#sithlukeau

What's Din's whole perspective on things? Is he (like canon) blissfully unaware of who and what Luke is? Does he know and just not care? Is he just doing anything to protect Grogu, only to realize that the 'teacher' is very dangerous but has also imprinted on Din just as much as Din has fallen for him?

What about Grogu? Does he understand the darkness in Luke? Is he averse to it? Or does he go all in on the dark side to protect his dad?

OOOOHHH YES YES YES I'd LOVE to get into Din and Grogu stuff! (I'm realizing this will be another long one so there's your warning lol)

As for Din --

In my AU, after the Death Star blows up in 0 ABY, Luke begins to take personal undercover missions to continue undermining the Empire. To stay anonymous, he hires an untraceable mercenary that doesn't ask questions and is also not fond of the Empire - this is where Din Djarin comes in. (Din doesn't have a lot developed pre-Mando season 1 other than he's been bounty-hunting - and before that - taking mercenary jobs for a while, so why not utilize that for a story I want?) While working with Luke in this time period, Din has absolutely no idea who Luke is other than he carries a "red laser-sword" and doesn't show his face. He knows Luke as The Stranger, and for a few years takes jobs from Luke since he pays very well (that Empire money eh). Din is vaguely aware that his jobs have small impacts on the war against the Empire, so he is fine with complying, especially since they are relatively low-risk.

Things take a turn in 4 ABY when Luke hires Din to rescue Han Solo from Jabba's Palace. (one of the few pieces of fic I finished -- FREE SOLO) In this mission, Din sees Luke's face, learns his name (however doesn't recognize it from anywhere), and learns that he KNOWS specific people that a key to the rebellion (Lando, Han Solo, Leia, Chewbacca). The whole ordeal puts Din in more trouble than he bargains for. Luke declares an end to their business relationship because of this and cuts Din off, but it doesn't kill Din's festering curiosity as to who Luke is. He doesn't pursue further, but that curiosity lingers until they meet again.

Luke and Din meet again in a way that mirrors the end of Season 2 of Mando (because I thought it was a fun idea, and YES I have managed to write that out too -- SHADOW ON THE BRIDGE). This is where Din learns that Luke is not only a Sith, but the EMPEROR of the Neo Empire. I've been (ever so slowly) updating the fic of the aftermath of that, where Din meets with Luke again and where they begin to have those conversations of what will happen to Grogu.

In this next fic - First Steps into Darkness - I do want to explore how Din takes up the mantle of Mand'alor and how he uses his previous relationship with Luke to rebuild his world and also create an alliance to further push the Imperial Remnant threat out of the galaxy. Din deals with opinions about this from all sides, from Bo-Katan who has a difficult time trusting Luke, to Din's Clan that are between against and neutral on the matter. (Also keep in mind that I've been planning this part of the story before Mando S3 -- I do use some aspects of S3 but also very much divert from it).

What keeps Din coming back to Luke is ultimately his curiosity, both in Luke's abilities as a leader/negotiator and in him being this mysterious entity. Luke's fervor for his religion, his quest for familial answers, his internal battle of identity -- these are all things that Din relates to. (Luke's a bit more of a hot mess than Din is but -- you know, they have commonalities that they can lean on).

I also really like the concept of the Darksaber having its own sort of Force sentience to the point where Din has to work with it (it's a little like Haunted!Din but instead of outright possession it's more like -- Venom, or something like that, where they work together). Having Luke as a resource to navigate that territory further connects the two.

Needless to say, despite what rumors and warnings Din has been given, he doesn't understand why the "Dark Side" of the Force is considered the "bad" Force and why the "Light Side" is considered the "good". Perhaps it's because he's only really interacted with Luke, and perhaps it's because Mandalorians have a checkered history with getting along with "Light Side" Jedi users as well. His perspective could be biased or he probably just believes that Luke is not what others want to make him seem. Either way, the fact that Luke is a Sith doesn't necessarily make Din distrust him outright, especially since he's the only one that will agree to help hone Grogu's powers.

