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all-the-things-2020 · 8 months

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Just A Small Wedding

Summary: Poe and Finn just want a small, casual wedding. Black Squadron and the rest of their friends have grander plans.

Word Count: 3600

Rating: PG-13

Things were starting to get out of hand. Finn and Poe had insisted on a small, casual wedding, but once Rose Tico and Black Squadron got involved, it was growing into something completely different.

“No, we do not want an orchestra,” Finn told Rose. “I told you, nothing fancy.”

“But …”

“And we are not inviting any heads of state, or ambassadors, or anything like that. This is not an official event.”

“But …”

“Just our friends and family. Some food, lots of booze, maybe a little music in case anyone wants to dance. It’s not a big deal.”

“But it is a big deal, Finn,” Rose finally managed to get a word in. “This is huge. You two led the Resistance to its greatest victory; you guys are heroes. Everyone wants to celebrate with you.”

Finn sighed. Ever since they’d gotten home from that first trip to Yavin 4 and word of their engagement got out, people just would not leave them alone. Everyone had an opinion: how long the engagement should last, where the wedding should be held, who should officiate, what they should serve the guests, how many guests there should be, what they should wear …

“I know, Rose,” he said. “But really, we’d rather just do this quietly and get back to work.”

“All you do is work,” she retorted. “Seriously, except for a few days here and there, you two never rest. You deserve some fun. A big party, no responsibilities. The galaxy won’t fall apart if you take some time off.”

“We do take time off,” Finn said. “We went to Yavin just three weeks ago …”

“For one day.”

“And there was Pava’s birthday party last month …”

“You guys were there for two hours before Poe got a comm and you disappeared.”

“We’re the Generals. We’re the ones in charge. We have to be responsible.”

“You aren’t responsible for everyone and everything, Finn.”

“Tell Poe that.” He didn’t mean to let that slip out; one of the things he loved most about Poe was his dedication to the Resistance, that steadfast devotion to his ideals, to what was right. But sometimes, he thought Poe was trying too hard to fill Leia’s shoes.

“Look, Rose, forget I said that. Just … just let us do this our way, okay?”

“Okay, but if you change your mind ….”

“I promise, if we change our minds, you’ll be the first one to know.”

***************************

“Maybe we should just elope,” Finn said one night after dinner.

Poe put aside his data pad. “What now?” He knew Finn was getting exasperated by all the attention, but secretly, Poe thought it was kind of nice. After being on the run for so long, worrying about whether they’d even be alive the next day, everyone was enjoying having something positive to plan for. It was making people happy and after years of oppression under the First Order, they deserved a little happiness.

“Nothing in particular,” Finn admitted. “I’m just tired of everyone making such a big deal out of this.”

Poe pretended to be upset. “Gee, thanks.”

Finn practically fell over himself apologizing. “Oh, no, babe, I didn’t mean it like that. I mean, this is a big deal, but for us, not for everyone else.”

Poe laughed and slipped his arms around Finn. “I know what you meant,” he said softly. “And you’re right, this is a big deal. Which is why I came up with another of my brilliant ideas.”

Finn shook his head, but he already had one hand entwined in Poe’s hair and Poe knew he would agree to whatever wild scheme he’d come up with this time. “Should I be worried?”

“Nah, I think you’re actually going to like this one,” Poe replied with a smirk, which Finn promptly kissed off his face. It was quite a while before they continued their conversation, and when they did, Finn had to agree that this time, Poe was on to something.

********************************

Rey quietly stocked the hold of the Millenium Falcon with the supplies they would need. She’d had to let Chewie in on the secret but the Wookiee was a hopeless romantic, so he’d willingly agreed to help. The only other being in on the plan was BB-8, and Rey tried to keep the droid on board the Falcon as much as possible so it wouldn’t let anything slip to the other astromech droids. If even one member of Black Squadron caught wind of Poe’s “brilliant idea” the loth-cat would be out of the bag.

Finally, everything was set. A select few people had been summoned to Yavin 4 for various reasons over the past week, and Rey had gotten a comm from Poe’s father, Kes, letting her know that he was ready for them. Chewie prepped the Falcon for launch, while Rey surreptitiously snagged Finn from a briefing that had been going on far too long.

“General, can I speak to you for a moment?” She had an old Jedi scroll in her hand, which was usually enough to make everyone else suddenly find something else to do. Finn was the only one who had the inclination and patience to sit down with her and tease out the meanings of the ancient writings.

“Of course, Rey. Excuse me, everyone.”

As the door closed behind them, he whispered, “Is it a go?”

“Yep. Just got the comm from Kes. Chewie sent BB-8 to fetch Poe.”

They walked slowly toward the landing pad where the Falcon rested. No one should suspect anything, since Rey practically lived on board. Once they were inside the ship, Chewie sent a message to BB-8, and a few minutes later, Poe and the droid came up the ramp. Less than thirty minutes after Rey received the comm from Kes Dameron, they were in the air and on their way.

“Nervous?” Rey asked as the two men settled in at the holographic chess table. Chewie growled the same question from the cockpit.

“No,” said Poe.

“A little,” said Finn, simultaneously. They laughed.

“Well, maybe a little,” Poe admitted, reaching out to take Finn’s hand. He looked a little giddy; Finn looked a little sick. Rey slid into the bench and put her arm around Finn’s shoulders.

“It’s going to be fine,” she told him. “Kes will make sure everyone is there; all we need to do is show up.”

To allay any suspicions, she had been the one communicating with Kes to make all the preparations. Since she didn’t have an official rank within the Resistance, and was able to disappear for any length of time under the guise of “Jedi business,” it was easier for her to get away with it. She’d become quite fond of Poe’s father as they conspired together to pull off the perfect wedding, especially the amazing meals he prepared every time she snuck off to Yavin 4.

When they got closer to Yavin, Chewie warned them that they needed to change clothes. Rey slipped into the dress she’d smuggled aboard a few days ago. It was not her usual style, being rather flowy and definitely not something that was conducive to combat. The dark blue color matched the suits Poe and Finn would be wearing; they’d agreed that since it was going to be a small wedding, the wedding party should be small as well. Just her and Chewie, with BB-8 acting as ring bearer (since the droid had insisted it should have a part in the proceedings).

They landed on the field that Kes had just happened to have cleared three days ago, and walked into the strip of forest that lay between it and the house. A few minutes later, they stepped into the clearing around the Force Tree, which was shimmering in the evening gloom. The pathway that led up to the house was lined with softly glowing solar lanterns that hung from the branches of the trees and shrubs. Rey pinged Kes’ comm to alert him to their arrival.

****************

Kes felt the comm link ping in his pocket. Show time. He nodded to Mariana Djarin, who quietly started to round up her family. She, her husband, and their oldest son had come to Yavin 4 about three months ago; the rest of the family just happened to be visiting right now and they had stopped by Kes’ place for a visit on the very same day Black Squadron was there to talk to him about his son’s upcoming wedding. Quite a coincidence.

“Ah, shit,” Kess said as he passed by Jessica Pava.

“What?” She asked.

He shook his head. “The neighbor’s livestock must have got out again. I put a proximity alarm near the Force Tree because they were down there trying to eat it last month. He said he fixed the fence, but they must’ve broken through. I’ve got to go check.”

“Need help?”

“Sure. If it’s just one or two I can handle it, but if it’s the whole herd …”

“Hear that, Black Squadron? We’ve got a mission!” Pava laughed.

Just then there was a knock at the front door. Kes grumbled, “Now who could that be?” even though he knew full well it was Rose Tico, who had been sent to Yavin 4 three days ago and had just gotten an urgent message from Poe to check on his dad, who wasn’t answering his comms.

Kes opened the door, ushered her in, and assured her he was fine, he’d dropped his comm in a puddle the other day and it was sporadically cutting out on him. Tico didn’t look convinced, but she played along. She suspects, he thought.

But for now, he rounded up Black Squadron, with Rose in tow, and they headed out to check on the Force Tree. No one remarked on the disappearance of the Djarin family, who frankly had been keeping to themselves once they realized they’d crashed Black Squadron’s visit. Kes led the way down the path, but as soon as they reached the lanterns, he felt Pava grab his arm.

“You set us up, Dameron,” she said.

Kes laughed. “Yes. You didn’t want to let them do this their way, so we had to resort to subterfuge.” He turned to them all and said, “My boys want you here with them, on this very special occasion, but they didn’t want the circus you were turning it into. So …”

He stepped off the path into the clearing, letting them see the group already gathered under the shelter of the Force Tree. The Djarin’s off to one side, a few close neighbors on the other, and in the center, Poe, Finn, Rey, Chewbacca and BB-8, looking quite pleased and rather embarrassed all at the same time.

*******************

Rey stood beside Chewie, who was already sniffling into a Wookie-sized handkerchief, as Poe and Finn stood in front of the assembled guests. She could feel the warm embrace of the Force envelop them all. She also felt the ethereal embrace of Ben’s arms around her, as he stood behind her, and the strong presence of Leia as she watched from across the clearing, a smile on her face and a tear in her eye.

“They look so happy,” Ben breathed in her ear. She knew no one else could see him, so she couldn’t do much more than lean back into him a bit, but it was enough.

Poe turned to the guests and said, “Thank you all for being here. And sorry if we had to trick you into being here, but quite honestly, some of you didn’t give us much choice. I’m looking at you, Black Squadron.” He smirked at his team, who despite all their meddling, really did want to see their leader happy. After the laughter died down, he turned to Finn and took both of his hands in his.

“Finn. Oh, Finn. The first time I saw you, I thought you were going to kill me, and at the time, I was ready to die. I’d accepted my fate, but fate had other plans for me. For us. Because the moment you took off that stormtrooper helmet and I saw your face, I .. I knew my life was about to go somewhere very special.”

Rey reached out and took Chewie’s hand.

“When I found you again on Tadokana … wearing my jacket, and looking a hell of a lot better in it than I ever did,” he winked, “I knew. When they brought you back from Starkiller Base half-dead … I knew. When you almost got yourself killed on Crait disobeying my direct order … I knew. I knew my life would not be complete without you in it.”

Chewie handed Rey his extra handkerchief, which she accepted gladly. Ben’s arms tightened around her.

“Poe,” Finn said. “The moment I saw you, something told me you were my chance. My chance not only to escape the First Order, but my chance at happiness. You gave me my name. Before you, I was just a number, a cog in the machinery, but you made me a person. You gave me everything I’d ever wanted, and things I didn’t even know existed. It started with a name, and a jacket,” everyone laughed, “and it went on from there. And even though I didn’t have anything to give in return, except my loyalty and my heart, I gave them gladly. Because without you, I’m nothing.”

Chewie let out a gentle roar and blew his nose.

BB-8 rolled forward, holding out the rings on one of its servo arms.

“Thanks, buddy,” Poe said, patting the droid on the head. He slid one ring onto Finn’s hand, then held out his own hand. Finn slipped the other ring onto Poe’s finger, then grabbed his face and pulled him into a tender kiss.

Now it was Rey’s turn to blow her nose. Even Ben was sniffling a bit and she jabbed him with her elbow, which made him chuckle.

Kes stepped forward then and said, “Well, I think it’s official. I have two sons now!”

Everyone cheered and the Force Tree shivered, releasing a shower of delicate leaves and petals over them. Poe and Finn didn’t even notice, so lost were they in each other’s eyes.

****************************

“He’s here, isn’t he?” Poe asked Finn a while later, nodding toward Rey, who stood a the edge of the group.

“Yeah,” Finn said. “I can’t see him very clearly; probably couldn’t see him at all if we weren’t under the Tree, but he’s with her.” He squeezed Poe’s hand. “You okay?”

“Yeah,” Poe said. “I am. I’m glad she’s not alone.” He slid his hand around the back of Finn’s neck. “Never thought I’d be happy to have Kylo Ren at my wedding, but hey, it’s a whole new galaxy now, isn’t it, General Dameron?”

“Damn right, General Dameron,” Finn said before he kissed his husband. As their lips parted, he whispered, “Leia’s here, too. I can see her very clearly, and she looks … beautiful.”

Poe sighed. “I’m glad she’s here, but I wish … I wish my mom was here.”

“She is,” Finn said, pulling the necklace out from under his shirt. “She’s always with us.” They held Shara’s ring together, their fingers entwined.

“Come on,” Poe said suddenly, grabbing Finn’s other hand and ducking behind the Force Tree.

“What … where are we going?” Finn would gladly follow wherever Poe led, but should they really be abandoning their guests so soon?

“Just come on.” They plunged into the trees, then through a field of half-grown crops. Poe was making a beeline for something, and after about a half mile, Finn started to suspect what it was.

They reached a low hill on the outskirts of the settlement, surrounded by a stone wall. Poe didn’t even bother going to the gate; he hopped the wall and Finn went after him. They stopped in front of a grave with a modest marker that read simply: Shara Bey, beloved wife and mother.

“Hey, Ma,” Poe said. “I want you to meet someone. This is my husband, Finn. I gave him your ring because … because …”

Finn wrapped his arms around him. “You can do this, babe,” he whispered.

Poe nodded and cleared his throat. “I gave him your ring because I finally found someone who means as much to me as you and Dad do. You told me I’d know when the right person came along.” He laughed. “Not the right girl, the right person. It’s like you knew Finn would be out there waiting for me.”

“Shara,” Finn said. “I never got the chance to meet you, but I feel like I know you, because I can feel your love for Poe every time I touch your ring … our ring. And I see you in his eyes, that passion for the stars that lights him up like a supernova. I wish I’d had the chance to meet you, but even so, I’m very proud to be your son-in-law, and to call you my mother. I … I don’t remember my own parents, so you and Kes are all I’ve got in that department.”

Now it was Poe’s turn to comfort him. “That was fucking beautiful,” he whispered in Finn’s ear. “You should write poetry if this whole General of the Resistance thing doesn’t work out.”

“And what are you going to do, if the whole General of the Resistance thing doesn’t work out?”

“Be your muse, of course. Every great poet has to have something beautiful to inspire them.” The tender moment had passed, and Poe was back to his sarcastic self. Finn laughed.

“Did I ever tell you I love how modest you are?”

“Why should I be modest? I’m the best pilot in the galaxy, handpicked by Leia Organa herself to lead the Resistance … and I have the best, bravest, handsomest, sexiest Jedi husband in the entire universe. I’ve got it all, babe.”

“Rey was right.”

“About what?”

“You do have an ego the size of a small nebula.” He kissed Poe’s nose. “And I wouldn’t have it any other way.”

************************

By the time they got back to the Force Tree, the party was in full swing. Rey and Mirdala Djarin were trying to get Ad’ika down from the Force Tree, where he sat on a low hanging limb, laughing at everyone. Rose had rigged up some speakers to a data pad, so there was music playing, and Kes had laid out some food as well as a good selection of beverages.

“Where’d you two disappear to?” Rose demanded. “Kes won’t let us break into the booze until he gets to do a toast.”

“Sorry,” Finn said. “We had something we needed to do.”

Suralinda and Jessica almost fell over with laughter. “I’ll just bet you did,” Jessica said, winking.

Poe just rolled his eyes. “Get your minds out of the gutter, ladies,” he said, as he grabbed Finn’s ass. This prompted a surprised yelp from Finn and more gales of laughter from the women.

The rest of the evening flew by in a blur of food, dancing, and alcohol. Kes made sure everyone had enough to eat. The kids fell asleep amidst piles of leaves from the Tree. Poe stumbled across Din and Mariana Djarin making out in the shrubbery, much to the delight of Chewbacca, who then launched into the story of the time he’d babysat Ad’ika so they could have some “grown-up time.”

By the time the sun came up, the food was gone, the bottles were empty, and the battery on the data pad had run down. Kes herded everyone up to the house, where they fell asleep wherever they could. One by one, as people woke (or sobered) up, they drifted off until only the three Dameron men were left in the house.

“We’ll clean up, Dad,” Poe said. “You just relax.”

“No, you guys are technically on your honeymoon,” Kes said. “You shouldn’t have to do anything.”

Finn shook his head and pushed his father-in-law back into his chair. “Nope. You’ve done enough, Kes. We’ve got this.”

