Tumgik
#lando the damsel in distress
dpr-stay · 8 months
Text
Love Lost! | LN4
Lando Norris x Reader
Warnings: A little bit of the feels, jealous!Lando, hurt/comfort, happy ending, a little bit of drunken confessions but not really, childhood bestfriends to lovers bcs i love that trope.
WC: ~3.2K
Hiya, it's been a few weeks. I've been really busy and kinda lost my inspo to write, so this is me dipping my toe back in. Hopefully it's ok. NOT EDITED (not much has changed huh)
Tumblr media
There comes a point in every young person's life where they must look back at what they have done and realise how they could’ve done it greater. Done it faster. Done it kinder. Done it better. Whether it be a choice, an action, or some words, reflection and acknowledgement are key milestones in the development of a person's life.
Lando has had many of these moments. Such as when he had first set foot in a kart, he should’ve done it earlier. His debut season, he should’ve done it better. His schooling, he should’ve put more effort in. The realization of his feelings for his childhood best-friend, he should’ve done it faster.
It was all he could think as his eyes caught you at the bar with some random nobody leaning over your side, obviously trying to chat you up. He took a sip of his surprisingly bitter drink as he watched. The drink shouldn’t have been bitter, it was some fruity cocktail he’d bought for you before you’d arrived, but the look you were giving the guy who you were talking to certainly made it so.
The tightening of his chest went unaddressed as his first clenched around the glass stem, his mind begging to ignore the way your smile had shifted from the fake one you gave to creeps to one not dissimilar from the way you smiled at him. An elbow jolted into his side, causing his eyes to draw away from the bar, though his mind remained around 15 feet away.
One of his mates, some guy he’d met a week ago who wasn’t after his money but wouldn’t say no to sixteen free drinks, looked at him concerned. Atleast Lando thought the look was concerned, he couldn’t exactly tell as the guy's face was hidden behind a pair of douchey shades. He shouldn’t think that though, he probably owned at least ten pairs that looked the exact same.
The guy moved his head again in a silent gesture and Lando nodded, hiding his suffering behind the pretense of not stopping this guy from getting laid, returning the silent gesture. He then shrugged before moving on, quickly running up to a group of girls and placing his arms around the shoulders of two, leaving Lando to continue stewing.
Really, it wasn’t stewing. He had no reason to ‘stew’. He’d only discovered he’d felt this way recently, he hadn’t been silently grudging for years. However, as his eyes moved back to the bar and watched as the guy's hand slid from your shoulder to your back, he could definitely feel the pot boiling over within him. 
You hadn’t moved though, there was no indication that you were uncomfortable from your body language, so Lando had to accept that he wasn’t able to intervene. He trusted you as much as he liked you unfortunately, so he knew that you’d walk away or even signal if you didn’t like where this was going. He couldn’t rush in and be a knight in shining armour if there was no damsel in distress, no matter how much he hated it.
He slid down in his seat, trying not to appear too stalkerish to any people at the club as he watched the two of you interact. Last thing he wanted was rumors of him being a voyeur spreading around the media. It wouldn’t be too far off with the way the guy you were talking to was going. His hand was still sliding lower, moving from your mid back all the way down till it met the seat of the chair.
Lando could hardly hear the music pumping through the club, only focused on your body language. One slight flinch or look of discomfort and Lando would take that as his cue to storm over and create such a row that he would be heard in Azerbaijan. 
However, you didn’t move away. Lando could only watch as you adjusted in your seat, letting the guy's hand slide under your behind. You definitely didn’t need any help. The drink tasted almost acidic when Lando next took a sip, forcing himself to turn away from the bar. He came here for a good time, he didn’t need to see you getting it on.
He cleared his throat, though no one could hear him and no one had even paid attention to him in an hour. A quick glance around the club confirmed this, people engaged with their own activities while he was sat, watching someone he was in love with get hit on.
That’s not pathetic, is it? Lando thought it would be more pathetic if he acted on his impulses, walked over and stopped the random guy in his tracks. You’d probably be mad (would you?) and he didn’t think he could deal with it. Especially after watching what was happening in front of him.
I mean, you’d definitely been mad at him before, knowing a person for over a decade does that to someone, but he didn’t know how mad you would be. He’d never been in this situation before, one where he had to put his drink down and sit on his hands to stop them from punching the guy in the face. 
The fact that this was one hundred percent not healthy was all that Lando could think. He shouldn’t be putting himself through this, watching someone else touch you how you wanted to be touched. How he wanted to touch you.
God, he should leave. There was no point in staying here just to torture himself. He was a voyeur, not a sadist. He took a breath before chugging the drink you had insisted you couldn’t have because you wanted to pay for your own and then standing up and lumbering his way to the exit.
Doing the responsible thing, he arranged for an uber as he walked down the corridor to the door. The fresh air that greeted him sent a wave of feeling down his spine. He walked further away from the cue to get into the club, praying that no one would recognise him as he walked.
Luckily, no one did. Lando didn’t know if this made him feel better or worse.
It’s a funny thing, that. Lando normally liked being in the spotlight. Maybe it was growing up always being unwittingly compared to others, but he liked being special. Even in times Lando didn’t want to be recognised, because he truly didn’t at the moment, he still craved that little serotonin boost whenever someone would turn to him with stars in their eyes. 
It felt nice to be revered, nice to be seen as greater, all those things he didn’t consider himself. You’d always provided that for him. He didn’t want to come off as shallow or as a user, but your everlasting presence in his life, your consistent praise, had always made him feel good. 
God, that did make him come off as shallow. It went without saying, he thought, that he always tried to return the favour. The way you always smiled bashfully in response to his compliments always made his day brighter. 
He almost swore out loud into the empty street as he walked. He should’ve realised earlier. He’d never taken himself as the boy-next-door type, mostly because he was always someplace else, but the idea of domesticity with a person who he’d always been around, especially since it was you, made him feel incredibly warm inside. 
A warmth he doesn’t feel often. It had only come around a few times in his life, but the most notable would’ve had to have been around two weeks earlier. He was just lying in bed, you on the phone rambling about whatever you were now interested in.
Every one of his responses were some variation of “yeh” but that didn’t stop you. Eventually you’d tired yourself out and Lando had finally got a word in. He’d made some tired quip about you “never shutting up”. You’d responded in like, a joke about him not being able to keep up. You’d gone back and forth with your banter before eventually you’d both called it quits and said goodnight. 
Lando hadn’t even registered the fact he was about to say “I love you” as a sign-off before you’d hung up on him until the quiet beeping of his phone sounded. That had made him really, truly think about your years-long friendship, pondering about whether he had meant that platonically or romantically.
It hadn’t taken long for him to figure it out. After ten minutes an itching had settled in his mind that he should call you back and force you to continue talking. He missed your voice, even if it was you ranting about something he had no idea about. Even the thought of it had inspired a familiar warm feeling to bloom within him.
The warm feeling had still been present in the club, even if it was accompanied by the crushing weight of feeling mediocre. Lando almost scoffed at himself as he mindlessly kicked a rock as he walked. 
His earlier thoughts ran through his mind, cursing himself for thinking it pathetic to try and stand up for his own feelings. He should’ve said something at any point. Now you were probably dancing with the guy, ignoring the fact that Lando wasn’t even in the club.
That wasn’t true, of course. You were too kind. Something that Lando had always appreciated but made it incredibly hard in situations such as this one. The buzzing of his phone alerted him to this, a single text from you reading ‘Where r u?’
Completely inconspicuous but oh so characteristic. The shorthand made it clear you were busy, you were never one for abbreviations, but Lando refused to think about what you were busy with. He didn’t think you were ‘easy’, god no he wasn’t an ass, but he’d never seen you click so fast with someone to the point that you’d let them put their hands on you like that.
Lando didn’t know how to respond, instead checking the time on the Uber. There was no way that many people were getting Uber’s that it was a twenty minute wait. He could only sigh before scrolling back to your text. 
An answer that properly conveyed his dilemma evaded him, so he just replied with a ‘Going home’ before quickly tacking on a ‘Have fun :)’ because he felt it was rude not to. After hitting send, he put his phone in his pocket before leaning against the wall of the building closest to him, staring straight into the night sky. 
He’d only have a few minutes of respite before a familiar call of his name sounded in his ears. His head swung down out of shock, watching your hasty figure make your way towards him. You were swaying on the heels you were regretting wearing, your purse having your essentials halfway out of it.
“What the hell, man?” You asked as you stumbled closer, the drink you’d bought yourself making your already unsteady steps seem as though you’d fall over if you went too close to a crack in the pavement. 
He could only look on in incredulity as you stopped in front of him, one of your hands reaching for his arm to balance yourself. He quickly reacted, sweeping you into his side, before turning his head to look at you.
“I thought you were going to stay back.” His voice had a tone of question to it and you shook your head, swaying violently side from side as you moved it.
“No, I came with you. Gonna leave with you too.” Your words were mumbled as you spoke them, the drowsiness you felt becoming incredibly apparent. Lando tried not to react, though he found it incredibly hard. The knowledge that you’d never even planned to leave with anyone but him reassured him. The feeling he got from that reassurance made him slightly uncomfortable. As much as it made him regretful that he didn’t act earlier, no one owned you and you could do whatever you liked.
The words you spoke awoke a feeling that had been increasing ever since that phone call, the previous events of the night also hadn’t done it any favours. That feeling was protectiveness. 
“Would you like me to take you home?” He asked and you nodded against his side. He held you there while you swayed, thinking over what the feeling coursing through his veins entailed. Was it right to feel protective over something that definitely wasn’t yours?
Lando was left to ponder this as you both waited for the cab. He didn’t know if that question explicitly applied to this situation. Maybe you weren’t each others in a relationship sense, but you were definitely each others in a friendship sense. Hell, he’d consider himself yours in any circumstance. He just didn’t know if you thought the same.
As the Uber pulled up the curb, Lando walked you both over. Quickly opening the door and guiding you in, he then rushed to the other side and got in the car. He gave the driver the address of your house before leaning back into his seat.
It took approximately five seconds after the car had started that your head fell on his shoulder. He froze, not daring to move a muscle in fear that he would disrupt your sleep. A quick glance down out of the corner of his eyes showed that you actually weren’t asleep, you were staring up at him. Your eyes looked as though they were shining as they stared at him, and he couldn’t help the heat rushing to his cheeks
Your expression looked starstruck, as though you’d never seen him before. He quickly tapped your shoulder in a silent ‘you okay?’ gesture. You didn’t respond, causing him to look down and look at you.
Unknowingly, he had positioned you at eye level with each other. He could feel the breaths escaping your lips as you breathed out, the closeness a feeling he decided he would cherish because of the highly unlikely chance of ever feeling it again.
Or he could call it, lean in and deal with the repercussions. He was tempted, of course, it would be such an easy way to just rip the bandaid off. He wouldn’t have to deal with a confession or the rejection. He could just lean in for a few seconds then open the door of the Uber and roll out, never having to see you again to face the rejection he could sense. 
After a few seconds he pulled the plug, deciding that the longer he held his head so close to yours, the creepier it came off. Neither of you talked the rest of the journey, relying on the old tunes of Oasis that the driver decided to put on.
Eventually, you arrived at your address. One look at Lando convinced him to walk you inside. He’d call another Uber, regardless of wait times.
You opened the door to your building, holding it open for Lando which he acknowledged with a smirk. You just rolled your eyes, the moment from the Uber well and truly passed. Regardless, you both moved to your elevator, moving in as you clicked the button of your floor. 
There wasn’t many people around, it was too late, so it was just you and Lando in the elevator. A space that would normally be full of conversation was unusually quiet. 
Lando knew why he was quiet, he was recalling the moment in the Uber, slightly mourning what could’ve happened if only he was braver. He didn’t know why you were quiet, probably thinking about how weird he was acting.
But, frankly, the night was almost over. Just another couple of minutes and Lando could start the journey home, able to think over how that man had touched you and how he would never be able to do that. He should definitely try to move on. It would be too uncomfortable to spend a long amount of time secretly loving his best friend.
The lift dinged and you both walked over, moving side by side down the corridor till you eventually reached your door. You both paused outside your door. You didn’t make any move to grab your key and instead just looked at Lando, an unfamiliar look on your face. You almost seemed resigned. Lando didn’t know why.
You then sighed before moving to your purse, rummaging for a second before pulling out your key. A quick turn and your door was open. You turned back to Lando, a small smile on your lips.
“Goodnight Lando.” You said sweetly and Lando returned the gesture quietly, pulling you in for a small hug. After you separated, you seemed to hesitate for a second before shaking your head and going inside. Lando watched you close the door and heard it click before he called out one last ‘goodbye’.
Except the words that left his lips were not ‘goodbye’. They were ‘love you’. Completely unconscious slip of the tongue but it resulted in Lando completely freezing. How the hell had he done that?
He couldn’t hear any footsteps from your side of the door and Lando was left gaping as he processed what he said and the fact that you definitely heard. It was way past the time to say it was an accident when he regained any sort of agency.
He immediately turned away from your door, poised as though to make a getaway. However, the sound of your door opening stopped him. Oh god, how was he going to write this off.
He slowly turned, making eye contact with you as you stood in the doorway of your apartment. Your expression was more shocked than blank, but it was definitely on the border. He could see the question in your face, but he could only respond with his completely gobsmacked expression.
He didn’t know what you took this to mean, but you smiled. A bright smile. A smile more radiant than any one he’d seen you give the man from the bar. It took you a second to gather your thoughts to speak, he could see you formulating something to say in your mind.
“I love you too.” Was your response and if Lando’s jaw could drop further, it did. He was not expecting any of this. If he were to confess his feelings, he thought there would’ve been a lot more of his tears involved and a lot more planning. However, here you were, shyly returning his feelings. A smile that matched your own spread across his face and you giggled at his reaction.
“Really?” He asked dumbly, something you’d tease him about later. You nodded.
It took him less than two seconds to cross from where he was standing awkwardly in the corridor to your door frame, and it took him even less time to kiss you.
And, for once, Lando felt relieved that he didn’t do anything a different way.
Tumblr media
hope you likey
415 notes · View notes
thebearchives · 2 years
Text
damsel in distress | LN4
Tumblr media
PAIRING: lando norris x fem!reader
REQUESTED: [] yes [X] no
WORD COUNT: 3.0k
SYNOPSIS: with a strange man following your every move, you can’t help but feel scared of walking alone in the streets of monaco. luckily, daniel is more than happy to volunteer lando as your personal waking buddy. 
