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rayningnight · 1 year

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Star Wars - Ray’s Fic Recs List - Feb 2023

For Want of a Nail, Time Travel, AU/Dimension Travel/Crossovers, etc. Fic Recs List. Mostly Obi-Wan centric! Please mind the trigger warnings in the turn-offs. Relationships specified in the turn-offs too. I kept off the big name fics you probably already know/read that are the top-kudos-ed on AO3.

💫 are my favourites at the time of posting!

Italics are excerpts, summaries, author’s notes or tags, etc, for a glimpse of the fics!

Happy birthday I.C.! Hope whenever you need a break, you can peruse through this easily and find fics you haven’t read or fics you want to go back to! 😊

For Want of a Nail

Pre-Episode I

How one (1) mission changed mission reports for all by jemtessaremuslupin Review: Obi-Wan isn’t taken back by Master Qui-Gon Jinn, and becomes a Floater Padawan. His reports are... interesting. Part 2 is where this fic series shines! Work in progress, as of 12 Aug 2022. Words: 31,473. Works: 3

Be that monster you've been wanting by otherpeoplescoats Review: Imagine if Dooku took Obi-Wan as his padawan when he was 10 years old. Work in progress, as of 12 May 2022. Words: 29,164. Chapters: 12/?

aka, Obi-wan's no good very bad Padawanship fucks up the galaxy

Episode I

Tatooine Gusha by Natural_Logarhythm Review: Master Qui-Gon lost Obi-Wan on Bandomeer. Ben ends up in Tatooine, raising Anakin. This is an interesting storytelling method, where we see Ben’s voice at the beginning when he’s already back at the Order, explaining Episode I in his POV. Work in progress, as of 03 Feb 2023. Words: 51,592. Chapters: 11/15

“How in the Sith-hells do these things happen to you, Kenobi? Enslaved to a Hutt on a desert backwater in the Outer Rim and you still end up raising the Chosen One and defeating the first Sith Lord anyone has seen in a millennium.”

A Novel Alignment by quomores Review: Imagine if Darth Plagueis took in Obi-Wan. (This is not a happy fic.) “Sith Family Comedy,” indeed. I have mixed feelings overall after finishing, but I still think it’s a fic worth reading, this bleak world is... Yeah. Complete, as of 20 Jun 2020. Words: 62,291. Chapters: 21/21

Darth Plagueis comes into possession of a Force-sensitive child and decides to run a little experiment. It doesn't go quite according to plan.

Cin Vhetin, Ogir'Olar (New Beginnings, One way or Another) by pureimagination Review: Okay, so the premise is that Obi-Wan gets separated from Satine and ends up losing his memories under torture from Death Watch, and this fic starts off 6 years after this, when Ben aliit Mereel ends up preventing Galidraan, and walks the path only Tarre Vizla has ever walked before. SUPER fast updates! Author write 4 chapters ahead and keeps a speedy schedule, and has already posted a sequel! Complete, as of 30 Jan 2023. Words: 28,260. Chapters: 17/17. Turn-Off(s): Character Death

When he is sixteen, Obi-Wan Kenobi is separated from his Master while protecting Duchess Satine Kryze. In one galaxy, he does his duty, falls in love, and leaves that love behind to follow the path of the Jedi. In another, he does his duty, and Death Watch takes him. Torn between two families, Obi-Wan has to find his own path forward.

Post-Episode I

Just Go Kill Palpatine by nevertheless_turtle Review: Yes. Obi-Wan is given the sus truth from Quinlan and responds not as a Jedi but as the caretaker for Anakin, thus exposing Palpatine’s hand early. I dearly hope this updates! The memes in the end too, are just *chef’s kiss*. Work in progress, as of 24 May 2021. Words: 6,832. Chapters: 4/5

In Which Obi-Wan Kenobi is Shown Holofootage of His 12-Year Old Padawan in a Seedy Nightclub With The Chancellor of the Republic And Has A Proportionate Response.

Men of Power by AlabasterInk Review: So, so many father-son feels between Obi-Wan and Anakin here! The what-if where people DO second guess why Old Sheeve Palpatine wants access to tiny padawan Anakin here? Work in progress, as of 04 Jan 2021. Words: 86,177. Chapters: 11/? Turn-Off(s): Gaslighting.

When an old powerful man suddenly comes in and sweeps your underage Padawan away without so much as a by your leave, that’s the time to start asking questions.

💫 Sith Killer by Livsy Review: This takes canon a bit sideways, because a Sith is not just a title here. Work in progress, as of 20 Dec 2022. Words: 107,559. Chapters: 27/40

In this one the Sith are magical dark space creatures kinda like demons

Based on the idea that killing a Sith Lord in turn makes you a Sith Lord

Where We’re Going by Thousand_elf Review: Can we just keep giving Anakin some hobbies? This is great. The glassblowing fic! Work in progress, as of 26 Dec 2021. Words: 8,436. Chapters: 2/?

In a Galaxy where Anakin Skywalker learned how to handle delicate objects, the Jedi and the Republic didn’t shatter, and Palpatine never got to rule an empire.

dead and the gold by Icarus_is_flying Review: This is not a fix-it. This is a what-if: Orders 66, during Episode I. Obi-Wan runs to his ex-grandmaster, because at least he’s not a hunted Jedi, right? Work in progress, as of 25 Dec 2020. Words: 115,123. Chapters: 27/? Turn-Off(s): Gaslighting.

The Republic is in turmoil. In the wake of the harrowing Naboo Crisis, Chancellor Valorum has seized control of the Trade Federation’s droid armies. A failed coup has branded the Jedi Order as traitors. Thousands of Jedi are dead. The rest, fugitives.

Stand By Me (What's in a Padawan?) by ShawnArms Review: Give Obi-Wan a padawan, so give him therapy too! Master Nu really is the best. Throw in some positivity and Tatooine Slave Culture realizations and... tada! Work in progress, as of 25 Dec 2022. Words: 40,138. Chapters: 10/?

The Making of Mand'alor Kryze by phoenixyfriend Review: If Satine died and it turns out Korkie Kryze was Obi-Wan’s son with her? Love the justification that Obi-Wan has to call Anakin his son... Work in progress, as of 18 Oct 2022. Words: 3,916. Chapters: 3/?

Obi-Wan now has his Jedi brother-son, age eleven, and his literal blood son, age six. He’s still a depressed mess; he’s kind of, retroactively, broken the Code, and Bo-Katan won’t stop calling him in the middle of the night to demand her nephew.

💫 Obi-Wan Declares Himself Dad Shaped by phoenixyfriend Review: There seems to be a trend here... but nevertheless, this is such fantastic voicing, for the POV Outsider. Complete, as of 19 Sep 2021. Words: 2,403. Chapters: 2/2

In walks this thirty-something Jedi-looking motherfucker, in robes with some small amount of armor, the second-most ridiculously Core accent you’ve ever heard outside a holo screen, and two kids who look ready to bite someone. The human one is twelve-ish and angry and wearing clothes that are too big for him, and has a lightsaber that he can’t really wrap his entire hand around. The Togruta looks about eight, and is chomping her way through a freshly killed, still bleeding lizard the size of her arm. She is clinging to the human kid’s tunics, and looking around like she’s got no fear whatsoever. You're almost impressed.

Episode II

💫 Shifting the Blame Around by Machina_Fun_T Review: Anakin places the blame on the Senate instead of the Jedi. This skews his views on a lot of different people. Complete, as of 14 Jan 2023. Words: 17,680. Works: 3

The Ground Beneath Us by stolen_pen_name23 Review: Basically if Obi-Wan put the walker in Skywalker. If only one simple change could have happened for real... Complete, as of 27 Nov 2021. Words: 7,566. Chapters: 4/4

General Jocasta by BairnSidhe Review: Give the librarian the leadership to organize an army and well... Complete, as of 03 May 2022. Words: 18,474. Chapters: 8/8

there is no death (there is a wedding) by virdant Review: Crack. Pure, but hilarious. Excerpt: “Married?” Obi-Wan squeaked. He was unfortunately going through puberty. “What do you mean, I’m married now? I’m a Jedi! I can’t get married.” Or: Obi-Wan accidentally marries a ghost. Only... Jango isn’t dead. Complete, as of 11 Jan 2021. Words: 8,759. Works: 5. Turn-Off(s): Jango/Obi-Wan

Episode III:

The Vagabond Crew by StephanieStephanie Review: What if Anakin didn’t Fall and ran away with the younglings? It’s not actually that long, and it paints a bleak picture still, but this some-what-of-a-fix-it isn’t a new hope, but many hopes still burning. My heart... WIP as of 16 March, 2021. Words: 19,185. Chapters: 31/?

Sacrifice by Artikka Review: Obi-Wan watches the video of Order 66 with Yoda. There’s a different hurt, here. Even as my heart shrivels up and twists more tears out.... this is still a better 'verse than canon. WIP as of 5 Sept 2020. Words: 6,976. Works: 2. Turn-Off(s): Character Death.

Post-Episode III

💫 Knightrise by deviantaccumulation Review: I think I’ve reread this like four times. There’s so much going on in this ‘verse where we get into the heads of the survivors of a genocide, of Vader, and the bonds between all. The nail here though, is Obi-Wan convincing Yoda away from a fight, from fighting Vader at all, and saving the cinders of the Order. Work in progress, as of 03 Dec 2021. Words: 89,475. Chapters: 27/?

Instead, a small but still alive Jedi Order rises from its ashes on Mandalore.

Unmasked by Mallow_of_the_Marsh Review: There isn’t a central character to this one, but it delves into the consequences of the whole Galaxy seeing the Jedi Temple getting gunned down. Complete, as of 12 Dec 2022. Words: 16,673. Chapters: 6/6

sun of my right hand by loosingletters Review: I need more fics like this one, where Obi-Wan raises Luke himself. Work in progress, as of 01 Mar 2021. Words: 4,307. Chapters: 6/?

inheritance by jesuisdeux Review: Grandpa Dooku gifts his life savings to Obi-Wan. Some officer shows up at Ben’s doorstep on Tatooine. Yes. Now we await part 2 in this series... Complete, as of 14 Mar 2021. Words: 4,737. Chapters: 1/1

Time Travel

Pre-Episode I

Hope Like a Blade, Intolerable by berrymascarpone Review: Would you like your heart shattered, just a little bit? Obi-Wan is born crying, remembering his death. Complete, as of 22 Apr 2020. Words: 2,716 Chapters: 1/1

Whispers of the Future by cywsaphyre Review: Oldie and goodie from ffnet. Author’s stopped writing, so read knowing that Obi-Wan may see the future, but we may never see the future of this fic. WIP as of 28 Jul 2012. Words: 37,640. Chapters: 5/?

💫 One Hundred Hours To Rearrange The Stars by soft_but_gremlin Review: PLEASE READ THIS. Part 1 is completed and Part 2 is a WIP and it’s just glorious seeing Obi-Wan, Anakin and Ahsoka in teeny-tiny bodies being cared for by Mandalorians and Jedi on Galidraan. Work in progress, as of 03 Feb 2023. Words: 41,319. Works: 2

Jango Fett expected several things from this hunt on Galidraan. Three hypothermic Jedi children stumbling into his camp was not one of those things.