Kes allowed himself to be talked into it. “Okay,” he said, “but only if you promise to start calling me Dad, too.”

“Got it, Dad,” Finn replied. As Kes dozed off in his armchair, the two Generals of the Resistance swept and mopped and washed dishes and aired out all the spare blankets that had ended up strewn all over the house. By evening, the house was back in order and Kes was in the kitchen whipping up something for supper.

Finn and Poe settled on the bench on the back porch to watch the sun go down. “So, how do you like married life so far?” Poe murmured in Finn’s ear.

“Not much different from being a General, actually,” Finn said. “I think I’m pretty good at it.” He wrapped his arms around Poe, kissing the top of his head.

“You are the best husband I’ve ever had,” Poe agreed.

“I’m the only husband you’ve ever had,” Finn pointed out. “But I’ll take it.”

They snuggled on the bench until Kes poked his head out the door. “Supper’s ready,”

“Be right there, Dad,” Finn said. He poked Poe in the side. “Come on, get off me, it’s time to eat.”

“You’re bossy,” Poe complained. “Why did I marry you, again?”

“I’ll remind you tonight,” Finn said. Poe actually blushed, which made Finn laugh. “Now let’s eat.” He shoved Poe off his lap and stood up. He held out his hand, and Poe took it, just like he had the first day they met, and would for the rest of their lives.

#star wars #star wars sequel trilogy #poe dameron #finn star wars #finnpoe #poe x finn #stormpilot

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wonderfulworldofmichaelford · 1 year

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Is It Really That Bad?

There are very few bad movies quite as legendary as this one. I’ve been sitting on this one for a while, because boy did I need some time to process what I saw. And what better day to finally drop this review than on May the 4th, 2023, a year where good Star Wars content is few and far between.

Still, even with how bad the franchise can get these days, we need to be grateful it even survived this special to get to the point where there were any good films at all. Something as negatively received as this was, to the point that it has never aired again after its initial broadcast and only exists via bootlegs, is the sort of thing that completely tanks a franchise that was just getting off the ground. All they had to go off of was A New Hope back then; Empire Strikes Back was still a ways off, so literally all there was was the original film and this.

Nobody involved with the franchise has ever had anything nice to say about it. George Lucas has stressed his lack of involvement, Carrie Fisher said she had a special copy to put on to make guests leave parties, Mark Hamill has said he’s never sat through the whole thing, Harrison Ford has said he has never seen it, and Anthony Daniels called it a turd in his autobiography. The official website even has little kind things to say about it, with the only praise being for the Boba Fett animated segment (which pretty much everyone agrees is the highlight of the thing). And outside people who have worked on the franchise, you’d be hard pressed to find anyone willing to defend this film. Internet critics like Doug Walker and JonTron have all gone for this film’s throat at one point or another, and even in nerdier circles the special is basically the butt of all sorts of jokes. It’s the one thing everyone can agree on when it comes to Star Wars, or so it seems anyway.

But really, looking back on this little holiday special, is it honestly so bad? Is this the television special equivalent of Order 66, or is there enough of the Star Wars magic to keep this from being utterly unwatchable?

THE GOOD

Yes, there is some good stuff here.

First off, there are the concepts the worldbuilding here has to offer. This was still when Star Wars was in its infancy as a franchise, so there was a lot more wiggle room, and so we get some really interesting concepts. The existence of a holiday like Life Day is pretty cool, and Chewie having a family he’s out fighting for gives his character a lot more depth (even if the characters themselves aren’t the most amazing thing ever). The Imperial occupation of Kashyyyk is touched upon slightly, and though not in an intelligent way it still gives a little bit of insight. Plus, as stupid as most of the diversions are, it’s kind of interesting to see the sort of media the residents of the galaxy far, far away like to watch.

This special also marks one of the earliest efforts of Stan Winston of all people, but I guess everyone has to start somewhere. The music isn’t the worst thing either, with a solid Jefferson Starship number and a fun little tune sung by Bea Arthur being the most notable, though at the very end you get to see a coked-out-of-her-mind Carrie Fisher singing a song along to the Star Wars theme music.

Then we have the animated segment, which is actually, genuinely good. I know, it’s shocking, but how can it not be when it introduced the world to everyone’s favorite jobber, Boba Fett? Here he rides a big dinosaur and also backstabs the heroes after seeming like a helpful guy, so he’s quite a bit cooler than he usually is outside of that one awesome fight scene in The Mandalorian.

Oh, there’s also a funny Stormtrooper who trips, falls over a railing, and dies. Complete with a Wilhelm Scream! You can always count on random mooks in Star Wars to be far more entertaining than anyone else.

THE BAD

Nerds can argue all day about whether Jar Jar or Rose Tico are the worst characters in Star Wars, but they’ll be wrong, because Chewie’s father Itchy is literally the worst of them all. Sure, his yeti-like design is kind of cool, but the dude watches softcore VR porn in the middle of the living room. That alone makes him more repulsive than even someone like Watto. There’s a fucking kid around, dude!

Then there’s Chef Gormaanda, the star chef of a cooking show Chewie’s wife watches. Gormaanda is entirely insufferable, and what’s more, is played by a man in drag looking like what appears to be blackface. It’s pretty clear, too, that the “it’s a man dressed like a woman!” is the sole joke of this segment, which doesn’t exactly endear it or the character to me.

And… Look. I get it. Early on in franchises, before you really establish what you’re going for, I think it’s fine to play around and see what ideas work and what don’t. Freddy’s Revenge is a great movie even if it’s an oddball in the series because it went in a different direction than the first film, for instance; it manages to feel fresher and more interesting than a lot of the later films. But the thing with that movie is that it doesn’t feel tonally out of place in the franchise. Sure it’s a lot more homoerotic than later films, but it’s still a supernatural slasher movie.

This, though? This is a goofy 70s variety show following up an epic science-fantasy space opera. I get wanting to try new things and experiment, but some weird ass space variety show is not exactly what I’d want to see Luke, Han, Leia, and the rest have to endure after watching the pulpy space opera goodness of A New Hope. Obviously this wasn’t meant to be an actual, canonical continuation of the story, but it boggles the mind why this is the first thing they’d try and jump into immediately after the first film. The franchise is lucky it even exists the way it does after this, because a lesser franchise just would not be able to recover from something like this, a special that just veers into completely baffling territory for no good reason.

IS IT REALLY THAT BAD?

This special is definitely bad, but I think time has been far kinder to it than most movies.

Like this is undeniably stupid, it is an absurd idea to try and do a variety show in the Star Wars universe, and even back in a time before it became a supermassive franchise this should still have been regarded as a very poor decision. And yet, it happened, and there’s a sort of quaint, cozy 70s insanity to it that is undeniably charming. Maybe it’s boring, maybe it’s weird, maybe it’s horrendously stupid, but the fact it happened at all is just so genuinely funny it’s hard to muster genuine hatred for it.

And with how bad some of the later Star Wars films got, it’s easy to look at this and at least cut it a tiny bit of slack. Sure, it’s not good, but at least it is genuinely something unique and different and not trying to pass off bad writing as “subverting expectations” like The Last Jedi did. And it is honestly, genuinely a better film than The Rise of Skywalker. I’m dead serious. As stupid and terrible as this special is, there was more heart, soul, effort, care, and interesting ideas put into it than the big budget supposed grand finale of a franchise that has made more money than I can even imagine. It really says more about how bad The Rise of Skywalker is than anything, but this special needs to take its wins where it can get them.

There’s not really any way to fault someone for hating this, because it’s not good by any means, but there’s something fascinating about it that makes me unable to muster much hate for it despite it putting me to sleep a couple times. It’s a cultural milestone, a signifier of how big Star Wars was even way back in its earliest years, and its one of the most amusing jokes in any franchise ever. To this day it’s still the punchline of jokes and even manages to influence canon, with Life Day, Bea Arthur’s character, and Chewie’s family (sans Itchy, thank god) making the jump into the main continuity in spinoff media, with Life Day getting a notable name drop in The Mandalorian.

Frankly, its score on IMDB is perfect. It’s a bad special for sure, no argument there. But I’d still argue it is an important movie, an interesting movie, and a culturally significant movie. It’s “so bad it’s good” at its baddest and goodest, and it’s worth checking out just to see how far Star Wars has come.

Now my biggest hope is for the next film to have Poe come out and say “Somehow, Itchy has returned.” Let Itchy be the next big villain, Disney. No man who watches VR porn when his grandkid could wander by at any moment is a good guy.

#Is it really that bad #IIRTB #review #movie review #Star Wars #Star Wars Holiday Special

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enkisstories · 7 months

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Alone in the lab, Ben’s anger slowly abates. This is a somewhat new experience for the one, who is Kylo Ren no longer. Back in his days of courting the Dark Side, he’d demolished the botany lab and with that probably sabotaged the mission for good. But now Ben takes a step back to reflect on what has led to him being angry.

What if the others are right? What if there are still traces of Palpatine's influence in my mind, steering my actions and very thoughts towards things I wouldn’t do or think without those remnants?

Echos of a voice that got stilled. Faint imprints on... what was Hux calling it again? Blotting paper, was it?

The dark side could be more suble than calling Hey, kid, here's power, want some?.

Be still, voices! Make room for better things!

Be gone, dark notions! Let this mind be filled with meaningful ideas!

It is said to be careful what to ask for. Ben's ability to modify the world around him through the force may be diminished, but it hasn't left him. And his new kyber crystal comes from Batuu, from the same batch Koi Squad had gotten theirs. They are linked and through that link now snippets of memories that their owners maybe already have forgotten flood Ben:

The boy? You can’t have him! - No, I meant that he isn’t mine. I’m only his nanny. - Please don’t take him! I’ll get in trouble! I... Please!

Hux? No, I’ve seen those waves before, that’s Mua Pel’am... Must be Finn’s memory, then.

You better be nice to me! My grandfather is an evil, evil man, who will do evil, evil things to you, if you are mean to me!

Rey, no doubt. What a prissy little princess she had been!

Dad! Dad! I painted us going fishing together! Here's you and here's me and here's General Rax, how he's slicing open a real big fish!

You DREW that, not PAINTED. At least keep the terms straight, if you can't do it right!

Uh, no way I will look at a childhood drawing of Hux'. Next, please.

One day a prince will come, I just know it! And he will fall into quicksand and I will rescue him and we will live together happily ever after.

Rey again, this time much sadder. What's wrong with me that I cannot even fall into quicksand at the right time and place?

Woosh! Woosh! I’m Lord Vader and will sweep you rebel scum from the earth!

Haha, rein in your fathiers, Eight-Seven! There is no need to pretend to be someone else. You already are a soldier of the First Order! That is something to be proud of.

Young Finn again. Getting scolded for pretend play, one of the most natural things children do. It’s sickening.

Have you ever played, uh, Blind Sabacc?

Dameron. As a teen. At least I hope he's already a teen, that little pervert.

The little girl steps up to the gallows. Of the people gathered in two rows left and right, some scowl, but many smile.

Little Tico? About to get hanged? But I know she grew up, so she will get pardoned any moment! She will...

The little girl reaches out and confidently pulls a metal ball hanging from the gallow back. Then she releases it - and under the gallow, eight out of nine pins fall.

Phew. It's just an old fashioned game of skill! And I already feared the worst.

Bip-bip bip-bip beep-beep!

You got the rhythm down pat, little buddy, but to really sing, you'll also need to change the pitch. Like this: All my little duck-lings!

Dameron again, but this memory feels different, as if belonging to someone else. And I see him from about seventy centimeters above the ground. Am I watching a memory of BB-8's? Wait, what, does that mean the little scoundrel pocketed a kyber crystal from the cave? I wonder what color it is...

I’m happy to announce that I decided on parents for Finn and that they are not from the Star Wars canon.

#ben solo #kylo ren #armitage hux #rose tico #finn fn 2187 #poe dameron #bb-8 #sims4journeytobatuu #star wars #batuu #simblr #battleforbatuu6 #newstarwarssims

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stitchlingbelle · 7 months

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Episode 2

And we’re back! Rereading what I just typed out, I found this episode kind of frustrating. It's good, but all these plotlines could be So. Much. Better. if they just cared about making this a good show and gave it the time it needed to be one.

Ah, Halsey my beloathed. Since last we saw her apparently making her escape clean, she… apparently got captured by some mysterious person? Who? Why? What planet is she on? How was she captured? Did Keyes sell her out? She’s certainly being well-treated. All last season’s stuff didn’t teach her anything, as most of what we see is her manipulating a girl to try and get answers, causing her to promptly drop dead. Conclusion: Halsey may suck, but so do the people holding her.

Meanwhile, Riz is doing training stuff, and clearly suffering. Kai checks in with her, obviously concerned, and pushes her to work on healing. Riz blows her off. Kai, oddly to me, suggests Riz put the emotional-suppression pellet back in if she needs to deal with the pain. Riz flatly refuses: “You’ll have to put a bullet in me first.” (Same, girl.) There’s a lot going on here—Riz’s feelings towards what was done to them, why she chose to remove the pellet and who she is now that it's gone, her near-death and the struggle to rebuild herself… the team’s relationships now that they’re unprogrammed and developing personalities…

(Again, we are missing SO MUCH by rushing in this show. Fuck catering to all the old hands who bitch about every episode that isn’t 95% shoot-em-up fight scenes. Go replay the games on God mode or w/e if that’s all you care about. What’s the point of making this show at all if not to tell the parts of the stories you can’t in the game medium?!)

Speaking of Kai, John tells her that Ackerson doesn’t trust him. He also drops his… vision? Memory? Of Makee on Sanctuary. Kai: “She’s dead. I shot her myself.” Uhhhh, maybe don’t remind him of that? (I honestly thought they were going to open this season with John and Kai estranged over that, actually. My sweet baby Kai loves people, but she doesn’t yet have the ability to be wise or tactful for them…) John’s obsessively checking up on Cobalt Team, and they’re MIA (or something). I pity the poor sign kid just trying to update the board with no actual info. Bring it down, Chief.

Back on Rubble with Kwan, and things are tense. Some shifty guy goes after her—why? Because she's a known associate of Soren’s? Wait, why is she tagged?? Ripping it out looked painful. Daaaamn, apparently Soren found time to teach her some moves, she’s a badass now. I was afraid they’d go the Rose Tico route and just write her out since she was unpopular, but I guess they decided to level her up instead. We’ll see if that shuts the haters up. “Ruby Ann bought Soren’s crew, he’s not coming back”—ah, so the tag was Soren’s way of protecting her? Aaaaand Kwan spaces a guy and kills the other by stabbing him with the tag. I’m still left with a lot of questions—how come Laera didn’t inherit/ take over the crew? Did she authorize the sale to Ruby Ann? Where are she and Kessler, and are they all right?

Riz is back to working out, pushing herself too hard. She has a spotter/ trainer who’s an absolute sweetie. He’s pushing her to think about her future—what options do Spartans even have, if they don’t go rogue like Soren? And what’s the trainer’s (Louis?) story?

Another scene with John going up against Ackerson, and seriously, the hell with that guy, ugh. He claims no one can back up John’s story about Sanctuary (do these suits of armor seriously not have bodycams? After all the surveillance tech on their ships that we saw in season 1?) Ugh, I had worried about Perez not backing John up. Does she have a concussion/ brain injury? Or is she being leaned on?

Kwan and Kessler have a moment where Kwan smashes Kessler’s faith that his dad is coming back. Laera has a tense moment with the ranking remaining members of Soren’s crew. They’re stalling on the ship repairs for some reason. I think they’ll end up regretting that they underestimated Laera.

We go back to Riz, apparently doing some sort of terrain/ environment training? Yep, and Master Chief nails her. The team banters a bit. Kai is worried, but Master Chief sends Riz up again. It’s a very grim scene as Riz struggles and eventually goes down. She’s not ok. John keeps pushing and pushing. He wants to go after Cobalt Team. Kai is getting more concerned about not just Riz, but John—you can feel how out-of-true the team is right now. Riz taps out.

Another day with Halsey, another (clone?) girl (Julia?) serving her tea and dropping dead during questioning. I suppose if they’re flash clones it would explain why Halsey’s so willing to treat them like they’re disposable to get the info she wants—to her mind, that’s what flash clones are. Poor girls.

