Fic: Concentration

Title:  Concentration
Fandom: Exo
Focus: Suho-centric
Genre: Fantasy
Rating: G
Length: Drabble, 625 words
Summary: Junmyeon's first Initiate Trial is to find a crystal for his lightsaber, not to avoid freezing to death. Star Wars!AU.

Ilum was a ridiculously cold planet, and not for the first time since Junmyeon and his classmates had been sealed within the crystal caves underneath its frozen surface did he grumble over the fact that the kyber crystals so essential to every Jedi's lightsaber could only be harvested on an arctic hellhole like this. Such behavior wasn't exactly becoming of a Jedi Initiate, but neither was freezing to death like what was going to happen to him if he stayed in these caves any longer. How anyone could concentrate long enough in this place to actually successfully meditate was beyond him.

And yet, this was what years of training in the temple had been leading up to. Hundreds of thousands, maybe even millions of his fellow Jedi had gone through this particular trial, one of the first before officially embarking on the path of a Jedi Padawan. Junmyeon wouldn't be any different.

It'd be easier if he could use the Force to numb himself to the cold a little, but selecting the perfect crystal for his lightsaber meant he had to concentrate.

"The crystal is the heart of the blade," he muttered, clutching his robes tighter and trying to ignore the way he could see his breath after each word, "the heart of the crystal is the Jedi."

As he recited the mantra, he thought of his instructors back at the temple, of the customized lightsabers hanging from their utility belts and how dearly he had always wanted to wield one instead of the standard training sabers he and the other members of the Wolf Clan had all been handed to practice with instead. Envy, like most other passionate emotions, was strongly discouraged. But did it count as envy to want a lightsaber of his own, to take his place alongside the Jedi Masters and Jedi Knights and serve the Republic like he'd always been taught?

Focusing on those teachings seemed to be the best way to block out the cold at least, and Junmyeon was certain he'd be able to achieve Moving Mediation if he just started concentrating on peace and serenity and the all-encompassing nature of the Force rather than the goosebumps forming on his skin.

"The Jedi is the crystal of the Force," he continued reciting, continuing to walk through the endless tunnels. He closed his eyes and felt himself reaching out for the Force, for any sign of life and energy besides himself. "The Force is the blade of the heart."

There. A spark towards his left, like a tiny voice calling out to him. He felt his skin prickle, not from the cold for once, but from gentle pull of whatever was waiting for him at the end of his path. Junmyeon must have walked past dozens of other crystals, only faintly registering their faint connection to the Force. All of them paled in comparison to that little spark though, so similar to the draw he had felt each time he had found a new component for his future lightsaber during the past few months.

"All are intertwined: the crystal, the blade, the Jedi." He was so close now, but instead of excitement, Junmyeon felt the familiar calm that accompanied him each time he truly entered a meditative state. Only when he felt the crystal -- his focusing crystal -- in front of him did he open his eyes, taking in the beautiful green glow of the gem. Slowly, he extended his hand and called upon the power of the Force to gently free it from the surrounding rock, smiling as he released his hold to drop it into the palm of his hand.

"We are one," Junmyeon whispered happily, soaking in the sweet warmth of the crystal on his skin.

Original Post: Here.
Author's Note: Written for the Star Wars AU event held over at EM right after Christmas, lol. It was a pretty fun challenge, and one I got moderate prep time into seeing as I ended up doing a lot of research into the Star Wars universe during my flight to Arizona (though, unfortunately, there wasn't enough time or inspiration to write more). I was solely on Team Suho this time around, and he... didn't win haha. Anyway so. This is based off of the Jedi Initiate Trials that Jedi Younglings/Initiates must undergo in order to advance to the next level and become Padawans, specifically the Trial where Initiates must build their own lightsabers. One of the most interesting things I found during my research was that the mantra associated with the construction of lightsabers ends with the phrase "We are one", which is very obviously also Exo's slogan. So it felt right to mix them both together, because they're words both the real Suho and this Star Wars AU Suho would find comforting :)

So. Notes. Writing about the Force was hard. His lightsaber crystal is going to be green because that tends to be the color of Jedi Consulars, who seek peace through diplomacy rather than battle and force, focusing on the more scholarly approach to the Force. Jedi Younglings were raised in groups that were named after animals, so I put Suho in the Wolf Clan because of its coincidental connection to Exo. I titled it "Concentration" mainly because I'm not sure what else I could've called and also because of a quote about how it is "focusing totally on the business at hand and commanding your body to do exactly what you want it to do" which is exactly what Suho is working on here. I tried to be as accurate as possible regarding Star Wars mythos. Yay.