💫 Change in the air by Ancathepurple Review: Obi-Wan travelling back after his death in canon to his 13-year-old-body fic on the ride back to the Temple after Melida-Daan. The trauma of a General is much worse in everyone’s eyes, and the ‘genius’ he shows by accident... yes, all of this, YES. Peggy Sue-ish, but I’m living for the family lineage feels. I’ve reread this twice already... Work in progress, 18 Nov 2021. Words: 34,521 Chapters: 14/?

Obi-Wan Kenobi left the Jedi order, for many months, only to return, sullen and quiet at Qui-Gon Jinn's side as people speculated the future fate of the once padawan.

Who you are today (is not who you have to be tomorrow) by wildimaginingsofhalfbakedideas Review: Another Obi-Wan travelling back in time to his 13-year-old-body fic, but this time, he hails the True Mandalorians for help since he knows their views on children. There’s quite a bit of mando’a throughout the fic, as Obi-Wan leaves with the True Mandalorians. Work in progress, as of 29 Jan 2023. Words: 69,612 Chapters: 20/?

Time and Time Again by seriouslythoughwhat Review: This has a lot of potential and I hope it’ll continue one day! Basically, if Ben was sent back , before Xanatos is found, but after Melida-Daan. Work in progress, as of 13 June 2020. Words: 12,168, Chapters: 3/?

Obi-Wan's mind travels back in time to his 13-year-old body post Rise of Skywalker. He tries to navigate being a child again, dealing with a Master who doesn't really trust him, and saving everything he loves. In order to do so, he must be willing to accept the help of those who love him, the question is, can he?

💫 a comedy in four acts by jesuisdeux Review: There isn’t another fic out there that captures this kind of prose, at least not one that I’ve found. It’s funny and definitely written by some English major out there who was like: what if we had not-gonna-take-your-shit Master Obi-Wan and living-to-spite-the-world Grandpa Dooku deciding to change the plot. Words: 17,263. Chapters: 4/4

Yoda tries to comfort Padawan Kenobi about Melida/Daan, he just doesn't know that Obi-Wan takes his words for, uh, a particular Clone War. Nor does he know he is actually 57.

undeserving fall (this kind of sunlit love) by loosingletters Review: I’m putting this FIRST - Turn-Off: Luke/Palpatine. Yes, you read this crack right. This is crack treated seriously. I gave this fic a chance and so maybe everyone should? Redeeming Palpatine is never something most fics do. Complete, as of 19 Mar 2021. Words: 9,662. Chapters: 1/1. Turn-Off(s): Luke/Palpatine, Romance

A Naboo proverb says that it takes seven steps to fall from grace or climb towards glory. Sheev had never understood why the fall wasn’t considered a victory, when he had fallen towards the dark side with laurels adorning his head.

Post-Episode I

💫 General Kenobi and the Twins by phoenixyfriend Review: Obi-Wan is trying to train Anakin here, and then comes his future-self straight out of a war with two babies in tow. Lovely. Wish there was more in this ‘verse! Complete, as of 11 Nov 2021. Words: 13,174. Chapters: 2/2

Episode II

💫 Ashes To Ashes, Dust To Dust by Livsy Review: OMG OMGOMG THIS IS JUST. PERFECTION. The POV Outsider from Anakin’s view on a changed Obi-Wan and how THIS Obi-Wan treats him. ;-; I have no words how much I love the hurt/comfort vibes. Work in progress, as of 29 Jan 2023. Words: 24,477 Chapters: 9/10

In which Old Ben has time travelled back to the clone wars era, but twenty years on Tatooine have left their mark. Anakin notices.

Looking Glass by Livsy Review: Another Obi-Wan time travelling to the past; but he carries a Sith lightsaber. Misunderstanding ensue. Work in progress, as of 08 Aug 2022. Words: 18,451. Chapters: 7/?

💫 Living Memory, My Fate to Follow by elsa3beth Review: Ben here really doesn't know his self worth and I hope that this journey not only saves the galaxy, but saves himself. Props also on handling the mental issues, the moral issues, the politics and the military! Definitely a favourite! WIP, as of 13 November 2021. Words: 353,548. Chapters: 30/40

It is a road paved with military campaigns, media faux pas, too many OCs to name, good Jedi, and a very very slowly developed angst that will eventually come to a boil. An exploration of war and friendship, and the moral grays of the Star Wars universe.

Visions in Red by likethesoda Review: So, imagine if jedi and clones recall the canon future-that-would-be. I wasn’t sure to put/categorize this as it’s technically time travel but the memories time travelled, not the person? Anywho. It’s amazing to see how people react to Anakin, how Anakin reacts, and though horrifying, this is also comforting? That they are all alive, and can maybe, possibly, do something. Work in progress, as of 06 June 2022. Words: 16,546. Chapters: 6/?

The Jedi suffer a mass vision, one of death and horror. One of the end of the Order and the Republic. In order to prevent this and save their family, in order to plan, they run to far corners of the galaxy. They lock down as hard as they possibly can. It allows them to truly reflect, for the first time in decades.

💫 Birds Fly in Different Directions by Triscribe Review: One by one, jedi recall their deaths in the future. Yes. YES. Complete, as of 15 Dec 2022. Words: 14,666. Chapters: 3/3

In the corridor beyond her quarters, other Jedi were emerging from their own doors, most of them wide-eyed with shock. A few merely looked blearily concerned, and Aayla heard snatches of questions as she darted past, queries as to whether everyone experienced the same distressing vision. But those who clutched at their chests or throats, their weak points- those Jedi bore a muted horror in their eyes, and Aayla didn’t doubt they’d just suffered their own betrayals from trusted men.

desecrate my lungs by loosingletters Review: Let’s have Vaderkin wake up in the body of General Skywalker, and he forgets to breathe, because he’s been in a suit for two decades. Work in progress, as of 12 Dec 2020. Words: 16,050. Chapters: 8/?

Anakin Skywalker died in his son’s arms on the Death Star. He woke up again in the middle of a battlefield during the Clone Wars, choking because he forgot how to breathe without a machine forcing air in his lungs, unable to stand because he hadn’t been standing on his own legs for two decades.

a distant fire is burning by e_va Review: Cal Kestis travels back in time and ends up in his 10-year-old body, sent off to be Obi-Wan Kenobi’s padawan, and everyone deals with the consequences. I love the perspective, the video-game-esque aesthetic, and I want to see more of the changes in dynamics with this new addition to the dysfunctional Jedi lineage! Work in progress, as of 23 Jan 2023. Words: 40,214. Chapters: 7/?

Cal's "time travel" ability has its roots in me joking with a friend about how the game could have canonized the Meditation Points/death respawns in the game (the way they did with the Force Echoes being used as an excuse for worldbuilding.) Don't expect it to be wildly OP or get spammed; it's just a game mechanic that spawned this idea and will be used with reserve.

They Don't Care About Us by ironhoshi Review: Here is another Cal-centric fic! With an added time traveller: Boba Fett! Imagine if these two interrupted Obi-Wan’s meeting with Jango at Kamino, and ended up causing much confusion and interesting changes to the world? Work in progress, as of 27 Feb 2022. Words: 62,215. Chapters: 33/? Turn-Off(s): Obi-Wan/Jango

(I Promise) This Time Will be Different by Nation_Ustria Review: Yes, here’s a third one with Cal. I love the conversations and the interactions with the clones in this one! Seriously... There’s something about these fics... Work in progress, as of 05 Nov 2022. Words: 21,975. Chapters: 7/?

Cal doesn’t know how he ended up back in the Clone Wars. Last he’d checked, time travel isn’t possible, but then, what would he know? He’d only been a Padawan for eight months before Order 66 had gone out.

To Fix the Shattered Past by Forever_A_Thief Review: Throw Obi-Wan, Anakin and Ahsoka from the Clone Wars into child bodies during Melida-Daan, and stir. I love the Grandpa Dooku vibes here. Sometimes it’s nice to have fics without the dark side showing in Anakin and Dooku, y’know? Work in progress, as of 22 Jan 2023. Words: 35,976. Chapters: 10/?

Stop All The Clocks by Panda_2703 Review: This fic has Obi-Wan thrown into the body of his General body, and he attempts, through his trauma of dying four years into his exile on Tatooine, to save whoever he can 8 months before the end of the Republic. Ahsoka’s trial goes differently! Work in progress, as of 14 Nov 2022. Words: 37,866. Chapters: 7/?

how to disappear completely by jaigeye Review: Have you ever read a fic with Jango Fett as the time looper? Not just a single travel back but he dies, so many times, and gets back to square one- at least, until we have a hopeful ending for everyone. Complete, as of 25 Feb 2022. Words: 11,595. Chapters: 1/1

Touch Starved by CourtesyTrefflin for uncorrectgrammar Review: This is THE hurt/comfort fic starring Obi-Wan and Vaderkin. There is so much to unpack with these two... Complete, as of 15 Dec 2022. Words: 71,012. Chapters: 22/22

They are Anakin and Obi-Wan. They are Darth Vader and Ben Kenobi. It doesn't matter. Names mean nothing. Not for them. They should be enemies. They are a Jedi Master and a Sith Lord. And yet... nothing can truly keep them apart.

Fate Gives Second Chances by The_subtle_briar Review: Ben is not of sound mind when he wakes up in the past, and it’s understandable that years of trauma and in exile would make him think this all a sham at the beginning. Work in progress, as of 16 Sept 2022. Words: 111,199. Chapters: 30/35. Turn-Off(s): Longfic, Cody/Obi-Wan

there but for the grace of god by wanderlove Review: Let’s have Luke travel back in time from an alternate universe where he’s being raised by Ben! Miscommunication and misunderstandings ensue. Complete, as of 24 Apr 2021. Words: 49,217. Chapters: 12/12

The Kenobi Scandal by AppoApples Review: Both Luke and Ben travel back, and they explain Luke’s existence as Luke Kenobi. Shenanigans ensure for a grand fix-it fic! Complete, as of 23 Dec 2020. Words: 97,426. Chapters: 19/19

Alternate Universe / Crossovers

💫 still much that is fair by RaineyDay Review: Padawan Obi-Wan dimension travels/time travels into a war-torn universe where his padawan saves him? He’s a Master? He’s on the Council?!? Complete as of 4 May 2021. Words: 21,173. Chapters: 8/8. Turn-Off(s): Suicide Attempt/Thoughts.

Aliit ori'shya tal'din by SilverRayan Review: This universe has the Sith Empire, the Mandalorian Empire and the Galactic Republic. The excuse to have Obi-Wan and Jango Fett fight for their sons is great. Work in progress, as of 25 Jul 2022. Words: 18,847. Chapters: 6/? Turn-Off(s): Jango/Obi-Wan

Manda'kara by Virodeil Review: BB!Obi-Wan delves deep into the archives as he nearly ages out for Knighthood. The worldbuilding in this one is amazing! The idea of the culture of the Mandalorians still being preserved here... the POTENTIAL of this series! Completed, as of 22 Dec 2022. Words: 10,569. Chapters: 10/10

24 Seconds by c_m_li Review: Imagine Obi-Wan and Quinlan, teenagers sent off to a mission, go MIA, until they are found by the True Mandolorians. I like the respect in cultures/traditions in this. Complete, as of 26 Sep 2022. Words: 11,314 Chapters: 1/1. Turn-Off(s): Obi-Wan/Quinlan

devoted by loosingletters Review: If Anakin was more eldrich, god-like and this has consequences, in a world, “where the Force splits into aspects of itself, deities for all sentients of the galaxy to worship, people cling to their silent gods, wishing they could be just as powerful.” Complete, as of 06 Mar 2022. Words: 34,308. Chapters: 8/8. Turn-Off(s): slightly Anakin/Obi-Wan.