We get a rapid series of bits: Riz and Louis talking as they wait—at a doctor’s? A church? Something Riz hopes will help her, somehow. Ackerson trying to manipulate Kai, whose loyalty to John keeps her from falling for it, but her naiveté means she still says a few things I think he’ll use. Damn. Don’t give him anything, Kai! John shows up at Perez’s place and would have lost that bet if her Abuela hadn’t stepped in. Good life advice, John: no one crosses Abuela. Any abuela. Abuela always wins.

(Sidenote: I notice we’re getting a lot more glimpses of civilian life here—Louis, Perez’s family… I can only assume they’re setting us up to ugly cry watching all these people die horribly.)

Back to Riz, who’s meeting with ??? What? A freakin’ psychic? What is going on here? (I keep forgetting this mystical stuff is a part of this universe…)

John’s dinner with Perez’s family is just as awkward as you’d expect. Abuela and Mamá are the MVPs for trying to keep the boys under wraps here. LOL forever at the gamer quizzing Master Chief John-117 with “C’mon, man, you don’t play Spartan Attack?” Babe, he plays all of them. I’m dying, Perez is having a heart attack, where’s Kai’s charisma when you need it. Aaaand then they figure it out, gracias a Dios for Mamá keeping them from losing their minds. Perez eventually loses it and leaves, and John gets to question her at last: she didn’t tell Ackerson because of the trauma and uncertainty. Master Chief’s pep talk could use some work, even if somewhat accurate.

Back to Halsey and OMG, WTF the person holding her is ACKERSON??? (Don’t you people DARE try to rehabilitate Halsey with me by contrasting her with Ackerson. I promise, I can and will hate them both.) Where are they? Does anyone know he’s holding her here? I assume she’s still on Reach, and never made it off-planet? How did he catch her? She tells Ackerson a story about a pomegranate tree that she’s never told anyone, saying he must have Cortana since he knows about it. So Cortana does have all Halsey’s memories after all??? (Up to the point of the flash clone’s creation, anyway.) (There’s a MILLION implications to unpack here.) (Also, on a personal level, the story about Halsey rebelling against the garden/ pomegranate tree made me unbearably smug. I just KNEW when I wrote that fic that Halsey hated working under other people.) Also, where IS Cortana? Ah, so it turns out Halsey’s in some sort of holodeck prison thing. Hopefully that means all these Julias aren’t real and haven’t been dying after all.

Ah, here’s Cortana! Stuck in a Faraday cage. I don’t love her new look. Whatever project he had her working on, he was NOT pleased to hear the results: 97% chance of failure/ disaster/ etc. Cortana presses him on the truth that he won’t be coming back to see her again, and he agrees. (Apparently he’s not planning on bringing her along? IS this man a complete idiot?) As usual, the show gives us the bones (here’s where Cortana is) but no meat: how much does Cortana remember? Does she miss John (or anything else?) Does she know what’s going on now? Is she actively trying to escape? What does she want?

I assume the doom and gloom are about the famous Fall of Reach, which I have heard of, and I wonder how this plays with a completely unspoiled audience. How coherent is this without it? It seems to me that the show is relying on the audience’s foreknowledge both to make sense of some of this, and to do the work of building the appropriate level of dread for them.

Back in Spartan-land, John figures out that Cobalt Team never left Reach, and Silver Team goes after them. Kai presses him on the authorization and the nature of the mission. John lies about the first, but answers the second: “The Covenant’s on Reach.” It’s a great WHAM LINE.

Finally, we see how right he is: Marines fighting monsters in the dark, the glowing blade weapons going on and off to great effect. At last, we see Makee! Our toxic girl is back! And I love her outfit—anyway, Makee is back and stealing the artifact, again. (Where was it being held that no one is noticing this? Clearly not on the main base anymore.) She’s also bossing aliens around, which tells me she didn’t suffer too many consequences for deciding to flatten the whole plateau to save John at the end of last season. (This ties in to some thoughts I have about how everyone views those events, which I’ll save for next episode.)

I’ll end with this note: the alien Makee addresses pushes back slightly with the comment that “there is no honor in this fight” against the marines. It’s the first I’ve seen any such sentiments from the Covenant. Why the concern now? Is it the stealth nature of the mission? The theft without an honest battle? I seriously doubt it has anything to do with unfair advantages or killing weaker combatants/ the innocent. I mean, these people destroy whole planets. Maybe they’ll take some time to start developing the Covenant’s (various) cultures.

Or, you know, that would be a great thing to do in a show that had the time to be a fully fleshed-out story… instead of what it feels like this season: a new high-res montage of cut scenes and fight playthroughs. I guess they got tired of people watching the real thing on Youtube.

#halo tv show

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undying-lilies · 8 months

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This might be a weird thing to ask, but will you tell me about some of your favorite non-canon OTPs (as mentioned on your Valentine's Day post), and your headcanons about them?

girl that's not weird at all!! I would be THRILLED to share them :D

one thing about my non-canon OTPs is that they are so non-canon, in fact, that it's impossible for them to ever BE canon. I mean they both involve a character that literally has one scene and little to no lines. neither of these couples have ever even met on-screen and they probably never will, but is that gonna stop me? absolutely not

first off, let me introduce you to the gloriousness that is Jacen Syndulla and Paige Tico

(Paige Tico is Rose Tico's sister from The Last Jedi who sacrificed herself by blowing up her ship for the rebellion, but we're going to ignore that last bit for ultimate fluff purposes and also because on this blog we ignore every character death ever)

their ship name is Paicen

they meet in a marketplace on Lothal

Paige and Rose are looking for an important ship part because their ship broke down, but it's hard to find and they're getting frustrated. so the first time Jacen sees Paige is when she's yelling at someone for not having the part they need

and he thinks

that is the most beautiful woman I've ever seen in my life

so, in true Kanan fashion, he goes over to Paige and tells her very smoothly that he'd be very happy to fix up her ship for her because what a coincidence, he just so happens to be a mechanic! but Paige, oh boy Paige, she takes this the wrong way and starts yelling at HIM for being a hotshot pilot and she can do it herself, thank you very much, and if he doesn't know how to find a chip for a standard nav reader then he should GET LOST

and, also in true Kanan fashion, Jacen has two thoughts:

A) I think I'm in love with you

B) oh no I messed up

he apologizes for assuming that she needed help and Paige just stares because ... she wasn't expecting an apology. this guy is definitely not who she thought he was. they get on the same page, they laugh it off and introduce themselves and exchange contact information and eventually go on a date (which is very successful)

they're like the next-generation version of Kanera: just very lovey dovey and sweet and in love with each other

Jacen brings Paige flowers all the time (and roses for Rose because he's a gentleman)

a silly headcanon I have is that when Jacen turned 16 he turned into a "heartthrob" and suddenly ALL the girls were falling over themselves to get him to notice them ... he doesn't even have to do anything, he just walks into the room and they all swoon. the only girl who didn't swoon immediately was Paige 😌

when I was first obsessed with them like two years ago, way before the Ahsoka show aired, both Jacen and Paige had only one (1) canon scene and little-to-no lines. and I was like, well that clearly means they're soulmates. they're perfect for each other

now let me introduce you to my other favorite non-canon OTP: Crosshair and Bultar Swan

(Bultar Swan is canonically Plo Koon's padawan - yes he did have a padawan, you're welcome - and she's in the Battle of Geonosis in Attack of the Clones! and also she doesn't have much of a canon personality, so for the sake of ultimate fluff once again, we're going to say that she's similar to Luna Lovegood & spaces out a lot & is also very connected to the Force. just a very traditional Jedi)

THEIR ship name is Sniper Swan

Paicen was love at first sight? These two are a slowburn. A really, really, really slow slowburn

they first meet in the Clone Wars, but there's nothing particularly special about it. Bultar goes on a couple missions with the Bad Batch and they work well together. she and Crosshair make a good team in battle. it's all business-like and on friendly terms

Bultar is a very peaceful person - she doesn't use her lightsaber a lot, and she prefers to talk things through before resorting to extreme things like violence. she genuinely respects all the clones and thinks of them as people, just like her

Crosshair sees this, because he sees a lot of things with his enhanced vision, and he doesn't understand it. he tries to poke and prod at her to try and get her to crack, to snap back at him like other Jedi might, but she doesn't. she takes all of his cutting and snide remarks with patience and calmness and eventually he mirrors the patience back. he can ask her questions that normally others would start an argument with him over it, whereas she just gives him a realistic logical answer

they know each other for years before they even think about catching feelings for each other as a possibility

depending on the timeline - canon, No-Order-66 AU, Adoption Magnet even (👀) - they get together in different ways

but it usually goes something like this: after years of knowing each other, Crosshair starts catching feelings for her - and of course because it's Crosshair it takes him a long time to admit that, even just to himself - while Bultar is as oblivious as Adrien Agreste when it comes to Marinette. she has no clue until someone (either Wolffe or her own clone captain) tells her about it and warns her to stay away from Crosshair for her own good

poor Bultar who's been raised in the Jedi Temple her entire life has no idea what to do with this information - people are capable of falling in love with her? she's capable of falling in love? - so she has a bit of a mental crisis

she takes some time to think through everything, carefully process her thoughts and emotions and feelings - and when she has successfully done so, she's surprised to find that she ... does, actually, like Crosshair back

it still takes them a bit to get together but all things considering, it's MUCH much shorter than the other stages of their relationship XD

Crosshair keeps Bultar grounded in the moment and Bultar helps Crosshair be more comfortable with showing emotions and being vulnerable <3

man that got long XD technically I have one more I invented - Korkie Kenobi Kryze and Soniee, one of his classmates from that one Clone Wars arc - but I don't have nearly as many headcanons for those two lol. Hope you enjoyed getting to hear about my non-canon OTPs!! (I know I had a great time typing this all out hehe)

#thank ye for the ask!#paicen #sniper swan #star wars #jacen syndulla #paige tico #bad batch crosshair #bultar swan #oh i also hardcore ship foxiyo too #but that's actually like. popular in the fandom LOL

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ofcatnaps-moved · 2 years

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‘Ship Bias’ {curious about your top five!}

send 'ship bias' and i will tell you up to 5 of my preferred ships for a muse !!

elain archeron. - azriel. i know that it's a point of contention for the fandom, but i think az and elain choosing each other despite all odds is something i really love. they're passionate and they developed a tentative friendship even before she was turned fae, and i loved watching her fall in love with him. - lucien vanserra. he's her mate, he's trying to be good to her. they've got a long way to go to reach communication that works for them, but they can work. - eris vanserra. i'm not remotely sorry about this, and i blame @alicxnte almost entirely for this being one of my ships. i love them together, i love their passions. - dorian havilliard. think of how cute this is?? crackship gone wild, and i fucking love elain as queen of adarlan. - ruhn danaan. another crackship where she gets to explore that wildness and freedom that ruhn would offer her. daenerys targaryen. - robb stark. i just... always loved the king in the north with the queen in the east. it's one of those things that has just always resonated with me, and i wish they'd have gotten to meet and learn of one another. - jon snow. i prefer him to be a son of stark and not a targaryen, as i still believe aegon is young griff. so in those instances, i believe they would be a good match. - daario naharis. precious daario who loves her so dearly, who truly would keep picking flowers for her and loving her no matter what. - sansa stark. i love me some queen loving and they would have been an unstoppable duo. - margaery tyrell. like the above, i think dany and marg would have literally taken westeros completely by storm. it's beautiful. rey kenobi. - ben solo. i'm not ashamed of being a filthy reylo, and i have and always will have it as my primary ship for rey. i am especially fond of tlj reylo more than tfa/tros, but that's pretty typical. - finn. they're just *so cute together* and i love them to pieces. i am pretty convinced that finn leans gay but i think he and rey are just... so soft. - poe dameron. in the right circumstances, poe and rey are super cute. - jannah calrissian. i looooove jannah and rey is very gay for her. very gay. - rose tico. cute little engineer ladies being cute and engineery. bryce quinlan. - connor holstrom. i loved connor from the moment i met him and bryceconnor is one of the softest most precious things i ever experienced and i wanted more of them. SO MUCH MORE. - danika fendyr. they're the image of "friends to lovers" pipeline and it deserves more recognition for it. - aidas. the pretty pretty prince of hel has always been fascinated by bryce and she has been fascinated right back. - hunt athalar. mostly from hosab, bc in hoeab i'm still cross at him. she needs time. - tharion ketos. look at them!! look at them!! merboy was so cute and he sent her an otter! padmé amidala-naberrie. - sabé/tsabin. their closeness and care for one another is transcendent and i love them so deeply. i am especially fond of aus where padmé lives. but they have been through so much. - obi-wan kenobi. having them raise luke and leia together is one of the softest verses i have and i really love them. plus... obi was so pretty, how could she not? - dormé. they are so close to one another in their young adult years. she's so loyal.

#mimi ➳ ooc #mimi ➳ wishlist #( this was a lot xD )

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solcosteiro · 1 year

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Nosara - A Surfer's Dream

Nosara has something for everyone. This coastal town in Costa Rica truly embodies a surfer’s paradise. With consistent swell, beautiful yoga studios, and a variety of great restaurants, this location is hard to beat. Nosara has been a location I never skip over when traveling through Costa Rica. Having been there on three separate occasions now, I’ll share insights on my past experiences and recommendations when visiting this magical location.

ACCOMMODATIONS

Nosara has accommodation options for all kinds of travelers. From luxurious AirBnBs to social hostels, there are plenty of choices for any budget. If you want more privacy, definitely go the AirBnB route. If you’re more adventurous, I would highly recommend finding a hostel in the area. I have had nothing but great experiences bouncing around from hostel to hostel in Central America. During my most recent visit to Nosara, I stayed in a shared dorm room in the Selina hostel. This was such an amazing experience, and I would definitely recommend this option to any solo-travelers or small groups. The hostel was filled with communal areas that fostered social interactions. The crowd was younger, and Selina had interns that organized events for every night of the week. On your first night, they even have a free “welcome shot” where everyone that just showed up meets in the bar for a shot. It was a great way to break the ice and get introduced to a lot of the other travelers that would be staying there at the same time. All of the social events put on by the interns were a lot of fun. On weekends they would have extravagant parties with DJs that were open to the whole town. During the week, there were different activities like spanish lessons, karaoke, and my personal favorite.. Salsa lessons. Again, the entire community showed up to the hostel to dance salsa and share some beers with friends. They start the dancing early for the hostel guests and give some quick lessons and tips for learning to salsa. The locals then start showing up, and they definitely do not need any tips. There was no judgment though, and the locals were so friendly and willing to walk you through the steps. It was so amazing seeing how it brought the community together in an active way.

This hostel also had plenty to do during the day. There were two beautiful pools, relaxing deck areas, and a slackline that ended up being the pinnacle of the social interactions. Something about the mindless activity was very addicting. The slackline always drew a crowd so it was a great area to meet new people. Yoga and other fitness classes were also included in the hostel package. If you have the opportunity, attend as many of these as possible! They are normally early in the morning, and are really great for getting warmed up for a full day of surfing. The last thing you want to do on a surf trip is get a muscle injury on one of the first days. These classes were taught by local instructors who were very attentive, and made sure you were positioning yourself correctly. They were great for all levels - No need to be intimidated if it’s your first time taking a class.

The only downside to the Selina hostel was the proximity to the beach. If you want to walk, it is going to take 20-30 minutes down the side of a dirt road.. A small price to pay given how beautiful the hostel itself is. I will break out the packing list at the end, but highly recommend bringing comfortable shoes to walk in. If walking is not your thing, the front desk will happily call you a tuk-tuk, which is a small cart that will take you to and from the main downtown area for roughly $6. I used these more when we were in a rush heading to dinner or a bar at night. Because of the long commute to the downtown area, I got breakfast every morning at the Selina. This allowed me to operate slowly in the morning - The locals call this running on tico time. The Selina had free coffee in the lobby, fresh juice, and incredible coconut-based yogurt bowls with granola and fresh fruit. I was a little skeptical of hostel food at first, but the hostel had a fantastic restaurant inside of it. Selina often has promotions going on, so you could likely get the full package with breakfast included for cheaper if you book in advance. I spent roughly $25 a night with breakfast included. I stayed in a communal 8 bunk room. Because I was there during the wet season when there are less tourists, there were never more than 4 people in the room. The bathroom off of the room was also very nice, and soaps and shampoos were included. Make sure to bring your own towel though! You will make friends quickly, but they might not be willing to share a shower towel with you that early into the relationship.

