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unstoppableforcce · 4 years

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golden

CHAPTER ONE: simplicity

pairing: Poe Dameron x oc! Anya

next part | masterlist | oc art

a/n: this is set before the Force Awakens and is a rewrite and expansion of one of my first fics. it’s a big one, this part is 6.7k which might be the longest thing i’ve ever written lol, but i love my oc and the relationships and the plot of this, i hope yall do too bc i can’t wait to write more!!!

He had forgotten how beautiful the galaxy could be.

Before him, through the clear windshield of the dilapidated transport ship, laid an expanse of towering mountains of green, thick like the jungles of Yavin IV he knew so well, and vast like the breath of the galaxy he was only beginning to familiarize himself with. In the valleys that sat between the intimidating heights of the jungle were ponds and lakes, illuminated by the contrast of their soft pink hue and the sunlight from three suns beating down on them overhead. And within each jaw-dropping landscape they flew over, the lanky jungle trees stretched high and interwoven with each other and the depths of the gentle pink lakes, he caught glimpses of the hidden civilization.

Stone buildings of dark brown granite hidden beneath the twisted green vines and thick, overgrown tree trunks, windows of reflective glass cascading like waterfalls built back into the shape of the mountains. From as high as they were, flying above in the shaky transport ship, he could make out the movement of the people through the trees and on wooden crescent boats out in the milky pink water of the lake, working as the suns bore down on their backs.

Flying in his X-wing, he had mission objectives and responsibilities. He travelled from point A to point B and never lingered in one place for longer than he needed to, not with the First Order patrols cracking down across the galaxy. He couldn’t remember the last time he had travelled so slow, the last time he got to truly see the colors of the universe around him which normally passed in hyperspeed blurs.

He had forgotten how beautiful the galaxy could be.

“Wow…” the awe fell from his lips unconsciously as his eyes stayed wide, scanning the horizon not only out of necessity given their flight path, but because he couldn’t look anywhere else. The D’Qar jungle was said to be beautiful, as beautiful as this, but for the past months he had been tasked with growing their new base there, he saw the inside of buildings and the burn of haunting fluorescent lights more than he did the real greenery and sunlight.

It was… breathtaking to say the least.

“I thought I misremembered,” the calm and collected voice of the General sounded off over his shoulder as he slowed his speed to navigate a lofty bit of cloud cover that surrounded the tops of the mountainous valleys he navigated between. “I convinced myself somehow that no place in the galaxy could be as beautiful as I remembered but I was wrong.”

He couldn’t blame her. If he wasn’t seeing it with his own eyes as his hands gripped tight to the controls of the ship, he wasn’t sure he would have believed it either.

Waterfalls of the lightest pink hue, the sparkling of the natural granite deposits in the rock which shined equally as bright as the city construction as they continued over it, the polished rock made into skyscrapers which rivaled the surrounding mountains in height, the natural overgrowth of green vines and thick canopy tree tops… the more he saw, the more Poe found himself overwhelmed by the beauty.

“How far until the palace?” He hummed with a brief quirk of his jaw back over his shoulder to Leia as his eyes stayed trained on the intricate habitational design and fields woven between towering structures which shadowed over smaller homes which led to more fields and rivers, rocks and jungle.

“Not far, it’s impossible to miss.”

It hadn’t made sense at that moment, but he refrained from asking her to expand, trusting that whatever she meant would be clear to him as they kept going. Within the following minute, his trust proved itself.

The nose of the ship lifted slightly to get them over a particularly tall mountain top, and as the clouds cleared away while he nosed back into the valley below, he found the most gorgeous architectural and natural displays he had ever laid his eyes on. Built, like the hidden structures he had seen earlier, into the most commanding mountain of sparkling brown granite in the landscape before him, the palace was a delicate, yet proud masterpiece with spires as high as the clouds and a bustling marketplace pouring out the front of it, spilling towards the shore of the pink ocean before it.

Banners of colors brighter than he even knew existed fluttered in the wind coming in off the coast throughout the marketplace, and as he brought the ship in to a stop at the surrounding rim of the mountain above the palace’s top spires where all the other ships sat, he began to notice the vibrant crowd which flowed from the boats in the water all the way through the palace gates. He loved his home with all his heart, but this was the most beautiful place in the galaxy. It had to be.

He and Leia quickly unloaded from the non-descript ship, and Poe made sure to leave his blaster secure in the cockpit as Leia had instructed him earlier, taking only his jacket and communicator with him. A jacket he quickly realized he would not be needing as the two of them stepped out amongst the ships atop the mountain and felt the overwhelming heat from the suns above them.

“Don’t be too in awe, we are here for a reason.” He glanced back from where he stood near the edge of the flattened mountain top to see Leia stood as regal as ever with her hands linked behind her back and her stare that of a careful mother. “An important reason,” she minded once more and he had no choice but to nod.

As he reluctantly pulled away from teh edge and joined her at her side while they drew closer to the nearby lift and the mindlessly chatting guards stood around it, he couldn’t help but voice the one thought he couldn’t get out of his mind,“I can’t imagine a place like this ever allying with the First Order.”

With a voice lowered closer to that of a whisper while they passed the guards, Leia carefully minded him again, “There is a complicated history to Haiki, as beautiful as it is.”

“All the briefing memo said was that they were great allies during the war, pacifists, but great allies.” He responded in an equally hushed tone until the doors to their lift shut and they began descending deep into the dark, sparkling rock. “You said their leader was a friend.”

“Their King and Queen were friends of mine while I was still living on Alderaan and fighting with the rebellion, unfortunately the queen died shortly after the Empire fell and their king has been sick for almost as long.” She explained as the thick walls of granite passed quickly by them as they continued to descend.

“Who are we here to meet with then?”

The lift came to a stop at the bottom and the doors opened to a dense crowd of people, all dressed in vibrant colors of thick woven fabric, skin decorated with thick strokes of black ink in intricate designs that varied from body to body. But as much as Poe wished to step forward and immerse himself into the lively crowd of the market, Leia’s firm grip on the elbow of his jacket pulled him in the opposite direction, towards an open doorway outlined by beautiful branches and bright flowers as her words quickly pulled him back to the reality of their mission there.

“We’re meeting with the Princess,” Leia answered as they continued down the hall illuminated by windows which brought cascades of bright light into the halls as they travelled in a direction which seemed to Poe as if it were going deeper into the rock of the mountain. “I’ve met her before, but she was young, now she runs the whole planet and, from what I can tell, is not as eager about our alliance as her parents were.”

“You think she’s fielding threats from the First Order? You said they were pacifists--”

“It’s not about weapons or defense, it’s about supplies.” Leia sighed as the two of them came to a halt in the middle of the hallway, allowing the few locals who were walking behind them to pass in front and leave them alone with the bright sunlight. “We need their support, the medicine they create, the food they grow… If we don’t get it, I don’t know how much longer we can survive.”

Poe nodded, his overgrown curls bouncing with the nod of his head as he glanced around the empty hall and began pulling his jacket off his already sweat-slicked back.

He knew they were there for support, but the briefing memo had been vague on purpose. No one else could know they were there, no one could know why they were there. If there was a leak, if the First Order somehow found out that the Resistance was reliant on Hakian support to survive, they’d decimate the entire planet, strip mine them for their resources and slaughter their peaceful population.

He trusted their people, and he knew Leia did too, but he also understood why he had to be kept in the dark until now. This was just too important.

“When we get in to see her, you’ll call her only ‘princess’ or ‘dekka’, never by her first name unless she gives you permission. And make sure you keep your distance, be respectful,” Leia warned as they slowly began walking again, turning a corner and entering another well-lit hall still travelling deeper into the mountain it seemed. “They are sticklers for tradition here and we can’t afford to play around.”

“What does ‘dekka’ mean?”

“Respected one.” She answered quickly, keeping her voice close to him as another person came into view at the end of the hall.

The man towered just like the mountains they flew through did, taller than any human man Poe had seen in person, nearly wookie height if he was being honest. But there was nothing intimidating about him, he merely flashed a bright smile and opened his arms in a welcoming stance.

“Princess Leia, it is an honor to see you again.” The man bellowed out, meeting them at the end of the hall where it let out into a gorgeous room of tall ceilings and windows that stretched from the polished granite floor all the way up to the tallest rafters of twisted vine and tree root, letting in an electric amount of natural light.

Leia quickly unlinked her hands from behind her back and wrapped them around the man, who stood at nearly twice her height, in a solid embrace. “Elias, it’s an honor to see you as well.”

“I had no idea you were coming, whatever can I help you with?” His thick accent continued to cut through the air, louder than Leia could muster by several dozen decibels. His command over the basic language wasn’t too strong, but he certainly made up for his shortcomings with heart and confidence.

However, no amount of strength of heart could overwrite the confusion outlined by his words, leaving an unsettling feeling in Poe’s gut. Judging by the slight deflation in Leia’s commanding stance, it was clear he wasn’t the only one.

“No idea…” Leia chuckled nervously, trailing off with a brief shake of her braids. “We were meant to meet with Dekka Anya-Va, is she not here?”

Elias’ chuckle was equally as unsettled, something was wrong.

“She hasn’t been in all day,” he added as another rough chuckle escaped his lips, “I didn’t know she had schedule, she didn’t tell me…”

Seven hours. That’s how far away Haiki was from D’Qar when travelling as fast as possible in the only non-resistance ship available, an old, deteriorating transport ship. He spent seven hours behind the controls on a trembling, shaking ship, and the Princess they were supposed to be meeting with to secure necessary supplies for the resistance was not there? Was this some kind of joke?

If it was, he didn’t find it very funny.

Leia glanced back over her shoulder, finding the waiting confusion that covered Poe’s face and turned back to Elias wearing a very similar look. “She hasn’t been in at all?”

“She’s been… cutting me off, isolating herself from her advisors… I don’t know…” He stuttered over each and every word, clearly pulling them from a particularly painful place in his chest.

And on any other day, Poe might have cared about the way the towering man’s intimidating voice trembled in his explanation. The overwhelmingly empathetic heart that beat steadily in his chest was accustomed to feeling for anyone from anywhere across the galaxy, but in this moment, the weight of the resistance was too apparent on his shoulders.

If Leia said they needed this Princess to save the resistance, then that was that. They needed this Princess, and hearing that she was circumventing her advisors as much as she was avoiding their meeting only increased the nerves in his unsettled stomach.

“You are welcome to wait for her in the throne room, I will send her your way whenever I find her…” Elias made a desperate attempt to relight the smile that had fallen from Leia’s diplomatic lips, but it only succeeded somewhat, as much as Leia could muster, feeling the same weight that Poe felt sitting heavy on her shoulders.

“Thank you, Elias.” Leia bowed her head, and Elias quickly did the same.

But the second Leia turned away from him and began nudging Poe back in the direction they came from, her diplomatic disposition fell away, returning her harsh, commanding stare.

“She’s avoiding us?” Poe was quick to question as their pace hastened back down the brightly illuminated halls leading back to the busy marketplace.

Leia shook her head, keeping her voice low as the two of them walked, shoulder to shoulder. “Remember when you asked if I thought she was fielding First Order threats already? I think we just got our answer.”

“What do we do?”

As the two of them entered back out into the dense crowd of the marketplace, Leia gave a brief shrug, still tugging him along with her as she fought against the flow of tattooed people. “Now, we have to find her.”

“Do you know where to look?”

