#i do wonder if quinlan will appear

[the-senates-one-fear]

SHE RETURN SHE RETURNNN

WITH NEW STYLEEE YEEESSSS

[sithfox]

August of Whump - Day 12

Prompt: deal / monstrous / anger

"No, I will not be one of your experiments—" Fox is spitting with rage, self-preservation a thing he's long since long left behind. "You've killed my men, good men, and it got you nowhere—"

Palpatine's smile is oddly indulgent; that chills Fox's blood more than anything else. "I wonder if you might be convinced to change your tune. Bring in our guest." One of his Red Guards turns on their heel and slips out a side door at his order. "You see, Commander, everyone has their price. For some, it's money. For some, it's power. For others..." he trails off, smile uncomfortably wide. "It's love." Fox's stomach drops out right as the Red Guard returns, dragging a chained individual behind them. No, please— "As you can see," Palpatine continues, "Master Vos so politely appeared right near one of our bases. Perhaps he wants to be my experimental subject?"

"No—" Fox stops himself and takes a fortifying breath. "No. You let him go, swear not to hurt him, and I'll let you do whatever you want to me."

Palpatine's smile softens into something more genial. "See, was that so hard?"

Fox drops his gaze to the floor, refusing to meet Quin's eyes as he pulls a knife from his belt. "I want it sealed in blood."

"Of course, of course—no tricks for you, my boy." The Emperor accepts a sharp blade from his Guard and slices his palm in tandem with Fox; they shake hands and it's all Fox can do to not cower from the feeling of the Sith invading his mind. He should've known Sideous wouldn't let him keep his dignity; would force the change on him right in front of Quinlan. He feels his body twisting, muscles pulling unnaturally as his shape is violently changed. He screams as pain engulfs him; it drags out into an inhuman screech as he gives himself over fully to the corrupting power. If he fights it he'll die, and while that might be better for him—

If he dies, Sideous keeps Quinlan, and Fox will not let that happen. The pain drags out, twisting his sense of time, and ends as suddenly as it came. Fox must have fallen at some point; he comes back to awareness on the cold stone floor of the throne room, Quinlan watching in horror from where he'd been dragged to the base of the stairs. Sideous laughs chillingly, his tone are rot-sweet. "Oh, you are magnificent, my monster. Don't you agree, Master Vos?"

The gag is ripped from Quin's mouth, leaving him gasping. "What—" he coughs harshly. "What did you do to him?"

Sideous leisurely circles Fox's new form, admiring the fruits of his labor. "I made him match his name—poetic of me, don't you think?" He cradles Fox's elongated jaw in his hand, unafraid of his razor-sharp canines: Sideous holds the power here and he knows it. "Now my attack dog in fact, not just in action." Fox bows his head in defeat.

on ao3

[fandomsandflyingstingrays]

My thoughts on Tales of the Empire! (Under the cut because of spoilers)

The overall quality of the production was excellent. The animation? Top tier. The music? Heartwrenching. The voice acting? Incredibly compelling

(Did it jumpscare me when Ahmar spoke and Hunter's voice came out? Absolutely)

I found Morgan's story intriguing- I'd love to learn more about the Mountain Clan, and I was very intrigued by the fact that the TIE defenders were originally her idea

That being said, I almost felt like it took away from Thrawn as a villain? In rebels, the biggest threat he posed to the rebellion was the TIE defender project. Since they spent so much of Ahsoka setting him up as this enormous threat without really showing why, it seems weird to make one of the most threatening things he did in Rebels someone else's idea

I also kind of felt like Morgan's story was unnecessary overall? I was hoping it would add context to Ahsoka, giving more information on the Peridean Nightsisters or what the heck was going on with Marrok, but it mostly told a story that we could have kind of guessed for ourselves. There's nothing wrong with that per se, it's just frustrating when there are so many other gaps that still need to be filled in

Off-topic, but Rukh is TERRIFYING in the Clone Wars animation style. I screeched when he appeared

I was thrilled to see what happened to Barriss after all these years, and double thrilled that she found her way back to the light in the end. I thought her arc made sense, and I loved the overall thematic elements

But it did leave me with more questions than answers. Who was that old friend Barriss mentioned? Was it Ahsoka? If so, that's a pretty important story to happen entirely off-screen

And what about that Jedi she promised to save? Did she heal them? Where are they now?

Did Lyn get her out in time? Is she alive? I really hope so, just because I find it way more interesting when characters have to redeem themselves by actually staying alive, trying to atone for their actions and make peace with the fact that there are people they can never apologize to and people who might never forgive them

Between all these loose ends and the fact that we now know Ventress and Quinlan are still floating around somewhere, I do wonder if this is all leading to some kind of series focusing on Order 66 survivors

Anyway, ultimately it was a very fun ride, even if I wasn't totally satisfied! I'd love to see more of these shorts in the future

[katara-stan-club]

Talking over the Ventress episode with my mom has (I think) solidified that as much as I liked Ventress and love the fight sequence, it really felt like the middle of the season got derailed just to have Ventress show up and maybe tease a Ventress show? Whether it be how she survived as part of Tales of the Jedi s2 or in a new spinoff show about The Path or something, this appearance didn’t feel natural for TBB to us. Granted, maybe by the end of the season we’ll feel differently and be eating humble pie, but that’s where we stand right now.

More rambling under the cut, you have been warned.

Like it really feels that they specifically had Rex not know what an M-count is just so Ventress could show up and say it, which feels a little :/ come on now. Between Rex possibly having contact with Ahsoka and being the Captain under Anakin ��The Chosen One” Skywalker, it feels very odd to have him NOT know what the hell M-count could be.

It’s also frustrating from a narrative perspective to have 2 episodes dedicated to the gang finding out what M-count means, when we the audience have known what it meant since it was first mentioned! I would’ve been fine with Fennec saying at the end of last episode something like “All I know is M-count is something to do with the Jedi, so good luck with whatever you need that info for cause the Empire will never let it go”, and then the Ventress episode could have instead been “well is it safer to stay on Pabu and hope the Empire doesn’t know where we are, or are we endangering all these people’s lives by being here? Can we ever have a stable place to live, or should we constantly be on the run from the Empire, thus painting a bigger target on us by giving us more opportunities to run into them?” But by having both episodes be “what could M-count mean for Omega?” and basically tell us what we already know: they are never gonna be safe from the Empire because they will never stop looking for Omega, it feels like a lot of ground was lost that could have been dedicated to other things, like letting Omega interact with characters other than Crosshair.

Also it’s such a weird episode cause they kinda had to avoid the whole Ventress died thing because that would bog down the episode by confusing people who hadn’t read The Dark Disciple, but it leaves people who know about it hanging with how the hell it happened?? Like there’s that one line about many lives but it doesn’t really answer anything, which is whatever but at the same time super frustrating cause it feels like such an unnecessary can of worms to open? Especially in the last half of the last season of a show that’s already got A Lot going on.

I do wonder how different I would’ve felt about this episode if it had been Quinlan instead of Ventress, because A) he’s not dead and B) we already know he’s got Stuff he’s doing (The Path) so it’s not unreasonable to see hints of it early on in the reign of the Empire. Also having another character of color come back would’ve been nice, since we STILL haven’t actually seen Phee outside of one singular holocall this season, let alone any sighting of Shep and Lyana.

[kaaragen]

8, 11, 16, and 55 for the fanfic writer ask game!

Thanks for the ask! Sorry for taking so long to get back to you!

