Happy Holidays, @youkailuvr! I've wrestled with your prompt for a long time because, well, I already wrote hurt comfort for you a few exchanges ago😂! It is now here mostly in spirit - but a lot of mutual emotional caretaking (though... not necessarily done on purpose?). It is very Jyn-centric, which I hope you'll appreciate :) Anyway, I hope you enjoy it and happy new year!!!
by the fire
It was starving, it was hungry,
But had eyes too close to let me
If you were easy to kill, I would have done it already
The cave she found them was perfect, as far as these things went – no fresh tracks of animals or Imps in the area, the entrance barely more than a crack in the rock face, even a thin stream of rainwater pooling in a corner. The ceiling low, but not too low to stand. She had collected wood on their trek through the forest, and by the time the cave was secured for the night, a low fire burned in a remote corner of the cave, casting the craggy walls into sharp contrasts of warm light and deep shadow.
Despite the fire, it was a primal sort of hiding spot - rough walls, overgrown with lichen and creeping red flowers that snapped at anything that came too close. (She sympathised.) With a last suspicious look at the flowering vines, she returned to the fire, her inspection concluded. Then, after a few breaths, the unease got the better of her and she quietly resumed her languid pacing.
A part of her had never liked caves, not since the first one. But another part of her recognised that she belonged here. She was meant to curl up in some lesser animal’s lair, battered, well-hidden and victorious, on a makeshift bed of dirt and moss by the embers of a fire. Feral tusk cats never had shit on her. (Maya used to say she had the eyes for it, jungle-green and feral, and enough vibro-blades to count for claws.)
Maybe in some other universe, she wouldn’t have chosen the caves, but in this one, they kept choosing her.
She wasn’t resentful. There was a kind of pride in it, and Force knows she’d take the pride where she could get it. It was nice to know she was tougher than anything that had tried to kill her thus far.
A predator. Small and unimpressive maybe, but deadly nonetheless.
Yes, she was meant to live like this. But of course… she was meant to be in the cave alone. (Always alone.)
Hello! Can you already hear the non-denominational sleigh bells approaching?
Your gift is almost finished! Once again, it fits the prompt in the loosest possible sense, and it turned out kind of peculiar, but I think I like it!
Your gift will be posted on January 1st. Here is a sneak to tide you over the wait!
He should have balked at it, baring his neck to someone like her, letting her so close she could see his heartbeat underneath the skin. And she should have balked at it, too: the effortless way he hid the sting of the wounds, the pain in his half-healed back; his free hand resting so near the knife hidden in his boot.
She didn’t balk. She knelt by his side and cleaned the cut, slowly, methodically, thoroughly. Watched the warm light of the fire tinge his skin a shade of gold. Watched the pulse under his skin flow and ebb as she worked. Replaced his hand in his hair with her own, carefully staged as mere convenience, an unthinking part of the process, instead of something she wanted.
Hi -
Ooh...I like that little snippet. Thank you - very much looking forward to the whole thing! I hope you've had a good winter so far.
🎶 Through this night, the dream still wanders, as it was meant to be. And every year, this night grows fonder of children and circumstance caught in this childhood dance, as the world turns around, keeping dreams off the ground.
Windows of frosted ice, prisming candlelight, and somehow we start to believe - in the night and the dream as it cuts through the noise, with the whisper of snow as it starts to deploy.
In the depths of a night, that's about to begin, with the feeling of snow as it melts on your skin and it covers the land with a dream so intense that it returns us all to a child's innocence.
And then what you'd thought lost and could never retrieve is suddenly there to be found on Christmas Eve!🎶
-- The Lost Christmas Eve; The Lost Christmas Eve, by Trans-Siberian Orchestra.
Hello all you wonderful solstice swappers! It's December and we're about halfway through the exchange. How are you feeling about your gift so far? Have you gotten some nice anonymous messages? Have you sent some?
Start giving some thought to your preferred posting date, because we are taking those now through December 9. The first available day to post your gift is December 26 and the last one is January 2. Amnesty days will be that weekend, January 3 and 4.
Send us your preferred posting date via email to therebelcaptainnetwork AT gmail DOT com. Please include an alternate date in case your first pick is filled up already. We'll send you a reply confirming your email and with more info.
Also, if at any point this month you think you're going to need to drop out of the exchange, please let us know via email as soon as possible. That way we can call up one of our lovely pinch hitters. No shame, life happens. That's why we have pinch hitters!
Heads-up! If you have not yet sent us your preferred posting date for the Solstice Swap, please do that soon! The deadline to send us your posting date is December 9.
Send us your preferred date and an alternate via email: therebelcaptainnetwork AT gmail DOT com.