The stare Leia gave him was one he was all too familiar with. It was the same look he got when he asked questions about procedure he already knew the answer to, the same look he got when he asked questions he knew she wouldn’t answer. It was a look that meant one thing. The simplest answer, the easier answer, the obvious one that was punching him directly in the face, was the answer he should be looking for.

And with Leia, when it came to asking if she knew anything, the answer was without a doubt, a resounding ‘yes’.

Following the banners, each one a color more vibrant than the last, Leia continued to push him through the marketplace. As they exited the front gate of the palace, the market grew impossibly larger and the crowd more dense, every soul moving with a specific purpose, from stall to stall with shoulders carrying heavy bags and faces bright with electric smiles.

Poe couldn’t remember the last time he saw so many smiles in such a densely packed region.

The sun was beating down hot on his back, slicking his curls to his forehead in a light coating of sweat, but everyone around him seemed oblivious to it, either too distracted by the spices piled high in the booths, wafting a plethora of new scents around the beautiful square, or the swaths of fabrics covered in intricate stitches and designs. Was this what life was like where the war didn’t touch?

People could walk around, fully immersed in their own vibrant culture wearing smiles brighter than the multiple suns which hung above them, seemingly without a care in the world when it came to the slaughtering and genocide happening around the galaxy at the hands of the First Order? Did they even know?

Did the parents who let their kids run around with tightly woven baskets piled high with spiky blue fruit even know about the children across the galaxy who were stolen from their families and conscripted as nameless troopers? Did the elderly who sat off to the side even know that just last week, a village of respected elders on Nantoo were mowed down indiscriminately by First Order officers looking to set up base on their sacred land? Did any of them even know about the war?

If he lived here, maybe he could understand it. Maybe…

But Stars, was ignorance really bliss when millions were being slaughtered?

“I knew she’d be here…” Leia sighed, pulling Poe’s attention back to her pursuit as the market began to thin out closer to the pink translucent shore packed with crescent shaped boats of dark wood unloading at the docks. He didn’t know where to let his stare fall however, the water immediately took his attention, but as Leia kept walking, he fought to both find her stare and follow it in the same direction.

The shore wasn’t packed, but there were just enough bodies to keep him guessing even as he followed Leia’s focus. Where was she looking--

He found her.

Nothing had changed, he still didn’t know exactly where Leia’s stare was directed nor did he have any verbal confirmation that he was looking in the right direction, but he was sure of himself, overwhelmingly sure of himself as his stare landed on the detailed tattoos that covered the back of the lone woman sat on the damp shore, isolated from the crowd.

The thin interwoven fabric of the maroon dress that cascaded down her form was exquisite in it’s intricately stitched details, but nothing compared to the thick, jet black ink stripes that crested over her back and arms, the extent of the skin he could see from the angle they were approaching with. Everyone he had seen so far on this planet had some form of similar markings, be it extensive designs sprawling up their arms or small delicate images drawn on their hands or necks, but none compared to what he saw on her skin.

It was like the dark ink was woven around her, like a vine crawling it’s way up a tree. Or maybe more aptly, it was a web, drawn by a diligent insect or maybe even claw marks from a creature, thick where the wounds ran the deepest and thin at the start and ends of each mark.

Haiku itself was one of the most beautiful planets in the galaxy, but the woman before him was more beautiful than even that.

It took an elbow in the side from Leia to snap him back to reality.

“Why don’t you let me do most of the talking, yeah?” She countered, a knowing quirk to her brow as she nudged him again with her elbow.

He wanted to argue back but Leia had already begun walking ahead of him and the second he moved to catch up, a large guard stepped up to block their path.

This man was tall, like Elias back in the palace was, but he didn’t wear his intimidating height the same way. He was much broader in the shoulders, much wider in his stance, effectively blocking any line of sight either Poe or Leia had towards the princess. Yet unlike Elias, there was no friendly greeting, no real acknowledgement at all besides his narrowed scowl down towards the two of them.

For a planet of self-proclaimed pacifists, Poe wasn’t really feeling at peace.

Not until the soft hum of her voice flowed in from the gentle lull of the shore. “It’s alright, Xia, let them through.”

The wall of a man quickly stepped aside on her orders, revealing the exhausted collapse of her shoulders while she began to pull herself back up to her feet. The languid pull of her muscles was obvious with the delicate cut of the maroon dress across her skin, which contrasted the blood color of the fabric with a dark brown glow, not unlike the sparkle of the magnificent granite mountains under the overhead suns.

“Dekka Anya-Va…” Leia addressed carefully but was quickly cut off by the return of her coarse hum of a voice.

“I was hoping by not being at the palace that you would get the impression I didn’t want to meet with you,” her accent was thick, much like Elias’s but her comfort with the language was much more evident as it flowed much smoother from her lips despite the natural raspiness to her tone. It was a mesmerizing sound, complemented by the dulcet tone of the gentle waves, making it something he could easily get lost in if it wasn’t for his ability to still hear the words for what they were.

Condescending. Nearly mocking if he was being honest. It just didn’t sit well with him, not when directed towards Leia.

“We got the impression, we just ignored it,” Leia countered, pushing her careful tone to the side in favor of the tone she used when addressing her Commanders, a tone that commanded respect, even if the Princess seemed too aloof to provide it.

She let out a rugged chuckle at that, jagged at the edges where it seemed to have fought through her throat and out from her perfectly shaped lips. “We…” she hummed, “I wasn’t aware you were bringing friends.”

The pointed tips of her words were sent like daggers with her stare as she turned from Leia to where Poe stood right beside her, hands linked behind his back and still holding his jacket in a tight grip. But as personal an assault it seemed, when he opened his lips to respond, Leia was quick to cut him off.

“I--”

“This is my pilot, Commander Dameron.”

As unamused as the princess seemed to be, she still did a lot of stone-faced laughter, and that theme held true as her stare held on Poe’s furrowed and focused face. “Does the Commander have a first name?”

With a quick glance to Leia, then back to the Princess, he finally spoke for himself, answering “Poe,” simply.

He didn’t know what he thought throwing his name into the conversation would add, but he couldn’t determine any reason why not to add it, not until the Princess turned her stare back to Leia and shuddered her shoulders back into a steady stance with her chin raised. “Would you mind telling Poe he can go wait by your ship, I don’t imagine it will be a long conversation.”

There it was again. Aloof, condescending, mocking even. Poe couldn’t stand it.

“Excuse me--”

“Actually, Dekka Va, I brought him so he could join our talks,” Leia explained, one of her hands shooting up quickly to keep him in place by her side as she felt the heat of his temper rise with her words.

“He doesn’t seem like he’d be much for conversation.”

He realized his natural disposition may not have been the most diplomatic, he also realized that hot-headed and cocky weren’t necessarily the best qualities for negotiating delicate alliances, but if she was allowed to talk to him with the tone she was taking, he was having a hard time understanding why Leia was keeping him silent. Why even bring him along?

It was infuriating. She was infuriating. She wouldn’t meet them in the palace, she was hiding on the beach, she was biting back with each and every one of her responses. He understood the alliance between her planet and the resistance was important, he really did, but why in the kriff was he even there--

“Dekka Anya-Va, I assure you, Poe is one of my most trusted Commanders and when our discussion eventually turns to shipment methods, he is the only one I trust for routes and numbers--” Leia began, still holding her hand out carefully in front of Poe only to drop it the second the Princess shrugged her shoulders and cut her off the same way she had been cutting Poe off.

“There will be no shipment discussions.”

“Dekka--”

“I apologize for avoiding the meeting, but it wasn’t accidental, I truly have no interest in meeting with you, General.” She continued, using the brief second they stood silent and frozen in shock to navigate around them and back towards the market.

Leia was the first to break out of it, Poe trailing behind, but he still remained quiet, holding back his boiling temper as the General continued to argue.

“It’s a rather important conversation that we need to have.”

The princess continued forward as if she barely noticed them following, and as the density of the market's population began to increase the closer they moved to the palace, she made no move to slow her careful and practiced step through the crowd to accommodate their trailing. Again, condescending and aloof.

Leia broke his train of thought again as she fought with a quickened pace to find her way to her side and continue her argument just within range of Poe’s ears. “A face-to-face meeting will allow us to discuss our deal more intimately, take away any fears you may have and--”

If she cut Leia off one more time, it wouldn’t matter that she was the most respected being on this planet, Poe wasn’t going to be able to keep quiet for much longer.

“I’m not afraid of anything, General.”

Before either Leia or Poe, with his temper steadily boiling over, could mount another argument, the princess pulled one of her guards aside, retrieving a small pouch of golden coins from him and turning back to the stall that had caught her eye in the first place. It was the stall they had passed earlier, filled with children and the spiky blue fruits which had caught his eye as he thought about the rest of the galaxy.

And it was exactly where the princess was kneeling down.

Her rough tone of voice, coated in it’s natural raspiness, flowed out much easier in her native tongue as she let a genuine smile take over her lips. The kids running the booth were bouncing out of their boots as she lowered herself to their level, and their excitement only grew as they began talking to one another in the Hakian language. It would have been heartwarming if Poe weren’t so frustrated.

He didn’t understand what they were saying and it was clear as he glanced toward Leia and saw her focused brow that she didn’t understand the words being spoken either, but from the shared interactions, he had a pretty decent idea what was transpiring.

She asked a question, the kids nervously responded, shaking their heads and trying to offer their product for free before she convinced them to accept her coin. Again, a heartwarming display that he didn’t have time for.

The sun was hot, boiling hot down the back of his neck, and the anger bubbling from within his chest was heating him up from the inside out, making the whole experience ten times worse. He didn’t need to see any heartwarming display, he needed to say something, and he was becoming increasingly overwhelmed with the feeling that when he did, things wouldn’t go well.

Yet the moment seemed to be drawing closer and closer as the Princess stood back to full height with a bag full of the spiky fruit, passing her coins back to her guard. He was ready to open his mouth, to unload on her with the same hot-headed cockiness that Leia feared he would lead with, but he was again denied the chance as she silenced him by turning her back to the two of them and reentering the crowd, heading back towards the palace.

It wasn’t until they were down an isolated hallway of the palace that she turned back, opening the bag of fruit and pulling three of the spiked fruit out easily.

“Dekka--” Leia tried, but the princess silenced her, sticking one of the fruits into her hand before carelessly tossing one in Poe’s direction.

She was making a point, and they had no choice but to stand there and take it.

“This is Mewe, one of our planet’s sweetest fruits,” she hummed, holding up one of her own and turning it gently for them to admire even if all Poe could manage was a subtle roll of his eyes. “They cannot grow anywhere else, they require massive amounts of sunlight, and they are one of the most versatile fruits that exist anywhere in the galaxy, edible on their own, full of health, easily fermented, their juice can soothe sore throats and upset stomachs...”

Puncturing the tough, spiky skin with one of her nails, the vibrant teal juices began to drain quickly out of the shell, too quick for even her quick mouth to catch as she brought the fruit to her lips. The following bite she took was effortless following her brief struggle with the dripping juices, and as much as Poe hated whatever point she was trying to make with this display, as Leia followed her lead and took a bite, he had no choice but to do the same.

And as desperate as he was to stay boiling with anger when he looked at her, even with teal juices dripping down around the corner of her mouth, his mind was flooded with a delicious distraction the second his tongue touched the inner meat of the vibrant fruit. It wasn’t enough for Haiki to be the most beautiful planet in the galaxy, nor was it enough for her to be the most beautiful woman he had ever seen in person, they also needed to have the most overwhelming natural fruits.