8. Do you prefer the beginning, middle or end of a story?

That's a really hard one XD I kind of want to say that it depends on the story between middle or end as some are about the fun of the journey and some are about everything coming together in just the right way. From a writing perspective, I prefer the middle as that's the most fun to play around with. Hate writing beginnings - I never know if mine are too slow or too fast or starting in the right place XD

11. Link your three favourite fics right now

Returning Conquerers by @425599167 which is a trauma dump and a half for Barriss, but with some wonderful character developments and some actual hope. Has been stuck in my brain for the last week or so.

Luminara and Barriss by someone I'm sure you've heard of XP Delicate and fluffy in the right places, sorrowful and agnsty in the others; and with a tinge of inescapable melancholy sprinkled over everything

Shining Future by @kirahsoka The conclusion of the WIAB story - basically a medieval fantasy version of Star Wars universe. Epic with lots of great character moments.

16. How many fic ideas are you nurturing right now? Share one of them?

A few XD Two longer ones that won't see the light of day for years, if at all, on current scheduling but there's two shorter ones that might appear sooner than that.

One of them revolves around a post-Mandalore mission Obi-Wan coming back to the Temple and being melancholic. So Quinlan decides he's had enough of it, and sneaks him out of the Temple for the Coruscant night-life--dragging Luminara along too (because you need somebody sensible on these things). Hijinks ensue (including a very drunk Lumianra somehow winning a swoop bike race against some gangsters)

The other is a post-Naboo Obi-Wan returning grieving to the Temple (I'm sensing a theme here XD) with Anakin. Deals with the fallout of Qui-Gon's death, Obi-Wan adjusting to the pressure and stress of his new responsibilities, and Anakin dealing with isolation and diffculty adjusting to Temple life (he has a weird status as a Padawan, so higher than the younglings, but also has zero basic training, so he's actually behind even the youngest of the younglings). With a little help from friends (and a five-year old Barriss sticking her nose in), they'll maybe get there.

55. Of the characters you write for which is your favourite? Has that choice been swayed at all by your followers/reader's reactions to certain ones?

Ahsoka and Barriss are probably joint top, for different reasons. Barriss, off canon material (and I haven't read MedStar - yes sacriledge I know!) there isn't a massive chunk to inform her, so I like the version of her I've crafted which keeps to what's seen in canon, but is also distinctive.

Ahsoka because I'm proud of how I managed to take that character and move her in an, shall we say, implausible direction in a plausible manner. That was the big challenge and I like the version of her she's grown into, who is recognisbaly her but also informed by the differences the story took her on.

I wouldn't say my choice has been swayed, but I the reaction to both (but particularly Ahsoka) was definitely reassuring and solidified my liking for what I was doing. It enabled me to push it in the direction that I wanted to go and, certainly, had the reaction been negative I'm not sure I would have had the motivation and energy to keep going.

On another matter, I am delighted with the reaction to Narshula's batshittery - just because it was exactly what I hoped to receive XD

[kefalion]

Things I want in the Third Game about Cal Kestis

Set it in 4 BBY

Let another 5 years pass between the games. Felt appropriate last time. It makes it credible that things have properly changed between the games and ages everyone so that a new chapter can take place.

Force Sensitive Kata

While I’m all about the Force not following bloodlines (unless you’re a Skywalker) and instead appearing in anyone, the complicated relationship Kata would have with the Jedi because of her dad and because of Cal has the potential for such a good story

Cal as Kata’s Jedi Master

Following in the previous point. Kata would be learning from the man who killed her dad, and he would be teaching the daughter of the man who betrayed him. So much potential angst. 

Also wonderful gameplay potential. She could be a temporary companion who can help you, but she would also be someone you’d have to worry about. She’d be an itty bitty 12-14 year old. Perfect for a Padawan (I can’t tell how old she is in Survivor. Can’t be over ten because of the timeline. Feels older than 6 with how she talks)

Cal Struggling to be Kata’s Master

Again continuing. Cal would see Bode in Kata and no matter how he would try to not let it happen, I think it would make him unfair to her at times. He’d struggle with being a master regardless of who is the apprentice, remembering his worries from before he found the holocron with the list of Force Sensitive younglings, worrying about how teaching anyone about the Force puts a target on their back. He’d worry about knowing enough to teach. He never formally completed his own training. How can he be anyone’s master? 

Quinlan Vos

Need I say more? The Kenobi series put Quinlan with the Hidden Path in 9 BBY which is when Survivor takes place. Obviously he needs to meet Cal. And he should mentor Cal. They have so much in common! They share the rare ability of psychometry. They have an affinity for Dathomiri Night Sisters. They’ve both touched the dark side. It obviously needs to happen!

The Hidden Path on Tanalorr 

The Hidden Path should be established on Tanalorr. It should be bustling with people living their best lives. There should be plenty of untrained Force Sensitive people. There should be a handful of Jedi too. Precious survivors.

The Nihil Attacking

The Nihil attacked Tanalorr in the time of the High Republic. They should do it again and ruin everything. 

The Empire as the Main Antagonist 

While I want the Nihil to be a problem, I would prefer it as an inciting incident rather than as something that takes up a significant part of the game. The Empire is the true enemy and should be treated as such. It could be that Tanalorr is attacked early in the game and the rest of the objective is to keep everyone who now has to go on the run, safe from the Empire.

Consequences Because of Cal’s Relationship with Merrin

Cal deciding to get together with Merrin in Survivor is treated as a good thing (so romantic!) and she is obviously so good for him (sarcasm) because she pulled him back from the Dark Side, but that’s not the Jedi Way, and (I’d argue) not how the Force Works. A strong romantic relationship requires putting your partner first. A Jedi can’t do that. You can’t have both, and I want Cal to be a Jedi. So, he gets consequences. 

We’ve already seen him struggling with his attachments. He was attached to Cere. He was attached to Bode. He was attached to Tanalorr and the future he wanted to build there. Losing it all, made him angry.

If he builds a stronger relationship with Merrin, I’m saying it would lead to an attachment and then if something threatens her, he’d get afraid. If something happens to her, he’d get angry. And after, he could turn to hate.

If we need another Jedi romance, let Cal follow in Anakin and Bode’s footsteps. I wanna see the consequences!

Rematch with Darth Vader

Cal got to bat his saber once against Vader’s in Fallen Order and defiantly refuse him the Holocron.

Cere got a full duel with the Sith Lord in Survivor. 

It’s Cal’s turn now. He should be fighting to save someone or something. Perhaps stalling. Perhaps becoming overconfident and thinking he can end the Dark Lord.

I’m not sure if I think Cal should die by Vader’s hand or not. I’d love for him to stay alive, to make it past the end of the Empire and possibly make it to live-action. Realistically though he should be killed, and he deserves to go out against the worst of the worst.

[obihiro-division]

Jack’s Thoughts on Roppongi Division

Kai Quinlan

“This is the man I’ve been hearing them titter about? Strange… But unimportant. It’s lovely to finally see the face of the famous Wolf of Shadows. A gaudy name, isn’t it? I do enjoy the word play of Veenyle much better. Nevertheless, Mr. Quinlan must be a delight to converse with, no doubt. I cannot wait to meet him in person. The same goes to his wife…”

Mireya Quinlan

“Mrs. Quinlan, correct? Surprisingly, I am not one to frequent businesses such as hers. Shocking, I know. Joking aside, she appears to be respectable. A passionate woman, determined to get what she wants. And from what I hear, she has most of that achieved. A supportive husband, a rowdy son, and a club entirely run by her. If only she wasn’t burdened with certain… Obstacles, she would be living her life without a single worry. Unfortunately, the world has other plans… Or so I hear.”

