#it's not like this could be a great parallel to Anakin and how his first impulse was also to help others in TPM or anything

[bikananjarrus]

okay!!!!!!!! so!!!! the acolyte ep5 thoughts!!

below a cut this time, because MAJOR spoiler warning!

where to start, where to start. oh yeah. HOW COULD THEY DO THAT TO MY GIRL JECKI????? TO YORD???? like jecki was bad enough, but then YORD TOO???? ALL OF THEM???? 😭😭😭😭😭

okay, but actually trying to break down some of my thoughts (all based off just the first watch; my opinions may change as the episode marinates a little longer).

the good stuff:

the hand-to-hand combat remains REALLY strong in this show. mae and jecki's fight was fantastic. it was fast, and it was great seeing the differences between this and mae's fights with sol and indara. sol and indara are much more experienced, so they're moving around mae, she's barely landing a blow. jecki and mae are both younger, less experienced, so seeing a scrappier fight that matched their similar sizes and speeds was really great.

i was really eager to see the lightsaber v lightsaber choreography and overall it did NOT disappoint!!!! i will have to rewatch, but i feel pretty good saying this is definitely some of the fastest, and, imo, some of the BEST lightsaber fighting we've seen in a long, long time in live action. the initial fight with sol vs qimir cut with jecki and mae's brawl wasn't the best choice, made both fights feel a little stunted. but once we focused on just the lightsaber fighting, it flowed amazingly.

jecki fighting with two sabers was SO fucking incredible. using her size to her advantage was really well done, because she was fucking FAST. it was exhilarating watching her fight, and i was definitely on the edge of my seat when she was fighting qimir solo. so excellent job on them ramping up the tension for that

qimir's reveal: not surprising. I was still pretty 50/50 on whether he would be a red herring or not, but i'm not disappointed that he turned out to be the master! manny was really great in this episode! a little creepy, but very much in control of what he's doing. eager to see where we go with him!

mae's line about the jedi turning osha against her, almost word for word what anakin says in rots. i love a parallel <3

sol's line that was like "what kind of master doesn't look his apprentice in the face?" and qimir's response was "you tell me" VERY GOOD. very curious to see what sol's been hiding. especially bc qimir also said "don't you recognize me" and sol said qimir felt familiar.

the not so good:

as mentioned above, i thought cutting together sol and qimir's initial fight with mae and jecki's brawl was a little choppy. you couldn't quite get into either fight at first. but luckily the fight pacing all smoothed out pretty quick with the rest of the fighting.

mae and osha's face to face scene at the end wasn't the most believable for me. amandla is a fantastic actor, but i can imagine it's still hard playing across from yourself. and it just felt like there was a little something missing from that encounter for me, as far as the emotion of it.

the BIG stuff (aka everybody died!):

i was definitely expecting there to be some casualties this episode, namely from the side jedi characters, who i don't think were named. they were pretty clearly there to be cannon fodder, which they were.

i went into this episode worried for sol, because it's never a good sign when a master says something along the lines of "we'll talk later" because later never comes lol. but turns out! he was the safest dude here!

i was not real worried about osha and mae, because the story is revolving around them, and there's still too much unresolved with their past and relationship with each other, that i figured they would both be fine.

JECKI AND YORD HOWEVER.

look. jecki was bad enough. and then to kill yord too?????

on one hand: i respect it. it sets qimir up as a very formidable antagonist. the stakes have been RAISED. and in a show that's about mystery and intrigue, high stakes aren't a bad thing.

my concern with setting qimir up as this formidable is that there are 3 episodes left. if this is only supposed to be a one season show (tho i hope not), or if they are planning on having it be a complete arc, and defeating qimir, 3 episodes doesn't seem like very much time to get on his level to defeat him. i could very much be proven wrong with this! and we've still got vernestra in our back pocket who is very experienced and has fought some big bads in her time.

but regardless, so so here for him as the antagonist.

on the other hand: i am really really bummed about jecki and yord. like i said, it was bad enough about jecki because i REALLY liked her, and her connection with osha was really nice to see (shoutout to dafne and amandla for their great chemistry). like when i say that SHOOK ME TO MY CORE. (admittedly, the 3 hole punch with the double red lightsabers was pretty sick, but STILL). like jaw dropped and stayed there lol.

and so i thought: well. maybe that means yord will be okay. like, alongside osha and sol, jecki and yord were the other two of the core four. killing one of the core four is pretty big. WELL THEY HAPPILY PROVED ME WRONG.

again: i respect the decision to kill a bunch of characters to raise the stakes and show off your antagonist.

i'm just curious to see if the rest of the characters will be able to hold up without jecki and yord. i think they will! sol and osha's and mae and osha's relationship have been the heart of the show from the start, so i trust that the story will continue to show that. i'm just a little unsure how it will feel going forward without the prominent second tier main characters that we had in jecki and yord. if that makes sense?