Each hesitant chew he took sparked flavors across his tongue, wild, exotic, unlike anything he had ever tasted before. It wasn’t just that his diet had consisted of bland ration packs for the past few years, the taste was truly sweeter and more complex than anything he had ever had on his tongue.

As much as he hated giving her the satisfaction, while he looked up from the greenish inside of the skin to find her careful stare, he could see that he was doing little to hide his overwhelming satisfaction with the flavor given her increasingly smug smirk.

“Haiki is a special place, I don’t think you realize that.” The Princess continued carefully, shifting her stare back to Leia directly.

“We do, Dekka, however--”

“I don’t think you do.” She was quick to counter. “You would have me pledge my sponsorship to your futile movement and sacrifice my planet and the millions of souls who live here to the wrath of the First Order with nothing to offer me in return. You must think my planet worthless.”

Leia shook her head, taking a brief second to swallow the rest of the fruit she held in her mouth and regain her composure in order to fight back, “We can offer your planet protection from the First Order--”

“Because that worked so well for Alderaan, Raysho, Cardota and Courtsilius?” Again, the princess, without hesitation, cut her off. And this time, Poe was done holding his tongue, the heat finally sending his anger boiling over.

“And pledging your allegiance to a sociopathic regime of murderers is preferable?”

It was exactly what Leia had feared. It was the exact reason she had tried so hard to keep him quiet. Not because she feared he would shoot and miss, but because of his tone.

Each word drenched in a level of disrespect he hadn’t earned with her, stepping over a line he didn’t even realize, but one Leia couldn’t help him back from, even as she reached up to grab hold of him to prevent his anger from carrying him closer to the Princess and making things worse.

“I’ll do whatever it takes to protect my planet.” She held her stance even as Poe stepped up, making no move but the slight uptick of her chin as he got closer. “As a peaceful planet, we have no options to arm ourselves outside of diplomacy and the First Order is being far more convincing.”

“Whatever they’ve said is lies, you can’t seriously consider trusting them.” He spoke like a man with no knowledge of his actions, entirely oblivious to the way her guard tightened their stances the closer he got, too blinded by his anger as she continued to argue back against him.

“Because the resistance has never lied to us? Because you can be trusted implicitly on your word?”

With another step forward, eliminating any space between the two of them, Poe effectively cut Leia and her futile attempts to get him to back down out of the conversation. “What have they promised you? Safety? Isolation from the war? It’s only a matter of time before they are enslaving your people and stealing your resources--”

“They’ve promised me protection and have been nothing but cordial, unlike you and your failing resistance.” She scoffed, shaking her small bun of greying hair enough to let loose a few strands as she refused to back down. “So you’d do best to mind yourself before you overstep a boundary you can’t walk back from.”

There was a sense of finality to her tone as she ended her sentence, one Leia picked up on immediately, but even as she moved to grab more forcefully at Poe’s arm to pull him back to reality, he continued to fight his way out of it. Hot-headed, stubborn, cocky. She should have known better than to bring him along. She should have known things would go the way they were going.

“You want me to play nice? People are dying.”

Everything that happened next happened all too fast. The words came spewing from Poe’s lips and as the Princess turned away, no longer requiring herself to be subject to his cruel intonation, he reached out and grabbed her arm before he could be stopped.

In the back of his mind, he could still hear the echoing warning Leia had provided him, telling him to keep his distance and speak with nothing but respect, but the flashes of war echoing in his head and the fire burning in his chest were crackling too loud for anything else to matter. A part of him knew it was out of line, that same part of him was begging for him to stop, and yet his hand still found the smooth, tattooed skin of her forearm, holding her in place as she moved to turn away in frustration.

Leia took a strong hold on the sweat-soaked back of his shirt and yanked him back, but the damage had already been done. “Stand down, Dameron,” she tried out but by the time he released her arm, the guards had already descended upon him, gripping him by each arm and kicking the backs of his legs in to drop him to his knees.

“I think the damage has been done, General.” Her voice was firm in her resolve and equally firm as her language switched and her tongue released a flurry of orders towards the guards who held the stubborn, fighting Dameron on his knees.

“What the kriff-- I barely touched her--” He fought as their grips grew tighter, forcing him frozen where they held him.

Leia tried again, this time not to hold Poe back but to carefully convince the princess, “Dekka Anya-Va, please…”

But her mind was made up and nothing either of them could do would change that.

“We’ll let him think himself over with a sleep in our cells,” she explained to Leia as her stare then fell back to the squirming form of the curly haired and now defenseless pilot. “You can leave with him in the morning.”

“Are you out of your mind?”

“No, but it seems you might be.” The rough, raspiness to her tone which had been so distracting as it filtered out her accent shifted to something nearly playful, as if the whole display before her was amusing. He was being restrained by a towering guard of thick muscle on each side and she had the audacity to chuckle so plainly in his face, only making him fight more even if he knew it was futile.

Leia stepped forward carefully towards the princess but before she could muster any last defense, the princess gave a wave of her hand and the guards, with shoulders wide in intimidating bulk, heaved the fighting pilot to his feet and began backing him up, dragging him in the opposite direction.

“Dekka Anya-Va, let me apologize for his actions--”

“Mensha?” Her raspy voice interrupted the General before any real defense could leave her lips, ushering a young maid out from the small crowd which gathered around the display. “Please escort the General to a room where she can wait, give her anything she needs.”

“Dekka Anya-Va--”

“I’m not my mother, General, the sooner you learn that, the better for all of us involved.”

The long walk back into the depths of the granite palace was all too lonely as the Princess dismissed each and every member of her staff which approached her, even waving away the genuine concern on Elias’ brow and leaving him in the halls as she continued to the throne room. Her back was screaming out from the straight form she maintained with each and every step, but she held her stance and walked on, shoulders firm and chin up, just as she was taught. If anyone passed her, they had to see her as what she was, their leader.

And leaders didn’t waver, no matter how strong the vacuum of emptiness swirling within their chest was, not when there were eyes to see.

But the second the towering doors of intricate dark oak shut behind her, leaving her alone in the expansive and empty throne room, her shoulders fell in, collapsing her perfect form as her chin fell to her chest. The weight which settled there was too great, and the hollow gorge that tore through her heart was too powerful.

Did he really think it was that easy?

Her throat burned with the heat rising out of her chest and her legs grew weaker with each step until she collapsed back against the exquisite throne of dark, sparkling granite consumed by overgrown vines, the words from the hot-headed pilot echoing through her mind, latching onto every thought.

Did he think it was all that simple? Did he think she saw the blood on the hands of the First Order and so easily ignored it? Did he think it was that easy?

A sociopathic, murderous regime… did he really think she didn’t realize what they were?

The bubbling in her gut continued on as her thoughts swarmed with a buzzing around her mind and her head fell forward into her hands where her elbows rested on her knees. Her fingers made furious circles of her temples but it made no difference, his words were there, haunting her mind and inescapable.

Did they really think she didn’t know right from wrong?

With the responsibility for millions of souls resting heavy on her back, the fate of her kind in her hands, it just wasn’t as easy as good versus bad. No matter how badly she wished it was.

“Dekka Anya-Va,” the faint voice of one of her staffed maids entered her thoughts as the small woman carefully tiptoed into the room. “The prisoner is… angrily shouting for a meeting with you.”

Her back straightened on instinct, sending a shooting pain up her spine with the quick pace of the change. A pain she could barely mask with her regal tone as turned her stare towards the young woman, “we’ll leave him to calm himself down for now.”

“Of course, Dekka.”

As the door shut again, leaving her alone with her thoughts again, a sigh of insurmountable exhaustion fell from her lips and she collapsed back into the uncomfortable shape of stone.

If only things could be that simple...

tags: (open)

@cammisanders @rogueonestan @blacksquadron-rougetwo @videogamesandpoorlifechoices @trust-dreamcatcher @mistermiraclee @witchyavenger @randomness501 @buckstaposition

#poe dameron #star wars #poe dameron x oc #golden series #princess au #princess leia #general organa

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songbookff · 3 years

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Songbook’s Star Trek Fanfiction

(To wrap up 2020 and all of the new followers I seemed to have acquired, I am putting together a Master List of all my fanfics. You can see the other fandoms here!)

Hello! This list is for all the different Star Trek fics that I have written over the years. Most of these are so old that they are only posted on FF.net. I always have so many ideas for Star Trek but find it to be the most intimidating fandom I’ve written in (I have no reason for this...I just have this pressure on myself to make it right). I have sorted them by series below.

TOS/AOS

Different Lifetimes. This is my baby. It’s my only Spones fic and it’s very precious to me. I really loved this story. It takes place in AOS, but incorporates some hc I have for TOS. Summary: Spock Prime has been avoiding Dr. McCoy for a reason, but not the one he thinks.

A Little Domestic. This was written on tumblr as a request. It’s Amanda Grayson & Sarek. Summary: Sarek/Amanda after learning that Spock has chosen to teach at Starfleet Academy. Takes place in the AOS timeline...probably.

In Good Hands. Another tumblr request. This focuses on Nurse Chapel. Summary: Spock is brought into sickbay during an emergency and Christine has to help him...just two days after she confessed her love for him. One-sided Chapel/Spock.

TNG

Songbook, PC. Ok, so back when I changed my penname to Songbook, I had this idea to write little stories based around songs (sort of a step up from Songfics for you old folks like me). The idea is a little silly now, but the stories are still good. This is Picard/Crusher, my original OTP. Summary: A collection of Picard/Crusher fics.

Love for a Life. I almost didn’t put these from FF.net on here, but I don’t believe in being ashamed of your writing. So I’m going to share these with yall. It’s not my best work, but I was learning how to write characters and design a story. This is also Picard/Crusher. Summary: An alternate ending to the episode “Justice” where Beverly makes a trade to save her son and Jean Luc has to face his feelings.

The Best of One World. Another FF.net fic. And it’s Picard/Crusher as well. Summary: A alternate take on The Best of Both Worlds that is more PC.

Discovery (these are just tumblr prompts, but I like them so I’m including them)

Her. Jett Reno meets her wife.

Can’t Sleep. Jett has some problems sleeping.

Sick. A two-in-one where Jett isn’t feeling good.

Voyager

An Old Fashioned Holiday Tradition. (J/7) Seven decides to treat Kathryn to an old fashioned holiday tradition from Earth: Valentine's Day. And it seems the entire crew is in on it...

Tumblr Prompts:

Learning. Seven is learning about relationships. J/7

Truth or Dare. Seven observes the crew playing a game. J/7

Kiss #24. Kathryn & Seven share a kiss to keep their cover. J/7

Crossovers

Tumblr Prompts:

An Old Friend. Kathryn has a physical performed when she returns to Earth. TNG/Voy crossover with Kathryn Janeway/Beverly Crusher.

Anniversary. A tumblr prompt that I very much enjoyed writing. Star Trek/Star Wars. Leia Organa/Kathryn Janeway. Summary: Leia surprises Kathryn on their anniversary.

Beautiful Winter. Kathryn & Beverly enjoy a snow covered mountain top.

Something Between Us. Beverly just wants Katheryn to admit that she feels it too.