WARNINGS: being followed, being touched/grabbed without consent (just the arm), mentions of throwing up, reader apologizing literally every second, mostly fluff
A/N: this is my first time writing on such a topic, so feedback is very much appreciated. 
as always, don't be a ghost reader!
Tumblr media
you had walked these streets countless times. alone, with friends, during the day, and even during the darkest hours of the night. yet, regardless of how many nights you had spent out and about on the streets of your city, you had never once felt the absolute fear and terror that you did tonight.
you were hyperaware of the figure looming in the shadows of the dark, following your every move closely, yet just far enough away to seem unsuspecting to a stranger’s eye. when you slowed down, so did the footsteps behind you. if you sped up, so did he. 
you tightened your grip on your phone, the dim screen only confirming how truly alone you were. no one you called had answered you, still too wrapped up in the nightlife of monaco. you couldn’t blame them for not picking up, they were out to have fun. if you hadn’t impulsively agreed to go out with them, maybe you could have avoided all of this. maybe you would have been sitting in your far too expensive flat, in front of your tv watching reruns of your favourite cartoon show.
the footsteps seemed to quicken their pace behind you, each scuff against the cement ringing in your ears as you yourself, quicked your pace as well. you could feel your energy depleting with every rushed step you took. you just wanted to slow down and stop to let your feet rest. god, you were so fucking tired. 
a shock travelled up your spine as something brushed against your waist. fingertips. he was so close. 
you pushed yourself harder, nearly running now. eyes blurring slightly with tears that were quickly forming in your eyes. your vision went bleary as you blinked, teardrops slipping down your cheeks. you were fucked.
you weren’t sure what happened first, the aggressive grip on your arm, or your face slamming against something hard. you twisted your arm in an attempt to escape, crying out in pain as you felt your skin get pulled. tears spilled out of your eyes one after the other, making it harder to see what was going on around you. you felt claustrophobic, body surrounded by something unknown to you. 
it wasn’t until your arm was released that you started to get a bearing of your surroundings. tears still falling, but now at a slower rate as you clutched your arm to your chest. no doubt there would be a bruise there by tomorrow morning.
“-ay? hello, can you hear me?” a voice broke your trance. 
you looked up from your spot on the ground, when had you even gotten there? a figure had been crouched down next to you, causing you to flinch back as you realized just how close they were to you. 
“hey, you’re okay, you’re safe. don’t worry.” the voice cooed slowly. british, if you weren’t mistaken.
as you became more aware of everything around you, you realized that the figure in front of you was a man. as his words finally registered in your brain, your head shot up, turning to look behind you where you could hear the voices of multiple men talking loudly.
a hand gently placed itself onto your shoulder, calling for your attention, “are you okay?”
it took a beat for you to nod, moving to get up and apologize for whatever had happened. you still weren’t so sure what had happened, as if your mind had blacked out the moment your arm was grabbed. 
the same man got up with you, his hands hovering near your body in case your legs decided to give out again.
“i think she’s in shock, mate.” this voice was new, not from the man who stood in front of you.
“yeah, no shit. some dick’s been following her for who knows how long and literally just grabbed her.” another voice joined the mix. this one came from behind you.
his words hung in the air for a second, long enough for you to realize what had happened in the last few moments. your heart raced inside your chest, nausea climbing its way up your throat.
“mate, she doesn’t look good. i think she’s gonna throw up.”
and throw up you did. well, kinda. pushing your body away from the small cluster of men, hunching over the curb of the sidewalk. you soon found yourself dry heaving, having skipped dinner in favour of getting ready for your night out.
a cold bottle of water made its way to your hand as you leaned back and moved away from the curb. you were pleasantly surprised to see it already unscrewed, taking a small sip and wiping your mouth.
you took a few seconds to properly look at the men in front of you. there were five of them, all dressed casually. you noticed one of them shaking his hand, knuckles tinged with red as if he had just gotten back from a fight.
“i am so so sorry,” your voice came out weaker than you were anticipating. and raspier.
the one with the british accent shook his head, “don’t apologize. nothing that happened was your fault.” 
another one nodded, “are you feeling okay?” 
you frowned, “i think so. i’m not entirely sure what happened though.”
“that’s probably the shock,” you recognized his voice from earlier. accented, maybe french?
“you bumped into our buddy lando here,” the one with the red knuckles started, pointing to the guy with the british accent, “and when we heard your cry, we realized something was wrong so we all jumped into action.”
he flexed his hand, and the guy standing next to him scoffed, “some more than others, clearly.”
knuckles, as you had labelled him in your head, waved him off, “dude ran off before i could really get any good hits on him. but he’s definitely gonna wake up with a shiner. bloody fuckwit.”
“oh my god, i am so sorry. truly, oh my god.” you apologized again, “i didn’t mean to run into you guys. i’m sorry if i ruined your night.”
“i’m glad you did,” the brit, lando, stated. although he quickly realized what it sounded like he was saying, “run into us, that is. i’m glad we were able to help you out. i think we can all agree that our night is far from ruined.”
murmurs of agreement chorused through the group.
“still,” you started, shaking your head. “thank you for helping me out. is there any way i can make it up to you guys?”
“nonsense,” the french one spoke again, “we didn’t help you to get something in return.”
a couple of them nodded. 
you couldn’t help but feel awkward, not knowing what to do or say next. 
at your helpless look, knuckles, smiled, “well, if you insist,” he started, “how about we get the name of our damsel in distress?”
a small smile fell onto your lips. it was hard to hide it, the energy knuckles gave off was inviting. 
“y/n.”
knuckles’ smile grew wider, “well, ms. y/n, i’m daniel.”
the others began dropping their names as your gaze flickered over to them.
the french one was pierre. the one who scoffed at daniel had been max. and the one who had asked if you were okay was charles.
“i’m lan-.”
“i know.” your eyes widened in the realization that you had cut him off, “oh my god, i am so sorry. it’s just that daniel already introduced you when he explained what happened.”
the aforementioned man laughed loudly, lando chuckling alongside him, albeit at a lower decibel.
“all good,” he smiled. 
daniel cleared his throat, brushing off the invisible dust from his button up, “well, how about we take this conversation inside?” he gestured his head to the diner behind him, “max has been whining about being hungry and he’s not him when he’s hungry.”
the last part was said in a loud whisper, a very obvious wink being thrown your way. max rolled his eyes, grumbling at the loud australian about how ‘it was one fucking time’.
you shook your head and moved to step back, momentarily forgetting that you were standing near the curb. lando’s hand shot out and grabbed your arm, puling you forward before you even registered your body tipping backwards.
“oh geez, sorry about that. i’ve got two left feet today, it seems.” you gave him a sheepish smile before turning towards the rest of them, “i’d love to, really, and any other day i would have agreed but i think i’ll have to pass on your offer tonight. i should really be getting home.”
charles nodded, “ah, of course, no worries. would you like one of us to drop you off to your place?”
you found yourself shaking your head once again, “no, no. that’s alright. i was already on my way home before everything happened. i don’t live too far from here.”
though the idea of walking home all on your own right now brought you dread, you really did not want to further ruin the night of these very kind men. they had already done so much for you in such a little time.
“are you sure?,” pierre started, “if you really live as close as you say you do, it shouldn’t take more than a couple of minutes.”
noticing your apprehension, max spoke up, “i can order you a cab if you’d prefer?”
“no, really, it’s fine, guys.” you gave them a soft smile, “thank you so much for your offers. i’ll be home before you guys even get seated in there.”
“highly unlikely, but i’ll fold.” daniel smiled cheekily, “only if you let lando walk you home.”
the unassuming boy’s eyes narrowed on daniel, the latter throwing him a wink and a thumbs up the moment you looked away from him. lando’s cheeks flushed lightly, tensing up when your eyes met his. how was he supposed to respond?
“yeah, no, really,” god, he was fumbling so bad. screw daniel for putting him on the spot.
“i don’t think any of us would feel comfortable letting you continue walking alone after what just happened.” 
lando’s muscles relaxed at the sound of charles’ voice, thanking him in his head. it wasn’t that he wasn’t willing to walk you home, it was just that from the moment lando laid eyes on you, he was entirely entranced by your beauty. 
initially, lando had been yelling at himself for thinking about how pretty you were while you were openly having a panic attack in front of him, but now that you were smiling at him like that? well, it wouldn’t take a genius to see how he felt. daniel had proved it.
“are you sure?” truthfully, you had caved the daniel offered lando up to take you home, but the moment charles spoke your inner thoughts, you couldn’t help but finally accept the offer.
lando cleared his throat, time for redemption. “yeah, of course. that way, we’ll all feel better knowing you’re sitting home safe and sound.”
it took another minute to say bye to your newly-made saviours and then, you and lando were off. the first minute or two were rather awkward, both of you wanting to talk to the other but not knowing what to say. it was clear to lando that you had no idea you had just been talking to formula one drivers, and it had been so long since he was able to talk to someone as lando norris and not lando norris, driver for the mclaren f1 team. he had no idea what to say.
you decided to bite the bullet, “i couldn’t help but notice your accent,”
lando laughed breathily, “yeah, um, kinda hard to ignore, i bet.”
you hummed, “do you live here in monaco, or are you just visiting?”
“i do, live here that is,” lando couldn’t form sentences around you, “but i only just moved not too long ago from, well, i guess you can tell from where.”
you laughed lightly, nodding, “did you move for work?”
lando shrugged, “um, well, not really? i used to live closer to work back when i was in england, but travel isn’t really an issue for us.”
“us?”
lando nodded, “yeah, pierre is really the only one who doesn’t live down here. and all of us who do are quite a ways away from our main base.”
you chuckled quietly. lando looked over at you confused, “what?”
you shook your head, a smile plastered on your face, “nothing, nothing. just, you sound very suspicious is all.”
“suspicious?” lando’s mouth was gaped, his appalled expression making you laugh harder, “how am i suspicious?”
“i don’t know! it just seems like you’re trying very hard to not expose your job,” you sobered up, “which is totally fine if you don’t want to share. i’ve had my own fair share of jobs i was embarrassed to tell people about.”
lando giggled, “what, like washing an old man’s arse?”
you faked a gasp, “how did you know?”
“i’ve got my ways.” lando winked at you, eliciting another laugh from your lips. wow, he was on a roll. 
“well, to answer your unspoken question,” lando started, “i’m a driver.”
“well, that’s not very exciting.” you frowned, “i was expecting something more.”
“maybe if you let me finish,” lando playfully scowled at you.
“i’m sorry, i didn’t know you were still speaking after the long pause you took. usually long pauses mean the person is done talking.”
“yeah, yeah,” lando rolled his eyes, a small yelp escaping him when your elbow met his ribs.
“well, then what kind of driver are you?” you prodded.
“i’m a racecar driver for mclaren.”
“shut up, no way.” you stopped walking for a minute. 
lando laughed, grabbing your hand to tug you forward, “yes way.”
“you?!”
this time it was lando who stopped, “what do you mean, ‘you?’?!”
“there’s no way you drive a racecar. i refuse to believe it.”
lando shook the hand he was holding, whining out a quick “what? whyyyy?’
“lando, you’re gonna rip my arm out.” 
he dropped your hand in favour of crossing his arms, “okay, now tell me why.”
you shook your head in mock exasperation, “i don’t know, you just don’t seem like the type to be a racecar driver.”
“did any of the guys look it?”
you shot your head up to meet lando’s eyes, the shock plastered on your face clear, “they’re drivers too?”
lando dropped his arms, laughing at the way your eyes widened and jaw slacked open. you blinked, taking his laughter as a yes, “woah.”
the pair of you began walking again, the air around you quiet once more, but not awkward this time. the silence caused lando’s thoughts to swarm his head. did knowing he was a racecar driver make you uncomfortable? what if you hated f1 and now that you knew he was a driver, you hated him too? what if-
“you know, now that i think about it, max kinda looks like he would drive a racecar.”
lando’s head shot towards you. he spluttered, “max??”
you nodded, “yeah, he’s got that gruff look about him…or maybe that was the hunger daniel was talking about.”
“nah, that’s just his regular face.” lando took a second to absorb your words, “wait, so you think max is a driver because he’s gruff?”
your nod caused him to scoff, “what, so i’m not gruff? am i not manly enough to be a driver?”
“what?” you let out a surprised laugh, “lando, what? no, no, i just don’t know how to explain it. you guys are just, different.”
“now, you sound like my mom trying to console eight-year-old me after i lost in a karting race.” lando tsked.
“oh, shut up.”
the two of you bickered for the rest of the way to your apartment. what was a mere 10 minute walk felt like an hour with lando. you couldn’t help but wish you lived further away, not wanting to end your conversation with the driver. you reluctantly pulled lando to a stop in front of the glass doors of your apartment building.
“this is me,” you awkwardly played with the ring on your finger.
“wonder if the boys are even seated yet,” lando joked, reminding you of the very obvious lie you had told the group.
you smacked his arm lightly, “shut up, i didn’t want to impose.”
lando caught your hand, squeezing it lightly, “i told you, there’s nothing to impose. i offered, didn’t i?”
“well, technically,” you started, laughing at the way lando rolled his eyes.
“thank you, though.” you squeezed his hand, “i definitely felt a lot safer knowing i wouldn’t be walking home alone.”
lando gave you a gentle smile, his eyes travelling down to your intertwined hands. this was his chance. 
he looked back up to you, “how about i give you my number?”
at your surprised look, he continued, “and then the next time you’re all alone and in need of some help, or even just company, you can text me.”
with how loud your heart was beating, you hoped lando couldn’t feel your pulse through your hand. you nodded, using your free hand to pull out your phone. you watched as your screen illuminated his face, his cheeks tinted red but only just. a buzz from his own pocket indicated that he had sent himself a text, ‘just in case i’m feeling lonely too’, he had said.
lando gave your hand one last squeeze before letting go, “have a good night, y/n.”
“you too, lando.”
and with a sweet smile, he watched as you walked through the glass doors, wishing you would turn back and look at him once more. 
you did.
Tumblr media
2K notes · View notes
manykinsmen · 24 days
Text
Play that Car Like a Goddamn Guitar, the 2024 grid as guitar tracks that slap
Tracklist:
Max Verstappen: Hocus Pocus - Focus Focus is a Dutch band and this is very much a song that is doing its own thing and not giving a shit what other guitar songs do. Screw having words, I have a flute, the ability to yodel, and turn into a goblin half-way through.
Sergio Perez: No One Knows - Queens of the Stone Age A song about being doomed to failure.
