Tumgik
#its what you deserve kylo friend
captainkirkk · 1 year
Text
✩ WEEKLY FIC ROUND-UP ✩
All the fics I’ve read and enjoyed recently. Reminder: This list features any and all ratings and themes.
DC
straight on 'til morning by merils
Kon hasn't been a kid in a long time - he's not stuck at sixteen anymore, and he hasn't been for years; he's twenty-three and living his best life. But the past has funny ways of coming back to haunt everyone when they least expect it, and there's no predicting the storm on the horizon for him.
It starts simply, as do most things. Jon turns sixteen.
Jon turns sixteen, and Kon suddenly realizes that if anyone were to treat him the way he was treated at sixteen, he'd tear the world apart.
The revelations, unfortunately, don't stop there.
Clone Wars
A Light in the Dark by glimmerglanger
Sometimes, it seemed Obi-Wan only saw other people across the field of battle.
The only reliable source of contact he had with other living beings - for the past year - had been during a fight. And he had not been able to enjoy such contact, had not been able to sink into the Force and refill his reserves, because all of the men he fought were trying so desperately to kill him and all the people he was trying so hard to protect.
OR, the one where Obi-Wan serves the Republic, Cody serves the Separatists, and they find a way forward anyway.
Star Wars
Sunburst by ShyOwl
When Luke drifted off into the Force after he faced off against Kylo Ren, he thought perhaps, finally, he was done with suffering and loneliness and so much loss. Instead, he wakes up in the body of his eight-year-old self with a haunting whisper vibrating in his memory:
One more chance, little sun, you deserve one more chance.
Shadowhunters
and i will be your shade by beatperfume (+ podfic)
Alec Lightwood grew up in the New York Institute; it's his home. He loves it.
The Institute loves him back.
The Difference In A Kiss by sobsicles
"You all have to kiss me.”
Simon looks a little terrified when he announces this to the group, his hands fluttering around as he shifts in place. Everyone is gathered on Magnus’ large leather couch, squished together while Simon stands on the other side of the small coffee table, like he's scared one of them is going to launch across and attack him.
Or: When Simon gets put under a spell that will kill him if he doesn't kiss everyone he loves, Alec has no idea why he's even involved, or what he's done to the universe that lands him in this situation. He is not amused.
But he ends up a little surprised by what unfolds when magic forces everyone's hand.
Stranger Things
Why The Hell Not? by Katyakora (+ podfic)
"Did I really just witness the Hair himself flirting? With you? Right in front of my register?!" Jeff's voice rose by an octave with each question. Eddie would be impressed by his range if he wasn't freaking the fuck out.
Or: How to get your dumbass best friend a boyfriend, a guide by Robin and Jeff
The Nightly Stroll by RurouniHime (+ podfic)
It takes him a second, and then he snaps his fingers. Steve’s car. Steve Harrington is parked out here in the dark by the railroad tracks for some—
“Ah,” Jim breathes out as he takes in the fogged windows. All three of the ones he can see, and he’s willing to bet the other three are as well. The backseat passenger side is so far gone that rivulets have begun to slip down, carving darkness through misty gray. Considering the volume the music has to be at to be heard through the rolled-up windows, it’s a wonder the car isn’t vibrating all on its own.
Except, the taillights aren’t just reflecting, they’re glinting, like eyes winking. The car is rocking just a smidge, little jumps and squeaks on its suspension. Jim would have to have been a much more well-behaved kid than he had been not to recognize that particular cadence. “Shit, Harrington."
123 notes · View notes
flightfoot · 1 year
Note
I don't understand, why writing "revenge fantasies" is a form of projection that can be really harmful and that can't really be justified? These people are just externalizing they feelings without any real repercussions. I don't understand the "can't really be justified", they are literally doing nothing, so what they should justifie something? You think people just have to live with suppressed bad feelings and only externalize good feelings? So people just have sit down and suffer in silence until they hurt themselves or worse, take their own life?
This is the post the anon is talking about, if anyone's wondering.
It's better than actually committing the revenge or self-harming. Mind you, I don't think that the level of revenge fantasies or the way that that group tends to actively push for extreme vengeance as being not only something that is permissible, but is in fact the morally correct option above attempting de-escalation and understanding, is particularly helpful.
The bit about it not really being something that can be justified refers more to the way that the revenge fantasies in ML fandom salt have taken on a decidedly racist tone, with the way that Alya's targeted in particular, and just how baked in some really nasty stuff is into the Saltdom in general. It gets pretty offensive, and makes me think of the "Finn tries to sexually assault Rey so that Kylo Ren can beat him up" kind of racist fics I've heard about with the Star Wars fandom.
It's not like it's just a few people or like it's been a short-term thing, there's been this entire mindset and worldview that's sustained its own separate vengeance-based fandom these past few years and that has been re-enforced over and over again, which does make me fear that, say, the people deeply embroiled in the saltdom genuinely think that if you're in a position of power and you're pissed that like, your friend didn't help you to attack someone you hate to the degree that you'd like, that you are totally within your rights to abuse your power in order to set it up so they get sexually harassed, knowing that they can't do anything about it, purely for your own satisfaction.
In the beginning, I shrugged off the saltfics because I thought it was just a few people venting and that they'd get it out of their system, that they were just being written to explore a plotline, but that they didn't mean anything deeper. I've been in a lot of fandoms for a long time, and I've read all sorts of fics, even things with questionable content.
All these years later, with not only the fics, but the arguments I've seen pushing for punishment for people who simply doubted Marinette or fell for manipulation, I can't really say that it's just a bit of venting. I'm afraid that if I was one of the friends of someone who was advocating for Marinette to get to hurt anyone who got in her way, and I didn't agree to attack some random person they didn't like, that they'd turn around and try to make callout posts against me and try to dox me, while saying that I deserved it for not being a good enough friend to them, because that's the sort of argument I've seen pushed over and over again by the salter group.
54 notes · View notes
lemongingerart · 11 months
Text
Chapter 1 - Departure (II)
Tumblr media
Fic summary: The second arc of my Armitage Hux x OC fanfic, “chocolate cookies and tarine tea”, in which both need to deal with the mess they got into (and each other, eh eh eh). Involves cookies that won't be eaten and tea that will get spilled. Same goes for certain feelings... they are going to be hungry ant thirsty 😏
You can find the link to AO3 and other chapters on Tumblr in the pinned message on my dash, both for the first and second arc 😊
Rating: Explicit. This is going to be very NSFW. So, Minors, do NOT read or interact. 18+. Family, friends and colleagues, please don’t read this. :’-)
Tags & warnings: TRoS fix-it (kind of), Hux!lives, Hux doesn’t like Kylo, Not a Redemption Arc, maybe a little bit, shameless fem!OC insert (there are cliches but entertaining ones imo), slow emotional burn, medium sexual burn, Enemies to Enemies With Benefits to Lovers, Hux is still a villain don't forget, Virgin Characters, masturbation against the door, pinv, Unresolved Sexual Tension, Awkward Sexual Situations, Past Child Abuse, dubious first kiss, Dom/sub Undertones, Mental Breakdown, Unprotected Sex, wet Hux, that deserves a tag/warning on its own, Minor Character Death
I will add tags as we proceed in the story, please let me know if I forgot one!
Taglist: @mylifeisactuallyamess, @morby and anyone who’d like to join 🥰
Tumblr media
A/N:    Good day! This time, I have a longer and hopefully more interesting chapter prepared 🙂
I had some quality issues with reviewing this one, so it took me a while to get rid of them, and from all the re-reading I’m not even sure everything makes sense anymore? Their "discussions" are precious to me though, that's why I did not go lightly over them 😇
I hope you enjoy this chapter and I look forward hearing if I’m taking too long for something to happen or not 💁💁💁
Miko’s mind was racing.  The tranquillity and purpose she had found a few minutes ago, had been efficiently eaten away by her unwanted travel companion. That outburst all too vividly reminded her again of how dangerous, maybe violent, he might become. 
When she left the cockpit, she had opted to sit on the bench in the wardroom, her knees pressed up to her chest and her head facing the closed cockpit entrance. That's where she was now, trying to get the time pass more quickly, while making sure Hux couldn't come near her without her noticing. 
One of her datapads lay on the table to her left, the little droid charging right next to it, so she took it, in an attempt to distract herself and clear her head. 
Her fingers started tapping the screen with a seasoned swiftness, accessing PC’S processing unit. Inspiration hit her, driven by what had happened in the cockpit, and she started to program a new procedure into the little droid's core.
She looked at the cockpit’s door for a second, doubt apparent on her features. 
She was currently making sure that PC would record everything that happened around her, just in case. Both on Taris' planetside as around the creepy ex-general. 
The droid could wirelessly connect to her built-in data chip and to her datapad, which could then save the holo onto a remote location, safely tucked away.  It wouldn't protect herself at the moment itself, but at least she would have some evidence, should she ever need it. The last thing she wanted to be, was entirely defenseless. 
She sighed. The trip to Taris was short compared to their first one together, now that their hyperdrive and the nav component was fixed. But, given how quickly the atmosphere had turned as cold as deep space, she already wished it was over. The grumpy ginger's mood was as bad as the Kessel storms and she wondered how she ever saw something in him. Who knew she could've gotten so caught up in physical needs? And why? Stress? Subconscious desires? Whatever she felt back then, she definitely didn't feel it right now. 
Now, she was wondering if she could even bring up the courage to spend the next journey with someone as detestable as him.
“What are you doing?” she suddenly heard from behind her back. 
She jolted up from her crouched position and turned her head. Hux had sneaked up from behind her and had scared her to death. Or maybe she just thought he sneaked up on her, since she missed the sound of the door because she was still in deep thoughts about him and whatever dark plans he might have. 
She let out a breath, trying to calm down, and tried to ban the idea that he was being sneaky on purpose. 
'N-nothing special' she blurted out, aware of the slight tremble in her voice.
'I wanted to check on you to make sure you weren't up to something you might regret' he added, almost whispering. 
O-kay… he is most definitely creepy, she reconsidered, pressing the datapad close to her chest and mentally taking note she shouldn't ban the idea after all. 
The stone cold atmosphere he had just created, made her forget that he was more or less insulting her, again. It only slowly seeped through that, from his point of view, seeing someone so focused on a datapad, when they had agreed that no communication channels should be used, might've looked suspicious. Still, whatever the reason was, there were better ways to relay the message.
Miko didn't immediately know how to respond and sat still, watching him step to the pantry and wondering what his plans were. To her surprise though, he opened a cabinet to take or make something to drink. 
Oddly, he did have the decency to fetch something for her as well. Even more odd, it was the taste she preferred, given the limited choice aboard the shuttle. She stared at the mintea bottle in silence while it travelled her way. Hux sat the bottle in front of her, then turned around. She watched his back when he went to prepare his. It only took him a few seconds, so she had to avert her eyes once he turned towards her direction. 
Miko started to wonder if the rather worrisome comment he had whispered her way was actually meant to be a conversation starter, seeing how he was trying to act casually and looking to sit somewhere on the bench as well.
Intrigued by this opportunity for a talk, she put her datapad sideways. She focused on the bottle in front of her, still having the urge to be cautious around him and avoiding eye contact. 
After a small pause, he placed his cup on the table and took a spot to her right. It was subtle, but she could see him adjust his posture. Probably, he was looking for a more comfortable way to sit, because of the shot wound in his leg, she wondered. 
When he stirred in the cup he had chosen, the smell of caf and another sharp spice filled the room. He slowly took a sip, not looking at Miko’s general direction. 
Miko was utterly confused and - probably for the first time ever - didn't know what to say or do at all. He had the power to swing her mood to every corner of the emotional spectrum in mere seconds. She slowly became aware of that, and she didn’t like it. 
Still unsure about what to do, she mimicked his movements and took a nip from the scented water. She didn’t even register the taste.
After a short but rather uneasy silence, Hux opened his mouth:  
'I might have interpreted your remark about my teeth incorrectly, I was in deep thoughts, reevaluating our options and best strategy. I was reminded about the subsequent incidents on the Steadfast and felt rather… uneasy... I probably have misjudged the purpose of your comment. ' 
Miko blinked her eyes twice before she let out a relieved breath. Was that an apology? That’s…unexpected . 
She dared to look his way. His tone was even and could easily have been mistaken as confident, but the way he applied pressure on the cup told her it took him some effort to admit his error. The hardly noticeable body language made her feel a bit more at ease, it was as seeing him struggle with something made her feel like she wasn't alone in this crazy situation. 
She felt her mood brighten, feeling more on common ground with him, and found her usual wittiness back.
‘Don’t worry about it’, she replied with an overly cheerful tone. Although just a moment ago she was definitely bothered by his demeanour, seeing this new development apparently made her stupidly hopeful. 
‘I shouldn’t have responded so crudely as well. We’re both out of our comfort zones. Seems like we need to find a way to adjust to each other.’ she added, an innocent smile forming on her face. 
She eyed him sideways and he nodded without looking at her. 
He took another sip, so she concluded he decided the conversation was already over. She huffed silently and turned her attention to PC again, to check if the update was successfully implemented.
Her mind started wandering and replaying the conversation. This was probably as good as it was going to get. It's not that she was hoping for a normal conversation, anyway. After everything she saw from him, she was highly doubting that was even possible. 
The little droid bleeped, and the both of them looked up.
 'All fixed', Miko exclaimed, breaking the silence. 
Armitage gave her a quizzical look, which made her realise she didn't answer his initial question.
 'I gave PC a little update on his backup system, nothing special . ' she explained and pulled up her shoulders. 'I don't want to lose him if something bad happens,' she murmured. She wasn’t going to tell him what kind of upgrade it really was.
She saw the ex-general shift his weight uncomfortably, probably as a response to her clarification and the mention of what could happen to them soon.  She paused and tried to gauge his current train of thoughts. Was this about what could happen if they arrive at Taris? Or at the resistance base? 
Curiosity got the upper hand over caution. She at least wanted to know why he was risking his life - and by extension her life - for.
She took a breath and quietly asked: 'Why did you do it  - betray the First Order?' 
He let out an annoyed sigh in response.
'Why would I tell you that?' he answered with a hint of arrogance. 
She closed her eyes and reminded herself that she still shouldn’t expect a normal conversation with this asshole. Oh, he could easily anger her, but not this time. Or at least, that’s what she was hoping for.
'You’re going to have to have a solid story once we arrive at the resistance base. You might as well give it a try with me?' She said, using a different tactic and trying to sound encouraging. She tried to make eye contact, wanting him to open up to her for at least a little bit, for both their sakes. 
He looked her dead in the eye, but remained silent for a few seconds. Kriff , involuntary, his piercing gaze was slowly taking her back two days ago, to the incident and the shower, and making her breathe erratically. She tried to subdue the effect and hoped he didn’t catch the change in her body language.
She was about to give up on their staring contest, to stop the memories and fantasies from pulling her into a state of slight panic, when he finally looked down and hesitantly spoke. 
Miko wasn’t sure if she imagined a slight tremble of his lower lip, right before he started talking: 
"I…I’m not sure where to start." He admitted softly.
Oh.
"...Start where the first things went wrong?" She quietly enquired. 
He still didn't look up and hesitantly nodded. 
He sighed, obviously trying to think of a good way to begin this conversation. Miko suddenly became aware of the shift in the atmosphere, the air became thick and loaded with suspense. The man before her was digging into his memory and bringing up things he'd rather would like to keep hidden, she could tell from his demeanour alone. She contemplated if asking the question was even a good idea; seeing him become so… unstable… reminded her too much of that time he lunged at her. She subconsciously put some extra distance between both of them.
As if someone opened a water valve, Hux thoughts were formed into words and were spilled out. 
"I was in control, at the top of my game, and seeing a clear future for the galaxy.  Order, peace, prosperity under the First Order 's flag." 
His brows were heavily frowned. 
Miko tried to keep a straight face and not comment on that statement already. It didn't really surprise her that this was his view on the universe. What a whole different perspective than mine , she mused. She tried to ignore the itch she got from his words and reminded herself that he would be out of her life in a few days, worst case. No need to throw another argument, just because of different values and norms. 
He continued: "We had a good strategic plan, both in the short term and long term. I had to endure Ren as a competitor, but that was doable. And, in a way, he was a rather welcome respite. It was easy to make him lose face before Snoke. But I’m getting distracted.  The moment word arrived that that cursed old Jedi was still around, and there was a clue to his location, chaos broke loose. It was as if every single event just was planned against everything the Order stands for." 
He paused and stared at the cockpit's durasteel door.
"The whole Jedi-hunting offensive escalated into an irrational chase, regrettably distracting supreme leader Snoke and driving Ren even more insane and unmanageable. " 
He waved his hand through his hair, freeing the strands from the leftover gel. 
"I don't have proof, but I highly suspect it was Ren and not the jedi girl that killed Snoke. He illegitimately seized power, and by doing so he created a chism in the chain of command." 
Hux absently rubbed his throat, but the gesture didn't go unnoticed by Miko. She could almost feel the mix of spite and ire, but underneath that thin layer she could distinguish that something unsettling happened there, something that ran deeper than the competition he just had described. 
After a pause, Armitage continued: "He started a chain reaction, by following his obsessions he got lost in them and didn't want to hear that his actions were not in the best interest of our powerful Order. Other officers complained to me, but every single time I took action, he slammed the door right in my face. He took my advice as critique, not that that was different than before, but now he was the illegitimate fragging Supreme Leader and he still couldn't distance himself from his ego. I've always been better at making management and strategic decisions. He was supposed to remain the deterrent for any kind of rebellion.  He wasn’t supposed to lead us." 
He was clenching his fists now, and Miko could swear she could hear the heightened pace of his heartbeat. 
She had asked him for some context, and she didn't really know what to expect. But this was certainly more intense than what she could have guessed. 
He didn't look at her through,  and she wondered if he was even still aware of her presence. It was as if he was contemplating his situation and just saying it aloud, as if she wasn’t there.
He swung his head to one side and let out an exasperated sigh, before he continued: "And when that wretched message was broadcasted from the late Emperor, Pryde and his reserve troops appeared from the unknown regions,  much stronger than anticipated.  Their numbers… I am still flabbergasted at how he could manage to gather so many men. I highly doubt they were trained for something more than cannon fodder, they couldn't all have followed basic training,  but I'm getting distracted again. " 
He paused and gave her a sharp look.
"The fact is that right then, Ren saw an opportunity to demote me. Not in rank, but in practice. Putting more responsibilities in Pryde's hands, and eventually in the other generals. He wasn’t even subtle about it.
 And the decisions he made… I couldn't keep supporting them but each time I expressed my concern, it backfired."
He sighed and waved his hand absentmindedly. 
"I guess it was in one of these discussions that I started to realise I didn't recognize the Order and what it stood for anymore. Without Snoke or anyone from the original high command, without me being able to have a steady hand on the decision organ… the Order was drifting apart."
He bowed his head and frantically rubbed his hair a few times before he froze for a minute. He didn’t look up and continued. 
"And… then I made a huge gamble. If I wanted a stable future for the Order, I had to make Ren and his acolytes disappear. The emperor 's message was the obvious choice.  I had to lure Ren and his knights away, or at least let him lose enough face to be able to seize power as supreme leader myself. Putting pressure on him by involving the resistance and that jedi girl was going to drive him even more unreasonable, that's what I anticipated. But… I knew he or someone else might find out. Spreading this information could only come from somewhere high up the ranks, and I already lost favour. I just hoped I had time to frame someone else. Preferably Pryde. " 
His voice turned soft now, almost like a whisper: "But, ironically, he was the one who put the puzzle pieces together. You know what happened after that." 
Miko gulped and nodded. She remembered Pryde and could’ve guessed both generals were a close match when it came to being power hungry backstabbing psychopaths. But hearing him explain what drove him to abandon the Worst Order - well, not the Order, but the command structure - told her he wasn't only a damn well versed manipulative strategist but also genuinely worried about losing his home and ideals. Guessing he was a rather young general, the First Order was most likely where he grew up and grew into. He was losing the only life he'd probably known and the future he'd hoped for. Although her idea about the Worst Order didn't change from this elaboration - on the contrary - she did feel sorry for him. And that should probably unsettle her more than it actually did.
This was one of the hardest conversations Hux had had in a while. For the first time saying out loud that he had betrayed what he once stood for, made it all the more real. Looking for the right words, finding out how to tell her, and himself, was difficult at first.
 But once the sentences had started to form, they just flew from his brain like they were ready to burst. 
He couldn’t remember if he ever had been so earnest with someone. Even with Sloane, he used to be more cautious once he grasped the concepts of lobbying, negotiation and manipulation. This exposition felt like a confession; dangerous and relieving at the same time. Now, though, he realised that he was just staring at her and fiddling his fingers and showing a part of him he’d rather not show to anyone. Or see for himself.
He realised what a pathetic impotent mess he must look like, and wondered why she didn’t comment on that. She could humiliate him, throw in another argument, but she just… listened. Looked his way with an apprehensive gaze. It confused him, why she didn’t make use of this weak moment. Somehow, the fact that she was trying to understand him, was hitting his defences harder than humiliation could.
"I- think you might want to leave out some parts, but you sound pretty convincing", she instead whispered, while she continued looking at him with big eyes. She peered at him, trying to find something he wasn’t sure of, but the intenseness unsettled him. He quickly nodded and looked down, staring into his cup and trying to ignore the cold sweat that appeared out of nowhere. 
Stars , it was as if her gaze had almost trapped him, the way the amber eyes bore through his own retina and looked right into his forsaken soul. 
Humiliation would’ve been so much better.
He at least knew how to handle that.
He tried to focus on the caf in his hands, studying the vibrating ripples in the liquid. Wait…why was he shaking? He didn’t dare to look up again, unsure about what was happening to him. He tried to concentrate on his breathing, in hopes of making the tremble disappear. What was this? Was he angry at her, just for looking at him? No, this wasn’t anger… it was something di-
"When will we arrive at Taris?" Miko suddenly asked him, in a welcome effort to break the awkward silence. Her question brought him back to reality, and the trembling abruptly stopped. He didn’t right his head, though, it was too soon for that.
"ETA is 3 hours, so we should discuss strategy." He softly answered, taking the hint and glad to change the subject. 
She remained silent, so he risked looking up.
Miko looked at him with a smug smile. 
Did I say something crazy? He thought sceptically, but deep down he was also glad to fall into their recently developed routine of not always friendly bantering. 
She took out her datapad, performed some commands and started reading: "apparently, the coordinates lead to a highly populated area. From the available info, the meeting point is situated just next to a marketplace." 
Hux looked at her with a slightly threatening face, mixed with a hunch of panic. Why was I glad again? She's going to be the death of me.  
She caught sight of his distress and immediately responded: "relax, Hux, I retrieved this intell when we were at Utapau Four. I used Tagge's company network, put up a proxy, did a local copy and removed the crumbs afterwards. There's no way they can trace anything back towards us." 
He leaned back into the backrest of the bench, while recuperating from a minor panic attack and trying to maintain a blank face. She was young and maybe a bit naive, but at least she thought things through. The fact that she wanted to go to the meeting spot prepared, was surprising and strangely comforting to him. 
"Taris used to be the centre of the galaxy, thousands of years ago. The population could've been compared with Coruscant this age. Its population has dwindled though, and a lot of the cities were destroyed in several wars. The jedi war, the rebel alliance. The empire had to give up its rule on the planet and since then it's been New Republic territory. I should be wary of thugs and cons and take the necessary precautions,” Hux mentioned matter-of-factly.  
"What do you mean, "I"? I'm going with you, you know!” Miko responded, slightly raising her voice and eyeing him.
She took PC from the bench and placed him on her shoulder with a rather forceful action. After that, she stood straight, turned around and walked to the door with a steady thread.
What?  