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imagine-what-would-happen · 4 years

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Since the Beginning (Ben Solo FANFICTION - Part 2)

Okay so it happened guys, the first part is getting oh my god so much love so quickly and like yall know me, I got excited and wanted to write part 2! P.S, i listen to a lot of music while writing these, do you guys want me to post the songs/ vids im listening to as a I write? Let me know! eeeeeehh I’m excited! Okay enjoy! Let me know if any of you want to be tagged in the future instalments!

Link to Part 1

Link to Part 3

Link to Masterlist

Words: 2.6k+

Warnings: Mild Swearing, Feelings of abandonment

Note: Y/N = Your name, Y/N/N = Your NickName (or if you prefer, the nickname he gave you)

Tags: @bensoloslover

Songs: Running - Adam Lambert, Eyes On Fire - Blue Foundation, Somebody To Die For - Hurts, Paralyzed - NF

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He took his stand, “What do you mean Y/N was taken...” He asked in a breathy whisper looking down at his mother, he was near startling in this position, with that voice, he didn’t need the helmet to put fear into the hearts of those around him. He held the back of his head. It couldn’t possibly be his Y/N, he had never told anyone about her, no one. He took deep breaths. He had convinced himself so long ago that she was gone forever.

“Ben,” Leia held his cheek. “I know who she was to you... but there's no time for explanations right now, we’ll lose her forever if you don’t hurry.” She searched his eyes. “I wouldn’t put you in this position if it wasn’t absolutely necessary”.

Ben pulled away and sighed, turning around, his eyes darting around the tent. He turned back to face his mother in a swift move. “Tell me what I have to do”.

That is where it began. By the time nightfall reached Ben knew the plan, who would accompany him, the route they would take. He was going to see her, going to be able to touch her... and give her absolute hell after he finds out where she's been this entire time. She was his best friend, and deep down, he knew that he loved her, he would never admit it though. He never thought he would get the chance.

Sticks cracked under his new boots as he walked, to his new spacecraft. Leia was there, waiting to send him off. Ben’s eyes were killing him, strategizing under the light of a single lamp while looking between old maps and digitized constellations, he would have been done for. But the rush of getting to see Y/N again, finally being able to save her from the danger she was in for once. Nothing would stand in his way.

He walked up to the princess, the general. “Thank you,” She said softly. “I know this couldn’t be easy...” She looked up at the man that was once her beloved son.

“For Y/N, there's nothing I wouldn’t do...” He had a menacing whisper. “Don’t think I’m doing this for you or your... your cause” he nearly spat. He honestly and truly loved his mother, he wanted to be like her when he was much younger. Strong, smart, capable, commanding. He hated what she left him for. Mothers were supposed to let the world burn for their children... at least that's what he's heard over the years. He never felt that he was any sort of priority to his mother. If anything, he was a distraction and a target she had to worry about.

“Five minutes until take off! Let's go!” Someone in the crowd of mechanics, pilots, and more yelled.

“Goodbye... Leia.”

Without missing a beat he boarded his craft. Getting settled he looked over the controls and then to the co-pilot seat next to him. She would be there soon enough. He was going to make sure of that.

The crafts took off, heading back into space. He was focused, he realized, he hadn’t felt this way since before the accident with the rest of the Jedis.

It wasn’t long after the stars began rushing past him that Ben and the rest of the resistance reached the planet that Y/N was on. It was one of the base camps for the dark side. A near fallback plan. If ever all of their ships were blown up, or anything of great circumstances were to happen, they would all meet here. No one knew about it... At least, that's what he was sure of until now. Apparently the light side was more equipped than he had previously thought.

The ships made their landing a few miles away from the base camp, it was a cloudy night above them. Ben hated this planet, he had been here before only once but it was more than enough for him. The terrain was just about terrible for everything, the weather changed drastically in short periods of time, and the soldiers that were here... there was a reason they were the ones guarding the home base. It was so isolated here, the entire planet and only the First Order to do with it what they pleased.

Ben met with the rest of the fighters. He tried to ignore the way they looked at him, the looks that screamed traitor, the looks that screamed that they would stab him in the back the way he did to his own family. What did they know, they weren’t there. He shook off the feeling. He couldn’t get distracted. He got the cell number Y/N was being held in. He felt a pit in his stomach and then butterflies erupted, he didn’t know how, but he could feel Y/N’s presence... She was here.

“Let's go...” Ben whispered. He began making his way through the camp, staying to the shadows, a few fighters taking the more obvious route to be the distraction. A jet above, ready to pick them all up at the signal.

His heart was beating out of his chest, he had to time his breathing and concentrate on not making any noise.

Easily enough, Ben made his way into the building surrounded by small camps.

Just with Ben’s stroke of luck, a crew of stormtroopers rounded the hall he had come down.

He sighed, he was done trying to be careful. He began his fight. The troops coming at him, they were, of course, no match for him with his lightsaber. He had technique unlike any of his fellow classmates at his uncle’s teachings. He rammed the uniforms, stabbed them, pulled them into each other using the Force, he didn't hold back in the slightest.

He finished them all off by himself. Taking a breath, he composed himself and followed the hallways to the cells, either taking down further troops like a storm or using the Force on any stragglers.

Finally, he made it. The numbers read the same as the ones he was told. He took a breath. This was it...

He punched the code into the door and it swept open quickly. Ben could feel his stomach-dropping, the anticipation. He stepped in, completely drenched in sweat, wearing just sweater and the bare parts of his usual Kylo Ren look...

Turning his head he saw someone curled up in the corner, mumbling. He walked over, one of his steps making a creaking noise and he was pulled back. He was surprised for only a moment, he could tell it was through the use of the Force. He was pushed up against the wall. “I swear, if one of you tries anything else, I will shishkabob you with my lightsa-” Her breath was taken away just as his was “... Ben!” She had finally turned and Ben didn’t even care that he couldn’t touch the ground at the moment.

Y/N ran to him, looking him up and down. “It’s... it's you.” She whispered and let him down gently and nearly jumped into his arms. “I never thought...” She whispered. Ben held her close, breathing in her scent, playing with the ends of her hair. His eyes became glassy.

“I know... Me too” It was all he had to say. This was real- wait. He pulled away and pushed her up against the wall, not too hard, but enough to get her attention.

“Your lightsaber?” He searched her eyes. “You were using the Force... You... YOU WORK WITH MY MOTHER??” He pulled away and shook his head. “You... you never told me. You...” He took a deep breath.

“Ben... I can explain-”

“Stop.” He pushed her back with the Force slightly. “We just need to get out of here. Follow me” He walked out of the cell as Y/N followed. What the hell was happening. He could never imagine this when theorizing what her life was, being so close to his own. As they exited the cell Ben held out his arm behind him, pushing her back slightly incase of danger.

As Ben turned on his lightsaber he heard the same noise behind him. Y/N had picked up her own lightsaber from the nearby storage of prisoner’s items. “How many times have I told you, I don’t need you to protect me. I’ve got this.” She searched his eyes and then looked away. It had been a long time. She walked past him and lead the way.

They both jogged down the halls, each taking one side for a lookout.

“Okay, this way come on.” Y/N whispered and began heading in that direction.

“Y/N!” Ben loudly whispered. “No! The exit is this way!” He gestured with his lightsaber in the other direction, near growling, he was getting beyond frustrated at the situation.

“Ben... I was here on a mission. I’m not leaving without completing it.” She searched his eyes.

He groaned internally. “I hate you” he mumbled and began heading in her direction. “But I’ve got your back”.

That made Y/N smile, she went on the tips of her toes and planted a kiss on his cheek. “Its good to have you back” she whispered in his ear.

Neither Ben Solo or Kylo Ren had ever gotten embarrassed, but at this very moment, the man was turning just about the same colour as his lightsaber. He shook his head and jogged to catch up to her.

Soon enough, the two had made their way to the main control room for the entire camp and building. The guard inside rose from his seat but with a wave of her fingers and a whisper, he was sound asleep. Ben trusted Y/N with his life, but it was scary to see how powerful she was and how he had no idea... he needed to remember not to ever piss her off.

“Where is it...” Y/N mumbled to herself.

“Wheres wha-” Ben began but was then cut off.

“Aha!” Y/N nearly did a fist pump in the air. She began typing into the computer.

Ben walked closer to the monitor. “Wait.. what are you... Y/N stop!” He pulled her back with the Force and quickly let go of her. He always felt so out of control when dealing with her... now that she was close, he used the Force on her so easily on her. He had to control himself. “You’re going to destroy it all” Ben’s voice was soft.

“Of course I am...” She was taken aback and scoffed. “You’re telling me you don’t want the First Order to fall?” She looked beyond confused.

It dawned on him. She had no idea what Ben had done... “Y/N... It’s complicated..” He began to whisper.

“There's nothing complicated about it Ben!” She grabbed onto his sweater, pleading him to see her way. “They’re murderers! They kill innocents, they don’t care about anyone or any sort of life... They’re monsters!” She walked past him and began to go back to typing on the computer.

Ben’s lightsaber turned on and Y/N froze. She bit her lip and looked over her shoulder at him. Sighing she let her head fall. She punched the desk with her fist. “Are you kidding me...?” She whispered, he had never heard her speak with such ferocity and yet, so gently. She turned to him. “You turned...?” She shook her head at him. “You have Han Solo and Leia Organa as your parents and you turn to the dark side? What, are you going through, your rebellious phase?” She shifted her weight, crossing her arms.

He absolutely despised when she did this. Whenever she disapproved of something he did, she would talk to him like he was a child. He shook his head, clearing his throat and pulling his hair back with one swift motion of his free hand. “You know... a lot of things have changed Y/N/N” He swung his lightsaber in a show-off motion, signalling to the colour of it.

Y/N’s lightsaber turned on as well, a bright blue illuminating her skin.

“Let's go, Solo.”

It was nothing but the sound of lightsabers slashing at one another, lights sparking. The two dancing against the other, following and presenting the next step.

Ben knocks Y/N to the ground, making sure not to hurt her too severely, he takes the opportunity to slash the computer. “Oops, can we leave now?” He raises an eyebrow to his best friend on the ground with a smirk.

With a scream she lunges at him, pure rage and fire, leaving behind nearly all her technique. “Y/N I don’t want to fight you!” He yelled over the sound of the weapons.

“Then you shouldn’t have become the villain!” She yelled, slashing and defending against his every move. She was strong, a lot stronger than the young Solo had anticipated.

They were out of the control room, fighting in the midst of the corridor, stormtroopers seeing them and taking fire. “Shit!” Y/N yelled, she ducked for cover.

Having tried to make sure that Y/N was out of the way, Ben forgot himself, letting himself get shot in the abdomen, he fell to the ground but moved himself to cover. “Ben!” Y/N yelled, she deflected the fire with her lightsaber as she ran over to him, ducking behind cover. “Are you okay?” He could tell she was worried by the look in her eyes, he missed those eyes. “Solo, you’re not allowed to die unless it's by my hands!” She groaned. “You’re trying to look after me, look at the crap you get yourself into” she scoffed and shook her head. “How are we getting out of here?” She searched his eyes while putting pressure on the wound. “I’ll radio for back up...” He winced, beginning to take the radio out of his pocket.

Y/N took it straight from his hands. “Its Y/N! Is anyone out there?” As soon as she stopped speaking there were several calls through the radio. All worried and cheering to hear her voice. These people knew her, they cared about her... she was known well in the resistance. Why did Leia need her back so badly? She was a Jedi but... was that really the whole reason why? Ben had thought that the resistance would have stopped with the search for the Jedis, after what he did...