Zakari Hiroya

“I heard young master ranting about luck and I suppose this man is the one responsible for that… Extreme stuntman, correct? Amusing that he picked the name Icarus… Does he not know how the legend of Icarus goes? I would caution Mr. and Mrs. Quinlan to keep better watch of him. Before he flies too close to the sun, that is.”

Private Party

“For a ‘Private Party’, this group is rather open to the public. Perhaps I am being a little harsh in saying that… Either way, I look forward to seeing what this little family unit brings. And if they earn my interest, I wonder what sort of things I will learn from their encounters in the journey through the D.R.B.”

[scottysketches]

i'm having too much fun, so how about your version of mara why not! or even satine!

I'm gonna do both.

SATINE KRYZE:

Sexuality headcanon: Straight, but down to experiment if she's in the mood and Obi-Wan's not around to rail her

Gender headcanon: Cis female, but enjoys dressing in masculine-appearing outfits (lots of pants, much easier for causing trouble in than a dress lol)

A ship I have with said character: Obi-Wan/Satine, 'nuff said

A BROTP I have with said character: Satine and Padmé - even though Padmé's, like, a decade younger than Satine, they both have valuable experience putting up with Jedi bullshit 😂

A NOTP I have with said character: Satine/Quinlan when it's just them is my squick - however I am rather fond of Obi-Wan/Satine/Quinlan

A random headcanon: she says she doesn't like Obi-Wan's beard because it hides too much of his handsome face, but she's thankful for it when Korkie starts growing his own facial hair out because now he really looks like his pops and she realises just how much scrutiny she's managed to avoid r.e. Korkie's parentage just by virtue of Obi-Wan having a fantastic beard

General opinion over said character: Funnily enough, I didn't actually like her when she was introduced in S2 of The Clone Wars, but then the way her entire demeanour softened when it was just her and Obi-Wan made my heart melt, and that was it - I was hooked just like Obi. Now, she's one of my favourites to be introduced in TCW and I am eternally mad that I didn't watch it sooner, as in back when my brother would nag me to watch it with him when we got home from school. She deserves so much better than to be forgotten, and I'm with James Arnold Taylor on this - tell us their full story, Filoni!!

MARA JADE:

I'm going to preface this with the fact that I didn't actually know anything about Mara until I read a fanfic that mentioned her - her name seemed too specific to me for her to be an OC, so I hopped on over to Wookiepedia and read up on her.

Sexuality headcanon: Bi-curious, possibly asexual

Gender headcanon: Non-binary - most of the time identifies as she/her, but sometimes goes by they/them pronouns

A ship I have with said character: Luke/Mara Jade, though I don't see them ever getting married

A BROTP I have with said character: From what I've read about her, I think Mara would get on quite well with Hondo 🤔

A NOTP I have with said character: leaving this one blank, I got nothing

A random headcanon: I feel like she probably sleeps with a knife under her pillow?

General opinion over said character: Like I mentioned above, I don't know much about Mara, I've never read any of the media that she's in (not because I don't interact with Legends content, just that I've only recently gotten back into Star Wars as a whole), but she seems like an interesting character, and after reading about her I started wondering if the concept of the Inquisitors that I first experienced in Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order came from Mara and her role as an Emperor's Hand

[wipbigbang]

This is Round Two of the Artist Claims for the 2023 round of WIPBB. You may claim up to three fics this round. If you want only one fic, please fill out the form once with your top choices. If you want two fics, fill out the form twice with your first choice in the first form submission with one unique ID and the second choice in another submission with a different unique ID.

The synopses are located at https://wipbigbang.dreamwidth.org/172201.html

The form is located at https://forms.gle/ES2D3d2mTG1nU4Pk6.

Round two of the art claims will go on until July 1st.

Star Wars: The Clone Wars

#121

Title: Blue Man Crew

Pairing/Characters: Thrawn; OFC; Ar'alani; Original Clone Troopers; Qui-Gon Jinn

Rating Teen | T

Warnings/Tags: No Warnings apply

Psychological Thriller; some blood and corpses

Summary: Standing, Ar'alani's lips quirk for a moment as she looks at him. “One more question.” Rising, Thrawn pushes in his chair. “Yes?” “Has she tried to eat your brains?”

Alternatively: Thrawn doesn't believe in ghosts, but one is haunting him. And the ghost just wants to find a home.

#122

Title: GFFA

Pairing/Characters: Quinlan Vos & Obi-Wan Kenobi, Obi-Wan Kenobi/CC-2224|Cody, Quinlan Vos/CC-1010|Fox, Mace Windu, Kit Fisto, Tholme, Qui-Gon Jinn, Original Kiffar characters

Rating Teen | T

Warnings/Tags: Chooses not to use Warnings

Alternate Universe, the clones were NPCs, canon typical violence, Philosophical discussions, the game followed them into real life, that's not how the Force works, probably, Quinlan's family are here, Obi-Wan gets adopted as Quinlan's brother, Force shenanigans, How do I tag this, my mind is blank, I don't think I need to warn for anything?, Pro Jedi, Jedi Culture respected

Summary: Those trapped in the game Swords & Mystery have escaped. Now, it is onto their lives after the game for Padawans Obi-Wan Kenobi and Quinlan Vos. Along for the ride are former NPCs Cody and Fox, their whole family of former NPCs, and the rest of the Jedi Order... and the galaxy. Navigating the chaos of what happened isn't easy, especially with the looming threat of the Sith behind the game. On top of that, Obi-Wan and Quinlan are recommended for the Trials, and must prepare to be Jedi Knights.

#124

Title: Untitled

Pairing/Characters: Kit Fisto/Obi-Wan Kenobi, Mace Windu/Quinlan Vos/CC-2224 | Cody, Luminara Unduli/Depa Billaba, Obi-Wan Kenobi & Quinlan Vos, Obi-Wan Kenobi & CC-2224 | Cody, Anakin Skywalker, Plo Koon

Rating Teen | T

Warnings/Tags: Chooses not to use Warnings

Pro Jedi, Jedi culture respected, canon typical violence, communication, philosophical discussions, Not Anakin Skywalker friendly, I don't think I need to warn for anything this time, Hope I haven't forgotten anything, hurt/comfort, angst with a happy ending

Summary: Obi-Wan is a fantastic Jedi. He usually keeps his cool and does not let any emotion get the better of him. One might wonder if he actually does experience emotions at all. But he has a secret: Behind closed doors, when he is alone or with those he most trusts, he will fall apart. He just does not like appearing so vulnerable crying in front of others.

This is how he gained people to trust with his most vulnerable self and how they made it through the war.

#125

Title: Untitled

Pairing/Characters: CC-2224 | Cody/Obi-Wan Kenobi (main), background Quinlan Vos/Fox, background Anakin Skywalker/Padmé Amidala, Ahsoka Tano, Rex

Rating Teen | T

Warnings/Tags: No Warnings apply

nan

Summary: Doctor Verse. The ER Doctors of Coruscant General sent on team bonding retreat. New Dean of Medicine - Bail Organa - insists they deserve a break. They're all workaholics so they get sent on an enforced break - the retreat. Nobody is pumped about this. Obi-Wan stoically (sarcastically) endures. Rex is so damn tired. Fox really couldn't care less. Quinlan only comes because Fox is there. And Cody just wants some peace and quiet. Ahsoka and Padmé are probably the only sane ones there.

