Beyond - Legends Saga - Legends A Strange and Dazzling Array (2023 Fanfic Olympics - AU Skywalker/Solo family & friends Decathlon)

Title: A Strange and Dazzling Array
Author: ViariSkywalker

Timeframe: post-RotS and beyond
Characters: the Skywalkers, the Solos, and their many relatives and friends
Genre: AU, family, humor, romance, tooth-rotting fluff

Summary: Anakin Skywalker makes a different choice, and his family flourishes in a world unmarred by the atrocities of the Sith.

Notes: Two years ago, I wrote what I lovingly referred to as the Decathlon of Death for the Fanfiction Summer Olympics, in which I killed a great many beloved characters and destroyed the Millennium Falcon. To make up for that bit of sadism – and to appease @Gabri_Jade and @Mira_Jade and prove to them that I’m capable of writing happy things with nary a breath of angst – this year I’m writing a decathlon set entirely in the happy AU that branched off at the end of Enter the Foreign. That’s right, friends, this is the Decathlon of Delight, and it’s going to be so disgustingly wholesome that you’ll be practically begging me to kill some characters when it’s over.

Needless to say, there may be some spoilers for EtF in this collection. For more background on the main 'verse and links to the stories that take place in it, check out my Enter!verse Readers' Guide.

Disclaimer: Just borrowing these characters for some unmitigated fluff. I know, I'm as shocked as you are.

Enjoy!

---

Sometimes he sees another world, one that he has glimpsed only once in his waking life. And he’s still not sure if what he sees in his dreams is real or simply what he wishes it to be. Because in that world, his family is happy and whole and, most importantly, alive.

—“In a Galaxy Far, Far Away”, The Way Out Is Through​

Index of Decathlon Events


I. Rearrange the Stars | 45 years post-RotS (26.5 ABY*) | Anakin Skywalker & Ben Skywalker
(400 Word Cross Country)

II. The New Jedi Diplomacy | 7 years post-RotS (12 BBY) | Mace Windu
(200 Freestyle)

III. Aggressive Negotiations | 7 years post-RotS (12 BBY) | Anakin Skywalker & Obi-Wan Kenobi
(Tennis Match)

IV. Style | 23 years post-RotS (4 ABY) | Han Solo & Lando Calrissian
(100 Word Sprint)

V. Efflorescence | 58 years post-RotS (39 ABY) | Tahiri Veila/Demetrius Ulin (OC), Anakin Solo
(Equestrian Cross-Country)

VI. The Courtship of Prince Isolder | 27 years post-RotS (8 ABY) | Isolder/Teneniel Djo, Luke Skywalker/Mara Jade Skywalker
(3x3 Basketball)

VII. The Droid | 72 years post-RotS (53 ABY) | HK-47 & Dorian Starskip (OC) & Veeran Starskip (OC)
(AU Archery)

VIII. The Great Temple Lightsaber Tournament | 49 Years post-RotS (30.5 ABY) | Eleri Skywalker (OC) & Assorted Characters
(Rugby 7’s)

IX. The Dress | 73 years post-RotS (54 ABY) | Padmé Naberrie Skywalker & Allana Djo Solo
(110 Word Hurdle)

X. I Still Fall for You Like Suns Do for Skies | 73 years post-RotS (54 ABY) | Allana Djo Solo/Dorian Starskip, Assorted Characters
(1500 Word Dash)



*The Battle of Yavin never happened in this AU, but I'm including the BBY/ABY dating system anyway because alternate timelines are confusing enough

~~

 

Notes: Okay, here we go! My first event is the 400 Word Cross Country (exactly 400 words about your character, couple, family or friendship with any theme), and I snagged my title from the song “Light” by Sleeping At Last.

---

Rearrange the Stars | 45 years post-RotS (26.5 ABY) | 400 Word Cross Country


In the second year of the war against the Yuuzhan Vong, his youngest grandson is born.

He has waited a long time for this moment. Truth be told, there were times when he almost allowed himself to doubt it would ever come, or that he would live to see it. But now, after so many years, after dedicating his life to his family and to the Force and trying to be worthy of the gifts that have been given him, his wait is over.