(also really bummed that there will be no more jecki lightsaber fights because genuinely, her fighting style was breathtaking to watch! and i wanted ten more hours of it!!)

so i'm really really fucking sad about jecki and yord. but i am going to wait to see the whole show to really decide how i feel about how their deaths fit the story, and if their deaths actually added anything. bc their own story arcs being cut off so abruptly should mean something.

okay, i think i touched on everything i wanted to! i think i'm mostly still in shock! we will likely be moving onto denial very soon lol. but i'm still excited to see the rest of the show, and i really hope we get more than just one season.

[barmadumet]

So, @underacalicosky and @wibzenadarksiderwithasoftheart tagged me in the WIP Tag Game, AND THANK YOU FOR THAT, but I don't have any new WIPs since the last time 🤷🏻‍♀️and you all know about all of those. . . BUT I have been working on option 3 from that poll quite a lot - I have about 75k words, but I am nowhere near ready to post a first chapter. But you know what? I think part of my slump right now is that I haven't shared any of my writing in almost 6 months since I finished Streets. So, though I am nervous to do this - because knowing me, I'll probably end up changing this or scrapping it - here is a small sample of that fic I've been working on:

Ferus awakes to the smell of brewing tea, and he’s not even sure how Obi-Wan has achieved such a feat when he doesn’t even have a kitchen, but the aroma is unmistakable. He glances at the parallel palette a few feet away – Anakin is still sound asleep, and the first sun is not yet peeking into the interior of the cave.

When Ferus stirs, he sees Obi-Wan perched on the plateau in the entryway of the cavern. He sits beside him and the Jedi Master slides him a cup.

“I had another ready,” Obi-Wan comments evenly, but cheerfully. “I thought you might be up soon. . . Your Master used to talk of how you’d wake with the suns.”

Ferus’ lips curl at the mention of his former, deceased Master, Siri Tachi. “She was like Anakin, and could sleep all day if you’d let her.”

Obi-Wan smiles softly. “And he needs extra rest these days, it seems.”

“He does. He gets worn out so quickly. . . It’s strange to think it’s Anakin – always so competitive, pushing himself to the limit. Needing to be the best. To win.”

“That need for victory,” Obi-Wan somberly tsks. “I do believe that’s where I lost him.” He sighs. “His fear of losing. . . It impacted him in more ways than one, but now that he’s lost so much, I don’t think it frightens him anymore.”

“Well, he hasn’t lost you – and it’s clear you’re what matters most to him.”

“You mean a great deal to him as well,” Obi-Wan reminds intently.

Ferus marginally shifts the subject, “Obi-Wan? You don’t have to answer this, but. . . I saw the two of you last night, the way you. . . I know I only implied it before, but did the two of you have a relationship?”

“Not a romantic one, if that’s what you’re getting at.”

“That is what I’m getting at – the way you held him, and the way he was curled up against you – I can’t say it’s a position I’ve ever been in with my Master, but I’ve surely slept beside my husband in the same manner.”

“I never touched him,” Obi-Wan defends sharply. “Especially not when he was seventeen. But when he got older, when the war started. . . Well, we became less like Master and apprentice and more like. . . something else entirely. But nothing ever came of it. There was tension there, and to be honest, I think it caused problems between us. This chirpy Anakin is one I’ve not seen in a long time, and I’ve missed him terribly. I honestly don’t know what possessed us to curl up together last night, because it’s not something he’d remember us doing; it’s not something we did until he was older. We’d seek comfort during the war, but it was never really romantic so much as just comfortable – natural. . . and I suppose that’s why we ended up that way: it just felt natural. I’m sorry. I’m rambling, and I know that’s not much of an explanation, but when it comes to Anakin. . . in light of this situation. . . I’ve just never before been so confused and so sure of myself all at once.”

Ferus laughs ironically. “That’s exactly what I was trying to explain to you about taking him under my wing. It felt both wrong and right. I’m still conflicted at times. . . and I. . . I can’t stay, Obi-Wan.”

Obi-Wan’s head turns sharp. “You can’t go,” he protests.

“I can’t stay,” Ferus reiterates. “I need to get back to the base – check on things there. Try to get back home and make sure Roan’s family is safe.”

“But you don’t intend to return.”

“I. . .”

“Anakin will be crushed. Please don’t do this. Not right now. Let him get settled.”

