#i want luke to realize that he can do more than just destroy

[threebea]

Rewatched Return of the Jedi and forgot how Han and Leia's romance sets up what unselfish love looks like to compare with in the prequels and also gives us context why love can be dangerous for a Jedi.

(Note: this isn't an!dala bashing I like an!dala)

With Han! (Yes! Han the non-Force sensitive.)

Han, we must remember has been out of the loop because of his Carbonite freezing, but even so he wakes up to: someone who loves you. Before that he had Leia declaring: I love you!

He gets very clear signs from Leia that she is in love with him. Like. Very clear out loud signs. In the Ewok village when they reunite they hug.

But he's still jealous of Luke.

So when he finds Leia crying after Luke says he's leaving to face Vader and that he's Leia's brother, his first reaction is jealousy. He gets mad when she refuses to tell him what's wrong. He accuses her of being able to tell Luke but not him, implying obviously she thinks Luke is more important to her.

His fear she doesn't love him back makes him angry.

You can see how it could lead to hate, this kind of situation. Hating Luke and Leia two people he adores because he thinks they're together, which would lead to him suffering unable to let go of his feelings for Leia and Leia suffering from his anger as well. He could destroy all their relationships with his anger, and he's just a normal non-Force sensitive guy.

And Luke and Leia aren't even a thing. He's just assuming! He's letting his emotions control him.

He's about to stomp away with a: bitter forget it! As she sobs.

But he stops! He stops giving into his negative emotions and he goes back to comfort her without demanding answers. He holds her because he loves her. He lets go of his negative emotions and possessive jealous feeling. His love is stronger than his fear.

Then on Endor he point blank asks her if she loves Luke. She answers Yes, not realizing unlike the Skywalkers he didn't get the memo from the Force about the family stuff.

And he is disappointed, but he says he'll step aside. He loves Leia and he's willing to let her go for her happiness.

That's what romantic love without possessive attachment looks like. He loves her. He puts his own initial negative emotions aside.

-

I always wondered why as a kid this was the romance I liked out of all other movie romances. (Usually I hated romance in things.)

At first I thought it was because there's not a lot of emphasis on it, but now I realised when Han has all the opportunities to do the classic Alpha Male stuff, he doesn't. In other movies he would have walked away and let her cry by herself to make drama. Have the stakes higher. They'd get together in the end but it would be after Han does something heroic and Leia throws herself at him or something. Which would make Leia a prize even though she never had to be.

But Return of the Jedi cuts through it. Han comes back, holds her even though she might not love him. That's incredibly powerful. That moment he holds her and apologizes and lets her cry and is there for her despite his jealously. Even now it's pretty refreshing considering the archetype people associate Han with.

And Han doesn't heroically save Leia to win her. They get held up. She has her gun ready to blast their attackers. They smile at each other. That's the moment he says the words I love you out loud. When she is about to save them.

It's obviously contrasted with Anakin and Padme.

Once again it is very clear how Padme feels. They both verbally reinforce their love for each other.

But Anakin isn't thinking of what Padme would want or asking what she would want. Through out the movie he's obsessed with the idea of her death. Letting himself be corrupted and ultimately killing people so that he doesn't have to feel losing her. Unlike Han, he puts his negative emotions and possession of her above his love for her.

And just like Return of the Jedi is different for Han coming back and holding her, Revenge of the Sith is different because usually movies emphasis all-consuming love as a good thing. Love so strong you would do anything to save them is shown as being selfish in RotS because Anakin does it. He does anything and everything. He makes himself unrecognizable.

He will stop at nothing to keep her. And then the moment he thinks Padme herself is the one trying to take herself away from him. When he thinks she's chosen the other side or Obi-Wan or however you interpret the moment and not him, he doesn't let her go. He doesn't love her enough to see her happy, he attacks her. That's what attachment does. It isn't about the love he truly feels for her, it's about the fear of losing her. His negative emotions ruling him. He lashes out and hurts the person he's supposed to be saving because it was about him, not about her. She became a prop. An icon of his fear of loss.

He wasn't acting on his love when he joins Sidious, he was acting on his fear. It is a selfish moment and ends in everyone suffering.

I can see why there was supposed to be more of a love triangle with them and Obi-Wan in the earlier concepts just to heighten the contrast with Leia and Han.

Han accepts that Leia chooses Luke (even though she didn't). He says he'll let her go to be happy.

Anakin accuses Obi-Wan of turning Padme against him (even though he hasn't). He attacks her when he thinks she's going to leave him.

Anakin's love by itself has never been the problem. It's what love so easily can become if darker emotions are controlling you. The Jedi forbid these kind of relationships because of the powers they hold and how easily love can turn to fear, anger, hatred, and suffering. And because they have powers most do not, how devastating that can be. Jedi learn emotional regulation so they don't get overwhelmed and hurt people. Palpatine made an effort to chip away at those teachings by using Anakin's trauma against him and encouraging him to dig into his negative emotions. That he's right for indulging in them and that it's human and normal to do so.

Sidious tries to do this with Luke. He's taking Luke's love for his friends and emotions and trying to get him to strike him. Use his fear to put him on the path to the Darkside. To give into his hatred and violence.

Then Luke remembers the cave. Killing Vader would be to kill himself, just as Anakin had once done. Winning the fight would be losing his soul.

He lets go of his fear for his friends and his hatred for Sidious and he refuses to fight. He sees the only way forward is love. That when Yoda said he must face Darth Vader before he can be a Jedi this is what he meant. In facing Vader he is facing his own darkness.

This is all to say the Jedi teaching doesn't only apply to Jedi. (I mean it's based on real world practices it's not just fantasy nonsense). But it makes sense that it's very important for Jedi.

This is also why I prefer the release viewing order. It gives a lot more context to the prequels that can get lost in the shuffle. Rather than trying to make prequel concepts fit for the OT, OT concepts are actually being expanded on in the PT. Looking at it the other way around is working backwards from the true starting point.

Tl;dr: Han shows what love without attachment looks like.

Thanks for coming to my blorbo talks.

As always YMMV.

[percabeth4life]

I feel like rick missed an opportunity when he made Frank closer to Percy's age instead of Hazel's. Like, I'm sure there are reasons (It's been a while since I read HoO, so I can't say what they are, but they're probably there(I hope)), but can you imagine Percy, on a quest with two kids that are 13-14 (I can't remember how old she is in SoN, can't find it either, so guessing low it is).

Even without his memories, he'd be halfway to feral, but once he got them back, I can't see him doing anything but going from protective to absolutely destroying anything that hurt them.

I also think it would have been hilarious to have Percy and Annabeth at like, 17-ish? And have the rest of the seven at like, 14 max. Percy and Annabeth are trying to keep this group of 13-14 year olds alive, and they're both screaming internally half the time. Sometimes, it's just screaming, but sometimes, they scream about how toddlers shouldn't be on quests.

(Side note this popped into my head while I was writing, so have a- thing

Annabeth: There's a bunch of babies, Loose on a quest! No one knows what the babies are going to do next, least of all the babies! They've never been on a quest before!

Narrator: The babies in question are 14, and they have, in fact, been on quests before. (She is right about them not knowing what they're going to do, though.))

Then again, maybe I just like big brother/protector Percy too much. (Reluctant and screaming big sister/mentor figure Annabeth is also fun.)

(And on a sadder note, Annabeth realizes this must be what Luke and Thalia felt like and almost starts crying.)

To start, you're absolutely right that it was a missed opportunity. Percy is, without knowing it, the most experienced of the questers, except Frank is nearly his age in comparison to Hazel (who should be 14 by math, but is 13 by Rick's declaration). I think it's less that he made Frank closer to Percy's age and more that he was trying to make Hazel younger than Nico.

But yes, it would've been super interesting to see him basically mentoring the other two, especially after he regained his memories. I feel it was a major missed opportunity to not have Percy and Annabeth trying to watch over the younger quest members, instead he aimed for weakening the two to make everyone else their equal. It's a shame cause it missed the opportunity for the younger questers to be major boons for their skills, rather than raw power.

And also, the two of them looking after younger ones and wanting to protect them but also having to risk their lives to save the world- and the rest being alone when Percabeth falls with Nico to help except half of them find him freaky- would've allowed them to grow into their own more.

It would also show how Percy and Annabeth really ARE the most experienced, how their quests haven't been the norm so even Jason who is remembering some quests hasn't done anything this insane before but Percabeth just takes it all in stride.

[ollie-lolly]

Mind if I send another baby request (because I love the idea of these men with precious beans)? How would the Brothers/Dateables be if they had babies of their own? I just wanna know what kinda fathers all of them would be!💗💖

Thank you for the request! <3

Them as dads

warnings: none!

reblogs are appreciated!

Lucifer

-Will do that thing where he'll place the little ones feet on his, and hold their hands to help the baby learn to walk. TvT

-We now know that Lucifer is at least 10 million years old soooo.

-"He is more than daddy to me, he is like, he's like grandpa."

-Lets just say after being a mom dad to six he is desperately waiting for the baby stage to be over.

-He does not want to handle the little one too roughly, like with his more resilient brothers. So please help him out.

Mammon

-I can see him in front of a white board trying to explain the stock market and the baby is just there like :)

-He is super proud of his little one. 

-He just holds his baby above his head sometimes like >:D

-I can see him buying a smaller version of his sunglasses and putting it on the baby.

-He uses the baby stroller as a place to store stolen things.

Leviathan

-Will take tons of pictures of the baby of any little cosplays he can find.

-Would use his tail like a baby carrier.

-I can see him holding the baby so they can see his figurines and he would go on and on who they are, from what show etc.

-Will watch childrens anime with the baby.

-Is scared for his life during the whole experience. So please try to keep calm, because he sure won't.

Satan

-Loves tucking it in bed.

-Please help him when his patience wears thin.

-Will bounce the baby on his lap while he is reading.

-Probably named the baby after a character in a book he liked.

-Will attempt to teach the baby complex topics, the baby has no idea what he is talking about but keeps listening anyway.

Asmodeus

-Will want to be around it 24/7.

-Will have tons of nicknames for the little one.

-Wants to dress it in so many outfits. ♡

-Customized and patterned diapers.

-Wine dad with Lucifer.

-Will often talk about his new dad life on social media.

Beelzebub

-Will have the little one on his shoulder at all times.

-Please be with him when he feeds the baby, because what is stopping him from eating the baby food.

-Looks really intimidating when he picks the little one up from daycare.

-Will gently use it as a weight when exercising.

Belphegor

-Will want to sleep with it for hours.

-It is so bad to the point that he has trouble falling asleep without his precious baby.

-He loves how warm the baby is.

-He has the little bassinet hanging above your shared bed, so he can check on the baby anytime.

-Beel essentially takes care of it with him.