He would never share any of this with his other grandchildren, or even his own children. He would never want any of them to mistake his excitement and relief and sheer joy for favoritism, because it isn’t any such thing. He loves them all so much. He loves them so much it hurts sometimes. He loves them so much that he has more than once considered shaking the stars to their foundations just to spare them pain and see them safe.

No, this isn’t favoritism. This is… This is a sign that the choices he made along the way were the right ones, that no matter what happens to him now, the future is as secure as it can be, and everything will work out in the end.

He looks down into his grandson’s scrunched up little face, and it takes him right back to the first time he held his own son, and the warm, hazy, soft feeling that surrounded them both in those early hours, when the world shrank and everything else – noise, burdens, uncertainty – faded away. He smiles as sleepy blue eyes open just enough to peer up at him, and grandfather and grandson gaze at each other, the former recalling the last time he looked into those eyes, the latter unaware of things like history and destiny and parallel universes, or of his connection to the old man holding him so gently.

He had a friend once, in another world, a good and brave and dear friend – and even though they were forced to part ways, he has carried the memory of that friendship within him for forty-five years, a small but steady flame, undimmed by the passage of time.

I’ll never leave you.

This is an old promise, fulfilled at last.

Anakin Skywalker lifts a finger to his grandson’s tiny cheek. “Hello, Ben,” he whispers. “It’s good to see you again.”


~~

 

What a scrumptious beginning! So chuffed this is a decathlon.

He would never share any of this with his other grandchildren, or even his own children. He would never want any of them to mistake his excitement and relief and sheer joy for favoritism, because it isn’t any such thing. He loves them all so much. He loves them so much it hurts sometimes. He loves them so much that he has more than once considered shaking the stars to their foundations just to spare them pain and see them safe.

Gorgeously written and so loving!

This is a sign that the choices he made along the way were the right ones

Yes, they were, and any others would be the head-scratching variety.

The final scene where Grandpa is unabashedly basking is so melty!

 

To see Anakin alive and with his grandson Ben. Perfect

 

So I've been wondering for nearly a month how you were going to write a Decathlon of Delight in the Enter!verse, but of course, there are the AUs of the AU! And I'm totally here for it, not only for the awesome characterisation and the tooth-rotting goodness, but also because I'm so extremely curious to know find out happens and doesn't happen in this redeemed version of the post-RotS period and to see how Anakin's experiences in the prime Enter!verse will influence his life and the lives of those around him in this one. And this little story was such a great opening salvo for this, with Anakin switching gears from the Ben he knew – the grown man who became his friend – to baby Ben, his grandson. I loved the metaphor of the "small but steady flame, undimmed by the passage of time" as the light that guided him on this new path.

 

I love how you've set the tone here. Bring on the wholesomeness and hints of terrible fates narrowly avoided!

This just feels like a warm hug.

This is such a lovely image. And that scrunched up little face!

Oof, that got me right in the heart...

I'm so excited for this and all the squee!crying that awaits.

 

A great entry to the Olympics! I admit that I'm not familiar with this parallel world, but the premise of Anakin alive during the NJO period is amazing. Keep it up!

 

Age has brought wisdom and peace, so nice to read about this character! Fine start to the Olympics here.

 

@Mira_Jade

I guess the pestering paid off. Though I'm probably going to need to brainstorm with you at some point so I don't run out of ideas...




@WarmNyota_SweetAyesha

Thank you! I was pressured into it, but I admit, I'm glad to be writing this as a decathlon.

I'm glad you enjoyed it!

Our favorites do make some questionable choices in the main 'verse, don't they? I saw somewhere recently that one of the defining traits of characters in SW was that they could make the absolute worst possible choice in a given situation and it would still be entirely 100% in-character for them, and I thought that was just a brilliant observation right there.

He loves Ben no matter which timeline they're in. Thanks for reading!




@earlybird-obi-wan

Aw, thank you! I got a lot of enjoyment out of finally writing this little scene.