"What are you doing?" Hux demanded with a hissing tone, before she got out of his sight. 
"Getting ready to gear up, of course. Isn't that obvious?" She huffed in his general direction. 
He stood up, felt his blood pressure rise, and clenched his fists. "You should stay here. These kinds of places can be dangerous. Let me do the transfer." He responded while slowly raising his voice and pointing to the deck. 
Miko turned his direction, crossed her arms and cocked her head. "You? What do you think they'll do if they see your face? Remember how my father reacted. You won't have the chance to do any talking. And… and you'll blow your cover!" She half shouted at him, before she continued her path.
Hux cursed inwardly. She was right. But he didn't want to let her go. She might get caught as well. He wouldn't be too surprised if that bastard Pryde might've sent out a warrant for her. And if they find her, surely he'll be compromised. She lacked experience and from what he'd seen from her, that foul mouth could get her into some real trouble. Including the type of trouble leading back to him.
But on the other hand, she did have a point. Going with her was an invalid option. Even if he had some kind of disguise, to get to the intel they needed, he would have to take serious risks. Much more compared to sending her and her loud mouth out there alone. If he could avoid those risks, he normally would, without thinking twice. But why has he thought of getting himself in the line of fire, before her, now? This didn't make any sense.
Maybe, it was because if something happened to her, he would be stranded here. All chances were on her succeeding. Or that's what he was trying to make himself believe.  Why was he so nervous?
He quickly went after Miko, passed her with large steps and stood still right before her,  blocking her path so she had to halt her movements. She looked upwards to him, an troubled expression on her face. Stars, those eyes again. Nobody has looked at him like that before. Straight eye contact, without disgust or fear. He gulped but quickly found back the words he was going to relay on her.
“Make sure I can trace your location and contact you without it getting noticed. I'm going to follow every step and action you're taking.” he commanded.
“Don't you trust me?” she replied, looking annoyed by his directive tone. 
Only now he realised he might’ve stepped up a bit too close to her; he could feel her angry breath and he wondered why he was staring at her lips right now. 
The droid on her shoulder turned its head,  mimicking her annoyance, but he didn’t register it. He did try to come up with a quick response:
 “I don't trust anyone. And no, I want to make sure you'll be safe. I need you, remember?“ he countered, his tone directive but his eyes still for some reason glued to her lips. They opened up in a small 'o', momentarily making him forget what he just said. Until his own words dawned upon him.
That sounded disturbingly awkward, he realised while slowly raising his gaze to look up into her eyes. And the way she looked back at him right now, confused and wide eyed, her mouth slowly closing, made it very clear that she misunderstood it just the same. He was slightly aware of how his heart was throbbing in his throat, how dry his mouth suddenly felt, and he desperately tried to ignore the confusing feeling. Oh by the stars in the galaxy… He had to break this pause before it got even more awkward.
He averted his head for a split second, looking to the hyperspace stripes through the viewport, trying to kriffing calm down. He then placed his hands behind his back, trying to find back his reasoning and returning his steel focus on her and what he still wanted to relay to her. He needed to focus on the upcoming mission, not on her lips.
“Look, if you see anything suspicious, report it to me. And if you feel unsure, retreat. Don't do anything rash. Playing the hero usually renders those people dead." He said. "Carry a blaster.” he quickly added with a stern voice. Getting back into his directive role helped to subdue the burning he could sense on his cheeks. 
“You know I can't and won't shoot .” she replied, crossing her arms with a bit of effort, since both of them hadn't moved and they were still standing at a few centimetres distance from each other.
Sigh, how can she be so stubborn about not killing anyone? Hux wondered with reluctance.
 “You're going to have to kill someone sooner or later, Miko.” He bluntly stated, looking down on her.  
“Maybe in a world shaped by the First Order, mister ex-general. But that's not the world I prefer to be in. So I'm not planning on carrying a blaster with me.” she boldly replied and looked sideways with her arms still crossed, the swing of her body movement making her left elbow touch his stomach. 
Armitage became acutely aware of how uncommon and awkward and dangerous this conversation was becoming. How both of them refused to yield, both in the conversation and physically, and he hated that he felt so bothered by her close presence. He never was keen on someone entering his personal space, but this was different. Luckily, though, he was annoyed enough to ignore the unsettling effect the lack of distance was having on him.
And annoyed he was: “You don't know what you're walking into, this is no playground! You should at least take something with you! Worst case; set it to stun. For your own sake.” He threw at her, realising how she was getting on his nerves again and wondering if this conversation had any purpose at all.
She was looking pretty worked up as well now, he could notice from this up close; the blush on her cheeks was more pronounced than usual. But when he mentioned the stun function, she paused, took a deep breath and looked to the ground. 
“Okay, I can live with that. I think. Not that I'll be able to kriffing hit someone with it anyway.” she mumbled after a small pause, while she was staring at his boots with a defiant glare.
He held his breath for a split second. “I’ll give you a crash course. Let me fetch some blasters and let's meet up in the cargo bay,” he stated, slightly surprised and relieved with her decision. He hoped he could at least maximise his chances a bit by preparing her for possible conflict.
A/N: I haven’t found any evidence whether Taris is in this timeline under new republic flag or not, so I pretend it to be allied with the new republic but rather neutral.
10 notes · View notes
alwritey-aphrodite · 2 years
Text
The Resistance
Chapter 4 of You Are In Love
Series Masterlist | Main Masterlist
Pairing: modern!Poe Dameron x gn!reader
Word Count: 2.5k
Warnings: drinking, cursing
Author’s Note: this is the first time I’ve ever managed to write an actual slow burn
Tumblr media
It takes you longer than you thought it would to finish your mural for Finn and Poe, with your limited time off and the even more limited time that your availability overlaps with theirs, but it gets finished and you feel beyond proud.
You had painted them a little section of outer space, complete with planets, stars, and moons. It was a little different than the work you typically do, but you knew that was what you wanted to paint once you saw the bar and its navy blue walls.
The piece fits seamlessly with the rest of the bar, and you’re on such a high from the completion of the painting and the endless praise from Finn and Poe that you don’t even fight them when they invite you to the bar and promise you drinks on the house.
You barely even worry as you get ready, fixing your hair and tugging on a “going out” dress that you barely wear, smiling at yourself in the mirror. You can’t remember the last time you felt so carefree, so confident, so effortlessly happy, and you’re still floating on air as you pull on your shoes when Rey and Rose knock on your door.
You’re greeted with wolf whistles and a “Goddamn!” from your best friends, adding more fuel to that joyful feeling in your chest. For a moment, you think about brushing off their compliments and muttering something about them being wrong, but instead you just duck your head and say thank you.
You’ve been missing the feeling of floating on air, and now that you have it, you’d do anything to keep it, including accepting compliments even when your brain screams that you don’t deserve them. But you try not to dwell on the negative thoughts worming their way into your head, and focus instead on the conversation Rey and Rose are having on the way down to the car.
From the bits and pieces you catch while you buckle yourself into the backseat, it sounds like a discussion of Rey’s coworker, a man named Kylo. According to their conversation, he continues to undermine her authority, despite the fact that she’s technically his superior. You tell her that she should just fire him, and while she laughs, you can tell from her eyes that she’s thinking about it.
Along the way, you end up tuning them out, turning your attention to the street lights that blur as you zoom past them and the warm night air rushing in through the open window. It’s the perfect weather to match your mood, warm and balmy even after the sun has set.
It’s your first time seeing the Resistance at night, and it looks completely different than it does in the mid afternoon sunlight. The entrance of the building is covered in twinkle lights, lighting up the brick façade. It feels warm and inviting, drawing you in like a moth to the flame.
You’re practically shaking, for once in your life not caused by anxiety, but by excitement. You let Rey and Rose lead the way into the building, trailing behind and admiring how different it looks in the moonlight.
The bar’s busy, but not too crowded to the point you’d feel claustrophobic. Practically every table and booth are filled, and so are most of the seats at the bar. But, as soon as you reach the bar, Poe is sliding your drink of choice into your hands, laughing at the look of shock on your face.
“I saw you guys come in, and I promised you free drinks, didn’t I?” There’s music playing and people talking, so he speaks louder than he normally would, but it doesn’t feel like you’re being shouted at.
“Thank you,” you reply as he works on Rey and Rose’s drinks, humming in delight when you take a sip.
“That’s the way you like it, right?” Poe asks, handing the girls their drinks and then pausing to look at you. You see relief wash across his face when you nod, and he adds with a proud smile, “I remember from game night.” And you can’t help but positively beam at that fact.
It seems unbelievable that Poe had managed to remember such a small thing about you when he has so many other things to worry about, especially related to drinks. But he remembers yours, even when you only had one at game night.
Your heart beats a little faster at the idea of Poe paying attention to something so small, closely enough to remember it almost a month later.
“It’s perfect,” you reply, before slapping a ten on the counter with a grin.
“Drinks are on the house, remember?”
“It’s your tip,” you reply, grin growing as Poe laughs, joy scrunching up his face in the most adorable way possible.
You don’t get to admire it for as long as you wanted to, because Rose is coming up next to you and tugging you away, leading you to an empty booth that Rey had managed to snag. You don’t feel bad though, because Poe’s busy and you know you’ll see him later, and you hope you can see him make that adorable face again.
You let your eyes wander around the room, taking in the buzzing of life and laughter that transforms the space into something completely different from the sun soaked empty room you’d been painting in.
You can see your mural on the opposite wall, an unconscious smile spreading across your face when your eyes land on it. You can’t even begin to describe the feeling that settles in your chest at seeing the final product, something you’d spent weeks planning and worrying and working on, and seeing so many people commenting on it.
This is the first time your art has been displayed in public, besides the small pieces that hang in Maz’s, but that’s different. Those are small canvases you’d painted for yourself that Maz had liked enough to hang up. This is a personalized mural for the Resistance, for Finn and Poe, and Poe will happily point you out to whoever who asks about the piece.
Most of the night you spend with Rey and Rose, laughing and catching up, but sometimes you go to get another drink and spend time talking with Poe, enjoying his smile and laugh and the way he seems so comfortable and confident behind the bar. There were also a few instances where other patrons had come over to compliment you on the mural, some even asking if you could do something for them or their businesses.
That made you feel lighter than air, and you’d caught Poe winking at you a few times after directing those patrons towards you.
You, Rey, and Rose stay at the Resistance far longer than you thought you would, and far longer than would have been possible if you weren’t friends with Finn and Poe. If this was any other bar, you would have been kicked out an hour ago. But instead, you’re sitting on a bar stool, finding it almost impossible to focus on the game of go fish when Poe’s standing right on the other side of the bar, happy and comfortable and beautiful.
The three of you had switched to drinking beer, so Finn and Poe didn’t have to do any more dishes. They even joined in, because technically the bar has been closed for almost an hour at this point, but none of you are quite ready to leave.
Instead, Finn had found a pack of cards behind the bar, and you all decided the easiest game to play was go fish. Even though you’re playing a children’s card game, Poe and Rose get ridiculously competitive, despite the fact that neither of them have won a single round.
But it doesn’t matter, because you’re happy and together and their playful shouting makes you burst out in laughter every time. The force of your love for these people hits you like a semi-truck, until you can feel the pressure of it on your chest. It’s not a constricting feeling, just one that’s impossible to ignore.
The game lasts another 30 minutes, until Rose is practically asleep, with her head resting on the bar. Finn offers to drop you off on his way to bring Rey and Rose safely home, but you aren’t quite ready to end the night, even if it’s the morning.
“I’ll lock up here, and then I can bring you home,” Poe offers, tying the cards back together with the rubber band they were found in.
“Are you sure?” While you want to jump at the offer, you really don’t want Poe to go out of his way for you, after everything he’s already done.
“Of course, it’s on my way,” he grins, and you know it’s a lie, but you say yes anyway because you’ll take any excuse to spend a little more time with Poe.
You help him wipe down the tables and bar while he takes out the trash, and soon enough you’re back in his passenger’s seat, the cool night air whipping your face as the streetlights blur past.
“You hungry?” He asks as you glance over at him and try not to stare at his profile, illuminated by the streetlights.
“I guess,” you respond before laughing because he’s already pulling into the parking lot of a 24 hour diner. “Were we going here no matter what I said?”
“No,” he says with a gentle smile and a soft look in his eyes that lets you know for sure he’s telling the truth, “I would have turned around if you asked me to.”
He grabs your hand in his, and gives it a squeeze as you walk towards the nearly empty diner. “I’m glad you agreed though, because I swear to god, these are the best waffles I’ve had in my entire life. You’ll never be the same after eating them.”
You laugh as he leads you to a sticky nylon booth and slides into the seat opposite of you. You both order the same thing, because now you need to try these supposedly life changing waffles. And, when you take your first bite, you admit through his over-the-top, far-too-loud-for-this-hour cheering, that they’re pretty damn good.
Your conversation starts out light, like updates about Poe’s cat, Bee, who recently decided that he only wants to sleep curled up in Poe’s bathroom sink or the new projects you're working on now that your mural for the Resistance is finished.
But, the conversation progresses naturally into the deeper, more substantial topics. You’d normally be anxious sharing so much with somebody so soon after meeting and becoming friends, and you could blame the alcohol or the late hour or how easy Poe is to talk to, but you don’t feel stressed at all.
“I never even went to college,” he says, pushing his empty, syrup covered plate towards the center of the table, “I joined right out of high school.”
“Really?”
“Mhm. Both of my parents were pilots in the Air Force, and my dad went commercial after my mom died when I was a kid. Did six years, met Finn, took over the Resistance for Leia.”
“Do you ever wish you hadn’t joined?” Your question makes him think, and with his heavy silence you’re worried that you’d pushed too far, that you aren’t close enough to ask him that type of question.
“No,” he finally answered, and you mentally let out a sigh of relief, “I think about what would have happened if I didn’t sometimes, and nothing would be the same. I wouldn’t have Finn or Rey or Rose or you, I wouldn’t be running the Resistance, I wouldn’t have gotten Bee. I mean, it wasn’t the best, but it brought me here, so it was good for something.”
He doesn’t say anything after that, instead taking a drink of the sugary sweet lemonade he has ordered while you mull over what he had told you. It’s comforting, you think, that every single decision you’ve made, bad or good, has led you to this point. It led you to Rose and Rey, to Finn and Poe, to your degree and your job at Maz’s, to the galaxy mural in the middle of the Resistance.
It led you right here, to a 24 hour diner, sitting in a sticky booth with Poe Dameron seated across from you.
“So what about you?” Poe asks, shocking you out of your thoughts and causing you to jump a little, which makes him stifle a laugh.
“What about me?” You counter and smile at the way Poe fails to suppress his grin.
“Anything. Your hopes, your dreams, your tragic backstory. Anything you want to tell me.”
“Well, I don’t have a very tragic backstory, but I don’t talk to my parents anymore because they suck. I had a typical childhood, nothing interesting ever really happened to me.”
“I’m sure you’ve got some wild stories hidden in that brain of yours.” Poe interrupts, shooting you a smile.
“Can I keep going?”
“Of course, of course,” he puts his hands up in mock surrender, and it’s your turn to smile for him.
“My dream… my dream is to be able to make art full time, enough to support myself. It’s not that I don’t love working at Maz’s, because I do, that’s just not what I want to do with my life.” You pause and gather your thoughts before continuing, “I want to get married someday, maybe have a few kids but definitely get a dog. We’d move out of the city, but not too far, to a house with a big backyard and a front porch. There’d be a garden, and I’d paint the front door yellow and the kitchen green.”
You didn’t realize you’d been rambling, and you also hadn’t realized the way Poe was staring at you. It made you feel butterflies, made you feel a weight in your chest you’d never felt before. You felt weightless and pulled down at the same, flying and sinking.
He clearly hadn’t realized he’d been staring, because he seems to jump when you accidentally slurp your drink a little too obnoxiously.
“That sounds… that sounds like a good dream,” he says, still a little starry-eyed, “You ready to go?”
Poe insists on paying, and when you try to tip he sticks it back in your purse when you aren’t looking. The drive to your apartment is similar to the drive to the diner with its silence, but now it feels weighty, like you’re both waiting for the other to say something important.
All too soon for your liking, Poe is pulling to a stop outside of your building. After unbuckling, you sit for a minute, trying to figure out the right thing to say before settling on squeezing his hand where it rests on the gearshift with a “Goodnight, Poe” and you turn around to give him a wave when you reach the door, one that he returns before driving off.
You hurry through your nighttime routine, and barely manage to pull back the covers before you’re flopping over and falling asleep. That joyful, floaty feeling returns as you slip into your dreams, and as you think of that dream life, you’re picturing Poe beside you.
Tags: @aellynera @userpoe @dailyreverie @stevenngrant @creatively-analytical @poopirate @luckynachos @captainpuffyrp @tiquinntheghost @sabxism @fallinallinmendes
76 notes · View notes
jedi-valjean · 2 years
Note
7, 17, 22, 23!
I'm going to do Star Wars and the DuckTales reboot for these
7. Is there anything you used to like but can’t stand now?
Star Wars: I would say The Force Awakens and The Mandalorian. The Force Awakens had some fundamental flaws that I ignored because the movie was fun and I assumed the other two would make up for them. Boy was I wrong. The Mandalorian had an excellent first season, but the second season was too cameo-heavy and I objected to Luke getting involved. But the second season didn't ruin it for me. The Book of Boba Fett did. Grogu had no business appearing in a Boba Fett standalone, and I felt that it was way too early to end his Jedi training and reunite him with Din Djarin. Plus, now people will have to watch TBOBF to understand Mando S3, and I don't like that at all. TBOBF should have been able to stand on its own. It's clear they only cared about teasing Mando S3. The fact that they frontloaded what should have been the beginning of S3 killed my hype and I'm probably not even going to bother with it.
DuckTales: Della. It's not even that she's a jerk and a bad parent, it's that the writers make excuses for it. They should've had someone with actual trauma write this show, because pretty much none of these characters' issues are addressed properly. They tried to make us like Della as a person rather than as a character. If she has a redemption arc, I must have missed it, because they did not put in the work to make her as sympathetic as they want her to be. I would have loved to have seen her held way more accountable than she was, and then maybe she could have grown into a sympathetic character naturally instead of just having the writers insist that she deserves the benefit of the doubt 99% of the time.
17. Instead of XYZ happening, I would have made ABC happen…
Aw, geez, just one? Alright then...
Star Wars: I would just revamp the entire Bad Batch. There are infinite ways I could do this. If I had to make just one change, I would make the Batch and the regs not hate each other. As is, The Bad Batch completely undermines the themes of brotherhood among the clones.
DuckTales: Don't make Webby a clone. The last thing her character needed was to be related to Scrooge McDuck by blood. She should have learned to grow beyond her obsession with him in her quest for family. Instead, she literally is him. I prefer my friend Cassie's take on Webby's parentage, where Bentina's daughter was in love with Donald but married someone else before dying in a tragic car accident. This ties her to the Duck family in a compelling way that isn't by blood, and also gives more depth to Donald's character. Losing the love of his life to another man and then to death is one of the juiciest Donald backstories you could come up with. It just adds so many layers, especially to his relationship with Webby and Mrs. Beakley. I may as well plug Cassie's fic here while I'm at it. Go read it. Seeing these characters actually take the time to process their trauma is so cathartic. Also, Cassie's version of Della is even more awful than in the show, and her character is all the better for it. It's just so much more honest of a take on the type of person Della is.
22. Popular character you hate?
Star Wars: Crosshair. He's the new Kylo Ren. Stop thirsting over these pasty, fugly fascist types. Giving Kylo a redemption was a huge mistake and giving Crosshair one will only make The Bad Batch an even more terrible show than it already is.
DuckTales: I was going to say Della, but honestly I don't completely hate her, I just prefer the version of her that's stuck on the moon. Now Goldie on the other hand... I mean, I just don't get her. She's just not executed all that well at all and honestly, I'm more confused about the appeal of her character than anything. She doesn't have enough chemistry with Scrooge to get me invested in their whole "exes to rivals with lingering romantic tension" thing. As far as trickster characters go she doesn't seem like anything special. I do kinda like her dynamic with Louie, but she just didn't hook me like a lot of the other characters. I mean the whole "betraying Scrooge at the end of every episode she's in" thing got pretty old fast. The tension between them falls flat for me when I don't see why they should still want each other.
23. Unpopular character you love?
Star Wars: FINN. But I don't think about Finn much anymore because the way they butchered his potential is too sad for me to dwell on.
DuckTales: Oh gosh. I'm both new and late to the DT17 fandom. I have no idea who's unpopular and whatnot. Can I say Donald? IDK if the fandom hates him but the writers sure did.
Thanks for submitting questions!
1 note · View note
ainomica · 5 years
Text
...
5 notes · View notes
roanniom · 3 years
Note
Hey Issa, my sweet honey bun! I don’t send many requests to people, so bear with me. I’ll forever wait for the day you write Kylo, but until then I’ll throw this one at you for Charlie. I had a wander through the prompt list, and I kinda liked “I’ll feel better if you let me walk you home.” with Charlie being all protective of reader, unsure if she reciprocates his feelings. And because I’m a garbage can of filth, I also loved “I’m not made of glass. You won’t break me.” if you wanted to move into smut. I hope this gets the creative juices flowing? Take your time, no pressure ever! 💕💕💕
@paper-n-ashes as you know I have been holding onto this and chipping away at it steadily for FOREVER so I can get it just right for you, so I hope you enjoy it, my love <3
Push
Tumblr media
Charlie Barber x Reader
Word Count: 6,862
Warnings: NSFW, fingering, PIV sex / unprotected sex, light light light choking (not even really), mention of infidelity (just canon from Marriage Story plot), a lil post-divorce angst/lack of confidence
The above photo is Charlie Barber, 1-year post divorce. He’s been working out as a form of anger management and because Henry, over many late night phone conversations, has shared his new love of hiking, a pastime he’s picked up since living in LA. Charlie plans to take Henry hiking on the Appalachian trail next summer break and wants to be on tip top shape to keep up with his enthusiastic son.
He’s been to therapy. Learning more about what went wrong in his marriage, but more specifically learning about how he can become a better person in the aftermath. How infidelity and self-interest were born of a deep-seated need for a love that he was not receiving. A love that was no closer to him prior to his indiscretions but all the same rendered unreachable as a result. He’s given himself time to grieve the man he’d thought himself to be. Because that is what had died with his marriage - not Charlie Barber himself. But the Charlie Barber he’d built in his mind. A man limited by support that came with conditions, love that came with caveats. That Charlie was a father and a husband. He was often suppressed, wound tight, on edge.
This Charlie is a father and a man. He is free to celebrate his own success without fear of wounding nearby egos. He’s limited only by what he feels he deserves. And granted sometimes those self-imposed limitations can really hold him down, as they did when he vowed not to jump into any further entanglements - affairs or otherwise - in the time immediately following his divorce. But that limitation was ultimately beneficial. It gave him space to be alone - with himself, for himself. He was able to finally see his own flaws with his own eyes instead of having them recited back to him by another, as if through a crude, second hand reflection. And in seeing these flaws, he also saw the virtues. Charlie was actually starting to like himself again.
And this is when he meets you.
You storm into his life with an energy he doesn’t recognize, introduced at a party by a friend of a friend, filling his senses with your too-loud-laughter and too-bright-eyes. In many ways that’s how he sees you: too much. Your enthusiasm makes you appear too young, though in truth you’re not that much younger than him. Your smile makes you appear too beautiful, though in truth there are often much more conventionally attractive women in the room at any given time.
“Charlie. Charlie Barber,” Charlie mutters as he shakes your hand. Its warm in his larger one and he’s suddenly a little self-conscious of the fact that he’d been holding his sweating scotch on the rocks just moments before the contact.
