#these writers kriffing excel at it

[eclec-tech]

"My guess is we are immune to the effects of the programming. Though I can't be 100% certain of it."

I wish WE could be 100% certain of it!

#foreshadowing #these writers kriffing excel at it #crosshair resisted the reprogramming but not the chip #tech resisted the chip but perhaps not the reprogramming #the bad batch #tech tbb #clone x #clone assassin #bad batch season three #tbb spoilers #bad batch spoilers

[corazondebeskar-reads]

nobody is coming to save you

Din Djarin x f!reader

originally for Febuwhump 2024 Day 14 - blood-stained tiles | Febuwhump masterlist

words: 1.4k

summary: You get caught by a Mandalorian bounty hunter after fleeing your marriage.

-- am I really a Din fic writer if I don't do a "reader is a bounty" story?

warnings: ambiguous/open ending (I may return to this one...), reader attempts to negotiate for her life, discussions of pregnancy/abortion/menstrual cycles (reader had an abortion, it's discussed without detail, do NOT come at me with discourse I will not engage anyway), mentions of blood, allusions to abuse

dividers by @saradika-graphics

“Nobody is coming to save you. Get up.” 

The words fell flat through the distortion of his helmet. Was it pity? Amusement? Disgust? He wasn’t wrong, though. The crowd that had suffocated the market lane moments before had mostly cleared in the wake of the Mandalorian. 

He stalks over to where you’re still sprawled on the ground. It didn’t seem urgent to get up, to make it easier for him. With a huge gloved hand digging into your bicep, he pulls. 

You go limp. You’re not going to help him, and you’re fairly confident he doesn’t have authorization to kill or seriously harm you. 

You’re vindicated when he holsters the pistol, not that it’s a pleasant victory. He cuffs your wrists in front of your stomach and then simply hoists you over his shoulder. 

“Where’s the cargo?” he asks. 

This close, you can almost hear the grit of his real voice beneath the electronics. 

You mean to ignore him, but his question is a thread that needs pulling. “What cargo?”

“He said you stole something from him.” 

His words churn your stomach like rancid Bantha. That worm. “Well, you’ve got it,” you say bluntly. 

He doesn’t question it, and you assume he’s clocked the ostentatious jewelry as the target. Trev always did like you shiny, whether with gemstones or tears. 

He’s probably a little rougher with you than he should be, given that you’re not running anymore. But he’s a bit kriffed over the whole situation. He only took the bounty because the price was so high — but not being allowed to carbon freeze the bounty was almost not worth it. 

But the client wanted his pretty little wife back without the side effects, and he was willing to compensate for it. He had said she could be restrained or gagged as needed. Had said Din would probably want to since the “bitch never shut up.”

It wasn’t his job to give a shit, so he didn’t. He did figure the client’s name would come across a puck sooner rather than later, though. Whatever he was peddling to afford this had the man under severe paranoia. 

He drops you to your feet at the bottom of the ladder and nudges you with the barrel of the pistol. “Climb up and wait. Don’t touch anything.”

He expects an argument, given that you both know the blaster is mostly a farce. He’d be willing to take a cut on the fee if you tried anything, though. A bolt to the foot wouldn’t kill you.

But you don’t. You climb in silence, with him close enough behind that your bodies overlap. You’re acutely aware of his helmet’s proximity to your ass, and he’s acutely aware that it’s been too long since he paid a visit to a brothel. 

He doesn’t manhandle you once he crests the platform to the cockpit; just jabs a finger in the direction of the seat to the left of the pilot’s chair. It sits slightly behind, the viewport partially obscured. He separates the cuffs and magnetizes them to the arms of the chair. 

The engines rumble to life once he’s seated, switches flicked, and buttons pressed in the wake of his deft fingers. He doesn’t speak a word to you.

When Karga answers the comm, he interrupts the man’s pleasantries to get right to the point. “I’m confirming the status of the bounty as requested. She’s alive and in custody.” 