“He doesn’t need me, Obi-Wan; he has you.”

“Do you not hear how he refers to the two of you as one unit? Do you not see the way he lights up when you enter the room? Do you not see how he hangs on your every word? ‘Well, Ferus says. . . Ferus thinks. . . Ferus wants. . .’ ”

“That’s just because we’ve spent so much time together. I’m all he’s had for the last few weeks. He’ll be fine. I know you’ll take care of him.”

“You aren’t so sure. I can sense it – your worry for him, but you’re running away because it scares you –because of what he used to be, and I’m. . . I’m scared, too, and maybe I need you just as much as he does right now. You’re the only one that— Don’t go. I want you to stay.”

Obi-Wan and Ferus go quiet when they sense Anakin awake and approaching.

“Good morning, dear one,” Obi-Wan beams when a sleepy looking Anakin appears. His eyes are tired. His face is blank. His arms are folded, buried in his Master’s robe, head covered to hide his scarred face.

Anakin’s gaze is on the horizon, where the second sun is just starting to rise, the shadows of the cave now absorbing soft morning light. Both men have turned to watch him. Now, he watches them back and smirks. He wedges himself between the pair, then puts his head on Obi-Wan’s shoulder.

Ferus is just about to stand when an arm comes around his waist and pulls him closer. A cybernetic hand snakes up his back and rubs it gently. Ferus slowly turns to look at Anakin just as he lifts his head from Obi-Wan’s shoulder, and Ferus finds he can’t look away from the intense and engaging stare.

Anakin lets his forehead tenderly bump against Ferus.’ When he feels Obi-Wan’s arm stretch around him, he boldly decides to now use Ferus as his personal pillow instead, supremely content with having contact from each side.

Obi-Wan’s knuckles brush back and forth against Ferus’ ribs, an indirect way to communicate, a way to say he understands. He knows Ferus is wrestling with the very same qualm he himself had struggled with for many years: craving Anakin’s touch, while simultaneously fighting a guilt-ridden urge to push it away. He sees Ferus’ dark eyes peer at him from over the hood of the robe Anakin is still snuggled in – tethering between satisfaction and indecision.

Ferus is rigid, neck straight and chin high. But at Obi-Wan’s faint, but soothing smile, and with Anakin burrowing further into his side, he can’t help but rest his cheek to the top of Anakin’s head, shamefully giving in to the warmth and solace they both provide.   

The three remain huddled together as they watch the sky change colors in a comfortable silence.

*

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Thoughts?? Any interests? I feel like this will be a fic about 4 people will read lol, but I've been wanting to write it for almost 2 years now. I feel rusty! Idk if I can pull it off, but I'm going to try.

Thanks again for the tags, friends! It looks like all of your WIPs have been inquired about (or I already have knowledge of them! 🤩) These all look DELISH!!!

[djarindykes]

after 7 years later here it is! enjoy!

im gonna start with anakin and din parallels. the most obvious being the N-1 star-fighter, as it’s presence in the mandalorian is clearly a callback to the sequels, as well as the phrase of “wizard.” now let’s get onto more touchy feely stuff. I see anakin as everything din could have been, while anakin is what din could never have become. din’s religion absolutely promotes attachment and the concept of holding allies close. the all consuming love that din possess will never be his downfall, example being— din, while he was upset about it, gave up his son in order to give him a better life.he is able to control his passion while staying true to his heart, because the choice of freely loving someone was never taken away from him. his role as a father figure is an opposite mirror to anakin’s role.

if anakin was given the tools din was given to freely attach himself to the ones that he loves, then he would have never fallen to the dark side. let’s imagine anakin is a mandalorian or whatever. sure he’s still gonna be pretty fucking weird bc… Thats anakin. but if the nature of his love was promoted and handled in a healthy manner, he would have been better off for sure. star wars shows that din and anakin are two sides of the same coin, not only showcasing the way fatherhood has transformed them but in general similarities from personalities and whatnot.

now for armorer and luke parallels.. im gonna lose a few of you because this is mostly my views on both the armorer and luke but what ever!!! so, we know virtually nothing about the armorer, but what we do know is that she’s a solid, somewhat detached teacher, almost a life coach. she is able to juggle the responsibilities of being a wise mentor all the while showing her care for her students…. from what we’ve seen about luke’s school…..ya the boot fits. now, this either makes them both GREAT or TERRIBLE teachers depending how u look at it, but the armorers religion will always come first, as well as lukes!!

luke ADORED grogu, and while he wanted to give him a choice in returning to din, it was through the rule of attachment that he gave him that choice. the armorer clearly cares for din almost like he is her own, but she was not about to let him slide for removing his helmet, despite their own close bond.

they are both tasked with caring for the sparse numbers of their people, appearing detached in order to make things right, doing what they see best.