“Hello Charlie-Charlie Barber,” you reply with a massive grin, shaking his hand back vigorously and with seemingly no reaction to its clamminess. “The famous director, I assume?”
Charlie clocks the quirk of your eyebrow. A tease. A social cue he’s not used to. Not these days. He looks down at his worn tennis shoes, all too aware all at once of the way they dress down his sweater and jeans. He feels rumpled next to you and he’s not sure he likes it. You’re too put together.
You’re too honest, too fearless, too open to new things. Though Charlie’s beginning to grow, your presence reminds him of how stunted he’d been in his marriage. How the same old restaurants, the same old clothes, the same old glass of the same old scotch had become items of comfort for him, talismans of a previous life that he clung to for some semblance of familiarity. Around you, however, those same old things looks dull and uninspired. Quite the opposite of you.
You are the one to ask him out, though he’s not even really aware that it’s a date at all when he arrives. That’s how much he doesn’t see you coming. His affair had been one of convenience. An opportunity to blow off excess steam, and a pretty disappointing one at that, with neither party really find what they were chasing. His marriage had grown cold long before it had ended. All of this to say that Charlie wasn’t very familiar with warmth. With interest that occurred in the light of day, and attention that was given without anything sought in return.
You’re halfway through lunch before you realize that he doesn’t understand your intentions. So you explain them to him. Clear and empty of any pretense. You are attracted to him and interested in getting to know him further. It’s simple, really. He’s shocked by your openness and the absence of any games. In another life he’d once assumed that a relationship without strife, without agony, without strategic tug of war would be one without passion. However, as he soon learns while taking you out on the second date, that he couldn’t have been farther from the truth.
Over dinner this time he finds himself getting lost in your micro-expressions. Finds his eyes lingering on the animated way you gesture, finds his words getting twisted in his tongue as your gaze weighs on him, expectant and waiting for a response to some question. His bodily responses to your attention are no less potent in the absence of angst. In fact, he is surprised to find that his yearning practically triples when you part ways and he realizes not once had he been made to feel like he had to prove something, or fight, or challenge.
He learns over time that you challenge him in other ways. Challenge him when it comes to picking restaurants outside his comfort zone. Challenge him by dragging him, mid-lunch date, on a shopping trip with you, a trip where you gently help him to finally replace the worn out tennis shoes to which he’d been clinging. Challenge him by laughing with him, not at him, even when the subject of the humor is himself. Your laughter is lighter, more carefree, than he is used to. Then again, he’s not used to being around someone like you.
He kisses you after the third date – the lunch-turned-shopping trip. It’s quick and it’s light, on the curb before an intersection on the East Side, right before you both are about to walk in separate directions. You say nothing when he pulls away. Just smile and turn on your heel, already headed to your next destination. It drives Charlie crazy over the next few days. Not because he assumes you have some hidden agenda. On the contrary, he’s horrified that your interior thoughts match your exterior actions. You have been nothing but honest with him. It is Charlie who has been oscillating wildly in his mind. Between thoughts of how much it might hurt if you turn out to be too good to be true and thoughts of how much he’d love to feel your body on his. To explore the mouth you use so effortlessly to tease him, to compliment him, to charm him. You speak kindness like pleasantries, as if affirmations and praise were as easy to dole out as a cheery “good morning” on a stress-free Saturday. Charlie wants to know what you’re like on a Saturday. Away from the bustle of the city. Away from the common friends and the crowded shops and restaurants that have buffered all of your encounters.
But Charlie’s still afraid.
On your fourth date Charlie is more reserved when you arrive at the restaurant. You break the ice by pointing out that the formality of your dates is beginning to feel silly.
“Maybe it’s the fact that the tables have tablecloths,” you joke, swirling your pasta around a fork. “Or maybe it’s the fact that I’ve never repeatedly had meals with someone I wasn’t already in a relationship with.”
Charlie prickles at the implication, taking a labored swallow of ice water. He doesn’t want to comment on the relationship part of your sentiment so he chooses something more neutral.
“Should I remind you that two of these meals have been at your suggestion and you did, in fact, also plan them as meals.” He relaxes a bit when you laugh heartily at that, relieved that the conversation doesn’t get any more dicey.
“Touché,” you reply. Then you lean forward and whisper conspiratorially at him across the small table. He feels himself lean in, curious but also looking for a chance to just get closer in proximity. He wishes he’d had the courage to sit next to you rather than across from you when he’d first sat down. “Feeling adventurous enough to let me pick where we go after this tonight?”
And Charlie feels adventurous. Adventurous as he lets you whisk him across town and to your favorite arcade bar. Adventurous as he passes you a large handful of quarters he got from the little machine at the front, only to grasp your fist in his when he miscalculates how much of his handful you’d be capable of taking, narrowly avoiding a massive spill of loose change on the floor. Adventurous as he orders a couple of beers and lets you show him your favorite game, Burger Time – a silly little maze game where you collect burger ingredients. Adventurous as he shows you his favorite game, which is pretty much any pinball machine known to man.
“Yours looks cooler than mine,” you huff, walking over to the pinball machine he’s playing once you abandon the one that was definitely broken. Or at least that’s how you justify so many consecutive, immediate losses. Charlie laughs and pulls back the plunger but doesn’t release, effectively pausing his game.
“You wanna try it?” Charlie ushers you in front of him and puts your hand on the plunger beneath his, careful not to release it in the process. “The key is anticipating where the ball will go. It’s all about patterns after a while.”
“Then why does it seem so random?” you ask, looking up at him over your shoulder.
“You just haven’t played enough yet. Over time you can predict what will happen if the ball hits a certain corner. Where it will go if it ricochets juuust right at the last second.”
“Sounds fake but I’ll let you prove it to me,” you say with a laugh, focusing your attention back on the machine.
“We’ll let go in one…two…three.” When you feel the pressure of his hand let up you let go as well, letting him guide both your hands immediately to the buttons on the side of the machine.
For as great as his theory of pinball predictability is, he probably underestimates your ability to suck. Because you do, hard. But you laugh the whole way through, and you never quit. Never turn to him in frustration asking to do something else or even to leave. Instead you keep feeding quarters into the machine and bringing your hands back under Charlie’s on the machine. And no matter how shitty you are, you always at least try to focus.
Charlie, meanwhile, is having a very hard time focusing on anything that isn’t your body. His hips bracket your ass in this helpful position he’s adopted, and he feels your pressure against his pelvis with every enthusiastic wriggle and little jump of frustration that you take in response to the game. When he makes the unfortunate mistake to look down over your shoulder at one point he’s met with a direct view of your cleavage, exposed as it is in your low-cut blouse. Charlie begins to sweat and it has nothing to do with how packed the arcade is or with the exertion of gaming. When he remembers that the arcade is also a bar, he excuses himself to get more beer, hoping that one will cool him off and cool him down.
You dazzle him with a smile thrown over your shoulder when he approaches with the two fresh bottles, and he’s not prepared for how the sight of your face almost knocks him back on his ass.
“Charlie! I did better this time!” He chuckles at your enthusiasm.
“Oh yeah?” he asks, handing you your beer which you sip gratefully.
“I lasted a few more minutes than last time,” you elaborate proudly. “So I’d say that means I now qualify as a pinball wizard.”
“Move over Elton John,” Charlie says with a smirk. You slap him in the shoulder and immediately engage him in a spirited discussion of whether the Elton John movie version of “Pinball Wizard” was better than The Who’s version from the original album. However, after a few minutes Charlie realizes he’s lost in thought. Lost in your voice. Lost in your expressions. Lost in you.
When it finally comes time to leave the arcade, the night drawing much later than it had on your previous nighttime date, Charlie’s scared he’ll be lost without you. The two of you walk together for a couple of blocks before you reach that similar intersection. The place where you part ways.
“I think we really turned around that formality thing, don’t you?” you ask him, turning to Charlie and leaning back against the column of a pedestrian sign. Charlie moves into your space, swallowing his hesitation.
“I don’t know, I began to feel a little unworthy when you ascended past the role of pinball wizard.”
“Oh did I get a promotion?” You ask, tipping your head back so you can look up at him as he steps closer.
“The word wizard conjures up images of wizened old man,” Charlie says dismissively, as if that clears up everything.
“So if you’re saying I don’t remind you of a wrinkled old Merlin – to which might I say, shocker – then what exactly is my new title.”
“One that fits you inside and out.” Charlie braces a hand against the column above your head, his other in his pocket. His head dips down so that it’s closer to your face despite your height difference. You feel warm despite the slight chill in the air.
“And that would be Pinball….?” you prompt.
“Goddess,” he completes the title before pressing his lips to yours. His hands remain on the column and in his pocket until you reach forward and grab a fistful of his sweater, pulling him to you. Then his hands are at your waist, pushing you back into the column. His tongue is in your mouth and your hands are in his hair and he can’t breathe. But he doesn’t want to. He wants to suffocate, wants to asphyxiate on you and the way he feels so tethered to this moment, this intersection, this place where you cannot part ways.
When you break apart to, in fact, breathe, your chest heaves and your smile is radiant.
“As far as kisses goodnight go, I’d say that was top tier,” you say on a laugh. Suddenly Charlie’s throat is constricting and he has to fight his facial muscles to keep from frowning as his hands tighten on your waist.
“That wasn’t a kiss goodnight. Not yet.”
“Any longer and it’ll be a kiss good morning, sir. Have you seen the time?” Your tone is joking. You call people ‘sir’ all the time. It’s a weird quirk of yours, like calling someone dude or pal. But Charlie can feel himself choking on the word, as well as the implications of a ‘kiss good morning.’ All of a sudden he feels like if he could have only one more thing before dying, that’s what he’d ask for. But then he kicks himself internally for being so fucking dramatic and he fiddles with the hem of your shirt.
“Exactly. It’s late.
You survey him from under your eyelashes with a small smile.
“I’ve made this walk many times.”
“It’s dark.”
“I’ve made this walk in the dark many times.”
“I’ll feel better if you let me walk you home.”
Charlie’s heart clenches. Before he can overthink, you’ve ducked out of his hold, grasped his hand and started pulling him down the street.
“C’mon Charlie, hurry up. You’d keep a goddess waiting?” you toss back at him over your shoulder. But in truth it was taking all of Charlie’s self control and the fact that he didn’t know the way to your place to keep him from throwing you over his shoulder and breaking into a full sprint.
~*~
Your place is exactly like you. Eclectic, warm, inviting. There is a moment, as you pull off your coat and turn away to place it and Charlie’s on a coat rack, when Charlie feels much too big for the space. Like he’s some kind of giant invading the home of a sweet little wood nymph. But then his little wood nymph is grabbing him by the front of the shirt and dragging him to a bedroom and the worries fade right out the window.  
At first Charlie is gentle with you. His hands ghost over your body as you kiss him beside your bed. When you push him to sit down on the edge of the mattress and step between his open legs to kiss him with a different height dynamic his heart just about jumps clear out of his chest. He hasn’t done this – hasn’t touched or been touched – in so long. The affair had been transactional, just the mechanical motions of sexual gratification. Sex with Nicole, before it stopped, had been even colder, almost as if she had been begrudgingly completing some unwelcome chore.
You, however, are like fire beneath Charlie’s fingers. Your skin, your lips – everything is so warm it feels like you’re too hot to touch. But Charlie would rather risk burning up than to not become accustomed to the feel, the shape, the substance of you. He smooths over your body with a reverential softness, his muscles tense with restraint so as to keep from accidentally pushing you too far too fast. To keep from handling the way that, deep down, he desperately needs.
When your lips suddenly leave his, his brow furrows in frustrations. Before he can open his eyes a soothing finger smooths the furrow away, sliding down the bridge of his nose to press against his kiss-swollen lips. Charlie opens his eyes with a question present in them and you cock your head to the side.
“You’re tense. Like you’re holding back.” The statement isn’t accusatory but it isn’t a question. Charlie takes a shaky breath, unsure about how much he should say. Would his desperation read as too dramatic? Too undesirable? Would his enthusiasm come across as pushy or dominating? His brow must furrow again because your hand moves back up, finger pressing out the wrinkles. He shrugs.
“It’s been…a while for me. I didn’t want to come across as too…much.”
You laugh then and yet again Charlie is struck by how strange it is that you can laugh in his face directly in response to something he’s said without making him feel like you are laughing at him.
“I’m not made of glass. You won’t break me, Charlie.”
“You’re sure about that?” Charlie huffs out with a little chuckle. You give him a smirk and say your next words up against his lips.
“Try me.”
You probably were expecting him to require more cajoling. You probably were expecting him to gradually ease into something more. But Charlie takes you by surprise, grabbing you and pulling you onto the bed with him, rolling so that you’re laid out beneath his body, all the while maintaining hungry possession of your mouth. His body finds its place between your legs and you gasp at the feeling of how huge he is. How hard and insistent against your softness. He drinks from you like a man whose thirst can not be quenched. His hands find purchase on your waist and he squeezes. So hard you’re sure you’ll bruise. You smile against his mouth with the realization that you look forward to watching them bloom later.
Since Charlie seems too preoccupied with groping and making out with you, it is you who eventually takes the next step, beginning to pop open the buttons on your blouse one by one. When Charlie feels the motion of your hands between your bodies he ultimately pulls back to investigate, mouth dropping open at the slow reveal of the lingerie you’re wearing beneath. His hand shoots out to caress the delicate lace of your bra, teasingly not applying any pressure to the breast beneath.
“Do you wear things like this often?” Charlie’s voice is already rough as he asks this. You shrug.
“Whenever I want to feel sexy.”
“You wanted to feel sexy while out with me?” Charlie asks, lifting an eyebrow.
“You made me feel sexier than the lace, Mr. Barber,” you say with a smile before leaning up to capture his lower lip between your teeth. He groans and moves to practically swallow you whole. You’re entirely foreign to him. Enthusiasm, amusement, and enjoyment bundled up into one devastatingly sexy package. There’s no shame in your movements, no angst in your eyes. Just humor. Only an unabashed pursuit of pleasure. And if it’s pleasure you want, it’s pleasure you’ll get.
Charlie now aids you in the process of removing the rest of your garments, so it goes much quicker. When you move to pull off your bra, however, he catches your wrist in his massive hand.
“No…can these stay on?” Your eyebrows shoot up but you notice the way that Charlie is gazing at you with eyes slightly hazy and tongue running over his lips.
“This doing it for you, Charlie?” you tease, shimmying a bit. Charlie’s answer is sincere regardless as he dips his head down to sample the plush skin at the line of your cleavage.
“You have no idea.”
“So you’re a lingerie man, huh?” When you ask he stops to think for a second because, truly, he had never considered himself that way before. He’d never had any reason to. Sure lingerie models in magazines were hot, but it’s not a specific fantasy he’d ever explored previously.
But the sight of you here, strategically covered in lace and laid out beneath him pretty as a picture has him so hard he feels like a teenager unable to control himself. So, as you had urged him, he doesn’t.
“I might be. But really, I’m just enamored by these tits.” His teeth sink into your flesh and you sigh, especially when his tongue comes out to lave warmly at the spot. He moves down your body then, peppering kisses to the exposed skin of your stomach, sliding until your inner thighs rest against the sides of his face and his hands dip below you to squeeze your ass. “Although I feel like this might end up being my favorite part.” He says this last part directly into your clothed cunt, his lips just barely ghosting over the fabric with his words.
You wiggle a bit in his grasp, loving the answering way his fingers dig into your soft flesh. Your fingers card into his lush hair, tugging lightly at the roots, a feeling that shoots through his body and straight to his rock hard member. The way he discretely ruts against the mattress in response does not go unnoticed by you, so you drop a hand under his chin to tip his face back up to look at you.
“Will you fuck me, Charlie?” Your voice is clear and bright. Not playing coy and requiring any convincing. Just asking for something you want. And the hunger in your eyes seems unmistakable, though it still feels to good to be true. Charlie drops his gaze back down to the wet spot forming in your panties before looking back up and practically pouting.
“I’d like to taste you,” he counters. A brilliant smile breaks out across your face at the sound of that but you shake your head.
“There’ll be time for that later,” you argue, tugging on his shoulder to get him back on top of you. “If you don’t get inside me right now I’ll die.”
Charlie almost misses that last part because he’s still stuck on the first part. There’ll be time for that later. The possibility of later squeezes at Charlie’s hard and it’s only after a few echoing seconds that he’s able to process the rest of your statement with a delayed, choking laugh.
“Is someone getting dramatic on me?”
“Not yet, but I will if - ”
“If I don’t get inside you?” Charlie completes the statement in the exact moment a hand drops between your thighs and presses against the soaked fabric covering your slit. You inhale sharply.
“Exactly.”
“I didn’t take you for someone who was pushy in bed,” Charlie says good naturedly, swiping his fingers up the line of you to end with a swirl over where he assumed – correctly – your clit was. You tilt your pelvis to maximize his pressure before surging up to kiss him long and hard.
“I’m actually not. Not really,” you say breathlessly when you finally pull away and drop back down onto the pillows. You stretch luxuriously, almost like a kitten in the sun under his piercing gaze, the movement of your hips bumping his hand to rub you even better. Running your hands up and down the big, strong arms that cage you in and support him, you kiss his shoulder. “I’ve been hoping you would be.”
Suddenly your wrists are being pinned down above your head by one of Charlie’s hands. He’s got your legs open wide with his body sinking against you, hard and heavy.
“Pushy? You want me to be pushy?”
You grin big and wide at him.
“Yeah. Take charge like I know you want – oh!” You’re cut off by the welcome sensation of stimulation as Charlie’s hand drops inside your panties to slide around in your waiting slick. Without the barrier of the fabric between you, the feeling of your velvety slipperiness is enough to make him loose a growl.
He’s not hesitating and he’s not teasing anymore. Charlie has been waiting for this moment. He’s been waiting to care. Been waiting to feel. And what’s heightening the experience even more is the look on your face, the way your lips are parted and the way you gaze up at him longingly, expectantly. Providing all the evidence he needs to prove that you want this too. He wants you and you want him – what a novel idea. There are no angles or obligations, but also no shame or secrecy.
“Well if you wanted me to take charge you should have said so earlier,” he says, the corner of his lip quirking a bit as he dips two fingers inside your soaking cunt, not bothering to start with one. You gasp at the sudden intrusion. The stretch is a lot, but it is everything. Charlie sees the enjoyment register on your face, discomfort melting away almost immediately, and he begins to pull them slowly in and out to massage your walls.
“Maybe – ahh – maybe I should have,” you reply.
“Should I have caused a scene in the arcade?”
“Yes – fuck!” During an inward thrust Charlie curls his fingers up this time, rubbing against that spot in your upper wall that previous guys barely even knew was there. Before you know it he’s adding a third finger and you’re beside yourself. Charlie is elated to see how easily your body responds to his ministrations, how free you are with your reactions. He leans to down to suck a mark over your collar bone while his thumb meets your clit in tandem with his other thrusting fingers.
“You knew what you were doing when you kept rubbing that pretty little ass back into me while I taught you pinball.” His words rumbling against the skin of your throat.
“You made it so easy.”
“And you made it so hard,” Charlie counters, humor very present in his voice. You gasp out a laugh and try to tug your wrists from his grasp, but he doesn’t let you. Just keeps you pinned down as he continues to finger fuck you nice and slow.
“So impatient. I should have known. You’ve been impatient all night, haven’t you?” You whine out affirmations and screw your eyes shut as the pressure starts to build to a crescendo. Charlie picks up speed, his voice growing deeper as he continues. “Wanted me to fuck you on the pinball machine in front of everyone, didn’t you?”
You gasp and toss your head back against the pillows at that, hips bucking involuntarily. Charlie’s nose glides along the perimeter of your jaw, breathing in the scent of you as you fall apart. He’s never felt so powerful as he does with the feeling of your muscles tensing up under his fingertips. Never had the inspiration or audience for such language, but as you shiver and respond to his words, a surge of pride fills him and all he wants to do is dangle you over the edge over and over again.
“Charlie…” His name is a whimper when it falls from your lips. You’re so close. He feels it. So he pushes his fingers deep inside you, curling up with the motion, just as he sweeps one, two, three final circles into the throbbing bud of your clit.
You crest and you break against the tide of your orgasm, plummeting down from such heights you didn’t know you could reach from simple fingering. But there’s nothing simple about Charlie, the man who had been broken and put back together, only to find you, the universe’s overly generous reward for his perseverance.
Charlie’s slightly (unfocused) eyes focus on your heaving chest as you finally descend from the orgasm, but you’re the one to break the spell. Impatient is the perfect way to describe you as you wrap your legs around his middle and hook your ankles to trap him against you. You lunge up to arrest his mouth in a kiss. It’s sloppy, but just enough to distract him so that you can pull your wrists from his grasp. Once free you push him gently to the side so that you’re both rolling over, mouths still attached. He comes to rest on his back with you straddling him.
Charlie blinks up at you, taking in the way your breasts bounce in their bra cups as you busy yourself with the task of removing his clothes. He hadn’t even realized he was still in them until you began unbuttoning and pulling and pushing. Your impatience is clear once again in the way you divest him of the frustratingly excessive material and he finally gets the memo that he should help you.
With his pants and underwear pulled off and discarded, as well as the button up shirt that you had come to love as his signature look, you rest your palms flat on the plane of his chest. You’re still in your lingerie, as he had requested, only it is now beautiful askew. Your breasts now strain out of the cups, having been jostled into almost spilling out with your change of position. Your panties are sopping wet and stretched from his vigorous fingering and the evidence of your orgasm.
You’re the most beautiful thing he’s ever seen.
But you become even more beautiful when you wrap your hand around his aching cock, lifting up on your knees as you do so. Your fists slides up and down, up and down and he watches it, mesmerized, until you lean forward to catch his eye.
“What should I do, Charlie?”
Your face is soft and open. You’re asking for him to continue taking the lead. And Charlie realizes right then and there that he will never want to disappoint you. Snapping out his daze he lets his fingers dig into your flesh where his hands curl around your hips.
“Sit down on my cock, sweetheart.”
Sweetheart.
The term of endearment is so sugary. He’s called his son that, but never a lover, casual or otherwise, and never during the first time. Your face, however, lights up and you do as you’re told, sinking down onto his long, hard length. The impact draws a moan from both of your throats followed by gasped phrases spoken over one another.
“You’re so big!”
“You’re so tight!”
You both laugh at the overlap but laughter turns to groans as you roll your hips experimentally. After a few moments of this, it appears that Charlie becomes the impatient one finally.
“Ride me,” he spits through gritted teeth. Your nails imprint half moons in his skin as you clench at his tone, not quite hearing the words. Charlie sucks air through his teeth at the squeeze.
“What?”
“Ride me. I need you to fucking ride me.” You can tell that he’s trying to remain cool and collected, but his brow is furrowed and his bottom lip is caught between his teeth.
So you do as he says. You lift up and drop down, feeling the length of his cock slide through your sheath with a speed that you set, establishing a rhythm that has your toes curling. You let out a particularly shameless moan and Charlie opens his eyes. They widen immediately upon seeing that you’re clutching and squeezing at your own breast with one hand while grabbing onto his hip to stabilize you with the other. The sight alone of your face, screwed up in pleasure, flips a switch in Charlie and suddenly he is thrusting up into you without mercy.
“Charlie!” you cry out, both from surprise at the increased jostling and from how tremendously good it feels.
“I should have fucked you in the arcade. I would have if I had known how good you feel.”
“I – oh fuckfuck – knew,” you barely get out. Charlie hoists you back so that he’s sitting up with his back against the headrest now. The position gives him more leverage and power so he can lift you up and down his cock, bouncing you now with a rhythm that vibrates through your entire being.
“What was that, sweetheart?” Charlie asks, engulfing one of your breasts in his huge hand. The added sensation is perfect, but not quite enough. You wonder if you can coax more.
