#you never leave the planet or even interact much with the star wars world as a creative concept

[evilkitten3]

there should be a star wars game where you play as Just Some Guy. no magic space knight powers, no criminal career, no tragic backstory, nothing. you are just Some Guy and then shit starts happening

[thankeywa]

Star-Crossed pt.4/? | Lo'ak x human!fem!reader (NSFW)

Warnings: once again, both Lo'ak and the reader are 20y/o, , MINORS DO NOT INTERACT with this or anything on my accounts. NSFW!!! this is the smut chapter. Nothing else. you can still skip this without losing any plot of the story.

words: 2.3k

summary: the reader is a human left behind on pandora, she grew up with the remaining humans who'd been allowed to stay on the planet after the war and has been friends with the Sully clan her entire life. She and Lo'ak were best friends until he began to pull away from her in their teen years for seemingly no reason. This story is about them reconnecting on the day of her twentieth birthday, and dealing with the feelings they have for each other and the obstacles that come with them being from two different worlds.

part 1 part 2 part 3

tag list: @aleromania , @ghostjoohoney, @cherry-blossom34, @stephenandfiveswhore , @neteyamforlife, @mochi-yu , @halibanana @notquitehero @vanillacoffeeaddict @kitsune0077 @mara-brekker @sully-stick-together @luthien-naenderthal @phantomalex14 @vanillawhale @omiivr @barbii04 @grierpilots @itszzmoon @wavyteals @punkrockrogers @fanboyluvr @Iwesodra @roguesimagination @kathrynlupin @anxietydrogz @b0rednb1tchy @xkaykay

Lo'ak was aware of the 'fight or flight' response that was said to be experienced by humans and other animals on Earth. Grace, Kiri's biological mother, had written entire journals about how, amazingly, Pandora's inhabitants went through something slightly different . It seemed that the entirety of the 'flora' and 'fauna' of Pandora was so interconnected, a prey knew whether it was time to run to live another day or give in and die, and predators also could sense whether or not a life should be spared once in a while. It was all to due with the balance of life, that Eywa so dutifully protected.

That didn't mean that the non-Na'vi dwellers of the planet did not feel fear or a basic strive for survival. Simply, that Eywa would sometimes intervene to give the two parties a way to reach an understanding.

Lo'ak was more than certain his human side was keeping him in a state of paralysis at that moment. But he didn't think that being intimate with his human better half was the sort of situation Eywa could give him insight on.

Nothing could have prepared him for this moment. He'd never even once considered the possibility that y/n reciprocated his feelings. Over the years he'd done his best to steer clear of any sort of... compromising thoughts he may have had of her — though he wasn't always successful.

Fortunately, she'd always seemed to prefer to wear significantly more clothes than Spider, but that had also left Lo'ak with a seemingly infinite number of questions.

"It's okay if you've changed your mind, Lo'ak..." y/n said softly, snapping him out of his reverie. She covered her chest and turned to look for her shirt again, suddenly feeling rather self conscious about the way she looked. She'd taken Lo'ak's silence and stillness as rejection.

The Na'vi quickly chased her lips for another kiss, whispering a thousand apologies to her in his native language. She was the most beautiful thing he'd ever seen. How could she not see it herself?

Lo'ak tentatively let one of his large hands leave y/n's cheek. It caressed her flushed neck, the dip of her shoulder until it finally came to cup the weight of her breast. Y/n could still feel him hesitate with every step, even shaking a little from how much he was afraid of hurting her. "Like this..." She guided Lo'ak's fingers, showing him all the different ways he could tease and tug at her nipple. "D-doesn't... doesn't that hurt?" Lo'ak attempted to recreate the motion on her other breast, now playing with both.

Y/n shook her head, desperately getting rid of the rest of her clothes so she could take care of the throbbing ache between her legs. Lo'ak had gotten surprisingly good at fondling her breasts in record time, and she wanted to show him exactly what he was doing to her. In between the middle of moaning his name and taking care of her aching cunt, she got a glimpse of the almost feral way he was staring down at her.

Lo'ak was drinking in every single detail of y/n's tiny body, dwarfed even more now that she was writhing in his lap. The second he saw her glistening pussy, an almost shameful wave of jealousy overcame him. He wanted to be the only one to ever see y/n that way, to get to pet her sweet little cunt. It was all his, and y/n could read it in his extremely dilated pupils.

"Everything okay, yawne?" Y/n panted sweetly, searching for another kiss. "You know I like it when you talk to me..." Lo'ak immediately showered her with more kisses, hating himself for stalling yet again. "No--yes... you just... you have a very pretty... syulang..." He said, his ears bending down in embarrassment. It took y/n a few beats to understand what Lo'ak meant by 'flower', and her cheeks felt quite warm at the realisation.

"I mean... all of you is... perfect. You're perfect." Lo'ak said with slightly more determination in his voice, hoisting y/n up in his arms so he could leave a kiss above where her heart was beating rapidly in her chest. She let out a keening sound when he took her left nipple in his mouth, still incredibly attent to being as gentle as he could. Y/n let him take his time exploring her, and Lo'ak worshipped her body until she was a trembling, moaning mess in his arms.

Y/n wanted to do the same. She wanted to run her hands over every single part of him. But it was kind of difficult when Lo'ak had her laid out on her back while he kissed and licked his way between her folds, seemingly unaware that he was going at a torturously slow place. Y/n begged and whined, but she was too far gone to even know what she was asking for anymore. Meanwhile, Lo'ak was completely intoxicated by her taste, keeping one of his large hands on her stomach so she wouldn't jump while he used his tongue to toy with her clit, always making sure to not as much as graze her with his teeth.

"Lo'ak, please..." Y/n let out a small sob, and Lo'ak looked up, sheepishly pulling away from the literal paradise he'd discovered between her thighs. "Did I hurt you?" He asked, but she furiously shook her head. "No... not that, yawne. Just, please... want to touch you..." It didn't matter that she'd been edged for so long, she suddenly didn't know how to ask Lo'ak to use his fingers. Or something more, which he wouldn't do anyway.

"But I like making you feel good..." Lo'ak didn't know how to say he'd been painfully hard and leaking just from eating her out, but now that y/n was sitting back up, there was no way she couldn't see his arousal. His loincloth was doing a rather poor job of hiding how much he wanted her. "I can't get enough of the way you taste..." He said in a shaky breath, cupping y/n's sex to feel the wetness there. She instinctively squeezed her thighs around his hand and he understood.

Lo'ak knew y/n used her fingers to play with herself, but his own were considerably larger and longer. How could she possibly take them inside of her? "Please, yawne, I need you..." She coaxed him to relax once again with her words, getting rid of the last clothes that were separating them. Y/n took in the sight of Lo'ak's large cock standing proudly, and curiously began to touch him with both hands.

Then sight of y/n's smaller hands tentatively trying to work his erection almost made Lo'ak go cross-eyed. "W-what are you..." He cursed, burying his head in y/n's neck when she began to play with his head, using her thumb to put the exact right amount of pressure as she teased the sensitive tip in quick circles.

Y/n bit her lip and giggled at the deep purring sound that came out of him. Almost as if to get back at her, Lo'ak slid one of his fingers deep inside of her, following the warm curves of her inner walls. Only when y/n let out a loud moan of relief, did he fully realise what he was doing. "Fuck, Lo'ak--" She reprimanded him softly for giving her no warning, but quickly began to rut herself down onto his digit, finding a rhythm at was good for her while squeezing down on the base of his shaft with both her hands. The pressure almost made Lo'ak see nothing but white.

What had he been so afraid of? The two of them were clearly attuned to each other's needs, and he never wanted to stop giving y/n pleasure like the one he could hear in her voice at that moment. Lo'ak began to curl his finger inside of y/n, before tentatively pumping it in and out of her while she held onto his neck for dear life.

It didn't take him long to understand where most of her pleasure was coming from, so he took matters into his own hands. Literally.

"N-no, no..." She whined when he took his finger out, but he kissed her, silently telling her not to worry. Lo'ak got them back in their original position, with him lying on his back and y/n sprawled out across his stomach. He ran his hand down her spine, and she lifted her hips up a little when she understood, letting him hook his fingers into her cunt from behind while he kept a firm grip on her ass.

Fingers. Because she was now taking two of them. And beautifully too, if Lo'ak had anything to say about it. He'd never seen her so completely lost in herself; and there she was now, giving in to the white heat of the fire he could feel inside of her. It was almost too much. Every desperate cry, every languid rotation of her hips, every scratch she left on his body, wanted to make him take y/n for himself. He wanted to see if she could sing just as beautifully while bouncing on his cock. But he knew exactly how dangerous those thoughts were.

He held y/n impossibly closer to him and pumped in a third finger along with the rest. Y/n's face contorted in something Lo'ak could not explain, but before he could stop himself, she was stilling in his arms. Her walls clamped down on his fingers, gushing around them. Y/n's body went as still as a rock as she tried to ground herself through her orgasm, suddenly feeling very cold and high on adrenaline at the same time. She needed Lo'ak to hold her tight.

The last thing she would have ever expected was for her lover to give out a horrified wail that she herself felt tear through his chest.

Y/n was bleeding. He'd made her bleed. "I hurt you." He panted, unable to look away from the blood on his fingers. "I knew it, I should never have-- "

"Yawne, calm down." Y/n tried to reassure him, touching his face gently. "I did not hurt me, I didn't even realize..."She sighed, feeling guilty for not having warned him sooner. "It's completely normal."

"Normal?" Lo'ak asked, bewildered. "You are bleeding." How could he have thought for a single second he could have trusted himself to hold y/n without causing her harm?

"It can happen sometimes to humans... more often than not during their first time... "She explained. "Something inside me just ripped, is all. It burns a little now, but you were making me feel so good I barely even felt the pain..." The thought of three of Lo'ak's fingers being more than enough to break her hymen made the possibility of taking his cock slightly more daunting than she'd previously imagined. But that didn't mean y/n no longer wanted him with every fiber of her being. "It won't happen again, if that makes you feel any better..."

Lo'ak pulled her close and kissed her. "You are so strong." He whispered, thinking about how lucky he was to have someone who had so willingly given themselves to him. Who trusted him with every part of their being. He hoisted y/n in his arms and took her to the bathroom, cleaning them both off with warm water and a soft towel. Even after all those years, he still remembered where everything was in her home.

As he did so, he knelt down in the small room that was clearly not built to accommodate someone of his stature and began to leave delicate kisses over y/n's mound and between her folds. It was his way of apologizing for the discomfort he'd caused her. "Are you trying to 'kiss it better'?" She giggled softly, running her hands through his braids. "Lo'ak, I promise you I'm okay..."

"Yes..." Lo'ak answered her question. "But I also just love kissing you here..." He admitted, looking up at y/n with nothing but reverence in his eyes.

It was hard to keep their hands off of each other for the rest of the night. Y/n desperately wanted to worship Lo'ak's body in the same way he'd done with her, and she wasn't going to rest until he finally let go and let someone else take care of him for once.

After a passionate make-out session against her bathroom sink, they'd stumbled back into the warmth of their bed and Lo'ak was once again aching for her. Y/n took in every single one of his reactions as her hands worked their magic over his cock: his grunts, his soft growls, his furrowed brow, and his hooded lids. Although nothing got to her quite in the same way as when he would bare his teeth, giving her a little glimpse of his sharp canines. Lo'ak was incredibly vulnerable at that moment, and he was all hers.

"Fuck, fuck y/n... " He unwillingly bucked his hips into her touch, almost throwing y/n off him by accident. "Oh shit--- sorry baby, come back here." Lo'ak reached for her and manhandled her back into his lap, unable to bite back a smile when she laughed a little. He enveloped himself around her completely, making sure the incident wouldn't happen a second time, as y/n brought him closer and closer to the edge.

Lo'ak exploded between them without much of a warning, surprising y/n with the heaviness of his load. She let out a soft moan as most of it painted her stomach, working Lo'ak's cock with her hand until he'd given her every last drop. The Na'vi was ready to apologize, embarrassed even in a state of afterglow, when he saw her bring her own finger to her lips to get a taste of his essence.

Lo'ak felt unable to breathe as he took in the debauched sight of y/n, her belly and lips covered with his seed while she looked up at him innocently.

It was going to be a long night.

[kit-williams]

Cuckoo Anon

Oh you bet your Chain Axe I Do! Had to stop last night because tired but I've got pretty good ideas for some other legions reactions to getting yoinked from their original timeline.

Disclaimer: Apologies if your fav legion doesn't appear here I only know enough about so many of them.

Word Bearers - Another group that's more Aware that the warp has something to do with this, though less able to actively affect it than say the Thousand Sons. Definitely in the group that Wants to establish contact with their original timeline because there's so many souls here in need of the warp's guidance. Until they're able to do that, they spend there time pouring over the various religious texts available here. Would speak up at a theology lecture to correct the speaker about the details of certain figures that they've actually met in their original timeline. Example: Nurgle. They also enjoy yoga for its meditative quality, though its less enjoyable for even the most yoga obsessed humans. The Word Bearers pair yoga with dark ritualistic chanting. Even in Gothic the humans recognize the words are...a bit unsettling.

Rating: Suddenly finding yourself running a...more intense version of a Bible camp as your Word Bearer instructs his group on the proper alignment of ritual circles with the Stars for their next venture. You just hope none of these will ever involve blood sacrifices.

War Hounds/World Eaters - Cut from the same cloth, even stitched with the same pins. Like the Iron Warriors these guys are actually Thriving (as much as they can) in this new environment. You'd think with everything being softened and pacified by the warp they'd go raving mad. But no, because that includes their nails and bloodlust. The nails still hurt, but its like a toothache most days compared to feeling like your brain is being stabbed. And they still crave battle, but there's sparring arenas and Astarte focused gyms in practically every city and marine base here. Plus the occasional chance to Really let loose on some human killer warbands. And if a Marine is sick of their nails completely they can be Removed! The instrument of their torment can be done away with (Chronic pain and migraines remain for most of them but again, far less pain than once was). This new clarity gives them room to reflect. The empire and chaos only found them useful when they were Hurting and Angry constantly. They were never allowed to be anything else. But with the humans here, especially with bonds that can sooth the nails completely, they finally can just....be.

