”

You pause for a moment. “Can you not be so gentle with me?” You say with slight embarrassment.

Din scoffs, “Oh baby girl, you’re gonna regret saying that.” He says as he grabs a fist full of your hair and roughly pulls your head back, exposing your delicate neck to him.

This harsh action sends shocks to your pussy. “Didn’t you say something about tying me up?” You purr with a slight smile, looking up into his visor.

“So I was right about you being a filthy fuckin whore.” Din spits as he shoves a finger inside of you, his thumb rubbing against your clit.

“Y-yeah, but only for you.” You whine as your eyes fall closed and high-pitched moans begin escaping your lips.

“Ohh that’s right baby.” Din praises. He’s so turned on by the way you’re speaking and responding to his touch, and he loves the impact he has on you. How you so quickly went from a confident fighter when he lost to you, to a shy little girl when he started teasing you, to a dirty slut once he got his hands in your panties.

He starts pumping his finger faster and you can hear the lewd noises your obscenely wet pussy is making. Your mouth opens even more with your moans becoming more pronounced and your back arches. You’re standing pressed flat up against him, he’s basically holding you up on your toes with one arm as his other hand drives into your cunt.

You can feel your orgasm just beginning to climb when you suddenly hear a beep on your watch’s intercom. It jolts you back to reality.

“Y/n, are you at the lounge? I’m heading back there now.” Your Master says through the intercom.

“Shit.” You say as you push Din’s chest, pulling yourself off of him. “I should have shown you to your accommodation by now.” You say as you frantically start looking around your feet for your saber. By the time you grab it and look up for Din, he has already made his way out the back exit.

You attach your saber to your hip as you try to steady your breathing, disoriented from the abrupt conclusion of whatever it was you were doing with Din. You hear Luke’s footsteps approaching as you quickly try to put your panties back in place, growling at how soaked they are. You’re praying that your Master doesn’t notice the wetness that has been smudged on your inner thighs.

*************************************

You cannot believe what you did with Din. No one has ever done anything like that to you before. You get hit on all the time— you’re gorgeous— but you are almost never interested enough to give them the time of day. But Din? He had his fingers in your pussy after knowing you for ten minutes. How did he do that!?

It’s the early evening. You lie in your bed visualizing the events over and over again, heat pooling in your core as you replay the dirty things he said to you.

While it fuels your arousal, you also feel uneasy about the interaction. He left so quickly, and he left without saying a word to you, almost like nothing had happened. You hope that Din doesn’t think less of you, that he doesn’t think you’re some hussy who is easily persuaded into letting guys she just met finger fuck her.

You are pulled away from your anxious thoughts when you hear your intercom going off. It’s your friends talking about what they’re doing tonight. You don’t really care to pay attention, but you sit straight up in your bed when you hear something about that “Mandalorian who’s visiting the Academy,” and how he’s “at the cantina in town.”

You jump out of bed and without even thinking, you grab a sweater and head toward the parlor.

Your heart is beating on the chilly walk there. You hope he’s surprised to see you, you hope he’s excited to see you. You’re gonna act casual, yeah, like you didn’t even know he was there. No big deal! You’re just going to the cantina to hang with your friends. And then you see eachother, and bing bang boom, you guys are back in your room fucking while he calls you his little slut. Yes. This is gonna go great.

It’s a Friday night and the cantina is bustling. People are dancing, drinking, and gambling. It’s so loud that you can barely hear yourself think. As you make your way through the rowdy crowd, you spot Din’s helmet over the hordes of people. He is sitting in a somewhat secluded booth in the corner of the restaurant.

You proceed a few steps forward, lightly pushing people to get through the crowd, and then, your heart drops. He’s not sitting alone. There’s a girl, a woman, a sex worker, wrapped in his arm.

You stand there for a moment as everything goes quiet, you stare at Din and the beautiful woman in a tight short dress sitting beside him. She’s talking to him, saying things into the side of his helmet as he sits there looking forward with his arm casually draped around her, man spreading and all.

Din’s head turns and that’s when he notices you, standing there among the crowd of people in that same short high waisted skirt and a cropped sweater of the same color.

You feel something fall deep in your chest as you realize that he sees you. You blink a few times as the rest of your senses come back, humiliation and embarrassment overcoming you as you quickly turn around and stumble out of the bar.

You make your way into the dark street and take a few deep breaths before running back to the Academy. You're fighting off tears as you feel the cold air pinching every bit of your exposed skin.