Basically din’s mommy issues should be explored more and luke loves dads.

[exonerin]

14 and 29! For I am nosy. >]

Thank you so much!! Any nosiness is greatly appreciated here.

14: If you could see one of your fics adapted into a visual medium, such as comic or film, which fan fic would you pick?

Now, call me vain, but I considered this question before (before it was featured in the list and subsequently asked). Because there're some snippets, which I would love to see rather than read.

For Obikin, I work on a time-travel wip in which Darth Vader ends up back on Tatooine during the Phantom Menace after fighting Obi-Wan in the finale of the Obi-Wan Kenobi series.

And Padawan Obi-Wan practices some Jedi compassion on him while Qui-Gon is frolicking in Mos Espa with the Queen. Either way, in this fic, Darth Vader meets young Anakin Skywalker, who looks at his damaged limbs (courtesy of Obi-Wan Kenobi series Obi-Wan), and tells Darth Vader that "I can fix you."

And there's something about that scene with Darth Vader looking down at young Ani that would be pretty breathtaking to see (for me personally).

For a complete work, I'll say Unconditional Surrender (because I love the parallel about how Ren's and Hux's relationship progresses and how it's punctuated by how they end up pointing weapons at each other's throat over the course of the fic). It reads like a dance (spaced over 60k, so I'm not surprised no one caught it.

First, Ren raises his lightsaber to Hux's throat.

~20k later, Hux goes for Ren's throat with his dagger.

And another ~10k later, Ren lifts a hand to the hollow of Hux's throat.

It's a minor thing, but I love it, and I think seeing these scenes in close succession would be amazing.

29: Share a bit from a fic you’ll never post OR from a scene that was cut from an already posted fic. (If you don’t have either, just share a random fic idea you have that you don’t plan on getting to.)

I shared the great fic of death before. And a significant chunk of it too, so that one is no longer a correct response to the question.

I tried to bestow upon you the honor of the first Obikin fanfic I started writing (a 20k behemoth) but I took a look at it and had to close the file. Some things are better off not shared ever.

So, I present an alternative version of what could have been my Obikin Big Bang (but ended in the trash, the entire idea scrapped when I remembered children frighten me. I would call it phobia, but I don't think it's an ungrounded fear). Excuse the grammar, I only did some light cleaning here and I'm not a native speaker.

==================================

Apologetically, he shrugged, the movement jostling Luke on his hip.

"I believe she has an appointment with Senator Chuchi," he told the handmaiden. He wasn't entirely sure. There were many things he wasn't sure about these days. Sometimes he believed he had never known anything, at all.

Sometimes, it felt like he was back in the middle of an active war zone, transported to the heights of the Clone Wars when he wouldn't know either.

When he had slept a full night for the last time, for example. Or when his last shower had been. And wasn't that a horrible question to ask oneself? He didn't know where Leia's stuffed tooka had gone, and she was unlikely to appear from the closet she had locked herself into until he found the stuffed animal for her.

Maybe it was in a towering pile of laundry blocking the hallway.

"Can you call her?" the handmaiden asked him.

Maneuvring around heaps of laundry he had started sorting in the hallway because the kitchen table was covered in the kids' handicrafts, he moved to the living room. He hadn't had an opportunity to upgrade his commlink, so it was still the scratched and scuffed one he had worn as a Jedi general.

Padmé's number was still encrypted on the device. The handmaiden followed him gingerly, grimacing at the mess. And Anakin swallowed around the lump in his throat that had taken up permanent residence there. Instead, he focused on the commlink in his hand, calling Padmé without any guarantee she would pick up the phone.

Padmé picked up on the seventh ring, barely intercepting the call before it would move to voicemail.

"Chancellor Amidala," Padmé greeted, sounding harried.

Anakin fumbled for words, sleep deprivation and the stupid lump in his throat making speech impossible.

"Uh… one of your handmaidens is here," he explained.

The handmaiden gestured to pass the comm over. Though loath to hand his comm over to a stranger, he complied. As soon as she pressed the comm close to her face, the handmaiden started rattling, falling back into a Nabooian dialect after a glance at Anakin. From the other end, Anakin could hear the muted sound of Padmé's voice.

He wasn't welcome here.

Feeling like an intruder in his own living room, Anakin returned to the hallway, relieved that Luke continued to sleep on his hip. He would need many washes to catch up with the laundry stacked high. If he didn't catch up, the damp towels would begin rotting, and all his laundry would smell musty no matter how often he washed it.