Rating: Laying your head across your bonded humans lap with a fire crackling on a cold night. The scars from the nails twinge for a moment, causing you to hiss. Until your human coos, brushing the hair from your forehead, and at once the pain cools to nothing. You settle, not sure if you deserve this but decide you will accept it. You lean into your humans touch. You are both content.

Space Wolves - If War Hounds are the abused pups learning to love again, Space Wolves are the...Wolves learning to trust/work with humans for the first time. Space Wolves had interactions with humans in their timeline, but only those on their own planet would treat them like normal people. Everywhere else humans saw them as the Emperors Angels. Dangerous and Untouchable. So to have these humans approach them like neither of those groups kinda throws them off. They're not Afraid of them in a broad sense, but they're also not familiar enough yet. The two are finding their footing with eachother. Having a dog gets immediate points with a Space Wolf, they love pups. All shapes and kinds but they obvious lean towards more wolf like breeds. By the same token Space Wolves don't tolerate animal abuse. Any marine type Might decide to kill an animal abuser, a Space Wolf won't hesitate. If you're lucky they'll just steal neglected animals and leave the abuser with some property damage. At worst well...you get the idea.

Rating: Opening up that animal rehab shelter you've always wanted to Not because you thought you were finally  ready...but because your Space Wolf keeps bringing home strays, and neglected animals. But hey, seeing your big guy happily laying in a swarm of pups makes it all worth it. And the time you saw him literally send an abusive owner flying into your trash can for trying to take their dog back.

Death Guard - Weird idea, but they're doing okay. It's just that most of them are feral by choice rather than the Alpha legion's situation. The warp may make their haze of rot less dangerous here, but being near one is still Alot for an average human. Also the cities don't have enough Greenery. So the ferals stick to the forests and overgrown areas. Their presence boosts the cycles of life and decay, and they actually Clean!?!? Well yes, the litter and plastic trash, anything biodegradable can stay...or gets eaten. Yep I see Death Guard as the vultures or millipedes of space marines. They can eat Anything organic, and they enjoy the more fetid pieces. Many humans have been startled to find their garbage being raided after some spoiled leftovers were thrown out. And as far as personality goes they're actually pretty gentle. They see no reason to attack humans, they're natural miasma is still imparting the gifts of Nurgle occasionally so why bother? If a Death Guard bonds to a human that bond is deep and loving. The bond also helps their human resist their smell, and makes the human stronger against the illness miasma. Its not a perfect defense, energy still gets drained, but your Death Guard will always be there to lend a hand, claw, bone growth to help when you need it.

Rating: Hiking through the forest, and suddenly catching an awful smell. Your curiosity bids you follow it, lest it be a hiker that met an ill fate. As you get closer the greenery around you seems to grow larger, and more beautiful with every step. Literally bursting with life. You come to a small open area beneath the trees. The smell is strongest here, and you see a large misshapen green body. It raises its cupped hands, that hold something you can't identify, to a branch. A flower bud slowly opens to full and....a Butterfly flits to the new bloom from his palms. You stand in awe. The shape turns as you watch from behind a tree, your eyes meet through his helmet. You just...stare at eachother. And though you don't notice at the time, the scent no longer has presence in your mind.

Alpha Legion - (Only fitting that I finish off with the legion that gave me my name.) So honestly...kinda struggling. These fellas are so used to spying, and secrecy and playing games of 12D chess (even though doing that wasn't the best choice to begin with but I digress) and now they've been dropped in a place that has...none of that?? They're separated from their spy networks, no matter what side of their Timeline they were fighting on they only really have eachother now. The other legions are Very unwilling to trust them for obvious reasons. And they have a shit time making bonds with humans. Like seriously, f their lives right up. Like at least when they were just a cog in a clusterfuck of war, alliances, battles and betrayals, they didn't have to think and reflect about how Lonely they actually are. But...on the other hand, they're free to do as they please here. Sure the other marines are wary of them, but as long as they don't outright start shit things can go on tense but peaceful. Occasionally snatching some affection while disguised is okay, but still...they want something real. And when they do get that, whether the bond is truly like their fellow marines or slightly different, they Don't let go.

Rating: You came home to an Ultramarine in your house, only it didn't really...act like an ultra marine? It took no interest when you showed it your excel documents, didn't try to organize anything, and shied away from conversing with other loyalists. He Did help you out around the house, and was exceptionally affectionate. Most marines were some flavor of touch starved (except maybe Salamanders), but this seemed excessive. Then one night you woke up, and heard hushed but intense whispering. You peaked out of your bedroom to see your Ultramarine conversing with....himself!? Your eyes did not deceive, and your ears did not lie. Same voice, same armor, down to the same scratches and battle damage...but that was impossible! Your musings were interrupted by one of them getting louder.

"It is still My turn with the mortal!"

"You expanded your timetable in the schedule. That is Unfair brother, and you know it."

"This is not up for discussion, and You cannot be here right now! Do you want us to be thrown out completely!?"

"Maybe if we were simply Honest with them we wouldn't have to worry about that, but You insisted we stick to this charade. Well I'm SICK of it!" The ultra on the right lost his composure, and his form phased and shifted. Royal blue became teal and the helmet shifted to a form more resembling an octopus. An Alpha Legion marine...but that would mean...

The one you assumed to be Your marine spoke up. "Enough! I will not tolerate your insubordination! Leave now!"

The newly shifted marine stood his ground and sneered. "Why don't you Make me brother?!"

"Or you could....Both stay?" The two marines whipped their heads to face you. You stood in your pajamas, as the two armored marines stared in stunned silence.

"I...can explain." Your marine started, but you held up your hand.

"Its okay," You assured him, crossing the distance so you could look him in the eye.  "We do need to talk things over but...I think I understand why you felt you needed to do this." You turned to his brother. " Should've let me know we were having company. I think we could all use some hot chocolate."

Your second space marine perked up. "I hope you have enough supplies for us all."

"Two space marines and a human you mean?"

"Weeeeeell...." Knock, knock, knock. You turned to the door, and your space marine let his disguise shed as he reached for the handle. The door opened to reveal...1,2,3,4...yeah you were gonna need more hot chocolate.

Love these I really do you're making me blush

[antianakin]

Funny thing about the Mandoclone idea is that the Clones are in a unique position to experience a ton of different cultures as well as having their own on Kamino.

Via the Clone Wars they'd have the chance to experience the culture of the Jedi, Ryloth, Courusant, Kashyyyk and any other allied planet where they may have spent an extended period period of time. As compared to Mandalore which was an unaligned system that didn't interact much with them.

Like imagine if instead of "vode" the 212th used the word "nera" after Waxer and Boil introduced it to them from their time on Ryloth.

A group of Clones spend a long time living with the Wookies and adopt some of their behavior.

They spend a bunch of time on Courusant and get used to big city living.

There're limitless possibilities for the different divisions to branch out into their own miniature cultures based on who their Jedi is and the kind of people they meet out in the Galaxy. I don't know why people fixate on Mandalore.

I imagine people fixate on Mandalore because there's a lot of EU content and lore describing what Mando culture might look like which has spawned a lot of fandom engagement sort-of expanding on what Mando culture is and could be. Mandoclones are just... simple and easy. You never have to put a ton of work or thought into them, tbh, because everyone who goes for it just copy/pastes some variation on Mando culture onto the clones and calls it a day: armor means everything, they say riduurok vows or whatever, they speak Mando'a and call each other vod/vod'e, they exchange gauntlets as a form of courtship or marriage ritual, they adopt everything that moves, they like spicy food. I don't even CARE about Mandos and have never sought out fics about them or read a single book from the EU that focuses on them, but I feel like I know basically everything there is to know about them because I've read a lot of fics with clones in them that repeat the exact same things over and over.

Whereas having to go for, say, Wookie culture or even Twi'lek culture via Ryloth means having to be a lot more creative with your headcanons because you're likely going to have to come up with most of it yourself since they're VASTLY less examined in Star Wars than the Mandos have been (at least, so far as I'm aware of). It just takes more work and not everybody wants to go for that in fanfic when the easy simple obvious route is right there for the taking and it's probably in your head via osmosis anyway (despite the fact that canon doesn't showcase almost any of these traits).

But I am immensely tickled by the idea of a bunch of clones bonding with wookies during the war and learning how to understand the language the way Han does and absolutely loving the idea of living in trees and stuff and in a happy fix-it AU they just move to Kashyyyk and get adopted by a wookie family.

I'd love to see more stories of clones getting invested in various different cultures. Clones who go to Pantora because they love the cold snowy weather and the various different festivities Pantora has involving winter and snow and ice and the pretty fuzzy clothing they wear to keep warm. Clones who love Tatooine or Jakku because it might be a hive of scum and villainy in some of the towns, but deserts have their own beauty. Clones joining the community on Kiros after the war as they recover from the trauma of Kadavo and find peace. Clones who figure out a way to live alongside aquatic species like Mon Cala and Nautolans because they're still drawn to water worlds even years after leaving Kamino and they're drawn to the large ocean worlds even though they can't breathe underwater like the native inhabitants.

The options are truly endless once you break away from Mandoclones and they're all great and nobody talks about any of them ever.

[tobarrow8]

My thoughts on superman and the authority:

To start with the art is absolutely gorgeous it is some of the best I have seen in comics, Mikel Janín and Jordie Bellaire do an amazing job every pannel looks beautiful. The begining is the best part with the set up of this older modern superman and his brief introduction along with the introduction of Manchester Black who is the star of this comic along with superman their dynamic is really good and something I wish they focused more in the comic. The villians are kinda werid it ends up being a conspiracy and brianiac is at the top but they just like leave earth after there first battle leaving ultra humanite and braniac and letter Supermans son John deal with it. They just go another planet called war world but like it ends there. Its only 4 issues, tf happened to the rest of the comic. There was a real opportunity to have these characters go into this new medivial planet hulk type world and see how they adapt, interact with each other and develop as characters but it just ends there. Idk if there's gonna be more there should, it has the potential to be one of the best superman runs since all star superman. I didn't really like the new introduction to natasha irons / steal, it was kinda weird, they just through you into this complex situation and like here's a new character and then she's there now and idk who she is or even her personality traits all I know is she has a grandad called John. Also there are a lot of references especially in the introduction of natasha to modern day technology like tik tok nfts Porno actual body shaming trolls and it just felt cringy and trying to much to be down witb the kids like stop please, whose making you do this grant Morrison. The introduction to midnighter and appollo was good I wish we could see more of there relationship but we don't get to see them much together in the short mini series. The introduction to enchantress was probably the best bit of the comic it really set up the problems she was struggling with in a really creative way that's true to the character but Manchester Black is like just get over it and her problems are never mentioned again - it's rushed character development. The main problem is the length of the series though, it makes the comic feel rushed and complicates characters and doesn't give them adequate growth or development and it has to much going on. Had Morrison had say like 50 or 70 issues he truly could of created something amazing, or something even akin to spider-man life story. Overall, it wasn't bad but far from Morrisons best work so I'd give it a 5.5/10.

[thesparkofhope]

The Spark of Hope is a free to play interactive novel set within the world of Star Wars. Wherein you’ll take the role of a young Jedi trying to find their way in a galaxy that has turned on its head; some liberties have been taken with the lore but that’s all for the sake of the story.

May the Force be with you…

The Empire…

It’s synonymous with everything that has gone wrong within the known galaxy; taking life as if they were a simple inconvenience. Many know it as the dark cloud— the dark force— constantly hovering over them. Just waiting for a time when it’s suitable to strike.

You, however, know it a bit more intimately than the other inhabitants of the galaxy. To them the Empire, and subsequently the Emperor, was a faceless tyrant. An entity that needed no physical form for them to feel its presence.

To you he was father…

And to him you were a pawn that he could use to tighten his hold on those he thought lesser. To ensure that he would stay in power.

The only thing in your favor? You were able to escape the Empire’s hold but it’s only a matter of time before he tracks you down.

Even if you wouldn’t be able to stop him, you only needed to get people to see that they had a fighting chance.

That rebelling was the only way to survive.

And that you weren’t the enemy.

This story is 18+ for violence, depictions of torture, sexual themes, profanity, and alcohol consumption.

The lore, as I’ve mentioned previously, is shifted primarily around two things; that Jedi aren’t allowed to fall in love and that Palpatine is known (meaning his face). Palpatine is an ambiguous entity that can look a bit different then how you remember him. I hope that doesn’t upset anyone too much.

This is set before the original movies but after the prequels. Where the Rebellion was first starting out.

Customizable MC: name, nickname, appearance, gender, sexuality, fighting style, and more.

Choose your lightsaber color— that will boost your stats appropriately— from blue to green to purple to yellow.

Romance 1 of 5 options that will show you what you’ve been missing in life. Or choose to stay single.

Visit different planets as you try to recruit allies— while going under the Empire’s radar— and meet interesting people in the process.

Make sure that you don’t crash the Tempest too much, alright? Her captain won’t be too pleased with you.

Toe the line between the Light and Dark side as you try to sever your bond with the Empire. Don’t lose your way…

Have fun down time with your companions— namely your small droid friend— and get to learn more about them as you travel through the depths of space.

Practice the force and hone your skills with your lightsaber— just make sure you don’t blow anything up— as you never know who may show up.

Anehsi/Anehsa Kaa [M/F] - The Warrior

[5’8” | Sky Blue Eyes]

Species: Togruta

You meet the empathetic individual on one of your first stops after escaping the Empire. With kind eyes, a fighting spirit, and a genuine want to help, you know that you have an ally that you can trust. But maybe you’ve found something more too.

Rhen/Rhea Solace [M/F] - The Mechanic

[5’10 | Silver Eyes | Dark Brown Hair]

Species: Human

The other half of the Tempests modest crew; a flirt that has a way with the machinery of any spacecraft. With sly words, a saccharine smile, and innuendos exuding from them, you know your time aboard the ship has just gotten a lot more interesting. Especially when you notice the softer edge they have when they think no one is looking.

Castor/Celeste Ekiam - The Anchor

[5’6 | Hazel Eyes | Auburn Hair]

Species: Human

The only person that you trusted enough to tell your plan— about how you needed to leave everything behind— and who, without hesitation, came with you. With a gentle demeanor and soft words most would assume they were harmless; they’d be wrong. You don’t know what you’d do without them by your side.