“You Jedi keep the Republic’s deities,” Shmi spoke before Anakin could. “Or at least those that are not owned by their planets. You have a certain pull to you.”

falling up by obiwanobi, shatou Review: This series is based on if Obi-Wan never got to take in Anakin as his padawan, and Anakin is raised by Palpatine. Vader shows up at Obi-Wan’s doorsteps, and this is Vader’s journey back to the light. Work in progress, as of 18 Nov 2021. Words: 24,060. Works: 9. Turn-Off(s): pre-Obi-Wan/Anakin hinted?

With no root in the land --(To keep my branches green) by llamallamaduck Review: This NARUTO crossover is something I never imagined to like, but wowza. Imagine Anakin, an eldrich being instead of our canon humanoid, dimension travels to the Five Great Shinobi Countries, specifically, Whirlpool. Uzushiogakure will never fall, but the other nations? Hm. Work in progress, as of 28 Nov 2022. Words: 25,490. Chapters: 7/?

He is not a human and he is not a beast and he is not a creature, but he is. He is a being, then. A being that changes and learns and lives. He thinks his name is Ani.

A Star to Steer By by dogmatix, norcumi Review: I’ve never even read/watched Stargate Atlantis before, and you don’t really need to after either. Just… Jedi are all snake-things. Sorta. Obi-Wan and the 212th Company arrive in an alternate dimension. Work in progress, as of 21 Dec 2022. Words: 115,437. Works: 2.

Not so long ago, in a galaxy not very far away at all, there's a Republic with an order of Jedi - a symbiotic species and their clone hosts.

Bare Your Teeth, Soldier by phoenixyfriend Review: OKAY AS A HEADS UP THIS IS NOT A ROMANCE. IT IS NOT SMUT. Now, imagine our regular, canon duo, The Team, ending up in the omegaverse. Yes. This is that fic. I highly recommend, please suspend all disbelief, for the worldbuilding. Work in progress, as of 19 July 2022. Words: 13,306. Chapters: 2/?

A pair of assholes, covered in blood, land in your conference room during a meeting. They bicker for five minutes without even acknowledging the dozen people that were already here, and then greet your coworker like they know the guy, immediately asking why he isn't dead anymore.

On the other side by esama Review: What-if Obi-Wan never became a Jedi Knight? AgriCorps = academics and plants. Much love. Complete, as of 20 Dec 2020. Words: 53,143. Chapters: 14/14

Canon Universe

💫 Reputations. by outpastthemoat Review: There’s something to be said about a fic that captures a badass Gary Stu from POV Outsider, and then POV Obi-Wan is like: ??? Me??? Perfect??? What is a consummate jedi because it ain’t him, fumbling along. Read when you want a feel-good. Complete as of 18 March 2021. Words: 36,738. Chapters: 12/12

not the place that I was born in (doesn't mean it's not the place where I belong) by ghostwriterofthemachine Review: Worldbuilding on Jedi Traditions, in Anakin’s POV. Could be AU and lead to a hopeful future, but too short (and sweet) to know for sure. Complete, as of 06 Aug 2020. Words: 5,030. Chapters: 1/1

Acknowledged by EclipseMidnight (EternalEclipse) Review: What-if there was more initiations to be done to become a Knight of the Jedi Order? 25 Sept 2017. Words: 14,328. Chapters: 1/1

The Folly of Foresight by Blue_Sunshine Review: The author of Desert Storm made a side-story about canon Obi-Wan knowing his fate with Infinite Sadness, and I live for this. Complete, as of 18 July 2022. Words: 2,431. Works: 2

twin suns by too_obsessed_with_everything Review: There’s something special about fics that verge off the script but still end up back into canon. Leia from Obi-Wan Kenobi (TV Series) is precious and precocious and this really captures a dangerous, coming-of-age adventure. Complete, as of 18 Dec 2022. Words: 37,610. Chapters: 15/15

everything I have ever learned by Fialleril Review: I’m sure everyone and their mother in the SW fandom has heard of the author of Double Agent Vader and the originator of the Tatooine Slave Culture tag. It’s again, amazing worldbuilding, focusing on Luke, and can coincide mostly with canon! I missed this years later, so here’s a flag you missed it too! Complete, as of 04 June 2019. Words: 12,717. Chapters: 2/2

Remedial Jedi Theology by MarbleGlove Review: This one is old, and I was going to leave the big-name, many-kudosed fics out of this list, but I felt like this one may be harder to find. The fic that made me first click the Obi-Wan Kenobi & Anakin Skywalker tag. Complete, as of 15 Aug 2018. Words: 51,336. Chapters: 7/7

Let us consider the fact that the Jedi Order is a monastic religious organization based out of a temple, with five basic tenets of faith. Ch 1: Death, yet the Force (meeting Anakin) Ch 2: Chaos, yet Harmony (teaching Anakin) Ch 3: Passion, yet Serenity (teaching a teenaged Anakin, good grief) Ch 4: Ignorance, yet Knowledge (Anakin is a Knight now, why is he still Obi-Wan’s problem?) Ch 5: Heresy, yet Orthodoxy (actual plot? Ie, Clones and Sith) Ch 6: Emotion, yet Peace (epilog) Ch 7: extras / deleted scenes

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saintguard · 9 months

Text

I had some big ol' hyperfixation this weekend that actually got me to write some stuff (and lose some sleep, because apparently the best time to have ideas is in the middle of the night).

This kinda midnight revelation-style of creativity has happened before, when I ended up writing a whole fan rewrite of the Legend of Korra at 3am on my phone. It's kinda wild and remarkably coherent, but I'll leave that for some other time.

This weekend's hyperfixation that I'm going to focus on came out of two places:

Some worldbuilding I'd done on a stream back in August 2022 using some of the campaign/worldbuilding guidelines from Beam Saber by Austin Ramsey (it's a wonderful game, highly recommend it). I'd created two settings in it, one of which was a manufactured war between megacorporations taglined as "Imagine if the Tour de France/Formula 1 was mech battles". The other, which is actually important for this, takes place in an unnamed region on an unnamed planet with an overall cold climate, currently split between three factions who are all trying to get their hands on some old (and sealed) super-technology. The region has the incredibly unlucky distinction of being the place with heaviest indication of said super-tech, so these three offworld factions rushed in to try finding the tech first, sovereignty and the concerns of the millions of people living there be damned.

I've been trying to get myself back into drawing lately, and I had the idea for a scene that turned into a short (at this point just sketched out) comic. It goes something like this: Pilot: "Again, why are we doing this?" Handler: "To keep us going another day, Mai." Pilot, watching a battle unfold in front of them from their obscured position: "...right."

My brain turned out to be very fond of this idea, to the point where I started thinking of scenes and characters for a whole comic. I ended up with a page of notes on my phone and another page on a doc on my computer. I'm fairly pleased with that, after being so creatively burnt out this year.

Here are some highlights from those notes:

I've come up with eight characters, but only two of them are named: Mai-Lin, aka Mai, a local mech pilot and our protagonist, and Kestrel, a Vraskan mech pilot who might be a lab experiment (the Vraskan State is one of the offworld factions, a military dictatorship ala Starship Troopers).

That comic I was sketching out would actually function at the beginning of the comic, with Mai and her squad third-partying a fight between the Vraskans and the UFL (different faction, a stratified democracy).

The cold climate means lots of cold weather clothing, including greatcoats for the Vraskans and a whole variety for the UFL. Not too decided on what the local fashion is yet.

One of the main throughlines would be Mai and Kestrel continuing to encounter each other, with Mai trying to break Kestrel's programming. They kiss at some point. Is it a good idea? Who knows!

I wrote not one, but two separate flashbacks for Kestrel. I'm really starting to understand the writer thing of "I love this character! I'm going to have absolutely terrible things happen to them."

Outlines of a few other scenes, with the highlight being just before a diplomatic summit. Kestrel's CO, a violent, domineering sort in a violent, domineering society, is accompanying a Vraskan diplomat who's also a military officer. The CO makes a comment about how much of a waste of time this whole summit is, to which the diplomat shows their full displeasure, culminating with “Your rank may be higher, but I outrank you. Are we understood?”

I love all of this, with one caveat - I don't know if I can deliver on my own promise. I can see in my mind's eye what all this stuff should look like, but I'm not sure if I could put pencil to paper and actually make it happen. Still, it's nice to gush about it, especially after all this time of feeling creatively empty.

#worldbuilding #mecha #hyperfixation

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brightbeautifulthings · 2 years

Text

Hide by Kiersten White

"She doesn't know him, but she knows that when someone screams, LeGrand runs toward it. And she doesn't. What else would anyone ever need in order to weigh their worth?"

Year Read: 2022

Rating: 3/5

About: Fourteen contestants are competing for prize money in a high-stakes game of hide and seek in an abandoned amusement park. All of them desperately need it to escape troubled pasts or kickstart stagnant careers, but Mack is sure she can win. After all, hiding is the reason she's still alive and her family isn't. But as days pass inside the park and more contestants vanish without a trace, Mack and the others realize that something far more sinister is going on. They aren't playing for prize money; they're playing for their lives. Spoilers are under the cut. I received a free e-ARC through NetGalley from the publishers at Random House/Ballantine. Trigger warnings: character death (on-page, graphic), parent/child/sibling death, suicide (on-page), cults, gore, guns, severe injury, sexism, classism, homophobia, ableism, racism, slurs, grief, guilt, self-loathing.

Thoughts: The concept of this book sounded so creepy to me, but something about it fell short in the execution. I'm having a hard time pinpointing exactly what it was because, individually, there were things I liked about it. There are quite a few characters who are just there for body count (and giving two of them the same name is unnecessarily confusing in a book that already has too many characters), and most of them are varying shades of self-centered and unlikable. However, the ones we do get to know are vivid and sympathetic, with a kind of found family vibe. Mack is a somewhat dubious hero with a clear save-herself-first mentality, and I liked watching her break out of that over the course of the novel. Ava, a disabled war vet, is a badass that I'd totally want on my team, and LeGrand turns out to be surprisingly complex and with a harrowing background. A couple others stand out here and there, but the development varies a lot depending on how much (or how little) time we get to spend with them.

I think what hurt this novel the most for me was that I figured out the plot twist before they ever reached the park. Books don't usually hinge on their shock value for me, but a lot of the reveals fell flat when I could see them coming. There's a lot of spooky atmosphere in the deserted, mazelike park, which I found more effective than the actual threats. I was never very frightened by any of it, and the way characters have to be still and quiet for long chunks of time while they're hiding drags at the pace somewhat. I was more invested once they started to figure out what was going on, and it's got the usual amount of White's righteous anger in it to make things interesting. The message is a tad heavy-handed for an adult novel; I don't think readers need it spelled out quite that blatantly or often, but I get where it's coming from. It's a fun read, but not something that's likely to stick with me.

SPOILERS SPOILERS SPOILERS. TURN BACK BEFORE IT'S TOO LATE.