“I knew you would feel good.” You reach down to the base of his cock, encircling it as much as possible with it’s girth, and fisting upward just as he pulls you up, therefore maximizing the squeeze on his length. Charlie inhales abruptly and drops you back down.
“Little Miss Know-it-all, are you?” His voice is harsh and it sends a thrill throughout your body. Before you can respond, you’re pushed and yanked around, losing your grip with the motion.
“What - ?” Charlie’s hand on your throat quiets you. Not because he’s truly squeezing, but because the solid warmth of his hand causes you to squeak your way to silence. His adjustments now find you pulled up to the edge of the bed, legs spread and pushed back, with Charlie standing between them. Bent over, he grounds himself with one hand on your throat and one on your hip, positioning his tip back at the entrance to your weeping cunt. You expect him to slam his hips forward, to impale you with his cock, but he pauses with the swollen head just inside your folds.
“This okay?”
This power and control, the way he is manipulating your body for your pleasure and his own – he loves it. It’s so new and yet something he now wonders how he ever did without. But he also feels the need to check in and make sure that you’re still with him. The nod you give, the sparkle in your eye, and the quirk of your lips is all it takes to convince him and then he is plowing forward, slamming himself back in again and again. You let out a full throated moan and Charlie revels in the way your eyes roll all the way back.
He wonders what else will make you do that. What else will make your eyes roll back and your toes curl and your teeth sink into your bottom lip? He wonders, as his hand presses softly into the contours of your throat, what it would feel like to squeeze a little harder, and if the pressure would make you even more desperate for him. He wonders if you like a little pain with your pleasure, as he has long suspected he might enjoy, though has never truly had the chance to confirm.
But there will be time for that.
So now, he does his best to focus in on the sounds you release. Sounds of delight and surprise and sensual thrill. He coaxes you to your second climax and you don’t fight it. You don’t demure or wait for him or hesitate. Instead you unapologetically allow yourself to get lost in the pleasure he’s built for you, seizing and quaking beneath him without shame.
The sight and feeling are so beautiful he can’t help but follow soon after, pulling out and allowing releasing all over the bra and panties you had so generously left on for him. The sight of his seed landing on the delicate lace, as you lay beneath him fucked out and smiling, causes another tremor to rock through him, and he finds that he’s still cumming long after he usually would have finished.
Charlie finds himself in a daze in the immediate aftermath of his release. He looks around for something to clean you with, and when you notice you point out a box of tissues on the desk. After he’s done his best to wipe you up, you give him a kiss on the cheek. The mundane intimacy of the act makes him blush all the way to the hidden tips of his ears. It is absurd because you had just had sex, however the press of your lips to his skin seemed to seal the deal. This was not transactional. It was something more, Charlie can’t help but think to himself as you get up from the bed and skip to the bathroom.
In your absence Charlie again registers the smallness of your room. How large – out of place, maybe – he is amongst your delicate things. He pulls on his underwear and sits back down on the mattress, unsure.
Unsure about your expectations. Unsure about whether or not you’d want him to leave. Or stay.
Before he can make a decision in either direction you are bounding back into the room, a smile on your face. Your face is freshly washed and you’re in a faded, oversized tank top, having divested yourself of your abused lingerie. Charlie swallows at the sight of your breasts, free and outlined beneath the soft fabric. He adjusts his hands in his lap. No need to let you see him getting worked up again so soon like some horny teenager. You don’t seem to notice, instead slipping easily into bed beside him, shimmying under the covers and patting the space beside you so that he does the same.
So stay he will.
Once you’re both comfortable and situated, you slide into his arms, drawing them around your body without a question or seemingly a second though. Much like the way you’d slid into his life, Charlie thinks ruefully, nuzzling his face into the top of your head as you tuck in beneath his chin.
“Charlie?”
“Hm?”
“I know you always go to that diner on 15th for breakfast,” you begin, and Charlie’s heart spasms. Both at the thought of breakfast with you and the fact that you so casually know details about him. About his likes and his habits. He pulls you in a little tighter and nods his head.
“Yeah?”
“Would you mind if I show you a new place in the morning? I think you’ll really like it.”
And Charlie laughs. Because of course you’d want to push him out of his comfort zone. It’s what you do – push him to try new things. Push him to do things he wouldn’t usually consider. Push him to be the man he’d been working so hard for the past year to be.
“Yes, but I’m not changing the way I order my eggs,” he grumbles with humor, kissing the crown of your head. “Not yet.”
~*~
The next morning you order first, and you’ve never had breakfast with Charlie before, so when he asks for the same dish, you can’t possibly know that this is his first time ordering eggs Florentine.
As you both laugh and eat and sip coffee in the outdoor seating area of the quaint café you’d picked, fingers intertwined between you on the wrought iron table, you also can’t know that this is the happiest Charlie has felt in ages.
But he makes it his mission, right there and then, to do everything in his power to make you feel the same.
~*~
Tagging some lovely friends (please let me know if you would like to be tagged or untagged in the future!): @celestiasin @tlcwrites @noocturnalchild @thedivinemissn @insufferablelust @edencherries @historyandfandoms50 @lostinthedrive @thewilddingleberries @mariesackler @safarigirlsp @direnightshade @sacklerscumrag @clydesfavoritegirl @wayward-rose @hopeamarsu @barbers-glimmerin-darlin @finn-ray-nal-beads @fizzywoohoo @maybe-your-left @aliveandlonely @han-not-solo @mrs-zimmerman @maryforyou @jynzandtonic @renmaulxo @millenialcatlady @soggywhore @transparentmeoo @leia-suns @alpha-lobito
264 notes · View notes
Text
Protector (OC!Knight of Ren Reader x Kylo Ren)
You are Keless, a Knight of Ren, charged with the position of being Kylo Rens right hand. His Protector. After the events in the forests of Ilum you and your Commander are called to see Supreme Leader Snoke.
Word Count: 2,014
Warnings: Violence; set in The Last Jedi
Tumblr media
The image of your master on his knees brought bile to your throat. The other Knights had been told to leave as you’d made your ascent to the throne room but you? You were still here on the orders of Supreme Leader Snoke. Your berating had already happened so now you stood by and waited; Snoke had laid into you about your failings in the forest on Ilum and you had no choice but to stand, head bowed, and take his words. The Praetorian Guard were a menacing frame to your disgrace, your breath came thick and fast as you tried to contain your words. Despite your innate wish to talk back you knew better in this particular moment. Also… it wasn’t like you didn’t, in some way, agree with his anger. It was your job to serve Kylo Ren, your job to stand by his side as his protector and you’d let your duty slip. The result of that was a gaping lightsaber wound that split his body and had almost killed him. You never wanted to revisit the sickly panic you felt finding him, lying in white snow that was slowly turning red. That scavenger had somehow got a hold of your master mind, body and soul and she’d used that power to hurt him. Your blood boiled with the need to find her, hurt her and make her pay for almost making you lose the one thing that meant the most to you in the galaxy. The second you’d got Kylo into the medical bay you had gathered the other Knights and pre-emptively concocted the plan you instinctively knew the Commander would want - find the girl.
Kylo Ren was your home, your duty and, despite dealing with his frequent rage, he was a friend. All of the Knights protected Kylo of course but since you had joined the First Order Supreme Leader Snoke had appointed you personally to stand by his side - his right hand. Snoke had also made it clear that this was the only reason you, a resistance runaway, were still alive. You had failed and it made your heart heavy in your chest.
-----------------
Kylo knelt in front of Snoke, face littered with deep cuts and scrapes. The covered scar severed his face angrily – the dark bruises under his eyes stood out against pale skin making you long for him to feel better. Your force connection to your master was palpable but because of this his pain was all you had felt since it had happened, you could barely sleep with the ache that had made its home deep in your chest. You tried not to focus on his eyes, sad pleading and confused. You raised your own eyes to the ceiling knowing how he would flinch at you seeing him this way. But Snoke would not let you leave, almost like he wanted to embarrass Kylo in front of you. You stood at the back of the room, shuffling on your feet, holding the Commanders helmet in your slightly unsteady hands. In any other circumstance your demeanour would be steely and your nerves calm but when it came to your master nothing was ever so easy. He had been asked to remove the mask by Snoke and he had thrust it behind him, into your waiting hands, without as much as a look in your direction. You could feel pain rolling off him in waves, a tinge of guilt but underneath all of it you could sense his fear. Kylo knelt before his master like a child at prayer, hurt circled around him as Snoke criticized him in raised, hateful tones.
You had zoned out, trying not to focus on the cruel words dripping out of Snokes mouth but you jolted into action as Snoke struck Kylo with a burst of energy. You stepped forward, weapon raised, body thrumming with anger towards the Supreme Leader. How did Kylo not see what he was doing to him? Kylo just took every beating from the Supreme Leader as if he deserved it. As Snoke turned his back to you both you rushed forward to help Kylo from the ground but he shrugged you away grunting quietly as he pulled himself up to his feet.
Your contempt towards Snoke was well known in the Order; you disagreed with what he had done to Kylo with every fibre of your being. Kylo was strong and capable and you made it clear to him you did not think that was due to any credit given to Snoke. More and more your protectiveness toward your master was overtaking your duty to the Supreme Leader and it was becoming a problem. Your skin was prickling with fire, like every sinew in your muscles was begging you to move – to protect him. But you stood your ground not wanting to interfere knowing how irate Kylo would be if you pushed his humiliation too far.
“You’re just a child in a mask” Snoke seethed. Something inside you had to snap, “Enough!” you shouted, stepping forward once more into place beside Kylo. His eyes shifted to you beside him but he did not speak, he knew better than to speak in front of Snoke without being spoken too first. You on the other hand were done – you knew this would come back to you. You knew Snoke would make you pay for your insolence but right now the pain on your friends face was enough to make you want to drive your weapon through Snokes heart and watch the blood bubble and pour over your hands. Kylo could sense your rising anger and he turned to you with a still face but eyes that portrayed a strict warning. You grabbed him by the arm and spoke quietly now “Commander, we should go. You are required on the bridge”
Kylo bowed to Snoke and you did the same, as Kylo turned back to the elevator you raised your eyes to Snoke. His contorted face was seething pure anger at your outspoken nature and you returned a similar look, one of utter disgust lip curled over your teeth. Your voice was low so only Snoke would hear you, “You underestimate him Supreme Leader. The Commander will do everything you have asked and more. And be assured, it will be no thanks to you”
--------------------
“Sir?” you spoke hesitantly into the uncomfortable quiet of the elevator as the doors slid closed behind you. He startled a little, deep in thought, but you lowered your eyes so he wouldn’t think you had seen. The elevator wasn’t moving, no floor had been chosen, but you decided to give him time. Silently he thanked you for that. Kylo sunk onto one knee like his body had given out, back arched forward and elbow resting on his thigh. His breathing was laboured and sweat sat in a thin layer on his face.
“Sir we have to go to the bridge, I’ve heard word that we’ve found the rebel ships” you said quietly, reaching forward and pressing the elevator button.
He didn’t respond, his body trembling with a shudder that would make his bones rattle. “Kylo, you have to let me help you. If nothing more than because it is my job to do so. I know I failed you on Ilum but you have to let me back in” you pleaded; bending down to put yourself eye level with him. You knew what plagued his mind but you couldn’t see far enough to ease his turmoil “Sir please, let me in”
“I can’t!” He shouted back, his voice breaking at the end, unshed tears creating a gloss over his eyes.
He had reached his limit, he can’t do it anymore.
“Kylo, get up!” you barked this order as you pushed yourself to your feet. Frustration at his inability to listen to you boiling over in your heightened panicked state; this was a rare occurrence so his eyes scorched into you, as curious as they were angry, as he struggled to his feet. He snatched his helmet from your grasp. Since you two were alone you didn’t worry so much how this may seem, a Knight of Ren shouting orders at her master.
“It’s your mother, she’s here! We have to do something” Kylo let out an explosion of rage, slamming his helmet repeatedly into the wall of the elevator. Anger burst out of him like currents of electricity, you did not flinch but you stood well back from the sparks. You knew better than to get in his way when he was in this sort of mood. Snoke had pushed him too far; you didn’t see this ending well. When he had stopped you moved an inch closer to him, cautiously watching the way he shook from head to toe. Your heart ached in your chest for him and you knew he could feel it. “I know what the plan is Sir. But y-you can’t. She’s…” he raised his hand to silence your stuttering. You knew the plan was to lay siege to the rebel ships, which would mean his mother Leia would be killed – possibly by Kylos own hand. Snoke was right about one thing, killing his father had split Kylo to the bone; you had no idea what killing Leia would do to him too. Tears bristled in your eyes and you blinked them back. You weren’t like the other Knights, they had a grow colder in their years but walking beside Kylo had only built your empathy for the broken man who’s care was your sole reason for staying alive. You knew this made you the least trusted Knight, not seen as strong or capable like the rest, your weakness was your compassion. But you knew your kindness to your master made you trusted by him. And to you that’s all that mattered.
“Let me help you Master, please” you begged, reaching out to place a hand on his arm; a gesture of warmth. He didn’t flinch or shrug you away; he paused in your sign of kindness for a split second – more than you had ever seen him do before. But then his face turned to stone. He growled your name “Keless enough!”
The elevator doors opened suddenly and two first order officers stood nervously waiting. Their eyes glanced from the two of you to the shattered mask on the floor. Kylo turned to you, eyes dark “Prepare my ship” You nodded in compliance and watched as he stormed off towards the hanger. Your stomach filled with dread but you pulled together your most threatening face and the officers dashed past you, avoiding your eyes. He couldn’t kill his mother, the effort would destroy him. You prayed to whoever could hear you that by the time he sat in his ship his mind would be changed. “Please” you silently begged “Let Kylo find the compassion I know he has. Let him use it in this moment. Change his mind”
You followed in his footsteps, calling to technicians in the hanger to prepare the Commanders ship as you stepped in to oversee them. Kylo shouted an order towards an engineer and they immediately disagreed “C-Commander Ren, sir, I don’t think that’s possible” He threw them a simple look that made them physically cower and you smiled to yourself. As he stalked off you took his place, not quite as menacing physically but with words enough to get them moving “Are you really going to argue with the best pilot in the Order?” “N-no ma’am” they stuttered and scuttled off to complete the request.
Your eyes searched for him across the hanger and you saw him staring out the large glass window, back turned to the room but you knew his eyes were wide with fear in a moment when no one could see him. As a nervous officer approached him his anxious shoulders dropped and he pulled himself up to full height to address them.
“It’ll be alright sir” you reached out through the force to him “I promise”
66 notes · View notes
maybe-your-left · 3 years
Note
I know you’re not doing requests now but I want to send this just in case! Or maybe you can save it! But I love your writing and you’re hilarious! Would you please please write something with Gucci skiing with us with some wipeouts and humor and then soothing each other’s sore muscles afterwards? Or Dr Ren if you prefer! Either hottie! 🖤🖤🖤
anon... why not both?
Tumblr media
MAURIZIO GUCCI
“I’m so excited to go skiing,” you mumbled through a mouthful of crackers. You and the rest of your group were sitting around the Resort lounge. Sharing a nice cheese board, red wine, and chatting about the lovely weather. It had been so long since you’d been on a trip with them, it was nice to get out of the city and escape to the Italian country.
You were sipping on your wine, briefly tearing your gaze from the evening snowfall. There were some families littered around, lovers smiling at one another, sharing kisses between whispers of passion. However, one table stuck out to you. A man, all alone, sipping on some whiskey. Some glasses and slicked hair, the dim light showing off his distinctive features. You were captivated, wanting to walk over and speak to him, get to know who he was, where he came from.
Another slow sip, you glanced away, chiming in with you raunchy joke. Basking in the laughter of your friends, you turned back towards the man. Stunned when he met your gaze. Unblinking, unwavering, just sipping his drink, you noticed he wasn’t wearing a wedding ring. Instead a diamond encrusted gold ring decorated his pinkie, bigger than any jewelry you adorned.
You mirrored him, taking a sip of your own, he set his glass down. And from across the room, he smirked at you. Followed by a nod of acknowledgment, making your cheeks instantly flush from embarrassment.
Your friends finished quickly after, leaving you to abandon the stranger. Who was now nursing a second drink, staring at the snowy landscape. Perpetually alone, your heart ached at the sight, but you couldn’t go over. What would you say?
You replayed him handsome smile over and over in your head while laying down. Memorizing the lines of his face, the crinkle of his eyes, how they seemed to focus on just you out of anyone else.
———
Everyone got up and out the door bright and early, preparing with some spiked coffee before heading to the hills. You were buzzing with excitement, partially for the skiing but there was a chance to see him again.
Slim, but still a chance.
“Hey,” your friend snapped in your face, “You okay? You look a little out of it.”
“Oh no,” you sighed, focusing on moving over with your group. Smiling at the sweet kids learning to ski on the bunny hill, a few of them being helped by their parents. You briefly noticed a familiar head of hair as you ascended the mountain.
At the summit, all your friends gave a quick goodbye and placed a bet who would crash first. You knew you’d be fine, it wasn’t the first time on the slopes for you. To your left, someone approached you, the only reason you knew was because of the bright red suit.
A woman, covered in designer branded accessories, scowling down the mountain. You smiled at her, fixing your own fur hat, “I love your suit.”
She turned to you, cocking a brow in suspicion, eyes flashing down your figure. And then she set off, you scrunched your face in displeasure. She seemed fun.
Letting gravity do the work, you headed down, trying to bask in the scenery instead of race like everyone else.
“Beautiful, isn’t it?”
You turned to the right, stalled on the mountain was the man from last night. A white snow suit that fit him far too snug, you were surprised it even fit. From this close you could really take in his appearance, he wasn’t this enormous from afar.
“What?” you questioned.
He nodded towards the tree line, “The mountain, isn’t it lovely?”
“Oh,” you blushed, “Yes, it’s gorgeous. It’s been so long since I’ve visited.”
“Hm,” he looked down at you, a small smirk gracing his full lips, “Why not come more?”
“It’s so expensive,” you sighed, “It’s not a luxury I can afford all the time.”
“You deserve every luxury the world offers, sweet dove.”
You gaped, briefly turning to see if he was still talking to you. He chuckled a little, holding his poles in one hand and out stretching his right.
“Maurizio,” he smiled, “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Miss...?”
You whispered your name, out stretching your hand which he immediately took. Enveloping in his size, he stroked his thumb over your knuckles, bringing them to his lips. Gazing at you lustfully, “A beautiful name, for a beautiful little dove.”
You whimpered at the feel of his lips, wishing for a moment they were on your own. Or trailing over your body, roaming and tasting every inch of you. “Are you here alone?”
“No, I’m with some friends.”
He nodded, “If you’re able to get away, here’s a card to my room. I’d love to see you more.”
He tucked the card into the breast pocket of your suit, another chaste kiss to your hand and he left.
———
After spilling to your friends about the handsome stranger they BEGGED you to go see him. Just to see what would happen... so here you were standing before his room. Dressed in a white turtleneck, and some tight pants. Cheeks and nose still rosy from the wind earlier.
A light knock, no answer.
You tried again.
Still nothing.
You fiddled with the card in your hand, debating if you should head back. But... he gave you a card, you could just go in and wait.
The light flashed green, and you were inside. Lavishly decorated, a large fireplace, king bed, windows overlooking the night snowfall. You poked around, seeing no sign of Maurizio... or any luggage for that matter. It almost seemed like no one was staying here.
“Dove?”
You spun on your heel, seeing him peek through the door. His concerned look dropping once he spied you, “You came.”
“Yeah,” you mumbled, “This is your room?”
He shrugged, “One of them.”
“What?”
Maurizio didn’t give you an answer, instead pouncing on you. His rough hands caressing your cheeks as he kissed you, at first you were confused. Wanting him to move, but he pressed on, a hand sliding down your back to wrap around your waist.
“I’ve been thinking about your lips since last night, so plush and pink,” he whispered, “How beautiful you were next to the fires.”
“Mhm,” you tried to speak, but he kept your lips locked. Tongue slithering into your mouth, coaxing yours to dance with his. You moaned at his taste, warm and rich, hints of whiskey hitting your palate.
Maurizio walked you back into the bed, knees giving out as you fell. Finally getting full breaths of air, panting as he devoured your form. He leaned over you, both hands planted by your torsos. A piece of his well kept hair falling over his forehead, “As beautiful you look in this,” he tugged on your sweater, “I would love it even more if it was on the floor.”
You melted, giving a soft nod. He slid a hand under your shirt, gasping when he touched your skin. Gripping your waistline, moving slowly up towards your bra. He leaned into you, pressing soft kisses to your cheek and jaw. Fingering the black lace, one finger slipping under the hem.
“So soft, little dove.”
As fast as he was touching you, he ripped his hand away just as quick. Standing before you, he pulled his sweater off. Tearing his glasses off with it, he fumbled with his belt, nodding at you to follow his lead.
You threw your clothes off like they were on fire, whining when he helped tug your pants off. Hooking his fingers into your lace underwear, groaning when he saw your cunt.
“Up,” he rasped, pulling off his briefs, palming his cock to kneel on the mattress. You were mesmerized by it, standing proud and tall. Long with a short hook towards his belly button. Brown hair trailing down towards the base, “So beautiful, are you soft there too?”
“Yes,” you whimpered, spreading your legs out for him to explore you. Laying back on the silk pillows, you gasped when his hand cupped your sex. Running a finger through your lips. You felt the golden ring he wore skim your inner thigh, causing a shiver to shoot through your spine.
“We must be quick, dove,” he mumbled, “As much as I want to savor you.”
You looked at him confused while he lined his cock up with your entrance, his eyes flashed from your lips to your eyes.
“I’m married.”
“What?”
He pushed inside you, stretching you wide with his length. Maurizio groaned, “So tight, I knew you’d feel amazing.”
He hitched one of your legs to his shoulder, sinking in even deeper. You felt him deep inside you, almost in your stomach, digging your claws into his bare shoulders.
“Will you scream for me, little dove? So I have something to remember when I sleep tonight?”
———
Tumblr media
Dr. Kylo Ren
ALSO-ITS CANON KYLO DOESNT SKI HE SNOWBOARDS. ALSO ALSO ANON THIS ONE IS FUNNY BC ITS THE REN FAM ON VACATION.
———
“Mom! Did you pack my laptop charger?”
“Yes princess,” you called from the kitchen, packing some snacks for the plane. Odin was running around the living room, it would be his first time flying overseas. So you wanted him to tire himself out before you made it to the airport. Ren walked out of the bedroom, hanging up the phone, “Is everyone ready?”
You nodded up the stairs, Ren scowled, “Belle! If you aren’t down here in 5 minutes I’m taking your phone away!”
“Dad, I’m still packing!”
“Would you rather I came up there and dragged you down?”
A loud groan, and there came your daughter. No makeup, hair in a bun, still in some pajamas since your flight was at 6AM. Matching her fathers scowl, she walked over to you. Laying her head on your shoulder, “Mommm, Dads being mean.”
“I’m right here, Belle.”
“Okay,” you threw your hands up, “I guess Odin and I are going to Italy! You two morons can stay here and fight.”
———
The flight was delayed, leaving you and your family to nap in the uncomfortable chairs of the boarding area. Ren was snoring loudly, Odin was laying uncomfortably on your lap, leaving Belle who was draped on her fathers shoulder.
Thank goodness you woke up, pushing your exhausted family on the plane. It was a larger plane, giving you and Ren more space and the kids sat in front of you.
No luggage was lost, no one forgot their passport (thanks to you), and Ren even remembered to add international to your phones.
You all piled into the car, Ren demanded a Jeep from the rental company. Making it glaringly obvious you were Americans, exactly like the one you had in the garage at home. Boards on the roof, bags in the truck, both children fed and buckled, Ren only yelled at Belle once because she tried to sit up front.