Elaire/Elaira Amadis [M/F] - The Captain

[6’3” | Green Eyes | Golden-White Hair]

Species: Human

The captain of the Tempest that has sarcasm exuding from every word; their guard up around you even if they don’t know where you’re truly from. Will you be able to show them that you’re not a threat? Soothe the years pain from their eyes as you get to know them aboard their ship? Or will it all crumble before your eyes?

Kit'alo'nuruodo (Kit) [M/F] - The Bounty Hunter

[6’0” | Red Eyes | Jet Black Hair]

Species: Chiss

A pragmatic individual that has a cunning intellect— you were able to see that the moment you met their gaze— which makes their prowess in battle that much more deadly. You may not be sure if they’re on your side completely but you’re glad they’re not actively trying to kill you anymore too.

DEMO TBA

[twinterrors29]

the surprising part is how long it takes him to notice

it’s not until years after his death that Obi-Wan realized that the other Force ghosts were not quite as...tangible, as he is; they got ‘tired’, and weren’t ‘present’ all the time the way he was

Obi-Wan wrote it off as some quirk of his connection to the Force, some difference in his training compared to the others

but Anakin, for all his power, could only show himself to Luke, briefly and without voice

Yoda, for all his years of preparation, beginning even before teaching Obi-Wan himself and extending after his death, cannot interact with the physical world, and yet Obi-Wan has always been able to sit on real surfaces and touch the living at will

not to mention Qui-Gon, who can only ever manifest as a disembodied voice, and even that only rarely, and exclusively to Yoda, Anakin, and Obi-Wan

that belief was shattered by an accidental encounter after the Battle of Endor

Captain Rex (who was still refusing to accept his well-deserved promotion to Commander) wasn’t the least bit Force-sensitive, and by all rights shouldn’t have even been able to see him

after all, none of the other clones he’d sought out over the years since his death reacted to his presence, although he couldn’t bear to visit any of them more than the once

and yet

“shoulda known the rumors of your death were exaggerated, huh,” Rex had muttered, walking up to deliver a slap to his surprisingly-solid shoulder

they awkwardly, but happily, chatted about Rex’s ongoing efforts to track down his surviving brothers for a few minutes before he got called away, leaving Obi-Wan staring after him in disbelief

then he settled in to piece together this new mystery

it’s not like he had much else to do, being dead, and with the Empire largely defeated

and now that he had a purpose to pursue, his ability to interact with the physical realm and non-Force-sensitives came in handy when attempting to research esoteric Force phenomena in a galaxy nearly empty of his own people

first, he drew on dimly recalled memories of a strange incident during the Clone Wars: Mortis, a planet where even Qui-Gon was able to appear, and where he witnessed a series of unusual deaths

with a little digging, he was able to pull up some unexpected references to the three beings he met, the Daughter, the Father, and the Son, in old Jedi legends, and even a reference to Nightsister beliefs regarding the Daughter and Son in particular, but was able to find no reference to others in his state

he found nothing regarding their origins, and little more about their home planet

unable to find Mortis itself again, Obi-Wan instead searched through the remnants of several long-abandoned Dathomiri villages when he was found by a familiar face

“General,” the clone breathed, looking awed

it took a second for Obi-Wan to recognize him; it has been so very, very long, and age had taken it’s toll on his former Commander, but there was no mistaking the curving scar around his left eye

“Cody?”

“I killed you,” Cody looked faint

“no, dear one,” Obi-Wan quickly denied, “you didn’t, and even if you had, it wouldn’t have been your fault”

it took a few more reassurances, but eventually his old friend was willing to accept that he hadn’t, in fact, killed his General

after all, it’s hard to argue that you killed the seemingly-alive and whole man standing in front of you

“you know,” he remarked, sipping at the tea he had made for Obi-Wan, who was politely pretending to be able to drink it, “I probably should have figured it’d be harder to kill you, considering all the stories the men would tell about you”

“oh?” Obi-Wan asked, remembering that Rex had expressed a similar sentiment, “what sorts of stories?”

“that you were some unkillable god of misdirection or something,” he paused for another sip, “all respectful of course, but the rumors had definitely spread back to Kamino before the war ended”

this was news to Obi-Wan, but considering the looks some of the shinies gave him when he welcomed them to the 212th, he could believe it

“they even built these little shrines to you”

“they what”

“yeah,” Cody winced, “I made them take it down whenever I found one, but I know I never found them all”

“speaking of finding,” Obi-Wan seized upon any chance to change the subject, “how long ago did Rex track you down?”

“Rex is alive?” Cody sounded surprised but pleased at this revelation

“ah, I assumed you knew; when I spoke with him recently he mentioned his efforts to find his brothers and remove their chips”

“no, I haven’t seen him since he left for Mandalore back during the war,” he shook his head, “and my chip just stopped working about three years ago”

“just like that?”

“yeah,” Cody squinted, recalling the experience, “I was getting ready to sleep after just another shift on the Devastator, when I felt...”

“felt?” Obi-Wan prompted, feeling an uncomfortable familiarity with the scene Cody was describing from his single visit to his Commander shortly after his own demise on the Death Star

“warm,” Cody eventually decided on, “I felt warm, and by the time the feeling had faded I was myself again”

Obi-Wan expressed his relief to hear about Cody’s awakening, but despite his joy at seeing his Commander safe and mostly happy, he couldn’t shake the feeling that he had something to do with Cody’s chip malfunctioning

after eventually parting ways with Cody, who had been sent to explore the slim possibility of starting a settlement on the long-abandoned home of the Nightsisters, Obi-Wan decided to search out the other survivors of the 212th that he had checked in on after his death

somehow, he wasn’t surprised to discover that every one of them was now free of the chips’ control, with no scar on their forehead like Rex’s, and that they were to a man working together to free and organize any of their remaining brothers

and, in each of their ships and bases, he noted, was a loving arrangement of lights and tea bags and plants, all surrounding a still holo of himself

[local-spoon-does-a-thing]

Found (Part 2/2)

[(Bayverse) Optimus Prime x Reader]

A/N: Woooo it’s finished! This part is going to mostly be about Optimus and Reader interacting. Hope you enjoy!

You can find the first part here!

Summary: You and Optimus Prime have a conversation under the starry night sky.

Soon enough, it was time to sleep and recharge. As the Autobots went into their alternate forms to recharge, your footsteps automatically led you to Bumblebee’s vehicle form as you had slept inside there for the past few years. Just as you opened the car door and sat down on the front seat, you were suddenly ejected out and had landed against the hard, rocky ground. You let out a small growl and turned around, only to witness Bee letting Cade, Tessa, and Shane entering inside. Oh, so they were allowed to sleep there but not you? Your eye twitched with annoyance but before you could call him out, Bee’s radio suddenly turned on.

“Turn around, bright eyes~” You knew the song all too well as it was the classic song, Total Eclipse of the Heart by Bonnie Tyler.

You listened to the lyric that was played and whipped your head behind you. Optimus was in his truck form, his door open for you. Ohhh, right. You’ve forgotten that he was going to speak with you later. Seems like “later” was right now. Letting out a tired sigh, you were hesitating to walk to him. The nervousness drowned you once more like it had earlier. You still couldn’t figure out why you were nervous. Were you worried that you had lost your place in his spark? No, that was ridiculous. Why would he? It seemed like you were waiting for too long since Bumblebee turned on the radio once more and another old classic song played.

“Listen to your heart

When he’s calling for you.

Listen to your heart

There’s nothing else you can do.

I don’t know where you’re going

And I don’t know why,

But listen to your heart

Before you tell him goodbye.”

You looked back and glared at the sneaky little car, narrowing your eyes at him before walking to Optimus. As you got inside, a strong sense of nostalgia hit you like a truck. You remembered all the times that you would sleep, talk, and drive in here. Like the gentlebot he was, Optimus gently shut the door for you while you made yourself comfortable for one last time. Neither of you said a word. What were you supposed to say to someone you haven’t seen for a long while? A generic “hey” or “hello” was too lame and awkward. Damn it all, why did this have to be more complicated than it needed to be?

“[Y/N],” The old Bot spoke, “There are many things I wish to talk to you about, but it would take time, and unfortunately for us; time is the one thing we no longer have.” You remained silent, not knowing how to respond to that. Optimus was expecting something to be said from you but after a moment, he continued. “You are silent. That is unlike you. Is there nothing you would like to tell me?”

That was far from the truth. Like he wished to, you as well wanted to talk about many, many things. But you had a feeling that if you were to even try to get a word out, everything would just spill and flow out like a waterfall. Overwhelming emotions would just be thrown back and forth, incoherent words would spit out. You wouldn’t know how to deal with it and you doubted that Optimus would know.

“That...that’s not true. That’s not true and you know that.” You felt your throat start to clog up and tighten. Your eyes stung as tears threatened to fall. Damn it, now wasn’t the time to break down. It wasn’t your fault for feeling this way, you knew that. But if this was going to be your last time together with him, you didn’t spend the whole time crying your eyes out. The night could only go for so long and you hated it.

“I...I don’t know what to say. I don’t know what to say first. I’ve always dreamed and imagined what I would do if I ever get to see you again. I thought that I would be excited and we would just talk about what’s been happening and what changed. But now, I’m...nervous? Scared?” You sighed. This wasn’t going like how you wanted it to plan. “I don’t know what I’m feeling. But I do know that I don’t want to lose you again. The last 5 years were torture to me. We...we lost Sam to the damn corrupt organization. I was forced to leave my home since Bee and the others weren’t the only ones being hunted down. I missed you, Ratchet, ‘Hide, Sam- and I don’t even know if my parents are still alive! I don’t- I don’t understand! I can’t understand anything!”

By now, the tears were pouring out. Each word took your breath away and you began rambling about how everything had broken you. Your sharp inhales turned into shaky sobs. You buried your face into the palms of your hands as you just couldn’t stop crying. Your whole world was spinning and turning upside down and you couldn’t take it-

“[Y/N], stop. Breathe. You need to breathe.” His voice was finally heard. Optimus had tried calling out to your name multiple times, but you didn’t stop. You didn’t hear him. Once your rambling had discontinued, he took a couple of seconds to gather his thoughts before speaking again.

“I understand that you have gone through a lot, I truly do, and you are not the only one who has felt this way. There has not been a single day gone by where I do not worry about you. If I had only known that this would happen...I wouldn’t have run away. I would’ve done everything in my power to protect you.” He told you. His soothing voice managed to help you calm your breathing and you continued to listen to what he had to say. “When this is over, I can't promise that your life will be able to go back to normal. But I can promise that I do not plan on leaving you any time soon. And if for some reason that does happen, I will find my way back to you. No matter how long it takes.”

And you knew that whenever Optimus makes a promise, he never breaks it. Every word that he said held meaning in them. You lifted your head and looked at the radio. Your eyes were red and puffy from all the crying, which you still had yet to stop, your face was slightly pink, and your hands were soaked from the tears. You haven’t even noticed that you’ve been repressing your emotions until the flood gates had opened.  Goddamn, it felt good to get everything off of your chest. With your breathing being much more stable, you laid your forehead against the steering wheel and closed your eyes as more tears were shed.

“I missed you, Boss Bot.”

“And so have I, Tiny Girl.”

The two of you remained there in comfortable silence, along with your occasional sniffs from your stuffy nose. A couple of minutes have passed by and neither of you said anything. Instead, Optimus adjusted his side-view mirrors slightly upwards towards the sky. It was a clear night sky, no clouds to be seen. The stars have been revealed and they were as clear as daylight. Whenever you had your sleepless nights in the past, you would usually come to him and he would tell you about his home planet, Cybertron. He told you about his glorious moments during the war but made sure not to get too into detail. Perhaps, stargazing one more time shouldn’t hurt.

“I recommend looking out the window, [Y/N]. The stars are clearer than ever.” Optimus said as he rolled down the window.

You opened your eyes and as you looked and poked your head out of the open window. When you turned your head upwards, your eyes widened in astonishment. It had been too long since you looked at the stars since you were too busy trying not to get yourself killed. A graceful smile slowly formed onto your lips and your whole face lit up. At that moment, Optimus saw the bratty little teenager he knew and loved.

“Hey, Optimus? Um, is it ok if you change out of your alternate form? Just for a bit. I want to see you…” Your voice quieted down when your sentence started to drift away.

Optimus didn’t want to accidentally awake the others from their recharge, but the puppy dog eyes he received from you told him to do it. Without another word, he transformed back to his original form as you steadily held onto him, trying not to fall. He kept you sitting on the palm of his hand and looked behind him. Good, no one was awake. Or so he thought. Hound had been awake for most of the time, briefly listening to the conversation between you and the Autobot leader. From what Bumblebee had told him, he knew that you two were close. But actually witnessing the bond you two had from his own eyes; it gave him a warm feeling in his spark. Sure, he displays himself as a bickering wrecker, but he deeply cares for his comrades. And seeing you finally enjoying yourself and being happy made him happy. With peace in mind, he slowly fell into recharge, awaiting for the next day.

Optimus slowly walked away from the camp so he was able to get a bit more privacy with you. He perched you on top of his shoulder and you balanced yourself. As he walked further away, you looked up as the bright moonlight shines upon the two of you. It felt like you were back in your teen years and damn it felt good. Once you two were far enough, he slowly sat down on the dirt floor with a bit of a grunt. He was getting old but not old enough. The weight of everything that had happened, spanning from the war to being hunted down by humans, was starting to take a toll on his body. If you didn’t know any better, you would’ve told him that he was starting to act like a tired dad.

You sat down on his shoulder when suddenly, you felt something uncomfortably poking your back. Wincing a bit, you grabbed whatever was making you feel uncomfortable and to your surprise, it was your emergency gun. Throughout the whole day, you’ve forgotten that you kept one. Optimus turned his head towards you and once his optics landed on the gun, he almost flinched away. Let’s just say, despite his massive size, he didn’t like any weapons too close to his head. Also, the image of you holding a gun was something that was too strange for him and he did not like it whatsoever. To him, it was equivalent to giving a 5-year-old a rifle.

“[Y/N]...why do you have a gun?”

You turned to him as your eyes met with his glowing blue ones and a mischievous smile slowly crept onto your face.

“Oh, this old thing? Well, I did manage to steal it from one of the Cemetery Wind soldiers during one of our encounters. I’m pretty much a pro at using guns now.” You boldly said as you twirled it around your finger. 