“Excellent, excellent; I knew you’d make quick work of it, Mando,” Karga says, clapping his hands together. The holo flickers. “The client has requested that you avoid hyperspace travel upon your return.”

“What?” Din snaps.

“There’s extra compensation in it for you, of course.” 

“That’ll take eight standard days,” Din gripes.

“Your expenses will be covered, as well. Food, fuel, any lodging.” 

“Fine,” Din says and closes the line. He sits in silence for a moment, sifting through the new information, before he stands abruptly and turns to you.

“You’re pregnant,” he says bluntly. 

You dither about how to respond. In the end, you don’t. He can’t be trusted. So you purse your lips and look away.

No one needs to know that the first thing you did when you got far enough away was fork over one of your bracelets for a termination at a no-questions-asked clinic. They had been kind, if not overworked and undersupplied. 

“That’s what you stole, isn’t it? His baby?”

You don’t say anything, but you don’t back down from his gaze, either. His baby. The phrasing sets off so many warning bells it’s like a ship-wide alert. 

Din’s first instinct is anger. It’s too close to his own gaping wound, too close to where Grogu lives with Luke Skywalker, a man who hadn’t even given Din his name before taking his kid. And yeah, he’s supposed to feel like he did the right thing, but his son is gone, and it doesn’t feel like the right thing. Not at all.

He looks at you and wonders how you could be so cruel.

It doesn’t last, though. He’s seen enough to know the way this story usually goes. So, instead, he looks you over and sighs. “I’ll see what we can do for other accommodations,” he says, a loose hand gesturing to the cuffs. 

“Thank you,” you say, though you don’t feel very thankful at all. But you know a little politeness to your captor goes a long way. You know that like you know how to breathe.

It works until it doesn’t. On the fourth day, you wake up at the inn he had agreed to for the night and smell iron, and you know the ruse is up. You try to sneak to the fresher but quickly realize it doesn’t matter. You have nothing to hold back the blood, anyway.

You sit in your soiled panties on the cold metal tile and resign yourself to free bleed until he inevitably wakes and finds you.

You don’t wait long.

“We’re not far from a clinic,” he says cautiously, from where he leans against the doorframe. 

“Don’t need one,” you mumble, looking anywhere but him. It’s bad enough that you couldn’t come up with an explanation—knowing you’ve bled through enough that he can see it is on another level. 

“You don’t know that,” he says with what you think he thinks is compassion. “There might still be something they can do.”

The truth flickers across your face for only a moment, but it’s long enough for him to catch on. 

“It’s your cycle,” he says, flat and loyal to his thoughts. 

You nod. No use lying now. 

“Were you ever pregnant?”

“Yes.” Your voice is clipped, your face pulled sharp. 

“How long since?”

“Two weeks after I got away. Six before you found me.”

Two months. You had made it two terrifying months on your own. And now, thanks to this monster, you were being dragged right back. 

Trev had to have spent a fortune on this bounty. You feel feverish at the thought, a cold sweat creeping across your spine. And when he finds out you’re not pregnant…

Wait. 

“You know, you won’t get your money,” you blurt, hardening your eyes as you stare him down, shoulders squared. 

“I will. Whatever happened to you isn’t my problem.”

“No, you won’t,” you say, taking a breath before jumping in front of the proverbial blaster. “Not after you were so rough when you captured me, and I lost the baby.”

His head snaps to you. “What did you say?”

“When you found me. You tackled me, knocked me to the ground, and attacked me. The trauma was too much, and—“

And he has you pinned up against the wall where you sit, a hand around your neck. “You really think this is a smart idea?”

“Go ahead,” you hiss through his grip. “Leave marks.”

He lets go immediately, seething. His gloves creak as his fists tighten around nothing. 

“What if we can work something out?”

“I don’t negotiate with quarry. What’s stopping me from putting you in the freezer now?”