“We’ve got your location! We’re coming, stay put!” the resistance called out.

Ben couldn’t believe it... he really couldn’t. Exhaustion was getting the best of him. Maybe it wasn’t the best to go Rambo on the way in using both excessive force and a lot of Force abilities. It was good to know that Y/N could tire him out... for training purposes of course.

The edges of his vision were going dark. “So... much for a rescue...” he couldn’t help chuckling softly, starting to close his eyes.

Y/N tapped his cheek gently. “Ben Solo, you stay with me damn it. I know you’re not dying so you sure as hell are not going to pass out on me you wuss”.

Ben let out a soft laugh raising his eyes to Y/N, “I missed you”, he touched her cheek.

An explosion is what took their moment. Across the hall shouts came out of the smoke “Y/N! Where are you?”

They were here. As much as Ben hated the resistance, in this moment alone he was grateful, beyond, though he would never admit it.

They came running over, pulling Y/N up, rejoicing. They were acting as if she was the next Leia. He sighed, trying to pull himself up.

“Okay okay guys, we gotta get Ben up, he needs help.” Y/N stopped the celebration and the fighters didn’t make a move.

“He's a traitor! He's a backstabber!” One of the fighters stated the rest agreed.

Y/N crossed her arms, “As I said, he needs help...” She turned to look down at Ben, bending down to be inches away from his face, “And a lot of it” she smirked and patted his cheek gently.

Ben rolled his eyes but wouldn’t talk back as long as it meant he would get help, for now, he knew he couldn’t keep Y/N safe at the moment on his own, he needed these people.

They all sighed but helped the son of their general up, and back to the ship.

Ben’s eyes never left Y/N. He had her back, and he wasn’t going to let her go anytime soon.

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simonsghost · 3 years

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i was tagged by bestie cee / @sapphic-rey ~ thank u bestie!!!!!! rules: answer 30 questions and tag 20 blogs to get to know better

name/nickname: edi or mere is okay! mere is my birth name ~ gender: agender, they/them & she/her star sign: sagittarius height: 5′6 time: 15:01 pm CST birthday: december 21st ! jesus can square the fuck up favorite bands: exo, twice, in this moment, clipping ... many others lol favorite solo artists: florence + the machine, kendrick lamar, megan thee stallion, probably others song stuck in my head: kings dead, jay rock ft. kendrick lamar, future, & james blake last movie: ............yall i have no idea..........maybe little women?? last show: the falcon and the winter soldier & the misadventures of flapjack lol when did i make this blog: idk exactly, i believe i remade either winter of 2015/2016? what i post: multifandom! mainly marvel but also stranger things, dc, and other movies and thiiings last thing i googled: ethnocentrism ........ its for my sociology class..... other blogs: i have ... a couple of saved urls i can delete but im a hoarder:( do i get asks: rarely but im ... very inactive lmao why i chose my url: because im in love with the only woman, leia organa following: 182 followers: 445 (........when the fuck did that happen???? hello????) average hours of sleep: around 7-8 lucky number: girl im not lucky instruments: i used to play percussion and bass guitar what am i wearing right now: some shorts with palm trees and a shirt from a puppy rescue dream trip: i’d love to go to sicily, italy to see old family favorite food: chocolate is the default, but im chunky n love food nationality: american favorite song: rn its say the name, clipping. last book read: started dracula by bram stoker top 3 fictional universes i’d like to live in: asgard (its arguable if that is fictional), whatever star trek be on, mirkwood favorite color: yellow, but i rly love a lot of colors:(

tagging: i aint abt to tag 20 of yall im so sorry @ahsoketano, @anakinskyiwalker, @ginnypcttcr, @tiberiuskirks, @captainmmarvel, @hwfflpuff, & @rinnfey

#tagged in #m.docx

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mysteryspot-duhh · 4 years

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This is still in movie plot-point format, with a lilttle bit dialog thrown in. This one is longer than before.

-Next, we see Rey running. Rushing to find Leia. She finds Leia sitting, in the place where they had their meeting earlier. Her hand clutching her chest. Teary eyed, Rey sobs. 'Ben needs help.' She approaches Leia and kneels. 'Should I find and go to him?' (UGH YEARNING). Leia wipes her single tear off her cheek. 'No.' She gets up. 'You have a much more important mission'. Rey is confused and gets angry and frustrated. 'He is your son! He is betrayed..and..and injured. I saw him. Just now! We should help him! He needs to know you are not abandoning him!' Leia doesn't stop and goes outside.

Outside, finn, poe, rose, chewie are loading the falcon with supplies (I'm gonna call them + Rey, The Gang)

Leia to Rose, 'I need you to report everything,' her gaze shifts to Finn and Poe, '..i mean EVERYTHING', and gives out the sweetest smile she can. 'I will, General.' Rose promises. 'May The Force be with you' They get into the falcon. Rey, still angry at Leia, stops to say something, but Leia pulls her into a hug. 'Rey, thank you, for saving my son.' The hug tightens. 'I am heartbroken with what happened, but..' now they face each other, '..he needs to fall before he RISES.' There is a gleam of hope in Leia's eyes. 'I know now that my son isn't gone, he is still here... And you will bring him home. To me.' Leia's smile grows wider. 'I am always with him,' now they are both teary eyed, '..and you.' Rey leaves Leia, 'Rey, MAY THE FORCE BE WITH YOU, ALWAYS' (UGH, I NEED THIS MOTHER -DAUGHTER THING WITH LEIA AND REY)

- Next, we have Kylo Ren, walking away from a very bad landing. His TIE-fighter crashed on the beach. He is now walking through a grassfield filled with yellow wildflowers. He sees a house and a tall, elderly man tending to his horses (I KNOW THE ANIMALS ARE WEIRD IN STAR WARS, BUT JUST GO WITH IT). The winds hitting his face make the bruises go numb. He cups his still bleeding torso. The man notices him, and rushes towards him. (THE MAN IS RICHARD E GRANT GUYS. DEFINITELY NOT MOFF TARKIN'S RIP OFF)

-In Pryde's house, Kylo wakes up and notices everything inside the room is grey, except the yellow wildflowers in a vase. And there is Luke, in the corner, just watching him. (GUYS, I AM HAVING TOO MUCH FUN WITH LUKE MESSING AROUND WITH HIS NEPHEW AND WATCHING HIM SLEEP)

Kylo tries to sit up. He winces still looking at Luke. Pryde comes in- 'ah, you're awake. I have some fresh clothes.' He stops and look at where Kylo looks, but doesn't see anything. He looks back at Kylo who now staring at him. '-and you need some medicine for the injuries.' Pryde gets out of the room.

'Bet you had a good sleep.' Luke grins. He is ignored, as usual. Luke notices the bleeding hasn't stopped. 'Do you remember, back in the academy we learn how to use the Force to heal wound and in this case, very heavy injuries?' Kylo seems to recall his thoughts. Hesitantly, ' No.' Luke moves towards him, hand on Ben's torso and starts to force heal him. The bleeding stops and the scar heals. The one on his face too.

Ben looks at Luke, 'Uncl-', Pryde comes in with a bowl of medicine. He is shocked to see all the bruises on Ben's face and body heals. Leaving no trace. And we find, again, Luke disappears.

- Now, the gang lands on a grassfield. Walking towards the cave and what is supposed to be the abandon rebel station. All around them is silence. 'If this is a trap, we're screwed.' Poe holds his blaster up. 'Better light your saber Rey,' Rose tells Rey who looks at her and then walks to the cave.

'Are you the resistance?' A lady emerges from the shadow of the cave. 'Are you here to fight the First Order?' More people are coming out of the shadow. Only now Rey lights her lightsaber. 'Yeah, we are,' Poe confirms, '..who are you?' 'I'm Zorri Bliss, former princess of Kajimi. These are my people.' (AWW SNAP. I MADE KERI RUSSEL A PRINCESS YALL. ITS WHAT SHE DESERVES)

Still in doubt, 'how do you know to contact us?''with a help of a friend of course.' And out come Lando out of the cave. (YEAH, YOU WANT NOSTALGIA, HERE'S NOSTALGIA)

- They sit inside the cave discussing.

'This place used to be peaceful, free. We had a lot, we were prosperous. But once First Order came, they took everything. Our resources, our children. They are used to wage war against the galaxy. They had help. The First Order came here, helped by some of the people who wants more than what they have!' Zorri puts on a brave face, but inside we know she's heartbroken. 'Those who opposed them are taken as prisoner, some of them slaughtered. My father is one of them.' Again, silence surrounds them.

'Once she escaped, her knights found me.' Lando breaks the silence. 'You see, I didn't know what happen during Crait. I found out about it, after the story of Luke spreads around the galaxy. I went to our allies, checked on them, asking why didn't they come to your aid-'

'Yeah, they blocked our communication channels.' Finn chimes in. Unsatisfied.

'So, what do you want us to do?' Rose, eager to know.

Lando gets up, twirls his cape a little bit. 'You see my friends, I need you guys to blow something up.' A sly smile on his face. 'The channels are jammed by a satellite...and it is just across the the hills.' Lando points. 'in the courtyard of Princess Zorri's castle.'

Poe looks around. 'We don't have enough hands.' 'I know where we can get more.' Zorri answers Poe and smiles. (IM HINTING THAT I SHIP ZORRI AND POE)

- Ben now replaced his good boy sweater with the clothes Pryde gave. (ITS GREY OKAY, GREY, KIND OF LIKE WHAT ANAKIN WORE IN ROTS BUT GREY UGHHHH, WE WERE ROBBED)

Ben walks towards Pryde with caution. 'Come, help me.' Pryde who is scrubbing his horse says to Ben. 'The other one needs a scrub too.' 'O..okay.' 'I'm sorry about your ship.' Ben stops. 'Yeah, I know who you are. You are from the First Order. Thought you are a stormtrooper deserter, but you are too tall. So, you can't be,' (CAUSE LEIA SAID LUKE IS TOO SHORT TO BE A STROMTROOPER, BUT ADAM DRIVER IS TALL YALL) Pryde stops his scrubbing and looks at Ben, '..and i found this'. His lightsaber. Ben takes it, plays it in his hand. 'You are not afraid of me?' Pryde just smiles and walks towards the field. Ben follows. 'Give me a reason I should be afraid of you.' Ben doesn't say anything. Something about this place makes him calm, his rage dims. Or is it?

'I've faced Vader.' Those words makes Ben jumps.

'I was a young officer in the Empire. Just a small post. No one would notice if I'm gone. I had big ambition, but then, I saw Vader, I saw the destruction the Empire did. Even before the Death Star. Somehow, i managed to get away from it.'

'I found this place, swore to never have any part in any destruction. I would not even hurt a fly these days.'

'Why, didn't you join the Rebellion?' Ben asks. 'Same thing. The Empire, The Rebellion. Vader, Luke Skywalker. They all leads to destruction one way or another. Light, dark. Both sides are using the force irresponsibly. Destroying everything to the ground!' Pryde now faces Ben. '.. And you of all people should know that.' He walks away.

'Why did you help me?' 'I have compassion'

- The gang is in the Millennium Falcon, approaching a very quiet village. 'Okay, Finn. Now it's your turn.' Poe says. (CAUSE YOU KNOW WHAT, THIS IS THE VILLAGE WHERE JANNAH AND THE OTHER STORMTROOPERS LIVE AND FINN NEEDS TO CONVINCE THEM TO HELP. WOOT! WOOT! PAY OFF FROM THE FIRST MOVIE SAY WHATTT!)