The drive was beautiful, when Ren wasn’t driving like a maniac. You had to remind him several times your children were in the car. “Okay, so, when we get to the resort. You and Odin have a room together. Its connected to me and your fathers.”
Belle rolled her eyes, “Why do I have to share with Odin?”
“Because it’s either that or you sleep on our floor.”
You chuckled, Ren smiled at you, placing a palm on your thigh. This trip was more than a family vacation, it was something he’d been promising since your marriage. And he told you last night he wanted to fuck you against the window, so all the skiers could see your tits pressed against the glass. While he came all over you, so the kids weren’t allowed in the bedroom.
“Ew,” Belle gagged, “Dad stop feeling up mom, it’s gross.”
“I’m going to do more than that, so stay in your fucking room. Unless you want to see us fuc-“
You slammed a palm over his mouth, but the damage was done, Belle screamed. Yelling ‘gross oh my god oh my god you guys are old!’.
———
You all had a nice dinner in the lodge, drinking red wine and delicious food. You even let Belle have a few sips, she wasn’t a fan of Rens old fashioned. Turning green at the taste.
After kissing the kids goodnight, you locked the door connecting the two. Turning to see your husband, completely naked on a leather armchair. Stroking his cock as you padded over to him.
“Hi handsome,” you placed a hand on each thigh, feeling the muscles tense as he picked up the pace. Fist smacking his skin, precut already drooling from the tip.
“Sit on my cock, love,” he growled, “Need to feel your tight cunt.”
Soon you were bouncing on his lap, grinding down on his glorious length. Punching the air from your lungs as he pounded from below. Ren needed you to be quiet, stuffing your thing into your mouth.
You clenched around him, “There’s my good little slut, Daddy missed your pussy.” He tightened his grip around your waist, “Gonna fill you with cum, then I’m gonna fuck you on the bed. Stuff my fingers in your ass.”
You whined, “Oh, you like that don’t you? You want Daddy to fill you up?”
Ren mouthed at your neck, slamming into you completely. You spit out the garment, burying your fingers in his dark mane. “Daddy, fuck me on the bed. I need it, please.”
He groaned, swiftly standing up with you still on his cock. Throwing you on the bed, he grasped your cheeks, “You better keep your whore mouth shut, or you’ll get nothing.”
You nodded, rolling onto your hands and knees. Presenting yourself for him, Ren climbed behind you. Spitting between your cheeks, “Lube?”
“Bag, side pocket.”
“Finger yourself.”
Ren flew off the bed, searching for the lube, you gladly followed his instructions. Pinching your clit a few times before sinking in two fingers. Whining at the feeling, they weren’t big enough, couldn’t reach where Rens could. Didn’t stuff you as full as his cock could.
“I said finger,” he growled, “Not tease.”
He landed a firm spank on your cheek, lurching you forward on the bed. “Get back here,” Ren yanked on your hips, pushing a hand on your back to force your arch. You whimpered when the cool liquid slid between you. A finger curling down to your clit, wet circles over and over.
Ren tore it away, planting his left hand to the mattress. Draping over you, you could hear the slick sound of him living his cock. Wagging your ass in anticipation, “Tell Daddy what you want.”
He prodded your pucker with his middle finger, sinking it in. Its accepted the intrusion with ease, aching for more. Ren slipped in another, fucking you open with twists of his wrist. His lips lavishing your cheek and lower back.
“Fuck my ass Daddy”
———
Belle had her snowboard, along with her father, Odin was taking ski lessons, and you were there to watch him.
Everyone was safe and happy.
Ren decided to stay with Odin for a moment, so you could head up with your daughter. Giving you a big kiss that was not G-rated, even going so far as squeezing your ass and growling, “I’m tearing this off you when we get back to the room.”
You and Belle settled on the lift, she was smirking at you. “What’s up baby?”
“Nothing.”
She looked out at the landscape, “How’d you sleep?”
You shrugged, “I slept great, it’s a nice bed.”
“I’m sure.”
You squinted at her.
Belle looked back at you, “How’s your ass feeling? After your Daddy fucked it?”
———
i know this just got sent to me and i should focus on other asks BUT i was in a gucci mood and didn’t proof read bc i’m on my phone driving to oregon 😋
TAGGING: @finn-ray-nal-beads s​​​ @onlykyloscenes​​​ @candycanes19​​​ @historyandfandoms50​​​ @caelum-phyriina-vermillon​​​ @ghoulian13​​​ @mrs-kylo-ren​​​ @millenialcatlady​​​ @mrs-zimmerman​ @relationshipwithmybed​​ @dancingmicrobes​​​ @wayward-rose​​​ @contesa-lui-alucard​​​ @daydreamsofren​​​ @insufferablelust t​​​ @ohdamnadamm​​​ @mariesackler​​​ @caillea​​ @safarigirlsp​​ @jalexunderthestars​​​ @shesakillerkween​​​ @glassythoughts​​ @zimmermansbrat​​ @not-the-teen-witch​​ @jynzandtonic​ @roanniom​ @celestiasin @glassbxttless
Here’s the link to my Masterlist for all your stalking needs. Gucci is being added soon!
125 notes · View notes
charliedawn · 3 years
Text
Imagine being a deserter and General Hux having feelings for you (male reader, if you don't like it, don't read it.) warning : not for sensitive souls. I mean it.
Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media
To say that general Hux was pissed would be an understatement..He was in a foul mood. An execrable mood. A "get out of my way before I crush you like the insignificant insects that you are" mood. It had been 2 weeks already, and no sign of Y/N anywhere..He was starting to lose it and everybody knew it. JR-6025 was more than just a mere stormtrooper, he was general Hux's emotional support..Well, him and Millicent. Nobody knew exactly how it had all started, but since the day your paths had crossed, he had taken you under his wing and saved your life more times than he cared to admit..Of course, every time someone would ask you about your relationship with him (too scared to ask the general himself), you would deny everything and make it sound like a bad joke..But that didn't mean people didn't notice the way his gaze would settle on you as soon as you would be in the same room as him or the way you smelt like him often when you came back at late hours to the shared room of your unit..Many knew, but also knew better than to tease you about it or discuss it openly in either of your presence..Until your betrayal that is. Phasma had just finished the count, you weren't there. She felt a shiver run down her spine, knowing that that would probably crush Hux if you were to be the one who had freed the scavenger girl..
" Kylo Ren ?! Why was I not informed of the meeting that took place this morning ?! What's going on ?!"
General Hux asked, offended that Supreme Leader Snoke would think of him not capable of stopping rebel scum. Kylo Ren stopped abruptly and Hux nearly ran into him. Kylo sighed exasperatedly before turning towards him and Hux could feel that he was being serious.
" Because it concerns JR-6025.."
General Hux's eyes widened slightly in shock at the name, but he quickly frowned and made sure not to let any emotion take over his face or any thought overpower his mind.
" And ? Why should I care ?"
Kylo Ren stayed silent for a moment before shaking his head in false disappointment.
"You fool..you're in love with him, Hux ! Everybody in this damned ship knows it ! Even commander Snoke knows it !"
General Hux lowered his head as Kylo Ren lectured him, his eyes wide open in fear and shame..If Leader Snoke knew..Then that meant..
" That means he doesn't think your are the best for the job at the moment. We may have our differences, Hux, but I still value you as a general..Try to take some rest and get back when you will have learned to master your feelings."
And with that, Kylo Ren walked past him and it took all of Armitage's self-control not to punch the apprentice in the face, mask or not..He succeeded in keeping a stone face until he reached his room and, when he arrived, closed the door behind him. As soon as the door was closed however, Hux flexed his fingers in rage at the man he thought he knew..
" You left...You selfish little sewer rat !"
He punched the wall over and over while screaming his frustration out. When he was calm enough, he slumped down on his bed and felt something warm rolling down his cheeks. He raised his trembling hand to his right cheek and looked at the damp spots on his leather gloved fingertips..He was crying..Armitage Hux hadn't cried since..since his mother..He was about to walk out when he saw something move from the corner of his eyes..Milicent. He smiled sweetly at the little fur ball before petting its head affectionately. He then noticed something shiny attached to her collar..his ring. The ring he had offered JR-6025 as a promise of what their future would hold..A future that, he could now see, was only a dream.
1 month later :
It had taken a whole month, a whole month for you to reappear, accompanied by two other traitors no less ! When he had heard the news of your capture, it had taken all of his will power not to run towards your location.
However, when he sees you, his heart stops and he grits his teeths because of the anger, bottled up inside of him until that very moment..Here you are, as agonizingly enticing as he had always found you..Your (Y/C) eyes where a storm is raging and which seems to only get worse when you see him..He wants to kiss you so badly, to ask you what had gotten into you to ever leave him, to punch you repeatedly in your handsome face, to make you suffer just as much as he did when you left..However, he succeeds in restraining himself and straightens up to walk towards you, the sound of his perfectly polished shoes against the hard floor echoing through the huge spaceship container.
" Even after all this time..You still manage to disappoint me, JR-6025.."
He says in the most emotionless and nonchalant way he can, taking satisfaction at noticing the effect of his coldness towards you, the barely perceptible shiver and the defiant stare. When he takes you by the hair harshly, you can't help the small whimper of pain that gets out of your mouth. He seems to appreciate the sound and you're not surprised..He always liked to make you suffer, playing with your feelings, making you doubt every day of his true intents towards you..Even when he would allow himself to look weak in front of you, you would always be suspicious as to whether it was his true feelings you were shown, or just another mask to have a little bit of comfort in this big and cold ship..You look up at him with hatred in your eyes and he only smirks smugly at you.
" The rat finally got home ? Will wonders never cease ? You should have told us from the beginning that you would be coming back on your own, it would have saved us some valuable time.."
You groan when he pulls you harshly by the hair to whisper in your ear.
" You should have really stayed hidden, love..It would have made us both a huge favor..I don't like having blood on my hands. But for a traitor like you ? I'll make an exception."
He lets go of your hair and, to your surprise, slaps you so hard that you can feel warmth creeping onto your stinging cheek almost immediately. However, to his utter disappointment, you don't cry and don't talk either..You just stare at him with those big (Y/C) tempting eyes of yours and he feels his breath hitch, remembering why he had always been attracted to you..Not only were you good at your job and the only stormtrooper with somehow of a good aim, but it was the power you were radiating..He is addicted to that power, feels numb and lost without it..He groans in annoyance before yelling.
" You don't want to talk ?! Fine ! I'll make you scream then !"
He then orders some nearby stormtroopers to get the other two in a cell and to lead you to the interrogation room. From the moment he arrived in the room, it is the first time he sees an emotion on your face..You shout at him to stop and look panicked as your two friends are dragged away. However, you don't have the time to beg for mercy again that Hux takes you by the back of the neck and forces you to stand up. He tries to appear intimidating, which would be amusing since he is one head shorter than you, but the intensity in his eyes make up for that..He intimates you to stay quiet, raising a finger to his mouth and you nod, afraid of what he would do if you didn't..He then forces you to walk forward and asks the two stormtroopers that were guarding you to step away. You close your eyes and glance back at Armitage that doesn't look away and stares right back at you with such gravity that you don't dare ask where he is bringing you...Until you stop in front of his bedroom. Your eyes widen and you then turn around to voice your confusion when he suddenly barks at you.
" Get inside or I swear JR-6025 to shoot you in the legs and let you bleed out on the floor !"
At his threat, you nearly run inside the room and he quickly closes the door behind you. He takes a moment to calm himself, his nostrils flaring in obvious restrained anger. When he finally turns back towards you, he has a smile on his face that doesn't reach his eyes and you feel a lump in your throat. However, your attention on him falters when you feel a softness against your thigh and look down to see Millicent, she lets out a sweet little mewl and you find yourself smiling affectionately at the ginger cat. You take her in your arms and gently pet her fur as she comfortably settles into your arms. She brings you a certain reassurance in your current situation and you nearly forget about the furious red-head..until you feel the cold shape of a gun pointed at your head that is.
" Let her go."
You hear the familiar click, meaning that Hux is ready to shoot you in cold-blood if you don't obey. You raise your hands in surrender, and the cat, upset of not receiving more attention, jumps off your thighs. You look up at Armitage that seems conflicted and sigh loudly.
" Armitage.."
You start, but he cuts you off harshly.
" Don't call me by that name ! You don't deserve to call me by my first name !"
You don't know how to answer without further angering the man that seems on the verge of breaking point. He lowers his gun after a while and you take the opportunity to take him by the arm and yank him forward in your arms. He lets go of the gun and straddles your thighs instead and wraps his arms around your neck, trying to hide his tears in the crook of your neck while you gently pet the top of his head, finding the odd ressemblance of Hux and his cat..Both creatures are attention seekers and demand constant affection..Suddenly, he starts kissing up your neck and you groan..Another similarity to be noted, they are both terribly playful when it comes to the bed area..You could nearly hear him purr in your neck..You roll your eyes at the back of your head in pleasure when he starts biting and sucking at your neck, leaving bruises and making you rock hard..Another power that Hux had over you. He gently scratches your unshaved chin while smirking naughtily, knowing full well what he is doing to you.
" You little..!"
You don't get to finish that sentence as he kisses you profoundly and takes your breath away..The man had a tongue that could rival with the Devil himself..That it'd be to bring you pleasure or pain..You reciprocate and when he starts grinding against you, you know you're down for..However, you take the opportunity of his eyes closed to discreetly push the gun under the bed with your foot. When he opens his eyes again, you can distinctly recognize the flame of arousal in his eyes.
" Don't. Ever. Leave me. Again. Understood ?"
You smile at his sudden change of demeanor, even though you know that as soon as you will be out of this room, you will come back to being enemies..As for now, you needed to give him a reason not to execute you and take out his coat. His eyes widen as your hands start unbuttoning his uniform, but he quickly takes your hands and frowns up at you, all tenderness having left his face.
" What are you doing ?"
You sigh before shrugging and answering him with a certain passive resolve in your voice.
" Isn't that what you wanted ? Why you brought me to your room ? To tend to your basic needs ? Isn't that what I am to you, general Hux ? Just another stormtrooper that you can just discard of and replace with another ?"
As your words seem to gradually sink in, Hux's face distorts in obvious disgust at your insinuation and shakes his head before stepping away from you abruptly, as if being near you was suddenly painful..He flexes and unflexes his fingers and opens his mouth as if to say something, but reconsiders and looks at the floor instead. He is trembling with rage and you can feel a bit of pity for him. He had always been the one who you looked up to, and you had never wanted to leave him the way you had but..it was becoming harder and harder to love him when you knew that his reputation and his job would always outrank you. You are suddenly dragged out of your thoughts by a hand making impact with your already bruised cheek..It is the second time he slaps you. You silently promise yourself that there would be no third time..You look up at him and recognize the familiar mask of total disinterest and cruelty that Hux always put on when he was with prisoners..You're scared, but can't do anything besides cower in fear as he unbuckles his belt to wrap it around his hand until it forms some kind of ball. You know what is to come..You wouldn't get out of this bedroom alive.
" Very well, JR-6025. You want me to act like the perfect asshole that you seem to see me as ? Fine by me. Your choice. I'll execute your friends right now..I won't wait and make you watch as their last breaths leave their bodies.."
Your eyes widen in horror, but before you could say anything, he forces the belt in your mouth to make you bite on it. Your eyes prickle with tears, but he doesn't look at you anymore..He isn't Armitage, he is the monster you tried to get away from..Your heartbeat fastens as he looks at you almost ferociously before getting out something from his pocket..your ring. The promise of a tomorrow that you had wanted to believe in so bad..
" Do you remember this ? The only thing you left me.."
He seems almost nostalgic at the object, but his features quickly harden and he throws the ring across the room against a wall. It bounces and breaks under the pressure. Hux walks towards the scattered pieces and picks up a bright red tracking device that he had hidden inside the ring all those months ago..However, his eyes soon fall on you again and he smirks before walking towards you while rolling the small transmitter between his thumb and index. He then throws it on the bed and the sudden movement makes you whimper again in fear as you try to get as far away from him as possible, but he doesn't allow it. He takes you by the legs and yanks you towards him, his hair disheveled and an insane grin crossing his face.
" I admit..It was quite smart to put it on Millicent, that way I would never be able to track you down..It could have worked. You could have run..But, the thing that you overlooked, my lovely, is that I don't care how much time it takes me, I never lose what's mine.."
You frown and try to mutter something, but the sound is muffled by the belt and he sighs exasperatedly before taking the damn objet out of your mouth. You take multiple gulps of air before nearly growling out at him.
" This is what made me leave..I don't belong to you, Hux. Being your fuck buddy was fine for a while, but this..this is madness..You can't just expect me to be at your beck and call everytime you need someone to talk to and then forget I even exist ! I am not a dog ! You don't put a leash on me and expect me to get back !"
You yell angrily and, to your astonishment, he starts laughing before taking the belt and folding it and making a knot..as if it was a..You open your eyes at the realization and look up at him with tears in your eyes and shake your head vehemently.
" N..No..I forbid you ! You hear me ! I forbid you, Hux !"
In an instant, he is on you and no matter how hard you kick him or try to get him off you, he holds on.
" Stay still, or I'll bring the other stormtroopers in here and make them pin you to the bed while they watch me try to put some leash on you !"
You suddenly stand still and look up at him with wide eyes full of terror at the prospect, your chest heaving up and down with the rhythm of your quick heartbeat..He smiles satisfactorily at your new submission and gently runs his hand down your cheek almost affectionately.
" I always knew that brown was your color.."
You grit your teeths and want to bite his hand, but he pulls on the made-up leash and you hiss in pain. You still wiggle under him and try to push him off, but the leash was making it hard for you to think..Come on Y/N. Think..Think ! You suddenly take him by the throat and inverse your positions. You are now the one on top and him, looking at you with widened green eyes.
"J..JR-6025 ! Let me go this instant or I swear to make you sweep the floor of this ship for the rest of your miserable life !"
He yells, embarrassed and flustered, but you only grin, knowing that you had him exactly where you wanted. You suddenly grab the leash to yank him towards you and kiss him hungrily, the little moan escaping his mouth not going unnoticed by you. You chuckle darkly while he complains in his usual arrogant and high-pitched voice.
" This..This is not what I..!"
But, he is cut off by your hand above his slacks and gulps loudly..The man was redder than his own hair now and you smirk before teasing him.
" Red is your color, general..and my name is Y/N..You better remember it when you come.."
His jaw clenches at the use of his own words against him, but his words seem to stay stuck in his throat and he knows that no comeback would ever save his dignity with the way you are manhandling him..He can't help but moan and try to get even closer, forgetting all about the leash for now..He wants to tell you to stop, that this is not what he wants, that he wants you to stay with him forever..But he can't, and he knows you wouldn't listen anyway..He feels himself growing hard and tries to muffle his sounds by biting hard on his gloved hand.
You look at the gorgeous red-head and try to remember when you had ever thought he wasn't meant to be under you, like this..
"This is torture..knowing that in a few hours, we'll be back to being mortal enemies..I won't be able to enjoy the view of your beautiful flushed face.. '"
You say, genuinely sad at the thought and he tries to answer you between his heavy breaths.
" You..You wanted this..You..You chose HIM."
You frown in incomprehension, who is he talking about ? Hux's hold on the leash tightens as he answers your silent question with a voice dripping with hatred.
" You chose that no-good traitor..FN-2187.."
You face goes blank for a moment before you start laughing openly at Armitage's jealousy. He seems ashamed and upset at your sudden laugh and tries to push you off, but you can't help but take him in your arms as he tries to make you let go of him, unsuccessfully.
" Unhand me this instant, Y/N ! It's an order ! Stop laughing, you big oaf !"
You can't believe it, even after all this time, knowing what he had done, what he has done..You can't help but laugh and find him adorably cute sometimes..
" You should really stop behaving like a brat, general..and especially let your jealousy show so earnestly..I mean, I understand your little rivalry with Kylo Ren..But Finn ? Really ?"
He hides his face in your chest and mumbles.
" Shut up.."
You laugh again and he sighs against your neck..How did this little red-headed sweatheart made you lose your mind and fall head over hills over him ? Good question..
Suddenly, the door opens with a loud bang and you are both surprised to see Rose, Finn and Rey enter the room. They all look shocked by the compromising position you were both in, but don't ask. Rose is the first to react and yanks Hux out of the bed to beat him nearly to death while you are too shocked to react immediately. However, when Rey throws Hux over the room against the wall, holding him there for a few seconds before he could so much as blink, you quickly get the belt off of to put your clothes back on and stop her. Not that you had undressed that much anyway. You get the gun from underneath the bed and look at Hux that was trying his best to breathe, even though his face was turning slightly purple from the lack of oxygen. This is it. You could let Rey kill him and it would be the end..But, he looks at you and you know, you know that you can't let him die..One look at Rey and she lets him fall to the floor. They all wait outside while you look one last time at Armitage that was crawling on the floor and coughing loudly, trying to get back his breath. You sigh before crouching in front of him and gently take him by the chin for him to look at you in the eyes.
" I don't know if you've ever felt, or if you even know what love is ? But, I just know that I can't keep lying to myself. I love you, Hux, but no matter how much I love you, I can't fix you. You're too broken, my love..There are things that are simply too damaged to be fixed.."
When he finds his voice again, he replies with a tearful voice.
" I thought you would..I thought you would love me..as I am.."
You bite your lowerlip and have to look away in order not to crumble at his words or the desperate look he was giving you.
" Oh Armitage..Who could ever spend a life with a man that doesn't even know how to love ? This..all this is not love. Love is pure, shared and cared for..For me to stay, you must change your ways, become more than this cruel shell of a man..And frankly ? I don't think you can change..I thought you could, but now, I don't know.."
His breath hitches at your words and he starts sobbing, ducking his face so you couldn't see him. However, when you stand up to leave, he grabs your ankle to force you to look at him one last time.
" What if I changed..Would you stay with me then ?"
You think about it before answering him with a small hopeful smile.
" If it was up to me ? I would spend my life with the kind and emotional man that I fell in love with.."
But you then frown and shake your head, trying to chase those thoughts from your head.
"..But, you're a monster, Hux..Your possessiveness, cruelty and coldness are things that I simply can't stand with..I'm sorry, but this is goodbye, Armitage.."
You succeed in removing his hand and run out of the room to join the others while Armitage tries to stand up again, ready to run after you. However, he is too weak and feels his chest tightening around his heart..You had crushed him. He takes a few minutes to calm himself and when his head is no more foggy and he can stand up again, his eyes fall on a shadow at the door. When he looks up, he sees the tall and dark figure of Kylo Ren standing in the doorway. He doesn't say anything, but Hux could feel his accusative stare through the mask..He is pissed.
" I know..I know..I should have known better.."
He was expecting Kylo to kill him right now and there, but the man only stares at him for a few seconds before answering him with a question through his robotic voice with an almost compassionate tint it.
" It hurts..Doesn't it ?"
Armitage could have pretended not to know what he was talking about, play the fool and force himself to throw a snarky comeback, as he always did..But in all honesty ? He was just too damn tired to do that. He just looks up at Kylo Ren with a small bitter smile.
" Yes. It does."
Kylo only nods understandingly, it would be the only time that the two men ever agreed on anything..Too bad that it was that they were both monsters that were too stubborn to let go...Kylo would remember that moment when he would take his final breath, wondering if Hux was waiting for him in Hell ? The answer would come to him in a simple word: obviously. Kylo Ren never smiled, he didn't find anything funny enough for the corner of his lips to etch into a true smile..But knowing that he would have a friend in Hell ? That. That made him smile.