“My jewelry,” you say in a rush. His threat isn’t idle; you can feel its wrath as if his hand never left your throat. “It has to be worth at least as much as he offered. Tell him there was a complication, send him the ring, and you can have the rest.”

He doesn’t respond; just storms off. You, of course, stay put.

#din djarin x reader #the mandalorian x reader #din djarin x you #the mandalorian x you #mando x reader #mando x you #febuwhump #febuwhump2024 #tw abortion

[aigoos]

Obikin Fic Rec: i wait for you (like a empty house)

https://archiveofourown.org/works/28134207/chapters/68935374

i wait for you (like a empty house) by @ghostwriterofthemachine was recommended by @flowerparrish over on Bluesky and holy kriffing hell of a Sith's monkey . . . DAMN!

I'm an English major -- I studied poetry and literature, so I was intrigued by this fic. And upon reading it, I absolutely love it!

The two of them meet at an Open Mic night -- Anakin being utterly shy and awkward -- the two connect instantly through their poetry -- love at first sight *____*

Also, Anakin not loving the 20th-century post-war writers, who I absolutely adore, amused me greatly LOLOLOL.

They have a long-distance relationship and there are tweets, Instagram posts, letters, and photos from the two. OH, MY HEART. This was a modern epistolary fic that just worked brilliantly. All the poems that were written were excellent.

AND THIS POEM WAS MY FAVOURITE!!!

In Response to the Greeks

I watch people polish love into marble.  They speak it with the same tongue that others use to speak of Old Gods.  Old Myths. Old Sorrow. 

Carve themselves and their lover into the silhouettes of old tragedies. 

Please, my love—  do not paint us into Epic. 

Do not chisel my face into stone,  declare me the Achilles to your Patroclus. 

I refuse to be the Hephaestion to your Alexander. 

Cast neither of us is Icarus.  This will not be a violent fall;

If high art is bleeding tragedy  I do not want to be high art. 

Please, make us Gomez and Morticia.  Make us Lucy and Ricky. Make us afternoon-snack arguments which are fixed with a kiss  by the ending credits. 

I refuse the call to Epic.  I will stand by your side instead. 

Give me the smallest and most delicate of loves and I will worship it on my knees. 

I will cradle it in both hands.

Seriously, this fic is LIFE. Highly, highly recommended for something different, a modern AU that just works in ways I didn't think was ever possible. akldfkjsjkadfjkjkasfjksdjakf

#aigoo rambles #obikin #fic rec #fanfic rec #obikin fic #obikin fanfic #obi wan kenobi #anakin skywalker #i'm a bloody happy english major #holy crap this fic is definitely up my alley

[jerryb2]

“Ideally, a Jedi took many months to construct a single perfect weapon that he or she would keep and use for a lifetime. Once you build it, the lightsaber will become your constant companion, your tool, and a ready means of defense.

Luke held out the handle of his own lightsaber, sliding his palm over the smooth grip, then igniting it with a startling snap-hiss. The brilliant yellow-green blade drowned out even the bright sunlight in the room. 

(...) “I hope you’ll need to use your weapon only rarely...if ever.”

- The Young Jedi Knights: Lightsabers, by Kevin J. Anderson & Rebecca Moesta

Say what you will about Kevin Anderson & the somewhat dubious writing style of The Jedi Academy Trilogy, but both he and his wife, Rebecca Moesta, understood the kriffing assignment when they wrote The Young Jedi Knights series, only a few years later. The fact that The New Jedi Order & the Legacy Era shit the bed immediately afterwards is almost okay, because these books are so damn good. 

Don’t go into them looking for Shakespeare, but they feature no pointless deaths, no character assassinations, no nonsensical plotting - only good characters, fun, exciting stories - they’re just pure Star Wars. And I love it so, so much.