Fic: Not Quite Narcissism

Title: Not Quite Narcissism
Fandom: Exo
Focus: Baekhyun and Chen-centric, Suho/Suho
Genre: Humor
Rating: PG13
Length: Drabble, 346 words
Summary: Jedi Padawan Kim Jongdae makes an unsettling discovery about two of his clone troopers. Star Wars!AU.

Maybe some of the clones were a little closer than expected, but with it becoming evident that each individual was starting to develop their own personalities, it was inevitable that some would favor certain other clones over others. It wasn't like loyalty within squads was considered a liability. Even their Jedi commanders, for all of their stoic codes and oaths to remain unattached and emotionless, still prized camaraderie and loyalty among their ranks.

Even if they were clones, they were still human. Not merely beings based off of one.

And yet, CT-0522 and CT-0408 -- who had chosen the names Junmyeon and Suho for themselves as soon as they and their cohort had been granted the freedom to do so -- were unnaturally close. Far too close. Close enough for more than a few Jedi eyebrows to rise.

"They sleep together," Jongdae pressed his palms up against his eyes as if he was trying to squeeze out the image of two clone troopers spooning. Baekhyun didn't really see why he was complaining, it must have been one hell of a sight and it wasn't like Jongdae had never been caught glancing at the ass of one of their assigned clone troopers. Whoever had been chosen as the newest template for the Republic's clone army after Jango Fett had been far more aesthetically pleasing than his predecessor. Not that Baekhyun or Jongdae's Masters needed to know either of them thought that. "I went in to ask Junmyeon to cover a monitor shift and they were curled so tightly around each other it was like they were a single person."

"Well, technically-"

"No, Baekhyun. No clone jokes."

"What about masturbation jokes then?"

Jongdae made a small, strangled noise. "We aren't even supposed to know about that," he whispers, looking around for any sign of their Masters, like the old guys were gonna strike them out of the Jedi Order for even uttering the word.

"Jongdae, isn't knowledge one of the pillars of the Jedi Order?" Baekhyun asked cheerfully, only bursting into raucous laughter when Jongdae smacked his shoulder.

Original Post: Here.
Prompt: Lookin' for love in Alderaan places.
Author's Note: Written for a Pursuit (30 minute prompted challenge) during SWAU. I'm gonna include some Star Wars backstory here since this makes use of them. Clone troopers were clones of a bounty hunter named Jango Fett (the 'father' of Boba Fett from the original trilogy), and they were the precursors to what eventually became the storm troopers. Before the fall of the Republic (Revenge of the Sith), they were used as the Republic's army against the Separatists in what became known as the Clone Wars. Jedi, historically peacekeepers of the galaxy, were manipulated into a position where they became the commanders of the clone army so that they would eventually look like bloodthirsty soldiers rather than peacekeepers to further ruin their reputations, and the conflict escalated to the point where Padawans (apprentices) were also getting involved. Eventually, people started noticing that the clones were beginning to develop individuality and canonically, they began distinguishing themselves. The Jedi, up to this point, had a code of removing themselves from mortal distractions and emotional excesses -- so no love. They were supposed to love all beings equally, and loving someone romantically would lead to misjudgements due to the inevitable prioritizing of their loved ones (see: how Anakin Skywalker became Darth Vader). 

Story notes: the numbers for the two Suho clones are 0522 for May 22th, which is Suho's real birthday, and 0408 for Exo's debut date when Suho as an idol was technically "born".