Days that still have space: December 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31
Hello! Sorry for going awol, I was waiting until inspiration struck or I had time to work on your gift.... but real life was very hectic so that moment never materialized lol
I am still pondering your gift, but so far my brain is only coming up with things that don't fit the prompt. But next week is looking far more promising time-wise, so I'll hopefully be able to sneak you a little glimpse this time next week.
How is your December going? Are you doing anything fun?
Hi there!
I was getting worried about you - it wasn't the gift that was the issue, it was more making sure you were okay, so I'm glad to know you're alright. (And believe me, I totally understand life doing its thing...this time last year really, really sucked for my family.)
As for the gift - honestly, while I'm a massive sucker for whump h/c scenarios, as long as it doesn't have the prompts I listed I didn't want, I'm okay with whatever the muses give you. I'd rather have something you enjoyed writing than something you had to force yourself to write.
December's going okay - we got our first snow of the season this week & I'm slowly (very slowly) getting presents made/bought. I hope it's going well for you!
Hello! This is your Solstice Swap-er, checking in :) How was your Halloween (if you celebrate)?
Your prompt is definitely something i've written before, quite often actually - can you describe the story you'd like to read a little more? Honestly, the more specific and/or random, the better!
If you have any specific scenario you'd like to see, that'd be great, but if not... Maybe you have a song or a color you really associate with the ship?
Hi - thanks for checking in!
My Halloween was decent - just passed out candy and toys. As for the story - I've written a few for myself (if you'd like to look at them, feel free). I tend to like Jyn-centric stuff a little more, but either is fine. In-universe & established relationship is mostly what I read, if that helps. (If you have a moment to look through what I've written & my bookmarks, that may help some.)
As for a song, I really haven't thought about it much, though I was listening to my music on shuffle earlier this evening and thought "Sound the Bugle" by Bryan Adams fit them pretty well, though it may not fit with the prompt.
I don't know if that helps at all - let me know if I can answer anything else!
We’re thrilled to hold the ninth exchange for this amazing ship. It’s a great way to get to know people in the fandom and each year we welcome both old and new fans, so come on and join us!
What is the RebelCaptain Solstice Swap?
(Shoutout to @zingsthings for suggesting the perfect new name!)
It's an opportunity for you to create a fandom gift for a fellow shipper and receive one in return, a fun way for fans to come together and show each other lots of love and appreciation, and a chance to share all your feels about Jyn and Cassian!
All posts related to the exchange – info posts, reminders, updates, etc. – with be tagged with #rebelcaptainsolsticeswap which is also the tag to use when posting your gifts. (Please note that previous years' entries will keep the #rebelcaptainsecretsanta tag until we have a chance to edit them.)
The Schedule:
Sign ups are open from now to midnight (PST) of Sunday, October 19
Assignments will be sent out by midnight (PST) of Friday, November 1
The first day of gift posting will be December 26, with staggered posting over the following week (which gives you almost eight weeks to work on your gift!)
You'll sign up for a specific posting date in mid-December.
Look below the cut for details on how to participate!
The Rules of Participation:
Reblog this post so more people can join you in the fun!
Tell us what kind of fanwork you’d like to give and receive via the signup form.
Keep your assignment secret, even if you get your fandom bestie, until the time comes for gifting.
Create a gift: a story at least 1,000 words long, or an equivalent amount of effort in an artistic medium.
Your Tumblr askbox must be open with anon messages enabled (only for the duration of the exchange).
Send your giftee anonymous kindness at least once a week ❤️
The gift you post must be your own work; do not use generative AI to create art or fic for this exchange. If you have any concerns about using a specific assistive tool, reach out to the mods.
Finally, if you can’t finish your gift in time for any reason, please email the mods ASAP. Life happens - but the sooner we know, the sooner we can find a "pinch hitter" to ensure your giftee still receives a present.
If you have any other questions, send the mods an ask.
Yes, it's happening again! Start thinking about your requests, because the annual Rebelcaptain exchange will open for signups on Friday, October 10, 2025, through October 19, 2025.
What is the RCSS? It's an annual December gift exchange during which you sign up to create a Jyn/Cassian fanwork - art or fic - for another fan, and receive one made just for you. It's a fun tradition and a great way to get to know other fans 🫶
Everyone is welcome to join! If you have any questions, send us an ask.
Plus! We want to update the name to be more inclusive. This exchange has been running for NINE years now (which is a big accomplishment - kudos to our founding mods!) and back when it started, "secret Santas" were more common.
Vote for our new name:
Secret Sharing
Secret Shipper
Secret Snowflake
Another Secret Something which I will put in replies or DMs
Hello everyone! Introducing REBELCAPTAIN MONTH, a fan-event centered around Jyn x Cassian that will run during the month of November 2025.
This event is inspired by the iconic Rebelcaptain Week, organized by @therebelcaptainnetwork and the recent Fix-it Week, organized by @andorerso so credits to them <3
The goal is creating a positive space celebrating Rebelcaptain and the fandom, with different prompts for each week.