It's difficult to talk about a lot of this book without venturing into spoiler territory, so let's start with that plot twist. I can't help it, okay? I've seen a lot of Supernatural! As soon as they were describing the small town perfection, my mind jumped right to "Scarecrow." Sorry, but nothing stays that pristine without some human sacrifice going on. The actual monster leaves something to be desired in its vague descriptions, and I never got a clear picture of it in my head. The real monsters, of course, are the humans, and they make for effective villains. I very much enjoyed the slow burn of Mack and Ava's relationship as well, and I was going to be distressed if one of them died, although it was really obvious that Ava didn't. It's a rule of horror that if you didn't see it happen on page/screen, it didn't happen. It's a satisfying ending, and I'd happily read a sequel about Mack, Ava, and LeGrand taking down a cult in their spare time.

#book review #kiersten white #hide #horror fiction #horror #adult horror #random house #ballantine #netgalley #rating: 3/5 #3/5 #2022

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hiy-breadcheeks · 2 years

Text

Setting you free.

Part Two

pairing: bucky barnes x gn!reader

a/n: hi. sorry for the long wait,, i got major writers block so my apologies if this isn't that good. oh and let's pretend Tony Stark never broke Bucky's metal arm in Civil War bc... plot reasons :D

One Three

warnings: tiny bit of swearing, angst, science, medical and psychology inaccuracies lol, fluff????, very very brief mention of police brutality, dark humor (?)

2022 © hiy-breadcheeks– don't copy, repost, or translate.

After months of therapy, his therapist, along with the scientist the government ordered to work with him, deemed Bucky ready to finally break free from HYDRA's Winter Soldier, and you're ready to help him every step of the way.

Re-Program... where?

You stirred awake, still feeling Bucky's hand around your neck despite it not being there anymore. While rubbing it, you sit up the bed, adjusting your eyes to the bright light that lit the room you're in. Looking around, you recognized it to be a hospital room.

Events from earlier still fresh in your mind, the reason why you're in the hospital right now. "I don't know who you are." You feel those cold blue eyes still staring at you, emotionless. "I don't know who you are." It shouldn't but, those words hurt you more than you expected. "I don't know who you are." My Bucky does, you thought.

You quickly stood up but stopped as you started to feel every inch of your body ache, your head even more. Releasing a low grunt, you used the railing on the bed to support yourself up. You needed to see Bucky, and you hoped that someone outside can tell you where he is.

You started to worry about him when the clear fear and worry in his eyes started showing up in your mind again, which leads you to start thinking of every worst case scenarios.

What if HYDRA took him?

What if he's still the winter soldier?

What if they hurt him?

You shake your head in attempt to remove those thoughts as you hurry out of your room. And if no one can tell you where your boyfriend is, you'll find him yourself.

Taking your phone from your pocket and opened it to check the time, you realized it's been 15 hours since it all happened. You swore under your breath. They could have done so many bad things to him by now, you thought as hurry to the hospital reception counter.

Not even ten steps away from your door, you already bumped into someone, "I'm so sorry!" you exclaimed, attempting to continue on your way to find Bucky god knows where when the man you bumped into stopped you. "Kai? KAI! oh thank god you're awake because I honestly did not plan on waiting for you to wake–"

"SAM! What? What are you doing here?? Bucky! Where's Bucky? Do you know where he is??" You were happy to see Sam, Bucky's best friend. Normally, it would worry you to see him around as he's almost always came to take your boyfriend out for a deadly mission, but this time he was the one who's gonna take you to Bucky.

"I came to fetch you, actually. Bucky's... well he's..." Sam trailed off, seemingly finding it hard to explain your boyfriend's situation which did not make you feel better at all. "Well?! He's what, Sam??"

"Just... come on. I'm not the one who should explain, I think." He said, grabbing your arms and dragging you out to his car. "Fucking hell, Sam. Is it bad?" you asked him as you sat on the passenger's seat. "I don't think so..?"

"What the hell do you mean 'You don't think so'??"

"Well, it depends on how you look at it! Personally, I don't think it's a bad thing." The man said as he started to drive where you assume Bucky is. Your eyes never left Sam's face. Waiting for a more serious answer out of him. "Aye, put your seatbelt on. I ain't planning on getting stopped by a cop right now. Them cops and people like me don't have the best history, you see. They finna think I'm kidnapping you or–"

"Jesus! Can you-" you said as you fastened the seatbelt around you. "-please just tell me where my boyfriend and your best friend is?! Sam, this isn't funny anymore. Come on!" you yelled, getting more and more irritated as seconds go by.

"I don't think I'm allowed to say much but I'll say this. Bucky's fine– for now." you furrowed your eyebrows. "For now?? Can you please go straight to the point?!"

"Listen, Kai. Where Bucky is, there are people there waiting for us and we don't want them waiting for a long time so, relax. Bucky is not dead, if that's what you're worried about. He's fine."

"Who the hell is waiting for us?? Why are you being so discreet about it?" He sighed.

"The Wakandans."

You froze in place and just stared at him. The wakandans? What are they doing here... you thought.

"Don't stare at me for too long, now. You know yo mans have some serious jealousy problems." He joked but you were still hung up on the fact that people from Wakanda are waiting for you.

"Hold on, what are they doing here? I thought it was already clear that Bucky didn't kill King T'Chaka??"

"How about you let me concentrate on driving so we can get there faster and you can get all the answers to your questions?" He said, not taking his eyes off the road.

You stopped talking and stared at the road in front of you, a million thoughts coming in your mind faster than Sam's driving.

After many excruciating minutes, you finally arrive to a very familiar place. The Avengers compound. You never thought you'd be back here again since... well, since it all happened. No one really wanted to go back here because it contained a lot of memories, fun but painful memories of people you considered friends who are mostly gone now.

"Why here?" you asked Sam while you make your way to the entrance with him walking by your side. "King T'Challa wanted somewhere private so they moved Bucky here." He said, you stopped again. "The king is here??"

"Yeah, I thought you'd assume that much."

"Well, I just thought Okoye or even just Ayo would be here, along with the Dora Milaje. I didn't even– THE KING?! Shit, come on! I feel like we've been making them wait for a long time!"

"I been telling you so." you heard Sam mutter under his breath but you chose to ignore it.

Both of you took hurried steps to get there faster as to not make his Majesty wait longer than he needs to. When you stepped inside, a Dora Milaje was waiting for the both of you and motioned you to follow her. "Hi" said Sam but the warrior did not answer.

After a very long and awkward elevator ride, you're now walking towards one of the meeting rooms it seems.

The Dora Milaje opened the door and you saw a glimpse of King T'Challa looking over at Bucky who seemed to still be knocked out because of the strong sedatives that he got two doses of, only looking on your way when you entered.

"Brother, they are here." You looked in the corner and saw Shuri standing there, holding one of Stark's technology. "Yes, I am aware." The king said.

You were sure Sam said something beside you but you didn't hear, or cared to hear. Your eyes never left Bucky.

From where you were standing, you tried to see how he was. He looked troubled. Even passed out, his nightmares still haunt him. Relief washed over your body, still. He didn't seem physically injured and he's in no restraints either. He's okay and that's all that matters.

Sam nudged you, "Aren't we supposed to kneel...?" He whispered but the King seemed to have heard it. "Ah, no need. We are all friends here, anyway." T'Challa said.

You dared not move as to not disrespect the royalties in front of you but you couldn't help it anymore. You quickly walked to your lover and held his hand between yours. "Oh Bucky..." Your brows furrowed when you noticed they had removed his metal arm.

You faced the king, "With no means of disrespect, King T'Challa, what brings you here?" He put his hands behind his back. "Well, I heard about your situation and since he is one of our allies and friend, I thought we'd help."

"How- thank you, but how did you know about...well, about this?"

"I have ears everywhere, Kai."

"True. Except for the fact that this information wasn't from your "ears", brother." Shuri stepped in, "I actually heard about it because I was inside a nearby Starbucks when it happened and well, news travel fast in these places. Don't ask what I'm doing in a Starbucks. He doesn't want one opened in Wakanda."

"And that makes you my ears, sister. Now, can I speak?" Shuri rolled her eyes and continued to examine the technology she's holding.

"So, yes. If you approve, we would like to help Sergeant Barnes recover from the programming HYDRA did to him by bringing him to Wakanda to re-program him."

"Re-program? Why are we treating his brain like some computer?" Sam cut in, you sent him a warning look. "Sam..." you warned.

"What?? He said we're friends and that's how I talk to my friends."

"I'm so sorry..." you said with an embarrassed smile. "Ah, it's fine. It's actually refreshing to hear someone talk to me informally other than Shuri." he smiled, "So, what do you think?"

Still holding Bucky's hand and giving it a squeeze occasionally, you spoke "I think it would be amazing, considering that Wakanda has the best and most advanced technology in the world, now that Stark's gone. And it would be embarrassing to reject your offer now that you asked personally..." you paused, looking back at Bucky's sleeping form. "But I think that decision's up to Bucky, your Majesty." you looked back at them but no one spoke, understanding your point.

You felt Bucky's hand squeeze yours and even before realizing he was awake, he spoke. "I think it's the only way, doll."

"BUCKY! OH THANK GOD!" You exclaimed, throwing your body to hug him. He easily sat up right, with your weight still on him. He hugged you back and buried his face in your neck. "I'm so, so sorry, baby. I didn't mean to hurt you." He sobbed, placing soft kisses on your neck and shoulders.

"No, no, no, darling. It's not your fault, okay? No one wanted what happened. You're so much more of a victim than I am, yeah?" You assured him in between forehead kisses. "Here, wear this." you said, wrapping your his sweater around him as to not expose his left side. "Fuck, I'm really really sorry...I- I knew it would–" you stopped him with a kiss on the lips. "You're alright, and that's what matters, okay? Stop the tears now, please?" You smiled softly while wiping his tears away. He nodded and kissed your cheek before turning his head to the others.

"Wassup, Winter Soldier." greeted Sam. While it may be, and should be a sensitive topic right now, Bucky just let out a small, almost inaudible chuckle and greeted his best friend back, seemingly understanding his humor. "Hey, Samuel."

"Sergeant Barnes." T'Challa greeted with a smile. "Your Majesty. Your Highness." Bucky greeted both royals with a nod. "Hello, Sergeant." said Shuri, standing next to her brother.

"So, do we have an agreement?" asked the King once again. Bucky looked at you for approval. "It's your choice, bubba. I'll stay with you whatever your decision may be." you reassured him.

Your lover faced the king again, releasing a deep breath before speaking. "If that's what it takes, I'm honored to accept your help, your majesty."

Okoye came up behind King T'Challa and spoke to him in a language you recognized as xhosa because of the unique clicks in their words. "Perfect timing. Thank you, General." T'Challa smiled. "The tribal council has begun asking where I am so, we must leave right now. Come on."

"Hold on. I'm- I'm on presidential pardon. Does the government know about this?" Bucky asked, glancing between you and the king. And as if on the right time, Dr. Raynor, Bucky's therapist came through the door with the answer to his question. "Yes. I've asked permission once I knew about King T'Challa's offer, and I just got the president's approval right here." she said smiling, waving a piece of paper around where you caught a glimpse of the government's stamp. "Good luck, James. You deserve freedom." she said, patting him on the shoulders.