There goes your inner arrogant self. Unfortunately for you, your little twirling trick almost led to you dropping your gun. You caught in time just as it flew out of your hand. Optimus deadpanned at you and had the urge to roll his optics. Yeap, even when you were in your twenties, you were still somewhat a brat.

“Well then, little pro, I’ll have you know that the safety is off.”

He smirked when he saw the semi-panicked look on your face and went to immediately check it, only to find out that the safety was, in fact, not off and he just wanted to mess around with you. To his amusement, you groaned and whined, almost like you were having a tantrum. A quiet burst of laughter erupted from him and his body slightly shook.

“I know that it is not my business to pry in, but aren’t you too young to be using a weapon as dangerous as that one?” He asked once he had calmed.

“Eh, I’ve grown. I mean, I’m already in my twenties and honestly, I did not expect to spend my early adult life as a fugitive with giant alien mech robots. I guess you can say that I’m no longer little.”

“Perhaps. But you will always be my little one.”

The both of you smiled at each other as you both wished for the night to never end. Then, a recollection of what he said earlier popped into your mind and your sincere smile faded. 

But when I found out who’s behind this, he’s going to die.

“Optimus? Do you really plan on killing the person behind all this chaos? The person who organized Cemetery Wind and KSI...are you really going to kill them? Does that mean you hate humans now?”

Oh no, has he frightened you? Once his face fell, he averted his gaze from you and stared at the dark horizon. Suddenly, he became serious. He had never wanted this; he doubted anyone did. But the humans had forced him into this twisted game and it was either he finally made his move or watched all the people he most cared about die.

“Both Autobots and Decepticons are Cybertronians. Both came from the planet, Cybertron. I fight the Decepticons for a reason, but that does not mean that I hate all Cybertronians. The same goes for your species. I do not hate all humans, but I do hate the humans who forced us to play their little game. If we do not do something about it, you will not be able to return to your parents and we will not be able to gain the peace that we deserve. There can be no winners or losers without a fight. I’m sorry, [Y/N], but this is just the way how things work. If there were any other options, I would’ve taken them.”

You stared at him in awe. He was right. This was a fight for survival, a fight they never wanted to be in. What kind of leader doesn’t lead their team to victory or even try to? The look on your face softened and you slowly stood up. Optimus looked back at you to watch what you were doing, but he was only met with surprise when you pressed your forehead against his. He closed his optics and did his best to reciprocate the kind gesture.

“Well, I’ll have you know that no matter what happens, you’ll always be my favorite Bot. Uh- don’t tell Bee I said that, by the way. I don’t want to hurt his feelings.”

“Duly noted.”

The two of you spent a bit more time together under the stars before he went back to the campsite to recharge, much to your dismay. You protested multiple times even though he kept reminding you that the team had a big mission day tomorrow and that they were leaving early in the morning. He did not want to see you with low energy tomorrow just because you were being stubborn with sleeping. As he gracefully transformed into his vehicle form, you had a not so graceful landing with the seat cushions. Your betraying body forced a yawn to escape and you (badly) covered it up with a fake cough. Of course, that didn’t stop Optimus from saying “told you so.”

“But Optimuuuuussss! I don’t wanna go to sleep!” You whined. “What if I wake up and see that you’re not here? What if you get taken by Cemetery Wind? Or-”

“[Y/N], I assure you that I will very much still be here when you wake up tomorrow. And if by some chance Cemetery Wind does manage to find us, I will wake you up. We have a long day tomorrow. Please get some rest.”

You didn’t say anything else and continued to sit there, staring down at your lap. The night had gone by too soon for your liking. Despite Optimus’s reassurance, that didn’t dull down the worries that filled your head. Just when you were about to complain once more, the radio turned on and played a tune you knew all too well.

“You are my sunshine

My only sunshine.

You make me happy

When skies are grey.

You’ll never know dear,

How much I love you.

Please don’t take my sunshine away.”

It was a tune your mother would always sing to you when you were still a little kid. You didn’t know how he knew that was one of your favorite songs, but you weren’t complaining at all. In comforting defeat, you lied down on the cushions and stared at the ceiling above you.

“Goodnight, my little sunshine.”

“Night, Papa Bot.”

Checkmate. The truck then slightly rumbled and shook out of shock and surprise. You guessed that you managed to catch him off-guard, something that you’ve well mastered. He sputtered through the radio, trying to get words out. Now, this was better than any reaction you’ve seen from him. You laughed and laughed and laughed to the point where you were holding your stomach. Once your laughter died down, you patted the seat and waited to be whisked away.

“ ‘Papa Bot’? Really?”

“I love you~”

A tired sigh came from him. You were such a confusing child.

“I love you too.”

[kyberphilosopher]

ᴊᴀʏᴜꜱ

Following the retaking of Trost, Eren has an interaction with an undefined relation, leading to the resurfacing of the memory. 

Word Count: 1564

Jayus- (n.) a joke so poorly told and anti-comedic you can’t help but to laugh. 

You really had thought he had died. 

In defense of yourself, most people had. It wasn’t as if Eren had made any particular effort to keep in contact. Not that you were blaming him. You probably wouldn’t have either, if it were anybody else. 

You used to see Eren around Shiganshina. Armin and Mikasa were never too far behind, and so you saw at an early age that he was simply the leader of the pack. Admirable, if not for the hard headedness that came with it. Eren seemed to lead in that area as well. 

You didn’t talk to him before that. Saw him, noted him- but never spoke. It wasn’t until you’d joined the cadets of the same class that interactions actually involved communication. 

First, you hung around Ymir and Krista silently. Krista introduced you to Sasha and Connie, who called you to sit over with the rest of the inner circle at lunch. From there on out you were typically associated with Annie, who you didn’t actually talk to as much as other people assumed. You were quiet, but accepted, and Eren finally got to put a name to the face, which was nice. 

He asked if you had any tips on using the ODM gear, to which you admitted to being little help on the matter. You weren’t bad by any means, but you weren’t sure how to give advice on something that had come naturally. Luckily, Eren was understanding. He had, however, scrunched up his nose at your suggestion of, “Jean might be able to give you better advice”.

“Right. Like that clown would know about anything besides eating grass...”

And that was the first time he made you smile. 

It was the first time you’d smiled since the Titans arrival. It was one of the few things that had given Eren a sense of warmth in his stomach. There was a click.

After that, Eren had questioned you about your homeland. You answered, not even phased that he hadn’t remembered you from childhood. You had teased him about it at least, but he was quick to apologize. Nothing serious. You barely even had a paranoia attack from remembering that day. 

There was really never a lot of words exchanged between the two of you. But there was a certain connection. 

Eren was just as hot headed as you’d observed him to be. He was loud spoken and brash, and certainly didn’t think things through as much as he should’ve. He had tendency to be the center of attention, it turned out. This was a stark contrast to yourself, who was silently wise and calculating. Eren was upfront about himself and what anyone could expect from him. You were more of a mystery. But you couldn’t blame Eren for acting out when and how he did. He had something he felt he had to prove. He had an intense anger. And while you may not have possessed as much as he did, you liked the character it gave him. 

You would’ve never said it- and nobody would ever have asked- but Eren was your favorite. You’d had a crush on him, though you hadn’t given it much thought or validation. And Eren had a crush on you, but his mind wasn’t one to linger on one specific person against the grand scheme of things. 

But then Eren had died at Trost. Armin confirmed it. Mikasa confirmed Armin. What was done was done. 

So what kind of joke was this?

Why was Eren Jaeger watching at you from across the room now? It’s not a clone- his eyes are far too pure and raw for it to be an illusion of any kind. They shone in the light like planets that Armin would go on about. His hair was dark as ever. A little long, but you hadn’t any mind. His skin was roughed up, with markings around his eyes that reminded you of war paint. The only thing that had could remind you that the boy had once indeed died was the ripped sleeve on his left side, from the day a titan had bitten through it in Armin’s stead. 

You’d heard about what happened. How Eren was a titan. How he had sealed Trost in his titan form. You hadn’t believed it much. It was hard to get behind, in all fairness. But you hadn’t been present at the time of all the announcements. You had been assigned to a small group of cadets going behind wall Maria after the official retreat in order to get more gas. You’d remember feeling especially bitter towards the end of that assignment, as Mikasa had directly referred to you as a coward. 

You’d made it back in time to help in the defense of Eren sealing the wall again, killing a total of five titans that day. Still, the damage between you and Mikasa had been done. Annie was right about her being pretentious, anyway. 

But you hadn’t believed that Eren was really alive. 

So that brings you to reality. The one where Eren watches you from across the dimly lit mess hall as everyone else files out. You’re not sure whether to break contact or not. You’re sure, at least, that you missed him. But your relationship wasn’t forward enough or labeled enough for you to audibly or physically express that. 

Once everyone is gone, Erens eyes narrow slightly. They’re just as colorful as you remember. 

“I thought you would’ve been happy to see me,” he calls out to you, though it’s low and somewhat reminds you of a threat. 

You shift your feet so that your shoulders are fully facing him, square. There’s a clay cup in your hands. You put that down on the table in any attempt to give Eren as much of your attention as possible, but your brain is cloudy from thinking of him too much at this point. 

“I thought you were dead,” you call back. “You hadn’t contacted me for three days. I started to think the rumors weren’t true.”

Eren doesn’t say anything. He has dark rings under his eyes that tell you he’s tired. Bruises cover his skin. There’s the corner of a white bandage peaking out from under the collar of his shirt. There is nothing about the boys appearance to suggest that he is a titan. In fact, he looks more vulnerable and human than most anyone you know. 

“No. I’m alive,” Eren states. 

“Yeah. Clearly.”

Silence. 

You and Eren aren’t friends. It’s just not the right word. But you do share a bond through the common denominator of trauma. Lovers? The passion was there. The courage and capability, however, was somewhat lacking. Companions? Closer. 

“I’d thought it was a joke,” you admit. Your tone comes off more bitter than you’d intended. Eren will assume you’re angry with him if you’re not careful. Maybe he already does. 

“Not a funny one, I’m assuming,” Eren returns. The look in his eyes tells you that your suspicion of his feelings may be correct. If Eren continues on in believing that you have ill will towards him, he won’t hesitate to act in kind. You doubt he cares what your relationship towards him will be then. A hot headed man is a hot headed man. 

Another moment of silence goes by. Your hands are getting sweaty as you look at him. You scuff them against your trousers in an attempt to dry them. You’re trying to stay frozen, which isn’t easy as you think of all the things you could say to him. 

Eren isn’t moving. He is still and strong, with steady eyes and furrowed brows. If you don’t apologize, his brain will have no choice but to resent you. It’s just how his works. So with a slight trembling in your voice, you speak out: “I’m not angry with you, Eren.”

Eren’s shoulders drop slightly as a thin layer of stress leaves. At this, your own tension threatens to sink away. You’re certain you’re in love with him at that very moment, but the specific words don’t come directly to mind. 

You don’t know how the specific memory continued from there. But you do know that there would be a repeat. A repeat you’re living again. 

But this time you’re at the edge of the world. Right where the earth touches the sea, between the exact edges of heaven and hell. 

He’s beside you. He hasn’t left. 

But he won’t meet your eyes either.

Eren’s hair is longer this time. You don’t mind. It suits him,  and so is yours. His muscles have toned out by now. He’s more intelligent and mature. Eren won’t be angry if you’re angry with him first, this time. And while there is a certain rage that’s bubbled under your skin over the years, it’s still not worth mentioning to him. 

It’s now, however, as you look over at the man, that you are sure that this is all just one big, unfunny, poorly thought out joke. Especially now that you’ve come to terms with your own, unfunny, poorly thought out, version of love. 

This, the punchline of the joke, is the moment that you are sure you miss him. You will have little shame in expressing it this time. 

___________                             _______                                ____                       

This character belongs to the Attack on Titan (Shingeki no Kyojin) universe. I’ll be branching out to this one and Harry Potter, alongside Star Wars. Just wanted to put something out so everyone’s aware I’m still writing. 

Please be patient as I continue with requests. 

[moonlit-imagines]

Headcanons for being Jane Foster’s child

Jane Foster x child!reader

Thor Odinson x Foster!child!reader

warnings:

a/n: no not a foster child, jane foster’s child 😌 also im so super glad you liked those!!! hope these are just as good!!! and im genuinely so sorry these took so long

prompt: anonymous: “Hey! I just read the Tony Stark x Potts!child!reader HC and I loved it! Would you do the same but with Thor and Jane? ❤️”

no babysitter = go to work with mom

dr. selvig gave you a rubik’s cube to keep you entertained

“fuck that! here, y/n, you can play my DS” -darcy

“can you not swear in front of my child?” -jane

you thought tonight would be boring, but then your mom and darcy collectively hit a homeless guy with a car!

“holy crap, we’re all going to jail!” -you

“don’t say ‘crap,’ y/n! we need to get him to a hospital!” -jane

ngl this dude was kinda funky

darcy used her taser and your mom covered your eyes, but you still peaked ;)

ride to the hospital

“don’t touch him, y/n”

“sorry, doc”

and the very next day you guys stole him 💕

“mr. thor, where are you from?”

“i am from asgard! it is much different from this realm, but your’s is adequate, i suppose”

“thanks?”

you could see the way your mom looked at him, though

he ate all the pop tarts >:(

she gave thor her ex boyfriends clothes

“yeah, donald was a real ass—” -you

“don’t say ‘ass.’ darcy curses too much” -jane

“sorry, mom...anyways, donald forgot to pick me up from soccer practice like, a dozen times. he sucked” -you

“this ‘donald’ doesn’t seem like a very good man...also, what is ‘soccer?’” -thor

you grabbed a soccer ball and tried to show him how to play but there was some other stuff the *scientists* had to take care of

you were a regular at izzy’s diner (well, mom was) and they always made you cute pancakes in different shapes!!

“ah, it’s a smiley face! that’s adorable!” -thor

“yeah! they like to surprise me whenever i come in. they’re pretty awesome” -you

*your mom literally beaming at how good thor is with you already*

you and thor were drawing on paper placemats

and then he broke a glass and you started giggling hdhshshs

but he had to leave

“no, thor, please don’t go!”