Diavolo

-Will have a baby carrier on 24/7

-He will be walking in the halls of RAD and the baby is just:  :D 

-Will gain a lot of popularity with students because of the happy baby.

-The baby will most likely inherit Diavolo's adorable smile.

-Would spoil it with the most expensive gifts much to Barbatos' dismay.

Barbatos

-Will take time off to love and appreciate the little one.

-Handles the worst parts of babyhood great.

-Would love to teach you the techniques regarding childcare.

-Diavolo would beg Barbatos often to bring his butler's baby to work.

Simeon

-Somehow always knows why the baby is crying.

-Will insist on you resting while he takes care of the baby.

-Looks so angelic when he holds the baby.

-Simeon is always smiling when he gets to be with his baby.

-Luke loves to take care of the baby with him.

Solomon

-Will dress it in a wizard costume and post "My new apprentice"

-Please don't let him feed it.

-He does not realize how dangerous his house is.

-Next thing you know, the baby has his hands on a wand and almost destroys Solomon's house.

-Lets just say there needed to be A LOT of baby proofing.

-In the meantime, Solomon had to use a spell to make the baby float.

[emkayewrites]

Another behind-the-scenes-on-Bridgerton-Season-3 moment from my Lukola fanfic....

(Excerpt taken from my fanfiction 'Curtain Fall')

Before she could respond, there was a frantic knocking at her door.

“Duty calls?” Ezra asked.

“Something like that.” Nicola replied. “I’ll speak to you later.” 

She hung up and pocketed her phone into her jeans, moving to open the door. 

She knew with some certainty that Luke would be the one stood outside.  If he had not come to visit her, she would likely be making the trip across the field to him.

In the last few weeks, they had become somewhat inseparable. If they were not due to film a scene together, they still found a way to see each other for a meal, a walk or just to decompress in one of their trailers.  This routine had started initially to manage their nerves about their scenes.  It was a relief to be able to talk every day just to practice and build trust.  As time had passed, they were both realizing they were getting a lot more from each other than just rehearsal time.  Nicola found herself looking forward to seeing him and being at the receiving end of his dry wit.  In her experience, there were few people in life that you could have such effortless banter with.  Meanwhile, Luke was open with her about being introverted and needing to sit in a semi-dark room with no human contact after a long day on set.  The running joke was that Nicola no longer counted as human, not after the many nights they had sat in his darkened trailer, eating dinner out of takeaway boxes in relative silence.  All in all, there was a comfortable rhythm to their relationship – so much so that even on a day off like today when most cast members were catching up with family and friends, Nicola had been hoping Luke would want to while away some of the hours together.  She had resisted reaching out to him though, feeling conscious he might be taking the opportunity to catch up with his parents or Jade.

Sure enough, it was Luke stood at her trailer door, dancing impatiently on the muddy grass as sheets of rain washed over the bright red umbrella he was holding up. 

“You can come in, that stays outside.”  Nicola pointed at the umbrella.

He immediately bolted inside, keeping the arm with the umbrella extended outside the tailer door.

“How do we bring it in?” He looked at her expectantly.  Nicola let out a snort of laughter in response.

“We don’t.”

“I’m not abandoning it out here, it won’t survive and it’s not mine to destroy.  I borrowed it from Kraft services.  Haven’t you got a tea towel or something?” He urged.

“Nothing big enough to absorb that.” Nicola shrugged, returning to her place on the couch.  “I’ve had enough lectures about these vinyl floors to know better.  Besides, the umbrella won’t get damaged.”

A crack of thunder erupted around them. 

“So is the rest of you planning on coming in or…” She asked, ignoring the sound of the escalating storm; pulling the blanket up over her shoulders again.

“Do you want a response to that, or can I just glare at you?” He shot her a look.

“Well, you can either stand there holding an electricity conductor and glare at me, or you could come in here where it’s safe.” Nicola quipped; one eyebrow raised.

“Oh, fuck. Good point.” He immediately dropped the umbrella with a clatter and pulled his arm inside, slamming the door behind him as he did.

Nicola did her best to hide her amusement.

“You’re the worst.” He said with the twinges of a smile around the corners of his mouth.

He unzipped his raincoat, revealing a thick script pressed against his stomach, protected from the rain. “Bought over today’s pages, thought it might be a good opportunity to go over the scenes.”

He pulled his coat off and took a seat beside her.  As he rifled through the script, she found herself absentmindedly sharing her blanket with him, pulling it across his back. 

“I keep thinking about when Penelope and the audience see him at the garden party, the cameras on him and he’s meant to just look handsome and interesting.”  Luke laughed disbelievingly, looking down at the page.  “Talk about a tall order.”

Nicola leaned over, looking at the notes with a frown.  “You’re overthinking it now.  A lot of that is going to be the hair, the make-up, the lighting, camera angles – it’s not all on you to convey that.”

“Yeah, maybe.” He looked unconvinced.  “It’s delivering the sexy smoulder in the close-up that I’m really overthinking.”

The show was famous for the way it framed its romantic heroes in a way that exuded romance, sexiness and intrigue usually all in one tight close-up shot of the face.  Nicola had to admit that the amount of face acting they had to do on Bridgerton was on par with stage plays and pantomime with the exception being that here, the shot was redone over, and over, and over.  It was no easy feat.

“I had a nightmare last night.  I’m doing the shot and Tricia keeps telling me my sexy face attempt looks constipated.  I keep messing it up and I give myself constipation from the stress.  They have to shut down production for the day and it’s on immortalized forever in the notes for the dailies: Luke Newton fit of constipation shuts down set and costs production ten million pounds.” 

“Ten million pounds? Think a lot of yourself, don’t you?” Nicola remarked with a smirk.  He gives in and laughs.

“But hey, your brains’ ability to do that – it’s a talent.  I wish I had dreams that vivid and hilarious.” She continued.

“It’s a curse.” He disagreed.

“Alright, look at me, look at me.” She insisted, tugging at the blanket to pull his shoulders closer to her.  He faced her and she realised just how close to each other they were.  They had become gradually desensitized to the level of intimacy required between them but every so often, in a moment off-set like this one, it still caught her off-guard.  They were practically nose-to-nose.  His eyes levelled with hers.

“Smoulder.” She invited.

A change came across his face.  The strain of stress around his eyes and mouth vanished, his features softened as he embodied Colin Bridgerton.  His eyes seem to bore into hers.

“Pen, it is good to see you.” His spoke with an affected tone.

“Is it?” Nicola responded with an English accent, looking down at her hands, playing the closed body language of Penelope Featherington.

“Truly. It has felt like I have been absent years instead of months.”

“Much has certainly changed in that time.” She was stoic.

“A good deal, I know.” Luke patted at his shirt with some boastful pride, a smile spreading across his lips. “But it was all the rage in Paris.”

Nicola could not help but to laugh.  “Sorry, I’m breaking character. He’s such an arse.”

“It’s alright, I was about to break anyway.” He sighed, rubbing a forefinger against his temple. “So, smoulder rating?”

“If 0 is vomit-inducing Hugh Heffner and 10 is Jason Mamoa as Aquaman, you’re a solid 9 as Season 3 Colin Bridgerton.”  She assured.

“Alright, well that’s… I would have believed you if you’d played it cool and given me a 4 but that’s – it’s outrageous.” He shook his head at her, smiling.

“Deal with it.  Hand on my granny Nelly’s bible, it’s a 9.”

“Don’t blaspheme, I’m not worth it.” He rolled his eyes at her, turning his concentration back to the script.

Just then, another roll of thunder cracked overhead.

Luke leaned back on the sofa, holding the script up in front of his face. “Alright, well you better order some food, I’m not leaving until either that outside stops or I feel sexy.”

“Oh, so I guess we’re dying here then.” Nicola stated matter-of-factly.

[akanesheep]

Marriage? (Per request)

We know everyone in the Devildom is in love with MC, they would die for you. But would they make that next step? Could they handle marriage to a mortal human? Could they watch you age and die?

**Disclaimer**

This is just my personal opinions… I usually stay as close to the canon story as possible, but in this event, I’m probably going to stray a little. Also, I don’t include Mephistopheles, Thirteen, or Raphael as they aren’t dateable as of now, and I don’t include Luke because he is baby. No lewd the child. That being said, let’s get into it.

Lucifer:

This man would give you everything. He would definitely track down at least two ways to make you immortal, but he would leave the choice up to you. I think he would absolutely stand beside you regardless, so long as it doesn’t become an argument involving his pride. So long as any discussion involving it remains mature and responsible, he wouldn’t push. If it becomes a childish argument with accusations, I could see his pride taking over and trying to force the issue.

So yes, Lucifer would marry you regardless. He would absolutely care for you regardless of your choice. If he has to watch you die, he would do so with quiet respect. He would likely never love again afterward, because he waited thousands of millennia for you, he doesn’t want anyone else.

Mammon:

The avatar of greed is a given that he wants you to choose immortality over death. He wants every minute he can have with you and then some. Like Lucifer, he wouldn’t force that upon you, it would be entirely your choice, but he really, really wants you to stay. (As in choose immortality) If you choose to remain mortal, he’ll cope, but he may seem occasionally distant as your health begins to fade. But he would stay by your side until the final moments.

Yes, Mammon would marry you regardless… but it would destroy his heart to watch you die. Like his older brother, he likely wouldn’t love again afterward, he couldn’t go through that kind of loss again.

Leviathan:

You’re his Henry. He doesn’t know why anyone, especially someone as wonderful as you, would love him. He wants you to be with him forever.

If you choose to remain mortal, he’ll take it very hard. His low self-esteem would convince him that you would rather die that be with him forever. He’d move past it to a degree, but he’ll always struggle with your decision.

Yes, he would marry you, even if you became mortal… but amongst all of his brothers would become the most distant toward the end. He just wouldn’t know how to cope. He definitely won’t love again, and it would take an insanely long time to every interact with his brothers on a normal level.

Satan:

It could be said that Satan knows more about how humans feel and think that most any other demon in Devildom, based upon his readings. He knows humans have debated immortality throughout their existence, so he knows the conflict you will feel as you debate immortality. He wants you to choose immortality, but he realizes the weight of that decision.

Satan would marry you regardless of that choice however, so it was never up for debate with him. Your choice is only one of many decisions you will face together. If you choose to remain mortal, he’ll care for you till the end, doing everything possible to keep you with him for as long as he can.

He could love again after you’re gone, but the bar as already high, and you raised it higher.

Asmodeus:

He loves you more than he loves himself, and that is absolutely an achievement. He will absolutely need you to choose immortality for him if not yourself.