Here we have some pics of my personal Rudy Pando Luke V3 lightsaber (it only seemed appropriate) sporting GOTH’s Master Chassis, with a dual crystal chamber reveal, all properly modified to run a Proffieboard v2.2 soundboard. Quite nice, if I do say so myself. This post is fulfilling something of an old promise; a while ago (like, over a year ago), I hinted that I would be reinstalling this saber for one final time, and now, here it is in all its glory. My tribute to a personal hero of mine from my youth, and in the spirit of excellent ensemble  stories like The Young Jedi Knights and character pieces, like Luke Skywalker and the Shadows of Mindor. 

May they be preserved & enjoyed forever. 

Speaking of; having read Shatterpoint recently, I’m tempted to go back and read Shadows of Mindor again, if only because I’ll have a clearer idea of who Nick Rostu & Kar Vastor are, not to mention, uh, what TF is going on. It’s a great book, and it absolutely nails Luke’s character, but it’s really kriffing weird. 

Even though it’s not (in my opinion) Stover’s best work, it has a short little exchange between Luke & Kar Vastor that perfectly sums up Luke’s character, and more importantly, why he’s such a great character:

I have known Jedi. Many, many years ago. That knowing was not a gladness for me. I believed I would never know another, and I rejoiced in that belief.

But it is a gladness for me to be proven wrong.

I am happy to have known you, Jedi Luke Skywalker. You are more than they were.

“That’s -” Luke shook his head blankly, blinking against the darkness. “I mean, thanks, but I barely know anything.”

So you believe. But I say to you: you are greater than the Jedi of former days.

Luke could only frown, and shake his head again. “What makes you say that?”

Because unlike the Knights of old, Jedi Luke Skywalker...