“i hope to meet you again one day, little one. hopefully fate sees it through”

:((((

no time to be sad bc ur mom’s lab got hijacked by the government

“hey, no fair! that’s my diary!” -you

“sorry, kid. there are constellation drawings we have to observe” -coulson

“aw, you draw constellations? wait, not now. you can’t just take all our stuff. especially that! that belongs to a child!” -jane

“sic ‘em, y/n!” -darcy

“don’t listen to darcy, y/n” -selvig

chilling in the trailer and missing thor bc he was the most interesting thing to happen to you and your mom in a while

and you wanted her to be happy even tho he was kind of crazy

“hey, mom? do you want to watch the stars tonight like we used to do? we could make s’mores?”

“that sounds like a great idea, baby! i’ve gotta go take care of some science stuff, so i’ll pick up some s’mores stuff while i’m out. love you!”

yeah she went to go see thor and he kinda got arrested but your mom came back home so you could watch the stars!

“so, do you like thor?” -you

“what? what makes you say that?” -jane

“it’s cool if you do, i think he’s awesome. a little weird, but at least he’s nice”

then thor and selvig came home and selvig was drunk as a skunk

*poking him while he giggles and tells you about thor*

“i wish your grandfather could have met that guy! he would have loved him...i wish you met your grandfather, too” -selvig

thor inviting you back outside

“i’d like you to teach me more about this ‘soccer’”

by the time you guys were done, it was 3am and you were too pumped to go to sleep

so thor told you stories of his home and battle and family

you didn’t want him to stop, you were fascinated by it all

and uhhhh yeah then earth kinda had some vikings show up

they told you that you’d “make a fine warrior one day”

and then yall got attacked by a ????? a what??? a destroyer???????

“get y/n out of here now! they shouldn’t have to see this!” -thor

you were still nearby and saw thor become thor again

after he was done fighting the destroyer, you ran to give him a hug

“that was awesome! can i hold your hammer?”

“maybe someday, little one”

then you didn’t see him for 2 years

which upset your mom a good bit, you had to help her through that episode. lots of sitting on the couch and eating ice cream together talking about how he wasn’t worth her time even tho you missed him too

but he came back! and then your mom sent everything flying bc she had an “infinity stone” inside her and thor took you two to asgard

“y/n! you’ve grown so much, i almost didn’t recognize you!” -thor

tbh you really digged the outfit they gave you, but also you were on another planet? thor insisted on giving you a tour (by flying you around)

“i do hope you’re having fun, little one!”

worrying about your mom simultaneously bc you overheard she was sick

but asgard got attacked and you and jane were confined to a room in the palace, which sucked because you wanted to see it all

but thor sent guards to bring you anything to keep you entertained

“maybe we’ll skip the mace for now, thank you” -jane

after several events that count as child endangerment, this chapter came to an end and your mom and thor finally made it official

loki called you a rodent and then saved your life so you were kinda iffy about him

about a year or two later, your mom had to travel a great deal in order to get some work done, so you were left in the care of thor, who took you to avengers tower

“oh, my girlfriend’s child is an angel! and they’re so intelligent, just like their mother!” -thor gushing to other partygoers

“yeah, thor, your ‘angel’ is sneaking drinks from the elderly” -tony

*sipping his beer* “they’re a growing teenager”

you did have an amazing time interacting with the avengers

and once they tried grabbing the hammer, you knew you had to get in on it (but you failed like the rest)

“don’t worry, my y/n, you have to be eighteen years of age to be able to lift mjölnir!” -thor

“oh, that makes sense!” -you, while thor aggressively shakes his head at the other avengers. he just wanted to make sure you didn’t feel bad you weren’t worthy yet :(

more child endangerment but really what did you expect?

thor went off world and your mom split it off w him but you did have his email so you were still in contact with him

swearing you saw odin on the street once or twice (fast forward)

and then your mom dusted and thor found you as soon as he possibly could, it was so good to see him

he took you in since you were alone now, you moved to new asgard and became prince(ss) of the new land by relation?? makes sense right

basically you and valkyrie made all the calls while thor grieved for years

but he still took care of you

“y/n, would you like to play video games with me? i think it may be a good bonding experience, what do you say?” -thor

“duh!”

uncle korg made you help him with fortnite while thor was asleep

you wished to wield stormbreaker one day

showing thor earth media! his favorite star wars character is r2-d2 dont ask why

he taught you asgardian recipes and you taught him...earth recipes?

when he was drunk he’d ramble on about his childhood and battle and enemies and jane and loki and hela and frigga and literally anything that came to mind

“y/n, could you please get me a beer? and get one for yourself, too” -thor

valkyrie most definitely gave you some battle training so you you blow off some steam, you were glad she taught you how to fight like a true warrior

thor wanted to teach you battle tactics so you could fight alongside him, but he never got around to it

a raccoon and bruce banner visited later on, proposing a way to get your family back, thor was an emotional wreck

his debriefing on the reality stone was tense when he started crying about your mom and everyone stared at you

“hey, don’t look at me. i don’t control the god, i just keep him company”

ending up waiting 1 second for the avengers to come back from their mission, resulting in you being stuck in the middle of a very heavy battle

“y/n, get out of here!” -thor

“don’t worry, thor! valkyrie taught me a few moves!”

“you make me incredibly proud, little one!”

“i’m not so little anymore, am i?”

“you will always be my little one, y/n. blood or not, that will not change!”

victory, but at what cost? it was a rough ride, you needed to get patched up, but your mom was finally home and thor...he decided it was time to leave earth again

“don’t worry, my y/n. i will see you again.” *tearing up* “i’m so glad i got the pleasure of raising you these past few years. i love you dearly, now go be with your mother”

you straight up wanted to bawl your eyes out right there

“well, y/n, you’re next in line for the throne of new asgard. what is your first command?” -valkyrie

“actually, i think you’d make a much better ruler than me. i’ve got to spend some time with my mother now that she’s home”

“you’re so much like him, you know that?”

staying with your mother, who was diagnosed with cancer not long after returning from the soul stone (a/n: jane getting cancer is canon in the comics and confirmed for thor 4)

“i missed five years of your life and now i’m sick, that’s just our luck, isn’t it?” -jane

she was understandably upset, but she also felt guilty

“mom, don’t beat yourself up. everything is okay, we’re still together right now. i won’t be going anywhere, i promise”

taglist: @alwaysananglophile // @rorybutnotgilmore // @locke-writes // @sweetheartliz07 // @queen-destenie // @natasha-danvers // @lokihiddles // @frostedgiantfavs // @emygirl // @lotsoffandomrecs // @johnmurphyisbisexual // @teenwaywardasgardian // @pappydaddy // @captainshazamerica // @freya-xo // @ravenmoore14 // @purpleskiesstorm // @ofthedewthesunlight // @canarypoint // @zoeyserpentluck //

[omegas-spaghettios]

In Defense of Bo-Katan

This character receives an enormous amount of hate and it is so unfair.

Before I begin, I have a few disclaimers to make.

1. I used to be on the hate train for her. When TCW S7 and Mando S2 aired, I hated her. Absolutely loathed her and I was vocal about it. You could go back and find a trail of me hating on her, I want to admit to that before I go on.

2. I love every character I talk about during this. When I compare her to other characters or discuss other characters, it comes from a place of love. Flawed characters are the best characters because it makes them feel human.

3. I am not defending her from a moral standpoint. She does some pretty awful things. What I'm arguing is that a lot of criticism levied at her for being a "bad character" is unfair because what she does either lines up with her motivations and thus makes her a well written character (if not unlikable), or she does things and gets slammed for it when male characters do the same things and get away with it.

I'm just gonna go chronologically and discuss major talking points on why people hate her.

1. Her Discussion with Kenobi in 7×10

People hate on her because of this, and that could be fair, depending on how else you view Star Wars. Bo was responsible for helping bring an organization to power that killed her sister, she weaponized the death of her sister against Obi-Wan, and also her organization (Death Watch) has tried to kill Obi-Wan many times. She is overall being incredibly unfair and awful in this scene.

Okay, so she helped kill a woman important in her life, weaponized that death to guilt Obi-Wan, and also is responsible for attempts on Obi-Wan's life.... why does this feel familiar....

Anakin did much, MUCH worse than her, yet he is still loved. I love Anakin! But it pisses me off that when Bo does it it's a valid reason to hate her and one of the two most commonly listed examples to hate her, but when Anakin does it he gets nuance. Anakin's character and motivations line up to that event, it makes him a flawed character. But when Bo does it, we just hate her?

"But she doesn't have the development to that point like Anakin" the entire Prequel Era is the story of Anakin, no character has as much time dedicated to them. How can Bo have that much development to make it "believable" when the only character who can rival Anakin's level of development is Ahsoka?

If you hate both Bo and Anakin then her Discussion with Obi-Wan is a 100% valid reason to hate her. This is not to say you can't hate her for that, this is to say that there is a lot of hypocrisy in the fandom over this.

2. Sabine Wren

I'm not gonna spend much time on this, cause it isn't a huge reason I see often and it's just, so easy to debunk. I love Sabine and her arc is good, but from a Mandalorian standpoint, she's lucky she left the planet with a decent public standing. She makes a weapon for the empire that is handcrafted to kill Mandalorians and names it after Bo's dead pacifist sister. Under no circumstance is any Mandalorian required to treat her well after that, especially Bo.

I know she has an arc to redeem herself over the course of the show, but imagine if a public figure irl did that. No one would care how hard they worked to redeem themselves, no one would ever trust them again and that is valid.

3. Bo's discussions with Din

The way she and the other two scoff at Din is not kind at all, it's pretty rude. But guess what? Din got aggressive first when they took their helmets off.

I understand being in a cult means your view of the world is purposefully warped and information withheld so he doesn't know better, but why does Bo have this responsibility to be kind to anyone who is mean to her just because they might not know better? Why does Bo NEED to give everyone the benefit of the doubt?

Din was aggressive and accused them of not being mandalorian FIRST, he doesn't know better and that makes Bo's treatment of him less than ideal, but why does she have to respect his beliefs and identity when he IMMEDIATELY is trying to rip apart hers?

She never even says he isn't Mandalorian, just he was raised in a cult, which he high key is. The amount of identity suppression and implied information control in The Children of the Watch or whatever they are called is very cultish.

4. The Boba interaction

This and the TCW S7 interaction with Kenobi are the two big ones I see very frequently.

Before I begin with her motivations, can we talk about how blatant the one-sided hate is in this scene anyway? Boba is standoff-ish and aggressive right from the get go, audibly calling them a waste of time, ridiculing Bo for wanting to liberate her literal ancestral homeland, calling her all sorts of names, etc. Boba is by no means trying to be respectful or diplomatic but that's fine, but when Bo gives the same energy as him she gets hated. Again, Boba starts it by saying they were a waste of time.

Getting mad that she called him "not a real mandalorian" is pointless because he immediately says "never claimed to be". Boba isn't Mandalorian. He isn't. He doesn't view himself as Mandalorian and his connection to the armor is just because of his father, not because of Mandalorian heritage.

Her seething hatred for clones and attacking Boba with it is awful but it's understandable within her character. Clone Troopers came to help in the Siege of Mandalore with the explicit agreement they would leave once Maul was captured. Maul was captured, Order 66 came down, the clones never lifted their occupation. Does that mean her hatred of all clones is justified? No. But is it understandable from her viewpoint? Yes, and that makes her a 3 dimensional, flawed character.

We know it wasn't the clones' fault, but we have no reason to believe Bo knows about the chips. Even then, it is established in Rebels when Kanan first meets Rex and crew that people who know about the chips don't necessarily believe it. It takes discussion with the clones themselves and evidence to sway his belief. So even if Bo knows, why does she need to believe it when Kanan initially didn't? Bo hasn't had any discussions like Kanan and Rex had with a clone on screen, so the evidence already shown in previous media lines up with her hating clones.

Also, the weird stuff with the darksaber is not her fault. It's legit just the writers changing how it works to write their story so now she has to bend. It's inconsistent between Rebels and Mando but literally every character shown so far suffers from it. The Saber has not been won in combat since Maul killed Pre Vizsla, the whole "rightful heir" thing is just a mess and is more inconsistent writing that affects star wars overall, not just Bo.

Conclusion

Hate her all you want but stop letting men get away with the shit you hate her for lmao

I still don't particularly love her at all, I don't tend to think about her much, but y'all, come on.

[archiesoniconline]

QnA: Zone Cop Briefing

Zally: Hello there everyone.  I’m Zally, Head of Communications for the Zone Cops.  Joining me today is our top officer Zonic...