SURF

Onto the surf! The main reason why people travel to Nosara. Surfing in Nosara is great for all skill levels. Most of the waves are beach breaks right on Playa Guiones, but the consistency is really what sets this location apart. Travelers can expect 3-4 foot waves nearly every day regardless of the season. The southern area of the beach provides softer waves, and is a little more protected from the swells coming in from the open ocean. This area is better for beginners. The central area of Playa Guiones is my personal favorite. The wave shape is really nice, and the waves form way off shore, allowing you to get crazy long rides. There are typically light off-shore winds in the morning, so if you can get yourself out of bed, I would recommend squeezing a session in before breakfast. It is also a great way to beat the crowd. This area is better for intermediate to experienced surfers, although beginners can catch some of the broken waves in the white water closer to shore. On the average day, you can choose between a longboard or a shortboard, and will be guaranteed to catch some waves. On the bigger days, shortboards were preferable. Since it's a beach break, the waves tended to close out quickly with bigger swells, so you needed the speed to work your way to the open sections. I did not really surf in the northern section of the beach, but it looked similar to the central area. The board rental places are closest to the center of the beach, so it was more a matter of not wanting to drag my board all the way over there - Got to save energy for paddling out! Overall, Playa Guiones is a great spot to improve your skills in a very short time regardless of the level that you surf at. The consistent waves make it so you will be getting a ton of rides during every session.

Board rentals are very affordable, and there are plenty of options. I try to avoid traveling with my boards given how the airlines treat them, so if I know I can rent quality equipment at a location, I will always opt for that option. Juan Surfo’s Surf Shop is where I have rented from the past few times that I journeyed to Nosara. During the off-season, it cost $65 to rent a board for the week. You can store your board at the shop overnight, and pick it up whenever you want to head out to surf. Additionally, if you want to try a different board, they allow you to swap boards as many times as you want. Another great benefit of renting from this place is that lockers are included. Especially when traveling solo, it can be unnerving to just leave your stuff unattended on the beach, so having a locker to store your valuables in is super nice! Other options for rentals were available, but Juan Surfo’s was right off of one of the beach access points, making it super easy to transport boards to and from the beach. The employees were also super laid back and friendly. You could tell that they are local experts, and were more than willing to give some tips on when to surf given the tides, as well as where to go. I believe they also had lessons. If it is your first time surfing, take a lesson! It will save you hours of frustration, because learning on your own is no easy task.

FOOD

To stay energized for the long surf days, you will need to fill up on the local cuisine. To start your day, Cafe de Paris is a must visit pastries. They are made fresh everyday, and have a great selection for everyone. The cafe itself was very pretty and had a ton of shaded seating, making it a quick and easy option to swing by before hitting the beach. I also made a point to stop at the local carts on the side of the street to pick up fresh fruit before surfing. The fruit was all local and super fresh! For some quick hydration, a lot of the vendors sell coconuts like the gentleman below.

For lunch, I repeatedly went with the local favorite - Rosi’s Soda Tica! They had numerous locations around Nosara, and had one of the best casados that I have had during my travels through Central America. A casado is a traditional plate of rice, black beans, plantains, vegetables, and a protein (or in my case, extra veggies and plantains!). Top the dish off with some vinegar dressing and hot sauce, and you will without a doubt be on cloud 9. Watch out for the food comas that follow though. Casados are also the best deal you will find for lunch. They typically go for about $6 USD, and are enough food to feed a small army!

For dinner, Nosara boasts a ton of amazing restaurants. The Beach Dog Cafe was my personal favorite. They had delicious Mediterranean food, great cocktails, and live music every night of the week. If you are able to go on Saturday, they typically have the same music group there every week. These guys were super talented. Even if you have already eaten, I would swing by to grab a beer and enjoy the show! The Beach Dog is comparable to a lot of the other dinner options from a pricing perspective, and is worth every dollar. The Beach Dog also has a lot of vegan and vegetarian options, so it is great for groups with dietary restrictions.

If you are looking for a view with dinner then you have to go to La Luna. Try and book a reservation ahead of time so that you will be eating dinner during the sunset - This place fills up fast. The restaurant overlooks the ocean right on Playa Pelada, which is just north of Playa Guiones. The sunset is stunning. Most of the food options are seafood or Mediterranean style dishes. The restaurant is on the pricier side, so this dinner serves well to celebrate a special occasion. Everyone dresses nicely when visiting here, so if you packed any clothes for a more formal occasion then this is the time to break them out.

10 Pies is also a must visit when in Nosara. This restaurant provides a needed break from the typical Mediterranean style and seafood restaurants that you tend to see around the area. Their dishes range from pizzas to tacos to quesadillas, and everything on their menu is delicious. Make sure to start your meal off with their chips and guacamole! Their chips are super crispy and the fresh guac pairs perfectly with any drink.

Surprisingly enough, my last restaurant recommendation would have to be The Patio, which is the restaurant attached to the Selina hostel. They have great options for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. It is the perfect spot for health fanatics that want to perform well when surfing or doing yoga. All of their food is filled with fresh vegetables and fruit. They also have a ton of vegan and vegetarian options. The seating all overlooks the beautiful pools, and the entire patio is lit up with string lights - The space is very picturesque.

If going out isn’t your thing, the Selina also has a kitchen stocked with all the utensils you could ever need. To save some money, a few of the people around the hostels picked up some groceries, and we did a little communal cooking. This was so much fun - It is those types of little interactions where core memories are formed.

Surfing and eating were the big items I wanted to touch on because those were my focus, but Nosara has so much more to offer. Below are additional activities that you MUST DO during your trip

YOGA

A few different yoga studios offer classes around Nosara, and I enjoyed the practice at every one I attended. If you stay at the Selina, they offer a class almost every other day. They have a very nice indoor studio that opens up to the pool. The class was great for all levels, and the instructor was very knowledgeable. For a more elevated yoga experience, you have to visit Bodhi Tree. This hotel took their yoga studios to the next level. Their studios sit in the middle of the jungle and make you feel like you are truly isolated in nature. They offer multiple classes a day, and have different classes for different levels. In addition, they have an amazing smoothie bar right next to one of the most stunning pools that I have ever seen. You definitely need to treat yourself while on vacation!

FARMERS MARKET

Every weekend, there is a local farmers market right on the main street in Nosara. This market attracts a variety of vendors selling fresh produce, empanadas, pastries, handmade crafts, jewelry, and clothing. When visiting these small towns, it is important to support the local artists and vendors that add to the unique culture and make these destinations so special.

SUNSETS

A common theme I have noticed when traveling to Central American countries is how everyone gathers at the beach to watch the sunset and enjoy eachothers company. I think it is one of the key factors in making the people that live here so happy - They have a strong sense of community. There is a short hike that I would highly recommend taking to watch the sunset. The hike is up the cliffs that separate Playa Guiones and Playa Pelada. It takes roughly 15 minutes and is not very challenging. The views are breathtaking though. To get there, you just need to walk down Playa Pelada and head for the jungle trail that connects Playa Pelada with Playa Guiones. Just to the right of that path, you will notice a dirt trail that leads up the side of the cliff. The beginning is steep, but once you power through the initial climb, it is just a slow walk to the views. The end of the trail is marked with the national flag of Costa Rica. You can actually see this from the beach, so you will know where you are headed before even starting the trek. I was fortunate enough to have met someone at the hostel that was filming promotional videos for Selina, so we got some incredible drone footage from the top of the cliff.

The tide pools on Playa Pelada are also an amazing spot to watch the sunset. These can be seen right from the beach access point, so you won’t miss them. The way the colors reflect off of the shallow pools is incredible though, and watching the waves crash off of the rocks makes for a magical experience. One local was drawing a lot of attention here.. And for good reason. He was making these huge bubbles that lit up under the bright oranges and reds of the sky. The sunsets were also stunning every night of the week! It is no wonder why the whole town migrates here to enjoy every single one. Something about them feels so nostalgic and warm.

NIGHT LIFE

If you are looking to go out and party every night of the week, then Nosara might not be the best option. Tamarindo has a lot more to offer when it comes to huge events. Nosara does have a few hidden gems however. As I mentioned before, the Selina has great DJs and live music on weekends. The whole town shows up to dance and drink. These parties lasted well into the night and were a lot of fun. If you stay at the Selina, it is also a short walk to bed once you’ve reached your limit! The crowd is a good mix of travelers and locals. The dance floor is also open to the outdoors, making it a very comfortable environment. It was much preferred to the stuffy basements that we party at in the states.

For a more local party scene, El Bar was so much fun! They have reggae nights every Thursday, so I highly recommend going to check out some of the local artists. They played music that made it impossible not to dance.

For a more laid back vibe, I would once again head to the Beach Dog Cafe. They have karaoke nights that can create some unforgettable memories! I witnessed the greatest performance that the world had ever seen. Old Argentinian man turned Nosara local did a wonderful take of ‘Despacito’, which had everyone laughing and smiling from ear to ear.

TRAVEL DETAILS

The best way to get to Nosara is by flying into the Liberia international airport. It is much closer than San Jose. I typically try to book rides from the airport to Nosara ahead of time. The drive is over 2 hours long, so if you just get a taxi at the airport, it might end up costing you a lot of money. There are plenty of websites that offer shared van services to and from Nosara. These typically cost me around $40. There are buses that will cost dollars, but those could add hours to your commute.

PACKING

Nosara has a tropical climate. There are two main seasons - wet and dry. You will likely see some tropical thunderstorms for an hour or so each day regardless of which season you go in. I would honestly pack the same either way. I try to pack as light as possible when I travel so I’m not lugging around heavy suitcases with me. As a result, I focus on the essentials. Given that most of your time will be spent on the beach, bathing suits are a must. Pack multiple so that you can rotate through them and give them time to dry in between. If you can, pack board shorts that double as walk shorts. My favorites are from Banks Journal. These board shorts are perfect for the water, but also look nice enough for you to go out at night in them. Most of the places you will visit in Nosara will be pretty casual, so pack a few graphic tees. No particular recommendation for T-shirts - Just wear what you feel confident in. I would also recommend carrying a short-sleeved linen dress shirt with you for a formal dinner. Nosara is humid, so having a light and breathable linen shirt for the nicer dinners is key to not sweating! You don’t want to scare off your hostel crush with gnarly pit stains. I once again point to Banks Journal as my top choice for these shirts. They have a variety of neutral colors that look good with anything. Their looser fit also gives a cool coastal vibe and is very comfortable. For layers, bring one rain jacket and one sweatshirt. You might not need either, but if you get a crazy sunburn on the first day, a sweatshirt always feels nice to hide your skin.

Given the yoga and other physical activities, I would also pack a few pairs of workout clothes. I packed shirts and shorts from Fabletics. Their clothes just fit the best, and the 5” inseam shorts give more of a stylish athletic look. Shorts running down to your knees are not the vibe for the yoga studios. For surfing, DO NOT forget a rashguard! This will help protect you from the sun and from board rashes. I typically surf in a wetsuit so whenever I surf in tropical conditions, my ribs are always raw after a few days. Rashguards can help alleviate some of the pain.

For shoes, I would bring three pairs. A pair of throw away flip flops is essential! There will be mud on the dirt roads, so having some that you don’t care about getting dirty will help prevent a lot of stress during this relaxing vacation. Also pack a pair of comfortable sandals that can be worn to slightly more formal events as will. I went with my Birkenstock Arizonas. These are super comfortable and also match well with all of the clothing I bought. Lastly, pack a pair of running shoes. You will do a lot of walking and physical activity in Nosara. Having running shoes will allow you to enjoy the walks, hikes, and jungle treks a lot more.

I always overpack underwear and socks, but to me that provides peace of mind. Those types of garments are not meant to be reworn. I would pack some of your more comfortable pairs, as well as some that you can do physical activities in.

A light towel is something else that should always be packed. Hostels and hotels can be hit or miss with towels - Some will provide them while others will not. The Selina in Nosara did not. I carry a Slowtide Turkish Towel with me whenever I travel. They are super lightweight, fold nicely, and take up very little space in your pack. They also absorb water just as well as a typical bathroom towel. This is another one of those items where it is better to have and not need rather than need and not have.

Lastly, pack plenty of sunscreen. The sun is strong in Nosara, and that is amplified when you are out in the ocean all day. I really like the Raw Elements Face Sticks to protect my face. My face breaks out with certain sunscreens, but I have not had that experience with this product. Their products are also reef safe. Please try to protect our oceans and use products that won’t cause further damage!

To summarize, Nosara has the means to offer an unforgettable experience for everyone. I have traveled all over the world, but always return to this spot. The surf is great and so consistent - You don’t have to worry about booking in advance just to show up and have terrible conditions. The community is laid back, the food is all local and fresh, and the landscape is unbelievably picturesque. It feels like a surf town out of a movie. As always, the people make the trip.. Fortunately for this location, it attracts some really cool locals and travelers alike. If you want to experience a true surf/yogi adventure, then Nosara is for you.

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lookwhatilost · 1 year

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film critics are also completely complicit in this too! when you write these think pieces or articles in the nyt or vulture or vanity fair and are getting hundreds of dollars from disney or warner brothers to write out of your ass, you're the generals leading this culture war.

like. i'm sorry but look at this shit. "Star Wars: The Last Jedi Offers the Harsh Condemnation of Mansplaining We Need in 2017"

That Holdo is kind yet dismissive of Poe only enrages him further. She urges him, for the safety of all concerned, to “stick to your post and follow my orders.” He doesn’t; as a result, many rebels die. Speaking about her character’s stylish-yet-firm leadership, Dern told Vanity Fair: “[Rian is] saying something that’s been a true challenge in feminism. Are we going to lead and be who we are as women in our femininity? Or are we going to dress up in a boy’s clothes to do the boy’s job? I think we’re waking up to what we want feminism to look like.”

One might argue that if Holdo had filled in Poe on her plan—to evade the First Order fleet long enough to get within range of an old base on Crait—Poe would have listened and fallen in line. But to borrow a phrase from Poe himself, this mission was a “need-to-know.” And as soon as a frustrated Holdo and Leia let Poe in on the plan, he blabs about it over the comms to Finn loud enough that Benicio del Toro’s D.J. can hear—and, later, sell them out. If Poe had just listened to Leia and Holdo from the start, the rebel fleet wouldn’t have been quite so decimated by the end of the film. Poe does clearly learn his lesson by the final frames of The Last Jedi—and only then do his admiration for Holdo, his respect for Leia, and his realization of just how much he doesn’t know position him to finally become the leader these powerful women hoped he’d be.

It’s clever for Johnson to have put this story on the very likable Poe. (Both Leia and Holdo are careful to reassure audiences that they, too, like the guy.) We expect dismissive sexism from the First Order (how many times do they refer to Rey as “The Girl?”), but to see it from a friendly face is even more instructive. Any female boss in 2017 or American still nursing the hangover of the 2016 presidential election can tell you that even nice guys often have trouble taking orders from women.

This message—women being largely right, and men being mostly wrong—extends to most but not all aspects of The Last Jedi. Rose Tico was certainly right to insist that Finn stay and fight, and right again to save him when attempts to needlessly sacrifice himself. Rey and Leia were right that Luke should join the resistance. But Luke still has some things to teach his young student. When they fight on the rainy cliffs of Ahch-To over her desperate hope that she can save Ben Solo, Luke is correct in telling Rey that “this is not going to go the way you think.” And in the end, no matter how Poe and Finn may have stumbled—or Holdo, Leia, Rose, and Rey may have triumphed—it’s still Luke Skywalker who gets the film’s big damn hero moment.

why is she making this stupid ass dig about luke skywalker getting a big hero moment? it's one of the few meaningful and interesting things that happens in this movie! "big damn hero moment" is literally a tv tropes phrase that comes from a line from firefly. is she aware that she's making a joss whedon reference lol?