You are not afraid of the dark.

~~~~~~

Stover truly is the GOAT of Star Wars writers. 

#star wars #lightsaber #luke skywalker #v3 #luke v3 #the young jedi knights #lightsabers #luke skywalker and the shadows of mindor #kevin j anderson #rebecca moesta #matthew stover #goth3designs #master chassis #shtokcustomworx #npxl #Proffieboard #sabersmith

[crazynerdandproud]

Rewatched MIB. It was just as good as I remember.

Rewatched MIB 2. Better than I remember.

Watched MIB 3 for the first time. Amazing. Literally, I could go on and on about this movie. Also, the way it handled all the time travel stuff? Best way I’ve seen time travel handled in a movie like, ever. Griffin was adorable and very influential to the plot and storyline. I’ve heard some people say the writers were just being lazy but like no. That isn’t it at all. There are some things in fiction that, if you try to make sense of it by normal real world logic, even with suspension of disbelief, it just won’t work. Time travel being the main offender in this instance. You need to find something that makes sense, that works and doesn’t require an unhealthy level of suspension of disbelief. The way MIB handled it was awesome. And yeah, the time travel itself doesn’t have much to do with Griffin, but with how easy he seems to make things? It honestly would be stupid for the movie to go about in a different way. I’m not explaining this well but basically what I’m trying to say is not only did I love the character of Griffin, I loved how the writers used him and it felt completely natural. Also, that guy being J’s dad. An excellent example of seeing a plot twist coming but that having no negative effect on the plot. (I mean, as a viewer I don’t think it really counts as a plot twist but through the eyes of J and K? Total plot twist)

J was, as always, kriffing amazing. My love for him grows with each movie. (Same as it does for K) I can’t fully express how much I love this movie or everything I liked about it. Just that I fucking love MIB 3 (and the rest of the trilogy)

#MIB #MIB 3 #agent j #agent k #men in black

[the-blind-assassin-12]

Hi Friends! Happy Smuterday! I know I have not been the best at keeping up with recs and reblogs in the past, but I’m trying to rectify that and I can’t think of a more fun way to get that ball rolling than with some EXCELLENT smut. 

Just like the 3 great things posts I’ve done, Smuterday recs are going to focus on the steamiest things I read recently that required me to take a cold shower afterwards. This is in no way meant to be a ranking system. The order in which stories appear on these lists will always be based on length- shortest to longest. My intention with these lists is simply to share with you guys some of the things that I enjoyed that just so happen to be zesty in nature.

I FEEL LIKE THIS SHOULD GO WITHOUT SAYING BUT I WOULD BE REMISS NOT TO SAY IT ANYWAY- IF YOU ARE UNDER 18 GTFOUTTA THIS LIST. Please also heed the warnings on individual stories. The authors put them there for a reason, and that reason is not for you to ignore them :) 

So without further ado, please enjoy these steaming hot stories written by talented space unicorns:

Ezra/ Ocean by @oonajaeadira​ 1k words

Well well well. WELL WELL WELL! This one! Is something! Else! This is literally the most vivid and wonderful dream come true, and there is not a single part of this that I do not want. Its very different from a typical smut scene, reads more like poetry, but somehow is still just as tactile and physical and tangible as more straightforward smut scenes. I will be manifesting this dream every night for the foreseeable future and likely for the unseeable future, too. If you read it you will understand. 

a snippet that made my knees wobbly: 

Found by @insomniamamma 6.4k words 

Okay. It isn’t a secret at this point how much I a) love Ezra with my entire heart and soul, and b) am enamored with this writer’s interpretation of these characters and this world. And if you have read anything in the “Prickle ‘Verse” then you should already know that this is going to be PACKED with intimacy, emotion and love. The only difference? The heat is cranked to 11 for the FIRST TIME for these two. The description says “the idiots kiss” and BOY OH BOY the idiots do not stop at kissing. This one is all about trust and what happens when you finally let someone in after they’ve completely dismantled your walls. Its about finding something that’s been right under your nose the whole time. And you know what they say, right? Finders keepers... losers weepers, right Cee? 

a snippet that almost made me pass out:

Magnetic Chapter 21- Under the Lights by @something-tofightfor​ 10.9k words 

Look, if you are a Din loving fan of The Mandalorian or even just Star Wars in general and you’re not already reading Magnetic, consider this your wake up call. Consider this your cordial invitation. CONSIDER THIS AS ME REACHING THROUGH THE SCREEN TO SHAKE YOU BY THE SHOULDERS. Because this is one of the most thoroughly fleshed out stories about Din and Reader that I have come across to date. Not a single second of it is superfluous. Nothing about it is rushed or gratuitous. It feels COMPLETELY in character and very artfully decorated in details that only enhance the already rich world that its set in. And this chapter in particular? OH MY KRIFFING GOSH you guys. I don’t want to give anything away about the story as a whole because this chapter happens pretty deep into it, and there is a TON of delicious relationship building that leads up to it, so let me just say this: the wait, the tension, the buildup, the push and pull of it all was SO DAMN WORTH IT. Reader is a lucky bitch. 