"Wait, how about you? Aren't you coming?" you asked before she left through the door. "No, but I will be waiting here for him for the rest of his sessions. Yes, he'll move on from his trigger words, but he's still far from fully recovered, Kai." she said and left. "Sam?" Bucky asked. "No, man. Can't come. Sarah needs me at home." He smiled. "Hey, take care of my best friend." Sam reminded you. "Of course, I will." you chuckled.

You held Bucky's hand, "Let's go, love."

@fangirl125reader

...lmao hi. tysm for reading!! the next one is probably not gonna come for a while bc school tings :DDD 'pologies for the grammar mistakes, english isn't my first language </3

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marmolady · 5 years

Text

Livita

-revised with major edits... enjoy!-

Book/Series: Endless Summer

Main Pairings: Estela x MC/Taylor (f)

Summary: Post-ending. Freed from Vaanu, Taylor has been building a life with her soulmate... but their family remains not quite complete.

Warnings: Coarse language.

Word Count: 4292

Reviews and reblogs are hugely appreciated!

Tagging: @brightpinkpeppercorn @sceptilemasterr @bbaba-yagaa@edgydepressedchoicesthot @endlesssummerfan@blightarts@princessstellaris @acidsugar0 @taramitch96 @sapphovonchat@strangerofbraidwood@noeschoices@queerchoicesblog@kennaxval@queerchoicesblog@mrsmontoya @saivilo @ezramitchells

August 2022

Taylor’s heart sank as she looked at the result. Negative. Again.

Estela sighed and looked away. Again, no baby. Even knowing she could have done nothing more, it felt horribly like she’d let Taylor down when it really mattered. Everything she’d ever wanted… her deepest desire… it was so close, only for them to be repeatedly smacked down by some invisible barrier.

“We’ll try again,” said Taylor quietly, trying to sound like someone who hadn’t just been crushed. “This is gonna happen for us, okay?”

Despairing, Estela threw her head back, trying and failing to calm her emotions. For several long minutes she wrestled with herself before turning back to her wife. Her voice shook when she spoke. “Maybe… maybe we should try with you… it’s not as if I’m not made up of a load of shit that we shouldn’t really want to pass on to an innocent child.”

“First of all; no. You are freaking perfect, and nothing you could give a baby could be anything but that. And I know how much you want this. I want it to be you. I want us to keep trying.”

Walking away, Estela could feel guilt clawing at her stomach. Of course she wanted to be the one to carry the baby, but if things kept up like this, there wouldn’t be a baby to carry. She sighed again, heavier, and curled up on the couch, knees against her chest. “Taylor, it’s been over a year…”

“We can see another doctor if it puts your mind at ease? But I trust what they said; everything’s working fine, it’s just not necessarily gonna happen overnight.” Taylor sat down beside her wife and began massaging her back, feeling tension in every muscle. “I know we wanted to do this at home, but we could consider intra-uterine. How about we give it one more month, and then start looking at other options?”

For a long while, Estela said nothing, staring into space as she tried to process the aching disappointment. When she zoned back into reality, Taylor was still there, kneading her back. Another month… that was reasonable.

Taylor eased down the back of Estela’s shirt and pressed kisses between her shoulders. “I know how much you’re hurting right now… I’m feeling it too. Someday soon, we’ll hardly remember this; we’ll be too busy wading through diapers and trying to get a wink of sleep. But for now, I think it’s a comfort food under a blanket situation. We’ll just snuggle up in a love cocoon until whenever it is that we’re ready to put on brave faces.”

They cuddled beneath a blanket on the couch, grateful to have nothing pressing to do nor any people to see. That they’d have a baby together had always been a given, at least once it became certain that Taylor could remain with her loved ones on earth. They’d found their peace, and each had their home was in the arms of the other. The next step was the baby. Estela would carry the child; passing on a little piece of the mother who’d been so cruelly taken from her. Of course, it meant that the other grandparent would carry on through the bloodline as well… but having wrestled with it, Estela concluded that honouring Olivia Montoya was more important to her than eliminating Rourke. It was deemed the safer option; whatever Taylor was, she was not entirely human, and her reproductive capabilities and genetic contribution would be rather more of a gamble. If it came to it, they could try that path- certainly Taylor liked the idea of being related to another person by blood- but the simple truth was that Estela’s urge for that physical bond was far stronger. Diego, the nearest thing Taylor had to family, would be the donor, and someday, a doting tio. All the rationale, the planning… all of it mattered little if it just didn’t happen for them. In the end, how it happened wasn’t important… they just needed their family.

The disappointment was not getting any easier, month after month, even as it became expected. They now knew better than to get their hopes up too high. Once again, Taylor would go back to Diego to ask for his help… another round of ‘I’m sorry’s and hugs of consolation. Estela would be quiet for a few days, but their optimism would return as it always did. Together they’d literally undone an apocalypse; so long as they had one another’s hands to hold, they’d soldier through anything.

Estela gently caressed Taylor’s lips with her own, tasting the salt of tears. For her she’d be strong; it was what she’d always done. It was impossible to be broken for long whilst held in Taylor’s heart and embrace. “Next time…” she said softly.

Taylor nodded and returned the kiss. God, I love you…

“…Next time…”

_____________________________________

September 2022

Pausing her frenzied scribbling of notes, Taylor pushed her glasses back up the bridge of her nose. From her position cross-legged on the couch, she heard the creak of the front door.

“You’re home late,” she said, still poring over her notes. “Reggie holding you hostage again?”

Estela draped her arms over Taylor’s shoulders and kissed the top of her head. “Yeah, something like that.”

Taylor couldn’t help but laugh. “I think a part of you is kinda flattered that you can’t give the kid to someone else without him dissolving into banshee screams…”

“He knows his tia.” Pausing for a moment, Estela waged a silent debate in her head before making up her mind for sure. “Taylor, I want to take the test…”

She looked up. Spending so much time with their nephew had only heightened Estela’s want for a baby. They both adored Reginald, but his presence served to highlight exactly what they were missing. “I know. But if you wait a couple more days, it’ll be more accurate. This whole thing is tough enough without worrying about false negatives.”

Estela sat down opposite Taylor, reaching out for her hands. “I’ve just got a feeling, you know? I feel different.” She took her wife’s hand, and tucked it into her bra. “That’s swollen, right?”

“Possibly? But it’s early, my love. I don’t want you getting carried away with something that might not exist.” Of course, it was easy to see signs when it was wanted so much. Between hanging around Reggie all day, and an upcoming journey back to San Trobida in a few days, the yearning was running wild. It was only natural that Estela wanted to greet her tio with the news that she was expecting, but Taylor feared another disappointment. She stroked Estela’s breast, while her other hand lovingly cupped her face. “You know that even if you are pregnant, it probably won’t show up yet?”

“I know that. I’ll do it again in a few days… I just don’t think I can rest without trying.”

“Okay… but don’t get your hopes up. Do you want me with you?”

Estela shook her head. “It’s all right. Like you said, it’s probably too early to work. I’m just trying to settle the voice in my head.” As she moved to leave, Taylor hugged her tight.

“Love you…”

“Love you.”

Taylor looked back to her notes. Their return to San Trobida would be momentous for her; starting up a much-needed youth counselling service in the area surrounding Estela’s home. It was what she’d studied for, and it was with nervous excitement that she jotted down ideas and sketched out plans. With the grants and scholarships that the company had to offer -provided by what Rourke had left behind- there was the feeling that they might be able to make a real difference in giving the children of the civil war hope for the future. The central inspiration to their work was, of course, Estela’s mother. Each award given out to a student was gifted in her name; it provided a small comfort that Dr. Olivia Montoya’s legacy was one of a promise for a better tomorrow. Taylor found herself distracted. They had fulfillment in one another, in the work they were doing… but the picture remained incomplete. The quiet having lingered for too long, Taylor got to her feet, putting her notes aside.

“Estela? Is everything all right?”

No response. Becoming worried, Taylor started towards the bathroom, expecting that she’d need to break out the emergency cheering-up ice cream, as had been a monthly occurrence since they’d started trying for a baby. She knew she’d been right. It had been foolish to cause such distress when another test would need to be taken a few days later anyway.

She tentatively pushed the door. “’Stel? I’m here…”

Estela was sat trembling on the tiled floor, her eyes wide and wet with tears, seemingly unable to look away from the test stick she held in her hand. Several others lay at her feet.

“…Taylor… I’m…” In her daze, she couldn’t even get the words out.

Tears sprung to Taylor’s eyes and her hand to her mouth. Surely… surely it couldn’t be what she thought it was? But then, that smile… that smile… it said it all.

“Wh-what are you… what are you saying?”

“We’re… we’re having a baby…”

Without knowing how she got there, Taylor was on the floor, Estela’s arms around her as they cried, and laughed, and kissed.

We’re having a baby.

____________________________________

June 2023

Nine months flew by, life refusing to slow down. Much of that time was spent in San Trobida, where Taylor was faced with a rush to establish her youth programmes during the brief window in which she’d be available with her full attention. Once the baby arrived, everything else would take a back seat, and her role would be as a part-time mentor to students. Estela had slowly dialled back her role in her and Aleister’s company -with both of them on parental duties, delegation had become increasingly necessary. She kept up with the few bits and pieces that interested her, primarily assistance and scholarships for San Trobidan students, which allowed her to work nicely in tandem with Taylor, but anything else could be someone else’s problem. The pair returned to La Huerta with a couple of months spare to get ready for their new addition, and come the fourth Catalyst reunion –the very first day- it was time.

Her waters having broken in the middle of the anniversary party, Estela had quickly been swooped upon by an attentive Michelle, who’d determined it was high time they took the proceedings back to their own home where there was a little more comfort and privacy. Taylor lovingly tended to her wife, cleaning her off and helping her into the back of the car that would ferry them along the track between The Celestial and the hut in Catalyst Village.

“Taylor,” Estela took her wife’s shaking hand in her own. “You don’t have to be so nervous. It’s not like you’re the one who’s gonna be doing all the work.”

“Hey, this is likely to be the most important day of both of our lives. I’m allowed to have a few jitters, okay?”

Taylor caught Estela’s eye and grinned like an idiot. This is actually, finally happening. The smile faltered just a little as she felt Estela’s body stiffen beside her; another contraction. That there was only so much she could do was difficult; all their battles were fought together, as equal partners, and to essentially be a bystander was a role Taylor wasn’t sure she suited. As she helped Estela up to their bed, she was left with the distinct impression that she was being humoured; the fussing really wasn’t necessary, but the care behind the gesture appreciated.

Estela approached childbirth in much the same manner that she did most of life’s challenges; just getting on with it. She was no stranger to pain, and refused to be daunted, breathing through contractions with minimal grumbling. Taylor sat upon the bed beside her, offering massages and holding her hand through the worst of the contractions, all the while enjoying a rare opportunity to catch up properly with Michelle, who’d offered herself as midwife.

Every now and then, a text message would come through from someone or another, asking for a progress report, and in return receiving an update on the annual anniversary party. Naturally, bets were being made all over the place… the sex of the baby… the time of arrival… whether or not it came out brandishing a weapon…. The attention from the rest of the Catalysts was welcome, breaking up the monotony otherwise punctuated by Estela quietly huffing through contractions.