[mutatiio]

Me for the url meme 👉👈 @mayxthexforce

send me your url and i'll tell you: / you've given me permission to gush and you are about to receive full consequences @mayxthexforce

my opinion on:

do i:

character in general: wHICH ONE???? i love all of your muses. i don't currently write with ALL of them but we got time. but you've literally taught me that some of your characters exist lmao. AND I HAD COMPLETELY FORGOTTEN WHO QUINLAN WAS WHEN YOU FIRST MENTIONED HIM. tcw did him so dirty. and i've become a galen defender. haven't played the games yet but my sister or my friends start talking shit about mr starkiller and i shut them up QUICK. your influence is vast.

how they play them: PERFECTLY. STUNNINGLY. BEAUTIFULLY. MY FAVOURITE EVER. you're literally my favourite obi-wan ever. our brains connected over that man and we're so powerful bc of it. i've yet to have someone see him the same way i do and it makes me so happy. and i'm so grateful i get to experience your version of him. and then MY PRECIOUS LITTLE PRINCE. maulkie. my babyboy,,, my angel,,,,, my little guy. look idk if i can say you play him well bc he's basically your oc and i don't get to decide whether you play your own oc well bUT WHATEVER. YOU DO. HE'S THE PERFECT LITTLE GUY AND I LOVE HIM SO MUCH. AND QUINLAN AND FERAL AND MY LOVE, MY LIFE, MISS KILINDI. and all of them,,, every muse you pick up is wonderful and you pour such love and care into every single one of them. i adore every character you write. i adore your writing.

the mun: I ADORE YOU ALSO. you're hilarious and kind and so fun to talk to. the vibe was so good like?? immediately???? and i love all of our plotting, disco rps and our banter. i'm just!! lucky to get to be your friend and am forever grateful to you for appearing in my dms.

what is my:

RP with them: looks at 90% of my drafts,,,,,,,,,,,,, never. not even once.

want to RP with them: clings to your leg. yes. for now and for forever. pls stop threatening to divorce me,,, pls don't take the blorbos,,,

overall opinion: stunning and perfect in every single way. a wealth of lore and amazing ideas and just such a good friend. combo that with a delicious selection of muses and you've got yourself a 100000/10 rating!!

[ifonlyweknewwhatiwasdoing]

Team 8: I Don't Want to Imagine a World Where We Don't Collide (CWBB 2022)

Hello All!

It's been a long six months in the making but team eight is finally ready to show you what we've all been working on! I was paired with the amazing @journen, @littledumplingwrites, & @reaalikaasu with a special appearance from @punkascas for a bonus piece for the preview!

It was wonderful to work with everyone and I really hope that you enjoy the fic and the art! Everyone did an amazing job and it was a wonderful way to wrap up my second year doing the big bang!

---

I Don't Want to Imagine a World Where We Don't Collide

by MusicSoul1982 w/ Art from Journen, Littledumplingwrites, Reaalikaasu, & PunkasCas

Fandoms: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars: The Clone Wars

Rating: Explicit

Tags

CC-2224 | Cody/Obi-Wan Kenobi

Brief Obi-Wan Kenobi/Quinlan Vos

Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence

Alternate Timelines

Order 66 Happened Differently (Star Wars)

Minor Character Death

Angst with a Happy Ending

Hurt/Comfort

Established Relationship

Wish AU

Top Obi-Wan Kenobi

Bottom CC-2224 | Cody

Concussions

Shower Sex is Dangerous

you have to suffer for your happy ending

Summary:

Cody had never heard the term 'Be Careful What You Wish For'.

Now he wished he had.

Obi-Wan and Cody are figuring out their relationship after the war, one step at a time. But learning how to be lovers instead of general and solider isn't easy. During a fight, Cody makes a wish that Obi-Wan would forget him so that they could start again. When he wakes up and Obi-Wan doesn't know him as anything more than a one-night-stand while Cody is still painfully in love with him, Cody is stuck between making Obi-Wan fall in love with him all over again or living without him forever.

Find the Fic Here

[chamomileteainabuttercup]

I forgot I wrote this! I still think it's fun.

I think eventually Maul intervenes to prevent a disaster by using the Force - maybe he holds open the collapsing entrance to a mineshaft or subterranean garden long enough to let the people inside escape, or contains an explosion until everyone can run clear of it, something really dramatic and obviously magical like that. Obviously, word travels because that's the most impressive thing everyone who witnessed it has ever seen and they want to describe it to anyone who'll listen.

Obi-Wan hears about it while he's working one of the odd jobs he still picks up to make a living and feels a simultaneous rush of hope and pang of dread - clearly, there's another Jedi on Tatooine, but they don't have the sense to conceal themselves. And their style is just deranged. Could it be Quinlan Vos? He heard from Tala Durith that he was still alive, and as difficult as he always found him, it would be wonderful to see him again. So he quits that job and sets out to find him. There's no time to lose, because doubtless the Inquisitors will soon hear the rumours too.

So! Obviously Maul isn't easy to find, because he's a mysterious stranger who disappears back into the desert as silently and swiftly as he appeared. Some folks call him the Shadow. Some folks call him the Mirage. When Obi-Wan reaches out with his feelings to find a fellow Jedi, he senses someone strong in the Force but doesn't recognise Maul because his vibes have altered so dramatically, so when he actually tracks him down and sees him he's flummoxed.

Maul bolts. Of course he does. That's Obi-Wan Kenobi. The one person in existence to whom he's done the most evil. He wasted years of his life obsessively trying to ruin Kenobi's, and he certainly hurt him but he couldn't ruin him. No one else knows what he really is like Kenobi.

Oh. So actually he should go back and face him, right? Isn't that what he's been wanting? Someone to be as disgusted with him as he deserves? To tell everyone what a piece of filth he is? To denounce him? Why is he hesitating?

Matters come to a head when Obi-Wan finds him again, they have a tense confrontation, gunslinger-style in the dusty only street of a tiny town, and all of a sudden people are pouring out of the buildings on either side yelling at Obi-Wan to leave Maul alone.

Naturally he's confused and suspicious, even as they're shouting out the things he's done for them, his fearless deeds, his tireless help. Is Maul helping people because he wants hero-worship? Is he luring them in only to do something horrible to them later on? But it's more confusing how Maul is obviously mortified by their trying to protect him.

They don't really get to settle the issue then because it's at that moment that an Inquisitorial dropship descends on the town and soon they're back to back fighting them off. They're forced to co-operate and it goes very badly at first, both of them almost getting taken down because they're out of sync and distrustful, but then there's a shift, a moment when things seem to snap together, and after that nothing can stop them.

After the battle is won (they managed to draw the Inquisitors out into the desert to minimise the damage to the town) they both disappear into the dunes - but they stay together long enough to talk as the suns are going down.

Obi-Wan says, "We'd better lie low now and keep our distance in future. More Inquisitors will follow."

Maul snorts and says, "They're an embarrassment."

Obi-Wan says, "Do you know, when I first saw you I thought perhaps you worked for them now." Maul gives him a outraged look and he chuckles. "No, I suppose not."

They're quiet for a moment and then Maul bursts out with, "Why didn't you tell them? When they defied you, why did you not simply tell them the things I've done? To you!"

"Well, at first I was so surprised by the sight of you apparently having made friends, I was lost for words."

"I'm glad you find it funny," Maul mutters.

"But now... having heard them... having fought at your side, and having taken your measure... I certainly wouldn't say anything."

"Because you think I'm good now?" Maul spits out.

"I think you're doing good," Obi-Wan says pointedly. "Who am I to take those villagers' hero from them? To take away their bit of hope in these dark times?"

Maul is silent.

"You can't take back anything you did," Obi-Wan says. "I think now that you would if you could. That's different. And I know all too well how it feels."

"You never did anything wrong," Maul jeers. "The perfect Jedi."

"My apprentice is the Emperor's attack dog. The boy I raised and loved is a Sith," Obi-Wan says sharply. "So yes. I think it's fairly apparent I did something wrong. And I have to live with it, same as you."

