Saga Mustafar Dreams - Vader, vignette, angst-fest

Title: Mustafar Dreams
Author: VaderLVR64
Characters: Vader
Timeframe: Post RoTS
Notes: I?ve been playing with this piece for months, literally. And I?ve decided it?s never going to be exactly what I wanted, so I?m inflicting it on you now. I can only apologize in advance and say ?I tried.? Master Yoda would not be pleased, but what can I say?




Mustafar Dreams



The dream always begins the same way and it drags him down into the suffering that waits for him.

There is terrifying heat, the roar of the lava rolling down volcanic plains, the crash of saber blades against each other in a duel to the death, and a terrible quiet where once there had been a beloved voice. Once again, a bond between brothers grows deathly silent and still, forged into hatred by betrayal. The stench of the lava assaults him, forging its way inside of him with insidious relentlessness. It fills him up, expands within him until there is nothing left of him and there is only that thing which should be hot beyond bearing, but it is unspeakably cold. And then?then there is pain.

Agony.

Loss.

He is stripped down to his essentials, and at his core, he is Dark. There is nothing left in that perfect darkness to illuminate his path, nothing but shadows and hatred and suffering. He embraces the shadows, swallows the hatred, and endures the suffering. This is his universe now, his world, his reality. There is nothing else left for the Dark Lord and there is nothing left of Anakin Skywalker.

Mustafar?his birthplace.

Even the name evokes a shudder of fear and dread from Darth Vader, who trembles within his concealing armor. It was on Mustafar that he gained the galaxy and lost himself. It was a bargain sealed with blood and betrayal, and he is spared no detail of his part in it when he dreams. His dreams open up his mind to that which he would choose to forget. There is no peace in the land of sleep, but he goes there each night, hopeful and fearful.

Again, he sees her eyes go blank and lifeless, watches her body crumple to the ground. She is gone and he is the one responsible and it is on Mustafar that they have both died. He had loved her too much, loved her beyond reason. All of that was gone; all the majestic promise of their love had been swept away by the power of his hatred, destroyed as assuredly as his flesh was stripped from his bones by the black sands that burned him.

Obi-Wan was the instrument of his destruction.

It was Obi-Wan?s fault that she came to him and saw him fresh from the slaughter. The dark fire still blazing gleefully within him and he could not hide what he had become from her. She saw through Anakin with a lover?s penetrating gaze and all his darkness was laid bare for her. If only she had waited and if only she had not listened to Obi-Wan?s slanted tales of murder and betrayal. If only she had not led Obi-Wan to Mustafar, where their destruction awaited them all.


He looked past her and saw a man, the only man he had ever truly cared about - who had cared about him. She had respected Obi-Wan, as Anakin suspected she had never respected him. Had her respect turned to friendship and friendship to love? He raged at the thought of another man ? especially his Master! ? touching that perfect flesh, hearing her soft sighs as he loved her. He could not bear the thought of their betrayal and he had let his rage claim him, move him to acts that even now he could not bear to contemplate.

His existence ? his transformation - is built upon an altar of if only and the possibilities there haunt him. He had struck down those who would let her die. He had tried to save her, but she would not allow it. She was too blind, too naïve to see what he offered her. He had given her the galaxy and she had thrown it back at him. She would not follow the path he had chosen, the path that led to life for her, but death to his enemies. Padmé resisted the lure of power that beckoned him along the dark path, but he had given himself u

 

I don't know what you wanted it to be, but frankly if I ever come up with something that moving, I will think I am headed in the right direction!

 

Wow chilling!!!! That was a gr8 viggie and reli makes u sympathise wit Vader about what he's lost!! Talk about being led astray!! It was very dramatic and reli captured his feelings well!!

 

Wow, very intense and poignant.

 

Gods, this was so intense , I loved it .
You did a wonderful job with showing emotions and thoughts, as always, Kim .

I?ve been playing with this piece for months, literally. And I?ve decided it?s never going to be exactly what I wanted, so I?m inflicting it on you now. I can only apologize in advance and say ?I tried.? Master Yoda would not be pleased, but what can I say?

Yeah, you lost me there, this was amazing and I don?t understand that you don?t think so and if Yoda would?t bee pleased then tell him to talk normal and I doubt that he would bother you again , I'm just kidding, but I still loved this.

 

*sniffle* I'm going to buy waterproof mascara this weekend and I'm sending you the bill, Vadey.

I don't know how you could think this wasn't beyond gorgeous. This right here is THE essence of Darth Vader. This just has to be how it felt to be Anakin Skywalker after those horrible events on Mustafar!

Wonderful - I loved it! Reading your vignettes is totally addicting. You do know that, right?

 

What an amazing little story.

You really captured the torment Vader goes through every day of his life.

Bravo

 

This may be one of the best Vader characterizations I've seen. You've captured the conflict in him amazingly. His emotions are a whirlpool of contradictions - on the one hand, he kills without mercy, but on the other, he begs for mercy from, well, life itself yet shows himself none.

He hates his creation - hates himself.

He hates those who failed him, who let him fall into the unending darkness that was his destiny.

He loves them.

He loves those he destroyed ? almost as much as he hates them.

I love those lines. When someone really truly hates himself, that hate overflows - and those people hate everything. Vader is like this. Yet, at the same time, he wants to love himself, as everyone does. He just doesn't see how that is possible. He wants people to love him. It's just these feelings that have him so very confused.