You can’t believe that you let yourself become smitten by someone who was such an asshole. He mistook you for a whore, he insulted your combat skills, he pressed you to let him fuck you! You should have expected this.

A tear rolls down your cheek. Why did you think he liked you? He didn’t. He didn’t like you. And he didn’t want to fuck you, he just wanted to fuck someone, and you were the closest one to him. You let him use you. He must do this kind of shit all the time with women, you were nothing special.

You get back to your room and bury yourself under your covers, wanting to escape so badly from this reality.

TO BE CONTINUED

The Visit Part Two

The Visit Part Three

*************************************

Masterlist

*************************************

Taglist:

@pinkninja200 @raspberrymama @stevie75 @tacticalsparkles @kenoobiwan @shark-s @theamuz @blackrose8425 @beskarboobs @beskarboobs @smutslutz @princess-djarinn @spideysimpossiblegirl @riot-rotten

[x-childish-x]

(part 1) i am loving these anakin x mother figure concepts 😄 could i also request one haha, after order 66 reader survives and becomes a grey jedi. while on a mission, she runs into darth vader. they fight for a little bit, but soon stop after they recognize each other through the force. surprisingly, vader isn’t hostile towards her while they talk, but he’s not calm either. reader refuses to keep calling him vader. after their convo reader slowly approaches him and

Something You're Not

Pairing: Darth Vader x fem!reader

Fandom: Star Wars

Warnings: Darth Vader, female!reader, mother figure!reader, crying, mentions to feeling like a failure, fighting, mentions to Order 66

Word Count: 1,352

A/N: Hello lovely! Wow I loved writing this request! First Darth Vader request, woo! It was so fun to write because the entire time I felt I could see this all playing out! Thank you for the request and support! I appreciate it so much! Feedback is always welcome and appreciated, I really hope that you all enjoy this one!!

Summary: You finally reach the force signature that had been reaching out with you for weeks, only to realize it's none other than Darth Vader, the boy you once raised.

PART TWO, PART THREE, PART FOUR

(gif! not mine!)

"Rex, take care of Ahsoka for me... I know how badly she wants to be on this mission. I can't risk it," you mumbled through the holo-comm as you carefully landed your ship.

"You know I always will. She's busy with Ezra right now anyways, so hopefully, he'll keep her mind occupied. Just be safe. If this is Maul, we need to know why he's been reaching out to you," Rex replied, his voice sounding tired.

You sighed, clicking everything off before standing, "Don't worry, Rex. It'll work out. I'll be home within a rotation."

"You better be," Rex joked lightly, "Be safe (y/n). May the force be with you."

"And with you."

Clicking off the holo-comm and leaving it on the ship, you quickly set off outside. Pulling up the hood on your grey cloak, you looked around cautiously, taking in your surroundings and using the force to reach out.

You could feel the dark side of the force more prominently now that you were here. It was almost strong enough to make out a force signature, but not completely. Despite the fact you still seemed far away from the dark force energy, it felt incredibly familiar, and that was what lead you to believe it was Maul. After all, he was the only Sith whose force signature you were familiar with.

It didn't take long for you to find the correct path leading to the Sith. Following the dark force signature proved to be an easy task for you. You trekked through the forest for what felt like hours. You carefully avoided all unknown plants and made sure to keep your presence as obscure as possible. You were using the force to the best advantage you could, mapping out your path while still trying to identify the oddly familiar Sith signature.

Finally breaking out into a clearing, you held your breath at the sight of Darth Vader's back. His cloak swooshed in the light breeze as you watched him, quickly thinking over everything you'd ever heard about him. You felt like you were in a holo-film, at the big climax moment when you face off the main villain. Fog would be piling in, surrounding you and Darth Vader as you prepare to fight.

Undoubtedly he knew you were there, and despite the fact, the two of you had never encountered each other before, your force signatures were incredibly familiar. Dancing around each other like fawns, trying to figure out why the unknown was so incredibly welcoming, like coming back to an old friend.

"I did not know you'd survived Order 66," Vader's ominous voice broke through the silence, venom, and hatred surrounding each word.

Slowly you stepped out from the faint protection of the trees, "It wasn't of my knowledge that you even knew me."

"I don't," Vader replied curtly, allowing a pause as your signatures moved around one another, "You're a Jedi unaccounted for."