#to the tune of mrs robinson: 'so here's to you joanna robinson. you're a hack and your opinions are gay. oh hey hey hey.'

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jamiedc-they-them · 1 year

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Star Wars OC

Marle Skywalker

Fandom: Star Wars Sequel Trilogy

Pronouns: They/Them

Short Bio: A fellow scavenger on Jakku, Rey found them and took them in as her own. Constantly trying to repay her back for her friendship and loyalty, they find themselves sucked into a galaxy wide war. But find a family within the resistance, all the while trying to repay them for their help with Marle and their struggles.

Personality: Always feels they owe people things for just general kindness. Silently struggles mentally. Loyal. Quiet. Observant. They make a good lookout and soldier, more so the former than latter. Insecure about a lot of things. Can be highly reckless.

Relationships:

Rey and Marle Skywalker

“Siblings of the Sand” are their nicknames. Rey took them in when she found them on Jakku. They became family to one another. Insanely loyal to a fault with one another. Rey always understands Marle’s mental health warnings from a mile away. Marle is always up for helping Rey, even to their own detriment. She’s trying to help them unlearn these patterns. Best friends/Siblings

Finn and Marle Skywalker

At first, Marle distrusted Finn. But, once he helped them and their sister escape the first order, they warmed out to him. He’s a really good friend and brother to Marle. Respectful, and the two are the more calm and methodical out of the quartet. Always checking plans with each other. Marle and Finn support one another through therapy and attempts to heal their past wounds. Most nights, even just sitting near some water. Sometimes meditating. Always enjoying the silent company of the other. Best friends/Siblings.

Poe Dameron and Marle Skywalker

Poe’s devil may care nature rubbed off on Marle in the wrong way. They were already reckless, but with Poe within the events of “The Last Jedi” they took badly calculated risks. This was part of why Poe grew, he didn’t want his new friend to get hurt because of him. Poe is the one who gets Marle to open up in general. Though, he knows not to push them too far, and will apologise if he does go too far. Poe is the fun older brother Marle needs. And Marle is the calm friend who he needs. Best Friends/Siblings.

Rose Tico and Marle Skywalker

Marle met Rose post “The Last Jedi” and immediately took a shine to the girl. She was kind and bubbly, though Rey did have some tension with Rose at first out of fear of being lost as a sister to Rose. Though the girl was quick to assure Rey. Rose is always encouraging Marle where she can, helping teach them things about being a mechanic and to find the beauty in things others look over. They show Rose a more creative way to express herself as well. Best Friends/Siblings

#my ocs #oc x canon #jamie rambles

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furiosophie · 3 years

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maybe a little more oh the things we left behind epilogue fluff??? ;u; i know the entire epilogue was fluff but i am insatiable

yes very good thinking anon and sorry for the long wait my brain is just a heap of goo right now but here we go - some ottwlb fluff set between the Mandalorian war and the very last scene of the fic, a small compilation of how Din found the rest of their family:

oh the things we found

small TW for mentions of blood and trauma

Din doesn't in any way plan on becoming a magnet for Force-sensitive children, he really doesn't, but it happens regardless, something about his unique combination of Force-null beskar, Force-conduit darksaber, and Force-bond husband drawing them in like moths to a flame.

He finds Rey first, on a recon mission out to Jakku, casing a distress signal from a lost covert. She can't be any older than Ben, who is seven now and an absolute terror, but in comparison to him, she doesn't listen to Din one bit, her whole life just a series of defying the authority figures around her. She dangles from a rope above him, in the hollowed-out remains of an Imperial Star Destroyer, sticking out her tongue at him. "I'm not coming with you!" she declares while Din tries to position himself in a way that will allow him to catch her if she slips. "I'm waiting for my family. They're coming to get me!"

He doesn't have the heart to tell her no one in their right mind would ever willingly come back to a place like Jakku. He places all his rations, most of his credits, and, just for good measure, some bacta spray on the ground below her like he's making some offering to an ancient feral god and leaves with an ache in his chest.

"She won't come with me," he complains to Luke later, pacing up and down in the living area of the Mudhorn while Luke brews tea. They don't technically live in the Mudhorn anymore, have their own quarters in the ruins of Yavin's temple, but they always end up here regardless, whenever one of them comes back from a mission, whenever they need it to be just the two of them, away from everyone's worries.

Luke hands him a steaming cup and places a soft kiss on his temple. "Don't worry," he says, in that cryptic tone of his, the one he uses to tease Din when he's being daft about something that's impossible for him to know. "She will." And that's that.

Din goes back. Once, twice, three times, until the sparse crowd of locals looks at him with pity in their eyes. She does come with him eventually, after his eighths visit, when he draws the darksaber on a dune beast and turns around to find her looking at him with the type of recognition in her eyes that he's only ever seen in the way Luke looks at Ben and Grogu.

"She's like you," he accuses when Luke greets them at the bottom of the Mudhorn's ramp, Rey perched high on his shoulders, her arms wrapped around his helmet so tight it's hard for him to see. Luke just smiles and reaches out so Rey can tentatively take his hand. The change is instant - as soon as their palms touch her whole body relaxes as if something in her is finally at peace and Din has to reach up to keep her from sliding off his shoulders. And well. That's that.

Finn is next, standing tall in front of a group of terrified kids, in a backroom of the imperial laboratory they just raided, his eyes ablaze and lips turned up into a snarl. "I'll fight you," he snaps even as Din can see his hands shaking around the mop he fished out of the supply closet as a makeshift weapon. "I'm not scared, I'll fight you!" And really all Din can do in response is pull his helmet off and fall to his knees with his hands raised above his head.

It seems to work because he gets all of them into the Mudhorn eventually, Finn curled up on the copilot's seat, staring out in wonder at the endless expanse of space while the rest of the kids are rolled up into every available blanket in the captain's quarter. It's a bit of a rough start - where Rey felt turmoil because of the things swirling inside her without guidance, all Finn has ever known is supervision and people telling him to be something he's not, his connection to the Force tempered down in all the wrong places, too silent and too loud all at the same time, and in the first weeks, Din spends a lot of time hugging him close to the beskar plating of his chest, taking strolls under the quietness of Yavin's trees like he used to do with Ben. Finn quiets eventually, just as Rey did, the two of them getting on like a house on fire.

Shara is the one who brings Paige and Rose Tico, two sisters left stranded and alone by the still raging unrest of the remnants of war, and there is barely a discussion before she decides to take them in herself, the two of them glued to Poe the second they step off Shara's ship.

He finds Armitage last, standing over the dead body of an Imperial officer, blood on his hands and all across his face, just a sliver of yellow in the green of his eyes. Din has bruises on his arms for a week from how hard the kid strains against him as he tries to drag him out of the Star Destroyer before it self-destructs, but he figures, all things considered, they'll be able to handle that too.

He turns out to be a menace, of course, too smart for his own good, and way too stubborn to let Ben get away with his teasing, which always seems to end up Luke and Din having to physically drag them away from each other. Din tries to do for him what he did for everyone else, to hold him close and comfort him, but he only ever succeeds in the quiet of the night when he finds him at the very top of the temple wrapped up tightly in Luke's arms, both of them holding onto each other for dear life, eyes red-rimmed and cheeks tear-stained, darkness hanging around them like rain clouds.

Armitage takes a shine to Bo-Katan though, amidst all of his defiance, a fact that seems to confuse her as much as it does Din, and he knows that that will probably spell disaster in the future given how fast and feral Armitage takes to swinging a lightsaber, but to his relieve the Armorer steps up to pull him to her workshop by the back of his neck and balances the murder in his eyes with ever-evolving engineering challenges.

And so it takes a bit, quite a while in fact, but they find their balance eventually, their weird ever-growing family, all of them slotting into each other in a way that sometimes makes Din wonder if this was their doing too, Luke's and his, if in bending the universe around them, and in becoming one in the Force they somehow became a beacon for all those who are lost.

He wonders about it on the nights when, even after Han settles down on Yavin more or less permanently to be closer to Ben, and even after Paz bashfully asks to officially adopt Rey who's been glued to his shoulders for months, and even after Armitage makes it very clear that he doesn't plan to ever be adopted by anyone, Luke comes back from an excursion to find Din pilled into their bed with a bunch of wayward Foundlings.

"Sorry," Din mumbles sleepily as Luke steps over a snoring Paz who's taken up guard in the hallway, "It just happened."

"Is there room for one more?"

"Unlikely," Din sighs as he always does, but Luke finds a spot anyways, shuffling the kids around until they are just awake enough to demand a story from him.

"It's late," Luke smiles as Din pulls him closer to lean their foreheads together in greeting, Grogu climbing up from where he was tucked beneath Ben's chin to settle in between his dads. "I'll tell you all about it tomorrow."

"Just one!" Rey pleads from her spot at Din's side, Finn's head popping up behind her in a show of support and Luke raises a warning eyebrow as Poe and Rose scoot closer from where they were sprawled over Din's legs. "You always say we need to be curious about the world around us!"

"It will help us sleep," Armitage argues from his spot at the end of the bed, the one he takes to pretend he doesn't care about any of this, and starts scooting close too, shoving at Ben to make space.

"They make a good point," Din interjects gently and pulls Armitage out of the way and between them before Ben can get up enough to headbutt him with Din's helmet, which is a constant on his head on those nights where they all feel pulled towards each other.

"Traitor," Luke laughs, letting Armitage nestle in closer to him, but he'll tell them about his travels anyways until they are all knocked out and snoring peacefully and Din can press a quick kiss to Luke's lips without having to listen to a cascade of "ew" and "gross".

And so, in the end, he always drifts asleep knowing he doesn't fully understand it, not really, how they all manage to fit so perfectly into each other's lives, how he managed to find this, this place that is domestic in a way nothing in his life has ever been, but he figures he doesn't have to understand it, not when he also knows with absolute certainty that they are all exactly where they are supposed to be.

#dinluke #oh the things we left behind #thank you for that lovely question anon #I had this in my head for a long time I'm glad it's out there now #they all deserve some cuddles and happiness #also yes I made most of them the same age to fit my timeline poe and hux are the only ones who are slightly older #imagine all of them as children in the same place pure chaos #I have some more of their shenanigans somewhere down in my notes #maybe I'll get around to writing them out one day #but now I take a nap #soph andswers asks #soph writes

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victoriareyloficlists · 3 years

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10 April 2021 Updates to Reylo Engagements, Weddings, and Arranged Marriages

These fics have been added to the Engagements, Weddings, and Arranged Marriages list located here.

lay all your love on me by akosmia (AO3 2018 Rated T Complete, One-Shot, Modern AU, Quick Synopsis: Ben doesn't really think much of himself, and Rey is determined to change his mind.) baby fever by cursebreakker (AO3 2021 Rated E Complete, 3 Chapters, Modern AU, Quick Synopsis: Rey’s boss kylo basically has a heart of stone, he literally has a reputation in the offices as 'Satan’s right hand'. That is until Rey’s two year old daughter toddles up to him outside of work one day and he just completely melts.) ignorance of etiquette by blessedreylo (AO3 2020 Rated E Complete, 2 Chapters, Regency AU, Quick Synopsis: Lady Rey Kenobi lives a life of pristine comfort and luxury on her family's estate in Chesire with her parents Lord Obi-Wan Kenobi and Lady Satine Kenobi. When they receive word that an old family friend, Lord Benjamin Solo, is coming to visit, Lady Rey is reminded of how he tormented her as a child. She decides that she will prove herself not the same girl she once was in more ways than one.) Wild Child by tmwillson3 (AO3 2020 Rated E Complete, 4 Chapters, Regency AU, Quick Synopsis: Rey spends her first Season in Bath with her best friend, Rose Tico. When Rose begins a hate-at-first-sight relationship with Sir Armitage Hux, Rey thinks that nothing more exciting could happen.That's when Sir Hux's friend, the Earl of Alderaan, and his dogs come crashing into Rey. Rey has never liked peers, but when she bonds with him on a rainy day, everything changes.) Eating for Two by Hellyjellybean (AO3 2021 Rated E Complete, 3 Chapters, Modern AU, Quick Synopsis: Rey is pregnant and smells her neighbour Ben's cooking. She goes round to ask if he would be willing to share. But maybe Ben would like to share more than his cooking with Rey.) Go And Catch A Falling Star Chapter 56 by Ayearandaday (AO3 2021 Rated G Complete, One-Shot, Modern AU, Quick Synopsis: Hungry overworked Ben accidentally ends up in McDonalds. Guess what happens next?) weddings and wingwomen by bigfootsflannel (AO3 2020 Rated T Complete, One-Shot, Modern AU, Quick Synopsis: After hiring Ben Solo as her wedding photographer, Rose discovers her true calling as part-time matchmaker.) A Night at the Opera by orphan_account (AO3 2020 Rated T Complete, One-Shot, Historical AU, Quick Synopsis: Prince Benjamin is resistant to his arranged marriage to the Palpatine heir. ) And Closer Still Is Never Enough by lovefrompluto (AO3 2020 Rated E Complete, One-Shot, Historical AU, Quick Synopsis: Ben has an arranged marriage to Rey but what happens when he starts to court the wife who is a stranger to him?) A Doggy Intervention by corpse_wife (AO3 2020 Rated T Complete, One-Shot, Modern AU, Quick Synopsis: Interventions come in many different forms. Whether it's time, a place or occasionally, people, it's up to the universe to decide when two soulmates meet. In Ben Solo's case, the universe had a cruel sense of humor. For his intervention comes in the form of a German Shepard and his graceless brunette owner. Two things happened in the short span of a minute: 1.) Ben got tackled to the ground 2.) The dog had just swallowed his wedding rings) Five Times That Ben Saved Rey's Valentine's Day & How She Forever Saved His by AnneAnna (AO3 2021 Rated T Complete, One-Shot, Modern AU, Quick Synopsis: Ben makes a confession in his wedding speech: He knew he was going to marry Rey when he and Rey were 4 years old and she gave him a Valentine she made and colored herself. And 21 years later, he still has that Valentine.) Newspaper Hearts by Celia_and (AO3 2021 Rated G Complete, One-Shot, Modern AU, Quick Synopsis: “She made her Valentine’s cards. She tore hearts out of newspaper and glued them onto used envelopes and painstakingly wrote each child’s name. She probably spent days making them. And you know what she wrote on mine?” He doesn’t need to read it to know what it says, so he looks down at her instead, and the hand on her heart and the tears in her eyes. “Ben: You are OK. Rey.”) Sleepyhead by Blueyedgurl (AO3 2020 Rated T Complete, One-Shot, Modern AU, Quick Synopsis: Ben, a mere himbo, tucks a stray hair behind Rey's ear in class. He knows he deserves the hot coffee in her hand to be thrown in his face and yet he gets a date. ) The Background by Blueyedgurl (AO3 2020 Rated T Complete, One-Shot, Modern AU, Quick Synopsis: He draws her every week. He draws her looking at him smiling, thoughtful, or truly magical, He pours his heart and soul into these drawings. Every Sunday he comes to the hospital room, hoping to meet her eyes. But she's not waking up. His hope is fading. Today...) Port in the storm by Blueyedgurl (AO3 2020 Rated E Complete, 2 Chapters, Modern AU, Quick Synopsis: Rey pretends to be afraid of thunderstorms so she has an excuse to sleep next to Ben. Ben figures it out when he races home early after seeing thunder, fearing Rey will be crying alone curled up in a ball, only to find her totally chill and eating ice cream.) My Sandwich by Blueyedgurl (AO3 2020 Rated G Complete, One-Shot, Modern AU, Quick Synopsis: Someone took Ben's turkey sandwich at work, he is infuriated and eager for revenge, until he finds out it was Rey then those feelings no longer exist.) Through the Years by castles_and_crowns (AO3 2018 Rated T Complete, 10 Chapters, Modern AU, Quick Synopsis: Ben Solo and Rey Jakkson meet on the playground as children under unusual circumstances and quickly become best friends. This fic follows them through the years, showing glimpses of their friendship as it slowly progresses into something more.) heaven in hiding by blessedreylo (AO3 2021 Rated E Complete, One-Shot, Modern AU, Quick Synopsis: They say it's impossible for a guy and girl to be "just friends", but Rey and Ben had managed to discredit that throughout their decade long friendship. What they both have is special, that people would often arrive at the conclusion the two were made for each other. He's her safe haven, her rock. She gives him a sense of clarity and direction. Ben and Rey know each other more than anyone ever possibly could. Therefore on Valentine's Day, their friends decided to secretly set them up together on a blind dinner date.) ignorance of etiquette by blessedreylo (AO3 2020 Rated E Complete, 2 Chapters, Regency AU, Quick Synopsis: Lady Rey Kenobi lives a life of pristine comfort and luxury on her family's estate in Chesire with her parents Lord Obi-Wan Kenobi and Lady Satine Kenobi. When they receive word that an old family friend, Lord Benjamin Solo, is coming to visit, Lady Rey is reminded of how he tormented her as a child. She decides that she will prove herself not the same girl she once was in more ways than one.) key to the kingdom by blessedreylo (AO3 2020 Rated E Complete, 12 Chapters, Princess Diaries AU, Quick Synopsis: Most girls get a drunk weekend in Vegas for their 21st birthday, but Princess Rey Kenobi gets the chance to rule the country of Alderaan. But the only way she can become Queen is if she marries a man in 30 days, or the throne goes to the selfish (and annoyingly attractive) usurper Lord Benjamin Solo. Will Rey be able to ascend to the throne or will it all just become a royal pain in the ass?) Baby, It's Just Biology by Polkadotdotdot (AO3 2018 Rated E Complete, 32 Chapters, Modern AU, Quick Synopsis: For Rey Jackson, trying to finish your degree in Biomedical Science at Harvard is difficult enough when you're one of the few Omegas on campus. It's made even more difficult when your Professor is the one to trigger your heat. You can't help it, it's just your biology. An Alpha Omega love story.) for love or money by KiKi37 (AO3 2020 Rated M Complete, 30 Chapters, Modern AU, Quick Synopsis: The loss of a scholarship has left Rey Niima in a financial bind, with only a few months until graduation. Her friend Rose might know of something that could help.)

