jadedhand

[jadedhand]

moved to @oflightsabers​

#ooc — this is the opposite of everything i'll ever be.

[jadedhand]

I was feeling particularly nostalgic over the Original Star Wars EU (and considering rereading the ‘Fate of the Jedi’ books again this summer), and realized that I never drew Mara and Ben together.  That had to be remedied, so here’s mother and son getting ready to fight some baddies!  I still wish that these two were still canon…they were such well-written characters and brought a whole lot to the table in the Star Wars universe…

#fc — i always play fair. exactly as fair as my opponents. #ben skywalker tbt #*cries softly*

[jadedhand]

          polished stone slabs slipped past beneath her thin soles, a liquid stream of reflected light pointing away from the emperor’s quarters if mara took a moment to peek.     her gaze remained fixed on the path ahead, mind awhirl.     surely if the call were merely a mission, he wouldn’t have specified entering through the main doors, past the guards.    neither would he given a thought to her clothing, and he yet he detailed exactly the items she should wear.      ( a public audience in his private quarters? )     the oddity set her teeth on edge, the lack of particulars leaving her floating above anything concrete.

          how she hated surprises.

          in passing the first contingent of guards stationed outside the doors, the hand suppressed a scoff at the reminder of the blatancy the emperor occasionally indulged himself with.     this instance featured how her gown, simpler and more structured than the majority within her wardrobe, duplicated in matte the brilliant scarlet of their armor to perfection.     as swiftly as it’d amused her, the acknowledgement raised a mild pride.     he marked her as one of his own, reality but a concept rarely shared.

          what had she done to deserve such an honor?

          but all fancying of honors faded upon striding through another set of doors only to be met by the harsh hiss of lord vader’s breathing.          ❝  welcome, my hand.  ❞          gaze set into twin slices of jade, razor sharp, at the sight of the cyborg standing so near to where the emperor ensconced himself.      the loathing she felt rising into her throat, hidden beneath the aloof facade settled over her eyes, only intensified into contempt at the equally unwelcome addition of vader’s son not far from his father.

         (  layers of nearly translucent pale blue swirled about her as she wove through            the crowd filling the throne room, adjusting the armlets which held her nearly            nonexistent sleeves into place.            she could hardly care about any of the            figures in the space,  except the one prelate whose position she kept affixed            on the map of her mind’s eye.        her wanderings appeared at random, but            they would lead her directly to the mark.           all well, until only her senses            prevented her from smacking into a male human.        spinning out of reach,            she shot a flaming glance at the perpetrator,     only to meet the gaze of the            boy so under vader’s wing.      his son.     her master had cackled with glee            over the irony of his origins.         her gaze iced, contempt allowed to bleed            through for only a heartbeat before she turned her back on the young man,            tossing her fiery waves over her shoulder.                                                       )

          dropping to a knee a meter from the only seat in the chamber, mara bent her head as frustration bled away.     even in the chill, she thought she could detect the slightest tint of his fatherliness, setting her at ease.     he knew her so well.          ❝  i am at your disposal, your majesty.  ❞

@lionthought​ 

#lionthought | luke #au — falling into the light. #THIS IS DONE

[jadedhand]

#music — it's always been my solace. #luke skywalker — i'm so glad i found you... and didn't kill you. #*screams in sequels* #and how long they both had feelings before they admitted them #and how this also talks about her trauma from the empire #and how this can also be post her death luke i can't

[jadedhand]

I'm going to kill my sister-in-law's son. On the dark scale of ten, that's a twelve.

Mara Jade, from Sacrifice (2007), by Karen Traviss

#musing — you can't hear a whisper if you're constantly shouting. #MARA IF YOU ONLY HAD BACKUP

[jadedhand]

          braid beyond salvation, mara perched precariously on the sharp boulder edge, coming her fingers through fiery strands.      a weight laid upon her shoulders, the deep-seated exhaustion that once she would hardly give thought to, but now…     when her last mission stood barely an arm’s length away and her master only a compellation in her mind, she felt loathe to waste valuable energy.     

          why did he have to be so damn sincere?     she could hardly stand how the very air seemed to quaver with his honesty, with his wide blue eyes and sun tipped shag.      that air of innocence had no place on someone with a kill count that turned hers into child’s play.     infuriating!