Maul is silent again for a time, before he says abruptly, "I wouldn't have done any of this were it not for the lizard in my head."

"Oh, have you a lizard in your head?" Obi-Wan asks mildly, reflecting that it was nice to think for a little while that perhaps Maul wasn't as mad as a meat-axe any more. If he humours him he might stay calm long enough for Obi-Wan to make a quick exit. He's far too tired for another fight today.

"It tells me to do good and bites my brain if I try to do evil."

"What a useful lizard. I should try to keep it if I were you." He's getting too old for this.

"If it were gone I am sure I would be as terrible as ever."

"Oh, I dare say."

Suddenly Maul's face quivers. His nose twitches and his eyes roll up like marbles before he sneezes so violently he almost spits out his false teeth. And a small lizard crawls out of his nostril and scurries up on top of his head, clinging to his horns, and Obi-Wan could swear it's looking angrily at him.

Maul sneezes again, hawks, spits, seems to get his breath back. He looks at Obi-Wan as if seeing him after a mist clears. Obi-Wan's hand is already on the hilt of his lightsaber in readiness. Maul draws a deep breath.

"Get back up there, you vile reptile! You filthy snake with legs! This squalid planet cannot withstand my rage if you do not. Kenobi's wretched life will be forfeit, I will strike him down where he stands! Will you permit his murder? Get in!"

And the lizard gives Obi-Wan a very smug look as it scuttles down Maul's face and wiggles up his nose in a trice. From the sound Maul makes and his contorted face it's not a pleasant experience. He gives one more mighty sneeze and then the fit passes. He stands up straight and glares at Obi-Wan, daring him to comment. He needn't worry; for the moment he really is speechless.

"Farewell, Kenobi," Maul says. "I hope I never see you again."

"Oh. Likewise," says Obi-Wan, pulling himself together. "But... try to be more discreet in future. I should be sorry to hear that the Inquisitors got you." And he would.

"They'd get you first," Maul snorts, and turns to go.

"May the Force be with you," Obi-Wan says quietly.

"It is with me," Maul says, or Obi-Wan thinks he says, since he's walking away from him now. "Always."

New Maul Lives AU in which he doesn’t find Obi-Wan on Tatooine, just wanders in circles until he gets tired and lies down for a bit. While he’s napping a Nose Lizard wiggles up his nose and does its thing. It gets inside, looks around his brain a bit, goes “Damn, bitch, you live like this?” and decides to stay, because the thing is, this lizard is a busybody and it’s very ambitious. It’s tired of just helping Tuskens get wood. It wants to see what it can do with a person’s whole life. Give them moral guidance, and stuff. (Tatooine Nose Lizards have highly developed altruistic ethics but the majority of them are non-interventionist out of respect for others’ autonomy, with the exception of the wood thing, because that’s a cherished cultural tradition.)

Of course it isn’t easy Jiminy Cricket/Ratatouilling an ex-Sith with trauma out the ass and a history of bad decisions as long as your arm. He is of course psychic and tries his best to fight the intrusion, but Busybody Lizard hangs on tight and threatens to bite his brain if he doesn’t quit - or if he keeps attempting such aggressive nose-picking.

And so Maul becomes this odd creature of the desert who helps lost travellers and defends the vulnerable. He dismisses all attempts to thank him, saying “The lizard in my head would have bitten my brain if I hadn’t,” which they generously interpret as an odd metaphorical way of saying “My conscience compelled me to help - I would have felt terrible if I didn’t.”

And while he’s being compelled to do nice things for people, as much as he resents it, he is gradually starting to feel some reward. People respect him. They admire his abilities. They’re actually glad to see him when he appears. Busybody Lizard tells him to smile at them. Properly, not just baring his teeth. Soon he’ll do it without threat of biting because it actually feels nice when they smile back.

Obviously this doesn’t simply undo decades of experience reinforcing destructive beliefs that were drilled into him by Sidious. Busy Lizzie is appalled by his “affirmations” and keeps trying to change them - “always remember that I am somebody, always remember that I am guardian, always remember that I actually clean up nicely when I make an effort.”

As Maul gets gradually more and more conditioned to being liked and trusted and living up to that trust, he starts to feel tremendous shame. No one would like him or trust him if they knew what he was and the things he’s done. He needs to confess so they can be appropriately shocked and disgusted and drive him away in horror. He expects Busy Lizzie to stop him. It doesn’t. He tells the old lady he checks up on from time to time to make sure she and her small farmstead are okay. She looks concerned but then she pats his arm and says, “It’s not easy to change yourself, but you’re doing well. I’m proud of you.” What the hell is that about?

Sometimes he wonders about what’s going on out in the galaxy, but Busy Lizzie is quite insistent that he mind his own business and stay focused on what he can do here on Tatooine.

[katara-stan-club]

Bad Batch Season 3 speculation under the cut

So, do we think this means Ventress will come back via nightsister magic? I had originally been thinking Ventress was a red herring and that her appearance is actually a flashback from Quinlan Vos's perspective, but this is giving me pause. Now I'm wondering if the Batch will go to Dathomir for some reason (reviving Tech?), and they run into the ghosts of the nightsisters and/or Ventress raised from the dead?

Also I do not remember this episode very well, so it could be there's something I'm missing that was important in this episode. Guess I'll definitely be rewatching it!

[phoenixyfriend]

Uncle Ben and Little Luke

AKA we combine several types of time travel for maximum Soft Chaos, let’s go

EDIT NOW THAT I’VE WRITTEN THIS UP: jfc this ended up much angstier than initially intended uhhhhhhhhhh sorry

So a common enough thing I’ve seen in time travel fics is characters getting de-aged when tossed back physically, to neither the age they should be in that time, nor the age they were from the time they left, but whatever is most convenient. This is usually de-aging OT Obi-Wan into his TCW self, for reasons relating to, chiefly, removing the damage of Tatooine absolutely destroying his body alongside PTSD-driven alcoholism, but also because fic writers are horny, and Ewan McGregor playing a late-thirties negotiator is on average more appealing to people than Alec Guinness playing a vaguely feral desert hermit.

So, here’s how it plays out:

We take Luke and Ben from some point in the OT. There are a variety of options depending on how angsty we want it to be. My first instinct is ‘right after Owen and Beru die’ but I want to have that sweet angst where Luke knows that his dad is Vader and that Obi-Wan was trying to convince him to kill his own father without telling him that.

We’ll go with shortly after Bespin, and then they end up significantly before TPM. The Obi-Wan of the timeline proper is, eh, let’s say eighteen. Not really ready to be a knight, but old enough that we don’t have to worry about “if we go save Shmi, do we somehow wipe out Anakin?” which is absolutely a worry. Anakin is a toddler, and is in no place to be evil, on account of being literally two years old. He can’t even explode people with his brain yet.

Now, Ben finds himself mid-thirties, as is traditional. He’s not upset at this, because his joints hurt so much less than they used to! His knees aren’t exactly teenage-perfect, but by the Force are they better than they were in the years before he died! His hair has color! He doesn’t have arthritis! And, goodness, no physical withdrawal symptoms! The psychological aspect is still there, but nonetheless, he’s in much better shape than he last remembers being.

Luke looks like he’s about six. He was recently twenty-two. This is not an upgrade. Ben keeps having to carry him. He can’t see over the counter when they enter a bar for information. He can’t enter the bar in the first place. He’s very annoyed by all of this.

Ben is not annoyed. Ben is having a lot of emotions, actually, but annoyance isn’t one of them. He didn’t get to help raise Luke the way he might have if Anakin hadn’t lost his shit, okay, he sees a small Luke and he wants to hug him and cry.