Carlos Sainz Jr.: Paint It, Black - The Rolling Stones I see a red door and I want it painted black. Yeah Carlos, yeah.
Charles Leclerc: Layla - Derek and the Dominos A song as famous for its piano part as its guitar part about losing your mind you love someone so much. Sounds about right for Charles.
George Russell: Take Me Out - Franz Ferdinand British mid-00s rock about sniper duels. It's all a bit stiff upper-lip.
Lando Norris: Brianstorm - Arctic Monkeys We're bringing back 2007-style fuck boys.
Lewis Hamilton: Tunnel Of Love - Dire Straits As far as rockstars go, Mark Knopfler might be the most technically skilled guitarist going. And it doesn't get more Brocedes coded than this.
Oscar Piastri: Joker and the Thief - Wolfmother Let's get mythological and prophetic with an Aussie rock band.
Fernando Alonso: Can I Play With Madness - Iron Maiden If the grid has an evil wizard, it's Nando.
Lance Stroll: More Than A Feeling - Boston There's something sad and wistful about this and then that guitar solo drags you back in. Like Lance and this sport.
Zhou Guanyu: Just - Radiohead One day I'll get to you and teach you how to get to purest hell. Cleverer, more technically skilled and more full of rage than anyone gives it credit for.
Kevin Magnussen: Breaking the Law - Judas Priest So much for the golden future, I can't even start. I've had every promise broken, there's anger in my heart. Oooft.
Daniel Ricciardo: Thunderstruck - ACDC Look it was never going to be anything but Thunderstruck.
Yuki Tsunoda: Rainbow In The Dark - Dio No sign of the morning coming, you've been left on your own, like a Rainbow in the Dark. You deserve a team that loves you Yukes.
Alex Albon: I Believe In A Thing Called Love - The Darkness Right through cringe and out the other side. Keep smiling.
Nico Hulkberg: Barracuda - Heart Dick joke.
Esteban Ocon: Runnin' Down A Dream - Tom Petty Unpretentiously slaps. Doesn't need any bells and whistles (and can't afford them either).
Pierre Gasly: Hammer To Fall - Queen Vengeance, Pierre Gasly be thy name.
Valtteri Bottas: The Kids Aren't Alright - The Offspring Valtteri is a self-confessed Offspring fan and often uses this one in his insta stories.
Logan Sargeant: (Don't Fear) The Reaper - Blue Öyster Cult We can be like they are. Come on baby. Logan's a real damsel in distress and this is definitely the song for that.
47 notes · View notes
heartshapedracetrack · 11 months
Text
Okay so hypothetical scenario: f1 drivers actually read books (i'm not sure anyone of them does it actually if yes drop the recs guys)
What books would they actually read?
Well i've got my theories and i've actually put them into different groups (i was bored leave me alone) so here's something no one asked about
Group 1: Non fiction only!!;
Pierre: he'd read like the Elon Musk biography and would find it extremely inspiriational
Lewis: The why are you here Café and stuff like that, the Alchemist .. and everything about the inner child
Nico H: Power by Robert Greene (concerning book choice imo)
Group 2: Romance Readers <3
Lando: historical romance, bridgerton vibes , handsome knights and beautiful princesses, the ones with the ugly Covers, the ones that make you dream about being in love and being a damsel in distress
Lance: i don't know why but he would read Colleen Hoover, while drinking a glass of white wine and candle light.
Charles: he'd read one book a year but it would be about love or the very tragic ones . He loves depressing music so probably me before you is like his favourite novel of all time
Group 3 : Crime and Thriller because i'm a man
Kev kev: the hardcore scandinavian Thrillers, he's a girl dad he needs the variety
Checo: better read about it in a book than commit murder in real life i guess
Group 4: literary fiction
Oscar and Estie bestie: not necessarily the books that won any prices but books that are rooted in real life . Family issues , lone man on a roadtrip, that kind of stuff
Alex: the lighthearted literary fiction but the ones that also give you something to think about ..
Zhou: he'd drop the best recs i'm sure of it. Reads a lot and just good books..knows they are good before anyone else does
Group 5: gay fiction
Yuki: loves a good gay story, roots for the lesbians to finally get together
Group 6: fantasy
Nyck: the witcher, game of thrones.. started with Percy Jackson and now he's living in lord of the rings Land
Group 7: keeping it classy
Georgie boy ..who else
Group 8: magazines only
Fernando (when he's on the cover) and Carlos (when it's about golf)
Max occasionally
Group 9: doesn't read even in this hypothetical situation:
Logan
Valterri (he reads wikipedia articles though whenever he's bored)
21 notes · View notes
maxemilianverstappen · 6 months
Note
controversial(or unpopular) opinion on Max ships( Maxiel, Lestappen, Norstappen etc)
I am putting this under a read more and censor the ship names to not bother anyone.
I used to read a lot of M*xiel in the past, but I stopped some time around 2020. I don't know if it is the same now, but when I used to read m*xiel fics, the tropes that the authors majorly used became so irritating that it was almost impossible to find something outside the popular headcanons going around.
The majority of M*xiel shippers who write fics are either
A) Daniel fans who use Max as his accessory because Max makes their guy look irresistibly perfect and sunshine personified, or
B) Max haters who get some strange sense of achievement thru using him in their fics because the ship is very popular and thus writjng fics make them popular. There are so few M*xiel fans/authors that are normal about them and write/make normal fanworks, but they are the minority, so the ship turned sour quite quickly for me.
Category A writers write Max as either this unfeeling robotic, emotionally stunted and loveless manchild, or as a merciless brute who is also in depression, or with the maturity of a 5 year old in a grown man's body. They do this for plot's sake and to make their main fav Daniel be his prince charming/knight in a shining armour and it is so fucking overused that it makes me want to puke.
Category B people are in it for Daniel (they think being his fan means holding the moral highground LOL) and even though they hate Max, they write because they enjoy the attention their fics bring to them. Tragic.
N*rstappen is like a safe haven for me. I love their friendship. Lando's humor is edgy and yet blunt and makes an interesting juxtaposition to Max's more innocent, out there way of joking. They also look good together in a very soft way. I mean, they don't have sharp edges when together. They are easy on the soul if you know what I mean. And I must say, I am a sucker for their size difference and the way Max is so careful and loving with him. I hope people write more fics for them. Which reminds me I have to finish my abo fic about them too 🙈🙈
L*stappen is my current obsession. I am not reading much fics on them so that it doesn't affect my own writing style, even though I am not writing much. Yet, as far as I read of them before they became this popular, some people used to write Max as a brute and Charles as a crybaby and many of my mutuals used to talk about how much they hated this stereotyping. I can't say much on this, but I have read my fair share of them, so I avoid reading more as soon as I realize it is written with this characterization. Yes, Charles is female protag coded, but there are more ways to write him like that instead of as a weak damsel in distress.
I am not reading his other ships, like with Horner (i see him as his father figure so imagining them fucking disgusts me), Nando (he fucks Seb and Kimi, not a guy that can be his son), Lewis (i have no idea how people can even ship them after all the shit that went down 😬), Checo (that guy has four kids lol c'mon, it is not believable even when I desperately suspend my disbelief till the end) or George (i have no respect for the serious shippers of this abomination 🤣), but I must say I like the idea of him with Alex, too. His friendship with Mick and Este is also a very intriguing one. And I like him with Charles and Lando as a threesome, too (I can even be the only person on here using the norlestappen tag. And I am fairly sure I am the first person to use it lol)
5 notes · View notes
mcl4r3n · 8 months
Note
i usually hate this trope but god, daniel in that black shirt with the chain on looks like every stereotypical italian mafia boss in those corny ass romance novels. and lando is so babygirl that he could easily be the innocent and naive main character who falls head over heels with the mafia boss and who then gets kidnapped by the rival mafia and has to be saved
basically, lando is the damsel in distress, and daniel is the not-quite knight in the not-so-shining armor 😩
- dando anon
Now see, the thing is. Daniel IS Italian and LOOKS IT and now my brain is spinning around in circles because like imagine Lando being the damsel but also being SO PISSED OFF about being the damsel. Imagine. How nice that would be. If only I could write mafia aus but alas I don't have the mind for it </3 </3 BUT I DO LOVE THIS VISION DANDO ANON. <3
8 notes · View notes
sixdegreesofbali · 2 years
Video
youtube
I absolutely adore this video of Max and Lando playing COD together.
If anyone thinks Max is an ‘alpha male’, you’re wrong!😂
He’s an absolute helpless damsel in distress off track😅
And I love the way Lando just has to laugh at every dumb thing Max does and says. You can tell that he pretty much adores Max❤️️
123 notes · View notes
mcl38 · 3 months
Note
it's mostly the delusional shippers that turned me off "carlando."
after qatar when he was being all dramatic and doubting himself, there were full on essays weird carlando shippers were writing about how he clearly just wasn't ready to lead a team and still needed carlos to guide him and encourage him before his mental health spiraled or something idek. like what the everliving fuck do you mean he's not "ready to lead a team?" the guy fucked up and he knew it, yeah maybe was a little too self-critical but he took accountability for his error, he was right there to congratulate and support his teammate despite those feelings, etc. it genuinely amazes me how whenever a teammate outperforms lando we start getting these he's "not ready to lead" or he's "a shit teammate" accusations because those are genuinely the moments where his being a team player shines through for me. he's had a few opportunities now, with basically every f1 teammate he's had, where he could have been a shit team player and gone off to sulk and cry, yet he's been there supporting and celebrating with the team even in those moments.
but idk there's something so infantilizing about people acting like lando needs carlos to function or depends on him to know his worth or talent or abilities. and i'm sure carlos encouraging lando in his rookie year did play an important role in his development, but one of my fave things has been seeing him come to terms with his imposter syndrome and struggles and finding healthy ways of combating and coping with that and genuinely believing in himself. like i don't think these people realize mental health is not just something one person is going to come along and fix - and i think as evidenced by andrea stella's statements on how they were going to try to find ways to help lando spin some of that self-criticism into healthier mindset - that's a continuous battle and something lando himself will have to deal with, to some extent, likely throughout his career. carlos whispering "omg ur so talented mi vida" or whatever these people fantasize about isn't going to do shit for lando after he's screwed up and is punishing himself for it. like idk i'm just not a fan of this lando "damsel in distress who needs carlos to save him" narrative so many carlando people push. he's proven he's more than capable, why the hell people still look at him in any context - whether personally or professionally - and think he needs carlos to function/survive beats me
so like firstly anon u make me feel so lucky that ive managed to avoid the majority of carlando content since like 2021. "writing about how he clearly just wasn't ready to lead a team and still needed carlos to guide him and encourage him before his mental health spiraled or something idek" gives me actual hives one of my biggest icks is when a fan of a 'ship' clearly isnt actually a fan of at least one of the individual drivers on their own. rly theyre just infatuated with whatever collective fantasy of a relationship theyve bought into, and while shipping drivers absolutely does not imply you're unable to confront reality on its own, i do think theres a correlation between intense (read: irl rather than just rpf) shipping culture and absolute delusion about what a driver is like (so when the driver shows their true colours its shock horror hate)
anyways god those r some insane takes about qatar. i do find it funny retrospectively how landos biggest narrative flop was literally a p3 sprint p3 race and ppl acted like he was in p13 getting lapped by oscar. i also think qatar was an obvious demonstration that lando CAN lead the team, and sustain a relationship w his teammate. and he can do those things WELL at that. a pettier person wouldnt have congratulated oscar as much as he did. oscar doesnt even count his sprint win as a win, but lando does - again, a pettier person would go pedantic about the sprint format and refuse to acknowledge it. but he didn't - despite clearly feeling his Feelings the whole weekend, he manned up (unlike someone else that week lmao) and held his head high, smiling for the journos and placating them when they were concerned abt how self-critical he was. i respect and admire him so much for that. thats my guy
yeah the one thing we saw return w a vengeance that week was the self-flagellation - a thing thats not only very much NOT new, but also that landos talked about at length. like hes been SAYING this, this is the main thing he talks about every time he talks about mental health, which is a lot (bless him). this is like when ariana grande wrote a song called 'break up with ur girlfriend im bored' and then years later she broke up a married couple and her fans were like gasp what did this evil hag do how dare she like my beloveds she TOLD YOU. she TOLD you she was like this why did you not LISTEN.
anyways you say some downright beautiful things about lando and his development that i wholeheartedly agree with. "one of my fave things has been seeing him come to terms with his imposter syndrome and struggles and finding healthy ways of combating and coping with that and genuinely believing in himself" is SO true and correct bc like YEAH this is a journey he's been talking about and trying REALLY hard at. this is gonna sound kinda perverse but i think his 2023 challenge is like... unrosberging himself. i think he (following in the footsteps of nico, wait, let me expand on this) took the easy way out of his intense self-doubt and self-criticism: that is, he bought into the (unsustainable) strategy that if he just doesn't make any mistakes, he'll get rid of his impostor syndrome and be mentally healthy. lmao. so its easy for him to look back at 2019 now and be like 'i was way too stressed about being a bad driver but i was just a rookie, i had room to learn, see im better now, no stress', but when he DOES make an error nowadays, i don't think he's quite yet reached the level of stability where he can rly take that on the chin. which, as u say, is SO normal, bc stuff like this is such a continuous battle (i should fucking know my therapist tells me that every session lmao).
its just that the one thing carlandos or other ppl who consume f1 media in similar ways is that carlos comforting him is so not what lando needs or what he'll get either. landos worked w a legit sports psychologist for a while, and he's got jon who clearly actively tries to document himself on how to deal w mental health issues in athletes, and mclaren has just added a team psychologist to their paddock crew, AND like u mentioned, andrea said he'll try to find other ways to help lando mitigate his self-doubt. if anything, carlos whispering sweet nothings to lando (if we entertain the hypothesis n all) will only aggravate him further. not only do i know this from personal experience of how i (a known self-flagellator) respond to that kinda stuff, but he's also like famously rly unreceptive to ppl understating bad situations ("well, the only way is up, isn't it lando?" "n-no, actually, for us it's also down" and all the other extremely funny pressers at the beginning of 2022, esp in australia where everyone was trying to convince him the car was suddenly way better when it was just track-specific performance). AND we also know almost verbatim from carlos (the only f1 driver whos ever spoken abt the less camera-ready aspects of landos personality) that he does Not know what to do w lando when landos in a funk. i rmbr theres this bit in one of the last interviews they did together, that retrospective one, where carlos was talking about landos moods, when he gets quiet and crabby, and how he couldnt get through to him, and it was like lando was a completely diff person. but, yk, whatever serves ppls fantasies ig
so like yeah i absolutely absolutely agree w you that especially within the carlando dynamic theres this super nasty damsel-in-distress element. i think it probably started as ppl projecting onto lando's anxieties and wanting a big strong man with a sexy accent telling them everythings gonna be alright (which so fair), but bc lando wears his failures and deficiencies on his sleeve as a defence mechanism (known fan of low expectations, wants to preempt anyone saying he's shit by saying it himself, this goes from his painful-to-watch post-quali self-criticism to his aggressive anti-intellectualism in general knowledge quizzes) then its so easy for the fandom to characterise him as a hopeless mess, weepy, stressed out, needing someone to come fix shit around him. if lando himself knew this, considering how independent he is, i think he'd have an anneurism lmao. bc like it IS infantilising as well (a pattern w lando). and disrespectful. and dismissive. and w an implication that they dont like lando for his qualities, but for the stuff thats wrong with him, so they can imagine someone making it right and completing the narrative.
and all this over a mess-up in quali that he still converted to a podium. jesus christ. being a lando fan is genuinely exhausting fr
3 notes · View notes
bwoahtastic · 2 years
Note
Ok but now I’m picturing newly crowned King Daniel (in his early 20s) raising a chaotic teenager and a traumatized toddler. The first couple of months they sleep in the same nest that Daniel painstakingly taught Charles how to make. But he’s just such a good older brother/dad and always makes time to play with his brothers and cuddle them and I think that he reads fairy tales to them at bed time even though Charles thinks he’s too old for them (spoiler they’re all fairytales that don’t have damsels in distress and that the princess always saves herself while looking pretty so that they learn that they can be pretty and competent and they don’t have to choose)
Pllss poor Daniel struggling so much at first. He is getting settled into his new role as king, and suddenly has two chaotic Omega siblings to take care off. Charles is a very stubborn teenager, and Lando is so small and just confused about where mommy and daddy are...