The sky outside darkened, and it seemed quite clear that the night would be a long one. With progress slow, Taylor killed some time by rustling up some snacks from the kitchen. When she came back upstairs, she couldn’t help but let her eye linger upon the small room, the one that would soon belong to their child. All of a sudden, that their lives were about to change became very real. She’d never had a childhood herself, so to have the blessing of experiencing it through her own son or daughter was a great unknown. Taylor was certain she was ready. The one her friends would turn to with all their problems, she would be an open and supportive parent. And in Estela… well, she couldn’t ask for a more fiercely loving partner. It would be scary, but as Taylor saw it, all the best adventures were.

The hours dragged by so slowly. Taylor found herself fidgety, and took to slowly pacing beside the bed. She still felt like a spare part, and nervous energy built up within her as she picked up the same from Estela. They were now hours in, and there was a sense that they were turning towards the last, dangerous stretch… and still Taylor could do little to ease the process.

Estela’s staunch stoicism began to falter. A trembling bottom lip betrayed her fear as she hit a wall, scared for the first time since her labour began. The contractions kept coming, with barely a pause. Wave after wave, stronger, as if her body was trying to tear itself apart, and no chance to come up for air. It felt as though she had no control over her own body… and by extension, the baby. She was a passenger along for the ride, powerless. After so many hours, countless nightmare scenarios had time to run through her head, now haunting her, and doubt in herself set in with a vengeance. As soon as she let that primal fear take hold, a wave of grief hit her, so strong that she might drown.

Worried, Michelle rubbed her arm. “What’s going on? Estela?”

There was no response. Estela looked away; her expression distant as she retreated into herself. She wanted to cry, to scream, but it would not bring what she needed.

“It’s getting more intense because we’re getting near the time when you need to push. This is normal. Talk to us, okay?”

Still nothing.

Taylor leaned over the bed, reaching for Estela, unnerved by the change, so swift and profound. Something was really not right. She took her wife’s shaking hand and squeezed, and the pressure returned was fierce, panicked. Still, she struggled to get eye contact; Estela appeared lost, far away. “…Hey…” When she finally met Estela’s eyes, she saw a plea for help. The penny dropped.

“Hey, could you give us a moment?” she asked in Michelle’s ear, her voice hushed.

Once they were left alone, Taylor climbed onto the bed and brought Estela’s head to her chest, stroking her sweat-drenched hair. “You want your mom…”

The painful lump in Estela’s throat gave way. She leaned into Taylor, who cradled her as she cried and writhed in agony.

“I’m so sorry, my love, my beautiful Estela… I’m sorry she can’t be here, holding your hand like she should be…”

The floodgates had opened, and Estela sobbed into her wife’s shirt, her hands clutching desperately at her back, hanging on as if afraid of losing her too.

“That’s it… let it out…” Taylor kissed her soaked brow and held her close, rocking Estela gently as her body convulsed through a contraction that just seemed to go on forever. “I’ve got you. You just hold on tight, okay? I’ve got you, and I’m never… I’m never letting go.”

“Taylor… it hurts.”

“I know… I know…” More kisses, the only inadequate comfort she could offer. It just wasn’t fair. “She’s part of you always, sweetheart… nothing can ever take that from you. And our little baby… she’s part of our baby too. All that love your mom gave you, you get to pass it on, share it with bub.” Taylor sighed, feeling the weight of her helplessness as her wife gripped her ever tighter, gasping in pain. She couldn’t help with the baby, and she sure as hell give Estela what she really needed. Her voice caught in her throat. “I know it can never be enough.”

Slowly… agonisingly slowly, the intensity receded, the contractions slowed, and Estela could finally catch her breath, her vice-grip on Taylor’s back slackening. It felt as though the worst was over. She felt a tender kiss to the side of her face, and returned it, even as she trembled in Taylor’s arms.

“Sorry,” she panted, offering a weak smile. “I didn’t expect it to creep up on me like that. I just… started to get nervous about the baby coming, and… God, it hurt so bad… and the more scared I got… it was almost like I was a kid again, needing her so much.”

“That’s natural, Stel.”

“And I guess I can feel that it’s close now. It doesn’t… it doesn’t feel right for the baby to come… and her not be here. I’m sorry, I just…”

“Hey…don’t apologise.” Taylor took Estela’s face in her hands, stroking away tears with the gentlest touch. “This is where your strength comes from; your big heart… even the part that’s always going to be broken. It’s why you’re gonna be the most wonderful, incredible mama to our little baby. Your mom would be so proud of you, Estela. God, I know I am.”

Estela nuzzled against Taylor’s fingers, taking one to her mouth in a soft kiss. She looked at her through her tears, feeding off the devotion that shone back in those brilliant blue eyes. Her mother would be so happy that she had Taylor, in her corner through it all. In a way… it was she who’d brought them together.

She exhaled shakily. “I can’t wait for you to hold our baby…”

Taylor pressed her forehead to Estela’s, her heart full to bursting. “You are so, so strong, love. You’ve got this.” And I’ve got you.

Estela closed her eyes, soothed by the intimate touch. “Taylor… thank you.” A kiss to her cheek told her that Taylor understood. That they were in this together really went without saying. She took a deep breath. Time to do this. “We should bring Michelle back in; I think I’m ready to start pushing.”

There was a small flurry of activity as Michelle hurriedly resumed doctor duties, and confirmed that things were indeed moving along. Getting comfortable was all but impossible, but Estela eventually settled kneeling up against Taylor, letting gravity help her out.

Another shuddering groan rang out as Estela dug deep to push against the all-consuming pain. Progress felt excruciatingly slow. Her powerful body strained with every ounce of strength, willing the baby onwards, while she held on desperately to Taylor’s hand.

“You’re doing great… you might just break my fingers, but you’re doing great.”

At long last -to the expectant mothers it might have been an eternity- the baby’s head appeared, and Taylor reluctantly eased away from her wife, to be helped into position for delivery by Michelle. Her heart pounded wildly at the first glimpse. There it was. Their baby. Their baby…

Michelle leaned in close, nervous exhilaration clear on her face. “Are you ready? I’ll be right here with you to check baby over.” Receiving a confident nod, she returned her attention to the person who was doing all the hard work. “Estela, you’re so, so close.”

“…I fucking hope so…”

“On the next contraction, I want you to pant through it… gentle pushes so the head doesn’t come too fast. I think… I think that should do it.”

Estela whimpered and looked to Taylor for reassurance. This had gone on long enough… she needed to know that the baby was all right. Gentle, murmured words of encouragement and a soft rub against her leg helped to steady her, and she steeled herself for the next wave. This was it now; she was bringing her baby home.

A strong cry rang out as the baby entered the world, straight into Taylor’s waiting hands, instantly bringing her to tears. Tiny arms reached out in bewilderment and the baby hollered in shock at the sudden transition. Murmuring gentle words of comfort, Taylor brought the child up to her face, softly kissing as the indignant cries quietened.

“Is the baby okay- Taylor, is baby okay?”

Taylor bundled the wet, disoriented infant close to her, while Michelle checked it over, and responded with a voice thick with elated tears. “Stel, she’s perfect. Ten fingers, ten toes, and she’s already got a lot to say for herself.”

Tears streamed down Estela’s face as her hands flew to her mouth in sweet disbelief. Their baby was here… she was here and she was safe. Her voice trembled when she spoke, the briefest glimpses of the child enough to send her into emotional overwhelm. “She? She’s a girl?”

“She’s a beautiful girl.”

Receiving an encouraging nod from Michelle, Taylor brought the baby, now wrapped in a towel, and gently eased her into Estela’s waiting arms.

Estela’s breath caught in her throat. When she met her daughter’s eyes, she thought she might never look away. “Oh my god…” She wept, clutching the child to her bare chest, and her heart skipped a beat as a tiny mouth latched onto her breast. “Mi dulce niña, mi bebé, mi bebé…”

She reluctantly tore her gaze away from her precious baby to look up at Taylor, whose eyes were swimming, face shining with love. “Taylor…”

Sniffing helplessly, Taylor leaned in and kissed the top of her wife’s head again and again. “Oh god, I love you, Estela… I love her… I… I…”

Michelle looked on, a hand over her heart and her eyes misty. “Congratulations, both of you. She’s just… absolutely, completely gorgeous. And… and thank you.” The slight shake of her voice gave away her emotions. “That you wanted me to share this with you… it honestly means the world.”

Taylor stood up and wrapped her friend in the tightest, most loving of hugs. “Thank you. So, so much. I don’t know what we did to deserve you, but we love you so much, Michelle.”

Wiping tears from her eyes, Estela have a little nod, looking at Michelle with fierce gratitude and affection. She couldn’t find the words, but a quiet understanding was all that was needed.

“I love you both. And your little angel…” Michelle felt endless satisfaction as she watched the infant nurse at her friend’s chest. To have played even a small part in making that happen, her heart might just burst with pride.

Taylor pulled her shirt off over her head and wriggled down under the covers, drawn into the heat of Estela’s body. She nuzzled her face towards her chest and took in a deep breath as she pressed a long kiss to the baby’s soft head, taking in the sweetest of scents.

“So… Olivia?” she asked.

Estela’s eyes welled as she nodded her head. She knew Taylor understood, and in that moment, she couldn’t love her more. “Our Livita. Maybe, Olivia… Andromeda? You should be a part of her name.”

“Oh. Oh, wow.” For a few moments, Taylor was lost for words, and she simply looked at her beloved with starry eyes. She took Estela’s hand and kissed it before going back to kiss their daughter again -how she’d ever get enough of smooching that child’s dear little face, she’d never know. “That’s… that’s perfect. She’s perfect.” She stroked Olivia’s dark, downy hair, her skin so impossibly soft. “Oh, my Livi… our angel… we love you all the way to the stars.”

“All the way to the stars, and back again,” Estela corrected with a wink.

Michelle quietly bustled around them, cleaning up and making sure all the boxes were ticked on her baby delivery checklist. Completely ecstatic as she was, she was more than ready to collapse into her pillow.

“I’ll give you some privacy,” she said softly, knowing that her work there was done. Both mothers were handling the baby confidently, and with a tenderness that was heart-warming to behold. Tucked up against Estela’s chest, a hand protectively cradling her tiny body, no child could wish for a safer, more loving embrace in which to rest. “I’ll be back in a minute if you need anything at all, but I’ve got a feeling you can take it from here.”

The first rays of sunlight filtered through the floaty drapes, a welcome dawn after the longest of nights, bringing the colour of day to the new life that settled, fed and contented, against the warmth of her mothers’ beating hearts.

Before she turned to go, Michelle left a kiss each on her friends’ foreheads and stroked under the baby’s tiny chin.

“Olivia Andromeda Montoya, welcome to the world.”

#endless summer #playchoices #playchoices fanfic #estela montoya #estela x mc #michelle nguyen

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alexanicholsauthor · 4 years

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The world according to Anne, my writing playlists, and calling James Patterson out for a fight

Back when I was doing daily Diary entries (I still don’t see how I pulled that off considering everything else I was juggling), I used to let Anne occasionally slip in and write an entry for me. I would label these little creative outbursts of hers as “Anne’s entry” and just let her go to town – no grammar checking, no filtering, and no direction as to what she should write about. She loved it.