It was difficult to muster the energy to get started on this Sisyphean task. Laundry collected faster than he could sort through it and required more washing cycles than fit in a day.

Anakin Skywalker didn't resent his station in life.

His gaze drifted to the large balcony and landing platform visible through the opened door to the living room. Dully, he noted that either Luke or Leia had stuffed the fountain, which spewed pathetic streams of water intermittently. Later, he would have to fix it if his right hand decided to cooperate. Beyond the handmaiden and the potted plants, which had wilted since Anakin couldn't figure out how much water they needed, he could see the spires of the Jedi Temple.

The lump pressed harder on his sternum.

In his hold, Luke stirred.

Anakin Skywalker didn't regret his choices.

He just didn't know… anything anymore.

Once he had calmed down, all those years ago, he had felt too much shame to contact the Jedi again. No one had contacted him either. He inhaled shakily, his throat spasming around a pathetic sigh. He would never find closure, waking up in the dead of night from nightmares. However, these nightmares were no longer prophecies since his Force signature was as torn as ever.

"Thank you, Mister Amidala," the handmaiden said on her way out. "The Jedi will arrive in a few hours."

"What Jedi?" Anakin demanded, following her through the hallway back to the door. Suddenly, his heart pounded in his chest.

"Additional security detail," the handmaiden explained. "We cannot share this confidential information with a civilian."

Then, the door slammed shut behind her, rousing Luke.

"I'm not Mister Amidala," Anakin told the closed door. On his hip, Luke began crying, with loud sobs and wails. Only children could express their emotions so clearly, but Anakin contemplated joining Luke for a split second. Then, he straightened his back and bounced Luke on his hip.

"Hey, little guy, what's wrong?" he asked. The words were sandpaper in his throat. Luke needed his attention, whatever comfort Anakin could offer, or his son would lash out with the Force, and Anakin wouldn't realize until the lights shattered.

Thickly, he swallowed, past the point of trying to make sense of Luke's warbling. Anakin had led sieges on Outer Rim planets, had faced battalions of battle droids, led his men into bloody battles, and fought Sith Lords.

One apartment and two kids had him on his knees. Literally. Slowly, Anakin collapsed on his knees, careful to keep Luke balanced on his hip. If he cried, the twins would grow more upset, so he couldn't show his tears.

"Daddy?" Luke asked.

A shaky exhale fell from Anakin's lips.

"I'm here, Luke."

He wasn't. Not really. Physically, he was present, but his mind was lightyears away.

"I don't feel well," Luke whined.

Alarmed, Anakin jerked his head in Luke's direction, finally noticing the sugar smeared around Luke's mouth, his fingers and hair sticky and colorful from the artificial food coloring.

Hurriedly, Anakin scrambled to his feet, putting Luke down on the floor to check the kitchen. He stopped on the threshold, surveying the mess. A glass pot had toppled from a high shelf, its shards scattered over the floor. The gummy worms inside the pot -- a gift from a Senator who didn't have two hyperactive kids -- had all disappeared.

Luke waddled past him, trying to enter the hazard zone the kitchen had turned into.

"No," Anakin warned him, reaching out with a hand to stop Luke from entering the kitchen. "The glass is very sharp. If you cut yourself, it will hurt."

Luke lurched back, his big blue eyes watery, taking the cautioning very seriously. Even without his connection to the Force, Anakin could feel static build in the air. He could only brace himself for more destruction. Instead of a tantrum, however, Luke hiccuped suspiciously.

"I don't feel well," Luke repeated in a pathetic sniffle, and Anakin knew. Oh, he knew, but he could react in time. Luke threw up on the kitchen floor, covering the floor, the cupboards, and both their clothes.

Anakin stared at Luke, who stared back with wide eyes, unable to comprehend the weariness sweeping over Anakin.

"Okay," he sighed. "Okay," he repeated, needing to hear his own voice to ground himself.

"Okay," he said a third time, trying to channel resolve but only finding exhaustion.

"Oops," Luke responded.

Anakin just wanted to collapse on the floor and ignore his life. Unfortunately, Luke was covered in puke, so he couldn't tune out and pretend he was elsewhere if only for a handful of seconds.

Unbidden, his gaze returned to the spires of the Jedi Temple, barely visible from the kitchen.

"We will talk about this," he told Luke before sweeping his son into his arms to carry him to the bathroom.

Finally, Leia peeked from his closet. "What happened?" she asked.

"Your bother ate all the gummy worms and made himself sick," Anakin responded.