Daniel trying to see if Charles can figure out how to nest, and for weeks on end that is where they all cuddle up together. He reads them stories and always makes time for them between his other duties. Charles complains he is too old but also never misses any of those moments, and Lando just so needs them!
Daniel just loves them so much and often stays awake long after they are asleep cuddled against him, just watching over them and making sure they are safe!
25 notes · View notes
canonskyrissian · 1 year
Text
Tumblr media
@idontthinkiknow it's the last installment of my role swap au series (read the first two here)
so basically luke and leia are role swapped so luke is a prince and leia is a farm girl/jedi but I also swapped han and lando's roles for skyrissian purposes lmao and also ahsoka has obi-wan's role (and that's what you missed on glee!)
now, rotj role swap. I had plans to have it written for the 40th anniversary of rotj but that's not gonna happen lol. I'm gonna start properly writing it in june
but yeah, it starts with leia, lando, ahsoka, han, and chewie getting ready to rescue luke from emperor's palace where vader took him after the events in cloud city (luke got put in carbonite rip he's a true damsel in distress)
also vader has been torturing luke for information and this is when he finds out that luke is his son and understandably is super conflicted. doesn't tell skeevy sheevy about it though
so then we get the "who are you?" "someone who loves you" with lando and luke while leia is distracting vader and skeevy sheevy (flipping them off like carrie would've wanted)
I've planned that the final battle takes place in naboo, kinda book-ending with prequels. leia and ahsoka go pick up obi-wan, cody, and rex from ahch-to to help out
they also meet padmé's handmaidens, saché and yané first but also the rest
leia is gonna be super brutal with vader and skeevy sheevy, verbally especially. she's gonna tear them both a new one. they're not gonna know what hit them
I'm gonna keep most of the ending under wraps for now but they're gonna have a party on naboo. more subdued than what it is in tpm, but still. it's gonna be so soft with our leads 💕
ask me about my wips
4 notes · View notes
f1-disaster-bi · 1 year
Note
F1 Lando calling Football Michael his damsel in distress when he’s broken his leg and needs Lando’s help, with the most smug adorable grin and despite not agreeing with his comment, Michael just needs to kiss that grin off of him
Aksh Lando would!!
Lando knows Michael is Reay distressed and upset by it, and he feels bad for relying on Lando so Lando figures let making Michael see that it's more than okay would have to be done in a ridiculous way to make Michsel laugh
So he starts calling him his damsel in distress, his fair maiden that got injured by a dragon. And Michael thinks he is ridiculous, but it makes him laugh and smile. Especially when Lando does this like bow and present him with the bottle of water he asked for or tries to carry him into bed
It definetly cheers Michael up and Lando gets lots of sweet kisses for it
6 notes · View notes
mika-loverjoy · 2 years
Text
Max: atlast we meet again
Lando:
Lando: yeh we live together
Max: ..i thought this was Daniel's place??
Lando: ...honey we all live together
Max:
Max : we do?
Lando: *done with life*
93 notes · View notes
andthepeople · 3 years
Text
dinluke wild west au where luke just is some ding dong who was handed a katana by an old man and thinks he’s a samurai. came out west to save a damsel in distress who turned out to be his twin sister and also one of the most famous outlaws in the u.s. of a., fighting against the big bad capitalist evil of the railway company, empire ltd. luke of course hired famous train robbers han and chewie to be his guides west of the mississippi, and years later he still runs with them sometimes, even though he spends most of his time being a wannabe hermit up in the mountains. he’s in the right place at the right time to rescue a bounty hunter and his recently acquired weird green baby son from the evil railroad company that wants to send the child to england to be a freakshow attraction. luke hides them in his hermit shed and teaches the baby to use a sword. din watches this strange golden mountain man bathe in the stream out back and finds simple, fragile contentment in playing little house on the prairie. r2d2 is a mean pony. c3po is a tall finicky horse that no one ever rides because he gets tired and gives up after two minutes. lando owns a brothel and implies to din that he and luke have known each other carnally. din punches him in the face. then they drink and play sabacc together. jabba is there. he’s still a big old worm. no one mentions this. and oh yeah. din calls luke corazon.
171 notes · View notes
cooltrainererika · 3 years
Text
A Star Wars Noob’s ideas for fixing the Disney sequels
Okay so just to get this out there, because it won’t leave my mind.
So I’ve been binging on SW lately and the sequels only annoy me more and more by the day. So just wanted to throw my character ideas out into the world. Focusing on characters because I like writing characters way more than plot. Hopefully if I ever actually write this thing, or even somehow pitch it to someone with the right connections to animate it with the actors as voice actors, this wouldn’t have gone viral. But since no one looks at my blog it probably won’t lol. Hopefully.
But just in case, I’ll say that this will probably contain spoilers for a story which may or may not exist by the time you read this.
I’ve deliberately been trying to avoid as much emotional spoilers and normal spoilers as I can before the sequels despite the temptation, so sorry if some stuff is a bit off. Augh I hope I can get the time to watch the full OT and PT soon. I was too tired from hiking when I watched SW4 and I now really wish my dad didn’t show me when I was half-asleep.
Rey: Rainbow of possibilities; Cynical Scavenger, Adventure-seeking Audience Surtogate Geek, or Lawful Good to the core Paladin Padawan with a personal grudge, and may be descended from a family line, maybe not, but currently most likely a Skywalker by blood. Story and other character arcs change dramatically depending on which route chosen.
Finn: Stoic soldier man learns power of friendship, finds meaning of life, causes Stormtrooper mutiny, probably becomes a Jedi and second main character and hooks up with Rey. “What‘s a joke?”. Awkward dork and stunted socially but doing his best. May instinctively find it hard to disobey orders. He may be the one wanting to find his family; but that’s dropped soon enough to focus on what’s ahead. 
(Alternatively: Proud warrior guy who acts like a stereotypical North Korean soldier who finds himself outside the First Order, learns power of friendship etc. The rest is the same)
Poe Dameron: What we Japanese people call The Aniki. The funny charismatic ace pilot who keeps everyone sane, overall bro. Wholesome but a bit rough, that guy you would want to share a beer with. But within that easygoing nature burns a hotblooded, determined, dutiful streak, and an even stronger snarky streak. The one with the social skills. Loves his droid like his son though Cynical!Rey and Finn find that initially kind of stupid/strange. 
Kylo Ren/Ben Solo: Appears to be yet another quietly imposing Star Wars villain with added edgelord factor, but actually a mentally unstable, borderline yandere berserker of a man crushed under the weight of a legacy, with a horrifying inferiority complex, identity issues, and an unhealthy obsession with familial honor, constantly stuck between Dark and Light. Despite his high rank, basically the First Order’s attack dog. Usually has the emotional maturity of a 16-year-old, if not younger. If anyone is, he’s the damsel in distress of this story.
Luke Skywalker: Cuddly sunshine headmaster sage doing his best, has been on many adventures before that are hidden ads to future Lucasfilm projects. May have gone to search for answers as to what is causing recent events, or is still present at the beginning. May survive at the end. He could be anywhere from kind of jaded but at his core still that sweet optimist, to Basically Uncle Iroh, to can-literally-summon-Porgs-by-whistling/Space Sage Mr. Rogers.
Han Solo: General of the Republic Armed Forces or courier who decided military life just wasn’t for him and now delivers important messages through still unstable areas of the New Republic, a war hero, and a dad doing his best. Wants to hold hope but may have at least outwardly given up on Ben, with Poe filling in the void. Has gone clean from his life of crime and still married 30+ years strong with Leia. He would be the one who is the closest to Poe if he’s still in the military and Leia is a Jedi, with Poe being seen as his likely successor. He might die at the end of 8? Maybe Hamill and Carrie would somehow talk him into sticking around past 7? He might still die in 7?
(Side note: I wish we could have seen Old Harrison Ford in a military casual coat-cape. He would have looked awesome in it. I mean no one would really complain that he plays fast and loose with the dress code if there even is one, he’s Han freakin’ Solo and he gives no f*cks.)
Leia Organa-Solo: Preferably a Jedi Knight, leader while he’s away if he’s away as well as their tactician, or senator considering her personality; maybe have basically what Colin Trevorrow planned for her (I mean… why not just use CGI at this point? They’ve done it before. I’m sure Carrie wouldn’t have wanted her swan song to be such a passive role either), with her bond with Luke being a major factor and us actually being able to see it in practice. May have outwardly given up on her son as well, but still is at the end of the day a mom doing her best. Basically a strong, smart lady like how she’s always been.
Chewbacca: How he always is, but he plays more of a role than basically the guy bussing the cast around, an active combat role definitely. Han’s second in command and maybe fellow dad. Possibly the part-time chaperone of the mess that is the new main duo. Also was Ben’s first friend, and you bet there will be drama here.
Lando Calrissian: Business mogul who probably helps the heroes out, maybe by selling them stuff and using his many connections to get information. And/or he’s basically an economic diplomat for the Republic. Has known Ben since he was a child and may have snuck him on too many joyrides without telling Leia, to her chagrin and Han’s amusement. 
Grand Admiral Armitage Hux: Basically how he was in SW7. Calculating, manipulative, coldhearted, intelligent, and ruthless, the brains to Kylo’s brawn. Son of former Imperial officers, killed his own father to get where he is. Gives no f*cks, except when he goes full ham. Maybe even he goes cold and pale if Kylo starts getting angry, just to show how terrifying he can be, but I also like the idea of him being one of two people who can manipulate Kylo out of a tantrum and not end up a pile of flesh or choked to death. 
Captain Phasma: How she is in supplemental material probably. A walking chrome machine of merciless death. Probably not very talkative, and probably does not take defectors lightly. She may defect at the end or not depending on how truly evil she’s portrayed to be, but I’m thinking she’s likely this cruel disciplinarian who expects complete and utter, machine-like obedience to the end, and Finn flinches at the mere mention of her, though she herself is equally as extremely loyal to the cause.
Snoke: A mysterious being, the likes of which are not of this galaxy. Probably some kind of ancient eldritch abomination who can torment vulnerable minds with an untraceable curse. Not your average Sith, and despite how it may seem it may not be connected to them at all… Or perhaps it is. Or perhaps it itself serves a larger master. It wants to use Kylo Ren for… something. Just what it is is what Luke has been trying to find out for years.
Knights of Ren: Idea borrowed from Thor Skywalker (check him out on YouTube!); possibly a military cult of Sith/Vader worshippers who see Ben as the second coming of Vader, and have aligned themselves with Snoke. Probably basically Kylo’s personal guard and troops. Or possibly directly liked to whatever otherworldly entit(ies?) Snoke is, not being of this galaxy themselves.
Anakin Skywalker: Determined grandpa doing his best for his kids, grandkid(s), and the galaxy. Doesn’t appear often, but plays a major role in the story; maybe he’s the one who led Rey to his lightsaber, and maybe he advises Luke while training Rey, or secretly follows Kylo, trying to speak to him but unable to be seen or heard by him. He’d be the one who ultimately convinces Ben to return to the light, and to, in an echo of the words Ben heard when he was being impersonated, “finish what I started”.
Rose Tico: A probably relatively new, wide-eyed young recruit in the Republic Military, and maybe seeks revenge on First Order for killing or kidnapping her sister. Not sure if she will be needed, but if there’s room for her she might be interesting. Maybe she’s one of Poe’s friends or part of his squad. She could also be the resident girly girl because there aren’t many of those here. 
Vice-Admiral Amberlyn Holdo: She’s in the Aftermath books, and those seem pretty good, so she’s probably how she is there. A quirky mostly background character that is probably at most there for Han and/or Leia and Ackbar to give commands to and salute back, but most importantly she actually does her job properly, even if she’s still a bit of an odd person. Also Poe knows her and they have a way more amicable work relationship. Also give her something which actually looks like something military personnel would wear. She could even be a legitimately good tactician who comes up with off-the-wall tactics.
(Side note: I heard that she basically has the Star Wars version of Autism, and while I’d appreciate that as an Aspie myself, I’ll also have to say that Autistic people would probably be terrible military leaders due to us not being able to adjust to sudden changes well and our bad communication skills. So yeah, sorry, unless she’s recast to something like, say, a mechanic or logistics or medic or any other more Autistic-friendly job, that’s going to have to go)
Maz Kanada: …Admittedly not sure what to do with her. But she’s more likely to be an acquaintance of Lando before Han, if she doesn’t know both. In fact, Lando may be introduced early alongside her. But she would still have the important role of keeping Anakin’s saber; how she has it, either Lando found it, or basically what was cut from TFA showing that she’s indeed pretty awesome. 