They enter kind of like an eatery. (Picture The Mandalorian). 'No weapons.' The server says. 'I'll go outside' Rey offers to keep all their weapons.

They meet Jannah. 'Zorri said someone would be looking for me. Are you looking for me?' 'You Jannah?' Finn asks. Jannah offers them to sit. ' Look, we need your help. All of you.' 'You are Finn right? The former stormtrooper who deserted. Never thought you would pick up a weapon again,' she laughs and continues loudly, '.. Oh, wait, this time for the resistance. The good guys.' Her laughs echoes around the room and others join. 'We just want to live in peace! We don't want to risk our life anymore not FOR ANY CAUSE.' Finn gets up and faces the people. 'Well, then too bad! Too bad that you are no longer risking your life even for the right cause. If you keep on being like this, you will never be at peace! Cause you know what?! Sooner or later, the First Order will be here. They will be everywhere,.. all over the galaxy. More children like us will be taken, away from their families, fighting a war that would never ends. Wherever you go, they will find you-'

'And you think, us following you will stop it from happening?!!'

'We just have to believe and have hope.'

-Rey is outside. Clearly her mind is not here.

'Where are you?' Rey sees Ben is right in front of her. 'Ben..are you okay?' 'You are not with Leia. You're at someplace else.' ' Ben, are you hurt?' Rey looks at Ben, but she feels that something is different with him. 'Where are you?' He asks again. Not revealing the answer, Rey pleads. 'Ben, come home.' With that, Ben severs the connection. Rey feels disappointed but then she feels restless. She enters the eatery.

They are shouting at each other, which she just now notices as she did not pay any attention before. 'Guys, we need to go. I have A BAD FEELING ABOUT THIS'. Rey shouts. Then we have the FO attacking that place. They've been following them. Not sure from where. Hopefully not from the cave. 'DO YOU SEE NOW JANNAH?!' Finn shouts. 'YOU LURED THEM TO US.' 'NO. WE NEED YOU. WHY WOULD WE DO THAT.' Now Poe is shouting. 'YOU GUYS, STOP! WE NEED TO LEAVE NOW!' Rose chimes in. 'Please, Jannah, join us, and help us save what we love. (UGH OF COURSE JANNAH AND HER GROUP FOLLOW THEM AFTER THAT). We then have the standard spaceship fight and all that exciting stuff.

-The First Order received information on what happen on Kajimi.

'Those scum!' Hux exclaims. 'Sir, the satellite that blocks the communication is on Kajimi.' 'I am aware of that! Prepare the ship to raid the resistance base. I'll make sure nobody will survive.'

-At the same time, report from Rose comes in. 'General,-' 'You need to evacuate, now! Bring all our fighters to Kajimi. Prepare for a battle.' Connix nods at the orders.

- The FO comes just as the last supply transport ship flies away. 'General, we need to leave-' C3PO says befere Leia dimisses it 'You need to run, hide, leave me here.' 'What, no. General-' Connix says who is then shoved into a nearby bushes. From the distance, some of the resistance fighter put up a fight. Leia sees Hux coming towards her. 'Hide!' Now, Leia and Hux are facing each other.

'Leia Organa. The Leia Organa.' Leia knows Hux is mocking her. 'Well, your son iS DEAD! In the end, he was beaten by somebody who doesn't even have the Force. Pathetic!'

'Every word you just said, is wrong, General Hux. (SEE WHAT I DID THERE!) My son is alive, there is light in him ...and at least, he fights his own battles. That is more than what you are capable of. ' Leia said calmly before she stops talking. Hux has fired the blaster directly through her chest.

'We head to Kajimi.' Hux says. Gritting through his teeth.

-end of second act-

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meep-morp-s · 2 years

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FebuCLOWN- clowns, George Lucas himself 🤡

I feel like since this is tumblr I need to slap a big ol' disclaimer on the front of this reminding yall this is satire, don't take this too seriously.

But please enjoy this ridiculous crack for the first of March!

George Lucas walked the halls of Skywalker Ranch, content with the way things were going that day. He heard a commotion from outside and went onto the patio to check it out.

Dave Filoni was there watching a large ten being set up. “What’s this?”

“A circus,” Filoni answered. “The Disney executives are having it set up to celebrate the end of the Skywalker Saga. Or something.”

George Lucas shrugged. “Okay, as long as there aren’t any clowns. I hate clowns.”

“I think they’re funny,” Dave Filoni said. George Lucas went back inside.

He tried to get some work done but someone had started blasting circus music loudly. It reminded him of clowns and he shuddered. Eventually, it got to be too much so he marched back outside to confront whoever was in charge of the speaker system.

“Oh-emm-gee! It’s George Lucas!” someone shouted. More shouts and gasps followed it. Before he knew it, George Lucas was surrounded by clowns.

“AAAAAAAAA!”

“Oh no! We forgot George Lucas is afraid of clowns,” one of the clowns said.

Another clown facepalmed. “And we call ourselves true fans.”

Dave Filoni pushed through the crowd of clowns. “George, it’s okay. They’re not actually clowns, they’re just fans who dressed up as clowns to come see you.”

“What’s the difference?”

Dave Filoni was at a loss for words.

“Anyways, we’re so happy to see you! We have so many questions.”

George Lucas smoothed out his shirt and caught his breath. “Uh, sure. Shoot.”

“I’ve wanted to ask this for a long time,” one clown said. She stared intently at the filmmaker. “When did you figure out you wanted to have Luke and Leia be siblings? Because sometimes it seems like there’s hints of it in The Empire Strikes Back but they still kiss multiple times in that film…”

George Lucas gulped. “No comment.” He took a step back but the clowns just kept coming closer.

“Does Obi-Wan love Satine or Cody more?”

“Satine?? Cody?? Who are you talking about?” George Lucas was very confused.

“You know, the Duchess of Mandalore, Satine Kryze, she was in eleven episodes of The Clone Wars? And Cody, Obi-Wan’s clone commander?”

“Oh, yeah. Wait– why would he love a clone commander? The only person Obi-Wan ever says he loves is–”

“Anakin,” the clown replied quickly. “Yeah, I know. But the subtext–” George Lucas did not recall including subtext that the clone in yellow that was on screen for thirty seconds in Revenge of the Sith was in love with Obi-Wan Kenobi.

“But none of you are asking the real, hard-hitting questions!” One clown with floppy shoes, a big red nose, and oversized overalls waddled to the front. “Nobody ever takes me seriously and I don’t know why. I try and tell them Qui-Gon Jinn and Obi-Wan Kenobi were terrible abusive people that manipulated Anakin for their own gain but they say I’m wrong! Tell them I’m right!”

Even the other clowns cringed at this guy. But they kept pushing forward.

“Is Legends or Disney canon more historically accurate?”

“Was Anakin a lefty or a righty and did that change when his arm was cut?”

“Uh, I don’t know, does that really matter?” George Lucas asked. “And could you give me some breathing room?”

“How do montrals work? Is it like sonar or does Ahsoka have ears under there?”

“I–”

“Are kyber crystals an environmentally conscious source of energy?”

“can’t–”

“How do you explain the continuity errors of travel time between planets?”

“-breathe!”

“You haven’t answered our questions! We need to know!”

“They’re just movieeeessss!!”

George Lucas suffocated. The end.

#febuclown2022 #febuclown #crackfic #clowns #clown #george lucas #dave filoni #i genuinely cannot decide if i hate this or if its the best thing ive ever written #🤡🤡🤡

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thirst-refinery · 6 years

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Happy New Year {Triplet Ben x Reader} Pt. One

A/N~ As the title says Happy New Year everyone! In this last year alone this blog has come so far and it’s all thanks to you guys and I cant thank yall enough. I love each one of you! This is just part one of what I’m calling a Cinderella-esque au. I worked hard on this and would have quit after the first three paragraphs it wasn’t for Fae, so I gotta thank her for putting up with me and being the true MVP. I hope you guys enjoy this and once again, happy new year!

You didn’t want to be here in the first place and now; tucked away in a nook between the fireplace and nearest corner with a folding chair, you REALLY didn’t want to be here.

“I’ll stay with you all night,” Poe had promised. “We'll drink and eat our weight in expensive cheese, it’ll be fun!”

But five minutes through the door and Poe may as well have been the name of your imaginary friend.

Party goers draped themselves over couches and armchairs, positioned towards the flat screen mounted on the wall. Some you knew, most you didn’t. Half full champagne flutes and plastic plates adorned with cracker crumbs and nibbled cheese litter the coffee table, that someone’s child had conveniently fallen asleep under. The sheer volume of people contained in one house made the air uncomfortably hot and stuffy, the only provision of relief is the opening of the front door, allowing cold air to escape through, and the Pumpkin Spice candle glowing on the mantelpiece you could catch a whiff of every now and then.

Who even has time, or the money for that matter, to throw a party like this?

As if in response you find three portraits of identical boys, hanging over the sofa. Except for one maybe, the far left portrait shows a boy with blonde hair and glasses, but his face looks all the same as the others. Each one is perfectly posed and picturesque, looking like deities up there watching over their domain.

Yes, the Solo’s; they’re the only ones capable of pulling off a new year party for the entire city.

Digging the toe of your shoe into the living room's pristine white carpet, you listen to the background bustle of the party. The TV broadcasts Time’s Square, a girl’s shrill birdlike laugh, conversations about weather and new years resolutions, a glass breaks somewhere in the kitchen. Each sound piles on top of one another until a buzz becomes a suffocating roar in your ears. Maybe you should just leave.

“Well don’t you look like you’re having so much fun.”

A woman’s voice catches your attention. She’s short, greying hair tied up in an elegant braid that curls into a bun at the back of her head. She’s covered head to toe in party glitter and holds a glass between her slender wrinkled hands.

“I was actually just leaving,” you say standing from your seat.

A frown appears on the women's thin lips, “And leave all this?” she opens her arms to the party behind her, but you only shrug.

“Parties have never really been my thing. Besides, I don’t really know anyone here.”

“You sound like my son,” she pauses, tucking a stray hair behind her ear and looking past you in thought. “How about I introduce you to someone?” she finally says. “MATT, HONEY!”

The woman turns away, shouting over the noise before you could even protest. Curious eyes all over the room train on you and you found yourself suddenly wishing the floor would open and swallow you whole.

A young man appears from the kitchen with blonde curly hair and sporting glasses you’d expect to find in your grandfather’s drawer.

“My boy Matty will take good care of you, he’s a sweetheart.”

As Matt approaches his face becomes familiar and you can feel the watchful stares of the three smiling portraits.

Shit--

You’d come face to face with the party hostess herself and you hadn’t even known it. Not only that but she’d probably caught you digging your feet into her nice carpet; the upkeep for that cant be cheap. A quick glance down and you thank God you hadn’t left a mark on the white fibers.

“Matt, this is--” Leia trails off, you take it as your que.

“Y/N.”

Holding out his hand, Matt offers you a warm smile as you take it. “I’m Matt,” he says squeezing your hand hand gently rather than shaking it like you’d expected. “Nice to meet you.”

You nod, nearly forgetting your manners before stuttering out, “N-nice to meet you too.”

“Okay then,” Leia says retreating back through the living room towards the kitchen, her glass now empty. “You two have fun now!”