Luke would like to be able to purchase a speeder part without the lady at the stall asking him if he needs his “dad’s” permission.

Once they figure out when and where they are, they need to decide where and how to leave. There are general shenanigans to gamble their way into enough money to hire a ship. They are in the ass end of nowhere, but definitely not Tatooine. There appears to be a jungle. There appears to be a significant variety of man-eating creatures. There appears to be a temple to the Force of questionable origin. None of this is actually helpful, except for the moment they find a “baby’s first lightsaber” in the temple.

Luke only has one hand and, being a six-year-old, his body is growing too fast for him to bother with getting a wired-in prosthesis the way he could as an adult. He can get a more basic prosthesis, but nothing that attaches to the neurons. He’ll outgrow it too fast.

He’s tiny and he’s not used to doing things with just one hand. He uses the Force to do what one hand can't, and every time someone tries to tell him he's misusing the Force he whaps them with the empty sleeve.

So, you know, they find out what year it is. Ben has a breakdown. Luke is upset that he left behind his friends. Ben admits to him that Leia was his twin. Luke stares in horror because dude, she kissed him, you couldn’t have mentioned this earlier???

Ben points out that Beru and Owen were keeping Luke away from him for nineteen years, and then they had about three days of awkward travel to find Leia in the first place, and then Ben died. He didn’t have a whole lot of time to figure out how to tell him.

(This sparks an argument that lasts several days. All onlookers assume that Ben’s son is throwing a tantrum. He doesn’t correct them, even though this is a very valid reason to be upset, because the truth is much harder to explain.)

Sooooo they travel. Mostly, Ben plays Sabacc, cleans house, and pays their way towards Coruscant. Luke still really wants to learn to be a Proper Jedi, even though Ben is pretty sure that Luke would have... a lot of difference of opinion with the Temple, but sure. Coruscant. They can at least stop by, and see Qui-Gon, and Mace, and Quinlan, and Bant, and everyone else that’s still alive and not tragically deceased in the horror following the start of the Clone Wars and then the birth of the Empire, and Ben can have a nice sob over all his dead friends being alive again.

Ben is only barely holding it together while Luke is in the room with him at any given point. But it’s fine! It’s fine. He’s fine. All of his loved ones have come back to life! It’s great! HE’S FINE.

He is not fine.

Luke is also grieving all the people who haven’t been born yet, but he’s... significantly more okay than Ben is.

The closer they get to the Core, the more often people just assume Ben is Luke’s father, and then look shocked and uncomfortable when Luke flatly calls him by his name, and they just... compromise. This is the point at which Luke starts calling him “Uncle Ben.”

Ben cries in his bunk later that night. Luke overhears it and wonders how the HELL Ben is more unstable now, when there’s a chance to fix things and no Vader or Empire trying to kill or capture both of them, and all his friends are alive.

(Luke will later learn a lot about PTSD and realize this is actually a fairly normal situation, to process significant events and emotions only after gaining safety or catharsis.)

(Twenty years on a ball of sand with an alcohol addiction and debilitating fear of the man you raised as your own brother is not, in fact, safe or cathartic.)

At any rate, they’ve settled into that pattern by the time they reach the Inner Rim. The Inner Rim is the part of the galaxy at which they’ve collected enough money (and mental stability) to travel a little better, and to take a few more risks.

Risks like “manipulate people with those baby blues.”

Ben tells Luke that he’s a menace, after he pouts so cutely that he gets a free scarf added on to a purchase that Ben makes. Luke responds that Ben has no room to talk, since he flirted a free breakfast out of that one inn owner.

Also, Luke is currently physically six. That is objectively a situation that sucks. He deserves to use it for all it’s worth if he’s stuck like this.

“You know, if you keep wearing all-black and looking longingly at the velvet cape and Space Chanel boots, the temple is going to worry that you’re a darksider.”

“Uncle Ben... you told me, yesterday, that I sparkle so brightly in the Force that it’s almost blinding.”

“Yes, but the gloves--”

They don’t agree on this, but Ben relents. He does actually understand good fashion, unfortunately, and he’s not unaware of how much Leia taught Luke about such things.

Luke’s about forty years ahead of the curve, of course, but Skywalkers are prone to such things. It’s usually in regards to technology, granted, but...

They get to Coruscant. Ben is very obviously a Jedi. He knows all the right words and walks like a Soresu master and feels warm and comforting in the Force. They let him in with minimal questions. They note down “my first padawan left the order to have a child, but died shortly after; I consider Luke here to be my nephew, and have raised him as such,” and move on.

Luke is vaguely annoyed because he already had an uncle (and aunt) that raised him, but he admits that a person can have more than one uncle. He can live with this. Ben was more family to Anakin than Owen was, in some ways, so it’s kind of true. Luke is even working on feeling more childish affection for Ben instead of the complicated mess of emotions that come from being lied to about some very large and important subjects, and then seeing the person saying those lies have regular emotional breakdowns due to something as small as Luke saying he likes the curve of the hull on that freighter.

(Apparently he sounds just like his father did as a child. This is almost heartwarming.)

The thing is! The thing. The thing is, they almost make it to the Halls of Healing to get looked over for weird viruses, or Outer Rim Parasites, or whatever the hells needs to be happening. They almost make it without Ben having a flashback to dead younglings or brainwashed troopers or the declaration of a Sith Empire. They almost make it without incident.

Then Ben sees Qui-Gon, and freezes, and does not move again.

Luke cannot get him to restart.

People are staring.

They haven’t even made it to Medical, Uncle Ben, come on.

Young, local Obi-Wan comes over and asks if there’s something he can do to help. Or maybe this “Ben” knows Qui-Gon? Master Jinn doesn’t recognize Ben, but maybe Luke knows more?

Luke does know more, but what Luke actually says is “he probably needs a mind healer.”

(Ben will not appreciate this.)

(Ben is unfortunately standing in the middle of the hallway and completely unresponsive, and is unable to argue with this assertion.)

(Ben is pretty much proving this assertion entirely correct, actually.)

Obi-Wan is helpful, if a little bitchy in the manner of most late-teens individuals, and offers to help get Uncle Ben down to the Halls of Healing. It involves Obi-Wan gently pushing on Ben’s shoulders, and Qui-Gon offering to carry Luke so he can be in Ben’s sights (because Ben is a Mystery, and Qui-Gon is quite fond of those, so he wants to stay involved). Ben kind of just... shuffles on down.

There are medical tests. They ask about how Luke lost his hand. He refuses to talk about it. They ask how Ben got all his scars. Luke says he doesn’t know. They ask if he knows why Ben looks like he’s been through a war. Luke says it’s because he probably was.

They check for foreign viruses. They find evidence of thus-far-unpatented vaccinations. They ask Luke if he knows what he’s vaccinated for.

“How would I know? I’m six.”

They agree that this is a good excuse.

(It is not. He’s lying. They do not know this.)

They do some more tests. They find a lot of questionable medical bullshit in Ben’s body. Most of this is from the clone wars, but they don’t know this. Someone realizes they haven’t gotten a ping back from the Shadow Network regarding “do we have permission to pull the medical file of a Jedi that isn’t in the normal database? We’re assuming you know who he is, since we don’t.”

The Shadow Network does not know who Ben is.

The healers, of course, go “huh, that’s weird, but maybe the name he gave his nephew was fake. We can’t exactly ask ‘Ben’ for more details right now. We already had to sedate him. Let’s check the DNA!”

The DNA pulls up as Obi-Wan Kenobi.

The padawan who brought this guy in two hours ago.

“Huh, that’s weird. Let’s call in Kenobi and ask if he knows what’s going on.”