            ❝  i believe you, farmboy.  ❞            lolling her head toward him, she barely contained a roll of her eyes at the expression on his features.     did he truly think he could ‘save’ anyone he put his mind to?     not that she required saving.     she wasn’t off hunting his comrades, or even an assassin any longer.     and with the company he kept, she could hardly believe her association with karrde would count as some sort of imperial depravity.

          why didn’t she simply end him right now?    it would be only too easy to shove off the rock and tackle him… and if her saber, blaster, knife, anything was in hand as she leapt, he could be disabled in a heartbeat.     then she would be rid of his stupid smile, those heartfelt words that dragged her toward homicide.      and her master would finally rest, her mind freed.

          weaving her strands into another braid, practical to the last, she sent a nod, lips parting…  only to fling herself at the jedi, saber slapping into her palm as the collision emptied her lungs. 

          no time to even consider, she snarled her fingers into his hair, levering herself upwards.  shins pinning his arms, even for only a moment, it was all she required to slip the hilt underneath his chin.            ❝  unfortunately, i am not as delusional as you, as i’ve warned you before.  ❞          pressing the end of the emitter into the soft underside of his jaw, she felt her breath catch in her lungs.     the warm kiss of triumph, her master’s murderer at her mercy.

          ❝  regretting anything now?  ❞

❛  you  know ,   i  never  wanted  to  hurt  you .  ❜ (luke)          —          @lionthought​

#lionthought | luke #main — rebuilding everything i am. #SABER CHIN TIP

[jadedhand]

I have my roots. I get to kick off these gorgeous heels, which I love running around in, and jump into big socks and read books with my son and go for walks on the beach. I have a premiere this evening in New York and when I walk down that carpet I’m not looking down at all the interviews I’m doing, because that could scare me shitless. I’m taking it one step at a time.

REBECCA FERGUSON photographed by Chiabella James for “Empire Magazine” (2020)

#fc — i always play fair. exactly as fair as my opponents.

[jadedhand]

          sickly green-gold eyes threatened to erupt as the hand thrust the lit end of her saberstaff at the togruta, never mind the other was too far for the teen to reach with the jab.          ❝  they would be proud of me!  ❞            how dare she question her parents’ loyalty to the empire.     that was beyond impeachable simply from where she stood today.          ❝  i was not so young that i cannot remember.     they willingly gave me!  ❞           the memories remained murky as did all of her earliest years.     there might have been some sorrow, her mother’s floated through, but she remembered no hesitation, no resistance to the emperor’s visit.

            the emperor often used the very concept to stir even greater determination within her.     ( if my approval is not enough, think of your parents, child. )       yet now this jedi attempted to weild the very same knowledge against her.     fury scorched her veins, the surge almost overwhelming in the power, the revenge it promised if she was merely to release it.     if she managed to kill this one, how much greater would be the treat?     someday, if the emperor ever deemed it advantageous to inform her of her parentage and where she might find them, she could offer them this solace in their offering: that even while unknowing of them, their daughter would never allow their allegiance to be questioned.

          ❝  you will swallow those words!  ❞

❝  what would they say if they could see you now ?  ❞           —            @commandsir​

#commandsir #v:tbn #this is in her inquisitor plus verse XD

[jadedhand]

“Exactly,” Luke said reluctantly. “And whether I like it or not, Mara, because of who we are, our child will inherit part of our burden. I’m just afraid of placing an extra one on his shoulders. Suppose I named him Obi-Wan, as a salute to my old Master? Would he think that means I want him to grow up to be a Jedi? Would he think he had to live up to Ben’s reputation? Would he feel his choices in life constrained?”