BB-8: BB-8 doesn’t have to change. He’s perfect as he is. Maybe what he can do should be more consistent though. Poe and him are basically Ash and Pikachu, they stick together whenever possible. If Rey or Finn need a droid to tag along and Poe isn’t in the party at the moment, R2 is right there. I once read a fanfic in which BB-8 was actually a droid Luke made for Ben and I liked the idea… though it probably would be a bit of an unnecessary detail in practice.
R2-D2 and C3P0: They’re basically business as usual. They would still have that boke-tsukkomi dynamic they had going on, sometimes with the added childlike cuteness of BB-8 in the mix. If there’s any extra time left for comic relief scenes, or if they’re sent on some kind of mission together, I can see these three messing around doing their thing (or rather, BB being childlike, cute and curious, Threepio being overly nervous, and Artoo being too old for this sh*t and/or BB’s cool uncle/older brother) being both cute and hilarious.
Also Worldbuilding stuff will be featured at the bottom
Elaboration on the “big four” of the sequel cast:
Rey: Aged 19, speaks with Daisy Ridley’s normal accent, not RP (I mean really, her accent isn’t that hard to understand). A whole rainbow of possibilities with this lady, though many don’t realize it. I might be leaning towards her being Luke’s daughter, though her being Just Rey may also be interesting, and her still being a descendant of Palpatine or the main villain could also have potential, though if Finn is a Jedi I don’t think there’s any need for her parents to be nobody. But the three main routes I can think of for her are these three: Cynical!Rey, a Rey with a backstory identical to the canon Rey from her abandonment onwards, Fangirl!Rey, a sort of estimation of a dorky female Star Wars nerd in-universe and the most lighthearted start out of the three, and Padawan!Rey, a Rey who is already Luke’s Padawan at his academy. Maybe making her starting point less crushingly bleak and Fangirl!Rey could work, but it might dilute both ideas, and that characterization might be a bit too similar to ANH Luke. 
As is apparent, Cynical!Rey, is, well, cynical. She’s strong and independent, but extremely distrusting, on-edge, and not used to friendly interaction. Think Female SW4 Han Solo but even more antisocial and probably not even bothering with the bravado, and basically with Anakin’s upbringing except she doesn’t even have a loving mother like Anakin did. Fangirl!Rey was my initial idea but I’m starting to become less partial to it because of the aforementioned similarity to ANH Luke, but my idea was she’s basically Harry Potter, living with stepparents who hate her, or she’s still used as basically child labor but her conditions are nowhere near as bad as Cynical Rey’s, and she would have grown up on stories about the Rebels and the Jedi and everything else in the past movies, collecting every single bit of memorabilia she can get her hands on. If one wants to go for very lighthearted and slightly meta for SW7 this is the route. Padawan!Rey could go anywhere, but I’m thinking she would basically be our D&D Paladin; ever since Ben Solo went berserk and ran off to join the First Order, she’s become very protective of her fellow students and has a really understandable personal grudge against him. She might be the strongest pupil left after the Second Jedi Massacre, and by the end maybe she becomes the successor to headmaster of the academy. It is possible that she was found abandoned on Jakku or Luke’s doorstep, however, so the theme of growing up lonely is there, and because being a Jedi is what has given her meaning in life it means a lot to her. But while I don’t want her parentage to be revealed early if it is Luke, it does raise the massive plot hole of why this was never disclosed to her or to Ben. 
And yes, I did say fellow students and academy. Wiping the new Jedi Order feels really cheap and it makes the whole hopeful Jedi Starting Anew implication that I’m 90% sure the OT ended on feel very pointless. I’d prefer them still being there, though their inclusion would be obviously way more natural in the Padawan Route. This also has tons of marketing potential for Disney, because I wanted to take IRL realism into account; what’s in it for Disney? Maybe potential to expand on other students and Luke’s academy? It could be like a smaller Jedi Hogwarts/Xavier Institute basically. Though the survivors wouldn’t be too numerous; just, like, four at most. Maybe there would be elements of an Avengers/Infinity War/Endgame-esque team movie, even if the rest are a bit out of focus.
I did think maybe the heroes would still go to Ahch-To after SW7 where Luke would have been hiding with his students researching the new threat, but maybe I could have him stay and sort of take a few cues from Harry Potter by introducing the heroes to the world of the Jedi early and giving them a break in the action as they settle in their new homes, so there’s more time to develop the padawan side characters, what the academy is like, and Luke gets to appear in SW7 as well so there can be a OT trio “reunion” (not a reunion in-universe). Though that kind of messes with other parts I want to include like Rey and Finn having to take on Kylo and getting completely whipped because he’s a rampaging madman before having to be saved by Luke. Also Rey getting kidnapped has potential for developing her trust in others, and her and Finn getting a breather moment at the Republic after the heroes and Han regroup would kind of remove a point where that could be easily slotted in the story. It would also require everything before this to be crammed in the first act. 
(Newer edit 5/27/21)  I also like her getting a golden double-bladed saber like many fans depict her. It’s not only awesome looking (because she only gets her own saber at the end of TROS… Why?), but it’s more toys for the moichendise! It fits her starting with a staff, it has more reach, and it would fit Cynical Rey especially for her to have a style centered around keeping as much of herself defended as possible. Watching Battlefront 2 footage has made me think about fighting styles a bit, and if she and Finn are a duo how their styles of combat might compliment each other, especially as their relationship develops (coincidentally she and Finn apparently are a very good combination in BF2). A Cynical Rey would probably contrast the most, with a fighting style based on keeping enemies away, trickery, and defense (a good choice for a blade made of light), maybe a bit wild at first but initially her goal in fighting would be to hold out until there is an opening to get the hell out, only staying to fight if she has no other option. Fangirl Rey wouldn’t really have a fighting style initially, and it’s gonna be very dependent on where her arc goes. Padawan Rey would have the most Prequel Jedi-esque, choreographed style, showing a lot of skill though not quite mastering it and with tons of openings at first. A Cynical Rey may have an uncanny skill to detect suspicious people, which would make her trusting the heroes easier, and though this ability isn’t super strong and is more “a slight gut feeling but it could be nothing” than “human lie detector” it could maybe be honed more. And while not quite wall vision like in BF2 (because wat? Where do they come up with this stuff?), maybe she’s good at detecting people’s presences too. These are very apt ambient skills for someone in her position. Meanwhile, Fangirl!Rey would have probably suspected she had the Force already, and her ambient abilities could be whatever, just rather passive abilities unless trained. 
If she is Luke’s daughter though, that would open up the can of worms of who her mother is. Just making it so that she died before the events of SW7 might seem a bit… unfortunate? I kind of want Luke to have found love sometime (and seriously with how much of a bombshell young Luke was, in addition to him being such a hero, I’m shocked that he never got one. I can see why Mara Jade wanted a piece of that. *wolf whistle*), but then I’d have to figure out how to incorporate her in this already character-dense story without her having cheaply died offscreen. I might be able to think of something? I could always go digging in the dusty pile of old fan theories, I might find something good. Thor Skywalker did hint at her but his story stopped at the end of where SW8 would have. If I do name her Mara there’s probably going to be extra pressure to do something with her. …But I can’t be the only one who thinks that Daisy Ridley kind of looks like Natalie Portman. Then again I’m pretty face-blind. I guess blond hair and blue eye color genes are also recessive traits for Star Wars humans. Though it seems the height genes skipped a generation because she’s actually pretty tall for a woman at 170 cm - I’m sorry what. That’s as tall as the average Japanese man! Holy sh*t Daisy! She only looks a bit small because she’s often depicted with Kylo and Kylo makes everyone not Phasma look diminutive. I guess Ben would get it from Anakin and Han (though he’s still taller than both of them…), so maybe a taller actress would be cast as Mara (?). And despite Rey’s malnourishment in the Cynical route, this actually isn’t that implausible, because stunted growth apparently only happens if children are deprived from gestation to about 2 years of age. 
And again, why wouldn’t Ben know about this? But if this isn’t the Padawan!Rey route (the hardest to incorporate Rey The Actual Skywalker into), maybe Ben took Rey’s assumed death as even more of a reason to burden himself with the entire Skywalker legacy? This would give him a reason to already care about her.
Further edits: According to the Aftermath books, Jakku was a “Lightside Nexus” planet. Maybe this has to do with her powers? (Perhaps she was kept sane by the Force speaking to her on occasion, in dreams or as she lies staring at the ceiling after a long day, showing her the loving life she used to live and unknown to her she will return to someday). Or why she was dropped there? Maybe she was supposed to be living with Lor San Tekka (the old guy Kylo kills at the beginning of TFA), but got lost one day or was kidnapped by bandits to be a scavenger because her small size would have been perfect for getting loot from small spaces? Why not take her back then? This probably is one of the biggest plot knots in the Cynical Rey Skywalker route, alongside who her mother is.  
Small detail lightning round before moving on: I once read a Japanese fic, and in it she mentioned she hates alcohol because she saw how it turned people into monsters. I actually kind of liked this headcanon, and maybe a bit unexpected. Though there’s also the route of her just being too used to it, setting her apart from previous more wholesome protagonists even more.  Also Daisy would have to start hitting the gym and protein shakes because I think her character design evolving from her thin build to a very athletic, Wonder Woman-esque body type would be pretty good in representing her growth as a character, and combined with her height she would be so very badass looking. 
Finn: Probably around 23? Infamous for lost potential, so his backstory is the same. However, I’m thinking that due to his dehumanizing upbringing, he’s a bit robotic and pretty stoic initially, a total opposite to Poe. He doesn’t understand jokes or sarcasm, and now that he’s completely left the life he’s always known, he feels pretty lost. He would basically act like a male Rei Ayanami, though I was going more for Drax at first. Alternatively, he’s a proud warrior type, imagine a stereotypical North Korean/Prussian soldier. He’d be a bit more emotional and probably less cartoonish here (I mean I have compared Star Wars to anime but full-on anime tropes in live action probably looks super corny), and he’s a massive hardass who also doesn’t get sarcasm or jokes and fanatical and would have thought of his fellow soldiers as a collective as his band of brothers and comrades, collectively serving the FO like a smoothly running machine. My initial thought was that after a life of war crimes and the influence a certain pilot whose cell he was guarding who gave him his name, and maybe witnessing the death of a comrade, he had defected from the FO, but I started thinking it would be plausible if he defected from the FO probably by accident. Highly likely to be the second protagonist, if not POV character, and if so I think it’s logical that it’s Finnrey that becomes the canon ship here. In the Padawan!Rey route, he’s the newcomer protagonist, not Rey. If they’re shipped, or even as friends, they may bond over their dehumanizing, harsh backgrounds and the feeling of being lost in the world. Also he likely starts a mutiny. Like it was such an obvious plot point but they never use it for some bizarre reason. It’s like the DM didn’t read his character sheet at all. Actually one didn’t and the other kept forgetting it in the third campaign.
There’s two ways I think his arc could go; first would be a focus mainly on his search for identity and becoming his own person. Second, his guilt about having done the First Order’s bidding for so long. Probably a combination of the two, though I’m not sure how to address them both. He also wants to see his colleagues free from slavery. But I am sure about I’d that he’d have to overcome his conditioning, learning to regain his humanity.
Especially if Rey is a Skywalker and he becomes a Jedi, he’d be the one who the movie makes a point about being from nowhere. He has no idea who his parents are, but it would not even matter in the end, it’s what he makes of his life from here on out. And if he and Rey end up together, which is extremely likely in this scenario, he not only finds his family in the figurative sense with the other Jedi and his new friends plus girlfriend, but in the literal sense as well, going from nameless Stormtrooper FN-2187, to just Finn the ex-Stormtrooper, to Finn the Padawan and then Jedi Knight, to finally, Finn Skywalker, Jedi Knight; maybe the last movie ends with one of them proposing to the other, with SW8 having previously ended with the climactic big damn kiss that cemented that they are a thing now. (Cue Luke jokingly asking when he’s getting grandchildren and How It Should Have Ended!Anakin squeeing over him getting great-grandchildren lol) His name would have this real symbolic value to it with how it changes as he goes from nobody to somebody. Not to mention “Finn Skywalker” is just a freakin’ awesome name. If they make up the leading duo, he and Rey may have some kind of inherent connection, or they progress into two parts of the same whole, even attaining something like a Dyad.
I thought an interesting thing to do if Rey is a Skywalker, and this is Cynical Rey, is a twist on the expected pattern by making him the one who sees the good in Kylo, not Rey. Because while Rey might be his cousin, she’s also a very distrustful person who couldn’t afford to think deeply about people act the way they do when she was growing up and fighting to survive. Meanwhile, Finn knows Kylo, and he also knows what it’s like to be determined to be a killing machine from a very young age, and if he has to forgive himself, or if he’s able to see the light, that Kylo deserves a chance as well. It would be the ultimate show of kindness from him, to show him forgiving the man who works so loyally under the same organization that enslaved him. I can also see Kylo being angry at himself for being unable to sense the Force-Sensitive in their midst. 
Maybe he was born on a “Lightside nexus” planet too so that it makes sense that he can keep up with other characters? Presuming he’s in his early 20s, I don’t think him being raised by the Order since he was a baby is that plausible, so maybe he was already an orphan? I can see the First Order spinning their Stormtrooper program kidnapping street orphans as “rehabilitating” them, which combined with good old Victorian style citizen apathy to street children allows them to get away with it. But if he was, say, around 6 years old when he was taken away, it would make sense why he was able to break out of his programming. Perhaps Poe showing him friendship awoke the humanity long dormant in him. But on the other hand, the younger, adolescent soldiers may be beyond saving, and I can see that being absolutely heartbreaking. 
I can see his fighting style with a saber being direct, forceful, and pragmatic, but unlike Rey the emphasis would be on engaging and keeping up the fight, and be very disciplined, calculated, and controlled in contrast to Cynical Rey. At least he’d attempt it while he gets used to the properties of a lightsaber, before there would probably be a lot of awkwardness as John is directed to swing this weightless prop blade with a weighted hilt like he would a club or sword. If he isn’t a Force Sensitive, he’s a good sniper just like in BF2, in fact this would be his primary combat ability, though still able to hold his own in melee combat. Though even as a Jedi he’d probably still use a gun as a sidearm, and his good aim would also translate to him being very good at spotting openings and spotting danger from a distance, as well as enhanced ability to dodge. 