OKAY, ONTO GROGU -- YEAH THERE'S MORE --

Since's Luke's appearance in rescuing them from Gideon's Cruiser, Grogu is INTRIGUED with Luke and the pull to the Dark Side. In his little mind, Luke is powerful, really cool, and can make Gideon pee his pants -- of course he sees that and goes "ooh I wanna be like that guy".

First Steps into Darkness, while I mentioned will go into some of Din's story, will ultimately be a focus on Grogu (when I eventually finish it lol). I think child characters (especially cute bait like Grogu) often get the short end of the stick in terms of development, and it's SUCH a missed opportunity in my eyes. Children have very simple and blunt observations, and they SOAK up the world around them -- putting the mess of Sith Luke and through GROGU'S perspective is so fun to me.

Luke is not afraid of teaching Grogu, but he's afraid of Grogu idolizing him like HE did Vader. Despite Luke's attachment to his father, Vader was -- NOT really the best father, and deep down Luke knows that and is afraid. He keeps a distance from Grogu that Grogu is always trying to close. Grogu knows that Luke is just a teacher and that he's often not very personable with him. But Grogu sees how Luke's power has the ability to protect, he sees something in him like did with Din (who was also not very warm at first). Grogu believes that if he learns what Luke knows, he can too can become that protector that can stop wars and help those he cares about.

Grogu also continues to learn from Din about Mandalorian culture, so he isn't completely split between one or the other -- in fact, Luke encourages Din to keep sharing his roots with his son. The teachings of both Mandalorians and Sith are eventually the teachings that shape Grogu's perspective on loyalty, emotions, power, and so on. He's observant as hell, so he soaks everything up like a SPONGE.

And let's be honest, the Grogu realizing he could learn some tricks that maybe the Jedi forbade sounds a bit fun to him. He is still a kid after all.

Sorrynotsorry that was long -- I love talking about these concepts, and honestly answering these questions is helping me type out my thoughts to use as reference later. It's getting me fired up to keep writing and editing too.

Old/Unfinished Sketchdump (the Star Wars one)

Baron-Administrator Calrissian keeps his distance from the Galactic Empire.

Dinluke Week 2022 Day 3 ☀️Sun & Moon🌑

Moons are the brightest beings in the night sky, orbiting around planets, acting as a guide to natural forces in the darkest depths of space. They may seem cold and uninviting from a distance, but are a welcome and steady friend from dusk until dawn.

OH MY GOD you know EXACTLY the image of how I've been feeling for so long about this especially in the past week you are IN FOR IT

Since your question is so broad, I'm just going to dump all the very basics, the core of the AU in my mind if you will, which honestly might be the best starter for anyone who's interested in this concept that's been rattling around my brain.

I started making the AU in 2021 mostly as a joke or fun concept, and the Lego Star Wars Terrifying Tales of that year that had a bit of Luke joining the Empire just added to the flames.

Soon I was thinking about that "what-if" thread -- what IF Luke was a part of the Empire? What if he grew up there? What WOULD his relationship with Vader be like? What about everyone else? What about the Force?

I based a lot of the story on my head on the canon events of the Original Trilogy and Mandalorian (mostly season 1-2). I pull a little bit from Legends (especially since I've been reading through Timothy Zahn's Thrawn trilogy) and from my own Dinluke obsession because -- uh this is MY AU and if I want Dinluke to happen it'll happen. I've even thought about where the AU would go in the Sequel Trilogy timeline because I do like the Sequel characters, and by then the AU has changed so much that I basically do what I want.

A lot of what I think about has less to do with the trajectory of the war in the galaxy and more about who Luke Skywalker would even BE if he were raised to go down the path of the Dark Side -- and how his relationships with his friends, family, etc. would change or stay the same.

The point in time where the AU basically starts is when Luke is taken by the Empire as a baby and raised by Darth Vader to become his apprentice. Luke spends his life idolizing his father, almost to an unhealthy amount. He's a mold of Vader and JUST VADER, and yet, somewhere down the line, Luke begins to carve out his own destiny, his new sense of self creating tensions with his father.