"That's unfair," Leia complained. "I wanted to eat them, too."

"I know, Leia," Anakin sighed, "I know."

Leia's bottom lip wobbled, and Anakin just didn't know. He had no quick fix for this situation.

"Later, okay?" he asked.

Leia frowned at him. "It's always later," she asserted. Anakin's heart shattered. He tried so hard, but he was failing both the twins and himself. "I want gummy worms," Leia grumbled before locking herself in the closet again.

"I do, too," Luke chimed in from his arms.

"Oh, no," Anakin assured him. "You've already eaten enough, Luke."

Luke disagreed, but Anakin wrangled him into the bath. As Luke came down from his sugar high and discovered his tummy ached, Anakin managed to get him in bed. Meanwhile, Leia had left her hiding spot, trailing after him as he gathered Luke's dirty clothes in his arms, grimacing at his soaked sleeves.

It was at this stage that the doorbell rang.

For a split second, Anakin considered ignoring the door, but Leia had already raced to the door, waiting there like an eager puppy until Anakin would open. So, he redistributed Luke's clothes in his arms and followed her.

When the door swung open, Anakin's gaze rested on cherry-leather boots, so familiar that his heart seized. Terror gripped his throat as he lifted his gaze over tan tunics until he met sky-blue eyes.

Obi-Wan.

Obi-Wan's expression was neutral, giving Anakin nothing to work with.

"I…" Anakin swallowed thickly. "Why are you here?" he asked. Realizing how rude he sounded, he cleared his throat awkwardly. "Uh, welcome?"

He shuffled aside, almost tripping over Leia, who regarded Obi-Wan from behind Anakin's legs.

"You should-- I mean… if you want to, you can come inside. I mean."

Anakin glanced over his shoulder at the dirty laundry piled high in the hallway.

"Thank you, Anakin," Obi-Wan responded warmly, and Anakin's shoulder relaxed fractionally.

"It's not usually so messy," he mumbled when Obi-Wan brushed past him. Anakin couldn't help inhaling deeply, relishing the scent of the Temple issues laundry detergent, leather, and Obi-Wan.

"Who are you?" Leia demanded, still clinging to Anakin's left leg.

Obi-Wan crouched, offering her a hand, which Leia watched suspiciously. "Hello there," he greeted her. "I'm Obi-Wan Kenobi, and your father and I… we know each other."

We know each other.

Anakin's heart clenched in his chest. Suddenly, his deep embarrassment about the state his apartment was in didn't matter anymore. All that was left was misery.

"Do you know him, daddy?" Leia asked him for confirmation.

Anakin closed his eyes briefly. Five years had granted him a new perspective and a deep remorse. He preferred to avoid remembering, staying away from both his best and worst memories. Shame clung to him, and Anakin suspected he would never be free from the guilt that overwhelmed him on bad days.

On good days, he would spend rare free minutes staring through the window, following the shuttles descending to the Jedi temple with greedy eyes.

He dropped his gaze, accidentally meeting Obi-Wan, and unable to tear his gaze away.

"Obi-Wan is my best friend," Anakin answered. He gently pushed between Leia's shoulder blades, guiding her closer to Obi-Wan who shucked the sleeve of his cloak back to offer Leia his hand. Leia nodded primly before accepting Obi-Wan's hand, shaking it with vigor. Obi-Wan's expression quirked funnily before he dropped his gaze to Leia, treating her to his attention.

Anakin remembered meeting Obi-Wan for the first time, deeply impressed by the Padawan braid and lightsaber clipped to Obi-Wan's belt. He could no longer hear the soft hum of Obi-Wan's kyber crystal, forever deaf to the crystal's song. He was so homesick, but he didn't deserve to go back. Furthermore, there was nothing to return to.

Yet, he didn't feel so forlorn when Obi-Wan smiled at his daughter, visibly amused by Leia. Suddenly, it was vital that Obi-Wan liked his children.

"Introduce yourself, Leia," Anakin urged, praying she would behave.

"I'm Leia," Leia told Obi-Wan. "Nice to meet you."

"Hello Leia," Obi-Wan greeted her with a smile. "I'm Obi-Wan."

[roguegona]

Thoughts/ramblings after the first 2 episodes of Ahsoka:

This was Rebels come to life. Everything about it, from seeing Lothal in live-action, to Ryder Azadi and Jai Kell and Sabine and Hera and Chopper, felt like a love-letter to us die-hard Rebels fans who've been waiting so long for this.

Chopper is still as murderous as ever and his back and forth with Hera as she tries not to get them killed was so fun to watch. I look forward to him trying to up his body count and Hera foiling him as often as she can.