So, I figured it was time to give her another stab at it. What’s the worst that could happen, right? 😳

I got new video games and been watching Jersey shore I really like it. Alexa girl be you was right about the show. Do you want to hang out this weekend? How is your writing going I want to tell you about this new movie Call Deep sleep you should watch trailer for it. We been having fun Mario kart 8 I am all most done with one of Batman telltale game. The game are awesome. I like watching lore it’s very different.

So, there you are. The world, according to Anne. 🥰

My life has been a combination of three things lately: Jersey Shore binge-watching with Anne, overdosing on wax cubes (I love those damn things!), and writing like a fevered madwoman to get Erotic Urban Legends: Pulse finished for my Patreon peeps. As I write this, a dear friend of mine is beta reading it for me, so as soon as I get it back and throw it at the rest of my Beta Reader Hit Squad, it will be shelved! I really wanted to make a short horror story, but this motherfucker ended up 22,844 words – far from what I intended.

Initially, I gave myself a cap of 2,500 words, and the first version was somewhat close to that. After three different revisions and some severe brainstorming… things got a little out of hand. 😅 While my stories always inflate during the revision process, this was a bit ridiculous. I swear I spoil the shit out of my Patreons…

Because of my release schedule, I won’t be able to release it to the general public until April 2022, but I’ll give you a sneak peek of the cover now:

Because I was writing this, I had to temporarily pause the last book in my Exitium Mundi series, which is in the rough draft stage itself. Which means I’m also paused in the middle of Voyeur’s Season 2 (no, I swear it isn’t abandoned) and the next book in the Killer Lolis series: Hunt for the Lolistone. The cover for that book (which is also in the rough draft stage!) is below:

So many things I want to write, so little time! 😭 And then there are other stories that are almost finished that I really need to polish up like Mya, Lilith, Invictus, Balls Deep – A Love Story, and others. I need more hands. Or maybe I can pull a James Patterson and hire other motherfuckers to write my books for me and just sit back and rake in the money. I will never do this, of course, because, you know, I’m actually a writer…

#Shade #ShotsFired #ComeAtMeBro

Maybe I just need to double down my writing efforts. I dunno.

Which reminds me. I decided to add yet another feature to my paperbacks: playlists! See, before I write a book, I compile a 100-song playlist, and I listen to nothing but that playlist while I write. It was an idea sparked by a request from a reader (thank you, John!), and I decided to run with it. I’ve already started including short stories, previews of upcoming books, and interviews in the paperback editions of my books, so this will fit in nicely I think. Just for kicks, here’s the playlist I wrote to for Erotic Urban Legends: Pulse.

Ängie: Spun + Smoke Weed Eat Pussy + Housewife Spliffin Avicii: Wake Me Up Awolnation: Sail AZ Yet: Last Night Backstreet Boys: Inconsolable Bebe Rexha: I’m Gonna Show You Crazy + No Broken Hearts ft. Nicki Minaj Bhad Bhabie: Bestie (Feat. Kodak Black) Billie Eilish: Bad Guy + You Should See Me in a Crown Boyz II Men: Oh Well Brad Paisley: Whiskey Lullaby (feat. Allison Krauss) Britney Spears: Criminal Ed Sheeran: Shape of You Fall Out Boy: My Songs Know What You Did In The Dark (Light Em Up) (Part 1) Fat Joe: Make It Rain Finger Eleven: Paralyzer + One Thing Frankie J: Daddy’s Little Girl Full Exposure (feat. Mario & Serayah) Geto Boys: Mind Playing Tricks On Me (Uncut) Ginuwine: When Doves Cry Go West: King Of Wishful Thinking Hailee Steinfeld: Most Girls Halsey: Nightmare Hayley Kiyoko: Girls Like Girls Insane Clown Posse: In My Room Jessica Simpson: I Belong To Me Justin Timberlake: Cry Me A River Ke$ha: TiK ToK Keri Hilson: Pretty Girl Rock kirstin: Break A Little + Naked + Bad Weather Linkin Park: The Hybrid Theory + Living Things + and Recharged albums. Mario Winans: I Don’t Wanna Know Maroon 5: Girls Like You ft. Cardi B MAX: Lights Down Low Offset: Clout ft. Cardi B Phil Collins: In The Air Tonight Porcelain Black: Naughty Naughty + I’m Your Favorite Drug Post Malone: Rockstar + Goodbyes ft. Young Thug R. Kelly featuring Keri Hilson: Number One Rita-Ora: Girls Santana: Maria + Maria Seckond Chaynce: Undeniable Silk: Freak Me Baby Somo: Ride Star Cast: I Bring Me + There For You Tamar Braxton: All the Way Home + Love and War + Let Me Know ft. Future + Prettiest Girl + The One Taylor Swift: Gorgeous The Fugees: Killing Me Softly The Weeknd: Often + Party Monster Tinashe: No Drama Young Jeezy: Tear It Up

Thanks for reading my latest rant, beloveds. I really appreciate it. 🥰

#amwriting #amediting #writer #writerslife #Writerscommunity #indieauthor #author

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khdiscussions · 6 years

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Kingdom Hearts Attraction

So uh, for those of you not up to date: This was said as a mention about the idea of Square and Disney collaborating for this and if it gets off the ground it will be huge. Right now, it’s nothing more than a pipe dream, but I’d like to address this anyways since I come with a very unique perception in that not only do I live near the Disney parks, but the parks might be the only thing I’m more obsessed with than Kingdom Hearts.

(Going under a read more because when I talk about parks I get rambly.)

So first off, if this becomes a thing, which it still needs to be discussed with a bunch of people first, it will very likely start off in one of two parks. The more likely Tokyo Disneyland or the Walt Disney World Resort. Tokyo Disneyland is likely due to...well...Japan. Japanese video game company, I shouldn’t have to spell it out for you. Disney World, however, has already had a history with the parks as early as 2004 when costumes of Sora, Donald, and Goofy were actually able to have meet and greets due to Mickey’s Not So Scary, as well as a couple other tiny easter eggs. Furthermore Walt Disney World is still the number one tourist destination in the world, so really there’s a 50% chance of anything new starting there between the four parks. Admittedly Disneyland is possible due to the Dandelion meet up taking place in Anaheim, but like with Disneyland Paris being the park Nomura visited for inspiration on attraction flow, it doesn’t feel like enough to lock in that park for a likely location.

So limiting ourselves down to Tokyo Disneyland Resort and Walt Disney World Resort, there’s really only six parks it can go in. So let’s break it down:

Animal Kingdom: If Disney still has a shred of self respect for themselves and their theming, they won’t do this. This might be the combination that could have KH make me cancel my Disney park pass and that’s all I feel should be said on the subject.

Tokyo DisneySEA: I would normally consider this likely, however, Disney has just announced a huge expansion opening in 2022. With this in mind, it’d be bad business practice to announce the KH anything here next year (since if I were them I’d announce summer 2019 so long as it ends up being worked out) since that’d be opening around the same time and be horribly overshadowed. It’d be like if they decided to open a KH ride in MGM in 2019 when Star Wars land opens. It just isn’t going to happen.

Tokyo Disneyland/Magic Kingdom: Admittedly, I don’t know a lot about the Disneyland clone over in Tokyo, but what I do know is that it shares similarities with the park we have here (down to both parks having Cinderella Castle), as such I feel confident in lumping it in with Magic Kingdom. If they were to build the ride here, it would fit in best with Fantasyland theming, which touches on the various Disney movies and high fantasy elements, it’d work pretty well. On the flip side, a Gummi Ship based attraction could fit in well in Tomorrowland, and exclusively in Tokyo Disneyland there’s also Toontown, which might work decently. So long as they stay out of the Adventureland and Frontierland skinned areas (and even then if done properly Adventureland could be justified), it would work. (This applies to any of the Disneyland clones, do Anaheim and Paris apply here too.)

Hollywood Studios: I mean it’s unlikely because it goes against theming but also at the exact same time this park is identity-less and bad anyways so I wouldn’t even be mad if they did destroy theming here for it. I’d just be excited to have a reason to care about the park. I don’t even care about the principle I just really hate this park.

Epcot: This is the most likely location for a Kingdom Hearts themed attraction at the Walt Disney World resort, if not period. Not only is the park due for major refurbishments soon (Guardians and Ratatouille being the start of that) but the park also has two locations it could work. Future World, using the same excuses as Guardians and making a Gummi Ship explorations attractions, something in Innoventions perhaps, putting the empty space to good use, or in the Japan Pavilion as an attraction. Personally I’m not the biggest fan of this idea since I don’t really care for the direction Epcot seems to be going in and I’m very protective of the park, but I can accept it.

Disney Springs and the like: Unlikely as all get out but for once I’m literally going to let my bias come into play and concept: Cancel the stupid NBA experience and make Disney Quest 2.0 with a heavy focus on Disney’s video game related properties such as Wreck it Ralph, Disney Infinity, Epic Mickey, and Kingdom Hearts. It’d be so much better of an idea and can you tell I’m still salty about Disney Quest being torn down?

Anyways, basically it’s going to be in one of the main parks (Disneyland/Magic Kingdom/Disneyland Paris/Tokyo Disneyland) or it will be in Epcot due to openings, announcements, and theming.

So that being said, what can we expect from this? In truth um...not as much as you’re thinking.

As much as I’d love to go blasting the drums and screaming for a whole Kingdom Hearts theme area, not a lot of things get the same treatment that Star Wars and Pandora got. And trust me, considering my opinions on those franchises I would much rather KH get that attention. If I’m honest, I hesitate to even propose the idea that Kingdom Hearts should get a ride.

Looking at the ride types, the only attraction the ride could feasibly get would be a coaster, a dark ride, or a screen ride. A dark ride is immediately out of the question imho due to the story of KH being impossible to do anything with in that format. A screen ride, while doable, is a gamble since they can run the gambit of really good (Star Tours and Flight of Passage) or really bad (Jimmy Fallon at Universal Studios is the worst ride I have ever been on) and runs the risk of being underwhelming, since it could be simply a sit down show. Which would then bring the problem of these rides are meant to be enjoyable for non fans too, or else it would be shut down. A coaster would be the easiest to implement and most likely to succeed since nobody has to know the theme to enjoy a good coaster, so I could see them doing that, but coasters require a decently large amount of space to build, especially when compared to a screen ride, which creates its own problems.

So what do I think KH will likely see? Well for one: Merchandise. Even if they don’t make a cooperative effort into a ride or attraction, KH might still have a presence in the gift shops like Magic Kingdom’s Emporium as time goes on, or even simply a new pin available at Pintraders. The game is huge and people care. So some merchandise coming from Disney milking the cash cow is inevitable. You might also see some small shout outs such as changing a store name or a restaurant name to feature Sora and co. Hell maybe even a new one will be built as part of promotion. Or we’ll get new costumes for Sora this time around.