@Chyntuck

lolll, yeah I mean, I could probably manage to write enough purely happy stories to fill up a decathlon in the main Enter!verse, but why do that when I have such a happy AU ready to go over here? (And let's be real, I'd be hard-pressed to write in the main 'verse without including the Chaos Twins at some point, and while those stories might be delightful in their own twisted way, they probably wouldn't be very happy... )

But anyway! I'm glad you enjoyed this first story. I figured since the decathlon of death ended with Ben saying goodbye to Anakin in his world and then seeing glimpses of the happier alternate reality, it would be fitting for the decathlon of delight to start off with Anakin's long-awaited reunion with Ben. I've had this reunion in mind for quite a while, so it was rewarding to finally write it. And I wouldn't want to diminish the importance of Anakin's relationships with Obi-Wan or Padmé or his children in this timeline, but I do like imagining the lasting effect his friendship with Ben would have had. Thanks for your comments!




@UltramassiveUbersue

lol, yeah after writing this I realized, oh oops, mentioning the Vong probably skirts the edge of angst, but I decided it was okay, this is a happy vig. There's going to be all kinds of wholesomeness up in here.

Those wrinkly scrunched up newborn baby faces are so precious, I can't even.

That's what I love to hear.

Yay, I hope you continue to enjoy it! Thanks so much for reading!




@whiskers

Thanks so much, I'm glad you liked it! The idea of Anakin living into the NJO period has a lot of potential, and it's not one I've seen explored often. This collection will likely jump all around the post-RotS timeline and deal with a variety of characters, and since I've promised no angst, I probably won't be exploring the darker aspects of the NJO here, but I do plan on showing some happier post-NJO scenarios. Thanks for your comments!




@devilinthedetails

I tried!

I'm so pleased you think so! Anakin just feels things so much and so deeply, you know? I love writing him in any 'verse, but it's fun to write this lighter version of him.

This is great to hear, I'm glad you could visualize it! I drew heavily from my own experiences in writing this scene.

Luckily Obi-Wan is still around in this 'verse! He's probably waiting in the next room, actually, and I'm sure he'll get a chance to hold little Ben soon. This ficlet actually takes place in the same continuity as my Enter!verse, where this version of Anakin traveled to a parallel world and helped a grown-up Ben Skywalker in his fight against the Sith. That makes this story a bit of a spoiler for the end of Enter the Foreign, but I figure it's more about the journey than the destination, right? So Anakin has actually been waiting forty-five years to see his grandson again, and now things really have come full circle! I'm so glad you enjoyed it!

Then my work here is done! (Except not really, we still have nine more delightful stories to tell... )

Ask and you shall receive! Thanks so much for your comments!




@pronker

Aw, thank you!



My next two events will be up shortly!

 

Notes: All right, next up I have two events to share! First up is the 200 Freestyle (exactly 200 words about your character, family, friendship or couple with any theme), followed by the Tennis Match (a dialogue-only story of 100 or more words).

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The New Jedi Diplomacy | 7 years post-RotS (12 BBY) | 200 Freestyle


It wasn’t customary for Mace Windu to peruse the latest sludgenews headlines before he’d eaten his morning meal – it wasn’t customary for him to peruse them at all if he could help it – but he had unwisely chosen to sit adjacent to a group of very exuberant Padawans who happened to be discussing said headlines as they all clustered around a single datapad. He might have ignored their conversation entirely, had he not heard the name “Skywalker” spoken in hushed and slightly scandalized tones.

Mace closed his eyes for one moment and tried very hard not to sigh. He did not succeed.

Standing slowly and with all the gravity of a senior Master of the Order, Mace approached the table of apprentices and peered over the shoulder of Padawan Noreb Raigh, the Devaronian boy holding the device, and said with utmost calm: “May I see what has you all so excited?”

Young Raigh glanced anxiously at his fellows before meekly handing over the datapad for Mace to read:

Hapan Hospitality and the New Jedi Diplomacy: Master Skywalker gets cozy with Queen Mother Ta’a Chume at her seaside retreat as negotiations continue…

Mace handed the datapad back. “I’m sorry I asked.”