I love the dichotomy of Baylen/Shin to Ahsoka/Sabine. The parallels between the two pairs are obvious and I can't wait for them to meet again.

Welcome to the disaster lineage, Sabine. Anakin is looking on fondly as you provide all the karma for Ahsoka and how difficult she was as a Padawan.

The Fallen Order/Zeffo parallels were too numerous and too obvious to ignore. Not to mention giving me traumatic flashbacks to all the times I got stuck in the Tomb of Eilram. shudders. I'll be interested to see if this is the route they go.

Ezra accidentally yeeting him and Thrawn to another galaxy entirely is so on-brand for Ezra.

Ahsoka and her complete inability to unpack all her trauma and how it's affected her relationships was refreshing to see. Yes, she's a great warrior and leader but girl has some SHIT to work through before she can be a good Master. But maybe that's exactly what Sabine and her own traumatized-ass need. They can heal together. And I am here for it.

I could ramble all day about every single scene. But I won't. Love this show and can't wait to see where it takes us.

[d3sertdream3r]

Sabine is my favorite star wars character of all tine and I wanted to like her so bad in Ahsoka…. But I didn’t :’( Did you like her? Can you make me feel better about not liking her pretty please?? 

I don’t really know how to make you feel better about something you’re disappointed in, but I can share some of my thoughts! 

You’re definitely not alone. I’ve seen lots of criticism towards how Sabine was handled. I think my main problem with it is live action Star Wars these days doesn’t seem to know what to do with female characters that aren’t wielding a lightsaber (Andor is a notable exception to this imo). They even gave one to Leia in TROS to make her seem more important than she already was. 

I really loved that Sabine and Hera were such amazing women with many talents that saved the Rebellion’s butt a million times without using the Force. Hera is barely in Ahsoka, and Sabine didn’t get to create any explosives, use her spray paint, or I don’t know… go into any depth about the fact that her entire civilization and family were slaughtered. I liked that she was able to decipher the map ball thing with her knowledge of art in the first 2 episodes, but it felt like a lot of her Rebels character was lost to focusing on making her a Jedi.

The lack of discussion about the Mandalorian Purge particularly bothered me. I kept waiting for that to be expanded on and it never was. They just continued to push that she needed to train with a lightsaber without addressing her entire backstory. I feel like Ahsoka's apprentice should've been a new character and Sabine should've stayed just a Mandalorian. She was interesting and amazing enough like that, she doesn't need to be a Jedi to be important! I don't hate that she's a Jedi now, but I'm not really a fan of it.

There’s clearly going to be more story happening in the future, but I feel like the introduction of her to the general audience and the explanation of where she’s at during this point of her life for the people that already know her wasn’t handled that well. It also didn’t feel terribly emotional when she finally used the Force for the first time. I was expecting it to be a big moment like when Rey calls the lightsaber to her at the end of The Force Awakens, especially since Sabine has been trying so hard for years. 

Side Note: It would’ve been nice to go into how they even discovered Sabine is force sensitive when she couldn’t access it for so long. How did Ashoka know she could be trained to use it? I feel like the first season would’ve been the best time to explore this. 

Another Side Note: I was really hoping Ahsoka’s fear of Sabine turning to the dark side would be connected to Sabine making the choice to doom the galaxy to Thrawn for Ezra, paralleled with Anakin’s decision to doom the galaxy to Palpatine for Padme. Both of them were willing to sacrifice the entire galaxy for the people they loved, which is very dangerous for force users since they have the actual power to sacrifice the galaxy. I hope they discuss this more in the future. I feel like what Anakin did for Padme is never talked about in Star Wars and its weird because it’s the reason everything is happening in the first place! This was the perfect opportunity to talk about it and they still didn’t for some reason.

I have hope for Sabine's future, but there's certainly some changes that need to be made. Filoni is a good writer and great world-builder, but he needs some help with the more emotional and spiritual aspects of female characters in particular. During his animation years he had a writer's room to help him out with that... hopefully they have more writers and feminine perspectives for season 2!

[ragnarlothcat]

Okay okay inspired by puss in boots the last wish no spoilers aside from the themes of the movie but I was thinking of an au where Anakin is death aka the grim reaper especially 5 times Obi Wan has a brush with death + 1 where death saves him

And I don't mean these as Anakin hunting Obi or puts Obi Wan in life threatening situations but is an observer of Obi Wan life and the moments where he is close to death

And Obi Wan takes comfort of Anakin being with him, where he thinks oh these is it. Even if he thinks Anakin is possibly a hallucination/illusion of his mind his still grateful of his company that his not alone

And the one time Anakin saves Obi Wan from Palpatine who thinks is above death but Anakin has come to collect his debt

Also Obikin hades and persephone vibes jznksksks Anyway thank you for reading I hope your having a great day!!!!!