Zonic: Hi there! Zally: And his protege, Zails. Zails: Uh, hello.  That’s a lot of people w-we’re talking too. Zally: The staff at Archie Sonic Online have received a lot of questions about Zones, Zone Travel, Time Travel, and several covering some combinations of these topics.  And so, they have asked us to give this briefing, to hopefully explain some of the basics about Zones and Time Travel, and with luck we’ll answer your questions as we do so. Just before we begin however, it’s important to say that, while what we will say today is the case for… hmm…. At least 9 out of 10 situations, there are several exceptions.  Zonic: Not to mention Nega and that Genesis Wave messing everything up… Zally: Ahem!  Going into all of them would take far too much time, so we’ll just say for now that ‘exceptions to these rules do exist’ and start the briefing. To begin, most Zones fall into two distinct types.  There are the True Zones, such as say the Prime Zone and the Sol Zone, complete universes in themselves.  Then there are the Pocket Zones, which have limited internal dimensions, can often be found within a True Zone, and can also be disrupted by tremendous emissions of energy.  The Special Zone, formally the Zone of Silence, was one such Zone, as was the Pocket Zone destroyed when Super Sonic and Hyper Knuckles from the Prime Zone fought. There are multiple ways that Pocket Zones can be created, natural and artificial.  But for True Zones, they are only created when a Triggering Event occurs in the Prime Zone.  Other Zones cannot split to form new Zones.  It might help to think of the Multiverse almost like a tree, with the Prime Zone as the trunk, and other Zones the branches growing from it. Triggering Events have a few requirements.  There has to be a number of likely possible outcomes.  And the different outcomes must have fundamentally different effects on the future of the Prime Zone.  For example, Prime Sonic choosing how many chilli-dogs to eat might have several different likely outcomes, but none would result in any fundamental change, so it would not be a Triggering Event.  In the opposite way, Prime Robotnik debating whether to use the Robotizer certainly had a massive effect on the events in the Prime Zone, but the chances of him choosing to not use the device were so slim, no new Zone was created. A Triggering Event need not be a single decision made by one person.  It could be several smaller decisions made by a group of people that nevertheless results in a different outcome.  It could even be the results of a natural occurrence.  When life was reforming after the Gene Bomb in the Prime Zone, there were so many different directions it could take, that this is where the vast majority of Zones were created.  Numerous Zones were also created when the Prime Zone first formed, some with wildly different laws of physics. When a new Zone is created, it is completely duplicated.  The entire timeline is copied, not just from the Triggering Event.  Though on that subject, the passage of time can be different between Zones.  Time runs faster in some Zones compared to the Prime Zone, such as the Zone Robo-Robotnik hailed from.  In some, it runs slower, such as in the Twilight Cage.  And in others, it can run at the same rate as the Prime Zone, but the point where the Prime Zone and the other Zone meets are at different points in their timelines. That covers the creation of Zones.  So moving onto Zone Cop operations, I’ll turn to Zonic. Zonic: Thanks Zal… uh, Zally.  As I’m sure most of you are aware, the Zone Cops monitor activity within the different Zones, as well as travel between the different Zones.  Different units of Cops have different roles, from general monitoring, to patrolling the Cosmic Interstate, to protecting against threats to the Multiverse.  For me, my job means I’m called in when direct action is required in another Zone. This is… a difficult job.  You could well ask why don’t we help out whenever something bad happens in the other Zone.  Truth is, that could cause a horrible imbalance, and lead to more disastrous consequences further down the line.  It’s not easy sitting on the sidelines, but sometimes we have to. But then, there are times we do need to act to make sure a greater threat doesn’t rise.  You’re likely aware of some of those times, as that’s when I’ve brought in Prime Sonic.  Why him?  Well, the Prime Zone is only a step away from all the other Zones, even wildly different ones like the Sol Zone.  And Prime Sonic is, in all honesty, one of the most capable Sonic’s in the multiverse, so I know it’s in good hands.  We could send in a squad of Zone Cops instead, but one Sonic can do, with very little disruption, what it would take several squads to accomplish. This has all gotten a lot harder recently, with Eggman Naga swarming over the Multiverse causing massive disruption, and the recent damage inflicted to Zone Jails. Alright, there’s a bit more to cover, but that’s for the end.  Right now, I’m gonna turn to Zails.  He’s still training to be a Zone Cop, but as one of his training projects, he’s done a Case Study on Silver the Hedgehog, so he’s here to talk about time travel.  Take it away Zails. Zails: Uh… Alright *deep breath* You can do this Zails.  Silver the Hedgehog is a time travelling Hedgehog… That’s redundant, isn’t it?  Uh… so… Silver has travelled through time, but there have also been incidents where he’s interacted with different Zones aside from the Prime Zone, known as Light Mobius and Dark Mobius. So, er, Time Travel and Zone Travel do share many similar principles.  Travelling between Zones is easy, as No-Zone and the Cosmic Highway connect all Zones.  Even travel that doesn’t use the Cosmic Interstate, such as Star Posts, tend to make use of that connection.  Time Travel is much harder, though it is easier to travel forwards, going with the flow of time, than backwards, working against it. This means it’s very easy, if you don’t know what you’re doing, to accidently move between Zones when Time Travelling.  Er… *checks notes* Jani-ca from Dark Mobius did this, accidentally travelling to the Prime Zone when she went back in time.  It’s easier to do when you are going back before the Triggering Event that created your Zone. And so, if you know how to Time Travel, it is much easier to travel to other Zones. Which leads us, uh, to the next question.  ‘Does time travel create new Zones?’  The answer is ‘it depends’.  Keep in mind, looking at Silver, given the chance it was unlikely he wouldn’t go back in time.  And when he found out about Mecha-Sally, also unlikely that he wouldn’t stop her.  So his actions changed the future, without creating a new Zone. On the other hand, King Sonic of Light Mobius.  Once, it was the future of the Prime Zone.  But when he went back in time, his actions created such wild changes, that Light Mobius became its own Zone, and the future of the Prime Zone was shifted away from it. Which then leads to a bigger question.  *takes a breath, checks notes*  ‘If you change the future, doesn’t that create a paradox where you wouldn’t have gone back to change the future?’  Okay, when someone goes back in time, they become part of the past, as if they always existed there.  So when they return to the future, they’ll still remember their old life, even if their actions have created massive changes.  We think.  This is partially theoretical, based on observing Silver.  There is one last question: ‘Why are some things from Light Mobius seen in Silver’s future?’  This is because of the way Light Mobius was created.  There is still a connection between Light Mobius and the Prime Zone.  Sometimes, things leak through.  Maybe just objects, but at some point, even Tikchaos, or part of her, was able to slip into the Prime Zone. *looks over notes* Uh… that’s everything from me, so, er, back to Zonic. Zonic: Thanks Zails, you did great. *gives thumbs up*  Our last topic is on Zone Numbering and Naming.  There are countless Zones, and each is given an ‘official numbering’, based on the date and exact time of its creation.  These numbers, as you might expect, are VERY long.  So instead, we usually refer to the ‘Case File’ Numbers.  These numbers, after the first 100, are based on when we start to take an interest in that Zone.  The first 100, well, we were trying to rate the Zone’s by importance.  We really messed that up! *chuckles*  For naming a Zone, that honour is given to the team who first open a Case File on a Zone.  *communicator beeps* Oh, that’s right!  Just one other thing to note.  We've heard rumours of another 'Sonic Prime'.  We don't know any details yet, but we're investigating.

Okay, I think that is everything.  Zally? Zally: Yes, we’ve just about covered everything.  I hope we’ve managed to answer most of your questions.  But before we leave, we’ve had numerous requests for knowing the name and designation of a number of Zones.  So we’ll leave those with you. Thank you so much for listening.  Now, here’s the list:

#001 – The Prime Zone – This is the zone where all others originate from, where Sonic and the heroes of Mobius fight against the tyranny of Dr. Eggman.

#017 – The Stealth Zone – This zone features a planet Mobius where the superhero Stealth the Hedgehog fights villains such as Professor Egg.

#059 - The Serene Zone - This Zone features a Mobius where Julian Kintobor never managed to gain control after the Great War, and the Kingdom of Acorn stood strong.

#100 – The No Zone – Our Zone, from here the Zone Cops organization strives to maintain order across the multiverse.

#109 – The Legal Zone – This zone features a Mobius with a city called Litigopolis where law and order are the way of the world.

#196 – The Freedom Zone – This zone features a planet Freedom which is divided into two realms – the Land of the Sky and the Land of Darkness.

#199 – The Underground Zone – This zone features a planet Mobius where Prince Sonic and his siblings, Manic and Sonia, seek to find their mother, Queen Aleena, and become the Council of Four to overthrow the dictator Dr. Robotnik.

#220 – The Lightning Zone – This zone features a planet Earth where Sonic has traveled and been adopted by a police officer named Tom and stops the plans of the overzealous scientist Dr. Robotnik.

#372 – The Anti Zone – This zone is a mirror reflection of the Prime Zone, where our heroes are bad and their villains are good.

#403 – The Earth X Zone – This zone features a planet Earth with a city called Station Square. It is the home of Chris Thorndyke and his friends and has been protected by Sonic the Hedgehog.

#492 – The Image Zone – This zone features a planet Earth that is protected by heroes such as Spawn, Savage Dragon, and The Maxx.

#496 – The Dark Zone – This zone features a planet Mobius nearly purged of life from a corrupted Knuckles the Echidna who became Enerjak.

#589 – The Discovery Zone – This zone features a planet Mobius resembling a gritty film noir.

#593 – The Boomer Zone – This zone features a planet Mobius where Sonic and the Freedom Fighters; Johnny Lightfoot, Porker Lewis, Tails, and Amy, face various foes including the evil Dr. Robotnik.

#623 – The Real Zone – This zone features a planet Earth where Sonic the Hedgehog is a video game character.

#905 – The Mobius X Zone – This zone features a planet Mobius where Sonic and his friends call home. Sonic and his friends have been transported off this planet into the X Earth Zone.

#1054 – The Kaiju Zone – This zone features a planet Mobius where Dr. J Kintobor uses a super sized mecha, Giant Robotno, to fight enlarged mutants.

#1072 – The Sentai Zone – This zone features a planet Mobius where Sonicman and the Chaos Ninja Team fight the villainous Sallactor.

#1084 – The Cyborg Zone – This zone is home to a planet Mobius that has been left a ruined wasteland thanks to it’s Dr. Robotnik. This is the zone from which Dr. Eggman hails.

#1100 – Maginary Zone – This zone is where the dreams of all other zones are born from. It is entered via the Precioustone and is guarded by the powerful Illumina.

#1103 – The Light Zone – This zone features a planet Mobius very similar to our heroes’ world. King Sonic and Queen Sally rule the Kingdom of Acorn in this zone.

#1105 – The Sol Zone – This zone features a planet Mobius where Blaze the Cat guards the Jewelled Sceptre and the Sol Emeralds.

#1114 – The Boom Zone – This zone features a planet Mobius where Sonic and his friends live on Bygone Island and deal with regular shenanigans from Dr. Eggman.

#1241 – The Archie Zone – This zone features a planet Earth with a town called Riverdale. It is the home of Archie Andrews, Sabrina the Teenage Witch, and Josie and the Pussycats amongst others.

#1291 – The Luna Zone – This zone features a Mobius that is protected by the pretty guardian Sally Moon and her crush Tuxedo Knux.

#4235 – The Galaxy Zone – This zone is the home of the Freedom Fighters of the Galaxy, a group that patrols their universe facing cosmic threats such as Robolactus.

[lillytalons]

And the Stars Settled Inside

The lovely @cacodaemonia has an amazing reconstruction corps au that this was inspired by, specifically the art titled And the Stars Whirled Overhead

read on Ao3

“Well I suppose it’s a good time to set up camp. Where would you like us to set up Wooley?” Obi-wan shrugged off the pack he was carrying, looking around at the well ordered camp Cody and he had come into that day. The clones had already been searching the abandoned planet, but called in the help of a Jedi to see if they could use the force to locate any important sites. 

Cody had been invited along as often happened with the two of them. Obi-wan would comment on it, except that that could imply he wasn’t happy with how often it happened. There was no reason to give all of their acquaintances that idea.

Wooley looked around the camp and the landscape surrounding them. “Actually sirs, it’s a really quiet planet, we haven’t seen any large wildlife, and there are no sentients here. You are welcome to join the camp, or go farther out. Some of men are going out away from the main camp. Getting away from the main fire makes the stars much brighter.” Wooley grinned, “Or they’re hoping for some peace and quiet.”

“Will they?” Obi-wan raised an amused eyebrow.

“If they think they are going to sleep in, they underestimate some of the brothers.” A couple of brothers behind Wooley tackled a third men and started wrestling amid yells from everyone involved, and several people not involved egging them on. 

Wooley looked behind him at the commotion, and rolled his eyes while laughing. “Exhibit A.” A kicked foot took out a tent pole, causing another yell from the poor man inside the tent. Wooley gave a quick salute and wandered over to the chaos to do some damage control. 

Obi-wan smiled at the antics and looked at Cody. “Where would you like to set up, my dear?”

Cody looked around, watched Wooley try to wrangle his brothers, and looked over at the bluffs nearby. 

“Well we might as well try to get to sleep in.” Cody nodded his head towards the west of the camp and Obi-wan pulled his bag back up on his shoulders. 

As they walked through the camp Cody pulled aside one of the men and got their allotted tent and bed rolls. The man came back with the base supplies plus some extra ration packs. 

They made their way to a flat area to set up camp and split to do their usual tasks before they lost the sunlight. As they finished preparing, the sun finally set, light streaking across the sky. Obi-wan felt contentment as he sat on their blankets in the soft sand. 

Obi-wan watched as Cody poked the logs a couple more times to make sure that the air flow was correct. He had spread out their bed rolls while Cody set up the fire. They had both decided to forgo the tent tonight. The desert air was clean and crisp, with little moisture in the air that would warn of rain. 

Cody finally sat back and after another moment to make sure that the fire wouldn’t need any help for a while, he joined Obi-wan on the blankets. Obi-wan passed him some of their camp rations and he felt some of the tension drain from both of them. They didn’t need constant conversation, living and working together for over 4 years meant that silence was just as comfortable as interaction. 

Obi-wan finished his rations quickly, at least they weren’t nearly as bad as rations had been at the end of the war when there was no funding, constant missions, and Obi-wan swore the rations recipe got worse despite the fact that they shouldn’t have been able to get worse. 

Cody collected the wrappers from him and tucked them away in his pack, to be dealt with later. He leaned against his shoulder when he sat back upright and Obi-wan curled his arm around his waist. 

They stared into the fire and it seemed as if contentment radiated out of the fire, enveloping them. 

After a while, Obi-wan felt Cody hide a slight shiver and he smiled. His robes greatly protected him from the rapidly dropping temperature of the desert, but Cody preferred to wear lighter shirts when possible, and what worked well in the day was much less useful at night. 

“We have plenty of blankets Cody, no need to be cold.”

“I’m fine. Don’t want to mess up your hard work, and the blanket won’t really reach from here if I leave it tucked into the others.”

“Yes I’m sure it would break my heart if you ruined the bed roll that took me minutes to set up.” He raised an eyebrow and Cody just huffed. Obi-wan hid a smile-unsuccessfully-and continued, “Or you could lay down.”

Cody stared at him like he was deciding if he was going to keep being cold (something he hated) and sass Obi-wan (something he enjoyed), or comply. He huffed again and tugged off his shoes. He lifted the top blanket and slid in as carefully as he could so there would be minimal sand in the bed roll. 

Obi-wan grabbed the edges to help him, and gently tucked the blanket around him as Cody settled his head on his lap. “There, that wasn’t so hard was it, my dear?”

“Watch your tone, I can let you get cold tonight.” Cody tried to look tough, and Obi-wan decided not to bring up the fact that Cody would latch onto him the second he fell asleep anyway. 

Obi-wan found a hand easily tangling in Cody’s curls which were slightly longer now that they had been in the war. He found the physical touch soothing, and Cody did as well. Cody hummed softly and stared past Obi-wan to the night sky. The light from the sunset had completely faded, leaving the inky blue sky covered in millions of stars.