---

Aggressive Negotiations | 7 years post-RotS (12 BBY) | Tennis Match


“Are you seeing this garbage?”

“I haven’t stopped seeing it since you turned on the news, old friend.”

“How can they think— I would never, ever— I’m a happily married man! With kids!”

“I know this may come as a shock to you, Anakin, but it so happens that those particular qualities often conspire to make a person more desirable, not less.”

“You can’t be serious?”

“Quite serious, I’m afraid.”

“Stop that. I can see you laughing, and you’d better stop it right now. I’m a father.”

“At the risk of sounding crass, I wonder If you recall what tends to go hand-in-hand with fatherhood?”

“This isn’t funny, Obi-Wan. What’s Padmé going to say when she hears about this? Or the twins?”

“I suspect Padmé will find it quite amusing, and you are far more likely to find your children outdoors playing starfighter pilots or pirates than you are to catch them reading the latest sludgenews. Relax, old friend. It will pass.”

“If you had to deal with Ta’a Chume draping herself all over you every chance she gets, you wouldn’t be saying that.”

“I must admit, I’m impressed that you’ve lasted as long as you have against her. Oh no, not like that, of course. I simply meant that I once knew a young Knight who would have balked at the prospect of leading these negotiations, especially when dealing with someone as… determined as the Queen Mother.”

“Believe me, I wouldn’t be if it wasn’t important. I still can’t believe I’m going to be in-laws with that viper someday.”

“You have my deepest sympathies, Anakin.”

“You can go ahead and wipe that smirk off your face, by the way – you’re part of this family, too. If I have to suffer her, so do you.”

“Then it seems I will have the perfect vantage point from which to observe Her Majesty’s continued attempts to woo you.”

“Oh, go throw yourself in a crater.”

“And leave you all alone here, with no one to support you as you valiantly resist Ta’a Chume’s wiles? Never, my friend. You’re stuck with me.”


~~

 

Poor Anakin indeed, not just the false rumors but the persistent Ta'A Chume to deal with.

 

Love to see them alive and married and bickering and bantering.
Mace and sludge news. Hilarious

 

I'm not sure if I laughed more with Mace Windu's reaction to the headline or with Anakin's squirming in his conversation with Obi-Wan. This was just hilarious!

Ha! Knowing the future is a double-edged sword. You get to suffer with the anticipation of things to happen before they do!

 

I just 100% heard them in that last one. Poor Anakin, he's on the front page of every Galactic Enquirer and GMZ, LOL!

 

@WarmNyota_SweetAyesha

Can you even imagine?!




@earlybird-obi-wan

I had a lot of fun with this one.




@Chyntuck

Mission accomplished!

lol, that's one of the fun things about writing Anakin (and Obi-Wan and Padmé) in this 'verse - playing with scenarios where their future knowledge can be mined for comedic effect. I'm glad you found it funny!



@whiskers

That's the highest praise I could ask for for a dialogue-only fic! And the idea of the Skywalkers having to contend with Ta'a Chume earlier in the timeline - and of Anakin being the subject of celebrity gossip - was too good to pass up.




@Mira_Jade

(ALSO YOUR LIST IS THE BEST )

Thought you'd like that.

That song is so perfect, Mira, my gosh.

Aw yeah

He's been waiting so long, Mira! And I imagine the more years he lived and the more things that changed, he had to wonder if everything would work out for Ben to be born. And yeah, this isn't the Ben he knew... but in a way, he still is, and Anakin loves him wholeheartedly regardless.

Aw, I love that you flashed back to that moment with your niece! I definitely drew on my own experiences with my babies when imagining this scene.

I'm so glad you enjoyed it!

I had a lot of fun at his and Anakin's expense here.

It all started with a throwaway mention in one of the happy AU Allana/Dorian scenes I wrote a while back, and has since taken on a life of its own. To tell you the truth, I don't really care whether this is totally in-character for Ta'a Chume, it's cracks me up and I love it.

I did enjoy picturing Sam Jackson in this scene.