"I prefer it that way," You snarled.

Dashing forward at the same moment Vader's force signature delivered a harsh prod to your own, you unsheathed your lightsaber. Leaping into the air and slashing down on Vader's back, you made contact with his lightsaber, sparks of grey and red dancing in the calm aura of the planet. He was quick to spin and send a counter swing at you, but you blocked it quickly. You locked sabers and spun him around, doing your best to throw him off.

Despite the situation of your fighting, you found each other still dancing within the force, trying to identify each other's signature. Your fighting was incredibly familiar to him, and his defense was familiar to you. Akin to a thunderstorm, you both fought quickly and powerfully. Neither obtaining the upper hand, you matched perfectly clash after clash, block after block.

Your fierce fighting was like a tornado destroying a small town. The planet around you was calm and peaceful, undisturbed by the fight for life you'd engaged yourself in. It certainly wasn't Maul who'd been trying to connect with you over the past weeks, and you found yourself wishing that it had been the Dathomirian instead. You'd overcome enough and lost too much to not give up now.

Finally flipping away, your hood fell as your force signatures connected, a gasp tumbling from your lips, "Anakin?"

"Master (y/l/n)," Vader responded softly.

A silence fell as you stared at one another. Of course, he was familiar. You trained Anakin, helped Obi-Wan raise him. You'd been Anakin's mom ever since he'd joined the Jedi, and he, your son. You'd assumed he'd died in Order 66, as Obi-Wan refused to talk to you. But now, staring across at Anakin in Vader's armor, you felt more like a failure than you'd ever had.

"You traded the purple for grey," Vader noted, causing you to look down at your blade.

Looking up at Anakin, you fought to keep your voice strong, "You traded blue for red, Ani."

"Anakin's dead," He snarled, turning off his lightsaber.

You mocked his actions, tilting your head slightly, "If Vader was here, he would've killed me already, Anakin."

"I am Vader! My name is Vader," The man huffed, "I killed Anakin myself!"

You shook your head, "I will not call you something you're not, Anakin. I trained you to be honest... true to yourself and your emotions. I will do the same now."

Vader seemed to falter, his hands repeatedly clenched and unclenched. The soft whir of machinery filled the air as you stared at the man in front of you. You took a step forward slowly, your eyes filling with remorse as you used the force to search through Anakin.

"What'd they do to you, my sweet Ani?" You whispered, "Why didn't you come to me? I could've helped you."

"Nobody could've helped him!" Anakin raged, yelling in anger that seemed directed at himself, "He was lost! Gone! Anakin would've died regardless! I, Vader, would've killed him regardless!"

"No," You mumbled, looking around at the planet you'd been called to, "You wouldn't have died, Ani. It would've been like any other mission, any other obstacle before. I would've helped you get through it, like always."

"Anakin is dead!" Vader cried out, his voice breaking, a hint of desperation sneaking through, "He's gone."

Slowly, you stepped forward, watching the way Anakin's chest rose and fell with each mechanical breath, "No... you're not gone, Anakin. You're not gone, and like all the times before, I'll be waiting to help you."

Taking in a deep breath, you anxiously wrapped your arms around Anakin, noticing how much taller he was. His arms remained by his side in shock, trying to sort out his emotions. Anakin's mechanical breathing filled your ears as you squeezed the boy you raised. Tears fell down your cheeks as you held him to your chest, wishing you had been able to help him. Wishing you'd stayed by Anakin more during the Clone Wars. Wishing that you could turn back time and save the little boy you loved so much.

Squeezing tighter for a brief second, you whispered, "I love you, no matter what, Anakin."

Letting go of the man, you stepped back quickly, hoping that the powerful Sith Lord hadn't seen your tears. But you knew that you'd been too slow, and you knew Anakin knew you better than that. Watching as you walked back and disappeared into the trees you'd come from, Darth Vader wondered if he would ever see you again. He'd reached out to you for weeks, and he wondered now if you would ever reach out to him, remind him you were still alive, waiting for Anakin to return.

Boarding your shuttle, you let out a cry as you reached for your comm. There were so many regrets you held and so much you wished you would've done. But the past was not something you could dwell on. You could only hope that you'd been able to reach Anakin quickly enough.

"Rex?" You called weakly into the comm. You waited patiently for Rex's reply until you heard your name called worriedly, "I'm coming home."