Obi-wan fell back on one hand to look up as well. His favorite part of uninhabited planets were how many stars you could see. The core worlds were often too polluted and bright to have many stars, but out in the middle of nowhere, it felt like you could see the whole galaxy. The constellations were mostly unfamiliar, but that had never really mattered to him. The pictures in the sky mattered less than feelings the the sky as a whole brought. In places like this, the force swirled in time with the movement of the heavens.

Obi-wan felt intense calm melt from Cody, the way emotions only did when Cody was pushing them to him. Obi-wan let out a deep breath and looked down at Cody again.

The way the firelight warmed his face but the stars reflected in his eyes was something very intoxicating, and Obi-wan might be in tight control of himself, but even he couldn’t resist that. He leaned over and gently kissed Cody. 

Cody allowed the kiss for a minute before pushing up on one elbow. He managed to keep their lips in contact but Obi-wan’s back was grateful that he didn’t have to lean over quite so much. Obi-wan’s hand moved from his hair to supporting his neck while they kissed. 

It wasn’t hurried or anxious, it wasn’t frantic like their kisses sometimes were. It was slow, and soft, and sweet. Obi-wan felt himself sinking into the force around him, into the feeling of Cody. 

Cody was always grounded and steady, and now after the war he was content too. He slowed Obi-wan down in a way no one else really could. Maybe because he saw the frantic pace Obi-wan kept himself at during any mission or crisis. Even when Obi-wan had his tea and a moment of peace, he was still high strung, ready for any surprise that came (and many did). The older he had gotten the worse it was because since his padawan days he was sent into increasingly dangerous situations with increasingly less time to relax. He didn’t know how to anymore. 

Until Cody.

Cody dropped his shields as he pressed upwards. He allowed Obi-wan to release the last of the tightness held in his center as he felt the present swirling around them. The cool desert air that was rapidly getting colder. The warm fire heating his legs and face, also heating Cody’s face and shoulder. The heat that warmed Obi-wan just from Cody keeping contact with him. The ground of soft sand and softer blankets, the slightly rough blanket pressed between them that kept the warmth in Cody’s cocoon. The gentle desert insects that gave the night it’s chorus, and the men in the distant camp who bled their joy into the force as they told campfire stories in voices too indistinct to make out. He could feel the weight of the blanket on Cody as well as he could feel the weight of his own robes. And most of all he could feel Cody’s mouth on his, anchoring him to this moment. 

They may not have frequent truly silent moments, but Obi-wan smiled into Cody’s mouth as he remembered again, as he often did, that they will have the chance for many, many more. And if kissing Cody in the desert made him like the desert much more than he ever did, well. That’s his business. 

[sheepfulsheepyardinspace]

Do you have any Star Wars fanfic recommendations, or have a link to someone else's list? I really wanna veg out.

oh my god, DO I. this may have been the best ask in the world. i’m not really sure what u want a feel for, so i threw together some of my favorite longfics for maximum veg time from the ot/pt and links for swr and swtcw recs. they’re pretty much all luke-anakin/vader centric, since that’s kinda my bread and butter.

let’s start with frodogenic, who wrote the first longfic i ever read in sw and might be one of the funniest authors ever. they once reviewed my fanfic & i nearly cried from joy. anyway. 

The Father, 284k+, complete. “Ten years after ROTS, tormenting nightmares of his unborn child drive Darth Vader to extraordinary measures with unexpectedly drastic consequences. Clearly, experience has taught Darth Vader nothing...” 

this is my og star wars fic and boy oh boy is it amazing. i will never get over this. i don’t want to spoil anything but when i say the final chapters are great? i mean they’re legendary. sometimes i still think about them & wish upon a star that i could be such a great writer. vader’s amazing, han is spectacular, and the ocs are fantastic.

Far More Than Rubies, 70k+, complete. “Nine years after AOTC, tragedy revisits the Lars Homestead. Little Luke Skywalker is suddenly plunged into chaos as the rebel movements discover a secret military project that may make a crucial difference in the war with the Empire.”

the spiritual twin of The Father, FMTR takes a look at padmé’s character and relationship with both luke and anakin/vader that’s hard to beat. it’s darker and heavier than The Father, but it hits those same sweet, sweet emotional beats while raising the age-old question: if padmé had lived, what would she have done?

The Family Tree, 12k, complete. “In which Luke Skywalker is stranded in a tree waiting for a flash flood to recede. Too bad he's got company...”

okay, i admit, this isn’t a longfic, but it is a longshot, and it’s amazing. the imagery and description always blow me away, and the interaction (canon-compliant) between luke and vader just [chef’s kiss] get me. vader’s in full, glorious form, and it makes it all the harder when luke wrestles with the knowledge that vader is his father.

Sibling Revelry, 25k, complete. “After Bespin and before Endor, Darth Vader is shocked to discover that Luke and Leia are twins. He's even more shocked when Imperial Intelligence reports that Organa and Skywalker are, erm, a tad closer than previously suspected.”

this is complete crack and humor in the best way possible. it’s crack treated entirely seriously, and you will be in stitches, i promise. no matter how many times i’ve read this i break down.

KittandChips (@kittandchips) writes what i can only describe as food for the soul. the luke-vader interaction is insanely amazing, the world building of daily imperial life and imperial governance is amazing, and vader just has a special je ne sais quoi that u must read to understand––tragic, funny, and so, so fatherly. they’re currently rewriting the Force Bond Series to fit in with newer canon, so i will joyously binge reread the entire again (including the new Force Bond: Mustafar Weekend).

Force Bond 1: Orphan, 47k, complete. “After Owen and Beru are killed by a mysterious stranger, young Luke ends up as an orphan on Coruscant. It's a race against time as Obi-Wan struggles to find Luke before Vader realizes the boy is his son.”

Orphan kicks off the series, which tracks vader and luke’s relationship through the perils of luke’s teenagerhood while growing up under the eye of the emperor and imperial court. it’s filled with slow growth, struggle and misunderstandings as darth vader tries to single parent, and pay off in every installment. the entire series clocks in around 777k+ and is the most joyful, fulfilling reading you’ll ever have. promise.

darth-nickels (@darth--nickels) writes darker, twistier, and terribly, terribly heartwrenching aus. they’ve got a whole host, but let me introduce to my two favorites. also, check out their faux-academia on vader. it’s amazing and i love it, but i admit i am an academia hoe.

Dooku Captured, Pt 2, 16k, complete. “Dooku is taken alive onboard the Invisible Hand, and Sidious' web is torn. The Sith Lord wonders if death might have been preferable to clumsy interrogation by Anakin Skywalker.”

Dooku Captured is a longshot au told from Dooku’s pov which takes the beginning of ROTS and throws it on its head. it’s a fascinating outside perspective of anakin and obi-wan’s relationship and such and interesting examination of dooku’s psyche and especially his complex relationship with the jedi order, qui-gon, yoda, and palpatine. i cannot rec this one enough.

Black Mirror, 90k, incomplete. “The Ghost crew returns to the Lothal when they hear the Empire is investigating the Jedi Temple there. They learn Vader is alone and decide to take him out-- but what they find could change the course of Galactic history.”

Black Mirror diverges into swr territory, but make no mistake: this is entirely an examination of vader and, later, obi-wan as well as ahsoka. luke makes his appearance later in the game, and boy oh boy will you love luke’s portrayal is a microcosm of luke and vader’s relationship within canon. heed the tags, though.

jerseydevious ( @jerseydevious ) is, first and foremost, one of my favorite people on earth. secondly, though, she’s an amazing writer with a deep understanding of vader’s character and psyche, a flair for beautiful depictions, and the true ability to wring every emotion out of your body.

Two and a Half Men (with a baby), 13k, incomplete. “After a long day of bargaining with Hutts and attempting to ignore his past, Darth Vader is nearing the end of his rope. When he discovers his two-year-old son, it's the straw that breaks the semi-rational Sith Lord's back; in a rash act worthy of the Skywalker name, he scoops his son into his arms, steals a shuttle from his own fleet, and punches in random hyperspace coordinates to a destination on the other side of the galaxy. Unfortunately, father and son are not the only ones on the ship.”

Two and a Half Men will stick with you, dude. like no other. i promise. it’s a whirlwind ride with obi-wan, vader, and piett and as funny as it is heartbreaking. it touches on some heavy issues and doesn’t shy away from looking at the damage done to vader––again, heed the tags.

Helioseismology, 4k, complete. “Luke gets shot down on a supply run and caught in an ice storm. It's extremely lucky that his father followed him there.“

i’ll admit. im completely biased about this one because it was a birthday gift to me and i am sucker for litcherally anything when jd puts pen to paper, but believe me when i say you will be awed by the depth and tangled relationships between these luke and vader that jersey can illustrate in a stroke of the paintbrush. im love. always.

izzythehutt ( @izzythehutt ) i am blown away by the intricate dialogue and characterization, always. and the latin puns? im sold. im also a sucker for latin puns, but that’s a story for a different time.

In Loco Pirates, 34k, complete. “A down-on-his-luck Hondo Ohnaka manages to capture the unicorn of all bounties--Luke Skywalker, which sends Darth Vader, Lord of the Sith, on a painfully familiar trip to the planet Florrum to collect his prize. The failed negotiations leave Vader in the awkward position of being stuck in a besieged pirate bunker, trying to balance keeping his wayward child safe (and in his custody) with controlling the tongue of a loose-lipped pirate who--to the surprise of no one--has a bad habit of telling 'amusing' anecdotes from the Clone Wars.”

hondo, aka the best character of swtcw, is brought to life just as vividly on paper as on screen. his entire personality brings luke and vader’s difficulties in a sort of incredulous light, which makes it as funny as it is vulnerable and tragic. the sequel, Palpatine Ad Portas, brings piett into the spotlight, and oh man do his interactions with palpatine and vader bring u all the uncomfortable vibes. relish in it.

sparklight ( @littlesparklight ) man. lemme introduce u to an amazing prolific and detailed writer. i will never get over the series they’ve written & neither will u.

Where Our Intrepid Hero Doesn’t Get Away, 122k, incomplete. “One-shots surrounding either AU situations of canon/legends works where Luke would normally have gotten away (or Vader is simply inserted into the action to come pick his child up) but in these instances doesn't, or completely new scenarios of the same. There are no deep ruminations on consequences of the situations here, just our awful Sith dad picking his son up when he'd rather not be.”

exactly what it says on the tin. u know those glorious moments of fanfic where luke’s gotten captured and ur on pins and needles, waiting for vader to show up in a moment of dark glory? here’s the moment. here’s all the moments.

Space Race, 122k, incomplete. “Owen gives in to Luke's wish to attend the Imperial Academy and Obi-Wan is too late to avert it, though he's not too late to make sure Luke leaves Arkanis before Vader can gets his hands on him. Luke spends over a month running around the galaxy before his father gets him, and from there...”

this story relishes in chase and boy is it fun. it will keep you on the edge of your seat and it’s an amazing ride.

The Suns of Tatooine, 85k, complete. “Luke ends up on a moon swamped in dark side energy after a mission goes wrong, then his father appears... and then they go on a bit of a learning experience. This could've been the only thing that would come of getting through a Sith complex with his father, but thanks to going to free Han earlier than the gang did otherwise, more revelations are had. Will that change anything?”

this series is a thoughtful, contemplative piece examining the nature of the force and the relationship the skywalkers have with tatooine. the descriptions are beautiful, the inventiveness is amazing, and you’ll be thinking about it for long afterwards.

an additional few…

Between Flight and Longing; 34k, complete. “Luke Skywalker and Han Solo journey to the planet Balen'ar on a desperate mission and find more than they'd bargained for.”

a classic and it is for a reason. the interaction between han, luke, and vader is so spectacular and the slow trudge of going through the forest with your greatest enemy and best friend is something hilarious. the end is bittersweet and fantastic.

The Sith Who Brought Life Day, 13k, complete. “An Imperial officer loses a bet and has to get Darth Vader a present for Life Day.”

somewhere between terrifying and dull, this fic presents a canon-compliant look at the hunt for luke and the grinding wheels of the empire. the oc is amazing and it echoes in true star wars spirit: sometimes it’s just some dude who can change the galaxy.

Quintessence, 5k, complete. ‘“Well, Master, I think I’ve found the one positive aspect of this situation.” “Which is?” “The Temple won’t have to pay the costs for our funeral pyres.”’

pure hilarity and shenanigans abound in pre-aotc obi-wan and anakin hijink goodness. lemme tell u––u will deeply sympathize with mace windu afterwards. additionally, check out the rest of the author’s oneshots! they’re deeply thoughtful and the interactions the author writes between obi-wan and anakin are always gold.

some extras & shameless self-promotion

here’s a full list of recommendations for star wars rebels fanfic in case this is what you’re looking for (remember when this used to be a swr blog, lmao)

i’ve also written sw fanfic, both swr and luke-vader centric. drop by and tell me if it’s any good!

[beauty-grace-outer-space]

I have absolutely no motivation to write (even though I open my WIP docs every single day and stare at them for like an hour) so here, have this beginning of a draft that was supposed to be my NANOWRIMO 2018 project. 

“Inside every black hole that collapses may lie the seeds of a new expanding universe.” 

― Sir Martin Rees

Jim never truly got used to the feeling of still warm blood, clotting and drying against his skin as the vessel grew cold beneath his hands, their chest sunken and still and their eyes open and unseeing. He hoped he never did. 

With a swift tug, he pulled the knife from the flesh, the serrated edge catching on muscle and bone until it finally slid free with a wet, dull sound. The hilt was slick against his palm. The wound gushed fresh blood, dark and acrid, as the cork stoppering it was removed. 

With a tilt of his head, he extended a stained hand and lowered the eyelids of the deceased, closing them to the world forever. He turned his own gaze to the stars above, incanting a silent prayer for the dead as he knelt. 

Rising slowly from his crouch over the corpse, he wiped the blade clean on his trousers before resheathing it against his calf. He would tend to it properly later. 

The blood gathered, dark beneath his fingernails. 

What, will these hands ne'er be clean?

A contemptuous smile crept across his face as he stared at the stains on his skin. At times, he felt they seeped to his very soul.

He seized his communicator, flipping it open and pressing the call button. 

“Kirk to Enterprise.” 