If you’d thought the portraits were intimidating, it was nothing in comparison to actually being in the presence of one of them. Solo is a name on everyone’s lips; with Leia Organa~Solo in congress and her husband as a renowned racing coach, who didn’t know of the Solo’s?

“So--nice party.”

Matt nods happily, sunny curls bouncing with the action. “Mom throws a party for every occasion! Oh, do you mind?” he holds up a camera hanging around his neck, “taking pictures is my job for the night.”

“Um,” you fluff out your hair, angling your best side forward. “I-uh. I guess.”

He smiles again at your display, finding you in the camera lense and adjusting it to focus.

Click

Matt looks at the digital screen and turns it around so you can see too, “Perfect.” he smiles again, something he seemed unable to stop doing. Had you not felt so intimidated you may have found Matt to be rather charming.

You’re suddenly interrupted by someone of similar stature and appearance, save for his dark hair that was barely long enough to hang in his eyes, and curled around his ears.

“Who’s this Matty?” his tone is almost teasing as he ruffles Matt’s perfectly groomed hair.

Another Solo, surely.

Matt doges out of his brother’s reach, patting his hair back down before responding. “This is Y/N.”

“Y/N?” he gives you a once over. “I’m Ben.”

Ben.

“Hi.”

Whereas Matt exude a gentle, meek kind of aura, Ben radiated confidence; like he was hot shit, and he knew it. His smile was like that of a movie star, flashing his teeth accompanied with a look that says he only smiles like that for you. Of course you knew that to be bullshit, he had to be giving everyone that same treatment; it’s part of his charm. This did nothing for your nerves.

Ben hadn’t taken his eyes off you nor had he said anything more; staring you down as if he expected you to do something, like a trick monkey.

“Do you want a drink?” he asks, tearing his gaze away from you to look around the living room.

Half of you wanted Matt to intervene in some way but he’d disappeared, probably to fix his hair.

“Okay.”

“Follow me, kid.” he says, sauntering through the maze of bodies and furniture like he owned the place, granted he did.

After fetching you a drink from the kitchen in his mother’s finest champagne glass, Ben lead you from group to group coagulating around his home. Gina, Debbie, Laura, Jessica, and something that started with a L; all from a sorority a few blocks away. Dan, Myra, and someone that was definitely a sasquatch; Family members of his mother’s colleagues. Group after group, Ben introduced you to people whose names you'd probably wouldn’t remember, and each time he filled your glass with more of that bubbling, silvery liquid you became a little more sure of that.

As it got later and Ben ran out of people to dangle you in front of, you found yourself on the Solo’s balcony overlooking their backyard. Below you the pool was covered for the winter season, a lonely looking set of chairs surrounding a table with a light blanket of snow over each one. Dead shrubs line the fence surrounding their yard and you can't help but to imagine what kind of parties they host down there when the weather is warm.

“You know, I’m never going to remember all those people.” you say, kicking back the remnants of your last drink, your head spinning as you set the glass down on a table behind you.

Ben shrugs as he leans over the railing, resting his forearms on the deck’s wood fencing. “Yeah, me either.”

“I don’t even like parties,” you started, “they’re so loud, and busy, and- and I wouldn’t have even come if it wasn’t for my dumb friend, but he ditched me and then your mom found me, and somehow I ended up with you.”

Ben tilted his head looking at you from the corner of his eyes as you rambled on and on, but he didn’t seem to mind; he was a little tipsy himself.

“And then we met all those people,and-um- I don't really remember what happened after that, but now i'm here but you know something Ben?” you didn’t give him time to answer, “I had a really good time.”

He turns to you now, still leaning on the rail; more for support than anything else, his words lazily spilling from his lips. “You know what, kid? I did too.”

His statement made you warm inside, or was that just the liquor? You couldn’t tell anymore, you couldn’t tell anything anymore.How long have you been here? Where did Poe go? How are you getting home?

Wait a minute.

You looked over at him, “Did you just call me kid?”

He laughs, rolling his shoulders with a shrug, “I've been calling you kid all night.”

“You have?”

He pauses, “I think so.”

Leaning back against the railing, you let the cool air attempt to clear your head. Now you remember, he’s definitely been calling you kid. Like right before he’d told you to hold his glass so he could invite his much more athletic cousin to a handstand challenge.

“Shit.” Ben hisses under his breath, pushing himself up to his full height and adjusting his cotton blue t shirt.

Your first instinct is to look over the balcony, thinking he’s dropped something. “What?”

“It’s almost midnight.”

“So?” It was just a time, and here he had your drunken mind panicking.

“So,” he says looking back to the house in urgency. “I haven’t found anyone to kiss. You know, New Years and shit?”

“Oh,” your shoulders fell, relaxing back onto the rail. “Can’t relate.”

He looks surprised, perking at your words. “You’ve never kissed anyone on New Years?”

“No, why would I?”

“Because it’s- it’s tradition, like good luck or something,” he waves his hands around, grasping for the true meaning but comes up empty. “I’ve been doing it for years, find a girl, kiss her and never talk to her again.”

The thought is appalling. Why kiss someone you’ll never talk to again, it sounds almost sad and as he says it, his typically cheery self loses its luster; a certain kind of sadness is hidden behind his brown eyes.

“Well,” You check the time, 11:58; it was running out. “You can kiss me.”

Ben turns on you, maybe a little to fast because his tall frame sways twice before stabling out. “What?”

“You can kiss me,” You say again. “You won't find someone in time, especially as drunk as you are.”

You take his hand as he starts to sway again, and he doesn’t pull away. Instead he looks down at your joined hands, linking your fingers together before making up his mind. “Okay.”

From deep in the house you faintly hear the cheers of people as the ball drop began on tv. Ben stepped closer, hearing it too.

His free hand found the side of your face, cupping your cheek as you shuddered against touch.

Your eyes looked up to his when you felt his thumb brush your cheekbone. His eyes held admiration as they traveled your face, but maybe you were just being hopeful.

Taking this moment to memorize him, you noted each little freckle and mole decorating his skin, the way his haircut handsomely framed his face; that was probably intentional by design.

“Are you ready?” he says quietly, breath smelling sweet like the champagne you’d been drinking all night.

He licked his lips, you nodded doing the same.

That’s it. Ben presses his lips to yours, and you expect him to pull away just as quickly but he doesn’t, and suddenly it's not a simple New Years kiss anymore it’s something more. You can feel it. Fingers thread into his hair as he pulls you in closer, you whimper into the softness of his mouth. The dizzy feeling you'd had earlier was nothing like the spinning your head was doing now as you dived deeper and deeper into each other.

A firework explodes in the distance and Ben pulls away, you absentmindedly chase after him immediately missing the contact, but he’s too tall.

With cheeks tinted pink, and a little breathless, he speaks. “Happy New Year.”

#solo triplets #triplet au #triplet ben x reader #ben solo x reader #triplet ben one shot #ben solo one shot #triplet ben imagine #ben solo imagine #star wars au #star wars imgines

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thefudge · 6 years

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TLJ thoughts, post-viewing

sooo, i have a lot of feelings about a lot of things. also the subtitles didn’t prepare me. for a lot.

this movie is made up of many quiet, non-verbal moments and rian johnson lets those moments sink in and dwell with you and that’s great

rey exploring the workings of the force, for example. there’s a really cool sequence where she’s trying to find out who her parents are and she lowers herself in the embodiment of the dark side and it’s very trippy and cool. it’s not rushed and it’s v atmospheric. she gets the incentive to do that thanks to kylo. his revelations about luke and his general aura of “troubled darkness” inspire her to dig deeper.

i think what i liked most about reylo was its sense of gratuitous intimacy. what i mean by this is that they seemed to connect without effort, without having to manipulate the plot to make it fit. they seemed be in their own little movie, dealing with things beyond the usual surface level of star wars ‘good vs. evil’. kylo’s philosophy about letting the past go is definitely flawed, but the way the movie frames reylo, they do seem to “let go” of their surroundings and circumstances when they’re together. it’s sort of timeless.

i will say, i don’t think the romance was that "romantic”, if that makes sense? and i think it’s a good thing. their bond is very real, but it goes beyond “romantic drama” and your usual hero/villain trope. it has shades of that, ofc, and there is palpable sexual and romantic tension, imo. but i sensed something more mature and interesting between them. it could go either way. do i want reylo to have a future in ep 9 and after? yep. is it possible they won’t? also yep. mainly because kylo let rey down. and here’s the kicker: it’s not rey that really rejects him. it’s him that rejects rey. because she tries quite a few times to bring him over to her side, and i think her anger and sadness stem from the fact that, ultimately, kylo didn’t choose her, and ergo the light. he’s still v much conflicted and i think she can sense that. but rey is hungry. she wants all or nothing. she can’t have half of him. so she doesn’t reject him as much as tell him straight up that she won’t stand for being second. for instance, she expects him to fold to her side immediately after taking down snoke. when he doesn’t, she’s quite literally in tears. this hurts her on a deeper level than “oh no, the dark side won and the resistance lost an important ally.” no, this feels like her parents all over. leaving her, deserting her. that’s how i read it, tbh.

and kylo does some reprehensible shit in the latter quarter of the movie, lol, like i won’t woobify him, since i like my antiheroes to be antiheroes. but he's not quite villain level? if u look at snoke, if u take that cool, collected snarky asshole - that’s a villain. he knows who he is, and what he wants. kylo is hopelessly confused and always looking for validation. he tells rey that she’s the one always looking for father figures - but oh, benny ben. it’s actually you. he wants someone to really see him, and that’s why he’s drawn to rey. but just to clarify: he doesn’t have it in him to kill his mother. he has an open, unambiguous chance and he stops. he is willing to destroy her when she stands behind walls and is shielded by the resistance. yet when she’s in the open, no. that was my read on it.

his fight with luke is...very much one-sided. luke appears as a force-hologram to fight him and kylo just wants to obliterate him for very, very personal reasons. kylo is not the cool, collected new emperor who is going to “kill the past”. he lives so much in the past that he doesn’t even realize luke isn’t even there.

and btw, kylo doesn’t kill luke, though he wishes he had. early on we get this foreshadowing. when the first force-bond happens between him and rey, he goes “no, you’re not doing this. the effort would kill you.” meaning that, to transport yourself through space via force (without a bond) takes a looooot of energy. luke goes on a suicide mission, basically. he knows using the force like this will kill him. he’s almost having fun toying with kylo at the end.

when kylo realizes he’s a force-hologram, luke smiles and says “see you around, kid.” not exactly anakin vs obi-wan, if u know what i mean.

and then back on the island, we see luke peacefully give himself over to the force and vanish. it’s v tranquil and quite satisfying and the original star wars theme is used so well, imo. do i think we could’ve had more of luke? sure. but he went out on his own terms. that’s the whole point - kylo didn’t kill him. he killed himself.

again, i want to emphasize that kylo is still very much an antihero, dipping his toe into villainy (and failing - which makes him more angry, which only makes it harder to be the villain he wants to be haha). he’s not a Good Guy. many posts will crop up in the tag about what a poor, lost soul he is. yes and no. rey actually understands him when she closes the falcon door on him. she knows him and appreciates him. he will never really be ben solo and that’s a good thing. trying to be ben solo so hard is what got him in this mess. he isn’t supposed to be a Good Guy. so no, i don’t want him to “turn” (see my thoughts on “turning” below). i want him to truly move beyond the past and reform himself on his own terms, just like luke. because hey fam, luke isn’t a Good Guy in this movie either AND THAT’S GREAT. anyway, i certainly won’t be romanticizing him (kylo). he’s a compelling antihero who definitely has baggage and trauma (luke did try to kill him as a boy, though he has a wildly dramatized version of the event lol) but he is also someone who has to help himself. ultimately, rey’s goal isn’t to “save” him but to push him to save himself. honestly, if kylo had followed her and “turned” and reluctantly joined the resistance, it would’ve been a total let down and a betrayal of his character. him “turning” wouldn’t help him. he’d still have that darkness and that anger inside of him, multiplied. boy needs therapy - aka working through his issues, not ignoring them and joining the Good Side.