49 notes · View notes
chocolateslatte · 4 years
Text
🚨The Rise of Skywalker Detailed Review and Spoilers Ahead🚨
Tumblr media
George Lucas: “If the boy and girl walk off into the sunset hand-in-hand in the last scene, it adds 10 million to the box office”
The “fairytale” we got: A long long time ago in a galaxy far far away, there was a curse of pain and death in a family that just went on and on.  They were never able to break it and they all die, the end. 
Well, you did it JJ, you little punk...you ruined 40 years of cinema. Kids are coming out of theatres crying, they can’t understand. I guess this was the “fun and hopeful ending” you were speaking of during the press tours.  Are you on crack or something, or just sadistic....why would you promote it like that!? Did you forget Star Wars at its core is a story of hope, light, a fairytale in space for children? They did it...they united Reylo’s and Fanboys through hate. 
JJ you do realize tragical romances are only tragically romantic if there was romantic buildup? Romeo and Juliet married in secret, Anidala did as well and flirted in the fields. How was this supposed to be satisfying? A five-second beginning, middle, and end. How this went through multiple execs is beyond me.... I would have understood if Reylo was Rian’s creation. BUT JJ LITERALLY was the one who told Rian to go forth with it...he created Reylo so you can’t say the last Jedi derailed things on that front. JJ wasn’t brave enough for his own vision. This movie was like “the crimes of Grindlewald”, a lot of stuff happening that made me feel nothing. 
Okay, first things first. The OG trilogy was necessary, the prequels were necessary to set up that Vader did not start off bad. What was necessary about the sequels? They just dismantled everything the Skywalker family worked for. Why did we have to see ALL of our favorite characters die? Was the aim that a villain can only be redeemed through death? How original. I’m convinced what they were planning for since force awakens was a journey from villain to hero...but instead we got this a 10min redemption resulting in death a la Vader. Why call Adam Driver’s character a “Disney Prince”?When did Happy endings become so controversial? We go to the movies to feel hope, to escape reality...George Lucas understood that. JJ’s trilogy is uninspired, bland and contributes nothing to the saga. JJ went as far as to recon his own “The Force Awakens”.It had the chance to define generations but no. Literal and utter garbage. Rian made some odd choices but he was bold, unafraid and had the vision. HE knew emotion was at the heart of Star Wars.
WHERE DID THE SKYWALKERS RISE? MORE LIKE RISE OF PALPATINE,  HE BLOODY WON
BUT my problem is not with the ending, it’s the bloody entire movie. This movie made me realize that it's not Reylo that I am a fan of, it was Ben, Leia, Han, Ani, Padme, and all those other characters. I’m upset because this movie is not my Star Wars: of family, love and above all else hope. This is just a 2.5-hour video game with no emotions. This trilogy was all angst with NO payoff.
Okay, you will never ever convince me Palpatine was planned the whole time. This whole movie was retcon for the Last Jedi that pissed off the fanboys. Lucas films did not have an outline for the three films and Rian derailed whatever they wanted to do....except they didn’t even tell him what they wanted! This should be a cautionary tale of why you need to plan. Kylo ain’t bad, Snoke is gone....well pull out Palpatine I guess. This whole film is JJ’s mad scrambling.  Alright, I will humor you, tell me how Palpatine came back when he fell down a shaft and exploded....not *boom boom because of force*. The force in this movie is not canon George Lucas force, it’s just an easy out whenever JJ wants one. 
1. Opening Crawl: As soon as I saw this I knew all the leaks were true, I wanted to bolt from the theatre. When I saw them in August I laughed cause it was so ridiculous it couldn’t be true. How could Disney let a whole movie leak? The plot seemed like a bad fan-fiction. Actually, fanfics are way more true to lore. Anyway, so Palpatine “announces” that he’s back. Is this the shrewd Chancellor Palpatine we know? Certainly, not...why in the world would he announce it rather than keep on the DL and just attack. Yo Palps ain’t this dumb why would you let them (the resistance) prepare?? Because of plot...well okay. 
2. Did Last Jedi even happen:  this film is the sequel to the force awakens, like TLJ never happened...except it’s acting like there was some movie in between that JJ made. Okay, so why is Kylo trying to run Rey over with his tie fighter...he doesn’t really want to kill her. It’s just meaningless action shots.  And don’t get me started on exposition, the dialogue: “hey look its the Knights of Ren”. Except they do nothing. Cool cool.  Kylo’s character goes back to Force awakens era like no development had occurred...except he’s not even there he’s just messing around not even being a real villain.  JJ’s specialty is set-up and he does this beautifully....but he can not wrap up and follow through. 
3. Rose Tico: yup last Jedi never happened, she has nothing to do. She and Finn are irrelevant. Finn has reverted to being obsessed with Rey. Cool Cool.  I honestly feel so bad for the lovely Kelly Marie Tran. How did you relegate a relatively big character into the sidelines?? Why introduce two new characters this late. Rose could have filmed in for them...but alas we must snub Rian at every turn because that’s just how petty JJ Abrams is. ( don’t get me wrong Jannah was cool)
4. The Rise Of Poe Dameron: Finn has been relegated to a side character who does nothing and just yells “REY!”. It was a great setup, a stormtrooper who was force sensitive but doesn’t want his life to be fighting for nothing. You could have explored trauma, the discovery of the light but nope nada. Tell me the point of his character journey. So flat and static. And with Jannah and the ex stormtroopers they could have gone with the arc of these lost, sad kids coming together to find family. 
5. Leia:  Okay you’re telling me our Princess would give up on her son before he was born, just throw away her lightsaber and accept Ben’s fate? Cool alright. And she knew about Rey Palpatine and didn’t say anything...my princess would never.
6. Mary Sue Rey: Ahh Rey this girl feels no emotion in this movie...just like the audience. Sure she’s trained but she can just do stuff with the “force” that even Jedi masters can’t. Stopping a whole starship, something even Yoda could barely do...yup she can do it. Beat Kylo all the time except one, yup she can. Manipulate the force in mind-boggling ways, heal people...sure Luke couldn’t but Rey certainly can.  Cause she is the chosen one...hell even Ani wasn’t this talented and he had years of training. Poe and Finn have a genuine connection, Rey just seems disjointed (totally understandable why)...but if so the ending is even worse. She doesn’t even find peace with her friends. She’s not realistic and human like Luke and Leia were. 
 Force sensitivity in the galaxy:  What a perfect setup, the boy with the broom at the end of TLJ that was force sensitive. The message is that the power to use the force was spreading through the galaxy. No longer confined to the elite. People were hearing of Luke’s battle of Crate and rising.
7. Kylo/Ben: I still maintain that he, other than Ani was the most nuanced character in the whole saga. His arc from Force Awakens to Last Jedi had progressed. How great that even someone from the legendary line of skywalker and solo could fall to the dark again. He wasn’t flat, he was a tortured boy that was conflicted since the first movie. How great would it have been to see him as a conflicted supreme leader, which was set up in TLJ. But *gasps* a plot of his very own, no can do, this is the nature of JJ’s crush on Rey and Daisy. 
Disney released comics that made us sympathize with him, to see that all along he was manipulated by Snoke, and Palpatine the voices in his head. Neglected by those who were supposed to love him. Adam Driver was cast perfectly, he had almost no lines that weren’t related to Rey’s charcater arc. If he were a woman I’m sure everyone would be offended. That single line’s delivery “Dad-”
Come on Poe had more lines than him, and Driver according to JJ was half of the protagonist. He was pitched an arc opposite that of Darth Vader that’s why he signed. Man JJ really did do everyone dirty. 
8. Ben had no lines while redeemed other than “ow”...I am so sorry ADAM that this nasty ass JJ did this to you...this part was 100% improv by Adam, I am willing to bet my life on it. You know why “ow” was brilliant? Cause it meant he felt pain and emotion, he was no longer hiding behind the hardness of Kylo REN. Adam’s performance as Ben left me speechless, he was convincing as Kylo, intimidating...but as BEN he shines in the way only Solo’s can. The way his eyes become determined once he accepts he must give his life, and he does so happily for the love of his life. His soulmate. Star Wars and JJ never deserved the talent that is Adam Driver.
9. They are supposed to be equals in the force yet they missed the opportunity to fight Snoke together. Tell me how they are equals. He existed only to further Rey’s plotline. 
Oh and the other Jedi including Anakin whisper and help Rey...when his own grandson has been asking for help in distress for like 30years. Nice real nice.
10. Finally Reylo:  it felt unearned cause there was no buildup, JJ just threw it in for kicks forgetting all the P&P parallels he was shooting for. An afterthought. Driver and Ridley’s acting saved the day, they had no lines.  Adam Driver is truly one of the finest actors. You could see the difference between Ben and Kylo in his subtle gestures...the sass was pure Han Solo.  
11. And then the death: I wouldn’t even say we won, but at what cost. We won in no way. Had he died fighting I would have understood, but this death was so unnecessary and put in just for the fanboys. Let me say again I would have been okay with death had it been justified.  How is this any different than Vader x Luke. JJ can only copy not create. How crazy that you can just bring people back from the dead...Anakin is here like, am I joke to you? I could have brought Padme back say what???? What was the point of his whole fall to the dark. The force is infinite, that’s the whole point...once you know how to use it you can’t run out of it like juice. Oh, and Ben did not become one with Rey but rather the Force according to the Disney website. So why pray tell did he not appear as a force ghost? I’m convinced JJ was on crack.  
12. No Mourning BEN no acknowledgment:  5 seconds! And then she moves on from losing her soulmate, half of her soul. She loses it over Chewie but nothing, no emotion not even a second over her other half. Seriously? No one ever knows Ben came back...nada. JJ set up Reylo, time and time again he has said that he crafted the story around the romance. He was left scrambling after Last Jedi and this was a last-ditch shock ending. No Reylo theme song, no across the stars
13. Last Jedi told us you don’t have to come from a powerful family to be important. THE WHOLE thing was that you could be force-sensitive and be a nobody. Nobodies can become somebody. A Hero is not born but made. The force lives in all beings, not just powerful families. It inspired me, what a great message to young guys and gals. Kylo’s line, “you come from nothing, you are nothing...you have no place in this story” finally turns out true. You have to come from something to have a part in the Star Wars story. And Rey had darkness inside her cause she was human. Because none of us are pure, we are shades of grey. But no, it’s cause darkness only runs in families. In the Last Jedi when she wants to see her family all she sees is herself and a shadow (Ben) who joins with her. Please do explain this JJ. And if this granddaughter thing was set up I would have had no problem...but they pulled it from their asses. You can have nothing but mean something. But no pander to the fanboys. In the end, a Palpatine lived and all the skywalkers ended....and we are supposed to have hope. Palpatine really did win. 
14. Rey’s biggest fear was ending up in the desert alone, we were told “the belonging she seeks is ahead not behind” and “there’s someone who could still come back”. They mentioned she felt just as alone with the resistance. Only the other half of her soul understood her. This is truly tragic and sad...I am so heartbroken for her. And don’t tell me she isn’t there to stay...the soundtrack is called “a new home”. Enjoy the rest of your days being exactly where you started Rey....but hey at least you got a droid boo. I’m convinced this is not the balance JJ envisioned in the first movie. At one point in TFA Rey looks up sees an old woman alone, scavenging in the desert. This rattles her to the core and it starts her journey of wanting a better, different life. I am so sorry Rey. Okay so you may say she has the resistance and her friends...but let’s consult the last Jedi. In the end when everyone is on the ship...Rey is surrounded by friends yet looks more alone than ever. No one but Ben, maybe Luke, Leia, and Han understood her pull to the dark.
How sad that these two hopeless souls who had never known a moment of belonging and true love, found it for all but a few seconds.
I will quote: “preventing female characters with strong, compelling narratives from experiencing love, intimacy, and affection is just as regressive as reducing them down to sexual accessories. Assumes that women must choose between a romantic interest and depth of character”
Men really can not write good female characters, can they? A woman really can’t be a badass and end up with the love of her life
15. The Skywalker’s and Redemption: How truly truly sad that Han and Leia gave their life for their son who also died at a young age. ALL the Skywalkers and Solo’s have a tragic end. This is not what George Lucas wanted. What a tragic way to end this saga...they weren't able to break the curse. AND to all those troubled kids out there that lashed out and made terrible mistakes in their youth....doesn’t matter what you do dying is the only way out. You could have exiled him, made him pay in other ways. Nothing can be done to make up for your sins but death, no amount of good means that you can come home. To the young boys that get wrapped up in terror organizations, sorry the only way you can be redeemed is death...don’t bother changing and coming back. They could have exiled him, had him start an academy with Rey for Jedi kids. He could have spent the rest of his days redeeming himself. Why tell us he was literally preyed upon, haunted, and manipulated as a child. Even in a fantasy world, a victim of mental illness and abuse can not catch a break. Ben as a child could not fall asleep due to the demon-like voices in his mind. Everyone abandoned him in his time of need. Ben never desired power like Anakin, he went over to the dark because “the voice” of his grandfather promised belonging. I am shocked that this is the message Disney sends us. Oh and yeah you can totally take on the Skywalker name for kicks...the disrespect I swear
16. The worst bit is that I am 90% sure there was another ending that was scrapped.  There was a promo shot of Jannah in a field, soft lighting, lush planet. It was exactly like P&P. Daisy Ridley said the lasts scene was known to only Her, Jannah on that panel (Driver was away). Convinced Jannah was looking at Rey and Ben starting a new life away from the desert which she and Luke hate so much. Hence the production of “A New Home” soundtrack. Hence why the “Farewell” song played behind Reylo kiss was hopeful. Why Luke’s soundtrack when he became part of the force was not triumphant. Why the death scene was sudden and cut weird and no sorrow from Rey. CAUSE THEY SCRAPPED THE ORIGINAL ENDING LAST MINUTE.  Everyone knows JJ was still editing one month before. The concept art which was supposed to be released this month has been pushed to March. Why you ask? They need to remove the pages with a happy ending. He just didn’t have the guts, pandered to everyone and yet no one. He was successful in creating a beautifully filmed action-filled movie with none of the heart of Star Wars.
And then she goes and buries Anakin’s saber on freaking TATOOINE. He HATES Sand and Luke wanted to get away from there as soon as possible. Of course, a Palpatine would torture them that way. But nostalgia is the cash cow so. JJ can only generate nostalgia, not create original stories. IF he had any creativity she would have buried it at Padme’s grave.
Tumblr media
The fanboys say “leave the romance for the romance movies”....have you seen the original trilogy or the prequels? Star Wars has always had hope and romance entwined with it. 
SO AFTER 40 YEARS...PALPATINE WINS...HIS BLOODLINE LIVES ON
...and people thought the prequels were bad 
JJ you also said that your goal was for people to come out of the movie feeling more hopeful and happy then they went in...yet here I am. My roommate literally had to console me and buy me ice cream. I am just so numb. I am sure the casual fan will enjoy this, as seen from the rotten tomatoes ratings. I think the critics were too generous with this one, 
Star Wars is very simple at its core, Good vs Bad and Dark vs Light. The kids are expected to understand that a Palpatine being the only one who lives is hopeful? That is the conclusion of three generations of Skywalker sacrifice...
This is how the Skywalkers are remembered...In Tragedy and Curse??
3K notes · View notes
ariainstars · 4 years
Text
Thank You, Disney Lucasfilm… For Destroying My Dreams
Warning: longer post.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
So… I watched The Rise of Skywalker on Disney+ a few weeks ago. Again.
Sigh.
I guess it has its good sides. But professional critics tend to dislike it and even the general audience doesn’t go crazy for it. I wonder why?
  The Fantasy
When his saga became a groundbreaking pop phenomenon in the 1970es, George Lucas reportedly said that he wanted to tell fairy tales again in world that no longer seemed to offer young people a chance to grow up with them. The fact that his saga was met with such unabashed, international enthusiasm proves that he was right: people long for fairy tales no matter how old they are and what culture they belong to.
“Young people today don’t have a fantasy life anymore, not the way we did… All they’ve got is Kojak and Dirty Harry. All the films they see are movies of disasters and insecurity and realistic violence.” (George Lucas)
I’ve been a Star Wars fan for more than thirty years. I love the Original Trilogy but honestly it did not make me dream much, perhaps because when I saw it the trilogy was already complete. The Prequel Trilogy also did not inspire my fantasy.
The Last Jedi accomplished something that no TV show, book or film had managed in years: it made me dream. The richness of colorful characters, multifaceted themes, unexpected developments, intriguing relationships was something I had not come across in a long time: it fascinated me. I felt like a giddy teenager reading up meta’s, writing my own and imagining all sorts of beautiful endings for the saga for almost two years.
So if there’s something The Rise of Skywalker can pride itself on for me, it’s that it crushed almost every dream I had about it. The few things I had figured out – Rey’s fall to the Dark, Ben Solo’s redemption, the connection between them - did not even make me happy because they were tainted by the flatness of the storytelling reducing the Force to a superpower again (like the general audience seems to believe it is), and its deliberate ignoring of almost all messages of The Last Jedi.
Many fans of the Original Trilogy also were disillusioned by the saga over the decades and ranted at the studios for “destroying their childhood”. Now we, the fans of the sequels and in particular of The Last Jedi, are in the same situation… but the thought doesn’t make the pill much easier to swallow. What grates on my nerves is the feeling that someone trampled on my just newly found dreams like a naughty child kicking a doll’s house apart. Why give us something to dream of in the first place, then? To a certain extent I can understand that many fans would angrily assume that Disney Lucasfilm made the Sequel Trilogy for the purpose of destroying their idea of the saga. The point is that they had their happy ending, while every dream the fans of the Sequel Trilogy may have had was shattered with this unexpectedly flat and hollow final note.
I know many fans who dislike the Prequel Trilogy heartily. I also prefer the Original Trilogy, but I find the prequels all right in their own way, also since I gave them some thought. However, it can’t be denied that they lack the magic spark which made the Original Trilogy so special. Which makes sense since they are not a fairy tale but ultimately a tragedy, but in my opinion it’s the one of the main reasons why the Prequel Trilogy never was quite so successful, or so beloved.
Same goes for Rogue One, Solo, or Clone Wars. They’re ok in their way, but not magical.
The sequel trilogy started quite satisfyingly with The Force Awakens, but for me, the actual bomb dropped with The Last Jedi. Reason? It was a magical story. It had the spark again that I had missed in the new Star Wars stories for decades! And it was packed full of beautiful messages and promises.
The Force is not a superpower belonging solely to the Jedi Anyone can be a hero. Even the greatest heroes can fail, but they will still be heroes. Hope is like the sun: if you only believe in it when you see it you’ll never make it through the night. Failure is the greatest teacher. It’s more important to save the light than to seem a hero. No one is never truly gone. War is only a machine. Dark Side and Light Side can be unbeatable if they are allies. Save what you love instead of destroying what you hate.
Naively, I assumed the trilogy would continue and end in that same magical way. And then came The Rise of Skywalker… which looks and feels like a Marvel superhero story at best and an over-long videogame at worst.
Chekov’s Gun
“Remove everything that has no relevance to the story. If you say in the first chapter that there is a rifle hanging on the wall, in the second or third chapter it absolutely must go off. If it’s not going to be fired, it shouldn’t be hanging there.”
(Anton Chekov, 1860 - 1904)
If you show an important looking prop and don’t put it to use, it leaves the audience feeling baffled. There is a huge difference between a story’s setup, and the audience’s feeling of entitlement. E.g. many viewers expected Luke to jump right back into the fray in Episode VIII, because that’s what a hero does, isn’t it? The cavalry comes and saves the day. And instead, we met a disillusioned elderly hermit who is tired of the ways of the Jedi. But there was no actual reason for disappointment: in Episode VII it was very clearly said (through Han, his best friend) that Luke had gone into exile on purpose, feeling responsible for his failure in teaching a new generation of Jedi. It would have been more than stupid to show him as an all-powerful and all-knowing man who kills the bad guys. Sorry but who expected that was a victim to his own prejudice.
Tumblr media
A promise left unfulfilled is a different story. The Last Jedi set up a lot of promises that didn’t come true in The Rise of Skywalker: Balance as announced by the Jedi temple mosaic, a new Jedi Order hinted at by Luke on Crait, a good ending for Ben and Rey set up by the hand-touching scene which was opposite to Anakin’s and Padmés wedding scene. Many fans were annoyed about the Canto Bight sequence. I liked it because it felt like the set-up for a lot of important stuff: partnership between Finn and Rose whom we see working together excellently, freedom for the enslaved children (one of whom is Force-sensitive), DJ and Rose expressing what makes wars in general foolish and beside the point. So if we, the fans of Episode VIII, now feel angry and let down, I daresay it’s not due to entitlement. We were announced magical outcomes and not just pew-pew.
The Star Wars saga never repeated itself but always developed and enlarged its themes, so it was to be expected that delving deeper, uncomfortable truths would come out: wars don’t start out of nowhere, and they don’t flare up and continue for decades for the same reason. In order to find Balance, the Jedi’s and the Skywalker family’s myths needed to be dismantled. Which is not necessarily bad as long it is explained how things came to this, and a better alternative is offered. The prequels explained the old political order and the beginnings of the Skywalker family, and announced that the next generation would do better. The sequels hardly explained anything about the 30 years that passed since our heroes won the battle against the Empire, and while The Last Jedi hinted at the future a lot, The Rise of Skywalker seemed to make a point of ignoring all of it.
  The Skywalker Family Is Obliterated. Why?
Luke was proven right that his nephew would mean the end of everything he loved. The lineage of the Chosen One is gone. His grandson had begun where Vader had ended - tormented, pale and with sad eyes - and he met the same fate. Luke, Han, Leia, all sacrificed themselves to bring Ben Solo back for nothing. Him being the reincarnation of the Chosen One and getting a new chance should have been meaningful for all of them; instead, he literally left the scepter to Rey who did nothing to deserve it: merely because she killed the Bad Guy does not mean she will do a better job than the family whose name and legacy she proudly takes over.
Tumblr media
I do hope there was a good reason if the sequels did not tell “The New Adventures of Luke, Leia and Han” and instead showed us a broken family on the eve of its wipeout. It would have been much easier, and more fun for the audience, to bring the trio back again after a few years and pick up where they had left. Instead we had to watch their son, nephew and heir go his grandfather’s way - born with huge power, branded as Meant to Be Dangerous from the start, tried his best to be a Jedi although he wanted to be a pilot, never felt accepted, abandoned in the moment of his greatest need, went to his abuser because he was the only one to turn to, became a criminal, his own family (in Anakin’s case: Obi-Wan and Yoda) trained the person who was closest to him to kill him, sacrificed himself for this person and died. And in his case, it’s particularly frustrating because Kylo Ren wasn’t half as impressive a villain as Vader, and Ben Solo had a very limited time of heroism and personal fulfilment, contrarily to Anakin when he was young.
The impact of The Rise of Skywalker was traumatic for some viewers. I know of adolescents and adults, victims of family abandonment and abuse, who identified with Ben: they were told that you can never be more than the sum of your abuse and abandonment, and that they’re replaceable if they’re not “good”. Children identifying with Rey were told that their parents might sell them away for “protection”. Rey was not conflicted, she had a few doubts but overall, she was cool about everything she did, so she got everything on a silver platter; that’s why as a viewer, after a while you stopped caring for her. Her antagonist was doomed from birth because he dared to question the choices other people made for him. It seems that in the Star Wars universe, you can only “rise” if you’re either a criminal but cool because you’ve always got a bucket over your head (Vader / the Mandalorian) or are a saint-like figure (Luke / Rey).