“Captain. Am I to assume that this communication means you were successful?” 

With a glance at the body, he replied, “Affirmative, Mr. Spock.” 

“Locking on to your signal now, sir.” 

Energize.

_______________________________________________________________

Spock stood at attention behind the panel of controls in the transporter room, half-interestedly watching Mr. Scott at his task of attempting to beam the captain back aboard following his negotiations with the Berilian council. They had agreed readily to join the Federation, and Jim’s final task has been a simple one: obtain their signatures on a treaty avowing their claim that they would never again wage war against a nearby Federation settlement. Having not been at war in several earth years, they were entirely willing. The meeting had been brief and the captain had requested beam up a mere hour after descending to the planet’s surface, assuring them of his success in their last transmission. 

“Bloody electrical storm--” Mr. Scott muttered angrily as he adjusted the controls yet again. 

Spock turned to him, critically eyeing the computations on screen and the curiously empty transporter pad. “Difficulties, Mr. Scott?” 

The engineer looked up from his duties, a sheepish expression crossing his face as he realized he had been overheard. “Apologies, Mr. Spock… this storm-- the electrical currents are interfering with the dematerialization. If I cannae lock onto his signal more firmly--” 

“Do you require assistance?” 

Mr. Scott shook his head, “No, I dinnae think so-- I just need to-- there!” With a victorious crow he slammed his hand against the button to energize. The transporter pad whirred to life, particles swirling through the air before reforming to reveal their captain. 

Their captain with blood staining his shirt. 

“Jim!” Scott cried in alarm, as Spock simultaneously moved forward to assist and ascertain any injury. 

“Captain--” he began, already reaching for his communicator to summon the doctor if necessary. 

He was not anticipating for the captain to step swiftly out of his reach and to command, voice steely and eyes hard, “As you were, Commander.” 

Spock was not often taken by surprise, but he found that he had no response to the unexpected words and unusually cold tone with which they were spoken. After several moments of silence, he found his voice and began again, “Captain, I merely wished to establish the source of your injury. Given the blood on your sleeve, I assumed-- perhaps wrongfully-- that--” 

“Exactly, Mr. Spock,” Jim replied, stepping forward dangerously, his forehead nearly touching Spock’s, his eyes narrowed. Then, gritting out each word, he repeated: “As you were, Commander.” 

Mr. Scott, hovering uncomfortably at the control panel as he watched the abnormally hostile interaction between the two, cleared his throat. 

“Em-- ‘scuse me for butting in,” he said, “but Captain, you’re wanted on the bridge.”

The captain’s gaze shifted to the Scotsman, his posture relaxing slightly as he removed himself from Spock’s personal space. “Thank you, Mr. Scott,” he replied flatly before returning his gaze to Spock expectantly. 

Spock stepped aside. 

Jim squared his shoulders and made his way from the room, the doors closing behind him and leaving the remaining officers in stunned silence. 

“I thought you said things went alright down there,” Mr. Scott said incredulously. 

Spock met his eye with concern. “It would appear I was mistaken.” 

________________________________________________________________

When Uhura summoned him to the bridge, quietly and with the distinct tone of someone hoping not to be overheard, Len knew that there were only two options awaiting him when he arrived. 

The fact that she hadn’t come straight out and told him who it was narrowed his options down. So either: 

1. Spock had gone and done something stupid and gotten himself sick or injured somehow, but was being a stubborn ass about it, thus leaving Nyota-- sometimes the only one among them with any sense-- to bring it to his attention at Jim’s request, because she was much better at the batting of eyelashes and feigning of innocence than their captain was on his best day and there was less chance of Spock holding a grudge. 

or

2. Jim had gone and done something stupid and gotten himself sick or injured somehow, but was being a stubborn ass about it, and Spock and Uhura had exchanged enough worried glances across their stations that the communications officer had taken matters into her own hands, because batting of eyelashes aside she could knock Kirk sideways into next week and they all knew it. 

She hadn’t sounded particularly urgent, just concerned, which both sparked his curiosity and set him at ease. Had anyone been in any true danger, he would have been informed. Just the same, he quickly gathered up his medkit and made his way to the turbolift and up the levels to the bridge. 

Stepping out of the lift he scanned the bridge, gaze sweeping across each station. Nothing seemed out of the norm, aside from the fact that Spock wasn’t at his post. Feeling eyes on him, he met Nyota’s concerned stare, tilting his chin towards the science station questioningly. She shook her head minutely in reply, her own chin jutting swiftly toward the captain’s chair to their left. 

Damnit, what had the kid gone and done now? 

Jim’s familiar dirty blond hair and gold adorned collar were visible over the straight edged back of the chair. He didn’t appear to be in any visible distress; the lines of his shoulders were sharp but not rigid-- alert, but not tense. Of course he couldn’t be sure without doing a full examination, but so far nothing was ringing any alarm bells for Len. 

Which of course raised a red flag all on its own. 

He raised a questioning eyebrow back at Uhura, silently asking her to clue him in on why she had secretly called him up here if everything was fine, when Jim spoke. 

“Doctor McCoy,” he called without turning around or in any other way acknowledging Len’s presence, sending Chekov and Sulu turning in their own chairs, startled. “What brings you to the bridge?”

Doctor McCoy? Sure, Jim called him that occasionally-- when professionalism called for them to stumble through introductions without having to awkwardly explain the moniker the kid had adopted for him immediately after meeting in all their booze soaked and blood stained glory-- but rarely; and nothing indicated that the situation called for it. So either Jim was aware of something he wasn’t, or the kid was royally pissed off. 

Neither boded well for them. 

“Thought I’d come make sure you were still in one peace after the negotiations,” he replied with just enough snark to provoke Jim’s usual easy banter with him. 

Jim, however, didn’t rise to the bait. Without any further preamble, he asked, “Who called you up here?” 

Len blinked uneasily. Jim had never been one for placing blame, and that wasn’t a question he had ever asked of Len before, at least not in that tone. Running his tongue over his lower lip he rocked back on his heels and replied, sure to keep his tone neutral, “Can’t see how that’s any of your business.” 

Jim was out of his seat in an instant. Anger plain in his expression, he turned to face Len for the first time since he had arrived, giving Len a clear view of the rusty patches of drying blood on his command tunic-- the obvious reason that Uhura had summoned him, the captain’s odd behavior notwithstanding. 

“Jim,” he began, shocked, “there’s--”

“It seems--” Jim cut him off, “that my crew is determined to undermine me today.” 

Len frowned in confusion. Something was wrong here. Jim was acting strangely, and Len wanted to get to the bottom of it as soon as possible. The sooner he could nip a patented Jim Kirk temper tantrum in the bud the better. With a scoff he replied, “Determined to-- Jim, what the hell are you--” 

“Captain,” Jim interrupted icily. “You will address me properly on the bridge, Lieutenant Commander.” After a pause, he relaxed minutely. “Return to your post, Doctor McCoy. We’ll discuss it later.” 

Len’s mind raced; countless explanations for Jim’s odd behavior flew through his mind at breakneck speeds: alien viruses, blood infections, fever, chemical influence… 

“Sir,” Uhura cut in, “incoming transmission from Starfleet Admiralty. They’d like to get your mission report.”  

Jim tore his gaze from Len’s, waving a hand in her direction as he reseated himself in his chair, effectively putting an end to their conversation. “On screen, Lieutenant.” 

The view of the stars ahead flickered and gave way to a projection of Admiral Pike, a broad smile on his face as he greeted the captain. 

“Jim! Good to see you, son… I hear things went well down there?” 

The resulting silence stretched just a bit too long to be natural, and Len found his gaze drawn back to Jim. He had gone perfectly still where he sat, his eyes wide and focused on the screen with a frightening intensity. 

After far too long, he replied. “Yes, sir… all went according to plan.” 

_______________________________________________________________

Pike’s eyes flew to McCoy’s, a troubled expression crossing his face as he looked to the doctor for reassurance. Jim bit back a harsh laugh; did the two honestly think he didn’t know what they were doing? They were clearly concerned about him, which was wildly amusing considering he and the doctor had discussed specifics that morning and Pike-- well… 

“Would you like specifics on the mission, Admiral Pike?” Jim asked, folding his arms across his chest, watching the older man’s eyes widen at the sight of the staining on his sleeves; he’d taken care to wash his hands before making his way to the bridge, but hadn’t dared change his clothes. Something was off with his crew. They were acting suspiciously, and he had no intention of wasting any time with petty tasks that could allow him to be caught off guard. 

Pike blinked back to attention, stammering a bit as he answered, “Of course, my apologies, Kirk. I got distracted for a moment there--”

“Understandable, Admiral, given the circumstances,” he replied easily, shifting in his chair to lace his fingers together, resting an elbow against the arm while taking care not to activate any of the controls there. 

"Jim," Pike's expression was wary, concerned. Weak. "You’re acting a bit… you feeling alright, son?"

"Well," Jim replied, picking at a nail and smirking. "I suppose that depends on your definition of alright. You see,” his eyes snapped up to meet Pike’s gaze through the screen. “I could have sworn up and down I left you drowning in your own blood, old man."

[gffa]

SO NOW THAT WE HAVE THE WHOLE ARC, it's interesting to look back on some of the themes of the way the characters are presented and one of the most interesting lines of “Together Again” for me--that Trace and Rafa are intensely surprised that it’s possible for a Jedi to leave. Which, at first makes sense, because you think they wouldn’t have heard about such a thing, but then about two seconds later my immediate thought was: EVERYONE KNOWS DOOKU WAS A FORMER JEDI THO??? From Star Wars Propaganda: “Enter Count Dooku. Head of the noble house of Serenno, Dooku emerged as a charismatic firebrand who laid bare the inequities of the Republic. He encouraged worlds to tender articles of secession from the Republic, spurring a tide of separatism that spread across the Republic. Dooku had a commanding voice that demanded attention. He also had the authority inherited from his previous role, a former Jedi Master of the Order. Once again, the Jedi Order’s eschewing of the galactic spotlight allowed another to reshape the image of the Jedi, and for nearly a decade, the most famous Jedi in the galaxy was one who advocated for the dissolution of the Republic. “Among the growing members of the Separatist Alliance were artists who held back little in complaining about the sins of the Core. Countless messages of corruption were broadcast to worlds on the borderlands, systems that never realized there was an alternative to the Republic. Serenno, Raxus, Onderon, Ando, Sullust, Umbara, and other major worlds seceded, taking with them their resources and tax revenue. “Coruscant was in a panic. Multiple agencies within the government and those contracted from the private sector were tasked with taking the reins of an out-of-control narrative. Rather than be tarred with the epithet ineffectual that colored Chancellor Valorum’s legacy, Palpatine was recast as a beleaguered patriot doing his best to root out corruption from a complacent system. While such messaging did not stem the tide of separatism, it did allow for Palpatine to accrue more executive powers and extend his term beyond constitutional limitations to better deal with the growing crisis.” Dooku was famously an ex-Jedi, it’s a big part of what gained him political clout, that much of what led up to the Separatists deciding to take action was his speeches that gained notoriety because of it, as well as this narrative was present on Coruscant itself.  People there knew Dooku was a former Jedi, they knew he left, so why are Trace and Rafa so surprised? Is it just one of those things where the writers of TCW aren’t paying attention to the worldbuilding that Pablo Hidalgo put down?  Possibly, I wouldn’t be surprised. But I also think it’s something that’s been showcased even within this arc, that Trace and Rafa, for all that their hurt and anger are real and valid, are also being shown as unreliable narrators when it comes to the bigger picture of the war and even, to a degree, the Jedi.  That they’re not wrong that the Jedi don’t have time for everyday people anymore, but that they don’t seem to really understand why that is. In one of the earliest scenes with Trace, she says that the Jedi started the war--we, the audience, know that isn’t true.  The Separatists started the war, they were illegally stockpiling mass weapons, they attacked, and then Palpatine sent the clones to deal with that on Geonosis.  The Jedi lead the attack, as Palpatine designed them to look like they started the war if the public wasn’t paying attention, but they did not. Then she says she’s going to leave Coruscant--one of the places least affected by the war, that the war had barely touched the planet, that’s why it’s so significant that the Senate bombing scared the shit out of the Senate because Coruscant hadn’t been attacked in over a thousand years, because Coruscant was largely away from the direct war until much closer to ROTS/the Battle Over Coruscant--and get away from the war and the Jedi, go out into the galaxy, but where does she think the war is?  Where does she think the Jedi spend most of their time? And ultimately, even with their anger and hurt, when they get to spend any amount of real time with a Jedi--in interactions that we actually see, unlike their time with Luminara, where we only have one side of the story--this is exactly what happens over and over with the Jedi.  When people spend actual time with them, when they aren’t being pulled away because someone else needs them even more, people see them for who they really are and go, oh, I actually like them.  This even happened as recently as Onderon, where they rejoined the Republic specifically because of the Jedi.  Or in the recent Alphabet Squadron where the group comes across an old Jedi Temple and express surprise that “an ancient cult” built something that was so wonderful, it went against what they thought/were told the Jedi were. That Rafa says Ahsoka acts like a Jedi, even with the qualifier of how it’s what she wants, the thing is that Ahsoka very much was raised as a Jedi.  They are her family, they are the ones that helped shape her values, they are the ones that were there in her formative years (ages 0 to 13 are the ones where your morals and values are really set in who you are, it’s 13 where your brain is really set with all that stuff) to shape her into this person. Ahsoka may not be a Jedi anymore, but she has always carried what they taught her, the beliefs and possibly even may have thought about going back to them one day.  Originally, the Wrong Jedi arc was written with her returning to the Jedi Order, which says to me that her walking away was about needing space and having to figure herself out (she even says, “I can’t stay here any longer, not now.“ which might be “not after this happened” or “not right now”), not that she ever hated them or wanted to throw away the person they helped make her. Yes, this is a story about Ahsoka dealing with the way the galaxy sees the Jedi and it’s not always in a favorable light, but it’s also a story about a thing that happens over and over in the bigger SW, where people get to know the Jedi as they actually are, not through propaganda and other people shaping their story, and go, “Oh.  These people aren’t who I thought they were, who I was told they were, and they’re human, but good.” They don’t have to be perfect, but propaganda and other people shaping their narrative, especially in people who haven’t actually spent time with a Jedi, is one of the core narrative worldbuilding pieces in SW.