#reylo #reylo fanfic #rey #ben solo #kylo ren

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babbushka · 4 years

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Beyond Reasonable Doubt (ch.1)

– A Lawyer AU –

You and Kylo Ren have hated one another for as long as you can remember. He, a criminal prosecutor, and you, a defense attorney should be natural-born enemies, and you are. But when Kylo comes to you seeking representation after being charged for a murder he didn’t commit, you both learn a thing or two about life, the law, and love…

[5k, no warnings for this first chapter!]

Available on AO3

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In a world of ever-changing circumstances, where people do things that cause ripples and shocks through the very fabric of society that shake them to their core, where the sun shines and rain falls and snow blows cold through the streets of Manhattan, where there is life and death and a mess of bullshit in between, there was but one thing that you could ever comfortably rely on in life.

Only one thing remained constant in the grand scheme of it all: your alarm.

With a grunt and sigh, your arm extends out from underneath the covers to smack at the loud blaring jingle that sounds from your phone, hand desperately trying to hit the dismiss button without looking so that you don’t have to face the day just yet. It’s too early, you reason, to pull your whole self out from under the covers.

Eventually you give that thought up though, because dammit now you’re awake and it’s Monday morning and you have an office that’s waiting for you uptown. So, ever grudgingly, you throw the plush comforter off of your body and stretch to greet the day, saying good morning to the city that never sleeps.

You don’t usually dread waking up, but well, the last time you’d been in the office was Friday afternoon, after you lost your case.

After you lost your case, to him.

Glancing at the clock on your phone, you chew your lip for a moment or two, before finally turning off the do not disturb function, immediately going into the bathroom to shower and ready yourself for the day while damn near a hundred backlogged notifications make your phone buzz nearly onto the floor.

There’s a small mirror in the shower, a little compact to make sure there’s nothing left on your face after you scrub your skin clean, and you catch your own reflection in it. You’ve looked better, that was for damn sure – but by that same token, you’ve also looked worse. Mondays were shit, but today was gearing up to be an even worse one than normal.

No, you think as you shake your head adamantly, you have no desire to let him soak up any more of your good mood than he had already. So what if you had forgone your entire weekend, canceling plans and ignoring friends to nurse the sting to your pride that was losing? So what if instead of checking your email or your phone, you sat yourself on the couch and wasted two entire days doing nothing but watching shitty shows on Netflix?

What you did on your downtime was nobodies’ business, and since you live alone in your beautiful one-bedroom in SoHo, no one was there to spill your secrets. If anyone asked – not that anyone would, if they knew what was good for them – you would tell them that you absolutely did not spend the weekend wanting to throw darts onto a photo of his face. That wouldn’t be very professional, now would it?

Shutting off the water, you wrap yourself up in a big plush towel, and pad across the floor to your closet. Briefly, ever so briefly, you glance at your phone on your way, holding your breath, wondering, hoping that there might be something from him.

If there is, it’s buried under a pile of emails and text-threads from your firm, so he’ll have to wait.

Manhattan in January was chilly, so you bundle yourself up in your chicest coat overtop your most well-fitting skirt suit and a pair of heeled boots. Even if you felt like shit, you could look like million fuckin’ bucks, and no one would be the wiser.

And what a wonder the power of confidence was! Through the streets and down to the subway, you smiled at everyone, and they all smiled back. You offered your seat on the train to an elderly man who clearly needed it more than you, and he complimented your gloves. Everyone from the NYPD officer drinking his coffee to the mom scolding her three children brightened as you wished them a good morning, and somehow, along the way to work, your Monday blues disappears into something a little brighter.

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Your good mood only continues to grow as you exit the elevator of the huge high-rise that you call your home away from home, your office on the twenty-third floor right in the heart of the Upper West Side. Sandwiched between the Hudson and Central Park, you have to admit that getting your ass out of bed was worth it, even if just for this view.

“Morning (Y/N).” The front desk security guard greets you, and you say hello back to him with a performative show of your badge.

HKS Law, so named after the founders and current partners Amilyn Holdo, Ben Kenobi, and Luke Skywalker, is a shining pinnacle of what defense attorneys and opposing counsel at trials should be. Not only had the firm made history time and time again with incredible wins and even more incredible ultimate losses, but it prided itself on being representation for the people no one else could represent.

Most of all, it had you.

If your alarm was a constant, than this was a universal truth: you are a damn good defense attorney. As you walk through the crisp and clean polished floors, you hold your head high, knowing that this loss against him still put you at the lowest loss rate of anyone in the history of HKS, lower than even the founders themselves.

That little reminder has you grinning to yourself. You’d been working with HKS for nearly six years now, and very quickly you saw your office climbing higher and higher up the skyscraper, saw it getting bigger and bigger. And now, you were nearly positive, that your meeting at eleven o’clock would be to discuss partnership with the firm as a reward for your continued hard work.

“Hey (Y/N)!” One of the associates, Rose Tico smiles at you from where she’s chatting with her sister Paige by their desks.

“Someone looks like they had a nice weekend.” Paige remarks, and you only wink at them, playing the game.

A game, which becomes instantly easier as your assistant, a bright-eyed intern fresh out of law school appears seemingly out of nowhere.

“(Y/N), good morning!” She is already offering you a cup of something nice and hot, her arm cradling a stack of manilla folders that have all sorts of sticky-note flags on them, that she shifts onto her hip ever so slightly to brush a few loose braids out of her face, speaking at what feels like a million miles a second, “I have your coffee ready and there’s a fresh breakfast buffet in the break room if you’d like, I can get you something – ”

“Good morning Neisha.” You accept the coffee gratefully, but interrupting her only to give her a chance to catch her breath. You check your watch, it’s only half-past seven, she’ll wear herself out if she exerts that much energy first thing. “A bagel with the usual would be perfect, thank you.”

“No problem – oh, Rick wanted you to look over those case files before your eleven-o’clock.” She breathes a sigh of relief, and gives you a smile.

Groaning, you accept the manilla folders too, balancing the coffee cup on top of them as Iman follows you into your own private office. Your assistant stands in front of your desk at the ready, looking sharp and put together, as ever.

One thing that you loved about Neisha – aside from the dozens of things that you admired and appreciated about her – was that you have never ever seen her in something other than a pantsuit. She did not wear dresses or skirts, she was almost never in heels, and she did not carry a purse. Instead, Neisha could almost always be found in a very smart trouser and blazer set, often complete with vests, and fun-colored socks in her loafers to coordinate with her ever-expanding collection of ties.

“Rick can go fuck himself.” You mutter under your breath, and she laughs.

“Should I tell him you said that?” With a playful glimmer in her eye, she crosses her arms over her broad chest.

“Yes.” You wink, before checking your watch once again and reminding her about that, “Bagel?”

“Bagel – right, on it.” Neisha snaps her fingers and leaves, closing the office door behind her.

You like your office, even if you’ve outgrown it. Much like the rest of the firm, it has stayed up to date with the contemporary interior design of the day. However where the open floor of the firm is mostly whites and silvers and glass, your office feels warmer with shades of coffee browns and creamy neutrals.

Remembering how you had been so excited for the promotion to your own office, you can’t help but chuckle to yourself now – it really was a small office. It consisted of a long dark brown desk situated in front of a wall-unit bookshelf/display area, and a seating arrangement of matching brown chairs situated around a free-edge wooden coffee-table. A soft rug covers the marble flooring, and cream gauzy curtains cover the windows, but that was about it.

You had been to the offices of the higher ups, you knew just what you could achieve if you made partner – even if you made junior partner.

And if all went well during this meeting at eleven, you knew you’d be moving into one of those offices soon.

For the first time all weekend, you sit down in the big leather chair behind your desk and finally check your phone. The case files remain on your desk, and you know you’ll get to them eventually, but until you’ve had some breakfast and that coffee can work its magic, no one could blame you for scrolling through the shit that you had put off since Friday.

It’s mostly work friends taking your side, which you appreciate. They knew losing a case was hard for you – you didn’t do it very often. And even though you never lost to anyone besides him, it still never got easier.

The case had been a simple one, or at least, you had thought so. Murders are so often simple, either the person did it, or they didn’t. If they did, there’s evidence, and if they didn’t, well, there’s evidence too. And when two parties come forward with their own evidence, compelling, strong fucking evidence – evidence of alibis and proof that your client couldn’t have been there, couldn’t have done it – it’s up to the jury to decide who to believe.

In this case, this jury decided to believe him, and there was nothing you could do about it. It was losses like this, losses like the knowledge than an innocent man was going to prison, that make you seriously question the legal system as a whole, frankly.

It’s then that you see it, and your hand freezes.

You have a missed message from him.

He’s saved in your contacts as the dick from VTH, and even though that could refer to any number of people, you know that it’s him. You have five missed messages from him, as a matter of fact, which sends both a rush of adrenaline through you, as well as a spike of anxiety.

The two of you…you’d never been friends, not really. In fact, the closest thing to a relationship that you might have is that of a rivalry, if not flat out enemies. You hated him, and he hated you, and he had hated you ever since the first day he set eyes on you, from the very first moment you walked into the courtroom as a last-minute addition to the defense counsel, and won the case in fifteen minutes.

Which was a shame, because you often find yourself thinking that if he weren’t such a…well, a dick, there could have been something there. Instead of a friendship, or even a civil acquaintanceship, you have over the years developed something of a hate-fucking-enemies-with-benefits arrangement. He was probably pissed that you ignored him all weekend, but that was okay – let him be pissed, you were pissed too.

You don’t open his messages, not yet. You’d need coffee in you and food in your stomach before you’re able to handle whatever mood he has to be in, now that you’ve got the energy to deal with him.

You’re so deep in thought that you nearly miss when Neisha returns with a plate for you, a big spread arranged on your desk for you to enjoy. You’re about to thank her and let her get on with whatever work she has to do, but she holds out a newsletter with a devious smile and curiosity gets the better of you.

“Have you seen?” She asks, and you raise a brow, a smile of your own creeping across your face.

The newsletter was something that circulated through the different firms in the area, keeping everyone up to date – or at least as up to date as legally possible – on the goings on in the sphere of influence that you all found yourselves in. Everything from congratulatory memos to case results, and even high profile celebrity gossip was fair game, but one of the more scandalous parts of the newsletter, was the publication of trouble that various lawyers found themselves in.

The Monday morning newsletter had quite a bit of this from over the weekend, and right there on page sixteen, is none other than his face looking as irritated as he possibly can, as he’s being given a hard time for a DUI on Friday night.

“Oh fuck.” Your eyes widen, wanting nothing more than to call him and yell at him for being a fucking idiot, “What the hell does he think he’s doing?”

“Whatever he wants, evidently.” Neisha shrugs, no doubt thinking the news would cheer you up in some sort of vengeful way that you appreciate. She reaches for a pumpernickel crisp from the spread on your desk and muses, “I bet the cops are thrilled, they hate that sonofabitch.”

“Yeah them and me both.” You mutter, already rubbing away a headache that’s starting to form across the expanse of your forehead. “He’s not going to be pleased about that photo, he looks rumpled.”

Sighing, you look down at the photo. He’s very clearly intoxicated, you’ve seen that look in his eyes more than once, the blurry out of focused glassy look that he gives you over smiles at dinner sometimes. You blink away the image of him in a nice suit on the other end of a table, reminding yourself that you’re angry with him.

“Doesn’t he have a driver? I wonder why he got behind the wheel himself.” Neisha continues, and bless her you think, for continually giving you a means to not be left alone with your thoughts.

“If there’s one thing I know about that man, it’s that when he sets him mind to something, no one is going to stop him from doing it.” You reply, not able to ignore a bit of gut-wrenching regret.

Maybe if you hadn’t been so mad at him, you could’ve gone with him to wherever he was coming back from, and maybe you could’ve --

“Should I have this framed?” Neisha asks, and you blink again.

You check your watch, it’s only a quarter ‘til eight. Have you really only been at work for fifteen minutes? That stack of folders sits on the edge of your desk, taunting you. You’re gearing up for an extra long day.

“No, that’s okay.” You shake your head, opening the bottom drawer of your desk and dropping the newsletter into it. “I will keep a hold onto it though. Just for fun.”

With a laugh, Neisha leaves and once again closes your office door.

“God dammit.” You grumble, pulling your phone out yet again.

The unread messages from him sit buried beneath thirty other messages that don’t warrant responses, and you hover your thumb over his name.

After all these years, something about getting a text from him made your heart jump. It felt stupid, you weren’t some teenager with a crush in high school, you were an adult, and this was just another adult, who you happened to have developed some sort of attachment to. Not a friendship, or a relationship even, but some kind of attachment.

Right now, you wanted to bitch at him for getting himself into trouble, for driving while he was so very clearly drunk, a whole argument prepared about how he could have seriously hurt or even killed someone, how even though he’s a rich asshole he can’t afford to be so reckless.

But first, in order to bitch at him, you have to read what he’s sent you over the weekend, and that’s where you keep tripping up. You don’t know why, but when you do finally open up his texts, you find that you’re holding your breath until you read them.

You try to ignore the way the thread starts out, try to ignore how if anyone were to squint, they might think something was going on between you two.

Incoming: [1/8 6:03am] just picking up croissants from that place u like. jam?

[1/8 6:10am] Yeah, raspberry if they have

Incoming: [1/8 6:11am] on it, go back 2 bed.

That had been just over a week ago, and you remember the day well, how you exchanged smiles over bites of fresh and flaky pastry, how you had dipped the croissants into hot chocolate in his bed, not giving a fuck about the crumbs that weren’t your problem because they weren’t your sheets.

How that was the last time you had seen him, before the conclusion of the case.

Now, now that you’d lost, the tone of the thread has very clearly shifted to something much colder. One thing you’re surprised to see though, is that they’re all from around Friday night, which was unusual.

Incoming: [1/15 7:43pm] going out 2 celebrate tonight, join me

Incoming: [1/15 8:57pm] u can’t ignore me forever u know

Incoming: [1/16 12:02am] i’m glad u didn’t come, ud fucking hate it here. theyre playing music 2 loud

Incoming: [1/16 12:15am] r u seriously still mad?