Taglist: @nowthisisdark

[kylorenisadorkable]

How TROS Failed Rey

These are just my opinions and from my personal perspective, if these things worked for you in the movie then cool, but this is why it was never going to work for me.

A Feminine Power Fantasy

Growing up in the 90s there wasn't a ton of media that had female lead characters. I grew up with strong female characters but they were often relegated to being the token girl of the group (see the Smurfette principle), the story was never centered around them and we never got to experience things from their point of view or really get to know their story. It felt like I was being asked to relate to male characters but boys were never asked or expected to relate to female characters.

Just as young boys see themselves as Luke, leading the adventure I also wanted to see myself as the main character. I wanted to have my own adventures.

When I first saw TFA, I went in knowing nothing about the movie. I had seen the OT and the Prequels as a kid and I had thought they were ok but I wasn't a huge Star Wars fan and in hindsight I really think this was due to the lack of female representation, Leia and Padme are great but I never really felt like I really got to know them as people. Not to mention that these characters are 2 women out of a cast that's predominantly male, it just seemed like the message LF was sending was that Star Wars is for boys, yeah girls can watch it if they want to but this isn't a series that is meant for you. So as you could guess I wasn't really expecting much from these new Star Wars movies, but I was pleasantly surprised.

I fell in love with Rey's character during those first 3 minutes of her introduction. During this brilliant example of “show don't tell,” story telling they were really able to convey so much about Rey's character and personality, I really began to care for her and felt like I understood her, as I could relate to her loneliness and isolation in my own way. And I was excited to see a story from a major fantasy/adventure franchise told from a feminine perspective. It felt like I was finally getting the representation I wanted to see.

So what happened? How did we go from Luke's line “And I will not be the Last Jedi” which is essentially him “passing the torch” to Rey, the next generation, to “One day I will earn your brother's saber?” 

As if the saber didn't already choose her in the Force Awakens? Why did they decide that all of a sudden Rey was unworthy? Didn't Yoda say “that library held nothing that the girl Rey didn't already posses?” which yes was a clever way of saying that Rey already took the jedi texts with her but was also implying that she already had everything she needed within herself to be a jedi (courage, humility, compassion etc...). Why did they take a step backwards in the last movie in the franchise? Insisting that Rey needed to train, that she suddenly wasn't good enough?

I can't say for sure what happened to lead up to this point. Was it just that the creative team gave in to the pressuring of a loud minority of alt-right youtubers and bots. Were they relying on Reddit and Twitter for public opinion rather than doing actual marketing research?  While I think that this was definitely a big factor I think there was just a general misunderstanding of the characters on Terrio's and JJ's part to begin with.

What Does Rey Want/Need?

To know where they went wrong, we have to ask ourselves who is Rey? All characters have a story goal, or the thing they want. By the end of the story the character will either get what they want after some struggles of course or learn that the thing that they want isn't what they need. So what does Rey want?  To understand what she wants we have to first understand her wound or past experience that caused emotional pain and interferes with the character's life. Rey's wound stems from her  abandonment. Along with the wound, comes the concept of the false lie. What is a lie that the character believes about themselves that we as the audience knows is untrue? Rey's lie is first, that her family is going to come back for her. 

The other lie she tells herself is the belief that she is worthless because she was abandoned, as she tells everyone she meets “I'm no one“ or “I'm just a scavenger.”

When Daisy Ridley was asked in an interview why Rey says she's “No One.” Ridley says it's because our relationships to people define so much of who we are and without relationships then who are we?  This makes sense considering that our parents are major influences in our development and in how we think about ourselves through much of our lives.

Rey seeks out parental figures, thinking that through them she'll figure out where she belongs. “Whoever you're waiting for on Jakku, they're never coming back. But there's someone who still could. The Belonging you seek is not behind you. It is ahead.” 

Rey initially believes that Maz is referring to Luke and when she later sets off to find him. She believe that he is going to be able to give her answers, and provide her with the belonging that she longs for, but Luke ultimately ends up disappointing her but finds comfort in her relationship with Ben.

This goes back to the idea that what Rey thinks she wants, Isn't necessarily what she needs. As JJ stated in the directors commentary of The Force Awakens, “So there was a very powerful idea that what she desperately wanted was belonging, which she’ll get, but just not how she expects.”