—Edge of Victory II: Rebirth, Greg Keyes

#study — when have I made anything easy for you? #luke skywalker — i'm so glad i found you... and didn't kill you. #aHHHHHH

[jadedhand]

         the bounty hunter had the greatest advantage of the two of them, face shielded from all he desired to conceal it from.     the fire-haired girl, for she could barely be considered a woman, paused, staring back at him with an expression as thoroughly blank as if she too wore a helmet.     ( two could play at this game. )     her jacket and shirt lay shed on the crate beside her, a deep cut forest bodice emerging from her waistband.              ❝  is it?  ❞          without breaking what she indeed hoped was eye contact, mara shoved the trousers down her legs, the gossamer skirt of the dress rippling to the floor in their wake.

          ( how dare he! )     beneath the placid façade, the hand raged, plucking the leather tie of her braid with more force than she intended to display.     how could he question what amounted to an order from the emperor?    the charge was not even directed to him, but rather a part of her mission.     why would he even care about what she did or how she chose to accomplish her goal?      fluffing the explosion of waves that emerged from her loosed hair, she swallowed the urge to shoot fett… a glare.

           anything more would be in direct violation of her orders.     unequivocally.

          ❝  did you think i was merely going to walk in there?     or drop in from the roof?  ❞           with his reputation, she certainly hoped neither floated through his mind as a genuine choice.          ❝  my court reputation as one of his majesty’s dancers, that opens plenty of doors.      including one wide enough that you should be able to sneak in.  ❞          he can snatch his bounty and she could accomplish her mission, perhaps even with the blunter instrument providing a distraction if she was lucky.

           dressing provocatively only fulfilled the part, but still, the skirt slit up the front, allowing her more than enough mobility if it came to a fight, a holdout and a vibroblade strapped to the inside of her thigh.

            ❝  if you believe this is low for me, bounty hunter, you have no idea how many times i’ve used this to do much worse.  ❞

❛  that’s  low ,   even  for  you .  ❜          —           @honorhunt​

#honorhunt #main — emperor's hand. #:)))))))) #but both of them having to work together? yes please

[jadedhand]

Rebecca Ferguson as Lady Jessica in Dune (2021) dir. Denis Villeneuve

#fc — i always play fair. exactly as fair as my opponents. #*screams into the sun*

[jadedhand]

          heart beating violently against already aching ribs, the grip of her saber pressing reassuring into the palms of her hands, mara’s eyes fixed on the looming wraith.     what a fool she’d been.  nothing could have prepared her for this meeting, not more intel, not forewarning…

           nothing.

          perhaps her decisions were for the best.    the haphazard path she’d formed across the rims had kept her out of reach of the first order, far from people who might recognize her.    at times, she even found some peace in the rural climes she often settled within, some semblance of a normal life.    

          never for long…     rarely did a month pass after before her comm would beep, the time up, the time to move on.

          for the past year, they had, of all places, found shelter within first order occupied territory, but on a portion of a planet so remote that not even the smallest garrison sat on the outskirts of the nearest hamlet, the countryside and wilderness rarely patrolled with any vigor.     the cool mountain air and lack of dangerous native creatures allowed her a freedom she hadn’t felt in years.

           now it had all come crashing down about her ears.

          everything about him haunted her, enough that perhaps even without knowing who he once had been, she wondered if she would have recognized him without it.      even his taunts struck deep into her soul, not for what they contained, but rather the notes of the familiar behind the modulation of the mask concealing the face she knew lay beneath.

           the thought of that alone could punch the air from her lungs.

           ❝  mama?  ❞            the soft whimper, the fear inherent, that shattered the silence of their stalemate sent her frail hold on her composure careening into the abyss.      turning about was unnecessary; she knew ben must have peeked out the door of the sturdy wood and plaster hut, a small strawberry blond face with eyes a blue kylo ren would have to be truly delusional to find unrecognizable.

             not even a hint of his little glow could be felt.     he’d hidden himself again… but in full view.       the mother’s heart plummeted to the valley below.

             determination sizzled in her veins, blue saber igniting with a suddenly ominous thrum.           ❝  i will do what i must, ren.  ❞

❝  go on .  do it .  if you really think you can .  ❞          —          @aniimvs​

#aniimvs #sequels — a galaxy of dashed hopes. #sequels — something almost like home. #oh boy oh boy oh boy #if this is a couple years before the movies #ben could be like... five? six?