Incoming: [1/16 1:09am] Fuck you.

Rolling your eyes, you rub away more of that headache that starts to form. It was weird that he didn’t text you at all for the whole day of Saturday, or Sunday for that matter. If you didn’t spend the weekend together, he was very content to simply blow your phone up with links to random bullshit or long text conversations in broken grammar because his thumbs were too big for the buttons.

So for there to be radio silence after one o’clock in the morning was strange.

“For fucks sake.” You find yourself texting him back without even thinking about it, your fingers moving over the keyboard easily and quickly, sending off a slightly antagonizing reply after two days of nothing;

[1/18 7:55am] Looks like you had quite the night on Friday.

There, you think. That should get a response out of him. No doubt he would be quick to complain about how he had been pulled over and the whole nine yards. You wait for it to come through, the text. Or more accurately, the string of impassioned paragraphs that he tends to send you.

But a minute go by, and there’s nothing.

Five minutes, and nothing still.

You know you have to work, you have shit to do, you have that big meeting in a couple hours that you have to mentally prepare for, there’s no time to be worrying about him not texting you back. Still, you don’t like the silence. Sure that makes you a hypocrite, but he deserved your cold shoulder for beating you in court. At least, that’s how you justify it for yourself.

Getting up from your desk, you hover in the doorframe, where your assistant’s desk sits just outside to act as a buffer for anyone wanting to bother you.

“Hey Neisha?” You ask quietly, getting her attention, “I haven’t missed any calls, have I?”

A crease of confusion dips between her brows as she frowns, and immediately she checks the call logs on the conference phone that sits on her desk next to the big computer that takes up most of her space.

“No not that I can think of, are you expecting someone – ?”

Just as she’s asking, the phone rings. You lean over and see the number is one you don’t recognize, and you frown too.

“Better get that.” Neisha says awkwardly, so you just nod and retreat back into your own office from where you came.

It’s been seven minutes now, and there’s still nothing from him.

“Fine, fuck you too.” You mutter at the phone, locking it and putting it in the shallow drawer of your desk so you can focus on the folders in front of you finally.

The stack is pretty normal, all the weekend material finally coming in now that it’s the start of a new week. There’s new case files to look through to decide if you’re doing to accept the client, supplementary material from old case files that you’ve asked for to review, notes and evidence belonging to associates’ cases that you said you’d give your opinion on – all mixed into one big pile.

You liked it though, liked staying busy. It was a good distraction from a loss, the ability to win, the ability to prove to yourself and to the world that you’re good at what you do. There are all sorts of awards and pieces of paper displayed on the walls of your office that show that you’re good, but still, there’s nothing like a strong win after a frustrating loss.

But you’re not even halfway through reading the first folder, when Neisha knocks on your door and opens it slowly, a look of preemptive apology on her face.

“I’m afraid you’re going to need to cancel your eleven o’clock.” She says, and you can tell by the tone of her voice that there’s no use in trying to argue with her.

You let the folder fall down onto the desk, and brace yourself for whatever bombshell she’s about to drop on you, what could possibly be so important for you to have to reschedule one of the biggest meetings of your career. They would understand, you’re sure.

You hope, anyway.

“Who is it?” Your tone is already filled with dread, but a resigned kind of dread, knowing that whatever it must be, it has to be big, and you’re the only one in this entire fucking firm who can handle big things like this – it was the reason they wanted you for partner in the first place.

But Neisha hesitates with this response, scratches the back of her neck in a way that makes you instantly curious.

“I…I was instructed not to say, just that you’ve been requested to meet with them regarding representation.” She tells you, and now your headache pounds even harder.

Clients didn’t withhold their identity from you; some used an alias of course, but you can’t say that so far in your career you’ve had a completely anonymous client. Whoever this person was, had to either be royalty, or something very very close.

And though that meant there was going to be a nightmare of a trial – because these high profile people almost never got to simple settle, not when the prosecutor wants to make a show of prosecuting them – you can’t help but think that would be a pretty good notch in your beltloop, as it were.

“Alright, where are they?” You’re already up and away from your desk, shuffling the case files into a locked cabinet.

“Rikers.” She says straight away, and you let out a groan.

“Of course they are.”

You had almost hoped that whoever this mystery client was, they had posted bail and could meet at a nice neutral location. You didn’t have anything against Rikers personally, but rather the entire prison industrial complex as a whole, and as far as New York prisons went, there were few more infamous for being unnecessarily brutal than Rikers Island.

“I can call them back and tell them you’re busy…but they sounded adamant about wanting you in particular.” Neisha nudges gently, and really there’s no need to butter you up, you’ve already made up your mind.

“I’m guessing they didn’t tell you why?” You ask, even though you know the answer.

“Correct.” She replies with a sheepish shrug.

You look at her, at your watch, at your phone screen which shows no new notifications from the last time that you checked it, and you square your shoulders.

“Alright, reschedule the eleven o’clock, and let’s get out of here before Holdo freaks the fuck out on me for that.” You say, grabbing your coffee and a few more of the pastries to take in the car with you for the drive.

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Most times, you have no problem taking the subway wherever you need to get, but visiting Rikers wasn’t as easy as hopping off the train and walking a couple blocks. For times like these, you and Neisha take one of the company cars, a sleek and shiny black thing with dark tinted windows. Cars really aren’t practical in the city, which is why you don’t have one of your own, but it was nice to be driven around from time to time in the peace and quiet of a car like this.

Normally, visitors are not allowed on Mondays or Tuesdays, but you’re not a normal person, and you’re not here for a normal visit, so once you pass through the security gate, the K-9 unit and the metal detector security tests with ease, you find it a pretty quiet lobby.

“Good afternoon Ms. (L/N), here on official duty?” One of the correctional officers that sits up by the front visitation desk beams at you.

“No, I just missed you Jake.” You reply, fishing out your identification for him even though he really doesn’t need it. Jake has worked there only a year or so, and every time you see him you can’t help but think he’s young, too young for this job, you think, too young to become desensitized to the humanity of incarcerated individuals. But that’s not a conversation that you’re here to have today, so instead you keep up the chitchat with, “How’s Lottie and the kids?”

“They’re good, who are you here for?” Jake asks as a matter of protocol, and you give Neisha a look, before looking back at him.

“That’s just the thing, I don’t know. I wasn’t informed for confidentiality reasons.” You try to explain, before leaning forward and mock-whispering to him, “Please tell me someone has me on the list and I didn’t drive all this way for nothing.”

Jake laughs, a sound that feels out of place in a place like this, and pulls something up on his computer. You can’t really see it, the list, and that’s okay. Whoever this mysterious person is, you’ll find out within just a few minutes.

“You know the drill, they’re waiting for you in the back.” Jake waves you off, and you’re glad to go.

“Wait out here.” You tell Neisha, who clearly looks uncomfortable even being in the lobby, and with good reason. She doesn’t argue you on that, instead takes a seat on a bench near Jake’s table, and the two of them get to chatting while your boots click on the floors as you walk away.

There’s a couple different visitation areas in the jail, and the deeper into the building you go, the more that you’re glad that visitation isn’t allowed on Mondays. You don’t want the chance of running into someone that you had failed. Granted there had only been a handful of those instances, but the thought of any one of them being here is not outside the realm of possibility.

Through the sea of empty tables and chairs that are reserved for long term inmates who happen to have visitation privileges for good behavior, you find yourself moving deeper and deeper, until you’re at the door of another room, a closed off one more typical to that seen in movies and television shows.

Opening the door, you hang in the hallway to confirm that there’s no one else there, as there shouldn’t be. There’s eight stations, four on each side of the small room, with a phone and a pane of bulletproof glass. Right away, you have a feeling this is going to be a murder trial, if they’re not even letting you meet with the client out in the open, if they’re monitoring the phone conversation that you’re about to have.

You see a shuffle of movement out of the corner of your eye, and assume that that’s who you’re here to meet, so with your chin held high, you step into the room, and make your way to the visitation booth where a man in a bright orange jumpsuit is waiting on the other side of the glass.

Stopping as quickly as you’ve started, you stand frozen in the middle of the room, blinking away and desperately shoving aside a wave of feelings that have crashed over you at the familiar face behind the glass.

The dark hair, the deep eyes, that proud nose, those full lips, you take it all in with some strange sense of disbelief – surely this must be a dream? It has to be, even as you sit on the little stool and yank the phone off the wall, shoving it against your ear, not even knowing where to start as you try to wrap your mind around the fact that the man, this mystery client…

“Hey sweetheart.” He says, and you could smack him upside the head if only there weren’t this glass between you and Kylo Ren.

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Tagging some pals, please let me know if you’d like to be added to or taken off the taglist! @safarigirlsp @steeevienicks @mochabucky @sacklerscumrag @artsymaddie @bitchydecisions @direnightshade @reyloaddict55 @kylorenswhxre @sunflowersinthesnow @mousemakingjam @the-unmanaged-mischief @drake-bells-waxed-penis @littleevilme13 @rennaissance-mama @materialisthicc

#kylo ren x reader #kylo ren/reader #kylo ren x you #kylo ren/you #kylo ren fanfic #kylo ren imagine #reader insert #slowburn #modern au #lawyer au #my writing #beyond reasonable doubt #adam driver fanfiction #adcu

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luminouspoes · 4 years

Text

pick a place to rest your head

summary: when poe returns from a mission, he discovers something happened while he was away, and tries to cheer you up

content: implied/referenced ableism, shutdown, references to panic attacks (not shown), autistic!reader, no pronouns used iirc, swearing

read on ao3

It’s well past sundown when Poe finally finds you. He’d returned that afternoon from a pretty successful mission with Black Squadron and was surprised your face wasn’t among the crowd that greeted them: you were usually the first at Black One, pushing through the ground crews apologetically to hurl yourself into his arms for one of his traditional spinny hugs.

After the debriefing with Leia, he’d searched through the base for you, investigating all your favorite haunts. You were a creature of habit, which he loved, and often stuck to yourself aside from a handful of close friends - himself, Rose Tico, Kaydel, and the rest of Black Squadron namely - you hung with.

It wasn’t that you were shy, because you definitely weren’t that (you were fierce, a little smug, and as much a smartass as he was), it was that you were selective towards letting your guard down around people, letting people see you as more than just a quiet, obedient medic and part-time comms officer.

He’d asked you once why you did that, and you’d shrugged and refused to meet his eye as you answered, “Most people don’t understand me.”

It took a while for your meaning to dawn on him, the pieces coming to him slowly: how you’d cut yourself off mid-infodump if someone you weren’t familiar with approached you and the squadron, how he’d notice your hands twitching at your sides when something happened on a mission that made you happy (things that would have otherwise made you flap your hands in delight if you’d been in private), the way the sparkle in your eyes would automatically fade as your pulled your expression into a neutral expression around superiors.

Poe wasn’t sure who made you think you had to hide the spark that made you such a wonderful friend and a delight to be around, but he was certain he’d like a word with them because his heart broke a little more every time he watched you shrink in on yourself and dull your colors to fit into the boxes you thought were expected of you.

Unfortunately, the fact that you kept to yourself meant that everyone he’d asked had no idea where you’d been. You were good at avoiding detection like that - a little too good in Poe’s opinion, you’ve startled him more than once by being too kriffin’ quiet coming up behind him - but he finally finds you in an unused hanger.

You’re leaned up against a set of crates, legs drawn up to your chest, eyes closed with a pair of headphones on as you rock slightly to and fro - not to the beat, but to the energy thrumming inside you, overspilling into the action that Poe can’t help but be endeared by (he does it himself all the time, too, understands what it’s like for that energy to overflow).

He crouches down in front of you and taps your knee cap. Your eyes fly open with a start, your headphones falling askew as you jump. Poe winces, “Sorry, I didn’t mean to startle you.”

“No, no, it’s okay - wait,” your eyes go wide and you check the chronometer on your wrist, then back up at him, apologetic. “Shit, I lost track of time, I was gonna meet you on the tarmac -” you make a frustrated noise, halfway between a grunt and a whine, and press the heels of your palms against your eyes, which Poe notes for the first time are shining.

His heart sinks. You’ve been crying.

“Hey, it’s okay, I don’t mind,” still crouched, he shuffles around until he plops down beside you. He extends his arm in invitation and you immediately take it, leaning into him and pressing your face into the fabric of his flight suit.

He curls his arm around your back, squeezing your arm lightly. You’d explained once, sheepishly, that his hugs specifically seemed to help best when you were feeling overwhelmed, and it seemed like something definitely overwhelmed you while he was away. “Meltdown or shutdown?” he asks, lips pressed against the crown of your head. After a beat, he also adds, “Panic attack?”

It takes a long pause for you to respond, and he automatically catalogs this: you were having trouble getting the words out, as well. “Shutdown,” you finally answer, and your voice sounds rough even muffled against the fabric.

He rubs soothing circles against your back. “Are you doing better?”

You nod once, and Poe feels some of his worry ebb away. “You feel like talking about it?”

There’s a drawn-out silence, and he starts to open his mouth to assure you that you don’t have to if you don’t have the energy, but you straighten abruptly. You don’t back out of his grasp though, instead as you righten yourself, you scoot closer to him so your legs are pressed together. “Bad shift.”

“Did a mission go wrong?” Poe asks, tipping his head toward you, brow creased. A few loose strands of curls fall against his forehead.

You shake your head, “Went successfully. New comms officer…” you trail off, eyes falling down to your hands, which you’ve begun wringing together in your lap. “Saw me rocking, said things.”

Poe’s mouth disappears into a thin line, his hand curling into a fist at his side. “What things?”

You shrug slightly, “Teased me.”

“For rocking?” Poe says, voice low. He looks away from you, towards the empty expanse of the hanger, anger blooming in his chest. “Who was it?”

“Does it matter? It’s not gonna change anything. People don’t...they don’t understand me, don’t like the way I do things.” You shrug again, but Poe can hear the emotion thick in your voice, registers the history behind the words, and that just makes him angrier , because the universe shouldn’t do anything but marvel at your light, at the way you view the galaxy.

“Of course it matters, you shouldn’t have to -” he exhales sharply, closing his eyes as he tries to pull the words together. Instead of anything profound, he lands on an eloquent, “Fuck them.”

You blink in surprise at him, and he hurriedly continues, “You’re incredible, alright? Anyone who doesn’t see that or wants to snuff out the spark that makes you you is a jerk, and no better than the guys we’re fighting.”

“Poe -”

“The fact that people don’t understand you says a hell of a lot more about them than it does you, because all they gotta do is stop and listen. They’d see how amazing you are, just like the way me and the others do.”

“You and the others are like me, ” you murmur, but there’s a faint smile playing at your lips and he knows you’re taking his words to heart. “Of course you think that.”

“Even if I wasn’t, I’d still think you’re incredible.”

You chew on your bottom lip, “Really?”

“Really,” Poe assures you, pulling you in for another hug. He presses another kiss to your head, and you snake an arm around his torso. “But I am serious, who was this new officer?”

You twist your head, resting your chin just over his heart to look up at him, “Poe what are you going to do if I tell you?”

“I’m going to take it to the General. Hey, listen...the Resistance stands against all forms of injustice, alright? That includes ableism and we’ve got a lot of neurodivergent and disabled people on this base. We don’t need someone wandering around, making our best feel like shit because they’re an asshole.”

You squint suspiciously at him for a half-second, “Nothing else? You’re not going to try and give them a piece of your mind?”

“Would it be so bad if I did?”

“I don’t need anyone fighting my battles for me, not even you, Dameron. Besides, you get into enough trouble on your own, I don’t need you to start getting into it on my behalf.” You huff, staring plaintively up at him and he tilts his head back to chuckle in disbelief.

“I’m not going to say anything, because the worst thing I can do to this jerk is tell Leia. Trust me, there’s not going to be much left of the guy when she’s done.”

Poe sounds entirely too confident for this to just be an imagined example, and you tap him to get his attention. “Has something like this happened before?”

He hums in affirmation, “Couple of times. They get an ultimatum, either they can be reassigned and work on being a better person, or they can leave.”