If you choose to remain mortal, he wouldn’t marry you… he wouldn’t leave you, but he wouldn’t propose. He would remain steadfast through your life, loving you, caring for you, etc., and he would do so happily. It would be a marriage in everything but name. He would start seeing others to meet his needs once you aged and became uninterested or unable to have sex, not for a lack of love, but simply because he needs it as the avatar of lust. I fully believe you understand and support him on that decision, knowing your demon’s heart.

Once you’re gone, he will feel a huge void in his life that he may never manage to fill. It will be an incredibly painful time for him. I don’t think he will ever marry, it was you or nobody for him.

Beelzebub:

Beel wants to share everything with you. His food, his life, everything. He wants you in it. He’s a simple demon. As long as you’re happy, he’s happy. He wants you to be with him forever, but if you choose to remain mortal, he’ll accept it and continue to love you regardless.

He’ll absolutely marry you, there wasn’t ever a doubt. He’ll love and care for you until the very end.

I don’t think Beel would love or marry afterward. Not because of the inability to, although he would grieve for a long time; but because he just doesn’t openly interact with others outside of his family.

I will admit he is the biggest wildcard in the brothers group, because he could if he met just the right mix of person, but it isn’t likely he’d meet anyone that makes him feel like you did.

Belphegor:

Look, I’m a Belphie stan. I love this lazy brat. Possibly because I identify with his feelings easily. (And he’s adorable for a murder cow)

If you choose to remain mortal, he wouldn’t marry you. There is a solid chance he would end your relationship, because he’d feel you were rejecting him. He could get over that aspect and realize it isn’t a rejection of him, but of some other reason, but he would always deal with the sting of your choice. He would continue to love you and be around, but he would struggle with your choice. And once you pass he would grieve as deeply as any spouse. I doubt he would truly ever move on from it, and he would simply go back to his sleepy life before you, with less anger, but not willing to open himself up to loss again.

Barbatos:

Our favorite butler is a marvel isn’t he? He takes care of Diavolo full time and still makes time for baking lessons with Luke and to date us too? He’s much like Satan in regards to knowing how humans have struggled from the beginning with the issue of mortality vs immortality. He knows the struggle that takes place within you as you make that choice… and accepts your decision. Unlike most of the others, he doesn’t let himself be too conflicted… of course he wants you to be with him forever, but if you choose not to, then he simply has to enjoy the time he does have. (I tend to believe he doesn’t look at his own timeline out of principle)

He would marry you regardless, so long as his master allows it. He’ll dutifully take care of you your entire life, and will be by your side until the very end. He’ll be forever thankful for you and your love, but will likely not love again.

Solomon:

As an immortal human, he knows the highs and lows. He’s watched his family age and die, he’s buried his children and grandchildren. He’s watched empires rise and fall. He, better than anyone, would know exactly what this choice is like and what it entails.

Solomon would marry your regardless of your choice. Losing you will hurt him, maybe more than he has ever hurt… but he would make the choice for you any time. Immortal as he is, he’s still human, and humans are greedy, so he will always want you to change your mind. He’ll ask you time and time again if you’re sure you don’t want to change your mind.

He likely won’t love again. He’ll simply do as he has always done and fall back into his detached, aloof pattern, and remain that way.

Simeon:

As an angel, he’s known that the mortality of humans is a fact. I mean, Solomon is a clear exception to the rule, but that was just a side note. While he would love you to always be around, he doesn’t expect you to make the choice to be immortal.

If he’s allowed to, he will marry you. He loves you deeply and dearly. He would remain steadfast at your side regardless of your mortality, and in the end he would take care of you and love you as tenderly as ever.

If he’s not allowed to marry, I believe he’d do everything possible to remain at your side and love you. He’ll always be beside you, come what may.

(I split this up because the current story he has lost his angelic powers and is in a strange sub human state. Neither human or angel. My personal hc on this is that he’s close to where Lilith was when she was judged. He could be at the brink of being cast out as either a human or falling to become a demon. It’s still possible however that he manages to return to angel status.)

Diavolo:

It isn’t easy to be the ruler of the Devildom. He’s got the weight of the demon world on his shoulders, as well as working to maintain the balance of the three realms. That was before he met and fell in love with you, his human exchange student.

As much as he loves you, he has things he is obligated to. And your choice is literally do or die for him. You cannot remain mortal and sit beside him as his partner. He doesn’t necessarily like that, but it’s a requirement to the job. (Personally, my hc is that whomever he marries takes on a mantle of power that would automatically make them immortal, but as we know, Diavolo’s mother died… so idk)

If you choose mortality, he could not marry you. He wants to, but it wouldn’t be possible. He would have to marry someone else.

He would still love you. You have this monarch’s heart. Losing you is something he would never get over… but he would have to move on. He would ‘love’ but not in the ways he loved you.

My MC is AFAB, but I write non-gender whenever possible. My personal MC is in a poly relationship with all the dateable characters (except Luke, that is my child). My hc is that they’re all good with this arrangement as it isn’t uncommon within the Devildom. The only sticking point comes with matters of succession in respect of Lord Diavolo’s children, but as only his biological children are in line for the thrown, or he has to designate a chosen successor, this issue becomes moot. My MC would choose immortality, because they really want to be with the boys forever, and know how badly losing you would hurt them. They feel no grand loss at leaving the human realm, although they do visit from time to time for various reasons.

[sevi007]

Tales of the Abyss part 31

I don't think I need to mention still that this has spoilers?

So on our way to Grand Chokmah, our ship was hit, so we making a stop at- Keterburg? The name rings a bell but I can't really place it

Sidenote, I think Guy is quite good with fon machines? It's been mentioned a few times now.

HUH?! Jade past reveal?! Vibrating out of my seat here.

But first:

SNOWBALL FIGHT! - did we just shoot Mieu?! XD I want the entire party to team up on Jade. (Of course they will lose because - it's Jade. But I like the idea)

Choked on my hot chocolate here. WHAT? WHAT? I see the family resemblance but WHAT?

I'm basically Luke in this situation. Why do I keep forgetting that the characters have family?

"Nephry" I like that.

And he knows emperor Peony too. Of course. Damn it Jade this is why I said to SHARE INFORMATION

Huh? I would have thought she would want to spend time with her brother, rather than a stranger.

OMG Luke you're a terrible liar XD Betting all my Gald Jade knows immediately what's up.

Talk about a prodigy...

That explains like - everything about Jade. I will go with the assumption that this is where he and Dist know each other from. With this, it would explain Jade's absolute disgust at the replication of humans - he tried it with Nebilim, failed, and created something horrible. He might even have tried again, only to realize that it won't bring her back either.

Then being confronted by Luke - realizing that someone was still using "his" technique out there - that must have thrown him into dissarray. Unveiling the truth would have meant explaining himself, unearthing stuff he usually glosses over with sarcasm and deflection, making himself vulnerable.

Then Luke destroyed Akzeriuth - a replica destroyed Akzeriuth - and Jade hadn't been fast enough to stop it. The technique he had fathered had created a being who could be used to make whole nations fall. He must have felt as if it is his fault, too. Explains his anger at Luke's denial after the events.

Hmmmm. Maybe, maybe not. I don't think Jade is really after resurrecting her - he would have to take up formicry or something similar again, yes? Dist maybe is after this, but Jade...

If anything, I more think Jade would try to kill the Nebilim monster instead.

Oh now I wanna meet this man.

*facepalm* We should teach Luke to lie.

The boys are having a heart to heart. Never would have seen this coming when the game started, they were too different. (Maybe we CAN make Jade Luke's father? - I AM KIDDING pls don't tell Jade he would end me)

but you know. This makes sense. In the widest sense of the word, Luke is the living proof of Jade's failures, but also might be his redemption. Luke turned out good, he turned out kind. He is proving he can grow. He can learn of Jade's sins, and make up his mind about them -

Hell, he might be the closest person to being able to "forgive" Jade for at least the replica stuff, considering he IS a replica, and he is the only one who has come to know Jade and his past so well.

You can redeem together, boys.

@ahsokaisawesome

@magicmetslogic

[bisexualpercyjacksons]

no wait wait wait hear me out about how the four beads is a truly devious and smart addition

so starting off with four beads from the dryad establishes a few things:

1. getting out of the underworld wasn’t something they really thought about yet (too many steps ahead, I also have ADHD I get it)

2. poseidon HAS thought of that problem and has made the beads in preparation to protect them

3. poseiden thought about rescuing sally when planning how to get everyone back safely, not just percy and his friends

2 & 3 plant the seeds (a long with the dryad’s words and hermes’ comments) that poseiden really does care about percy (and sally!). yes I know I know, bare minimum to care about your kid etc. but considering this is a show and we don’t get percy’s internal monologue it kinda makes sense to have a little more details that make poseiden seem better to the audience

[read more break to not clog up the tag. I promise I get into the angst shortly]

all these little bits that imply poseiden really does want to be there for him but can’t, that he’s been watching from afar because he didn’t want zeus to find out he broke the pact and take his anger out on his son and former love (yes, love! this is the man/god that wanted sally to be his queen with him in his underwater kingdom!!!). I actually really like the idea of those posts about how he has been helping out in little ways over the years because. let’s be real for a second. NO WAY does sally afford that apartment AND have the ability to send percy to specialized boarding schools with the salary of a CANDY SHOP EMPLOYEE. I get it I get it, the gods are deadbeats, but I’ll admit I kind of like the idea that he’s been doing what he feasibly could without getting caught by making extra money appear in sally’s bank account or sm

making him seem (and possibly be) more sympathetic is another reason that fuels percy to change the system rather than join luke to tear it all down. he knows the system is bad but he sees hope and truly believes it can be changed for the better. that is something that can be saved, not destroyed

4. this is kinda irrelevant but I like that it is the dryad that agrees to give percy the pearls after poseiden says for him and his friends to go back to camp because she wants him to have a chance to change things. gives her a little bit more agency. (also y’all she’s SO pretty in gay but moving in)

so. four beads.

if we want to keep the dilemma and character growth that comes with there only being three beads and someone having to make a sacrifice, something needs to happen: one of the beads breaks or someone loses it

is it percy? who has realized they need four beads for EVERYONE to come back and is horrified that they now only have three, meaning either he himself or one of the most important people to him has to be left behind in actual hell in order for the world to be saved? think about the dread and self-loathing that would come from that

or is it annabeth or grover? where the horrifying realization is the same but now there is a gut reaction from percy to be upset with the person who loses/breaks it. he loves his friends and can’t stay mad at them but now they are in this impossible dilemma to choose who stays behind and it’s killing all of them. the impossibly guilt of the person who breaks/loses it knowing that it’s their fault someone doesn’t get to go home, someone has to stay behind in the underworld

and when does this happen? early on, and we spend the episode watching them all try to figure out the dreadful problem of who gets left behind. looking at each other thinking, I can’t leave them behind, I can’t. they’re my family. but we can’t leave percy’s mom behind either.

or does it happen right before they have the chance to go, and they all think everyone is going to make it and sally is in percy’s grasp only for everything to fall apart and now everyone is looking at each other thinking, who is going to have to be left behind? who has to be the sacrifice?

anyways, I think there is something truly devious about them KNOWING there NEEDS to be four beads and HAVING THEM only to have something happen and the option of everyone going home safe being ripped from their grasps

[obey-me-disaster]

"I do not recognize the bodies in the water"

Synopsis: Would the brothers survive SCP-2316, known as the lake that creates the bodies of people the you know?