Obi-Wan absolutely does not know what’s going on.

They ask Luke.

“Oh, I don’t know,” he says, lying through his teeth and not even pretending otherwise.

“You’re not a very good liar,” teenage Obi-Wan tells him.

“I’m not trying to be,” Luke says. “Can you get Master Yoda? I feel like we’re going to need him.”

They normally wouldn’t get Yoda on the request of a six-year-old, but they also normally don’t have a catatonic thirty-something Jedi who looks like he’s been through a war popping up in the medical database as the pimply teenage padawan that broke his pinky trying to do a Badass Ataru Flip last week.

Or... whatever Luke i... is... oh dear.

“Young one,” Qui-Gon asks, while people whisper-shout behind him, not realizing he’s cutting the Correlian Knot and just asking the kid himself. “Do you know why your midichlorian count is so high? It’s almost unheard of.”

“Uncle Ben said my dad was the Chosen One,” Luke says, because he is capable of being a little shit and is actually really eager to let Ben deal with some of the fallout. He feels for the man, really, but he’s also tired of being the one to field every single question.

Also, the expressions that pass on Qui-Gon’s face are hilarious.

(Luke may or may not be more affected by his six-year-old brain than he would like to admit.)

“Thank you,” Qui-Gon says, sounding more than a little strangled about it.

It takes another three hours for Ben to wake up.

He listens to the questions. He hears what they say his ‘nephew’ said. He looks at Luke.

“Is this revenge for not telling you about Leia?”

“It’s not revenge,” Luke does not lie. “I just don’t know how to explain it.”

“It’s pretty easy to explain.”

“It’s not my secret.”

“This is revenge for the Leia thing.”

“No,” Luke says. “Revenge for the Leia thing was when I ate a live frog in front of you.”

This is the point at which someone interrupts and points out that they appear to be stalling.

“Oh, he is,” Luke tells them. He gestures at Ben. “I can’t tell you more, because it’s more his story than mine.”

“I’m afraid, Master, that I am very likely to have an emotional breakdown if I allow myself to consider the reality of this situation for longer than the fraction of a second I already have,” Ben reports, full of false cheer. “Suffice to say, I am far from stable and have only held out this far for Luke’s sake.”

“Can you explain why you have my DNA?” Obi-Wan asks, as the person who’s most concerningly involved in this situation.

“You can,” Ben says, smiling like there is absolutely nothing wrong in the slightest, ever. “I’m you, from the future. I actually died and spent a few years dead before coming back. I’m not sure why I’m younger than I was when I died, but I appreciate being able to put on my shoes without my knees attempting to mutiny.”

“He needs a mind healer,” Luke reiterates, in case the strained grin hasn’t made it clear. “So do I, but not as much.”

“I have felt literally every person in this Temple save for Luke and Yoda die,” Ben reports, looking a shade more manic than a few seconds earlier. “It’s very overwhelming to feel you all being alive again. I may be approaching a mental breakdown, and I’ve been rather strictly advised against using alcohol to treat my traumas again.”

Luke kicks him in the thigh. It’s not a very hard kick, because he is very small, and he does actually like Ben. “I’m not letting you turn into an old drunk again.”

After several seconds of silence, a healer quietly suggests that everyone clear the room, and asks if someone could fetch Master Yoda as the youngling requested.

(THIS IS ALMOST THREE THOUSAND WORDS. I started it less than two hours ago. Why am I like this.)

[offtorivendell]

Could Aidas, or perhaps one of his brothers, be the House of Wind's cat-like darkness? A crack theory

Please don't screenshot or share this post without credit.

Disclaimer: I've only read CC once, and then only recently, so please forgive any glaring inaccuracies in this crack pet theory of mine, about a hypothetical CC and ACOTAR crossover in ACOSF. I apologise if this theory already exists, I haven't explored the CC tags at all yet. 💜

Spoiler warning: contains plot spoilers for ACOTAR, CC and TOG series, ie. all of SJM's works to date (September 2021).

I know I'm not the only one who picked up on all of the 'the darkness in the library is a cat' references in ACOSF, and I had wondered about them a little, but until I read Crescent City last month, I didn't have many thoughts beyond the darkness potentially being multiple entities, and not just the heart of the House of Wind; maybe Koschei’s shadows were there, too, or some remnant of Bryaxis? However, when I finally got around to reading CC (thanks to @sciencebaetch and @rminnieola for getting on my case), and had a couple of weeks to digest everything, it struck me that there were some potentially significant parallels between the two books.

Given this is a crack theory, there will be a few unanswered questions included, as well as points to take away and mull over. If you have anything to add, please feel free!

Thank you to @rhyssescups for fact-checking this before I posted it.

What do we know about Aidas?

Aidas is the handsome, blonde haired, and opal-blue eyed demon Prince of the Chasm, also known as the fifth level of Hel. He "yields" only to two brothers, the Prince of the Abyss (the sixth level), and the Prince of the Pit (the seventh level of Hel).

When he enters Midgard's universe without being summoned, he uses the form of an equally blue eyed white cat. We have already had a TOG crossover with ACOTAR (the red star), so what if the Hel realm that is linked to Midgard is also connected to Prythian's world? Elain once uttered "I hope they all burn in Hell," about the Mortal Queens, so it appears that Hel/Hell is a common theme between the two universes.

Are the Levels of the library a metaphor for the circles of hell?

The following is certainly not a new idea - I've discussed it with plenty of others in the fandom - but the levels of the library could, hypothetically, be a metaphor for the circles of Hell; the library is even circular in design. There are seven levels that we know of, though - correct me if I'm wrong - we don't learn the exact number of floors in the library before you reach the pit in which Bryaxis lived. For all we know, the "pit" could have been the ninth level. Considering that, and the attributes of the library's levels, when thinking about the levels of Hel we learnt about in CC, opens up some new theorising opportunities.

How is Aidas - or one of his brothers - hypothetically linked to the library?

Nesta told us that the shadows started to get darker from the fifth level of the library, and that, occasionally, the darkness appears to come alive. Some of this is the Heart of the House, of course, but what if some of the darkness is Other? I can't shake the feeling that the darkness we learnt of in the House of Wind isn't as simple as a Made house.

Nesta also said, a few times, that the darkness was like a curious cat; this was frequently associated with either the fifth floor - or circle - of the library, or the number five, such as when Gwyn instructed Nesta to take five breaths, before Nesta considered letting her thoughts drift "deeper."

Aidas, as we all know, has a cat form, and has previously shown kindness to a young Bryce Quinlan when she was in distress after her visit to the Oracle. Could he also be monitoring the library under the House of Wind? Nesta and Bryce also both had/have an eight pointed star tattooed on their bodies. And, just like Aidas with Bryce, the darkness knew Nesta's name.

Note that, below, Aidas mentions "true dark," which sounds akin to the "true darkness" of the lower levels of the library, which Nesta mentioned in ACOSF.

But Bryce's question stands… "What sort of cat visits an Oracle?" Was Aidas even visiting the Oracle that day? The Oracle is right next to Luna's Temple (see map below), and Luna could - hypothetically, of course - be the Midgard version of the Mother Goddess.

Also, what are the plans that Aidas mentioned?

Map from CC ebook, Kindle edition

What if it's the Prince of the Pit who is monitoring the library, not Aidas?

While Aidas seems like the obvious option - and he still may be! - the very bottom of the library under the House of Wind is referred to as "a pit" multiple times. This, understandably, calls to mind Aidas' most senior brother: the Prince of the Pit.

Nesta is also associated with "pit" imagery throughout her story in ACOSF, both figurative and literal.