Poe Dameron: Age 29 (?). A total bro. I’ve kind of come to think of him as this embodiment of the good, wholesome side of traditional masculinity. I can best describe him as the guy you expect to think of when you think of the guy who takes the boys to the bar for beers on the house and hosts Super Bowl night (for the Americans out there). Basically just that big bro/cool uncle everyone likes. I think he’s the least changed from how he is in SW7; he’s a laid-back pilot with no special powers, and while he’s probably the most static and admittedly flat character (and unfortunately more minor than the other two) he has tons of charisma and optimism to compensate, though being the one who keeps everyone sane definitely helps. Not to mention his piloting skills; which, note, are never eclipsed by Rey, because that’s dumb. His skills are a bit more downplayed here, but he’s still extremely good, especially for his age. Despite being the pilot he’s the most down-to-earth, and may be the only one of the big four with any social skills, even if he’s a bit dorky, especially regarding BB-8. 
Son of Rebel pilots, graduated top of his class in the Republic Flight Academy, and his background is squeaky clean, no drug trading involved, though he spent a lot of his adolescence and his adulthood in the Academy or in the military, just like in pre-TROS supplementary material. He’s the main source of jokes and wisecracks out of the trio in all but the most dorky of Fangirl!Rey routes probably, teaching Cynical!Rey and Finn what it’s like to smile and laugh. He still has a close relationship with Leia and Han; possibly closer to the latter due to the latter being a pilot and likely still a General. Not sure about him keeping his rank because him starting and staying at the top might mesh awkwardly with the rest of the trio, but maybe he’s still a Commander; whichever makes his inclusion in the main cast most plausible. Due to an adorable Pixiv comic I found he may have been inspired to become a pilot by Luke or Han. I’d like to think that he breaks the hotshot pilot cliché a bit by not being too overly arrogant, immediately setting himself apart from Han by being a wholesome guy there for his buddies from the start, even if he is fond of wisecracking and snarkiness (probably from hanging around Han and Leia), and inside that laid-back personality lies a hotblooded, passionate, unwavering core. Like, he’s not exactly hotheaded like a Latin stereotype (*ahem*), but he’s got this more subtle, but still apparent, underlying fiery hotbloodedness to him, something that especially makes itself apparent in high-stress situations and when it comes to his loved ones. He’d also be Rey and Finn’s mentor of sorts in stuff that doesn’t involve the Force, being their role model for what a functional member of society is. He may make some self-depreciating jokes about being “normal”, but I think mostly he’ll take it in stride. Though I can see him and Han having a chat about this in a more quiet scene. 
Ironically, out of the trio he could maybe be said to be the most suited to be a Jedi personality-wise, despite the fact that he has no Force Sensitivity whatsoever; he goes with the flow, he isn’t troubled, he’s happy with the simple pleasures in life, he’s just a good, genuine guy who does good things, passionate but not obsessive, and he’s forgiving, willing to give even an enemy soldier a chance, appealing to the humanity in him. The last one is particularly Luke-like, don’t you think? Oh, to elaborate on the escape; I still like the idea of him giving Finn his name (though another idea I love is a fallen friend giving Finn his name, that would change stuff around a lot from what I am thinking at this moment). I also think that perhaps supplemental material or some flashbacks, or even an animated short could be made showing just how Poe broke Finn’s programming; by showing him genuine kindness, because somehow, despite his lack of Force Sensitivity, he saw that FN-2187 could be talked out of his programming if he was constantly nice to him, befriending him, starting up casual chatter with him, and after a while the trooper starts opening up to this pilot. …Yeah, Luke-like indeed. Though since there is the plot hole of why Finn could be convinced in mere days and why he’s the only one guarding such a high-profile prisoner, a more realistic idea may be that they talk to each other this way a few times, then Poe escapes and Finn goes after him before they both crash on Jakku and have to work together, with Poe immediately being friendly with Finn and later Rey, to his (and her) confusion. (I can just imagine Poe being all chipper and trying to engage Finn in conversation, or telling him “Good job, sport!” after they fight off bandits or something, and Finn just is all deadpan and “We are enemies, we have no reason to fraternize” and I find that kind of cute).
He may ultimately be the most static of the main cast, but I can see him having a huge impact in more subtle ways; like maybe Rey and Finn think of what Poe might do in a given situation in their training, and he could be the catalyst behind why Finn thinks that Kylo can be redeemed, just like how Poe was able to light another way when it felt like there was only one path for him. He also definitely wouldn’t be the type to be so reckless with his men like he was in TLJ, if he’s still a Commander; he cares about his men a lot, and in fact they may be the reason why he tends to act like an older brother. I can imagine a pretty poignant scene with Finn where Finn sees Poe by himself and BB-8 paying respects to his fallen comrades by this handmade cenotaph, as he sets some flowers down and pours a drink to them, and Finn once again is able to see how different the culture outside the First Order is, as he would have never been mourned like that if he died on the battlefield, nor can he imagine he ever would have done so himself. Or maybe Rey is there too, because if this is Cynical Rey she’s only known a life where people exploited each other. Maybe other characters like Jessika (who he’s already close to I think? Did she show up in the movies though?) or Rose would have the opportunity to be more than background characters by being part of his crew, and we’d get some charming scenes about the bond he has with his squadron.
Again, admittedly he’d be the least deep character out of the big four, with his feelings not being explored nearly as much. But he probably doesn’t really hide his feelings much anyway. For any supplementary shorts involving him, they would be mainly lighter stories about his relationship with the OT cast and their families and his friendship with BB-8 and his crew, or action-y ones about missions he’s gone on; as opposed to, say, Finn, which would show his life as an expendable trooper who knew nothing but war, Cynical!Rey and her crushing loneliness and growing disillusionment to the world as she struggles to survive, or Padawan!Rey and her anguish and grappling with the Dark Side in the aftermath of the Jedi Massacre. 
I can also imagine him being this adorable Shipper On Deck for Finnrey lol. Just looking at his two friends, all proud, maybe even tearing up like “*sniff* I’m not crying Buddy, you’re crying!” when the inevitable big kiss scene happens. I can also imagine him being the one to tell Finn that “Hey Finn, what you’re feeling is love!”…And then he has to spend hours trying to explain what love even is to him lol. He always has his friends’ back after all. Again, he’s most likely the one guy who isn’t completely socially inept among these dorks. I’ve also had the potential idea that he could maybe be a good cook, and he’d be the one who introduces Rey and Finn to actually good food. Some fics I’ve noticed tend to show him cooking stuff probably for that reason. It’s just kind of cute, and it sets a good example if despite his traditionally masculine, salt-of-the-earth character, he likes some less “manly” stuff like such and sees no shame in it.
He may sacrifice himself in a blaze of glory towards the end, especially because quite frankly he may lose his plot relevance as the story goes on, though it would definitely be way more respectful than a lot of deaths were treated in the sequels. But I also want him to stick around because I want to imagine him being all proud of Rey and Finn after they propose to each other and giddily planning their wedding, and I feel he could have some very good interactions with Ben to build on for any spinoffs taking place after the trilogy. Speaking of…
Kylo Ren/Ben Solo: AKA Yet Another Ball Of Lost Potential: Anti-Villain Addition. This is gonna be a doozy, so strap in. He was probably the most developed character here but that just makes his lost potential stick out even more, so I have so much to say about him.
About 27 probably. While people complain about it, I actually like him being a manchild. It makes him a bit unique in this series. It’s kind of like Vader if he didn’t get stuck in that suit and kept acting like Anakin. In fact, that could make him even more terrifying if that feeds into how destructive he can be; at first he seems like your typical intimidating SW villain, not even that bad a leader with a seemingly calm if tense, imposing air, but it eventually becomes clear he’s this terrifying, volatile berserker who can throw some of the most destructive tantrums ever, and is ultimately a pathetic, broken, pitiful shell of a man. …He just happens to be a very powerful shell of a man. Maybe if he becomes emotional or angry enough, he can unleash powerful shockwaves that basically blow up everything around him, or cause mini Force Storms, or cause any number of unpredictable effects. Though he’s not quite constantly raging either; these berserk states are indeed triggered by anger, but I’m thinking that they are also basically weaponized panic attacks, there’s a sense that it’s also a self-defense mechanism that he lapses into when emotions overwhelm him or when he otherwise feels threatened (though whether it’s necessarily involuntary all the time I’m not so sure; but while he’d definitely want to be able to trigger them voluntarily, there will always be some sense that he doesn’t have full control over it). Also a lot of his rage is directed inwards as well, much like with his grandfather. I thought that maybe his unpredictability in these rages would be the key to his destructiveness, though I can see how someone who is out of control would also pose a problem, no matter how powerful; so maybe this is when he becomes the most focused, becoming locked onto the elimination of the perceived threat at all costs, and/or he can be controlled by his Master more directly like some kind of attack animal. 
Luke’s first padawan, or at least after Leia or Grogu (I might make him show up as Luke’s first knighted pupil and allude to this, providing more exposition on Kylo, and being one of the Jedi who help fight in the final battle as the Skywalkers go on to take on the final boss (and Grogu’s name being revealed would be a massive hype moment in The Mandalorian)). Due to his storied family, plus the name of his uncle and grandfather’s own master, he had heavy expectations on his (at the time) small shoulders from an early age. However, he had long been tormented by the Dark Side due to an untraceable curse placed upon him by Snoke, and probably a pre-existing anxious personality. The expectations placed on him, or maybe perhaps just self-imposed expectations, only worsened his turmoil, resulting in a festering mess of self-hatred, extreme perfectionism, and an obsession with familial honor and obsessive attachment to his family, especially Luke, that is a nasty combination of hero-worship and the abovementioned complexes and may border on almost incestuous.
There’s three ways for his backstory to go; “Underachiever Ben”, where Ben is either mediocre as a Jedi or still good but outperformed by others, or “Elsa Ben”, where he’s basically like Elsa from Frozen, possessing an extreme amount of power but barely able to control it, possibly due to Snoke’s curse, and a sort of middle ground, where Ben was super strong and a quick learner, but the dark side in him made Luke feel mixed about Ben’s increasing power, which Ben sensed. If the former, Ben becomes increasingly frustrated at himself for being such a “failure”. If “Elsa Ben”, there’s that, and also the added pain of him growing up terrified of himself and able to sense the terror he causes to those around him, so he was taken in by Luke so hopefully Luke could figure something out; he could have been destructive from the start, or maybe he started to become increasingly destructive despite his training. If the middle ground route, he takes Luke’s mixed emotions to mean that he doesn’t think he’s good enough. How severe Snoke’s curse would have been I’m not fully sure on; he could have voices in his head and nightmares keeping him up for days, chipping away at his sanity, tempting him to accept the darkness, or it may have just been an amplifying of his already unstable emotions. They could have even started as the latter and escalated to the former. But I’m thinking that to best explain his behavior I’m leaning towards the Elsa route. Eventually, his nightmares morphed into repeated visits by Darth Vader, his grandfather, who told him about the truth of his lineage and how he became Vader, slandering everything and everyone he ever admired or loved, telling him of his “true” destiny, and how he should give up and embrace it; unable to hear the real Anakin’s ghost screaming at him to not repeat his mistake. This extended campaign of mental torment stunted his emotional growth in many aspects, and at times he may seem to regress even more. Maybe other padawans were afraid of him because of this dark side presence, avoiding him, and/or were jealous of him because of his lineage and relation to Luke. He often felt entitled to be Luke’s right hand, getting jealous at other students and taking any reprimanding, no matter how gentle, extremely personally. Luke would have needed to struggle between not seeming to be biased towards his nephew and giving him the attention he needed, especially because Ben would feel like Han and Leia abandoned him because they weren’t able to help him, but considering how attached he is to Luke this would hurt him. So when Luke went to speak to him one night, or rushed in sensing an overwhelming dark side presence in his room, and was suddenly attacked by Snoke with a vision of what his nephew would become and making him go into fighting mode for a split second, drawing his weapon to protect Ben, and/or earlier admitted in anguish that he had no idea what was tormenting him despite his efforts, the straw broke the pedestal and he resigned himself to his “destiny”. Ironically he’s just exchanging one sky-high ideal for another, but he’s too emotionally immature to realize this, nor does he fully realize the fact that Snoke merely sees him as a malleable, gullible means to an end. Yet he still feels that pesky pull to the light, and he becomes increasingly frustrated with himself that even as a Dark side user, he still can’t be “perfect” or “worth” anything, not even able to sink himself into the darkness and finally rid himself of his pain. For all the privilege and power he has, or because of it, he always feels worthless. 
Basically I want to break him down and make his pitifulness obvious, but that’s what makes him sympathetic. He’s nowhere as far gone as Vader, even if he wants to be, kind of like a reverse Jekyll and Hyde situation where the Hyde is dominant but Jekyll hangs on, so to speak? Maybe? Is that the right analogy? Or I guess it is kind of like Anakin but sort of not, but he’s rapidly going down the same route of hurting his family like his grandfather. 
From researching a bit, his proposed behavior seems pretty close to the symptoms of BPD, which is actually pretty fitting because I was thinking Luke’s philosophy on the Force would be influenced by a more modern understanding of psychology, and Dialectical Behavior Therapy actually seems pretty in tune with what I understand to be how the Light Side of the Force works (I mean it even has basis in religious meditation…). Perhaps a mystical version of DBT was one of the things Luke was studying in exile. Though obviously it isn’t exactly BPD; portraying an actual, named mental illness not only has way too much baggage behind it, but it breaks immersion. And with him a lot of it will be the influence of the curse, though I think I would rather him have a personality that made him vulnerable to it from the start, so the curse had something to latch onto. 
Going with the “Elsa Ben” scenario, his “real” personality is anxious and even a bit shy. While I like the idea of him being cheerful when he was very little, the shyness always being there is also a characterization I like. Combined with his lumbering physique from his teenage years onwards, this made him a kid who gave off an impression of being extremely dorky (an act that would probably be very natural for Adam Driver to pull off lol) and/or withdrawn and aloof, the latter of which may have made some other padawans think he thought highly of himself and start to resent him. Unlike Anakin he’d be probably a dutiful student, almost creepily obedient, probably actively distancing himself from rebellious behavior, though his way of speaking isn’t exactly super formal either because of the influence of the adults around him. In his obsessions lies a genuine love, even if twisted, of his “favorite person” so to speak. He was also a genuinely sweet kid who wanted to please these special people in his life. He could be said to be actually really selfless in a weird way, because ultimately he values familial honor and being “good enough” for whatever higher purpose more than he values himself. TROS implied some sassiness with that Han-like shrug, and while I can maybe see some of Han rubbing off on him like that, that might be something that started from him trying to copy his parents’ air of confidence, and another coping mechanism. He might, like Vader, have a 501st legion 2.0 which Phasma is in charge of and Finn is part of, and show a more nicer side to them. Perhaps he opened up one or two times to Finn specifically; I can see this image of him venting to him while Finn stands still like how someone might vent to their dog, not really expecting Finn to be listening (also sarcasm might help Kylo obscure his true anguish from Finn, because FO troopers don’t understand sarcasm probably).  