A/N: I took the liberty to add more stuff to the lake to make it seem more like a curse rather than an SCP

Also this is the first post of this year, I really am starting this year in pain :')

------------‐---------------------------------

As per Diavolo's orders 'The lake needs to be sealed with a powerfull spell. It is a danger to everyone in Devildom and we need to get rid of it as fast as possible'

When asked why, he couldn't divulge its nature to them since the curse of the lake would be 100% effective then. All he could say is "Try to stay at least 50 meters away from the lake at all times and if you see something in it, repeat to yourself 'I do not recognize the bodies in the water'"

It was hard to read his face since he tried to appear stoic, but to those close to him it was clear that he seemed almost regretful to send them on this mission. While they could't comprehend exactly what was so dangerous about this cursed lake they could at least understand that this is no joking matter, it was one of those rare serious missions.

Since leaving the Demon's Lord castle, they couldn't get rid of this weird sense of dread, like this task might be their last one. As they approached the lake they could feel something was clearly not right, but how hard can it be to place some magic seals? Those were already premade so they just needed to place it at the right spots and activate them.

It can't be that hard. Nothing will happen, right?

Lucifer- He survives

He was going to take the order from Diavolo seriously anyway. He isn't the type to play around when it comes to work, especially that this time he could feel that his life was on the line.

Placing the seals and activating them was pretty easy for the most part, at least until some wild animal, that was probably running away from a predator, knocked over seal that wasn't activated.

The seal wasn't too close to the lake, but it still got thrown like 40 meters away from the lake. He contemplated if he should retreat and report to Diavolo about the incident but decided against it in the end.

He retrieved the seal with ease and thought that was the end of it, at least until he saw something appear from the corner of his eyes.

His mind was screaming at him to turn around and see what was there. With great difficulty he went back to placing and activating seals.

At some point he couldn't avoid looking at the lake when going around. At that moment he realized what Diavolo ment and what the curse of the lake was.

In the water he could see Mammon's body floating like he was dead. He nearly dropped the seals. Deep down he knew that was not Mammon, that the lake was trying to lure him using this awful illusion.

He kept repeating the words in his head 'I do not recognize the bodies in the water' and a for a while it worked but the fact that he figured out the curse of the lake ment it was going to be more effective on him.

It started out slowly, with more bodies appearing and floating around. Levi, Satan, Asmodeus, Beelzebub, Belphegor, MC and in the end Lilith.

He honestly wanted to destroy the lake right there and then but knew he couldn't. It wasn't the time of curse the could be destroyed without preparations.

The number of seals that needed to be activated suddenly seemed like it was never ending. More bodies appeared into the lake. Diavolo, Barbatos, Simeon, Solomon, Luke and those of the angels he fought during the Celestial war. He swore he could hear them whispering, asking him why did he let them die, why did he betrayed them, why he leave them to end up like this?

By the time he activated the last seal he noticed he got too close to the lake. He could't recall when it happened and he wasn't about to think about it there.

Once he got home, he went straight to his room to listen to cursed records and drink some demonus so he could forget about all that happened.

Mammon- He survives, but it was a close call

He tried distracting himself from the feeling of impending doom by thinking about all the money he is gonna get from Diavolo once he is done with placing the seals.

Placing and activating premade seals? That seemed like a child's play but he wasn't about to turn down the oportunity to make money. It was a cursed lake not ghost, so how bad could it be?

At the begging everything was going smoothly, but the longer he stayed there the more the feeling like something wasn't right was growing.

While activating the seals, he dropped one of his rings and it rolled down 5 meters away from the lake. He didn't dare to move for a few seconds, thinking that something might come out of the lake.

Once everything seemed to be clear he went down the get the ring. Since it didn't go into the lake it should be fine.

He moved towards it slowly, looking around for any sign of possible danger. If anything were to come out of the lake and grab him he could easily tranform into his demon form and fly away.

The walk towards the ring while tense, was pretty uneventful. Nothing appeared to be in the water, and while the magic aroud it seemed to get stronger it didn't seem to do anything to him.

While picking up the ring from the ground he couldn't help but think to himself 'Is there really anything wrong with this lake, except the vibes it gives?'. His question was soon answeared when he looked up and saw MC's lifeless body staring right at him.

The shock of seeing it caused him to back away from the lake as fast as he could. Last time he saw them, they were playing video games at the HOL, it couldn't be them, right?

He couldn't help but stare at them, trying to find anything that would make it obvious that it was a fake.

The longer he looked at the body the more he got the feeling that he needed to go after it. It looked too much like MC and he couldn't bear thought of not doing anything to save, not again.

As he moved closer to the body his instincts were telling him to run but his body was telling him to go on. The body wasn't too far into the lake yet, so it should be fine for him to go in.

As he moved closer to it he could see that more bodies appeared but paid them no mind, or rather couldn't bear to look at them.

The water slowly got to his knees and then to his waist. No matter how far he moved the body seemed to go farther into the water. It didn't help that his instincts were screaming at him to turn fly as far away from the lake as he can while his bodie seemed to get havier.

He snapped out of his daze of getting MC's body back when one of the many bodies that appeared to float around made contact with him. At that moment Diavolo's words 'You do not recognize the bodies in the water' finally made sense to him and really brought him back to reality.

He transformed into his demon formed and flew up in the air, far away from the lake. Once he got enough distance he saw what body made contact with him and it made his stomach drop. It was the little girl that he saved in the human world and sends money to on a regular basis.

He stayed there for a while, trying to clear his mind. He really was about to die. If he went any deeper he wasn't sure if even his demon form could take him away from that cursed lake.

He slowly went back to the ground and started to activate the rest of the seals as fast as he could. He had to make sure no one else is getting close to that thing.

He could hear at the back of his mind the voices whispering at him to go back. He had an idea of what the curse of the lake was but since he wasn't 100% sure he wasn't as affected by its attempts of getting him back into the water.

Once he was gone he turned into his demon form again and flew as fast as he could.

When he got back at the HOL he went right to MC and demanded to stay with them. He wasn't acting as his usual self which got MC worried but he refused to tell them anything. He considered they were better of not knowing the full story of the lake for their own safety.

If it wasn't for the body of the little girl bumping into him, he would have died and he is well aware of that.

Leviathan- He survives, but it was another close call and he doesn't finish setting up the seals

He didn't tell Diavolo, and looking back at that decision it was a dumb move, but he knew what the curse of the lake was. It made an appearance in one of his game so he knew the full story about it.

On one hand he was happy because he really was about to see the place where some of his favourite scenes in the game took place but on the other hand...he knew what was about to come.

The more he stayed and thought about it, the popularity of the game was what made Diavolo take the decision of sealing the lake. So many demons approached this lake only to end up dead that it finally got to the demon prince himself.

Since he knew about the curse he was expecting to get the worst out of it and he was not wrong. Since the begging he could see bodies appear but he didn't dare to look at them. He only repeated the words 'I do not recognize the bodies in the water' as he activated the seals.

He kept telling himself that since he passed the levels of the game with ease, this whole ordeal should't be too bad. Creepy as hell but nothing deadly.

But the curse was getting the best out of him. He started to hear the voices of various people he is close to begging for his help or cursing him for letting them end up like that.

At some point it got too much for him and he finally looked at the lake and it was just as he expected. He could see his family and friend's dead bodies just floating around the lake.

He tried to tell himself that he did not recognize the bodies in the water but it was impossible. The more he did the guilter he felt. How could he say that when his best friend, his Henry, was there. Their eyes were without life but he still felt like they were staring him right into his soul.

Deep down he knew the bodies were not real but it didn't stop him for apologizing for being useless, for letting them end up like that.

His apologies didn't stop until he felt the cool touch of water around his torso. When he looked around he realized he was going into the lake, trying to reach MC's body.

His limbs felt too heavy for him to move or even turn into his demon form. He could feel himself sink into the water.

In a final moment of desperation he summoned Lotan to get him out of there and to his relief it worked. In a matter of seconds he was more than 50 meters away from the lake.

He ended up going back to the palace, he was all too aware that it would happen again if he were to stay there any longer to activate the seals. He didn't care if he was going to be called useless diavolo wouldn't do that but he wanted to live

Satan- He survives

Could sense from Diavolo's tone and from all the preparations that this was going to be a risky mission.

He also figured out what that this was the type of curse where the more you knew about it the easier it was to fall prey to it, which is why he stopped thinking about it.

Even when he arrived at the lake and started to place seals he kept his mind busy with things not water related. This was one of the few istances where the less he knew the safer he was.

He honestly found the whole situation ironic. He who thinks that the more you learn the more usefull you'll be now has to make the effort not to learn.

His strategy really worked for the most part. He was nearly done with placing and activating all the sigils when he caught a glimpse of a body in the lake and his curiosity got the best of him.

He could feel all the blood in his body freeze, but not for the fact that he saw one of his brother's corpse but from the fact that he understood what the curse was.

It only took a few seconds to connect the dots, and once he did he started to hear various voices in his head, telling him to go retrieve the bodies in the water of various people he knew.

He never thought there would be a time where he wished he would be as dumb as Mammon sorry mammon but here he was, trying to place and activate the last of seals while he could feel his anger and annoyance rise within him.

He nearly ripped one of the seals when some particular voices started to compare him to Lucifer, mocking him and reminding him that he will only ever be a copy of him, unable to save everyone.

As much as he wanted to study a curse such as this he deemed it as not worth it. Even if he were to actually get some new information about it, he had a feeling that the whole ordeal would more unpleasent than rewarding.

He had to make a stop before returning home, to let out all of his pent up anger and frustration out on some poor trees

Asmodeus- He doesn't survive

He honestly considered this whole thing an ordeal and he made sure to complain to MC during their sleep over the previous night.

Once he got to the lake he couldn't shake the feeling that something was really wrong about it. Diavolo's words 'You do not recognize the bodies in the water didn't help either'

He got a restriction of posting anything about it on his devilgram account but with how creepy the whole place was he would not have done it anyway.

He doesn't really look at lake, trying to stay focus on placing and activating seals. With the way they were made he could instantly detect that it was Solomon's magic.

During the whole time he keeps hearing noises in the forest. At first he thought it was a couple trying to find a seclude spot to fuck but since he couldn't feel any lust in the air he brushed it off as wild animals or maybe some fan trying to stalk him.