At your incredulous look, Poe shrugs. “Like I said, the Resistance is meant to be a safe space, and we take keeping it that way seriously.”

You watch him for a second longer, then a grin creeps up on your face and you twist around so that the back of your head is resting against his chest instead. After a moment, you tell him the officer’s name, and Poe’s absolutely delighted by how smug you sound.

It’s a little while later that you leave the deserted hanger, but there’s a skip in your step as you walk beside him towards the mess for dinner, your hands moving freely as you infodump to him about your favorite book series. Every now and then, your hand motions will slow down in hesitation as someone you don’t recognize passes by, but Poe encourages you to keep going with a smile, and to his immense joy, you do.

After a while, he joins in, sharing facts on different things on the Rebellion that you listen to with rapt attention, asking as many questions about it as he did your book series, and for the time being, the war feels a million lightyears away, and so do ableist pricks.

#poe dameron #poe dameron x reader #poe dameron x you #myfic #hello yes this has been on ao3 for like a month i forgot to post it here oajtojtaojta #this was a self indulgent af fic

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chocolateslatte · 5 years

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🚨The Rise of Skywalker Detailed Review and Spoilers Ahead🚨

George Lucas: “If the boy and girl walk off into the sunset hand-in-hand in the last scene, it adds 10 million to the box office”

The “fairytale” we got: A long long time ago in a galaxy far far away, there was a curse of pain and death in a family that just went on and on. They were never able to break it and they all die, the end.

Well, you did it JJ, you little punk...you ruined 40 years of cinema. Kids are coming out of theatres crying, they can’t understand. I guess this was the “fun and hopeful ending” you were speaking of during the press tours. Are you on crack or something, or just sadistic....why would you promote it like that!? Did you forget Star Wars at its core is a story of hope, light, a fairytale in space for children? They did it...they united Reylo’s and Fanboys through hate.

JJ you do realize tragical romances are only tragically romantic if there was romantic buildup? Romeo and Juliet married in secret, Anidala did as well and flirted in the fields. How was this supposed to be satisfying? A five-second beginning, middle, and end. How this went through multiple execs is beyond me.... I would have understood if Reylo was Rian’s creation. BUT JJ LITERALLY was the one who told Rian to go forth with it...he created Reylo so you can’t say the last Jedi derailed things on that front. JJ wasn’t brave enough for his own vision. This movie was like “the crimes of Grindlewald”, a lot of stuff happening that made me feel nothing.

Okay, first things first. The OG trilogy was necessary, the prequels were necessary to set up that Vader did not start off bad. What was necessary about the sequels? They just dismantled everything the Skywalker family worked for. Why did we have to see ALL of our favorite characters die? Was the aim that a villain can only be redeemed through death? How original. I’m convinced what they were planning for since force awakens was a journey from villain to hero...but instead we got this a 10min redemption resulting in death a la Vader. Why call Adam Driver’s character a “Disney Prince”?When did Happy endings become so controversial? We go to the movies to feel hope, to escape reality...George Lucas understood that. JJ’s trilogy is uninspired, bland and contributes nothing to the saga. JJ went as far as to recon his own “The Force Awakens”.It had the chance to define generations but no. Literal and utter garbage. Rian made some odd choices but he was bold, unafraid and had the vision. HE knew emotion was at the heart of Star Wars.

WHERE DID THE SKYWALKERS RISE? MORE LIKE RISE OF PALPATINE, HE BLOODY WON

BUT my problem is not with the ending, it’s the bloody entire movie. This movie made me realize that it's not Reylo that I am a fan of, it was Ben, Leia, Han, Ani, Padme, and all those other characters. I’m upset because this movie is not my Star Wars: of family, love and above all else hope. This is just a 2.5-hour video game with no emotions. This trilogy was all angst with NO payoff.

Okay, you will never ever convince me Palpatine was planned the whole time. This whole movie was retcon for the Last Jedi that pissed off the fanboys. Lucas films did not have an outline for the three films and Rian derailed whatever they wanted to do....except they didn’t even tell him what they wanted! This should be a cautionary tale of why you need to plan. Kylo ain’t bad, Snoke is gone....well pull out Palpatine I guess. This whole film is JJ’s mad scrambling. Alright, I will humor you, tell me how Palpatine came back when he fell down a shaft and exploded....not *boom boom because of force*. The force in this movie is not canon George Lucas force, it’s just an easy out whenever JJ wants one.

1. Opening Crawl: As soon as I saw this I knew all the leaks were true, I wanted to bolt from the theatre. When I saw them in August I laughed cause it was so ridiculous it couldn’t be true. How could Disney let a whole movie leak? The plot seemed like a bad fan-fiction. Actually, fanfics are way more true to lore. Anyway, so Palpatine “announces” that he’s back. Is this the shrewd Chancellor Palpatine we know? Certainly, not...why in the world would he announce it rather than keep on the DL and just attack. Yo Palps ain’t this dumb why would you let them (the resistance) prepare?? Because of plot...well okay.

2. Did Last Jedi even happen: this film is the sequel to the force awakens, like TLJ never happened...except it’s acting like there was some movie in between that JJ made. Okay, so why is Kylo trying to run Rey over with his tie fighter...he doesn’t really want to kill her. It’s just meaningless action shots. And don’t get me started on exposition, the dialogue: “hey look its the Knights of Ren”. Except they do nothing. Cool cool. Kylo’s character goes back to Force awakens era like no development had occurred...except he’s not even there he’s just messing around not even being a real villain. JJ’s specialty is set-up and he does this beautifully....but he can not wrap up and follow through.

3. Rose Tico: yup last Jedi never happened, she has nothing to do. She and Finn are irrelevant. Finn has reverted to being obsessed with Rey. Cool Cool. I honestly feel so bad for the lovely Kelly Marie Tran. How did you relegate a relatively big character into the sidelines?? Why introduce two new characters this late. Rose could have filmed in for them...but alas we must snub Rian at every turn because that’s just how petty JJ Abrams is. ( don’t get me wrong Jannah was cool)

4. The Rise Of Poe Dameron: Finn has been relegated to a side character who does nothing and just yells “REY!”. It was a great setup, a stormtrooper who was force sensitive but doesn’t want his life to be fighting for nothing. You could have explored trauma, the discovery of the light but nope nada. Tell me the point of his character journey. So flat and static. And with Jannah and the ex stormtroopers they could have gone with the arc of these lost, sad kids coming together to find family.

5. Leia: Okay you’re telling me our Princess would give up on her son before he was born, just throw away her lightsaber and accept Ben’s fate? Cool alright. And she knew about Rey Palpatine and didn’t say anything...my princess would never.

6. Mary Sue Rey: Ahh Rey this girl feels no emotion in this movie...just like the audience. Sure she’s trained but she can just do stuff with the “force” that even Jedi masters can’t. Stopping a whole starship, something even Yoda could barely do...yup she can do it. Beat Kylo all the time except one, yup she can. Manipulate the force in mind-boggling ways, heal people...sure Luke couldn’t but Rey certainly can. Cause she is the chosen one...hell even Ani wasn’t this talented and he had years of training. Poe and Finn have a genuine connection, Rey just seems disjointed (totally understandable why)...but if so the ending is even worse. She doesn’t even find peace with her friends. She’s not realistic and human like Luke and Leia were.

Force sensitivity in the galaxy: What a perfect setup, the boy with the broom at the end of TLJ that was force sensitive. The message is that the power to use the force was spreading through the galaxy. No longer confined to the elite. People were hearing of Luke’s battle of Crate and rising.

7. Kylo/Ben: I still maintain that he, other than Ani was the most nuanced character in the whole saga. His arc from Force Awakens to Last Jedi had progressed. How great that even someone from the legendary line of skywalker and solo could fall to the dark again. He wasn’t flat, he was a tortured boy that was conflicted since the first movie. How great would it have been to see him as a conflicted supreme leader, which was set up in TLJ. But *gasps* a plot of his very own, no can do, this is the nature of JJ’s crush on Rey and Daisy.

Disney released comics that made us sympathize with him, to see that all along he was manipulated by Snoke, and Palpatine the voices in his head. Neglected by those who were supposed to love him. Adam Driver was cast perfectly, he had almost no lines that weren’t related to Rey’s charcater arc. If he were a woman I’m sure everyone would be offended. That single line’s delivery “Dad-”

Come on Poe had more lines than him, and Driver according to JJ was half of the protagonist. He was pitched an arc opposite that of Darth Vader that’s why he signed. Man JJ really did do everyone dirty.

8. Ben had no lines while redeemed other than “ow”...I am so sorry ADAM that this nasty ass JJ did this to you...this part was 100% improv by Adam, I am willing to bet my life on it. You know why “ow” was brilliant? Cause it meant he felt pain and emotion, he was no longer hiding behind the hardness of Kylo REN. Adam’s performance as Ben left me speechless, he was convincing as Kylo, intimidating...but as BEN he shines in the way only Solo’s can. The way his eyes become determined once he accepts he must give his life, and he does so happily for the love of his life. His soulmate. Star Wars and JJ never deserved the talent that is Adam Driver.

9. They are supposed to be equals in the force yet they missed the opportunity to fight Snoke together. Tell me how they are equals. He existed only to further Rey’s plotline.

Oh and the other Jedi including Anakin whisper and help Rey...when his own grandson has been asking for help in distress for like 30years. Nice real nice.

10. Finally Reylo: it felt unearned cause there was no buildup, JJ just threw it in for kicks forgetting all the P&P parallels he was shooting for. An afterthought. Driver and Ridley’s acting saved the day, they had no lines. Adam Driver is truly one of the finest actors. You could see the difference between Ben and Kylo in his subtle gestures...the sass was pure Han Solo.

11. And then the death: I wouldn’t even say we won, but at what cost. We won in no way. Had he died fighting I would have understood, but this death was so unnecessary and put in just for the fanboys. Let me say again I would have been okay with death had it been justified. How is this any different than Vader x Luke. JJ can only copy not create. How crazy that you can just bring people back from the dead...Anakin is here like, am I joke to you? I could have brought Padme back say what???? What was the point of his whole fall to the dark. The force is infinite, that’s the whole point...once you know how to use it you can’t run out of it like juice. Oh, and Ben did not become one with Rey but rather the Force according to the Disney website. So why pray tell did he not appear as a force ghost? I’m convinced JJ was on crack.

12. No Mourning BEN no acknowledgment: 5 seconds! And then she moves on from losing her soulmate, half of her soul. She loses it over Chewie but nothing, no emotion not even a second over her other half. Seriously? No one ever knows Ben came back...nada. JJ set up Reylo, time and time again he has said that he crafted the story around the romance. He was left scrambling after Last Jedi and this was a last-ditch shock ending. No Reylo theme song, no across the stars

13. Last Jedi told us you don’t have to come from a powerful family to be important. THE WHOLE thing was that you could be force-sensitive and be a nobody. Nobodies can become somebody. A Hero is not born but made. The force lives in all beings, not just powerful families. It inspired me, what a great message to young guys and gals. Kylo’s line, “you come from nothing, you are nothing...you have no place in this story” finally turns out true. You have to come from something to have a part in the Star Wars story. And Rey had darkness inside her cause she was human. Because none of us are pure, we are shades of grey. But no, it’s cause darkness only runs in families. In the Last Jedi when she wants to see her family all she sees is herself and a shadow (Ben) who joins with her. Please do explain this JJ. And if this granddaughter thing was set up I would have had no problem...but they pulled it from their asses. You can have nothing but mean something. But no pander to the fanboys. In the end, a Palpatine lived and all the skywalkers ended....and we are supposed to have hope. Palpatine really did win.

14. Rey’s biggest fear was ending up in the desert alone, we were told “the belonging she seeks is ahead not behind” and “there’s someone who could still come back”. They mentioned she felt just as alone with the resistance. Only the other half of her soul understood her. This is truly tragic and sad...I am so heartbroken for her. And don’t tell me she isn’t there to stay...the soundtrack is called “a new home”. Enjoy the rest of your days being exactly where you started Rey....but hey at least you got a droid boo. I’m convinced this is not the balance JJ envisioned in the first movie. At one point in TFA Rey looks up sees an old woman alone, scavenging in the desert. This rattles her to the core and it starts her journey of wanting a better, different life. I am so sorry Rey. Okay so you may say she has the resistance and her friends...but let’s consult the last Jedi. In the end when everyone is on the ship...Rey is surrounded by friends yet looks more alone than ever. No one but Ben, maybe Luke, Leia, and Han understood her pull to the dark.

How sad that these two hopeless souls who had never known a moment of belonging and true love, found it for all but a few seconds.

I will quote: “preventing female characters with strong, compelling narratives from experiencing love, intimacy, and affection is just as regressive as reducing them down to sexual accessories. Assumes that women must choose between a romantic interest and depth of character”

Men really can not write good female characters, can they? A woman really can’t be a badass and end up with the love of her life

15. The Skywalker’s and Redemption: How truly truly sad that Han and Leia gave their life for their son who also died at a young age. ALL the Skywalkers and Solo’s have a tragic end. This is not what George Lucas wanted. What a tragic way to end this saga...they weren't able to break the curse. AND to all those troubled kids out there that lashed out and made terrible mistakes in their youth....doesn’t matter what you do dying is the only way out. You could have exiled him, made him pay in other ways. Nothing can be done to make up for your sins but death, no amount of good means that you can come home. To the young boys that get wrapped up in terror organizations, sorry the only way you can be redeemed is death...don’t bother changing and coming back. They could have exiled him, had him start an academy with Rey for Jedi kids. He could have spent the rest of his days redeeming himself. Why tell us he was literally preyed upon, haunted, and manipulated as a child. Even in a fantasy world, a victim of mental illness and abuse can not catch a break. Ben as a child could not fall asleep due to the demon-like voices in his mind. Everyone abandoned him in his time of need. Ben never desired power like Anakin, he went over to the dark because “the voice” of his grandfather promised belonging. I am shocked that this is the message Disney sends us. Oh and yeah you can totally take on the Skywalker name for kicks...the disrespect I swear

16. The worst bit is that I am 90% sure there was another ending that was scrapped. There was a promo shot of Jannah in a field, soft lighting, lush planet. It was exactly like P&P. Daisy Ridley said the lasts scene was known to only Her, Jannah on that panel (Driver was away). Convinced Jannah was looking at Rey and Ben starting a new life away from the desert which she and Luke hate so much. Hence the production of “A New Home” soundtrack. Hence why the “Farewell” song played behind Reylo kiss was hopeful. Why Luke’s soundtrack when he became part of the force was not triumphant. Why the death scene was sudden and cut weird and no sorrow from Rey. CAUSE THEY SCRAPPED THE ORIGINAL ENDING LAST MINUTE. Everyone knows JJ was still editing one month before. The concept art which was supposed to be released this month has been pushed to March. Why you ask? They need to remove the pages with a happy ending. He just didn’t have the guts, pandered to everyone and yet no one. He was successful in creating a beautifully filmed action-filled movie with none of the heart of Star Wars.

And then she goes and buries Anakin’s saber on freaking TATOOINE. He HATES Sand and Luke wanted to get away from there as soon as possible. Of course, a Palpatine would torture them that way. But nostalgia is the cash cow so. JJ can only generate nostalgia, not create original stories. IF he had any creativity she would have buried it at Padme’s grave.

The fanboys say “leave the romance for the romance movies”....have you seen the original trilogy or the prequels? Star Wars has always had hope and romance entwined with it.

SO AFTER 40 YEARS...PALPATINE WINS...HIS BLOODLINE LIVES ON

...and people thought the prequels were bad

JJ you also said that your goal was for people to come out of the movie feeling more hopeful and happy then they went in...yet here I am. My roommate literally had to console me and buy me ice cream. I am just so numb. I am sure the casual fan will enjoy this, as seen from the rotten tomatoes ratings. I think the critics were too generous with this one,

Star Wars is very simple at its core, Good vs Bad and Dark vs Light. The kids are expected to understand that a Palpatine being the only one who lives is hopeful? That is the conclusion of three generations of Skywalker sacrifice...

This is how the Skywalkers are remembered...In Tragedy and Curse??

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