One of Obi-Wan’s first actions in A New Hope is cutting off someone’s arm who was only annoying him; Han Solo, ditto. These were no acts of self-defense. The Mandalorian is an outlaw. Yet they are highly popular. Why? Because they always keep their cool, so anything they do seems justified. Young Anakin was hated, Jake Lloyd and Hayden Christensen attacked for his portrayal. For the same reason many fans feel that Luke is the least important of the original trio although basically the Original Trilogy is his story: it seems the general audience hates nothing more than emotionality in a guy. They want James Bond, Batman or Indiana Jones as the lead. Padmé loved Anakin because she always saw the good little boy he once was in him; his attempts at impressing her with his flirting or his masculinity failed. Kylo tried to impress Rey with his knowledge and power, but she fled from him - she wanted the gentle, emphatic young man who had listened to her when she felt alone. Good message. But both died miserably, and Ben didn’t even get anything but a kiss. Realizing that his “not being as strong as Darth Vader” might actually be a strength of its own would have meant much more.
The heroes of the Original Trilogy had their adventures together and their happy ending; the heroes of the Prequel Trilogy also had good times and accomplishments in their youth, before everything went awry. Rey, Finn and Poe feel like their friendship hardly got started; Rose was almost obliterated from the narrative; and Ben Solo seems to have had only one happy moment in his entire life. Of course it’s terrible that he committed patricide (even if it was under coercion), but Anakin / Vader himself had two happy endings in the Prequel Trilogy before he became the monster we know so well. Not to mention Clone Wars, where he has heroic moments unnumbered.
The Skywalker family is obliterated without Balance in the Force, and the young woman who inherited all doesn’t seem to have learned any lesson from all this. The Original Trilogy became a part of pop culture among other things because its ending was satisfying. We can hardly be expected to be satisfied with an ending where our heroes are all dead and the heir of their worst enemy takes over. What good was the happy ending of the Original Trilogy for if they didn’t learn enough from their misadventures to learn how to protect one single person - their son and nephew, their future?
For a long time, I also thought that the saga was about Good vs. Evil. Watching the prequels again, I came to the conclusion that it is rather about Love vs. War. And now, considering as a whole, I believe it to be essentially Jedi against Skywalker. The ending, as it is now, says that both fractions lost: they annihilated one another, leaving a third party in charge, who believes to be both but actually knows very little about them.
Star Wars and Morality
After 9 films and 42 years, it still is not possible to make the general audience accept that it is wrong to divide people between Good and Evil in the first place. The massive rejection of both prequels and sequels, which have moral grey zones galore, shows it.
It is also not possible without being accused of actual blasphemy in the same fandom, to say the plain truth that no Skywalker ever was a Jedi at heart. As their name says, they’re pilots. Luke was the last and strongest of all Jedi because he always was first and foremost himself. Anakin was crushed by the Jedi’s attempts to stifle his feelings. His grandson, too. A Force-sensitive person ought to have the choice whether they want to be a Jedi or not; they ought not to be taught to suppress their emotions and live only on duty, without really caring for other people; and they ought to grow up feeling in a safe and loving environment, not torn away from their families in infancy, indoctrinated and provided with a light sabre (a deadly weapon) while they’re still small. A Jedi order composed of child soldiers or know-it-all’s does not really help anybody.
The original Star Wars saga was about love and friendship; although many viewers did not want to understand that message. The prequels portrayed the Jedi as detached and arrogant and Anakin Skywalker sympathetically, a huge disappointment for who only accepts stories of the “lonesome cowboy” kind. The Last Jedi was so hated that The Rise of Skywalker backpedaled: sorry, of course you’re right, here you have your “hero who knows everything better and fixes everything for you on a silver platter”. The embarrassing antihero, who saves the girl who was the only person showing him some human compassion, can die miserably in the process and is not even mourned.
Honestly: I was doubtful whether it would be adequate to give Ben Solo a happy ending after the patricide. I guess letting him die was the easiest way out for the authors to escape censorship. (I even wrote this in a review on amazon about The Last Jedi, before I delved deeper into the saga’s themes.) The messages we got now are even worse.
Kylo Ren / Ben Solo
A parent can replace a child if they’re not the way they expect them to be. A victim of lifelong psychical and physical abuse can only find escape in death, whether he damns or redeems himself. An introspective, sensitive young man is a loser no matter how hard he tries either way. A whole family can sacrifice itself to save their heir, he dies anyway.
Rey
Self-righteousness is acceptable as long as you find a scapegoat for your own failings. Overconfidence justifies anything you do. You can’t carve your way as a female child of “nobodies”, you have to descend from someone male and powerful even if that someone is the devil incarnate. You are a “strong female” if you choose to be lonely; you need neither a partner nor friends.
In General
Star Wars is not about individual choices, loyalty, friendship and love, it is a classic Western story with a lonesome cowboy (in this case: cowgirl) at its centre. Satisfied? 
Tumblr media
The father-son-relationship between Vader and Luke mirrors the Biblical story of Cain and Abel, saying that whoever we may want to kill is, in truth, our kin, which makes a clear separation in Good and Evil impossible. The “I am your father” scene is so infamous by now that even non-fans are aware of it; but this relationship between evil guy and good guy, as well as the plot turns where the villain saves the hero and that the hero discards his weapon are looked upon rather as weird narrative quirks instead of a moral. 
In  an action movie fan, things are simple: good guy vs. bad guy, the good guy (e.g. James Bond may be a murderer and a misogynist, but that’s ok because he’s cool about it) kills the bad guy, ka-boom, end of story. But Star Wars is a parable, an ambitious project told over decades of cinema, and a multilayered story with recurring themes.
A fairy tale ought to have a moral. The moral of both Original Trilogy and Prequel Trilogy was compassionate love - choose it and you can end a raging conflict, reject it and you will cause it. What was the moral of the Sequel Trilogy? You can be the offspring of the galaxy’s worst terror and display a similar attitude, but pose as a Jedi and kill unnecessarily, and it’s all right; descend from Darth Vader (who himself was a victim long before he became a culprit) and whether you try to become a Jedi trained by Luke Skywalker or a Sith trained by his worst enemy, you will end badly?
Both original and prequel trilogy often showed “good” people making bad choices and the “bad ones” making the right choices. To ensure lasting peace, no Force user ought to be believe that he must choose one side and then stick to it for the rest of his life: both sides need one another. The prequels took 3 films to convey this message, though not saying so openly. The Last Jedi said it out clearly - and the authors almost had their heads ripped off by affronted fans, resulting in The Rise of Skywalker’s fan service. It’s not like Luke, Han and Leia were less heroic in the Sequel Trilogy, on the contrary, they gave everything they had to their respective cause. They were not united, and they were more human than they had once been. Apparently, that’s an affront.
The Jedi are no perfect heroes and know-it-all’s and they never were, the facts are there for everyone to see. Padmé went alone and pregnant to get her husband out of Mustafar - and she almost succeeded - although she knew what he had done and that he was perfectly capable of it (he had told her of the Tusken village massacre himself) because she still saw the good little boy he had been in him; Obi-Wan left him amputated and burning in the lava, although he had raised Anakin like a small brother and the latter had repeatedly saved his life. But Padmé was not a Jedi, so I guess she still had some human decency. Neither Obi-Wan nor Yoda lifted a finger for the oppressed populations of the galaxy during the Empire, waiting instead for Anakin’s son to grow up so they could trick him into committing patricide. Neither Luke nor Leia did anything for their own son and nephew while he became the scourge of the galaxy, damning his soul by committing crime after crime. On Exegol, Rey heard the voices of all Jedi encouraging her to fight Palpatine to death. After that, they left her to die alone, and the alleged “bad guy”, who had already saved her soul from giving in to Palpatine’s lures, had to save her life by giving her his own. The Jedi merely know that “their side” has to win, no matter the cost for anyone’s life, sanity, integrity or happiness.
Excuse me, these are simple facts. How anyone can still believe that the Jedi were super-powerful heroes who always win or all-knowing wizards who are always right is beyond me. Luke, the last and strongest of them, like a bright flickering of light before the ultimate end, showed us that the best of men can fail. There is nothing wrong with that in itself. But it is wrong and utterly frustrating when all of the failure never leads to anything better. If Rey means to rebuild the Jedi order to something better than it was, there was no hint at that whatsoever.
  And What Now?
The Last Jedi hit theatres only 2 years before The Rise of Skywalker, and I can’t imagine that the responsible authors all have forgotten how to make competent work in the meantime; more so considering that Solo or The Mandalorian are solid work. Episode IX is thematically so painfully flat it seems like they wanted us to give up on the saga on purpose. The last instalment of a 42-year-old saga ought to have been the best and most meaningful. I had heard already decades ago that the saga was supposed to have 9 chapters, so I was not among who protested against the sequels thinking that they had been thought up to make what had come before invalid. I naively assumed a larger purpose. But Episode IX only seems to prove these critics perfectly right.
The last of the flesh and blood of the Chosen One is dead without having “finished what his grandfather started”?
Still no Balance in the Force?
And worst of all, Palpatine’s granddaughter taking over, having proven repeatedly that she is not suited for the task?
Sorry, this “ending” is absurd. I have read fanfiction that was better written and more interesting. And, most of all, less depressing. I was counting on a conclusion that showed that the Force has all colours and nuances, and that it’s not limited to the black-and-white view “we against them”. That’s the ending all of us fans would have deserved, instead of catering the daddy issues of the part of the audience who doesn’t want stories other than those of the “lonesome cowboy” kind. I myself grew up on Japanese anime, maybe that’s one of the reasons why I can’t stand guys like James Bond or Batman and why I think you don’t need “a great hero who fixes the situation” but that group spirit and communication are way more important.
It was absolutely unexpected that Disney, the production company whose trademark are happy endings and family stories, would end this beloved and successful saga after almost half a century on such a hollow note. Why tell first a beautiful fairy tale and then leave the audience on a hook for 35 years to continue first with a tragedy (which at least was expected) and then with another (unexpected one)? And this story is supposed to be for children? Like children would understand all of the subtext, and love sad, cautionary tales. Children, as well as the general audience, first of all want to be entertained! No one wants to watch the legendary Skywalker family be obliterated and a Palpatine take over. The sequels were no fun anymore; we’ve been left with another open ending and hardly an explanation about what happened in the 30 years in between. If you want to tell a cautionary tale, you should better warn the general audience beforehand.
Tumblr media
The Original Trilogy is so good because it’s entertaining and offers room for thought for who wants to think about its deeper themes, and also leaves enough space for dreams. Same goes for the first two films of the Sequel Trilogy; but precisely the last, which should have wrapped up the saga, leaves us with a bitter aftertaste and dozens of questions marks. 
We as the audience believe that a story, despite the tragic things that happen, must go somewhere; we get invested into the characters, we root for them, we want to see them happy in the end. (The authors of series like Girls, How I Met Your Mother or Game of Thrones ought to be reminded of that, too.) I was in contact with children and teenagers saying that the Sequel Trilogy are “boring”; and many, children or adults, who were devastated by its concluson. There is a difference between wanting to tell a cautionary tale and playing the audience for fools. This trilogy could have become legendary like the Original Trilogy, had it fulfilled its promises instead of “keeping it low” with its last chapter. Who watches a family or fantasy story or a romantic / comedic sitcom wants to escape into another world, not to be hit over his head with a mirror to his own failings, and the ones of the society he’s living in. Messages are all right, but they ought not to go at the cost of the audience’s satisfaction about the about the people and narrative threads they have invested in for years.
This isn’t a family story: but children probably didn’t pester the studios with angry e-mails and twitter messages etc. They simply counted on a redemption arc and happy ending, and they were right, because they’re not as stupid as adults are. I have read and watched many a comment from fans who hate The Last Jedi. Many of these fans couldn’t even pinpoint what their rage was all about, they only proved to be stuck with the original trilogy and unwilling to widen their horizon. But at least their heroes had had their happy ending: The Rise of Skywalker obliterated the successes of all three generations of Skywalkers.
If the film studios wanted to tease us, they’ve excelled. If they expect the general audience to break their heads over the sequels’ metaphysics, they have not learned from the reactions to the prequels that most viewers take these films at face value. Not everybody is elbows-deep in the saga, or willing to research about it for months, and / or insightful enough to see the story’s connections. Which is why many viewers frown at the narrative and believe the Sequel Trilogy was just badly written. This trilogy could have become legendary like the Original Trilogy, had it fulfilled its promises instead of “keeping it low” with its last chapter. As it is now, the whole trilogy is hanging somewhere in the air, with neither a past nor a future to be tied in with.
The prequels already had the flaw of remaining too obscure: most fans are not aware that Anakin had unwillingly killed his wife during the terrible operation that turned him into Darth Vader, sucking her life out of her through the Force: most go by “she died of a broken heart”. So although one scene mirrors the other, it is not likely that most viewers will understand what Rey’s resurrection meant. And: Why did Darth Maul kill Qui-Gon Jinn? What did the Sith want revenge for? Who was behind Shmi’s abduction and torture? Who had placed the order for the production of the clones, and to what purpose? We can imagine or try to reconstruct the answers, but nothing is confirmed by the story itself.
The sequels remained even more in the dark, obfuscating what little explanation we got in The Rise of Skywalker with quick pacing and mind-numbing effects.
Kylo Ren had promised his grandfather that “he would finish what he started”: he did not. Whatever one can say of this last film, it did not bring Balance in the Force. What’s worse, the subject was not even breached. It was hinted at by the mosaic on the floor of the Prime Jedi Temple on Ahch-To, but although Luke and Rey were sitting on its border, they never seemed to see what was right under their noses. It remains inexplicable why it was there for everyone to see in the first place.
Tumblr media
We might argue that Ben finished what his grandfather started by killing (or better, causing the death of) the last Jedi, who this one couldn’t kill because he was his own son; but leaving Rey in charge, he helped her finish what her grandfather had started. The irony could hardly be worse.
Episode IX looks like J.J. Abrams simply completed what they started with Episode VII, largely ignoring the next film as if it was always planned to do so. We, the angry and disappointed fans of The Last Jedi, may believe it was due to some of the general audience’s angry backlash, but honestly: the studios aren’t that dumb. They had to know that Episode VIII would be controversial and that many fans would hate it. The furious reactions were largely a disgrace, but no one can make me believe that they were totally unexpected. Nor can anyone convince me that The Rise of Skywalker was merely an answer to the small but very loud part of the audience who hated The Last Jedi: a company with the power and the returns of Disney Lucasfilm does not need to buckle down before some fan’s entitlement and narrowmindedness out of fear of losing money. And if they do, it was foolish to make Rey so perfect that she becomes almost odious, and to let the last of the Skywalker blood die a meaningless death. (Had he saved the Canto Bight children and left them with Rey, at least he would have died with honor; and she, the child left behind by her parents, would have had a task to dedicate herself to.)
The only reason I can find for this odd ending is that it’s meant to prepare the way for Rian Johnson’s new trilogy, which - hopefully - will finally be about Balance. We as the audience don’t know what’s going on behind the doors. Filmmaking is a business like any other, i.e. based on contracts; and I first heard that Rian Johnson had negotiated a trilogy of his own since before Episode VIII hit theatres. Maybe he kept all the rights of intellectual property to his own film, including that he would finish the threads he picked up and close the narrative circles he opened, and only he; and that his alleged working on “something completely different” is deliberately misleading.
Some viewers love the original trilogy, some love the prequels, some like both; but I hardly expect anyone to love the sequel trilogy as a whole. What with the first instalment “letting the past die, killing it if they had to”, the second hinting at a promising future and the third patched on at the very last like some sort of band-aid, it was not coherent. I heard the responsible team for Game of Thrones even dropped their work, producing a dissatisfying, quickly sewn together last season, for this new Star Wars project and thereby disappointing millions of GoT fans; I hope they are aware of the expectations they have loaded upon them. George Lucas’ original trilogy had its faults, but but though there was no social media yet in his time, at least he was still close enough to the audience to give them what they needed, if not necessarily wanted. (Some fans can’t accept that Luke and Leia are siblings to this day, even if honestly, it was the very best plot twist to finish their story in a satisfying way.)
I’m hoping for now that The Last Jedi was not some love bombing directed at the more sentimental viewers but a promise that will be fulfilled. “Wrapping up” a saga by keeping the flattest, least convincing chapter for last is bad form. Star Wars did not become a pop phenomenon by accident, but because the original story was convincing and satisfying. Endings like these will hardly make anyone remember a story fondly, on the contrary, the audience will move to another fandom to forget their disappointment.
On a side note, I like The Mandalorian, exactly for the reason that that is a magical story; not as much as the original trilogy, but at least a little. Of course, I’m glad it was produced. But it’s a small consolation prize after the mess that supposedly wrapped up the original saga after 9 films.
We’re Not Blind, You Know…
- Though Kylo Ren (Ben Solo) has Darth Vader’s stature, his facial features are practically opposite to Vader’s creepy mask. This should have foreshadowed that his life should have gone the other way, instead of more or less repeating itself. - As a villain Kylo was often unconvincing; by all logic he should have been a good father figure. (Besides, Star Wars films or series never work unless there is a strong father or father figure at their center.)
- Like Vader, Kylo Ren was redeemed, but not rehabilitated. Who knows who may find his broken mask somewhere now and, not knowing the truth, promise “I will finish what you started”. - The hand-touching scene on Ahch-To which was visually opposite to Anakin’s and Padmé’s should not have predicted another tragedy but a happy ending for them. - The Canto Bight sequence was announcing reckoning for the weapon industry and freedom for the enslaved children. It also showed how well Finn and Rose fit together. - Rey was a good girl before she started on her adventures. Like Anakin or Luke, she did not need to become a Jedi to be strong or generous or heroic. - Rey summons Palpatine after one year of training. Kylo practically begged for his grandfather’s assistance for years, to no avail. Her potential for darkness is obviously much stronger. - Dark Rey’s light sabre looked like a fork, Kylo’s like a cross. - The last time all Jedi and Sith were obliterated leaving only Luke in charge, things went awry. Now we have a Palpatine masquerading as a Skywalker and believing she’s a Jedi. Rey is a usurper and universally cheered after years of war, like her grandfather. - The broom boy of Canto Bight looked like he was sweeping a stage and announcing “Free the stage, it’s time for us, the children.”
Rey failed in all instances where Luke had proved himself (so much for feminism and her being a Mary Sue): - Luke had forgiven his father despite all the pain he had inflicted on him. She stabbed the „bad guy”, who had repeatedly protected and comforted her, to death. - Luke never asked Vader to help the Rebellion or to turn to the Light Side, he only wanted him back as his father. She assumed that you could make Ben Solo turn, give up the First Order and join the Resistance for her. She thought of her friends and of her own validation, not of him. - Luke had made peace by choosing peace. Rey fought until the bitter end. - Luke had thrown his weapon away before Palpatine. Rey picked up a second weapon. (And both of them weren’t even her own.) - Luke had mourned his dead father. Rey didn’t shed a tear for the man she is bonded to by the Force. - Luke went back to his friends to celebrate the new peace with them. Rey went back letting everyone celebrate her like the one who saved the galaxy on her own, she who were tempted to become the new evil ruler of the galaxy and had to rely on the alleged Bad Guy to save both her soul and her body. - Luke had embodied compassion when Palpatine was all about hatred. Where he chose love and faith in his father, she chose violence and fear. - Luke had briefly fallen prey to the Dark Side but it made him realize that he had no right to judge his father. Rey’s fall to the Dark Side did not make her wiser. - Rey has no change of mind on finding out that she’s Palpatine’s flesh and blood, nor after she has stabbed Kylo. Luke had to face himself on learning that he had almost become a patricide. Rey does not have to face herself: the revelation of her ancestry is cushioned by Luke’s and Leia’s support. Rey is and remains an uncompromising person who hardly learns from her faults.
This is cheating on the audience. And it's not due to feminism or Rey being some sort of “Mary Sue” the way many affronted fans claim. Kylo never was truly a villain, Rey is not a heroine, and this is not a happy ending. The Jedi, with their stuck-up conviction “only we must win”, have failed all over again. The Skywalker family was obliterated leaving their worst enemy in charge.  Rey is supposed to be a “modern” heroine which young girls can take as an example? No, thank you. Not after this last film has made of her. Padmé was a much better role model, combining intelligence with strength and goodness and also female grace. The world does not need entitled female brats.
Bonus: What Made The Rise of Skywalker a Farce
- The Force Awakens was an ok film and The Last Jedi (almost) a masterpiece. The Rise of Skywalker was a cartoon. No wonder a lot of the acting felt and looked wooden. - “I will earn your brother’s light sabre.” She’s holding his father’s sabre. - Kylo in The Last Jedi: “Let the past die. Kill it if, you have to.” Beginning with me? - Rey ends up on Tatooine. - The planet both Anakin and Luke ardently wanted to leave. - Luke had promised his nephew that he would be around for him. - Nope. - Rey had told Ben that she had seen his future. What future was that - “you will be a hero for ten minutes, get a kiss and then die? (And they didn’t even get a love theme.) - “The belonging you seek is not behind you, it is ahead.” On a desert planet with a few ghosts. What of the ocean she used to dream about? - Ben and Rey were both introduced as two intensely lonely people searching for belonging. We learn they are a Force dyad, and then they are torn apart again. - Why was Ben named for Obi-Wan Kenobi in the first place, if they have absolutely nothing in common? - The Throne Room battle scene in The Last Jedi was clearly showing that when they are in balance, Light Side and Dark Side are unbeatable. Why did the so-called “Light Side” have to win again, in The Rise of Skywalker, instead of finding balance? - Luke’s scene on Ahch-To was so ridiculously opposite to his attitude in The Last Jedi that by now I believe he was a fantasy conjectured by her. (Like Ben’s vision of his father.) - Anakin’s voice among the other Jedi’s. - He was a renegade, for Force’s sake. - The kiss between two females. - More fan service, to appease those who pretended that not making Poe and Finn a couple was a sign of homophobia. - We see the Knights of Ren, but we learn absolutely nothing about them or Kylo’s connection with them. - Rose Tico’s invalidation. - A shame after what the actress had gone through because for the fans she was “not Star-Wars-y” (chubby and lively instead of wiry and spitfire). - Finn’s and Rose’s relationship. - Ignored without any explanation. - Finn may or may not be Force-sensitive. - If he is: did he abandon the First Order not due to his own free will but because of some higher willpower? Great. - General Hux was simply obliterated. - In The Force Awakens he was an excellent foil to Kylo Ren; no background story, no humanization for him. - Chewie’s and 3PO’s faked deaths. - Useless additional drama. - The Force Awakens was a bow before the classic trilogy. The Rise of Skywalker kicked its remainders to pieces. - The Prequel Trilogy ended with hope, the Original Trilogy with love. The Sequel Trilogy ends on a blank slate. - “We are what they grow beyond.” The characters of the Sequel Trilogy did not grow beyond the heroes of the Original Trilogy. - The Jedi did not learn from their mistakes and were obliterated. The Skywalker family understood the mistakes they had made too late. Now they’re gone, too.
  P.S. While I was watching The Rise of Skywalker my husband came in asked me since when I like Marvel movies. I said “That’s not a Marvel movie, it’s Star Wars.” I guess that says enough.
P.P.S. For the next trilogy, please at least let the movies hit theatres in May again instead of December. a) It’s tradition for Star Wars films, b) Whatever happens, at least you won’t ruin anyone’s Christmases. Thank you.
419 notes · View notes
flightfoot · 2 years
Text
I’m kind of mixed in trying to figure out whether or not, or to what extent, that Ron the Death Eater that’s thrown at POCs is racist. 
Like, on the one hand, fics that make Finn try to rape Rey so that Kylo Ren can come to her defense and beat him up align with old stereotypes Scary Black Men coming to rape White women, and have zero grounding in the actual story and characters.
But on the other hand, this kind of thing would probably happen to some extent even if Finn was White. People tend to inflict Die For Our Ship on anyone who might “get in the way” of the couple that’s being promoted, and if one character is a Draco In Leather Pants, there’s a high chance that someone will undergo the Ron the Death Eater treatment in order to make them look better by comparison.