He honestly didn't plan to look at the lake at first but something familiar caught his eye.

He let out a blood curdling scream when he saw MC's body floating in the water. His mind couldn't help but think to the night prior where he complained to MC about it his mission...they couldn't have possibly come and help him only to fall prey to the curse of the lake.

The more he thought the more it made sense in his head. MC knew the whole ordeal and where to come, he heard noises in the forest earlier that must have been them no?

Panic was starting to set into his body, he had to get them out of there with some luck they were still alive, they are still there with him.

He couldn't care less if he ruined his outfit, make or hair in that moment. His thoughts were full on how to get them out of water and blaming himself for telling them about this task. If only he could have kept his mouth shut for once MC would be safe at home, waiting for him so they could start gossip together.

He tried to shout after MC but they would not respond, making him want to break down crying right then and there. He couldn't lose them, he could't imagine the one person he loves the most, the one person that loves for who he is and not what he represents.

Once he reached their body he left out a sigh of relief but said relief would soon disappear once he realised that there was something off about the body. It looked like MC and didn't at the same time, it was a thin layer of fog was covering the body.

He couldn't exactly see it...or rather sense it from a distance but the whole place reeked of mind control magic. While not the same as his charm it was still in the same family of magic.

Now the phrase 'I do not recognize the bodies in the water' made sense but it was too late. He was in the middle of the lake and his body felt like it would give up on him.

When he looked around for any way he could get out he was only greeted with the corpses of his friends and family.

He tried to fight as much as he could but curse was overpowering him and he ended up sinking into the water.

As he felt his body sinking into the water he tried to grab 'MC' s hand not as a way to save himself but as a way to find some comfort in his last moments.

If he didn't tell MC about his mission he would have survived since he would have had no reason to really believe that was their true body.

Beelzebub- He doesn't survive

He comes prepared with a lot of food so his hunger wouldn't distract him from his job. He could tell that this task was important so he wanted to be as focused as he can on it.

It honestly went well at first but after a while he got the feeling that someone was watching him but decided against looking. As along as he focused on the seals everything would be fine and he could go home to have a meal with Belphie and MC.

His plan went down the drain once he heard the whispers of Lilith. They were faint but there was no mistaking, she was calling for help.

When he turned around he could feel his stomach drop. In the middle of the lake, floating lifelessly were the corpses of both Lilith and Belphie.

They were both placed in such a way that made them look they died reaching for help, reaching for his help.

Without thinking he dived into the water to save them. This felt too much like the Celestial war. He couldn't bear the thought of not saving both of them. Not again.

As he got close to Belphie body he realized that Lilith's corpse drifted away and was out of his reach.

This felt like one of the many nightmares he had after the fall, where he could only save one of his sibligns while the other was just out of reach, but this time they were both dead and he was just trying to reach for their corpses.

He mind was too busy on trying to get both of them to realize that there was something wrong with the bodies.

As he was about to reach Lilith's body his body gave up on him and he started to sink, no longer able to move his limbs, let alone turn into his demon form to fly away.

As he struggled to get to the surface and as water filled his lungs all he could think was how much of a failure of a brother he was, failing yet again at saving his siblings. Even if deep down he knew, those weren't their real bodies.

Belphegor- He doesn't survive

He really wanted to refuse Diavolo but he knew he couldn't, especially that this didn't seem like the kind of job he could walk away from.

He had some ideas of what the curse could be but decided not to think too much about it, especially after hearing that if you know what the curse does it will be more effective on him.

He tried to get over with the whole thing as fast as possible. The whole place gave him an impending sense of doom that would not even let him take a nap.

He couldn't remember the last time he was this awake and he hated it. He couldn't wait to go back home to sleep. He could already imagine the way MC's embrace would feel around him. The thought of it somehow made him relax a bit.

While he couldn't really get sleepy he did get tired so he decided to take a break and gain some of his energy back. He had a feeling he should be as energized as he could while around the cursed lake.

If you were to ask him he couldn't really explain why other than the fact that he was on the edge.

Once he deemed he had rested enough he got up to go back to seal placing and activating but something in the water got his attention.

He rubbed his eyes thinking it was just his imagination but that didn't seem to be the case. There was a body in the water, one that look all too familiar even tho he hasn't seen in it ages.

He dropped to his knees and tried to think about it. 'I do not recognize the bodies in the water' is all he could think about.

He really tried to think he didn't recognize Lilith's body in there but it was to no vain. Her body was there, seemingly taunting him with the fact that she is indeed dead.

As much as he hated to admit he knew she was dead but it didn't make it any easier for him to look at it.

After he finally decided to just turn his back to the lake, the flash of ginger hair appeared in the corner of his eye and sure enough there it was, Beelzebub's corpse floating into the water. On a closer look he seemed to have reached for Lilith but in the end was too late.

This was too much for Belphegor. Diavolo's warning be damned he had to see with his own eyes that those were not actually his siblings. One looked won't hurt right?

He tried to go around the lake, in a place closer to the bodies so he wouldn't have to stay too long in the water.

Once the water got past his knees he could feel all his fatigue come back, even worse than before but he couldn't give up. Not when he was so close to see if those were really the corpses of his siblings or not.

When he finally reached them the water was aroud his chest, his limbs felt so heavy he was wondering how he could still stand on his own to legs.

He honestly wanted to laugh at himself once he finally got a closer look at their bodies. Of course those weren't his beloved siblings. Lilith has long been dead and Beel was probably working out or eating something.

He couldn't help but think how pathetic he was for falling so easily prey to such curse as he sunk deeper and deeper into the water.

Oh how he regreted not being able to say goodbye to everyone, but especially to Beel and MC. At least he will be reunited with Lilith now

[pomplalamoose]

Heyy!! Whenever you have the time could we please get some hoth luke and SO hc’s??💗

I had sooo much fun with this and as always thank you for your ask, anon! I hope you like it as much as I do <33

To all the other lovely people who sent me asks: I will do my best to answer them as soon as I can, though please be patient with me because my next few days will be very busy :(

• going forward we will just ignore the fact that the Rebellion doesn't stay on Hoth for long, that Luke gets kidnapped and nearly eaten and then simply disappears after the Empire's attack

• because this planet has the absolute best requirements for a romantic setting 

• I mean we have an icy climate, cramped accomodations and relatively high spirits among the people 

• the Empire is momentarily defeated, the Death Star destroyed and the Rebellion has found a new base

• nobody can tell me there aren't hook ups happening and relationships emerging all over the place

• if Luke and you weren't familiar with each other before, now is the chance to get to know him

• if one or both of you were already interested, now is the time to make a move

• and I'm sure Luke will

• he's head strong and straight forward and nobody knows when the Empire will discover your hiding place 

• neither of you have much time so if he sees a chance, he'll take it 

• (see also my ESB Luke headcanons)

• I haven't quite made up my mind on how he would approach you but I have some ideas

• maybe he offers to show you his X-Wing or the Falcon 

• I'm not sure if Han would agree with that though but Luke doesn't really care, he has a very pretty person to impress and will sneak you on board if he has to

• it's hard for everyone on Hoth but especially for Luke who grew up on a desert planet 

• of course it's cold in space too and I'm sure it took some time for him to get used to that as well but this current situation is a different level 

• I see him awkwardly waiting nearby for a chance to engage you in conversation about the weather 

• (cut him some slack, he's still practicing his flirting skills)

• if you so much as shiver he jumps at the opportunity to take off his jacket and wrap it around your shoulders to be close to you, even if it's just for a little moment 

• he thinks he's so smooth with it too

• when he bends towards you he's hit with your lovely smell and frantically tries to come up with a plan to get to know you further

• suddenly he wants nothing more than to bury his nose in your hair or in the crook of your neck 

• he also makes a mental note for later to ask what kind of perfume you're wearing/ which shampoo you use so he can get it for you as a present

• (in his mind you're basically married already)

• he'll realize then, that offering his clothes was a stupid idea because now HE'S even colder 

• he refuses to say a single word about it though 

• (he can't just take it back like that, not now when you just started to develope some color in your cheeks!)

• until his lips turn blue and his jaw hurts from keeping his teeth from chattering 

• only when you ask him if he's okay, will he suddenly "remember" how cold it is and then invite you to have a hot beverage (I'd like to say tea but I don't know if they have tea) with him 

• if he's feeling especially bold he'll invite you to his room 

• maybe, when he's in a rowdy mood and a little adventurous, he'll tease you a bit (a lot)

• never to a point where you get overly annoyed or your feelings hurt, it's always obvious he took a liking to you and wants your attention 

• however he immensely enjoys when you call out his name in a frustrated manner in your clear voice or swat his hand away

• because then there's always a chance he can intertwine your fingers and hold your hand until you give him a look™ and he laughingly withdraws 

• strategically he'll find out what gets the highest rise out of you and then shamelessly exploits it 

• I see him sneaking up on you from behind and all of a sudden slinging his arms around your waist to lift you up and spin you around

• sometimes he waits around a corner and then jumps at you when you go past

• he makes sure to sit next to you during meals or other gatherings so he can poke your nose/forehead with his finger 

• he likes to gently squeeze your cheeks 

• a personal favorite of his is sitting behind you and then lightly pulling your hair until you whip around indignantly  

• (your anger immediately deflates when you see the way he's beaming at you)

• because of this he loves it when you wear a ponytail or a simple braid down your back

• he's definitely one to return from the outside with ice cold hands and then go looking for you to touch them to your neck

• he'll throw snowballs at you to start a snowball fight and nobody can convince me otherwise 

• sometimes it works and he uses the opportunity to come close enough for a potential kiss 

• and, if the situation is fitting and you are both giddy with laughter, he'll press a quick and breathless peck to your cheek 

Also have some quick little extra headcanons and ideas:

• Luke asks about snow on your home planet and you tell him about snowmen

• he's immediately on board to build one (or several) with you 

• imagine introducing him to making a snow angel 

• you take many stupid pictures together, one depicting you and Luke both wearing his jacket, with your back to his chest and the zipper shut tightly over your front

• (your feet hover in the air because he's so much taller than you)

• he'd lend you his hat and then make fun of you for it being way too big

• Luke is that person that complains about getting in the shower when it's cold outside and once he gets over it he doesn't want to leave anymore 

• his feet and nose are always cold on Hoth which makes sharing a bed with him less cozy than it would be normally

[princessbellecerise]

HOTD SEASON TWO THOUGHTS

SPOILERS

JACE AND CREGAN JACE AND CREGAN OMG IM SO GLAD THEY MADE CREGAN YOUNG AND NOT HAVE HIM ACT LIKE HES OLD ASF. He is supposed to be like 20 and I was worried they were gonna try and make him like Ned but NOPE. I liked how they tried to kind of tie in the GOT Stark’s with him but I wish we saw a bit more