a snippet that absolutely obliterated me: 

#smuterday #saturday smut recs #smut recs #pedro pascal characters #ezra (prospect) #din djarin #ezra (prospect) x f!reader #din djarin x f!reader #these are smuts #a bushel of lemons for your enjoyment #oonajaeadira #insomniamamma #something tofightfor

[kanerallels]

🍓??

SILVER MY BELOVED. You're such a cool person and a good friend-- definitely one of my mutuals I talk about the most with my family!! I just get. so kriffing excited by you and your awesome vibes. You're an excellent writer and artist, and I'm so so so happy we're friends!!

#thanks for the ask!! #complimenting mutuals ask game #ask game

[dontcallmecarrie]

Standing On the Edge

stress writer + extreme stress + writer’s block for the stuff I actually want to write = me realizing I made a mistake, when trying to think of the absolute worst day Ben Organa Solo could have.

Well, sort of. Here, have a shatterpoint, it’s been a while. Under the cut, because RIP mobile users otherwise.

Ben Organa Solo had Seen Things. Had seen a lot of things, had been running from his demons for the better part of his life, had gotten into bar fights on Canto Bight and shot at pirates in hyperspace and yelled at Force ghosts on Korriban and Malachor, had helped take down the kriffin’ First Order. By all rights, nothing should be able to surprise him by now.

Yet— 

This was a new one.

He swallowed hoarsely as he looked around and faces he’d only ever seen in his dreams, and bit back the urge to punch the wall, scream, anything.

Oh, come on.

Ben had long since been made aware of whose armor he’d apparently found, oh so long ago [it’d saddled him with that stupid, ridiculous name, how could he not?] but...

Well, he had already known the galaxy was still recovering from the fall of the Jedi. But it was one thing to be academically aware of something, and another to have said knowledge be forced in your face via the lightsaber he’d hastily had to deflect because— 

Purple lightsaber clashed against purple, and Ben took a nanosecond to process his shock before he ripped off his mask with his other hand before things could escalate even more because this was a nightmare and the absolute worst way he could think of meeting his heroes [the only heroes who had never disappointed him].

“Hey, hey, I know this looks bad but I’m not him!”

His Force presence was a roiling stormcloud, he had a purple lightsaber and the armor of the Revanchist on some godforsaken battlefield and Sithspit he had not thought this through. 

The only way things could be worse would be if—

A faint hum was the only warning Ben had before he ducked under the other lightsaber as he put his mask back. The other, annoyingly familiar blue lightsaber and kriff that was Skywalker.

...Ben could not kill him. No, he couldn’t kill the man who’d featured in the worst of his childhood nightmares, even if he wanted to deny any connection to the bastard he still wanted to be born and he must be really, really feeling like a Sith in the Force right now if the way they were eyeing him was any clue.

Do not screw with the space-time continuum, do not, do not— 

So of course that’s when a platoon of droids find them. 

Of kriffing course. 

.

Jedi General Mace Windu was very, very alarmed to see the newcomer, and it was only partly because of who he resembled.

Nor was it the way the stranger’s Force presence had darkened even more at the sight of Skywalker, or the color of his lightsaber. 

No, Mace Windu’s main concern was the ease with which he had turned to face the droids— his blood ran cold when he saw the figure outstretch a hand, and decimated them with an ease that spoke of years of practice and control. 

He recognized it immediately, of course. [How could he not, when he himself had been the only one of his generation to have possessed said ability as well?]

Shatterpoint.

.

Ben kept his shoulders squared and lightsaber at the ready, even as he lowered his hand. He did not like the way the Jedi were looking at him— Mace Windu[!!!] had ill-disguised shock in his eyes, while Skywalker had stiffened after the first of the clankers had started falling [the hypocrite]. In the distance, he could hear clone troopers approaching and registering the disturbance as well— they’d probably arrive in a few minutes.

So much for subtlety.

Rey was never going to let him hear the end of it. Ben could almost hear Finn’s laughter, too, and the pang of homesickness came on the heels of the realization of how strained their bond felt, stretched between time and space as it was. 

[He just wanted to go home.]

“Who are you?” Skywalker asked in suspicion, and Ben tamped down on what irritation he hadn’t managed to channel into his attack.

No need to escalate this, these were allies. 