JJ and Terrio try to fullfill Rey's need through “found family” the family she finds with her friends and the resistance, but I think there is more to Rey's desire of wanting family that can't be satisfied by this alone. Finn, Poe, Leia are definitely a part of her journey in finding belonging but they're not the final piece to the puzzle. Otherwise she would have felt completely fulfilled by the end of The Last Jedi when she is on the Falcon surrounded by her friends.

I think part of Rey's desire for family, is also the desire to be understood, to be “seen.”  Rey even tells Finn in TROS that “People keep telling me they know me. No one does.” We hear Ben's response in the trailer “But I do...” (which was cut from the movie)

Ben has always been shown to be the person who truly “sees” Rey. He sees even the aspects of herself that she doesn't like to acknowledge. Recognizing that her holding on to her parents is affecting her negatively and that if she really wants to “find herself” she needs to let go.

Which is why when Ben says “You have no place in this story. You're nothing. But not to me.” What is really being expressed is “I don't care about where you come from and I see you for who you are.”  

This is why I believe that Ben was always suppose to be the final piece to the belonging Rey is searching for. As their narratives are intertwined. They both satisfy each others needs as characters, Rey's need to be seen for who she is and Ben's need for reconciliation and healing within his family.

Rey Palpatine

Rian Johnson said that when he began working on The Last Jedi, he wrote out all the character's names and next to them wrote what would be the hardest thing for that character to face. For Rey, this was that she needs to stand on her own two feet and define who she is for herself but JJ and Terrio seemed to have misunderstood this as Terrio states that,

“We also thought that Rey’s arc cannot be finished after Episode VIII. You can leave Episode VIII and say, “Well, now, Rey is content. She’s discovered her parents aren’t Skywalkers, or whatever, and that’s fine.” But so much of her personal story was about where she came from, what kept her on Jakku all those years and the trauma that shaped her. We see quite strongly in Episode VII that something mysterious and troubling happened to her. Although she did get some answers in Episode VIII, we didn’t feel that that story was over. We felt that there were still more questions in Rey’s head about where she came from and where she was going. So, that was the other big idea that we had to address in this film. Rian’s answer to, “What’s the worst news that Rey could receive?” was that she comes from junk traders, and that’s true. She does come from junk traders; we didn’t contradict that.”

Rey's conflict wasn't that she came from junk traders. Rey didn't care about “legacy.” Her conflict stemmed from her abandonment. Rey thinks she's “a nobody” not because of her parent's occupation or lineage but because she feels that she must be worthless because why else would her parents give her up? Rey learning that her parents sold her off for drinking money, that they didn't want her, was already a difficult and traumatic truth to overcome. Star Wars is a coming of age story, in the OT Luke grows from being a boy longing for adventure to discovering what it truly means to be a Jedi (following your principles and having a compassionate heart). Rey's journey is about letting go of childhood trauma and discovering her own independence.

It's also strange seeing as JJ had previously stated during The Force Awakens press tour that “I really feel that the assumption that any character needs to have inherited a certain number of midi-chlorians or needs to be part of a bloodline. It's not that I don't believe that as part of the canon, I'm just saying that at 11 years old that wasn't where my heart was. And so I respect and adhere to the canon but I also say that the Force has always seemed to me to be more inclusive and stronger than that.”

And there was still conflict for her to overcome. The one person who she felt truly understood her is now the supreme leader of the first order, will the resistance discover their connection? Will they see her as a traitor? All of this had the potential for great external and internal character conflict, but for some reason they didn't see this as conflict enough to sustain a whole movie?

Instead they gave Luke's character arc in the OT of having a dark side relative to Rey. “Discovering that you actually descended from your adoptive family’s greatest enemy, the same enemy who corrupted Anakin Skywalker and is responsible for the destruction of the Skywalker family in the first place, felt most devastating to us.” This doesn't make any sense to me as it feel like they just gave Rey Luke's internal conflict of being afraid of his dark side, I don't think this was ever a problem for Rey. In fact, in The Last Jedi  she leapt into the dark side cave to face her darkness (her abandonment). Luke even says “You went straight to the dark and you didn't even try to stop yourself.” 

The dark side cave in The Last Jedi was symbolic of Rey coming to terms with her darkness (the parts of herself she wants to hide).  It relates back to Jungian psychology (which much of Star Wars is based on) that people can only become whole through understanding both the light and shadow aspects of their personality. So it doesn't make sense for Rey to be afraid of who she is in the final movie when she just finished a journey where she learned to accept who she was?