He will be redeemed at the end… and live. Even if not necessarily paired with Rey. I’m neutral on Reylo (though admittedly I have a weak spot for pairs involving a strong woman and a troubled guy, so it’s kind of growing on me), but I really think this ship, or even centering the story strongly around a platonic relationship between these two, could have worked if it was built up strongly (Though if I were to go this route Finn would have to be established as a secondary character from the start, with Rey as the definitive main character, to focus on this). But either way, he’s definitely going to have to face the consequences of what he’s done, make up for his atrocities at least somewhat, and think about what he truly wants to do from now on. I can imagine him quietly reading stories to younglings as Rey, Finn, and Luke train some other pupils outside, or thanklessly working behind the scenes in other ways. For his haters out there, I could make the pill easier to swallow not just by making the reasons for his fall and how he was slowly and meticulously gaslit more clear, but also making him not as awful. Yes, he’s extremely destructive, but he could show more reluctance, or pause after his berserker rages, staring at the destruction he’s caused as the weight of what he’s done sinks in. He’d of course resent that he still has mercy left in him though. I don’t think that there will be a Starkiller Base, but even if there was he might argue with Hux a bit over whether it’s really necessary, until Hux sneers at him for having mercy, saying that Vader never hesitated when blowing up Alderaan, and Kylo reluctantly backs off.
…Actually, what about making him and Rey cousins? On one hand, if Rey is a Skywalker by blood, a direct daughter of the Master himself no less, Ben is now suddenly freed from carrying the weight of the family legacy on his own. On the other hand… He basically loses the thing he has spent his entire life building his identity around; since his fall would have partially been because of his obsession with Luke, he may become jealous and extremely resentful of her, and/or take this as even more reason for Luke to not “need” him anymore. Or perhaps, he pulls a reverse of “I sense the conflict in you” with her, wanting to “save” her from embracing the Light and wanting her to embrace the “true” Skywalker destiny with him. He could even be overjoyed that he could have someone else alongside him to carry on the legacy with; in this scenario he could have an unhealthy obsession with her that might also start crossing into “are you sure this isn’t incest?” territory. Yeah it’s a “join me and we can rule together” scenario again, but it would be done differently. Or perhaps it’s a mix of some of those. Exploring that and how he chooses to take it could be extremely interesting. Maybe it’s resolved when Anakin tells him to “finish what he started”… not just by saving the galaxy, but by also living the rest of his life loving his family not as an ideal, but as family, like Anakin wasn’t allowed to. And platonic Reylo sounds nice too. Though that’s going to make all that shipping fanart so awkward lol. Well it’s not as if Star Wars shippers haven’t been cockblocked by incest before (though his obsession with family and extremely questionable mental state would probably make such shippers go nuts anyway…). 
And going off of Poe being close to his parents, while the main interactions with Kylo from the heroes would be Rey, Finn if he’s the second protagonist, Luke, and his parents, I can see potential for an interesting dynamic and some interesting conversations between them too. Much like how he might react to Rey being Luke’s daughter, I can see him being jealous of Poe and resenting him for being his “replacement”, but after his redemption I can see potential for seeing the start of a friendship between them in epilogue comics, novels, or a mini-series. It would be pretty in-character for my version of Poe to want to help rehabilitate his sort-of stepbrother. Also I now have the adorable mental image of Ben quietly helping Poe (and maybe the rest of his squad) decorate and arrange Rey and Finn’s wedding, or the two surprising Finn with a very elaborate bachelor party, though I’m not sure if those exist in this universe. And because of a certain Inside Llewyn Davis scene I’m also imagining Poe getting Ben to sing with him and BB-8. It’s adorable. 
Also if both Rey and Finn are the main heroes, he might have some kind of link with both of them, and the main duo would both contrast him in their own way (lonely scavenger who no one expected anything of and nameless trooper who defected from the First Order vs. someone who grew up in greatness but seemingly threw it away and chose to be in the First Order; and much like Kylo Finn in particular has been manipulated from childhood to do heinous things, so he may sympathize with his situation). Maybe he’s the missing piece needed for both him and the leading duo to reach their full potential, or the main duo are the last piece needed to finally break Snoke’s curse on him, or something. Or it could simply just be Finn showing his growth and strength of character by understanding and forgiving Kylo, despite him now understanding just how badly the First Order treated him, which makes Rey (who, again, might start as this super cynical scavenger or may have seen Kylo go berserk and massacre her friends and betray her Master) come around to the idea. In this scenario it may actually be even more important to emphasize that Rey and Finn are two making up a whole, so as not to bog stuff down. It’s possible to ship Finnrey and want Kylo to have a better ending, what a shock! 
Maybe Rey and Kylo could switch places, and he comes back to the light in SW8, which is an idea I’ve seen floated and is something that would make the story truly unique. He would seem like basically a less stable Vader 2.0 at the start, but over SW8 he could be seen breaking more and more out of his own terrible mindset, coming to a head in a cathartic realization that bring him back into the arms of his beloved family. It would also add an interesting dynamic that he and Finn have to be equals now. But that may mean that Rey would have to be killed off and I’m not so sure about that. 
Though speaking of her, since in all these scenarios a common thread is that she understandably doesn’t like him, it would be a bit of a twist if Finn sees the good in him but Rey, if she’s a Skywalker, his cousin, doesn’t. 
And to bring up Poe again, I also really like the idea of them having been childhood friends and thus knowing each other before the events of SW7; after all, they’re around similar age, it isn’t that far-fetched to think that former Rebel families would be still pretty close to each other, and I’ve seen some adorable fanfics with the concept. It also adds connection between them and adds even more tragedy, even if this relationship may have to be elaborated more in supplementary material due to time. I can definitely Poe speaking like an old friend to Kylo and constantly calling him “Ben”, to his irritation. The abovementioned feeling of being replaced could be what caused Ben to suddenly break off the friendship. And making the main cast kind of tight-knit like this might also help make the cast easier to manage. 
Granted, there is the possibility of killing him off, though. I heard that one of the initial ideas for TFA was apparently that Kylo would be a reverse Vader, falling deeper and deeper into the Dark Side as the trilogy goes on. In fact, this may have been where Kylo killing Han may have been leading to. This actually sounded like a super cool idea, but considering the backstory I laid out I thought it would be way too bittersweet for the concluding movie of the saga, and if one were to say Kylo basically has BPD… That might lead to some unfortunate implications. I mean nothing is stopping me from not using the Elsa backstory, and if I didn’t use it maybe this route would be pretty viable, but I’m kind of starting to get attached to it. 
Other characters:
Hux: I’ve never really been a villain person. I mean I liked sympathetic villains, yeah (but even then I preferred anti-heroes for a while; I’m talking like nothing beyond N from Pokémon levels of “evil”), but straight-up villains I just have merely seen as obstacles. Like back in my Smash fic days I was often like “Eh… They’re there… Because they want to take over the world I guess?”. It’s why I’m having trouble with Snoke probably lol. But for some reason Hux interests me. If I take a guess it’s probably because of the potential he had as an actual foil to Kylo in his own faction. He had so much potential as a villain, and in having this tense dynamic play out. In fact he does seem to have been set up that way in SW7. But yeah, I imagine him as one coldhearted bastard. His backstory, though not elaborated on in the movies, would be much like TFA supplementary material set him up; he’d still have killed his father, but while yes, Brendol was abusive and strict, Armitage didn’t kill him completely because he was a young man who wanted to break free from his strict father, but also genuinely because he knew doing so would be good for his standing. Unlike Kylo when he (most likely) kills Han, he doesn’t regret killing Brendol at all. While he might have a tragic backstory kind of explaining his behavior, it doesn’t bother him at all, while Kylo, who considering what happened to him and how he’s literally under a curse you’d think would have a much steeper fall into unabashed evil, is constantly conflicted. It’s a very Sith Lord-like backstory funnily enough… In fact I’m pretty sure that Palpatine had a backstory very similar to this with his parents.  
He’s a very logical, analytical, brutally pragmatic person, and he looks upon Kylo’s emotional state with condescension. I’m increasingly starting to like the idea that he’s somehow able to talk Kylo down, while still being hardly nice. Perhaps he preys upon Kylo’s constant need for approval from others, even if he doesn’t like the person in question (this may also be why Kylo reacts so strongly to Finn escaping as well, in fact. He genuinely cares about people’s loyalty, even from literal no-name soldiers). Though I can’t decide whether he’s this deceptively charming snake or basically an evil Spock. I also can’t decide between him being in this constant state of “Why do I have to babysit this manchild” or giving absolutely no visible f*cks around Kylo no matter what happens, or even straight-up trolling him often, toying with his emotions because it amuses him; preferably two or a bit of all somehow? I can see him using having met Vader as a child to mock Kylo for how much of a pale, childish imitation he is, or reminding Kylo of how much better he is as a leader objectively; perhaps that’s what he holds over Kylo’s head. Or him explaining to Kylo how he was raised by less than stellar parenting and tried so hard to live up to his strict father too… So he brutally murdered Brendol in cold blood (possibly with Phasma’s help), became a better admiral than he ever was, and got over it “Like an adult. Unlike you.”. They’d be in this constant state of delicate, tense equality; Kylo can easily overpower Hux if he pisses him off a bit too much, but Hux is able to walk that fine edge seemingly without much effort. 
But when he realizes whatever grand cosmic plot he and the entire First Order has been participating in this whole time is when, ironically, there would probably be a really dramatic villainous breakdown from him. It’s kind of a Zuko and Azula situation with Kylo and Hux perhaps? Or is this Hux more a mix of Azula and Zhao’s roles rather?
——
Worldbuilding stuff: Since I’m more a character person, there isn’t much here, but because the worldbuilding was another issue in the movies I’ll also be adding these.
The New Republic isn’t nuked in the first movie. In fact it stays there for the duration of the trilogy and the hero faction is now its armed forces, not The Resistance (Also that name makes no sense. Seriously. At least name them The Peacekeeper Corps or Vigilantes or something, or since they’re basically Leia’s personal military maybe the Organa Free Army or Organa Corps or something of that sort. No wonder people mistakenly call them The Rebels sometimes. It’s a similar setup to Chrom’s Shepherds in Fire Emblem Awakening, albeit with a better relationship with the kingdom; it would be downright strange if the Shepherds called themselves The Resistance despite literally existing with the queen’s permission, and it still is here. Hell, Leia’s Shepherds is a better name). There would be elaboration on the political stuff going on behind the scenes, and if Leia isn’t a Jedi that’s her plotline probably, though a big part of me wants her to be part of the action instead of being stuck on the homeworld. 
Meanwhile, The First Order is made up of Imperial Remnants and people and planets who were unsatisfied with the democratic but still new and fragile New Republic. Basically think White Russians if the Soviets weren’t also awful. It happens a lot in history. While it may have some mining planets in its orbit (not literally, you know what I mean) so it can plausibly refurbish anything Kylo wrecks with his tantrums, Starkiller Base is probably a bit much, and a lot of their equipment might be old Imperial or Rebel stuff, or stolen from the New Republic, with new stuff being produced but not in overly high quantity. Some of the equipment deemed less important might even be kind of crappy due to how old they are. They’d probably be at most an equally powerful faction to the Republic, if not smaller than them, seeming more like a terrorist cell. I don’t have much of an idea why Snoke would want to be involved in it yet though. 
But while the First Order might be smaller, the New Republic is hindered by it just now finally gaining its footing, and the military previously only having been used for peacekeeping and sniping stray Imperial remnants. Because it’s peacetime, it might have been kept pretty small, and also the military academies are literally not even 30 years old at this point, so new that it’s possible Poe, despite his youth, was one of the earliest graduates; one of the military’s most high-ranking officers is literally a scoundrel with no formal training - even if he is good at his job - it isn’t exactly a well-oiled machine, though its less rigid, casual structure also does benefit it in some aspects. Also the FO can easily use Kylo as intimidation, and its upper staff is nothing if not driven and motivated as well as ruthless. They may engage in more underhanded actions like sabotage and suicide bombers, or rely on small elite units like the Knights of Ren or small companies of troopers, to poke holes in the enemy just as much as open combat. And maybe if all else fails Snoke causes something really bad to happen seemingly out of nowhere. 
While I do think that making the baddies an Empire 2.0 is an… uncreative decision, I want to keep Finn’s backstory, plus it fits Kylo’s story too so blah, I kind of have to keep it. Plus I want to do Phasma and Hux justice. Maybe Snoke or whatever it serves turns into a giant Eldritch abomination and have no use for the FO anymore. And again, reactionary forces are a thing that have existed throughout early modern history. But as already mentioned, due to the nature of the First Order’s existence, maybe the Stormtroopers aren’t kidnapped, but they were orphans picked off the streets, and/or some more dedicated Imperial parents gave them their children? I had the idea that Troopers like Finn are “Junior Troopers”, the child slave type, while older members, “Senior Troopers”, would be legit Imperial revanchists and former troopers. Maybe there’s a separate company of Juniors who think they’re cool by fighting for the First Order, but generally Juniors would be the lowest on the social rung, though some might make it into higher positions, and don’t know any other life than what they have now. Though I also like the idea that Finn was part of an elite unit directly connected to Kylo Ren like the 501st, so he has a reason to be particularly hurt by his betrayal (but that could throw a wrench in the whole Finn was a faceless cog in the machine thing). They’re pretty Prussian in command structure; officers work under mission-tactics, but the rank-and-file are machine-like in their discipline, more than even some actual droids. The Republic’s forces also probably engage in mission-tactics a lot, except how far it is acceptable goes way further down the chain of command, so stuff like the Holdo situation doesn’t happen. If that situation were to happen when mission-tactics were to be expected Poe’s independent action would be seen as reasonable. This would have potential for very interesting battles and tactics, though I’d need a lot of help with those because I’m the furthest thing from a tactician you can find (but even I can tell the bomber scene from TLJ was dumb, which should say something).