"The pit of Creation" (inside the Cauldron) sounds like "The heart of the world, of existence. Of self." This tracks, given Nesta was Made in the Cauldron, and she also Made the House of Wind. She also found the Mask, another Made item, in the "bottomless pit" of the water in the Bog of Oorid.

Both the Cauldron and the Bog of Oorid could be considered hellish places, and the Heart of the House? What if it holds a crack - a rift - through which the Prince of the Pit could squeeze in cat form, or as the essence of a cat, to help monitor the library? The darkness was described as "twining" down through the library with Nesta, to the seventh level - and any cat person can attest that cats absolutely like to twine (through legs, plants, priceless antiques)… but why would any Prince of Hel be there, in Prythian?

What if Aidas - or the Prince of the Pit - is monitoring Jesiba's library, the Great Library of Parthos?

The Great Library of Parthos is an almost mythical, and certainly legendary, collection of books from Midgard, that pre-dates Asteri and Vanir occupation of their world. It exists to bear witness to the life and creation of the humans who once lived there, to prove that they do not owe all they are now to their magical overlords. However, after its discovery at Griffin Antiquities, where it appeared to contain a volume called The Book of Breathings,(suspicious, no?) it - unsurprisingly - went missing again. Is it currently veiled in shadows as thick as a layer of fog, at the very bottom of the library?

Is that why Bryaxis was there, as a guard dog? He was frightening enough to scare a battle-hardened Cassian, and we still have no known reason for his residence in the base of the library... could he have been sent through a rift, from the Chasm or the Pit? Forgive the Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone reference, but is Bryaxis the Prythian 'Fluffy?

This above text is what suggests, in my opinion, that the Prince of the Pit is the more likely candidate, even without the "pit" imagery in ACOSF. Aidas, at least at this point in time (the CC epilogue), is unaware of the location of the Great Library of Parthos - though I'd love to ask him a question or two about The Book of Breathings. Unless ACOSF occurs after CC1 - or the timelines are more... wibbly wobbly - then Jesiba has potentially had the Prince of the Pit hide the books for her (and all of humanity). Alternatively, could the cracking Cauldron have become some sort of rift, and The Book of Breathings fell into Midgard after Feyre threw it into the Cauldron in ACOWAR? Furthermore, the beckoning dark of the pit, "like it was an entry into some dark pit of hell," sounds eerily like the dark that beckoned Aidas home to Hel, at the end of CC's epilogue. But I digress.

Jesiba Roga is a witch who is associated with the Under King, the head of the Bone Quarter of Lunathion, where souls travel to spend eternity after death. She had amassed a collection of priceless antiquities, including the aforementioned Great Library of Parthos, which the Asteri wanted destroyed, as it contained books that predated the Asteri/Vanir occupation of Midgard.

But what if it contained more?

Nesta - and Emerie and Gwyn - could potentially need to use those books to figure out either how to kill Koschei, or where to send him, potentially banishing him from their world, like Aelin did the deities of Erilea, if they are unable to truly kill him.

Take away thoughts and questions

ACOTAR

The Lady Death being associated/friends with a prince of Hel is a story I'd love to read.

The eight pointed star may be superficially associated with Dusk, but I think it could be something more, that hints at the origins of the Asteri, and potentially the deity figures in Prythian.

Is Koschei an Asteri, the Prince of the Pit, or something similar, and are they related in any way to the Valg from Throne of Glass?

What, exactly, is the darkness in the library? Is it just the one entity, or a combination of many?

Is Bryaxis a monster from the Seventh Level of Hel? Or is he the Prince of the Chasm, or the Pit, himself?

Why was The Book of Breathings in Midgard?!

Crescent City

If this is a case of a crossover between ACOTAR and CC's worlds, is it Aidas or the Seventh Hel prince who is monitoring the Library? Or both?

Why does a cat visit an Oracle? Will we ever find out?

Where is the Great Library of Parthos now?

What are the plans that Aidas mentioned? Are he and his brothers, the princes of the Abyss and the Pit, planning to get involved in overthrowing the Asteri? (I hope so).

How does Jesiba know Aidas, and does she know his more senior brothers? If the books are hidden in the library under the House of Wind, did she ask them the favour herself, or did the Under King put in the request?

Who in the Hel was Hunt's father? One of Aidas' brothers? An Asteri? (Unrelated, but it's been annoying me ever since Jesiba and Aidas spoke about it).

Throne of Glass

How does this link with the library guarding Baast cats from the Torre Cesme in TOD? Cats that can - if some healers are to be believed - walk through pools of shadow and reappear around the library! Cats with "beryl" eyes (an aquamarine that sounds a lot like Aidas' opal blue, or the Prythian priestesses' invoking stones). That's another post, if I get the time.

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[dathomirdumpsterfire]

Quinlan grabbed the back of the couch with one hand, and a cushion off of it with the other, kicking up into a handstand on the back of the furniture.

This provided an excellent view with which to pelt the zabrak that was coming for his balls directly in the face with a decorative pillow. The resulting howl of rage was exactly like a pissed off tooka.

"Yo!" Quinlan laughed wildly, "You also sound like a really big tooka!"

Maul's response was neither words, nor noises that something domesticated would ever make. The cushion was the first casualty, torn in half and thrown to either side.

Quinlan flipped off the back of the couch and made a run for the massive open-air kitchen across the room. Footsteps pounded on the marble floor behind him, accompanied by the jangling of Maul's gold adornments.

He shouldn't-

He Really shouldn't-

"Maaan, you even jingle! It's not a bell, but all that jewelry you got makes-"

The zabrak interrupts that train of thought with an honest to gods roar, like a big cat five times his size. Quinlan zips around the island countertop, putting it between them. Also, conveniently, hiding the evidence of how fuckin hot this was getting him.

"I'm going to make you bleed, Vos!" the techy zabrak hisses at him.

Hisses at him. This does not help his case.

"Do you promise?" he asks with a smirk as they lap the kitchen.

Maul, predictably, leaps the countertop claws first. Quinlan has to use a force power to shadow step out of the impact zone. The other man is very fast.

This is when Obi-Wan appears in the kitchen door in a black bath robe, scowling. Quinlan slips through the gaps between him and the door frame, shamelessly hiding behind him.

"Hello, good morning my most wonderful and spectacular bestie, glorious savior of the galaxy, yadda yadda. Won't you save me from the ferocious-"

Obi-Wan reaches back and grabs him by the dreadlocks, right as Maul lands in front of him. The zabrak gets snatched by the horns.

Simultaneously, the both of them make noises that aren't exactly complaints.

"I don't know which of you destroyed the pillow," Obi-Wan drawls, "but you're both going to go out, together, and find me a new one. Exactly the same. Without causing a ruckus, or there will be hell to pay. Do I make myself clear?"

"I hate shopping-" Maul spits.

"Ugh, shopping? Nooo-" Quinlan whines.

"Perfect," Obi-Wan says with his 'do it or suffer my wrath' smile.

He lets them go and turns to head back to the bedroom. "Bring me breakfast as well, and maybe I won't toss you both into the nearest sun."

The two left behind look at each other.

"This is your fault," Maul tells him.

"Pretty sure you destroyed the pillow, pretty kitty," Quinlan replies with a smirk.

"I will gut you."

"But we could have so much more fun if-"

"New pillow. Breakfast. Now," Obi-Wan calls from down the hallway.

Rules for dealing with Maul (especially in the morning):

He does not want to talk about his nightmares.

Slow blinking at him because you read on the holonet that that's how you make friends with tookas (and Zabraks apparently) will confuse him, and explaining your reasoning will not make it better

For the Sithywan polycule AU