Read more under the cut:
GUIDELINES
♡ This event will celebrate the relationship between Jyn and Cassian with any type of fanwork you would like - fanfics, gifsets, graphics, fanarts, fanvids, mixtapes, metas and whatever else.
♡ All the prompts are suggestions, feel free to use how many of them you want. They are all open to interpretation, no pressure. There are AU scenarios, word prompts and a color for each week, to help inspiring different types of creations. There are also some bonus prompts that can be combined with others or used in any week.
♡ The prompts are divided by each week to give everyone a big posting window and make sure more people can participate. You can also post multiple works per week if you feel like it, and late entries are fine!
♡ Use the tags #rebelcaptainmonth and #rebelcaptainmonth2025 on your posts!
♡ Works of every rating are welcome but please, remember to tag them appropriately
♡ The event will celebrate fan creations so no AI generated “content” will be reblogged
♡ Inbox is open for any questions/suggestions and anything else
I have a cosplay I wear nearly every year and I have the same problem with it. It's an off the shoulder ball gown and my shoulder tan lines show big time. I wear tank tops nearly half the year and am outdoors a fair bit thanks to my dog, so the lines are pretty obvious, even in the dead of winter.
Does anyone have recommendations for how to even it out? Something that won't stain the dress or come off in heat or water (it's super special to me and the fabric is nearly impossible to get anymore). The con I mostly wear it at is in the middle of summer and my hair is down.
I am your RCNSS! I am so sorry this is delayed - life was absolutely non-stop for me for the last month.
In reading your prompts, my mind latched onto the Regency AU. It's...definitely not the usual Regency AU, but I hope you like it!
Lusus Naturae
Whim of Nature
A lovely way to describe a not so lovely reality that Lady Jyn Erso finds herself living. In Regency England, a woman her age should be more worried about who to marry and setting up her household. But no, she gets to fight demons. And fight a growing attraction to the person who pulled her into this life - Lord Cassian Andor.
Inspired by Dark Days Club, by Alison Goodman.
Lusus naturae - YoukaiLuvr - Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (2016) [Archive of Our Own]
🎶 Through this night, the dream still wanders, as it was meant to be. And every year, this night grows fonder of children and circumstance caught in this childhood dance, as the world turns around, keeping dreams off the ground.
Windows of frosted ice, prisming candlelight, and somehow we start to believe - in the night and the dream as it cuts through the noise, with the whisper of snow as it starts to deploy.
In the depths of a night, that's about to begin, with the feeling of snow as it melts on your skin and it covers the land with a dream so intense that it returns us all to a child's innocence.
And then what you'd thought lost and could never retrieve is suddenly there to be found on Christmas Eve!🎶
-- The Lost Christmas Eve; The Lost Christmas Eve, by Trans-Siberian Orchestra.
It is I your rcss again. The holidays are nigh and I hope everything is going as well as you intend.
currently I am getting my drabbles organized and am looking forward to dedicating more time on my winter break to make it all come together. you can imagine me as santa typing away on his laptop in front of a tv fire with their pet children cuddling by a charlie brown-looking plastic christmas tree 🫶
this is typically a hectic time so no pressure to respond anytime soon at all. but i’m sending best wishes and if you get to it, here’s the question(s) of the week:
when did you start shipping rebelcaptain? and
in a life after war, what do you think their dream home would look like?
Hi!
I am 100% unprepared this year (life has been life-ing big time), but oh well - I'll make it through. At least some of my presents aren't 'due' until after Christmas (I won't be seeing those folks until later), so that's a help.
For RebelCaptain...I liked them when I saw it in theaters, but it wasn't until a few months later when I watched it with my mom that I was like "Nope, these two are my favorite ship now." And that was that.
A life after war? Not quite sure. I love the idea of them adopting strays along the way (people, animals, plants, droids - I'm not picky). I don't think Cassian could ever truly leave the Rebellion or New Republic, but I don't think either would be too content on say, Coruscant, but of the planets shown on screen, maybe Takodana? (That could just be because I like Maz.) I have no idea what they'd actually do for a job/occupation, but...they'd find something.
Thank you - I hope you have a good week & enjoy yourself!
I am in love with your spotify wrapped 😭😭. I can’t listen to the music too often because I can’t bear crying so much.
Your gift is coming together nicely… Very excited for it’s reveal i hope you like it.
Question of the week -
Do you have a favorite Jedi in the star wars universe? this is just out of curiosity, it won’t affect the fic (for now…
I'm glad to hear I'm not the only one who likes soundtracks. I tend to play them a lot while I'm at work and listening to audiobooks (I work in a lab, so a fair bit of time on my own).
Favorite Jedi? Probably Obi-Wan or Kanan. Neither of them have happy stories, but that's what fics are for.