Or an example that I, sadly, have far too much experience with, and I absolutely despise - the way Alya’s made into Lila’s stupid, cruel minion in many, MANY Miraculous Ladybug saltfics, with her helping to beat Marinette up, send her death threats, pressure and manipulate Marinette into being the class servant, or even straight-up nearly kill Marinette - usually with Chloe, who’s canonically the class bully and who Alya stood up to for Marinette’s sake on the day she met Marinette, being made into Marinette’s new best friend who helps defend her against Alya’s nastiness.
I hate it - especially since that plotline’s popular enough that it’s basically its own fandom - and it aligns with racist tropes about Black girls being dumb and dangerous, and with the reason Alya supposedly deserves this treatment being because she didn’t immediately side with Marinette that Lila’s obviously evil and deserves to be ostracized without being given sufficient evidence for that, there’s also an element of “she failed at being a perfect supportive, unquestioning Black Best Friend, therefore she’s a horrible person who deserves any retribution Marinette inflicts on her as punishment”.
However... I DO also think that, even if Alya was White, she’d still get a lot of this thrown at her. Best friends who “fail” the main protagonist in any way tend to be prime targets for Ron the Death Eater - heck, look at the titular boy himself, Ron, and how villainized and flanderized he’s made to be! Or other cases, like apparently in the Sailor Moon fandom, there was a trend of making the Inner Senshi horribly cruel to Usagi so she could get some new friends instead. Plus, the entire class in Miraculous saltfics usually gets that treatment (except for Chloe, obviously), with Alya being used as the face of the class more than anything.
Basically, I’m not sure how much of the usage of racist stereotypes and absurd Disproportionate Retribution while Ron the Death Eatering POCs is because those are just the sorts of awful demonizations that are normal for Die For Our Ship or for throwing at characters who “betray” the main character in some way, and they just happen to coincide with racist tropes, and how much of it is because of racism.
Mind you, whether race is a factor or not, I STILL despise when this sort of thing becomes common. I’m not okay with making a canonically good-to-okay character unspeakably horrible just to get the audience to hate their guts, it just becomes that much worse when it has bigoted undertones. Or overtones, depending on how blatant it is.
21 notes · View notes
lemongingerart · 11 months
Text
Chapter 1 - Departure (I)
Tumblr media
Fic summary: The second arc of my Armitage Hux x OC fanfic, “chocolate cookies and tarine tea”, in which both need to deal with the mess they got into (and each other, eh eh eh). Involves cookies that won't be eaten and tea that will get spilled. Same goes for certain feelings... they are going to be hungry ant thirsty 😏
You can find the link to AO3 and other chapters on Tumblr in the pinned message on my dash, both for the first and second arc 😊
Rating: Explicit. This is going to be very NSFW. So, Minors, do NOT read or interact. 18+. Family, friends and colleagues, please don’t read this. :’-)
Tags & warnings: TRoS fix-it (kind of), Hux!lives, Hux doesn’t like Kylo, Not a Redemption Arc, maybe a little bit, shameless fem!OC insert (there are cliches but entertaining ones imo), slow emotional burn, medium sexual burn, Enemies to Enemies With Benefits to Lovers, Hux is still a villain don't forget, Virgin Characters, masturbation against the door, pinv, Unresolved Sexual Tension, Awkward Sexual Situations, Past Child Abuse, dubious first kiss, Dom/sub Undertones, Mental Breakdown, Unprotected Sex, wet Hux, that deserves a tag/warning on its own, Minor Character Death
I will add tags as we proceed in the story, please let me know if I forgot one!
Taglist: @mylifeisactuallyamess, @morby and anyone who’d like to join 🥰
A/N:     Hello dear, it's been a while! I wasn’t actually planning on publishing yet (I still need to finish up the header and the last scene) but after attending star wars celebration I am so high on Hux again! As an extra, I'm also uncharacteristically impulsive. This is not going to end well, ah ah ah.
Arc 2 has been written, up till some very *interesting * scenes! The whole thing got out of hand a bit, I already have almost 23k words for part 1 of this arc (part 2 will follow with the same amount, but still working it through) I should be able to more or less update on a regular basis for the next 11 chapters now, since I only need to review them!
Because I know some of you have read arc 1 a good while ago, let me give you this short recap: Hux, Miko and PC just left Utapau Four and are heading to Taris, so they can obtain the coördinates to the Resistance base. Hux has been in a stressful and frustrated mood (at least, more than usual), while Miko is gloomy from trying to deal with her new reality: she might not be able to return to her home for good.
Get ready for a whole whirlwind of (mis)adventures.
Armitage was looking to the everlasting hyperspace clouds, as if he was paying attention to it for the first time in his life. If Miko wanted to start a conversation - which she certainly didn’t - his intense gaze would've stopped her from doing so. She wondered what he was thinking, looking so serious and focussed on the void ahead.
This time however, she mused, the silence didn’t feel loaded and somehow had turned into something comforting. They had an actual plan and could focus on the upcoming mission. Everything was more or less under control. 
Miko felt like she finally had the time to study her companion. From the seat she was in, she noticed he was frowning deeply, and she could guess by that serious stern look on his face, he was thinking about the current bantha poodo he was in. 
She sat back in the co-pilot 's chair while keeping an eye on his side profile. She knew by now he had done some horrible things - based on her father's reaction - although she didn't know the exact details. 
Thinking back to the way he introduced himself to her with so much flair, his previous position within the military must’ve meant everything to him. The First Order was probably the only life he knew. And she doubted one could become a general by playing along nicely, so he probably has done and sacrificed a lot to get in that seat. 
Still, he betrayed all that. For what?
Her mind wandered back to the time he miraculously woke up beneath her, onboard the Steadfast . She really was convinced he was dead at the time. She could remember the shock she felt, when she unceremoniously had fallen down on his limp body. But the memory was blurred by the storm of emotions and adrenaline she went through that moment. 
Did I really somehow… revive him, like he said? How could that be even frigging possible?  
The girl looked at her hands and slowly turned them around, trying to see if something happened if she tensed the muscles in her fingers. 
Of course, it was to no avail, making her wonder if he was just making things up for some obscure reason. But why would he do that? 
Nothing made sense these past days . The chaos, violence, the unexpected get-away, everything was wearing her down.
She slowly looked back to the ex-general and noticed how his jaw was slightly moving. 
Was he grinding his teeth… again ? 
At this moment, she was absolutely positive this man was full of frustrations and looking at the bags under his bloodshot eyes and his pale skin, the stress was eating him slowly but surely. 
She closed her eyes. If she was not going to stop paying attention to him, she was going to start getting worked up as well, and that wouldn’t help them any further. 
After a short pause, Miko felt relatively at ease again and decided to follow Hux’ gaze, so she started staring at the hyperspace clouds as well. They were somehow enchanting, the slight rotation of the ship making the clouds swirl and giving the space outside a dreamy aura. 
Honestly, right now, this all felt like a bad dream. She had always wanted to leave Utapau Four behind, and she used to fantasise about steering her own ship, drifting through hyperspace, from system to system. Seeing the most beautiful parts of the galaxy. Looking for a place with more purpose to land. 
She once wished for adventure, but now, the sting of hastily having to say goodbye to her father, maybe for good, was reminding her that she wasn't living her dream. This was all too real and absolutely not how she wanted to leave her home behind. 
She felt the urge to cry slowly rising from her chest, but she refused to give in to those feelings, especially around that pompous manipulative asshole. She gulped and kept her head down, trying to find tranquillity once again.
Only a few seconds later, she noticed a small but very irritating noise originating from the left. She looked back at Hux, who was now grinding his teeth so loud she could hear it from her seat and it was not helping her current emotional state.
Kriff.
‘Could you please stop doing that?? It’s not good for both your teeth and my headache’, she said, grumbling, only then realising she was again talking before thinking things through. 
This frigging bastard had almost choked me to death, if it wasn’t for PC , she hastily reminded herself, cold sweat appearing on her backside.
But the next thought that entered her worked up mind, were those glassy eyes again. Almost instantly she felt her cheeks go red, betrayed by her own thoughts, so she swiftly diverted her attention to the other side of the shuttle and gulped. She sincerely hoped he wouldn't turn around and see the blush under the dim light.
Unfortunately, Hux decided to redirect his energy from destroying his teeth to destroying any hope for a normal conversation, and he slowly faced her. 
‘Just who do you think you’re talking to?’ he replied with a low voice, giving her a dangerous look, as if she had done something extremely rude. Her body already involuntarily responded to his words and made her turn her attention back to him, momentarily forgetting the blush and trying to process his rude comment.  
Was this the tone he normally used when a subordinate had messed up pretty bad? she absently considered, trying to find a way to explain that this reply was somehow socially acceptable in Worst Order context. 
But, despite trying to negate the brusqueness in what he just said, she could not get rid of the feeling that he was intimidating her, that was for sure. And, combined with the reason she had been blushing before, he was tearing her apart with these most confusing thoughts.
Right now, under his persistent, piercing gaze, she felt like she couldn’t breathe easily, feeling mixed emotions of anger, inadequacy from her part (and for what? He didn't have anything to expect from her), getting slightly terrified and some other burning feeling from her abdomen. One that matched well with her pink cheeks.
She abruptly closed her mouth and looked away with a defying glance. There was no good verbal response she could come up with, especially since she felt like he turned her into a mess so easily. 
This was a conversation she wouldn’t take any further, because it was going to end in the both of them shouting again, and maybe worse. 
The next few seconds, her discomfort only escalated further into distress. Miko felt like she was walking on thin ice, scared to accidentally provoke him. Not that she was convinced there were any actual triggers, but the thought of his hands around her throat tended to do that to her. So, she decided she didn’t want to stay in the same room with him any more and left the cockpit without a word.
Armitage watched Miko’s back when she retreated from the cockpit. He made notice of her posture, which wasn't reflecting her usual defiance. Unlike their other unfortunate encounters, she looked a bit resigned but mainly confused, most likely too emotionally disturbed to be thinking clearly. Her face looked a bit worked up, too.
Thinking back on what he just said to her, he may have been overreacting due to his train of thoughts. She didn't actually say something offensive, although it was much more straightforward than any other conversation he has had in the past years. 
Taking into account that she already looked off, he hoped she wasn’t going to do anything stupid because of his response.
Given her mood though, he opted not to go after her, and wait in the cockpit a little longer. The atmosphere was already loaded enough and he wasn't looking forward to more energy consuming drama or useless fights. 
He automatically turned his attention back to the hyperspace void in front of him and picked up where his thoughts were left, before her intermission. 
The stress started eating at him again. He wasn’t used to having time for anything, and now he sat there, waiting, counting the hours before he was to be delivered to the enemy, at his own suggestion, no less. 
Was he going to be able to break Ren? How much more did he need to give up so he could remove that idiot, who knocked him from his ambitious trajectory? Is it all going to be worth it and what's going to be left of the First Order in the end? Will there be a chance for him to start over and get in charge again?
There had to be, it was the only life he knew. He had been there, only a little five year old boy, when the Order rose from the ashes of the Empire. So many sacrifices, harsh decisions and risks were taken to become what they were. He personally had pushed himself to the limits, over the limits, sometimes to the brink of insanity, to achieve greatness for the First Order. 
His mind wandered further,  thinking back about the choices he made, the career path he chose and pushed himself forward for.  The way he crawled up to the chain of command.
Yes, corruption was within their ranks. He wasn’t clean of those tactics either, but that’s part of the game. He learned those tricks from his father. 
Armitage grimaced at the thought of the latter, and how he made sure the younger Hux understood his teachings. 
There’s no way one could keep his hands clean in achieving leadership. But at least, he knew how the giant war machine worked, something Ren lacked. They all underestimated him, they didn't understand how far he was willing to go and up till now that had always worked in his advantage. 
The empire had shown that a strong hand was imperative to attain peace, but it was too flawed. And with insane emotionally unstable idiots like Ren at the top, the First Order was risking the same end. Something had to be done.
But, after literally leaking the Emperor's message to the resistance and letting high ranked resistance members escape, will he ever be able to seize command? Maybe he did go too far, this time? 
 He didn’t have many allies left. Phasma perished as did Snoke. Lower officers like Mitaka could prove to be loyal to him, given Ren’s outbursts on the personnel. But in high command, he was losing popularity because of Starkiller and the Fulminatrix.
And then there was that huge factor he hadn’t taken into account properly. 
Pryde. 
He knew of the sick prick and his reserve forces, but none of the acting officers of the First Order out in the outer rim were aware of how Pryde had strengthened their numbers so fast. The so-called allegiant-general had become a powerful and influential player. Suddenly, the tables had turned and both Pryde and Ren almost succeeded in removing him from the board of command.
Then came Palpatine 's message, and it was as if it announced Hux's demise. Pryde convinced his loyal allegiant officers that going after the message would bring them significant strategic advantages, while Ren was not open for reason.  Hux was automatically on the other end of the bargain, and thus enemy number one within the Order's upper ranks. 
How convenient for both. 
He felt his palms grow sticky beneath his leather gloves. He could try to come up with alternative tactics, go over the scenarios over and over again, but he already knew in the back of his mind that there was no better option than the way too risky plan he had picked now.
His jaw felt stiff and was starting to hurt from the constant pressure, the sting bringing him back to the present. He sighed deeply and rubbed his nasal bone.
On second thought, getting into some drama or a fight with Miko suddenly feels much more appealing than drowning in these thoughtlines , he scoffed.
A/N: I'm ignoring Sloane for a minute because we don't know what happened to her, same goes for Thrawn. They will have a cameo later on though! I love them too much not to include them 🥰
10 notes · View notes
Note
Star Wars for the blorbo asks! (Optional hard mode: Only classic EU characters!)
I'm doing both because I love attention
Star Wars, for the normals (normaler) (most of these could be- they could be just the one guy)
Blorbo (favorite character, character I think about the most): there's this fella, his name is ben, but not that one friend. But for basic pics I also love Leia, Padme, Ahsoka and Din Djarin who's just a very good boy
scrunkly (my “baby”, character that gives me cuteness aggression, character that is So Shaped): I mean, baby yoda, or "action snacking grogu" as hasbro would like for me to refer to him as, well, he is baby after all
scrimblo bimblo (underrated/underappreciated fave): Ventress! also Hera! Qira! the list goes on
glup shitto (obscure fave, character that can appear in the background for 0.2 seconds and I won’t shut up about it for a week) do you remember when Rukh showed up in rebels? I remember when he showed up in rebels. also mon mothma, breha organa, rose tico in anything after TLJ....
poor little meow meow (“problematic”/unpopular/controversial/otherwise pathetic fave): this one is also kylo ren. are you sad you ever became friends with me.
horse plinko (character I would torment for fun, for whatever reason) : those fucking droids in the endlessly long droid arc of season 5 of clone wars, waste my time 2012
eeby deeby (character I would send to superhell) Palpatine but in a more meta sense chris terrio who I would bite with my real human teeth if possible <3
HARD MODE
blorbo : I'm 1) basic and 2) a woman so Its Mara everyday of the week. Also Thrawn, because I have eyes
scrunkly : the twins + anakin. Really dig me some sequel series offspring. I preferred reading EU that were temporally not that long after the movies so I never really knew Ben Skywalker or Allana Solo that well, but what little I read of them I liked pretty well, but it's hard to mess with the originals, as disney has discovered. honestly I maybe reading this question far too literally but come on, it's me
scrimblo bimblo: I think as dope and rad as thrawn is, Pellaeon does not get the credit he deserves. he's a good watson!
glup shitto : I don't know if people remember Winter? Winter Celchu, Leia's friend who basically raised her kids for their protection and MAYBE had sex with Admiral Ackbar? but kin
poor little meow meow tbh there are not enough meow meows in legends, I'm going to say the dathomir witches who in canon imo are mostly creepy while in legends they were FREAKS :)
horse plinko Post dark side jacen solo for killing my girl and my innocence, in addition to the fact that I he's the walmart to bens gucci beloveds
eeby deeby: the Yuuzhan Vong! waste my time 2006. also whoever said "we can have no gay people in star wars and mara jade should be fridged." super hell for homophobic crimes
4 notes · View notes
babbushka · 3 years
Note
Hi friend! I was so torn on which prompt I liked best but I think I finally made up my mind lol. Can I please request “I’m going to ruin you” with my love BV!Kylo? Ilysm!
Anonymous said: I’m so excited for Sinday! Will you please do Kiss Prompts 15 for either your new lawyer or your Bond villain? Thank you 💛. I like the line “I’m going to ruin you” if that goes with it too.
Anonymous said:  Howdy, angel! Thanks for another sinday!! Could i please request “you look a little tied up, should i come back later?” For Bondvillan!Kylo? Thank youuu
Anonymous said: For the Sinday prompts, may I please suggest #8 frustrated kisses on the types of kisses knowing one has to go and the "sometimes I think you have a death wish prompt with Bond Villian Kylo??? Happy Sinday!!!!
1.4k NSFW (masturbation, light rope bondage, pussy eatin’, PIV)
Tumblr media
You were sure that he wouldn’t be popping in to see you tonight, absolutely sure of it. Last you knew, Kylo was in Spain, far far away from Moscow where you’re staying for the month, and you were glad for it. Moscow played by its own rules, it was a dangerous place for agents and an even more dangerous place for those associated with them. You’d never been caught, not once, not even as surveillance trails your every move – but Kylo wasn’t nearly as careful as you were.
So you’re glad he’s in Spain, glad he’s in the warm sunshine while the skies are grey outside your embassy apartment. You’re glad for his safety, but also so that he can’t see you…like this.
Lonely nights could only be spent in a small handful of ways, and tonight you’ve decided to pleasure yourself until your limbs gave out – even going so far as to tie some easy red rope knots around your thighs and ankles, keeping your legs bent and spread so you can fuck yourself on your fingers without having to worry about holding yourself apart.
Three of your fingers drag in and out of your pussy, your other hand rolling a nipple underneath your thumb, as you bite down hard on your lip to keep quiet. Music is playing, some Russian radio station that helps drown out the noise, drowns it out a little too well, because you nearly miss the sound of front door opening.
Nearly.
Yanking your hands away from your body, you roll up onto your knees and level a gun steady at the dark hallway just outside your bedroom door, trigger cocked and ready to fire, your entire body stone-still. The bedroom door is open and you stare into the blackness of the world just outside the bedside table’s illumination, mind already reeling to figure out how to kill or incapacitate your intruder while your legs are bound the way they are.
That is, until you hear a familiar chuckle, and your entire body relaxes, letting yourself flop back onto the mattress.
“You look a little…tied up, should I come back later?” Kylo Ren creeps out of the dark and into the soft periphery of the golden light from the table lamp.
How he got into your apartment, you’ll never know. You’ll have to send word to Mi6 that the embassy isn’t as impenetrable as they had hoped. Kylo appraises your naked body, looks you up and down with a soft smile that has you disarming the gun and setting it on the bedside table where it was before.
“No.” You sigh, dragging a hand down your face, scrubbing at your eyes to will the tension to slip away so you can get back to pleasuring yourself the way you had been. “No, come here, please.”
Kylo unbuttons himself out of his tuxedo, drapes it gently over the back of a chair so it doesn’t wrinkle, and then he’s climbing up onto the big bed with you, your legs still forced open by the rope. Kylo kisses up your inner knee, mouth hot.
“So is this what you get up to when you’re not trying to put me in prison?” He plucks at the rope, and you shuffle up the bed just enough to get comfortable. Kylo quickly leans up to face you and greet you with a chaste kiss to your lips, before moving back down your body to level with your cunt, nosing at your folds.  
“A woman can’t rely on you to come swoop in and fuck her whenever she wants, can she?” You lick the taste of him off your lips, savoring the moment that it was there, one of your hands encouraging the back of his head to properly nestle against your pussy and eat you out, breathily complaining, “When you’re not here I have to take matters into my own hands.”
“I see that.” Kylo chuckles, before making a motion to pull away, “If you’ve got it all under control then I’ll just go –”
“Kylo!” Your hand tightens in his hair to keep him in place, and he chuckles.
“I’m just teasing sweetheart, let me see that pretty pussy of yours, open up.” He pulls apart your folds with one of his big hands, your clit swollen and begging to be sucked. “That’s my girl. How close are you?”
“So close, so fucking close, I was almost there before you – oh fuck Kylo – before you walked in.” You moan around his tongue as it dips down and teases your clit for a moment or two, before he really dives in.
Kylo regards eating pussy as one of the finest meals a person can have, and it shows. He takes his time with you, wanting to taste every inch of you, his tongue thrusting into your cunt and stuffing you full, his nose breathing in your smell. You’re velvety hot and delicious, and Kylo spells him name against your folds until you’re breathing hard.
“You want my cock?” He asks, painfully hard in his briefs.
“Please.” You respond so quickly that it makes Kylo’s ego shoot up through the roof, “Please Kylo – yes!”
You scratch him up with how your nails dig into his shoulder, pulling him away from your pussy so that he can sink his big dick inside it instead – and he does. Kylo slides in and it feels like home, the way your body takes him so perfectly. He’s never had a woman take him as well as you do, and he’s constantly in awe of how perfectly you fit together. You’re impatient though, whimpering and whining, wanting him to move.
“Easy, easy baby.” Kylo caresses your cheek, kisses the corner of your mouth as he rolls his hips, as he gives you what you want, because he’ll always give you what you want. “Gotta go easy or else I’m going to ruin you.”
“You already have, jackass.” You laugh, great big grin on your face from finally getting the fucking you deserve, the springs squeaking on the mattress. Something goes real soft in your eyes, “I, Kylo I lov—”
Kylo surges up and kisses you, cuts you off and shuts you up. He wants to hear those words desperately, but not like this. Not when he’s working his ass off to make you come so hard you’ll fall right asleep until he comes back to you. No, he wants to hear it when you’re perfectly clear, perfectly sharp, when you’re not drooling around his cock.
And he knows you’d regret saying it now too, so he sticks his tongue down your mouth, makes you taste yourself as he gets you to come around him, as your naked body bounces underneath him, your nipples stiff and brushing against his undershirt.
He comes in you a few seconds later, knowing that when he comes back he’ll really give it to you hard, but for now, he leans down while his cock empties itself in your wanting aching throbbing pussy, and sucks on those nipples.
“Are you staying?” You whisper, petting through his hair as he takes a switchblade from the night table drawer and, cock still pulsing inside you, cuts the ropes that bind your ankle to your thigh.  
“Not tonight, I’ve got some…secret affairs to tend to.” Kylo can’t say exactly, because he can’t risk you being hurt by the KGB any more than he’s sure you’re already at risk for, “But I’ll be back, I promise.”
You know that that’s who he must be meeting with, and it makes you angry. It makes you sad.
“Sometimes I think you have a death wish.” You kiss him one final time, knowing that he has to go, that he’s probably already spent too much time with you as it is.
“Only if it’s by your hand, sweetheart.” He replies softly, one finger tapping under your chin, “I know you won’t accept anything less.”
“Come back to me in one piece?” You say, instead of those three little words you almost blurted out, as he pulls away from your body and begins putting himself back together.
He lights up a cigarette and takes a good couple puffs, nicotine and tar flooding his lungs and calming him down, giving him the strength to walk away from you despite hating having to do it every single time. He flicks the cigarette across the room, and you catch it expertly with your agent’s reflexes, bringing it to your lips and taking a drag or two too.
“I always will.” He replies instead of saying the words back, because you both know what you’re really saying.
Even if you don’t say them at all.
And then he’s out the door once again, and you’re in the big bed all alone, left alone with your thoughts and afterglow, your eyes slipping closed until the moment he comes crawling back underneath your covers, this time, hopefully, to stay.
104 notes · View notes