However, I think what will most likely be seen is a new game sort of thing. Similar to how Magic Kingdom has Sorcerers of the Magic Kingdom and Epcot had the Kim Possible and, later, the Phineas and Ferb missions, an interactive game could be an easy fit for the series. Similar to how Sorcerer’s of the Magic Kingdom allows players to fight eight iconic Disney villains, a game like this could easily have players aid Sora, Donald, and Goofy as they take on Heartless and iconic Disney villains around the parks. It doesn’t require extensive knowledge of the series and a final showdown with Xehanort or even an entirely original villain or Maleficent herself could make for a fun way to kill the day. It’d keep in the spirit of KH and not distance it too far from Disney properties. It could also end up similar to VOID, the new Star Wars laser tag experience at Disney Springs, and focus in on the Keyblade War instead and have vr whacking people with stuff. Is it what I want...well no. I’d actually really like a VR coaster for this, but I think it’s a safe bet and gives them the ability to update either Sorcerers of the Magic Kingdom or the Phineas and Ferb world showcase adventure, both of which haven’t had changes in a very long time. It also puts KH in a position where if the attraction doesn’t do well it doesn’t feel like a huge waste of investment and allows Square and Disney both to test the waters to open up the gates to a more grand Kingdom Hearts attraction.

Anyways, that’s my two cents. Really I’ll be happy with any representation at the parks since for years all we’ve had is a Sora shirt, sweatshirt, three Disney pins, and a hidden poster at Epcot, but who knows, maybe we could see something a little bit more at long last along the horizon.

#Kingdom Hearts #Just some speculation stuff

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mindseyecreation · 4 years

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First Post. (FICTIONAL)

Title: Unexpected Encounter

It is a dark and cold night, the cool breeze with the hint of rain, moisture carrying, spread everywhere. The atmosphere is surrounded by the deafening silence. Only the occasional sound of the dripping water coming from the roof breaks the stentorian silence. The only living beings that I can see are mosquitoes and crickets but at least I’m not alone. If someone can see me, they might think that I’m crazy because I’m talking to insects just to lose my boredom. But I don’t think there are others that survived the war. If there are, where are they? Are they just like me hiding in a secret place? How are they living? There are many questions inside my mind but they are the same questions that I always ask to myself and were still left unanswered.

I'm lying on the bed looking at the ceiling that’s full of papers with my thoughts written on it. As I’m scanning the papers on the ceiling, something caught my eye. It’s a date, April 17, 2022. From then I remember, it was the day that the war started. It was the only time that I realized that it was almost half a year since the war happened. After that thought, I suddenly have the urge to go out and check the surroundings outside. I don’t know, but I think this will be the second time I’ll be out after the day of the war. Upon opening the door, I can already smell and see the dead people lying on the ground. I feel so scared that I can’t even watch them that long. But I endured my fear and walked normally as if there were no dead people in my way. Until now, I still have no idea why all of these happened. From what I can remember, I was just sleeping when a loud explosion of a bomb woke me up. And seconds after the explosion, it’s the cry of the mourning people enveloped the tranquil city I once knew. I don’t know how sad they felt that day because since I was a child, I’m already alone. But upon seeing them that day, I can see myself in a number of people that the thought of it makes me sick until now. I’m trying to forget that memory but it was really hard even though I tried to brush off it all, and whenever I’m feeling lonely, the faces of the mourning people I saw that day kept haunting me and so the memories kept coming back to me.

I continued walking after reminiscing that tragic memory. Upon walking, the wind became too strong. I got so scared that I hid myself behind the bushes. I don’t know what’s happening but I can see something above the sky. I can’t see it clearly because the leaves were all flying by the wind, and I can’t keep my eyes open because of the dust. After a minute, the sky is already clear and I can see an unidentified object coming down like a comet. Is it going to land now? If it lands, I think I’m not going to survive this. I move so I can see the object clearly and was so shocked when a thought hits me. What if this is a spaceship where aliens are on board? I can’t believe that I can see a spaceship. I only imagined it in stories before, but now it is right in front of me! Suddenly, there was something coming out from the spaceship. I’m already expecting that it was an alien but I saw another unbelievable thing, the creature coming out from the spaceship doesn’t look like the alien that the books described. The alien that I am seeing right now looks like a human. It looks like a male alien. He’s naked and seems ignorant in this place. He took a step on the ground, he’s looking at the surroundings and as he looked around, he seemed confused. I don’t know what he’s thinking about but looking at him makes me confused too. He started to walk and looked like he was looking for something. I want to approach him but I don’t know how so I just followed him secretly.

After roaming around, he walked back to his spaceship, it seems like he’s going to go back to his origin. When he was about to step onto his spaceship, I stood up and shouted at him. As surprised as I am, he turns his head towards me. The look on his face tells me that he wasn’t expecting this at all. I don’t know what to say to him but I just waved at him and he seemed lost. I thought that maybe he didn’t understand what I was doing. He slowly came to me and touched me. I’m smiling at him but deep inside I’m so scared because I don’t know what he’s planning to do. He looked at me closely but I turned away and I tried to talk to him. And still no answer. Maybe he doesn’t know how to talk or he can’t understand me. He is wearing something amazing, it’s like a necklace but a different one. He suddenly touched it then the spaceship went away. I really want to ask him a lot of questions but he can’t talk. So I just planned to go back to my secret place. As I started to walk, the alien also started to walk and follow me. I stopped and looked at him. I don’t know what language he is using but I just did sign language. But he still didn’t understand me so I just let him follow me. I didn’t even notice that I’m walking on the path that is full of dead people. I looked at the alien and I can see that he’s wondering why there were so many dead people lying on the ground. I want to tell him the reason but again, he will not understand me so I just continued to walk.

When we arrived at my secret place, the alien stared at my house and was about to open the door but I stopped him because I would like to go inside first. I signed him to wait, I don’t know if he understands it but I just go inside the house. I looked for clothes that would fit him, and after I found clothes for him, I went back outside and invited him to my house. I gave the clothes to him and told him to wear it. Gladly, he understands what I mean. I offer him water and bread. He ate it right away. He must be really hungry so I gave him another slice of bread. After he ate, I cleaned the dishes and he stayed sitting on the chair. I looked at the window near the sink and I didn’t even notice that it was already night. After I washed all the dishes, I made the bed for the alien near my bed. I invited him to sleep but he still didn’t want to sleep so I went to bed first. It was a tiring day for me so I fell asleep easily even though it’s unusual that I let an alien enter my house.

Another day of mine dealing with the boredom and deafening silence of this place. When I was about to get off of my bed, I heard someone talking. I don’t know if I’m still dreaming but it was my first time to hear someone talking after almost half a year. I looked for the person talking and I couldn’t believe what I saw. It was the alien I invited to my house.I ran to him and asked him how he learned to speak my language. He answered me, he told me that he held my hand while I’m sleeping and surprisingly, he knew all about my language. I was so glad that I have someone to talk to again. I asked him why is he here. He said that he needs to conduct research on Earth but he thought that he can’t do it because he thinks that I’m the only person alive in this place. I asked him again about his name, he said, his name is Eio. After asking him a lot of questions, he asked me what happened. I told him that there was a war happened that killed billions of people. He asked me again, how did I survive. I told him that I just hid at this house and I don’t know why they didn’t find this place. Maybe just a luck but I don’t know if it’s bad or good. After we asked questions to each other, I prepared our breakfast. While we are eating, he told me that he want to go out again. I said yes then I told him that he needs to help me to find food because my food is running out. He agreed to what I said, so after we ate we went outside and started to find food.

We went to the place where I get my food, the supermarket. Even though I want to get all the necessities in the supermarket, I can’t because I can’t carry it all. But since I have my companion I think I can get more than I can get before. I get all the necessities that we need especially food. After gathering all the things we need, we went back to my place. When we are near to my house, I heard something behind our back. There are people running, I felt a sudden happiness because I can see a lot of people at the moment. But I'm wondering why they are running so fast. When I was about to approach them, I saw that they were not normal people. They are zombies! Zombies like in the movies I had watched before! I told Eio to run fast. He’s asking why do we need to run but I told him that I’m going to answer his question later. The zombies are running so fast, that I think we can’t go back to my secret place because they must not know about it so we just run somewhere we can hide to. Luckily, we found a cave, they might not know about the cave. When we entered the cave, Eio was about to talk but I stopped him and told him to keep quiet. We waited in the cave until the zombies were gone. We almost spent the night inside the cave but I think it’s already fine to go out of the cave. We are about to go out of the cave when Eio realized that his necklace is missing. I told him that it might fall when we were running earlier. He told me that we need to find it because he needs it to go back to his planet and needs it to contact his spaceship. We tried searching using the flashlight that we got but we can’t find it in the cave. I uttered that we will just going to search for it tomorrow but for now, we need to go home because it’s not safe outside. We go out of the cave silently and looked around while we were walking. I told him to stay silent because zombies can easily hear us. When we were about to reach our home, Eio stepped on the bottle, the zombies looked in our direction, so we hid behind the bushes. It was really dark at night because there were no lights, they were all broken. We hid behind the bushes for almost an hour, I’m so glad that moment because zombies didn’t see us.

As soon as the zombies were gone, we slowly entered my house. I didn’t open any of my lights because zombies might know that there were people inside my house. I covered all of my windows with a black curtains, and we did all our actions silently. I talked to Eio and answered all of his questions earlier, and I said that we’re going to look for his necklace as soon as the zombies were all gone. After we talked, I invited him to sleep because I know that we’re both tired, and he just followed me. Honestly, I don’t know what I am going to do to get rid of all of those zombies. I don’t know where they came from. But first thing first, Eio needs to find his necklace before he becomes one of those zombies. I don’t want him to be part of this mess.

A month has passed but we still can’t go out of my house because of the zombies outside. I’m used to being stocked in my house but Eio is still restless since his necklace was lost. Another day with a restless alien, I get off of my bed and with a thought to clean my house after a month but I will do it silently. I can still hear the growls of the zombies outside. Eio is still thinking of ways he can find his necklace. I just let him do what he is doing at the moment. I continued to clean, unexpectedly, I saw Eio’s necklace under my bed. I excitedly came to Eio and showed him his necklace. I can see the genuine happiness in his face. I convince him to contact his spaceship and go back to his planet. He told me that even though he wanted to go home, he can’t leave me in this kind of situation. I answered him that I’m fine, I can manage this situation. But he still pushed what he wanted and offered help. He promised that he will ask for his fellow aliens to help us to get rid of the zombies. I just accept his offer even though it will be dangerous for them to be part of this mess.

It was a week after I found Eio’s necklace but he’s still here. I thought that he was not going to do his promise but suddenly, I heard a familiar noise. It was Eio’s spaceship! I can’t believe that he really did his promise. I can hear the scream of the zombies outside. I don’t know how what is happening outside because Eio told me not look outside. It was an hour passed and the noise started to go down, that was the time Eio invited me to go outside. I’m still doubting to go outside because there might still zombies left. But, Eio assured me that zombies were all gone. When we go outside, I saw creatures that look like humans but they were aliens. They were Eio’s fellow aliens.

Eio introduced me to his fellow aliens. Even though aliens cannot understand me, I still introduced myself to them. I’m glad that I can see a lot of creatures that look like me even though they are not really humans. Eio gave me a tour of his spaceship. It is really amazing, I can’t believe that I’m inside the spaceship. After Eio toured me in his spaceship, we went outside the spaceship. Eio asked me to go with them because I will be alone again. But I declined, I told him that I will stay on my planet no matter what happens. Eio respects my decision and reminds me to take care. I thanked him for all the things he did for me and also thanked me for letting him stay here. We embraced each other and we bid our farewells. The memories that we had were one of my few happy memories worth remembering and I will forever remember him until my last breath on this planet alone.

(I know this is not that pretty but please let me improve myself soon^u^

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