That really is one of the best compliments I could get for this piece, thank you!

I do enjoy exploring his less disastrous side, it's true. But isn't that one of the great things about writing some of our favorite trash fires in a happier setting - seeing how certain of their qualities can develop for the better, rather than for the worse?

I was actually tempted to allude to that odd cast of admirers in this - or at least imply that Ta'a Chume has her eye on Obi-Wan as well.

It is.

I guess you and Gabri were right to pester me for a happy AU decathlon.


All right, one very short entry coming up next!

 

Notes: Up next is the 100 Word Sprint (a 100-word drabble about your character, family, friendship or couple using any theme). Thanks to @Gabri_Jade for the prompt "style" - I knew exactly who had to appear in this once I had that word to guide me.

---

Style | 23 years post-RotS (4 ABY) | 100 Word Sprint


“Hey, remember, this is my future mother-in-law, so just… I don’t know, just go easy on her, would ya?”

“Easy?”

“Yeah, you know, with the charming scoundrel routine. These are the Skywalkers we’re talking about.”

“Han, buddy. Take it from someone with more life experience—”

“What, a few years—?”

“Look, nothing you say is going to convince me that the Skywalkers can’t appreciate a charming scoundrel. Especially one with a killer sabacc game.”

“Lando, we’re not playing sabacc with my future mother-in-law.”

“Of course not, old buddy, of course not. I’ve got your back, remember?”

“Good.”

“But if she offers…”


~~

 

That was too fun! I love their snarking. Lando will never stop with the charm especially if it works
Teasing about sabacc... classic stuff.

 

Lando and his charm and playing sabacc. That's him

 

So when I started reading this and saw a reference to "my future mother-in-law", I thought for a moment that this might be about Anakin meeting the Naberries...

... but then I read "just go easy on her, would ya?" and I knew it was Han speaking.

You have their voices down pat here, and also the teasing relationship. Like Mira I'd actually like seeing Padmé playing sabacc with Lando and wiping the floor with him. Oh, and Anakin would be using mind tricks all over the place, because he can't stand the flirting.

 

@WarmNyota_SweetAyesha

Thanks, I'm glad you enjoyed it! I'm pretty sure this was my first time actually writing Lando, so I'm happy if his voice rang true.




@earlybird-obi-wan

lol, I'm glad you think so!




@Mira_Jade

Omg I'd forgotten about her flirting with Luke. And Jag?! Yeesh, lady. And is it bad that I've already started crafting a more elaborate history between the Skywalkers and the Hapan monarchy in this 'verse? And to think it all started as a throwaway reference in the happy AU Allana/Dorian fic (which I swear I haven't forgotten, and will finish and post one of these days... ) Anyway, I didn't expect to love this little gag so much, but I do, and if I can keep everyone in character, so much the better!

It would totally be option #2, Mira. I actually considered including dialogue that would have implied Ta'a Chume already had Obi-Wan in her sights and that he was well aware of that fact and was absolutely taking it in stride. He is the Negotiator, after all.

Aw yeah

This is a relief. I'm pretty sure I've never written Lando before, so I'm really happy that both he and Han came through so clearly for you.

Omg imagine Padmé admiring Lando's cape, and she's all, "brb, got something I think you'll like" and comes back with like half a dozen capes for him to try on. And maybe they're Anakin's capes but he only wears like one or two, he likes to keep it simple, and he's like "wait wait wait, aren't those mine?" and Han is like, "I swear to every kriffing god, Lando, if you piss off my future father-in-law who I finally got to like me..."

And then Padmé cleans up at sabacc and everyone is happy, the end.

I guess I am capable of writing happiness. And there's more coming right up! Thank you so much for all your lovely comments, and for encouraging me to write all this fluff.




@Chyntuck

This was my first time actually writing Lando, and I don't write Han very frequently either, so I'm very glad to hear that their voices rang true in this drabble. I think Padmé would get a kick out of Lando and enjoy playing sabacc with him, and I can just imagine them appreciating each other's sense of style, too. (The capes! )




All right, I've got a longer entry coming up next!