[jadedhand]

Don’t have any finished work for you guys this week, so here, have a Mara WIP from a hopefully upcoming fashion/hairstyles dump. 

#fc — i always play fair. exactly as fair as my opponents. #pure perfection!!!

[jadedhand]

another day, another instance of mara reminding people that legends palps was the deepest darkest piece of shit you can imagine.

#ooc — this is the opposite of everything i'll ever be. #it doesn't seem that new canon is going to go even half as far as legends did #but if you take the fact that she is a child assassin who is trained as a dancer (who wear very revealing clothes) and the fact she wasn't #an adult until almost hoth #you can get the picture

[jadedhand]

           air strove to stutter in her lungs, but she refused to allow herself to descend into the fear plaguing the edges of her consciousness.     the humid night air hung heavy in her nose, burdened by the gases of surrounding swamp.      in and out, smoothly, normally, she breathed despite the thickness, regarding the bounty hunter with frigid features.     a span of deserted road separated them, not nearly enough to give her an adequate head start unless she did something particularly drastic and highly likely to fail miserably.

          there couldn’t truly be a bounty out on her head, could there?     why else would the man, apparently risen from the dead, be stalking her?      and it certainly was the man, the whisp of a signature he held as a forceblind being confirming his identity.     if at any other meeting, she might even inquire cordially after the incident.

           this most certainly wasn’t cordial.

           the voice which emerged was diamond, coruscanti cut flawlessly to score even durasteel.           ❝  who sent you?  ❞         his employer could be any number of rising figures within the floundering remains of the empire, from jilted warlords of missions past to stiff necked admirals who considered her somehow a deserter.      too occupied to care, the culprit couldn’t be the new republic.    so few knew that she even existed… why would they care?    jade eyes ignited, a flaring crevice in her imperious façade.             ❝  worth more alive than dead, how reassuring.  ❞

           no, under no circumstances would she allow him to lay hands on her after that.

           too easily, she could reach out and wrap her fists around the barest edge of training in the oily dark palpatine gave her and tug, but her newly found conscience held back her grasp.     ( damn you, skywalker. )     heel grinding into the dirt below it, clearing the paltry scattering of gravel, she allowed her expression to corrode into a scowl, arms stiff by her side.            ❝  it seems we are at an impasse, fett, as i’m not going anywhere with you.  ❞            not that any shift in her moral code would prevent her from unleashing on the man if he dared try to snatch her.     

          whether she would succeed remained the only question.

❝  i’m not here to kill you ,  but i will if i have to .  ❞          —      @honorhunt​

#honorhunt #main — rebuilding everything i am. #dun dun dUNNNNNNN

[jadedhand]

She narrowed her eyes at him. “You’re the one who thinks the whole universe will collapse unless you’re there to keep it spinning.”

“I’m not pregnant.”

“Say something like that again, and I’ll make you wish you were,” she said, a bit sharply. “And by the way, if we do this again, it’s your turn.”

“We’ll play sabacc for it,” Luke responded, trying to keep a straight face but failing. He kissed her, and she kissed him back, hard.

—Edge of Victory II: Rebirth, Greg Keyes

#musing — you can't hear a whisper if you're constantly shouting. #luke skywalker — i'm so glad i found you... and didn't kill you. #AW MANNNNN

[jadedhand]

what is probably the worst way i could introduce mara to newer star wars fans?

the reason why i cannot accept luke skyw.alker as gay.

#ooc — this is the opposite of everything i'll ever be. #whatever your take‚ it is valid #this is true however #bi is what i ascribe to there #personally #bi with a heavy preference toward women #blame legends for this #he's her scruffy farmboy no matter how hard he tries #meanwhile mara is just *shrugs* about her own sexuality (which is the reason for the tbd) #i 100% believe that if asked after they FINALLY get together #she would say 'luke sky.walker' with an utter deadpan #and refuse to elaborate