These tensions meet their peak when Luke and Leia cross paths. Their meeting sets them both off on journeys of self-discovery, of questioning what family is, of finding their places in the galaxy's war, and of their relationships with the Force. The Death Star funnily enough is what brings them together and drives a wedge in their relationship from the very beginning. Luke for a while had been growing a disdain for Palpatine and his idea of "might makes right", his interpretation of the Dark Side of the Force that Luke fundamentally disagrees with -- because at the core of him, despite the changes, Luke still is an idealist at heart, he still has HOPE and trust in the Force that no one else has. When he finds his lost sister, sees that Palpatine uses his power to destroy Alderaan, all that Leia had, it's the final nail in the coffin for him. Leia grows up very similarly the way she had in canon, though meeting with Luke leads her to question what family is meant to mean to her. She gains an intense curiosity of the Force, of the powers she has, because she sees how it affects Luke's perspective, a way of seeing the universe at war that she can somehow understand. Because she eventually walks the path of the Jedi, alone, she struggles with the responsibilities of holding the New Republic together, protecting her friends/family like Han and Chewie, and finding herself and her part in the Force in the midst of ALL of that, mirroring the same kind of struggle that Luke goes through as well. It's VADER in particular that keeps the twins at arms length. To Luke, he is the man that is everything Luke looked up to his whole life, the only family he had, and a victim of Palpatine's control, who he knew they both hated. To Leia, Vader is the man that willingly acted as an arm of power for Palpatine's war, the man that held her back on the Death Star as it destroyed the only home and family she knew.

Luke spends a lot of time trying to fix the wrongs of the Empire against Leia, and Leia sees this, and she knows that Luke has a core of GOOD in him somewhere. However, he can't let go of Vader, he can't let go of the Dark Side of the Force, and Leia cannot sit well with that.

After that, a lot of what I'm interested in is post-Palpatine's defeat, when Luke takes over and makes a new empire from the ground up (The Neo Galactic Empire). He's fixated on renewing the Sith religion, in negotiation versus acts of force, in finding more of his family history, in letting the Empire heal as the Force intends. He wants to be a conduit, not a controller, of the Force, even from the Dark Side. He becomes attached to all of it, and slowly, it consumes him. This is basically the part in the story where I make a lot of stuff up as I want to, like with Din and Grogu becoming a part of Luke's life, Leia's journey as a Jedi and Council-Member of the New Republic, and the outlying Imperial Remnant that remains a threat to both the New Republic AND the Neo Empire.

Through all of this I'm also interested in dissecting the Dark Side of the Force itself, how someone as idealistic as Luke Skywalker would interpret or mold its ways, especially when it comes to power and attachments, and how Luke uses this knowledge in his rule, his relationships, and later, his own teachings.

Later in his life Luke really starts to become a whirlwind of questions of who he is. How much of himself is the Force? How much of himself is Vader? How much of himself is that undying light that lays dormant inside of him, the light that Leia continuously reminds him is there somewhere?

I've compared Sith Luke Skywalker multiple times to a red giant star, a star that quickly grows, trying to give off as much light and warmth as possible, but that scorches everything it touches, before its life ends in a destructive supernova and supermassive black hole. I'm tearing Luke Skywalker apart piece by piece, rebuilding him, seeing how much of him changes, what is left, what causes everything else to break down. It's also me having fun with what-ifs, with angst in relationships, with cool ideas with the Dark Side that I don't think normal Star Wars likes to touch.

AND THAT'S THE GIST OF IT.

I'm really slow at writing all of this in fic form proper, but I am glad I got around to putting everything down in an outline. I draw here or there too, anything that's creatively more my jam than writing just to get concepts out and formulate my ideas better.

BUT PLEASE--I always want to just talk more about it if anyone has any other specific questions or curiosities! And if anyone does want to read what I have gotten down so far, that's over HERE.