I kind of realized that it’s possible that the four OT legacy characters may end up basically representing four major aspects of the New Republic; the Jedi (Luke), law and justice (Leia, if she’s a senator), the military (Han, if he’s a general), and economics (Lando). I think some worldbuilding into how the republic functions should be explored through these characters as they move the story forward, except for the Jedi since they’re obviously a central focus, and Luke might very well be introduced after them, and the military will also get focus for obvious reasons, and Poe exists. The information definitely needs to be conveyed as efficiently and organically as possible through the story, because there’s two, likely three, equally important main characters and an unholy amount of secondary characters who aren’t exactly minor. 
May write more later idk. I need to be doing other stuff…
41 notes · View notes
lxndonorris · 2 years
Text
Tumblr media
I posted 11,822 times in 2021
2240 posts created (19%)
9582 posts reblogged (81%)
For every post I created, I reblogged 4.3 posts.
I added 6,847 tags in 2021
#max verstappen - 1305 posts
#lando norris - 1025 posts
#daniel ricciardo - 901 posts
#charles leclerc - 875 posts
#f1 - 583 posts
#carlos sainz - 483 posts
#liam payne - 454 posts
#my favorite bean - 441 posts
#lima bean - 435 posts
#motogp - 345 posts
Longest Tag: 127 characters
#but the way some people will just go on and on and on about max and his fans like jesus cant you find anything else to focus on
My Top Posts in 2021
#5
Tumblr media
happy french squealing
272 notes • Posted 2021-04-19 09:15:27 GMT
#4
Youre just watching f1 for the hot drivers.
Yes. Yes I am. For the drivers. Have you seen them? Plus, have you seen them smile? Interact with each other, on and off track? Seen them race? The skill? The passion? The teard? The anger? The ecstacy?? Yes. I watch it for them.
Dont tell me you watch it because cars go round in a circle. For the men behind it all. Watch them make money. So boring
297 notes • Posted 2021-09-11 16:23:08 GMT
#3
cuddly night - Henry Cavill
Tumblr media
Y/N x Henry Cavill
Theme: Soft, Fluff
Henry carrying you to bed when you’re way too tired to move x
word count: 650+
tagging: @henrythickcavill​
It’s nearly midnight on this beautiful Tuesday night, the stars are shining brightly outside of your apartment, where you are sitting on the sofa with your boyfriend Henry. Together, you’re watching one of your favorite shows on Disney+, the Mandalorian. You’re leaning against Henry’s shoulder, one hand casually resting on his thighs while he has one arm around your shoulder, his fingers gently brushing over your skin. As soon as the episode is over, you stretch your arms, yawning widely.
Henry giggles quietly and runs a hand through his scruffy beard. “What?” You say silently, leaning back against his shoulder again. He instantly embraces your body as he leans his head against yours tenderly, kissing you lovingly. “You’re so cute when you’re tired.” He growls deeply, his hand finding yours on his thighs and he intertwines his fingers with yours. “But I’m not tired.” You say smiling shyly, trying so hard to not yawn again, but it’s no use. Henry raises both of his eyebrows, looking at you suspiciously.
“Is that so?” He smirks, leaning back against the huge pillows behind you. “Then we can watch another episode?” You nod along while he grabs the remote, playing with the buttons in his hand. Barely able to keep your eyes open, you shake your head slowly. “I’d fall asleep in five minutes” The two of you share a short laugh before you drop down to the sofa, your head now resting softly on his lap. “I can see that,” Henry smirks softly as he runs a hand through your hair and starts playing with it.
Closing your eyes you completely give in to his gentle touch, feeling way too tired to move at all. “You’re really comfortable.” You whisper quietly, one hand on his thighs again, stroking him tenderly. “You’re my girl.” He says coyly, bends down, and kisses your forehead once more, making you grin widely. “I can live with that.” Carefully, you open your eyes again, catching him smiling softly while watching you peacefully. “We should go to bed,” Henry says, his voice rougher and huskier than before.
As he starts to move slowly, you just groan deeply, frowning. “I’m too tired to move. Leave me here.” Defeated, you close your eyes again, hoping that he would carry you to the bedroom as he’d always do. Before you have time to react, you feel his hands tightly around your body and he easily gets up from the sofa, causing you to open your eyes in surprise, even though that was exactly what you expected from him. At first, he just stands there, looking at you lovingly. 
“I won’t leave anyone behind.” He says confidently, heroically even. You place a hand on his chest, longingly holding on to him before you pretend to be a damsel in distress. “Oh Henry. My savior, my hero.” He smirks playfully and carries you through the living room, the hallway, and into your bedroom. “That’s me.” Henry smiles brightly as he puts you down on the bed. Instantly, you drop into it, enjoying the soft feeling of the sheets and the pillows. Luckily, you’re already wearing your most comfortable outfit and don’t have to get up again. 
You turn towards him, while he takes his shirt off, making sure you get a good look at him changing into an oversize shirt and shorts. He turns the light off, and you can sense him crawling on to the bed until he’s right next to you. Henry slides underneath the blanket and opens it widely, basically inviting you to join him. Sleepily, you get closer towards him as he wraps his arm around you, pulling you into him. “Good night.” You say, placing a single, loving, and gentle kiss right on to his lips. “Good night.” He growls, carefully stroking your arm again. 
It doesn’t take long for the two of you to fall asleep inside each other’s arms.
301 notes • Posted 2021-01-05 20:21:27 GMT
#2
Tumblr media Tumblr media
sweet papaya boys
350 notes • Posted 2021-09-13 07:31:17 GMT
#1
Daniel, overtaking mick.
Max: I'm with him, excuse me.
692 notes • Posted 2021-08-01 14:19:41 GMT
Get your Tumblr 2021 Year in Review →
2 notes · View notes
somedayonbroadway · 3 years
Note
Oooo Im interested in your Star Wars newsies AU
Ooooooookay so this is gonna be interesting. I will be basing this particular AU off of the original trilogy (the best one by far. Nothing will ever beat it) though if you’d like to see the prequels or any other Star Wars movie done, or a different Star Wars story that I start making up on the spot, just let me know!
This is also going to be very similar to the storyline of each and every character. So I’m only going to do the three main characters, but if you’d like to hear about more, just let me know!
Star Wars AU
Tumblr media
Characters
Racetrack Higgins — Luke Skywalker
Katherine Plumber — Leia Organa
Jack Kelly — Han Solo
Crutchie Morris — Chewbacca
Warden Snyder — Emperor Palpatine
Joseph Pulitzer — Darth Vader
Medda Larkin — Obi Wan Kenobi
Todd Kloppman — Yoda
Spot Conlon — Lando Calrission
Obadiah Wiesel — Jabba The Hutt
Racetrack Higgins
Anthony Higgins lived his life as a farmer on Tatooine.  
He lives on this hot, desert planet with his aunt and uncle, who constantly try to convince him that everything he’d ever need is right there on Tatooine.
Anthony does not believe them.
Growing up fascinated by any kind of ship he can get his grip on, he acquires the nickname “Racer” from his friends and is named an excellent pilot. He wants to explore the galaxy, but on the insistence of his uncle is forced to stay at the farm on account of the dangers that would come if he left.
Everyone was terrified of the Empire.
Race wanted to make a difference.
Growing up, Race had always been told that his parents had been good people. His father had died as a pilot during the clone wars and his mother had died getting him to safety.
Race never had a reason not to believe them.
He lives a relatively normal life on the farm on Tatooine, though he longs for so much more.
When Race was born, he was secretly given to his aunt and uncle by a woman he believed to be named Medda Larkin who lives in the desert land away.
This woman looks out for him, against his uncle's wishes, though, upon asking him why the old man has such a quarrel with Medda, only to be left without an answer.
Frustrated by his friends following their dreams and leaving the desert planet, Race finds himself staring into the sunset daily, wishing he could fly past it.
And one day, he gets his chance.
After inspecting new droids his uncle purchases, he finds a message of a beautiful girl begging for help from a Medactrine Larkin (I don’t know. It felt right).
Wandering off, Race goes to investigate, asking Medda Larkin if she was related to this mysterious person after being attacked by Sandpeople who knock him out and nearly kill him.
With the droids, M7-TN and BK-03, Race discovers that Medda is Medactrine and was once a Jedi Knight, one that fought side by side with Race’s father, whom she trained in the ways of The Force.
Though he at first declines Medda’s offer to travel with her to help the woman in the message, a Princess Katherine Plumber, after he tries to return to his farm, he finds it destroyed, the bodies of his aunt and uncle carelessly laid in front of the door to his home.
So he goes.
This embarks Racer on the path to him truly becoming The Chosen One.
Upon running from the people who murdered his family, Medda informs him that they have to secure travel off of the planet
That’s when Race meets Jack Kelly.
Race and Jack weren’t immediately best friends, but Jack wanted to protect him. Race was never entirely sure of why.
The Force is strong with Race, even though he never knew it.
Medda begins to train him in the ways of the force.
Race is forced to watch his mentor get struck down right in front of him and while he’d only known the truth for a few days about Medactrine’s true identity, he felt as though he owed his life to her.
Because she saved him countless times over and he didn’t even know.
Racer joins the rebellion after Medda dies, hearing her voice in his head, clear as day, telling him to run.
He is the pilot that blows up the Death Star whilst the majority of all others who tried died around him in their TIE Fighters.
Medda is guiding him the whole time. He uses The Force.
Race has the piloting skills of his father.
Race travels to a galaxy that many believe to be deserted to be trained by another Jedi Master by the name of Klopp.
He trains for a long time, becoming an unofficial Padawan and learning the ways of the Jedi who are nearly extinct.
He nearly gets killed by a yeti
He gets his hand cut off by the very man the whole galaxy fears.
He is told one day that he is the galaxy’s last hope
Jack Kelly
Jack grew up an orphan
When he was young, his parents were killed by the Empire and he was kidnapped by a local gang and made a part of it, a slave to it.
He grew up in a life of crime. He’d never asked for it.
After escaping that gang, leaving someone he loved dearly behind, Kelly, he runs off and joins the Imperial Navy as a flight cadet, naming himself Jack Kelly in honor of the girl who helped him escape.
After years of service, Jack wants a way out, a way to get away from this life only to be tricked and thrown into a monster’s den by con men who are infiltrating the navy in search of a lot of money.
It is in this monster’s den that he meets a creature with fangs, horns and golden skin with one leg. His name is Charbeddon. Jack calls him Crutchie.
Eventually, after escaping the navy and teaming up with the group of cons and thieves, Jack ends up doing the Kessel run in twelve parsecs in a ship that he nearly won in a game of cards, The Millennium Falcon.
He makes it clear that he’s an excellent pilot. Well, as long as he has his lucky dice with him. They were the first thing he ever stole.
After being betrayed by the small gang, Jack finds that he’s better of when it’s just him and Crutchie
Though he goes back to win the Millennium Falcon off of the man who cheated him at cards, one Mr. Spot Conlon, who is forced to put his money where his mouth is when Jack wins and claims his ship as his own.
After this, Jack and Crutchie leave for a small planet called Tatooine to find a crime lord that had been mentioned to him once who is putting together a big job
Long story short, Jack ends up owing this crime lord a big debt, ending up with a price on his head that sends just about every bounty hunter in the system out looking for him.
Jack meets Race and immediately knows that he wants to protect the kid, though he does not truly understand why at first
Jack Kelly is named the best smuggler in the galaxy at a very young age.
After escaping Tatooine after promising the crime lord he would pay him back within the month, Jack finds himself on a journey that changed him for good.
He saves a Princess, expecting a reward.
He didn’t expect to fall in love
Though he is hesitant to join the rebellion at first, his overwhelming urge to protect Racer like no one protected him growing up takes over and he flies after the kid right before the Death Star is blown up, saving him from being shot down.
Jack and the Princess, Katherine, get off to a rocky start until they finally admit they have feelings for each other
Jack is eventually captured, along with Katherine and their droids, by the empire
Jack is tortured for information; the location of Anthony Higgins, though during the first session of the shock torture, he isn’t even asked any questions.
Eventually, Jack is told he will be the test subject for a trap they were setting for Race. Jack had no hope of escape.
As he’s being led to the trap, Katherine admits that she loves him to which Jack can only respond that he knows
He’s frozen in Carbonite and shipped away to the crime lord that put the price on his head, being fixed as a permanent decoration in old Weasels hide out.
Katherine Plumber
After being given up by her mother, Katherine is adopted by a Senator the Queen of Alderaan
She grows up in a political setting, learning day in and day out about the Galactic Empire.
She vows to be a part of taking it down
She is the reason that Racer joins the rebellion in the first place.
After her ship gets infiltrated, the young princess finds a droid and records a desperate massage for someone her father spoke of often and trusted above anyone else. She asks Madactrine Larkin for help. She’s their only hope.
Katherine had a team of people find a weakness in the Death Star, something they could use to destroy it. She sends the plans with the droid BK-03
And then Katherine is captured by Darth Vader, the man most feared in the galaxy.
Even as she is defiant and strong in her ways, when the evil man aims a planet killer at her home, she caves and reveals what she’d done only for her home planet to be blown up anyway
She is then held prisoner, believing she will be executed soon
Until she’s rescued by a kind boy and a much too devilishly handsome young man who drives her crazy.
Katherine is much more than just a Princess. She’s a senator and eventually, a general
She’s a natural born leader.
Just like her mothers, biological and adoptive
Katherine finds herself often being treated like a damsel in distress, when in reality, she’s tough enough to handle herself.
After she’s captured once again by the Empire and the man she thought he hated but turned out to love was turned into a statue and sold away, she is the one who goes out to save him
Maybe they both get captured immediately, but at least she got that far
She is made a new slave for Weasel even as a newly blind Jack is trying to beg Weasel to leave her alone, that he’d pay him back in full and even more but he is taken away and finds Crutchie waiting for him in the dungeon.
Katherine is forced to wear demeaning clothing and held by a chain around her neck like Weasel's new pet.
Even after Race tries to save them, he gets captured as well. He is fed to the monster they have underneath them only to kill the thing and be taken prisoner like Jack and Katherine has to watch the whole thing.
She is forced to watch while the only friends she has are taken out on Tatooine to be eaten alive by a giant man eating plant
This is where Race gets the upper hand and Katherine is given the opportunity to finally kill Weasel and escape with Jack and Race.
She is very sneaky and very quick and even when Jack tries to protect her, she ends up saving his skin just as much
Katherine Plumber is strong with the force, though she believes Race, her brother, must be the Jedi of the family
She finds out all on her own, through accidental Force Searching that Darth Vader was the Jedi Knight Joseph Pulitzer, who was also her father as well as Race’s.
Katherine is honestly a badass.
Let me know if you guys want to see any scenes from this one!
For more Mood Boards and AUs, click here!
24 notes · View notes