WHERE IS VERMAX?? I REALLY WANTED TO SEE HIM THIS SEASON BY BOY GETS NO SCREEN TIME

Lucerys Velaryon my sweet baby boy, I will always remember you. When Corlys said he had that dagger commissioned for Luke I SOBBED. He loved those kids sm don’t you EVER try to tell me he didn’t want Luke to have Driftmark

Ugh, Alyn. Iykyk I was waiting his better half (his brother) to show up

Aemond Targaryen when I FUCKING catch you I swear to GOD. Rhaenyra searching for Luke had me in tears. The way she JUMPED off of Syrax to see if it was true oh god

Speaking of which, her scene with Jace destroyed me. The way he tried to be a good son and heir and tell her about his accomplishments but broke down. Oh my god and the way he reached for her I can’t

The greens had too much fucking screen time. All I heard was them yapping about a war THEY started. Also alicent trying to control her sons is laughable. You raised them to be misogynists and now you’re shocked they don’t value women? Hmmm I wonder why

Speaking of Miss Dowager Hypocrite herself…what happened to honor and decency hmmm? No where to be found I guess. Also Crsipy Cole, for a man that’s been sworn of celibacy you sure do get down alot

Larys Strong is the biggest instigator that’s ever lived and I think we’re about to see him changing loyalties like he does in the books. Hmmm

Luke’s funeral. My god. Jace lifting up Joffery to throw in Luke’s seahorse. Rhaena absolutely sobbing bc that was her betrothed :( . Somebody fucking sedate me

Rhaenys…my girl…what have they DONE to you? They made it seem like she didn’t give a single fuck about Luke’s death. CORLYS GRIEVED MORE THAN SHE DID ARE YOU KIDDING ME. This is not the Rhaenys I know. The Rhaenys that wanted to go to King’s Landing and kill the Greens so bad that DAEMON had to reel her in. Smh STOP WITH THE WISHY-WASHY SHIT. MY GIRL WAS FULLY TEAM BLACK

The writers are cowards and you can tell. B&C was Daemons idea. It was HIS idea for HIS son. Although, much as Team Green talks shit about Daemon, I’m also kinda glad they changed B&C to him ordering Aemond’s death.

And speaking of…sigh. So sigh. B&C was so…underwhelming. If they were trying to spark sympathy for Team Green then they did a horrible job at it because WHAT WAS THAT?? Helaena not even putting up a fight? Just straight selling Jahaerys out like damn girl it’s like that?? AND WHERE was Maelor?

Aegon and Aemond of course can go fuck themselves as usual. Them trying to make it seem like Aegon would’ve been a good king is laughable like be SO fucking for real

Otto Hightower your days are numbered. Just you wait, you’ve given your two psycho grandchildren a taste a power and I’m gonna laugh when it backfires

Overall, I did feel a little bit bad for Helaena but it’s still team black. I hated how they cut out the feast Aegon threw to celebrate Luke’s death. It adds a whole new layer as to why the Greens will never be in the right, if it wasn’t obvious already. ALSO, I cannot wait to see those fuckers realize that most of the realm wants Rhaenyra and not *what did Daemon say?* oh yeah, a drunken usurper cunt of a king

Jason (or was it Tyland) being made a fool had me dying. Like yeah your dumbass wanted him on the throne now what? Now you’re a damn pony. Giddy up fool

Them trying to make it seem like Aegon cares about his son when they haven’t even mentioned he has a son until the plot calls for it…sigh. I love TGC but you can definitely tell it’s HIM smiling and acting all cute towards Jahaerys, not Aegon if that makes sense.

Lastly, Lady Misery has always been Team Black and I wish they’d stop making it seem like nobody was on Rhaenyra’s side. Majority of the fucking realm fought for her it and they’re making it seem like she’s so alone. I also feel like they’re trying to use her grief as a reason she shouldn’t rule while trying to make Aegon seem “good” and I don’t like that

Let’s see what next week’s episode brings but hopefully the rest of the season is more…exciting

[shadowmaat]

Since no one's sending me prompts I guess I'll do it myself. lol

Endless- Maul, Old Guard AU

Maul is killed on Naboo and wakes up whole and alive. Most of the prequels stuff stays the same, but Maul is, for a while, convinced he's some kind of god. When he meets up with Savage he's convinced his brother is just like him, so when Savage dies and stays dead, it shatters something in him he didn't know he had. He's also captured by Palpatine and tortured/experimented upon because immortality is absolutely something that withered bastard wants.

Maul still isn't able to defeat Palps, which is another big mark against the "I'm a god" theory, but he does finally escape and goes off to lick his wounds and try to recover.

The Jedi are still wiped out, but while at first this seems like a good thing to him, there is an emptiness to existence that wasn't there before. Palpatine being in charge of the galaxy galls, and worse, he's doing a bad job of it, in Maul's opinion. It doesn't help that when Empire troopers see him they assume he's a Jedi and try to kill him. Sometimes succeeding.

One of the reasons Maul never got a chance at bettering himself is because he was too consumed with his own grievances to see past the end of his nose, but now he has an eternity to learn and eventually... he does.

Sure, part of it is still fueled by his anger at the universe, but over time he finds he likes helping others. It's strange and off-putting to encounter people who are kind to him and who don't fear him. Once upon a time he'd have been insulted, but now it's... nice. Ish.

He still backslides a lot because, well, he's Maul, but also backsliding is part of moving forward. He helps the Rebellion here and there because anyone who wants to destroy Palpatine is welcome, as far as he's concerned. If he meets the twins, he definitely favors Leia over Luke.

By the time the Sequels happen, Maul has been on the "good" end of the spectrum for a while. Maybe the lower end of it, but still good. He's absolutely not putting up with this First Order bullshit.

Lots of stuff is still the same, but I'll say Maul was fucking around on the Deth Star X-treme! so the attempt to wipe out Hosnia system partially failed. Still lots of death and destruction, but enough of the central government survives that they're forced to realize they may have made a mistake with all their waffling. Maybe.

Maul kills Snoke and is killed in return. While some underlings drag the bodies off to the incinerators, Kylo and Hux are in a standoff over who's in charge.

Maul wakes up and knocks out the troopers carrying him and Snoke, then stashes them in a room without any means of communication. See? He can learn not to kill everyone. Plus, if Fin could rebel maybe these guys will, too. Snoke burns, and Maul heads off to the reactor thingy in time to see Han talking to Kylo.

It's very important for me to note here that there is absolutely no way to excuse Kylo's choice to kill his father: with Snoke dead it is absolutely his own choice to put a saber through Han's chest. Except thanks to some timely intervention from Maul, Han is only grievously wounded instead because fuck you, Harrison Ford.

Maul taunts Kylo, saying that he's met Anakin Skywalker and can confirm that Kylo is just like him: a sniveling, spoiled brat with more hair than sense. He also says Kylo doesn't deserve the name Ben because Obi-Wan, at least, was a worthy opponent.

They fight, giving our plucky heroes time to drag Han to the safety of the ship. Kylo is all you don't understaaand, but Maul is very been there, done that, don't even have the scars to prove it.

Is there a chance Kylo could someday learn to be a better person? Maybe, but it took Maul seventy-odd years and a lot of deaths to unstubborn himself and he really isn't in the mood to take that chance.

Now. At this point it could go one of two ways: the fast solution is Maul kills Kylo and then it's just a matter of wiping out Hux and Phasma and getting Fin to help "deprogram" the troopers and dismantle the Order. OR Kylo could kill Maul and go off to have the big fight in the snow with Rey and Fin while Maul, who isn't recovering as fast as he used to, struggles to get back to the ship and trusts his apprentice(s) to handle it.

With the former the Resistance is going to realize that a First Order without Darksiders mucking things up is actually a lot more dangerous and harder to kill, though it still gets done in the end.

With the latter, the drama lasts longer and it'll be Rey who winds up killing Kylo only to get killed, herself. ...And wake up.

Either way, the trip to Luke's Sooper Seekrit Hideout includes Maul. Because I can play god with this, I'll say that Luke isn't sulking out his entire life on Ahch-To, but rather went there for Important Reasons and got stuck. He and Maul can be bickering co-Masters to Rey's training (and eventually Fin's). Maul teaches her how to create mental shields so Kylo can't intrude on her thoughts (if he's still alive).

The baddies are eventually defeated. Maul & Rey have a lot to talk about re: near-immortality. Han, Leia, Luke, and Chewie are reunited and happy to retire for good, maybe with Lando. Fin & Poe are tasked with trying to return the dozens of children saved from First Order training camps, but it's likely they're going to be raising a lot of them themselves.

Maul is finally comfortable and satisfied with the person he's become. He may not be able to change the past, but he can help shape the future. And he can try to prepare Rey for whatever may be coming next.

(Maul isn't the only immortal, just the only one relevant to this particular story)

[frazzledsoul]

I'm thinking of the parallels between Jess and Lorelai throwing their last ditch Hail Mary pleas to cling onto Luke and Rory two years apart, in seasons four and six, and how they are both catalysts for destruction, in diverging directions, and also for positive change, again in diverging directions.

Rory rejects Jess's plea to run away, because it's impractical and wrong and she doesn't want what he does: she wants to forget him, to go back to the person she imagined she was before all these dangerous, confusing feelings entered her life. Maybe before all of that she wants an explanation, an apology, a reason to trust Jess, not an assumption that all of her unanswered questions can be ignored by his sheer will to override them. She is not wrong, but she is perhaps crueler than she needs to be. She seeks refuge in Dean, because she was always safe with him and he won't hurt her and even as he's lying to her and manipulating her into doing his bidding and being too passive aggressive to actual leave his deteriorating marriage, she seems more eaten up by the shame and guilt of it than by losing any opportunity to be with him. She does the damaging, and ignores the gravity if the situation until it's over.

One could easily forgive her this, even though many fans don't. She's nineteen, practically still a child, who didn't realize she was messing with grown-up things, who realized too late she had outgrown Dean a long, long time ago. She got drunk on nostalgia and it didn't last.

And as for Jess? It seems he needed to get shut down like that to realize Rory wasn't going to save him. He gets his life together, comes to her again when she's unhappy, inspires her to get her shit together, makes a space for her if she wants to have a place within his life. In order for him to be good for her, he had to be good without her. She's forgiven him by then (we don't know why or how, that's for us to imagine) and when she hurts him again, the door doesn't completely close. He's not a force of destruction, he's someone who deserves an apology when he's hurt. She's not the beacon he rushes towards when all he sees is darkness, she's just a confused girl he can ask for an apology from when she hurts him.

Can they be friends after this, can he be someone she turns to the next time she needs help. Yeah. And until then, he's not exactly destroyed by what she does or doesn't do.