He turned to address Mace Windu, out of spite. “General Mace Windu. May I trouble you in asking what the date is? I do believe I’m a bit lost.”

.

aka the one where Ben crash-lands the Clone Wars. Cue internal screaming.

On the plus side, his childhood dreams [and nightmares], plus his being a history buff, mean that he’s very much on the ball as far as politicking and tactics go. Plus whenever Anakin’s not in the picture, Ben is highkey fanboying over everything and everyone he meets [Mace Windu! The 187th! Obi-Wan Kenobi! The 212st! Plo Koon! The Wolfpack! Bail Organa! Mon Mothma!] because these were his childhood heroes, the people whose deeds and morals he aspired to emulate when he was at his lowest points. He’s seeing and interacting with people he’d only ever seen in his dreams, and for the first time in his life, he meets his heroes and they don’t end up disappointing him even once.

...whenever he’s not scaring the crap out of them, anyway, because he refuses to remove his mask in case anyone spots the resemblance between him and Anakin. Which, combined with the armor he’s also not inclined to take off anytime soon [dude crash-landed in the middle of a war zone, what do you expect?], and you get a lot of heart attacks whenever he meets someone new. 

A lot of ‘oh shit that’s Darth Revan!’ moments, with the Jedi, and multiple kidnapping attempts from the Separatists because of that very same reason. Because Ben refuses to set foot on Coruscant as long as the Supreme Chancellor’s on it, and Palpatine is very...intrigued by these reports. 

Unfortunately for him, Ben takes one look at what’s going on, and goes “okay you know what? I didn’t want to make waves but clearly this is an alternate timeline so screw it, let’s see how much I can fix”.

If this universe doesn’t get a Ben, well at least they’re still going to be minus an Empire, so he’ll take it. 

Even if the Jedi are slightly horrified by how chill he is about the prospect, because what the hell. Made even worse as the story continues tumbling out, about Order 66 [by the way, turns out that Shatterpoint + chips = one less risk in a pinch] and Operation Knightfall and everything else that went down— and that Ben saw it in his childhood. 

The pièce de résistance, however, is the ‘my grandfather was a Sith Lord’ thing, hands down. [Geez. No wonder the guy’s Force presence was as solidly grey as it was.]

Ben doesn’t name names or remove his mask, but he doesn’t need to.

Not when everyone can feel just how little he likes Anakin Skywalker, whenever they’re in the same room.

Even if he hasn’t done it yet [ever, in this timeline], Ben will never forgive him for it. For becoming Darth Vader, for being the Emperor’s attack dog and casting a shadow so dark, Ben couldn’t fully escape it even after a lifetime of running. 

Which is a tragedy, actually, because if Anakin had been any other person, they would’ve gotten along very well. 

They have a similar protectiveness for their loved ones [the sacrifice Ben made to keep Finn and Rey safe would’ve spoken for itself], and similar experiences as Padawans [both experienced jealousy and fear because of their power]. Ben inherited Anakin's and Han Solo’s piloting skills, and Ben’s drive for justice runs in the family too. 

But because Anakin Fell in Ben’s timeline, because he featured in so many of his nightmares, was the reason Ben had struggled so hard to define himself, he just— can’t. Can’t help but raise his guard, whenever he sees Anakin. Can’t help but stiffen, can't keep his Force presence from darkening slightly. 

It’s painful to watch, even for the most distant of outsiders [...who are allies, anyway. Ventress just sits back and has popcorn, whenever they’re out in the field]. 

Especially because the more time passes, the more Ben lowers his guard around everyone else. He shows an excellent head for tactics in his talks with Obi-Wan and Yularen and the various politicians that crop up, banters with Ahsoka and the clones, and is...not exactly subtle with the way he fanboys over everyone. 

It’s...kinda adorable, actually. Ben tries to acts all professional and aloof and gruff, but then he’ll slip and geek out at the prospect of sparring with a Jedi, or he focuses so much on trying to impress Bail Organa that he completely misses the look in the man’s eyes when Ben offhandedly mentions his own efforts against the First Order.

The more time passes, the better read everyone has on the situation. 

And then Finn and Rey show up [”dammit Ben next time we’re the ones scouting the creepy Force cave”], and even more pieces of the puzzle come to light.

Finn and Rey, who are brilliant where Ben was a stormcloud. 

Finn and Rey, who openly, shamelessly give their own perspective on things too, and help fill in the parts that Ben left out.

By the time the trio leave, it’s with the hope of a brighter future, and the knowledge that that galaxy is in good hands.

#shatterpoint #The Rise of Darth Calamity #The Man Who Sold The World #in which Darth Calamity meets canon and absolutely no one is happy #with bonus time travel #Darth Calamity meets the Clone Wars #My writing #My fic #bonus content #behind the scenes mini fic #behind the scenes