In that singular perfect memory, there is her face, her voice, her soft hands offering solace and redemption. She was his light and she is gone, taking all the good that ever dwelled within him. He whispers her name,

Padme?

And he is lost.

That's the worst part. At this point, he really has no purpose except to serve his master. He could turn back to the light, but why? It won't give him anything that he truly desires and needs. And it won't forgive him, like the dark does. (at least, that's what he believes). He's only a shell. He lost everything that he was trying to save.

 

...that blind fool who destroyed it all for nothing...

For me, this really captures the essence of Vader.

Beautiful, simply beautiful.

 

Man... was that beautiful... so tragic yet beautiful... you captured the true essence of Vadar himself and what he went through in that cold, dark, trapping suit... he knew what he did was wrong, yet he did it to save her...

Rachel Rose

 

You never cease to amaze me Mama V. You've written yet another powerful and truly stunning piece here. I absolutely love this. You've truly captured the essence of Vader here. The pain and turmoil and torment he endures every day. You describe the contradictions in his life perfectly: everything he's lost and what he gained in return, and that it was all for nothing. The hatred for it all and for himself. Yet he wants some kind of forgiveness and love which he feels he doesn't deserve, he's not worthy after all he's done.

What you've written here has to be what Vader struggles with every day of his existence and what ultimately keeps him in service to Sidious and the dark side. He can never escape it. He'll be reminded always of what he was, what he's become and all he's lost for it.

 

You've done it again, K! Absolutely stunning.

He is stripped down to his essentials, and at his core, he is Dark. There is nothing left in that perfect darkness to illuminate his path, nothing but shadows and hatred and suffering. He embraces the shadows, swallows the hatred, and endures the suffering. This is his universe now, his world, his reality. There is nothing else left for the Dark Lord and there is nothing left of Anakin Skywalker.

Mustafar?his birthplace.

Even the name evokes a shudder of fear and dread from Darth Vader, who trembles within his concealing armor. It was on Mustafar that he gained the galaxy and lost himself. It was a bargain sealed with blood and betrayal, and he is spared no detail of his part in it when he dreams. His dreams open up his mind to that which he would choose to forget. There is no peace in the land of sleep, but he goes there each night, hopeful and fearful.

I loved the imagery here.

You have such an amazing grasp of Vader's character, and this wonderful viggie truly showcased that.

 

This was very good.
Powerful, emotional, a great grasp of Vader.

 

You write Vader's thoughts better than anyone else!

That was very intense and beautiful, there was so much emotion. I simply loved it.

 

Noelie Thank you!

ani-eyes I?m so glad you enjoyed it!

DarthIshtar Glad you liked it!

Star_Angel It was just one of those pieces that never became what I had in mind. Oh well.

VA_Parky I?ll pay! And thank you, your kind words made my day!

KELIA Thanks! He?s still my favorite character to write.

Japor_Angel Exactly! Until Luke comes along there is no REASON for him to seek redemption.

jedi_princess18 Thank you!

AnakinLuver He needs a good swift kick in his armored pants!

Daenarrah I?m flattered you liked it. And thanks for reading.

Gina You?re always so nice! Thank you!

Healer_Leona I like doing that to you!

Palpy560 Thanks! I tried. Not sure I DID, but I tried.

Darth_Father-in-law Thank you!

 

He hates those who failed him, who let him fall into the unending darkness that was his destiny.

He loves them.

He loves those he destroyed ? almost as much as he hates them.

I love the paradox and conflict.
Brilliant work.

Wow.

 

oqidaun Thank you so much for reading, oqi!

 

Oh my, this was... I can't even find the word! Beautiful? Magnificent? Touching? None of those seem strong enough to describe this. There's too much to even quote from! This is definitely one of my most favorite vignettes.

 

the torment you write, whew. And

, but on rare occasions, he is blessed with the other dream. In that dream she opens her arms to him sweetly, inviting him into her embrace. She whispers her devotion in his ear and the feel of her breath warms without burning. Once again, he is both lover and beloved and Mustafar is far away, a fate he cannot even imagine. There is no betrayal or darkness

that's were the little light of Anakin is still shining.

beautiful

 

This was devastatingly beautiful! Great job

 

Somehow, I missed this the first time around. Beautifully done. I love the way he's tortured by his own choices and the fires of Mustafar burning through him in his dreams.

Once he had a heart that loved, eyes that saw the beauty in the galaxy, a body that answered his every command. Now he is nothing more than a dark reflection of that man, that blind fool who destroyed it all for nothing.

He has been left with nothing. No wife, no child, no friends. His Dark Master? There was a certain cold comfort to be found there, but no trust, no easy sense of camaraderie that he had once known. The thing that had once been a living being, a loving man, is now a creature of cold and dark, a thing so utterly lacking in anything good that even mercy cannot find fertile ground inside him ? not even mercy for himself. He is that most pitiable of beings, one that loathes himself much more fiercely and with greater passion than any other could. He hates the thing he sees when he catches sight of his reflection, for he knows that the monstrosity is of his own creation.

Fool, damn fool and damned for it.

Great job. Loved it. Very emotional!

 

Vader, you certiably know the Dark Lord as well as Anakin from the back of your hand! That was tremendous throughout! Very moving with such gripping use of words that makes Anakin's this story of his fall captivatinly haunting and surreal!

I loved this, one of your great works that had tugged at my emotions!