Lorelai is different, and I cannot talk about it unemotionally, or really forgive what she does. She feels she's losing the life she wanted and doesn't see a practical way out, so she rages, she issues demands, she threatens him, she proclaims that unless he loves her more than his daughter and does exactly what she wants she's giving up. Luke, to his credit, does not give in: he can't make major life decisions on a whim, and he has other people to think about besides her. A large part of the fandom will consider him irredeemably evil because of this, and insist that an elopement would have solved all of their problems.

Lorelai punishes Luke in the most savage, malicious way possible, and does the one thing she knows he'll never be able to forgive: she runs to Christopher for comfort, knowing that he's weak and he wants her and if she comes asking for sex, he won't turn her down. She wants to be safe, and she doesn't care who it hurts: Christopher, Luke, Rory, her relationship with the town, Rory's relationship with her two father figures.

Or maybe she does care, and the intention is to hurt Luke as much as possible. She stood by his side two years before and told him "you don't deserve to be cheated on", and then went and inflicted the same wound on him. She knew how much it would hurt and she still went and did it. It's difficult to believe it wasn't intentional. Shippers do not care. I have been told over and over that Luke deserved to be hurt this way, and if that's what Lorelai needed to feel better, that's all that matters. He got in the way of her perfect wedding. An unforgivable crime. Lorelai deserved to do the damaging afterwards if she didn't get what she wanted.

Luke rages for a day, realizes he's got a pregnant sister, a business to run, and a child to care for, and decides to rationalize to himself that the whole relationship with Lorelai was a bad idea and he has to move on. He tells Lorelai he'll be civil and moves on with his life. His entire world doesn't revolve around her and by the time they're ready to reconcile, both he and Lorelai can offer the apologies they both deserve.

It's not a change that fans appreciate, but I do. I find it interesting, decades after the story is over. The girls turn into destructive forces as a means of finding their way out of the chaos, and hurt innocent people through finding a means to dull their pain. The boys are hurt, but take their pain and use it to become forces of good for the girls in the future, paving a path that makes forgiveness easier the next time around. In order for them to find a space for the girls within their lives again, they have to reorient their worlds to allow other people in. Not everything is about Lorelai or Rory, or the hurt that they caused.

[billy-bass-burton]

Ive seen an argument made about how having Jedi alive after Order 66 devalues Luke’s journey because “anyone could’ve killed Vader” but I don’t think that’s the case, and it’s not just because Luke’s “midichlorian levels are higher” or some bullshit like that.

The Jedi that remained after Order 66 are essentially, soldiers. Walking lightsabers with superpowers. Part of Luke’s journey is him realizing that a Jedi is much more than destroying evil. That you have to insert some good into the world in order to truly try and make things right. The novel “Shadow of the Sith” has a really nice depiction of what a Jedi can truly be when Luke helps people deal and cope with their dark-side visions. I think that Clone Wars-era Jedi would’ve either locked these people up or tried to outright murder them in cold blood like they tried to do with Dooku during the war (events of the book “Dark Disciple”)

Cal, Kanan, Ezra, Ahsoka, and Obi-Wan all tried to destroy Vader. This wouldn’t have solved anything if they succeeded because as we know, Palpatine can just pluck another apprentice anytime he wants. He only really needed Anakin and his insane innate force powers to destroy the Jedi order from within. After that, he could’ve had any other force user as an apprentice to manage his empire. (I think there’s even a whole story arc in the comics about how Palpatine was even considering replacing him iirc?)

The only person who ever managed to defeat Vader did it by saving Anakin instead. Luke knew that using the dark side to defeat Vader and “get the job done” just assured that the cycle of violence would continue. If he killed Vader, why not just murder other people to solve his problems? Sound familiar? cough cough Anakin

Luke stands out amongst all the other Jedi because he’s not a soldier. He’s just a pretty good dude that wants to inject some good into the galaxy rather than perpetuating a cycle of violence. That’s not to say that this makes him perfect by any means because this desire can be misguided, but that he is a true definition of a peacekeeper and a protector, rather than a general.

In other words, Luke is special because he saves what he loves, not fight what he hates ;)

[marvelstars]

Luke Skywalker: Symbol of Rebellion

Luke´s character is interesting for many reasons but I have a special place in my heart for his phase as a symbol of rebellion tm in the Galaxy far far away, because the special circunstances around his birth and his family gave him such a different pov to the Jedi before and after his time.

The main authority figures in his life were Uncle Owen and Aunt Beru, Tatooine didn´t´t have what you would call an official goverment besides the Hutt gangster´s order while the Empire mostly left them be except for some bussines that had to do with the galaxy at large, just like the Republic before them, so his links to his planet of origin were the people, not the autorities.

Luke grew up wishing to leave his home planet even if he had to join the imperial army to do it, as many young people of his generation did but when his Aunt and Uncle were killed by stromtroopers, he had nothing left so he decided to agree with Obi-Wan to leave the plant to join the rebellion helping Princess Leia Organa.

I think this is the moment for Luke where all bets were off, Luke had nothing left to lose, he ultimately destroys the Death Star, dealing a terrible defeat to the Empire but the rebellion doesn´t have a united governing body, so Luke is used to travel across space on his own, doing what he needs to do or what interest him.

Luke doesn´t see Obi-Wan and Yoda as the Jedi of Old did the Jedi Council, they are not a Council to him, they are not Authority but dear teachers he can choose to obey or not when he thinks it´s neccesary.

Luke: Sorry but I am going to go and see if my friends are all right, THEN, I will come back and complete my training.

This kind of relationship gives luke a fredom to act and develop his own skills in the force at his own pace while following his teachers counsel and instructions. Being a Jedi doesn´t preclude him to keep being part of the rebel alliance, have friendships or fall in love. Being a Jedi is a part of him but it isn´t all the he´s.

So when he gets confronted with the reality his main adversary, the one he hated more than anything for "killing his father" the father he always dreamed loved him and would have been there for him if he was able to, Luke at first is horrified, both at Vader and by his Jedi teachers hidding this fact from him.

Lest also remember Luke is really more caotic than his father, mother or sister, unlike them, he has never feel compelled to belong to a certain institution and follow their rules the same way Padme did with the Republic, Anakin with the Jedi/Republic/Sith/Empire or Leia with Alderaan/Rebel Alliance.

Luke is with the Jedi because he agrees with their principles and he wanted to know more about his father, Luke is with the rebellion because they fight the Empire and the Empire is responsible for evil actions like the death of his family but this doesn´t mean he doesn´t question either at some points or has a problem leaving them for a while to search for his own answers on different matters, without abandoning either or forgetting he has made promises.

So after the shock post ESB was done, I think luke grew more bold, he succedenly realized the Second most powerful man in the galaxy, the Iron fist of the Empire, feared by all who knew his name, is also his father, a father who put a bounty on him so every smuggler in the galaxy knew they should not hurt him or kill him, a father who asked him to defeat together the Emperor and rule the Empire as Father and Son.

In short, Luke knows Vader "cares" in his own Sith way for him and that´s such a big weakness, because then he can go on his own merry way around, keep being a rebel, knowing the main commander of the imperial army isn´t able to kill him because he cares, Luke realized Vader loved him even before Vader fully realized this fact.

There´s no other authority to hold him back in the entire galaxy and that protection extends to his friends, because Vader isn´t the Emperor, he can´t bring himself to take Luke´s friends from him or manipulate the event of their deaths to bring him to the darkside.

And Luke can´t bring himself to attack his father either first off because he´s his father, he knows he cares and second because he got to read Obi-Wan´s diary so he has some idea of what happened to him. The word complicated doesn´t begin to cover what Luke feels for his father.

So this presents a really hilarious dynamic between Luke and Vader

I can just imagine the number of times Vader got reports of yet another rebel attack on imperial ships done by the Rogue Squadron lead by Luke Skywalker and he just sighing while being mocked by his master for being unable to stop a single rebel child.

When it comes to the Emperor, Luke is in that sweet spot in which he´s not a big enough menace "yet" to get the Emperor´s attention but he´s a more informal menace in the influence he has over his apprentice and while he may as well try to turn Luke and get a new younger apprentice if Luke turns but that´s not a sure thing and he doesn´t want to let go of Vader as an apprentice just because some farmer/rebel youth from Tatooine has blood links with him which Vader recognizes so he can´t just kill Luke either.

Palpatine won´t make Vader choose between his master and his Son, because he doesn´t has a choice, that´s not in question and he will either turn the boy or kill him and Vader can keep being the Emperor´s apprentice or die, those are Vader´s only options.

Luke is a Jedi Rebel who doesn´t think twice to sassy the Emperor to his face because that´s who he´s as a person but also the especial circunstances around him brought them to that and they can´t ignore the irony.

So when Luke decides to go to Vader and say:

You know what Dad, I won´t join you, in fact, I will ask you to come back to the light side with me, lest run away from all this mess and play catch as father and Son are meant to be.

Vader: Is too late for me Son. The Emperor will complete your training, he´s your master now.

Luke: Then my father is truly gone.

Luke didn´t know but Vader was saying goodbye there, only two there can be with the Sith and Vader wanted Luke to live and he knew his master would let him live if Vader died to turn Luke, so he was kind of expecting that to happen.

In fact even when Palpatine was attacking Luke with his lighthing, he at first probably thought the Emperar was just punishing him, just like he used to do with Vader all the time but he noticed he wasn´t stopping and truly meant to kill Luke so he had to act.

At the end Luke was angsting over not being able to save his father and Anakin decides to exorcise that particular ghost from his Son right away, "Nothing can stop my death now" "You were right about me"(I am proud of you) so Luke isn´t left feeling like he failed his father, he can advance and move on.

Still this is Luke, so he doesn´t have much trouble going to Coruscant to search the Emperor´s private collection of force artefacts. and after he´s done.

Luke is the more caotic Jedi Master there ever was and that´s a big part of his charm.

[depizan]

I do have two last thoughts on Shadows of the Empire. I realized I should address the…it’s not really big enough to call a plot…uh… the side plotlet Dash has, since I picked up the book to answer the question of what he was like when written by someone other than the guy who wrote Shadow Games. Also, I’m not quite done being irritated about Roofie Lizards.

Dash Rendar’s crisis of confidence.

During one of the assorted plots that fade out over the course of the book there’s a space dogfight in which several Bothan pilots are killed by a missile that Dash failed to destroy. That he failed for the first time ever and people died gives him a Heroc BSoD for a bit.

*massages forehead*

Okay, two thirds of that is fine, but the middle third just destroys the entire thing. No one gets to the age of…okay, I don’t know how old Dash is, but I’m pretty sure he’s older than, like ten…without failing. I don’t care how hot shit he’s supposed to be, this cannot be the first time in his life that he failed. Or missed a target. Also, given his line of work, this can’t be the first time people he’s working with have died. His plotlet would be more appropriate for someone Luke’s age. Or younger. Not for a seasoned criminal who routinely gets in space battles.