Rey Skywalker

Terrio says that the decision to have Rey take on the name “Skywalker” was a way to show that “you can choose your ancestry.” Which is not true and also a strange thing to say considering the trilogy started with this:

But even if this was just awkward phrasing and what Terrio meant to say was that she considers the Skywalkers her family. Does this make sense considering that she didn't have a great relationship with Luke to begin with?

 I've seen it argued that she took the name as a way of honoring Leia but Leia never took the name or considered herself a Skywalker. Also this is another step backwards for Rey's character as The Last Jedi was trying to assert that Rey does not need to keep looking for parental figures to define herself.

So why  must she be a Palpatine, a Skywalker and “all the jedi” anyways? I think this was done for two reasons, the first was because by killing Ben they were going to kill the last of the Skywalker family and they wanted to keep the name tied to the franchise, in case they need the characters for future projects down the line, so they just pushed it onto Rey. The second reason is that I think they were trying to appease the misogynists' who spent the last 4 years calling Rey a “Mary Sue” so they explained her power away through powerful male lineage. It just feels so weird to me, like the creators are saying that we should like Rey not because of who she is as a character but because of who she is in relation to all these other characters we know you like (Luke, Leia, all the jedi that use her as a vessel etc...)

Daisy Ridley has even expressed her frustration with the Rey's lineage debate multiple times, “I love that Rey is such a great character, they’re like: ‘No, no, she has to be… she has to be-’She’s her own person! Let her be her guys, let her live.

Yet even at the end of the final film poor Rey can't seem to catch a break as she's once again asked for her last name. She once again has to justify herself for just existing. Why are surnames suddenly so important in Star Wars now anyways? Shouldn't the correct answer be “just Rey,” now that she's come to accept who she is and where she's come from and shouldn't that be good enough? What happened to the message of anyone can be a hero? That you don't have to come from or align yourself with a powerful family legacy. That we all have the power to make a difference?

TROS seems to be constantly asking Rey to prove herself. And weirdly enough it reminds me in a strange meta way of my own experience being a woman in the fandom and being constantly asked to prove that I'm a “True fan” (whatever the f@#% that means...) to prove that I'm worthy of consuming and participating in this content that male fans feel belongs solely to them.

In Conclusion

So what did our heroine gain in the end? Did she find family and belonging? No. So what does she have in the end? A yellow lightsaber (for merchandising purposes) and a surname of a dead family?  I guess she finally has an answer to give all the nosey nellies, obsessed with ones pedigree that have suddenly popped up all over the galaxy.

It's not a satisfying ending for her, as she's basically right back where she started. Alone, in a desolate desert, once again staring face to face at an old woman (an old woman which at the start of the Force Awakens symbolized her fear of growing old and wasting away her life on Jakku).

Terrio states that  this is not meant to indicate that Rey plans to stay here, “The very last thing Rey would do after all that is to go and live alone in a desert.”  but when that is the last shot you chose to end the movie on then what is the audience suppose to think? The bigger issue however, is that Rey's ending holds no significance to her or her journey. Terrio says that “In our thinking, Rey goes back to Tatooine as a pilgrimage in honor of her two Skywalker masters. Leia’s childhood home, Alderaan, no longer exists, but Luke’s childhood home, Tatooine, does. Rey brings the sabers there to honor the Skywalker twins by laying them to rest — together, finally — where it all began.” Tatooine, the Lars homestead and the twin suns, don't mean anything to Rey.  You know who did mean something to Rey? Who was the one person who understood her, who she had an intimate relationship with, who she explicitly states she wanted to be with? Ben. But he's gone too. But clearly a light saber and surname are more important. Again this all comes from a lack of caring for what Rey wants.

I just wish that the Sequel Trilogy had stayed Rey's trilogy, that she got to be a heroine in her own right not because she was a skywalker, or a palpatine or from some other powerful family. I will always love Rey but I will always hate what they did to her and I'm tired of people invalidating my feelings and telling me that it was a good ending or that it was empowering. I just want heroines to be taken as seriously and to have all the same privileges as male heroes. Let them stand on their own without connecting them back to every male hero in the franchise, let them be their own character, and finally just let them be human, let them fall in love and have relationships if they want to. Male heroes are never considered to be less of a hero for having a love interest, so why are female heroes? Basically what I got out of the Rise of Skywalker, was that it was created by a couple of guys that loved Luke and the OT and could care less about Rey and that's truly heart breaking.