Other things I liked:

- admiral holdo’s arc - beautiful, well-done and surprising. laura dern kills it.

- benicio del toro!!!!! no small parts with this man. he is delightful. imagine rick from “rick and morty” but way hotter lol. he was probably my favorite addition, after rose. he’s the middle-ground guy, he’s more han solo than fucking han solo. he doesn’t believe in good guys vs bad guys and he shows both finn and the audience that the two sides err because they believe their path is the only path. he perfectly encapsulates the very real contradictions in modern-day ethics and how our “pure and wholesome” activism often shields us from some terrible truths. he does have a semblance of a heart underneath his cynicism but i love that in the end he doesn’t suddenly discover the power of friendship with finn and rose. he’s a jaded asshole with shades of good, who’s probably seen some rough shit. BUT, he has this super cute moment with rose before things go to shit regarding her necklace and it’s !!!!!! it shows how much he understands human nature. i kinda ship them. aaaanyway. i definitely think he will return, his arc is not done.

- ROSE TICO SMILING AND BEING HAPPY. ROSE TICO RIDING THAT KANGAROO CREATURE AND ENJOYING LIFE. i treasured those scenes a lot. she’s a great combo of feisty and childlike, tough and innocent. gosh, she reminds me of bonnie bennett so much ;___;

- general hux. yall, it’s true. it’s all true. hux may have won me over. hux in TFA was just a lite over-the-top villain imo. but here??? he’s such a fun, dynamic character, rian gave him a lot of fun, humorous moments. and honest to god, he’s also given some humanity. when kylo takes over, he is genuinely affected and disturbed by his level of aggression. and he’s....idk, much less evil in this one. probably because of the humor. he just seems like a man dead-set on fulfilling his mission, brainwashed to the core. and underneath the brainwashing, he seems to be your average overwhelmed white dude. i don’t think he’ll be redeemed or anything but...it’s weird how at the end of TLJ he is probably the MOST reasonable dude from the first order???

- there’s this great little message about failure. i think here TLJ was inspired by Rogue One. because a lot of the characters in this movie learn to let go and accept defeat. you can’t always save everyone, you can’t always fight back. sometimes, the brave thing is to retreat and treasure the ppl you love. so i def liked that.

- GODDAMN GHOST YODA. i honestly thought i’d hate it because...gimmick, amirite? but that scene with luke was SO emotional and also funny and visceral and just - i was a bit teary-eyed, ME, THE GRINCH. i was suddenly nine again, watching star wars for the first time. ANYWAY.

- luke skywalker deserves a separate entry. mark hamill did so much with this character in the last few scenes. also some of the stuff he says about the force in this movie is legit beautiful and i love how he criticizes the vanity of the jedi - because this was what was missing from the prequels. anakin fell because the council was tone-deaf. the jedi are often responsible for their own doom and so they must always be vigilant - which is a goddamn thankless job. i love that luke acknowledges this.

-luke/leia moment. GAAAAH. HE KISSES HER FOREHEAD GOODBYE AND SHE KNOWS HE’S NOT COMING BACK FROM THIS. I DIED.

- in that order of business, leia finally FIIIINALLY gets to show off a bit and use the force in a pro-active manner. it’s also clear to me that episode 9 would’ve been the story of her and “ben” and i think she would have been the catalyst for his eventual development. but sadly, we’ll never see that ;____;

-there is some gorgeous cinematography and visual direction in this movie. particularly in the third act, on that salt planet? the red trails? shivers.

-i didn’t hate any of the new creatures like i thought i would??? probably because they were used sparingly and with a sense of humor.

Stuff i kind of didn’t like:

- phasma. phasma, phasma, phasma. WHAT was that??? like tell me that wasn’t anticlimactic as hell. she was, sadly, a pointless character. unless she somehow survived the fire and destruction, which i doubt, i really don’t see the point of casting wonderful gwendolyn christie just to stand there in armor.

- MAZ KANATA. is barely in this. i call bullshit.

-sigh, okay so i loved rose to death, but her arc revolved way too much around finn. on the one hand i get it, on the other hand.... i was hyped because ppl were saying she gets this big moment to shine. and granted, imo, she shines every moment she’s on screen. but i think her climactic scene was... *fart noises*. it’s completely centered around finn. she saves him basically, and it’s definitely heartfelt and lovely but also...it’s finn’s moment 100%. because it’s him who has to learn about his own worth. i do think they make a good team and i ship them a little bit, but the one-sided kiss was not satisfying and i’m tired of having to watch my darling woc give their love and devotion freely, only to be tertiary characters in their own story. like, imo, it should’ve been rose who flew straight into that cannon and tried to take it down for her sister. she should’ve been the one determined to take it down. and it should’ve been finn to save her and tell her they must find meaning in other things. finn definitely cares for her and in the last scene we have of him, he’s tending over rose and waiting for her to wake up BUT. will rose ever be number one for anyone, like the white girls, i wonder? eh, i’m probably just grumpy old aunt. she does get to have an internal world, she’s a believable human being, she matters. the thing is, white girls in these movies can bend their little finger and they’re considered worthy and complex. rose has to jump through hoops to be seen the same way. anyway.

- i liked poe dameron’s arc, which is “hey, maybe i should stop posturing and listen to women more lol” which is “learn when to retreat and stand down” but...honestly, you hire gorgeous oscar isaac who can give you real emotional weight and you just...kinda under-utilize him. yes, he did a lot of stuff, but he...didn’t take time to internalize it. this dude feels like he’s got a lot of demons and conflicting desires and a rich inner life, yet we only skim the surface of that. like, he’s aways in go-mode, we rarely get a quiet moment with him. like pls fix this, episode 9.

-luke’s reaction to han’s death is pfffffffffffff. maybe we’ll get more in a deleted scene?

- also....can we stop pussyfooting and legit talk about han as a dad? because they keep hinting he wasn’t a good one, nor a very good husband to leia. but...it’s very unsatisfying to keep hearing about it without good storytelling to back it up.

- the world-building & the origins of the first order. i had problems with this in TFA and, big surprise, i still have problems with it here. basically, why has the first order taken over the new republic? how did they gain support? were there remnants of the old empire that survived and thrived as the first order? what about the knights of ren? luke mentions kylo took some students with him when he destroyed the jedi temple, so....what about those guys? like, this very fraught and war-torn landscape doesn’t have a solid history. how did A become B? why is every corner of the galaxy oppressed? why are some planets thriving more? are they all arm-dealers??? i find that hard to believe. yeah, we have the expanded universe for that, we have books and comics etc. but i need these movies to give us a sense of their own universe. i’m...still not convinced.

-lolol, snoke dies like a bitch. and it’s so anticlimactic and duuuumb. dude, a five-year old coulda seen that coming but your ancient super powerful ass couldn’t? laaaame. he’s like “oh, yes, i sense no more conflict in you, kylo ren. just a deep certainty”. YES FOOL, because he’s decided to remove u, because he’s confident he wants rey, and not you, by his side. it was soooo lame. but i guess we had to remove him to make the audience think kylo was turning good for a second there.

-which reminds me... and you probably saw this coming, i hate the idea of “turning”. rey keeps talking about ben turning to the light. and this verb annoys me to no end. it’s made clear that they both already have a lot of light and darkness in each other. it’s about finding balance. where’s my grey jedi??? episode 9 pls????

Extra Reylo stuff i didn’t see mentioned which i adored:

- during their first force-bond moment when they sense each other, kylo ren runs out of the medical unit and into the corridor like a goddamn luckless teenager, expecting to see rey pop up in a prom dress. it’s precious. i love awkward!kylo. also rey tries to shoot him bc she thinks he’s actually there and kylo bends down, thinking he was shot. it’s a rly cool moment. and it doesn’t feel malicious like, he doesn’t expect anything less from her.

- there’s so much charged electricity between them and it’s not all sexual. it’s kinda mystical and i dig it. i’m weirdly reminded of xavier and magneto??? as in two enemies who have such a rich history and whose bond transcends human morality.

-OKAY. i saw no one talking about this but THAT GODDAMN SNOW WHITE SCENE. so rey decides she’s going to turn kylo to the light because that’s their one hope of defeating the first order etc. luke tries to stop her, but she’s like i’m going after my man. okay. she gets on the falcon, then she puts herself in this casket-like pod and AND. we get this lovely, breath-taking sequence of her arriving at the first order base, slipping gently into the hangar in her casket. and she’s def nervous. AND THEN. she looks up through the glass and there’s steam at first and through the steam we see kylo’s face, looking down at her wistfully. IT’S SO WEIRDLY FAIRY-TALE WTF. and then ofc the guards come in to shackle her. BUT JESUS. the prince looking into the casket to find snow-white WHAT ARE THESE AESTHETICS. it felt like a nod to the infamous scene in TFA where he carries her bridal style. it’s very fairy-tale-esque.

- i love that in the scene with the multiple reys, when she reaches through the mirror to see her parents, the shadowy figure who appears and touches her hand seems at first to be kylo and then she realizes it’s herself. i also love that she talks to kylo about that experience. GAH.

- i just rly loved that there was so much humanity in their interactions.

Reylo stuff which sort of bothered me/left me wanting more:

- like excuse u rian, during the praetorian guards fight, i needed more moments where kylo looks at rey and is worried for her sake. i needed that fight to be a bit more visceral and about the two of them and their survival. they do fight together and it’s great but then...they’re sort of separated and carry their own small battles (i did love how rey saved him with that lightsaber throw)

- the whole “you come from nothing, you are nothing.” yea yeah, he’s a dummy who doesnt know how to express his feelings, he’s mr. darcy x 1000 of faux pas. but i still think adam driver’s acting went a little much there. the way he delivered that line was a bit off for me. ofc, he follows it with “but not to me”, because he’s basically proposing to her, but i needed a bit more, an extra line from him confirming her importance. or maybe no extra line, but a bit more feeling. did i mention i love wrecked!kylo? the “please” killed me haha.

Final thoughts:

- enjoyed it more than i expected to, and it does operate with way more nuance than TFA but it stiiiill fell short with some characters. it didn’t have the weight of rogue one for me, but it’s more lighthearted and entertaining, which i appreciate, cuz it reminded me of my childhood. and ultimately, whether we like it or not, disney does operate on nostalgia. all in all, it’s a worthy star wars movie, 8/10. rian deserves an A-. (he also wrote this thing and whoaaa...i wonder how much more ambiguous and dark this movie woulda been if he’d been given full non-disney freedom)

#tlj #tlj spoilers #reylo #i also talk about other characters and plots but i'm a reylo person so ppl are gonna probably be annoyed if i tag the characters sigh #tlj review #my thoughts

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