That said, characters are allowed to be upset by things. I’d absolutely have given an “I failed and people died!” BSoD a pass. Maybe it hasn’t happened that often. Maybe it just hits him hard every time. That could actually be a hint of him as an actual person not a random assortment of one liners and ludicrous skills. But it’s written like somewhere between 50% and 75% of his BSoD is because he never fails.

No one never fails. No one. That’s not how anything works!

(Also, his focus on “how could I, the man who never misses, miss!?” makes it all about him and not the people who died, which isn’t a good look. Nor is Luke kind of being glad he was taken down a peg, well, wanting to be glad he was taken down a peg, if not for the loss of life.

I swear to god, Dash has an asshole aura the way Taris has a bad idea aura and Joruus C'baoth has a wisdom and intellect drain aura.)

Anyway, the point is: it’s a plotlet for someone just starting out in life. “Oh no, I can fail.” is not something that an experienced adult should be struggling with. (Again, “oh no, my failure had bad consequences” is something anyone can struggle with. It’s the emphasis that’s fucking the plotlet up, not the events themselves.) Worse, Dash is a character whose brother died and family was destroyed because of bad luck. He shouldn’t be having this struggle with the concept of failure! Bad shit happens! He knows that.

It doesn’t help my irritation that later, after Dash is “dead”*, it turns out that it was a specially shielded missile, so he didn’t actually fail. Or at least, he didn’t actually miss. There was just nothing he could’ve done.

Look, Star Wars writers, the reason people like Han Solo is because he does fuck up. He’s not perfect. It makes him human and relatable and likable. He’s very good at what he does, but he’s not The Best™. Sometimes he encounters someone better than him. And sometimes he just messes up. Because people do.

Han Solo but cooler and edgier doesn’t make for an interesting character. It doesn’t even make for a character at all.

*I don’t know if he’s genuinely supposed to be dead in the book, but I do know from Wookieepedia that he faked his death.

Roofie Lizards

Roofie Lizards irritate me. Quite a lot, actually. They’re also a good example of how I can be a bit inconsistent in what violates my suspension of disbelief. Generally, I’m pretty willing to accept all manner of ludicrous things in the softer end of the fantasy and sci-fi spectrum. I don’t expect actual science in Star Wars. (Or Star Trek or Doctor Who or Stargate or…) I don’t object to people throwing in a bit of actual science, but I fully expect my soft sci-fi/space adventure to run on handwavium. Except when that handwavium only exists to fuel a plot that should be flushed down the galactic toilet.

See, Falleen annoy me. Zeltrons don’t. And that hinges entirely on why the two species exist.

Zeltrons are hot pink near-humans with potent pheromones and telepathic powers that fall on the empathy end of things. They can’t read minds, but they read and influence emotions. They were introduced in the now practically ancient Marvel comics run of Star Wars back in the 80s as, well, Space Hippie Party Kids. They’re big on free love and happiness and having a good time and dress a bit like they wandered out of a rave.

They’ve also been expanded on by a number of authors since then, and were even fleshed out beyond that introduction in the comics. You’ll find Zeltron heroes, rogues, and villains scattered through all manner of Star Wars works. I think they’ve even been recanonized by Disney.

I have never once thought to myself with irritation “I’m pretty sure pheromones are species specific” when reading about Zeltrons. Yes, it helps that humans and near-humans can be assumed to at least be the same class, taxonomically speaking, but it also helps that they never felt like they were designed to be walking Roofies. Or if they were it was a HELL of a lot more subtly.

Falleen are green roofie lizards with insanely potent pheromones who were invented so Xizor could try to “seduce” (consider those the largest quote marks ever) Princess Leia. Also so Xizor could be just that much more Most Special and go on about how his reptilian ancestry meant he was cool and not ruled by his emotions. (Even though he 100% was.)

Why do your pheromones even work on mammals you overgrown iguana!?

Hem.

As I was saying, my suspension of disbelief has a hell of a lot more trouble with Falleen. I mean, I’d find Xizor a Villain Sue and the whole plotline with him becoming enamored of Leia awful even if he’d been a Zeltron. But you created an entire fictional species just to make your character more special and to be a walking date rape drug? Really?

It just underlines Xizor’s Villain Sue-ness, or DMNPC-ness or That Guy’s character-ness. It doesn’t feel like a case of “oh, I had this fun idea for a new species” it feels like the species was designed because Xizor needed to be special.

Also, like…it’s unnecessary, in a sense. It’s just background set dressing. And a way to threaten a female character with rape that it isn’t clear the author realizes would be rape. It’s just so…weird. And requires jumping through more mental hoops than Zeltrons do.

Which feels more implausible? Magic pheromones that work across species barriers regardless of gender or magic pheromones that work across species barriers (larger species barriers even!) but only work on the opposite sex? It’s not just me, right? Adding in that Only Heterosexual bit just begs one to ask questions about how it’s working at all. (Also whether the author realizes that there’s a larger difference between species, much less classes, than between sexes.)

Also, Xizor is a really weird villain. He feels like he should be a buffoon. The kind of villain you’d class with Rich Biff from Back to the Future 2 or the guy in Making Money (Discworld) who wanted to become Vetenari. Granted, this could just be because real life has an over abundance of buffoon rich guy villains at present, but he’s over the top in a way that interferes with him being an impressive villain. Except I think we are supposed to find him an impressive villain. He’s rubbing elbows with the Emperor. He’s treated as an equal to Vader. He’s been wildly successful. (He didn’t just inherit daddy’s money.) I’m pretty sure he’s supposed to be a cool, sexy villain, not a green Biff Tannen.

I can’t tell if the fact that all I see is green Biff Tannen is a me problem or a writing problem.

[burnwater13]

Luke Skywalker entering the bridge of Moff Gideon's ship after destroying the Dark Troopers. Image from The Mandalorian, Season 2, Episode 8, The Rescue. Calendar from DataWorks.

Grogu often wondered why Master Luke chose to wear dark robes instead of the light tan colored ones that most Jedi chose to wear. It seemed odd. He hadn’t fallen to the Dark Side. He hadn’t killed anyone  with his lightsaber. Not his father. Not the Emperor. No one. Unless you counted that plague of Dark Troopers Moff Gideon had thrown at them, not realizing that they were no match for a lone Jedi. 

When he talked to Pelli Motto about it, during one the lengthy stays they had on Tatooine waiting for news of Imp Remnants, she reminded Grogu that some people wore black because they were in mourning. He asked her what mourning was and got a typical reply.

“Now look kid, I can’t be teaching you everything. That’s what you got a dad for. Go bug…uh… ask him. I’m sure he’s been lookin’ forward to this lesson.”

Grogu was certain that she had said something like ‘because what parent doesn’t want to explain death to a child’, or words to that affect, under her breath. He almost asked her to repeat herself but then thought better of it. When she was telling him to go bug his dad it meant that she had told him everything she wanted to tell him and there was no one more stubborn than Peli in Grogu’s experience. 

So he went off to find his dad, who was sitting in a new tavern in Mos Eisley talking with a friend of his. A female friend. Huh. Maybe that’s why Peli wanted Grogu to go talk to his dad. Peli had a strong preference to be everyones friend and wasn’t always happy when someone new showed up. 

He found them easily enough. A Mandalorian was hard to miss in any environment, but one sitting with a person who looked like a Jedi, but clearly wasn’t one was pretty noticeable too. If you knew what you were looking for and Grogu knew.

“Hello there. Have you been a good helper to Lady Motto?” Ta’lan Bet of the Brethren asked him as he hopped onto the table top that separated her from his dad.

“Yup”

Grogu replied very quietly because he didn’t really want his dad to know that he was willing to speak Gal Basic to his friend, when he rarely spoke to him using it. 

“Very good. I gather you have a question for your father?”

How did she know that? Oh right. Brethren. She used the Force just like he did. Well, not just exactly like he or Luke, for that matter, used the Force, but still she knew things like that and it irked Grogu just a little bit. He never got to surprise her with anything.

He nodded his head and then glanced over at his dad. 

“Go on buddy, you can ask whatever question you want.”

Grogu was glad his dad was being so cool about it. Most of the time he didn’t want Grogu just blabbing in front of his friends. So he asked the question and was surprised that Ta’lan seemed to understand the sign language as readily as Din Djarin did. Had she met the Sandpeople? It seemed pretty likely.

“Mourning? It’s what people do when someone they care about dies. Or if they lose a pet. Or if their life changes dramatically in a way they didn’t expect. It’s a sort of sad, annoyed feeling that you get because you want things to go back to how they used to be.”

Ahh. Grogu knew it was probably more complicated than that, but what his dad said made sense to him. He had certainly mourned all the people he’d lost when the Clones attacked the Jedi Temple and it turned out that Chancellor Palpatine was behind it all and Anakin Skywalker had helped and all that. It had been a long miserable time in his life and he’d spent a lot of that time feeling horrible. But he’d never changed his clothing because of that. Nor did he have any tattoos or scars or things like that to memorialize his pain. 

“Your friend Luke changed how he dressed?” Ta’lan asked him softly.

Grogu nodded his head and began to describe it all in pretty significant detail. He wanted her to understand the exact changes and not just that he changed from one pair of pants to another.

“I see. It is possible that Luke’s selection of clothing has nothing to do with his personal history, but I also doubt that. Sometimes we notice the light more because there is darkness around it. Like the stars or a moon at night. Perhaps Luke needed to signal that although he had suffered many losses and did indeed mourn those who were gone, he also wanted his friends to know that he still followed the light. A cloak can only do so much to obscure who you are. You knew he was a friend without even seeing his face, did you not?”

Grogu thought about that. What she said was true. He’d sensed Luke’s presence far earlier than anyone else. Grogu had known that the Jedi had come to help them. He told his dad he could be trusted. He’d seen him on the monitors and knew he wasn’t a Sith or even someone tempted by the Dark Side. His green lightsaber blade gave that away. No Sith every fought with a green bladed lightsaber. 

Grogu nodded his head to answer her question. 

“Then I suggest you ask Luke about his choices the next time you see him. Perhaps he just thinks that the dark clothing makes him seem more mysterious. Or thinner. Or more dangerous. After all, for a Jedi, their clothing is their armor. Each should choose what suits them best.”

Grogu smiled at that. He wondered if he would continue to add to his armor or perhaps find a new set of robes. Mandalorian or Jedi? He didn’t know yet. They each had their plusses and minuses. Maybe he would join the Brethren and just dress in something comfortable with a lot of pockets, like his dad’s friend. He giggled at that thought. What could he hold in pockets that small? Pebbles?