Okay I will admit my very first reaction to this was "they've made another Puss in Boots movie????" But you're right, it came out like a month ago and has been nominated for awards. I have no explanation for how I was unaware of this other than a parallel universe theory.

But I like this idea! You know I love a good 5 + 1 fic (you might not know that, it is possible you don't keep an encyclopedia of my preferences) and this is a really neat one. I like making Anakin something otherworldly and poor Obi-Wan does have a rough go of it in canon. Anakin gets electrocuted the most but the universe is out to get Obi-Wan specifically. We could easily pull 5 times he nearly dies straight from the source material and just filter out the ones Anakin is directly responsible for (fewer crash landings).

Also I'm a big fan of Anakin "I can totally save my wife from dying, I just have to betray the entire galaxy and everyone who cares about me" Skywalker being the grim reaper. It's a nice change of pace! Maybe it's penance for having tried to cheat death in the past or something, idk. But I like it!!! And yes he does kill Palpatine and then he and Obi-Wan live happily ever after (or, well, Obi-Wan does) and then when Obi-Wan dies he joins Anakin and I guess helps ferry people to the space afterlife too? That feels very Obi-Wan since in canon he helps Anakin become a ghost 🤔

Anyway I have a lot of thoughts about this clearly but I love it! The real question, even more important than all the character work and interesting discussions about mortality: what does grim Anakin wear??? (I'm joking but also I bet he's very handsome in a moody sort of way)

[kanerallels]

I've just GOT to ask - have you seen Tales of the Jedi yet? because I highly recommend all of them

Thanks for the ask, anon!! I binge watched the whole series last night, and you're SO RIGHT they were AMAZING

More thoughts under the cut to avoid spoilers

I really enjoyed the first episode!! The world building was so good, and I loved seeing Ahsoka's family. Her parents were a ten out of ten couple, would recommend

The second one was super interesting, too!! I love seeing younger Qui Gon, and the way Dooku was clearly already slipping towards the Dark at this point was SO INTERESTING. Episode three was so cool because MACE WINDU MY BELOVED he's so great. It was super interesting to see him before he was on the Council, and the scene where he took out that dude was so good because you could SEE the regret and the sorrow on his face. He didn't want this guy to die, but he did what he had to. I love him very much okay

Episode four. Was immaculate. The fact it started during the PHANTOM MENACE??? THE PART WITH THE TREE???? THE FACT THAT DOOKU'S GRIEF FOR QUI GON IS WHAT PUSHED HIM OVER THE EDGE AS WELL AS HIS RAGE AGAINST THE COUNCIL??? And of course, the AMAZING parallels between Dooku and Anakin. So hecking GOOD

Episode five was the best episode. It had everything that makes me love Star Wars in it. Dave Filoni has done it again. I can't believe everyone saw the trailer and was like "WOW OKAY PARALLELS TO SEASON SEVEN" and then Dave did EVEN MORE PARALLELS. Also of course. OF COURSE he had to put Order 66 in there

Episode six was really good too!!! The funeral was one of my favorite parts, it was SUPER good. The way Ahsoka said "she was my friend" and her voice broke was just... Heck. Ten out of ten voice acting by Ashley there. While I love the Ahsoka novel, and I'll always like that version of how she connected with Bail and rejoined the fight better, this one was really good!! And the fight against the Inquisitor was SO GOOD and kinda hilarious because HA SHE'S SO MUCH BETTER THAN THEM

Thanks for the ask Anon! Hope you don't mind the ramble lol I just had Thoughts™

[annwayne]

The Red Logs: Return to the Temple Ch. 13

Chapter 13:

Last Chapter <- -> Next Chapter

Fem!OC X Crosshair

Word Count:  2437

Fic Summary: Blood

There are benefits to owning a clone bar. Underworld lords don’t threaten you to pay for protection. Clones are great company. And the drinks taste great. However, there are also risks to owning a clone bar. Like, for example, becoming the fuck buddy of a special clone task force member so your life gets threatened when a Separatist puts out a bounty for your capture in order to use you as blackmail. Also your sleep schedule gets wrecked. But Anya Tougt is a little more capable than an average bar owner.

Ao3 Link Here

Warnings apply to whole fic:

Canon typical violence, descriptions of panic attacks, alcohol, swearing, 18+ themes (eventual smut), trauma, religious trauma parallels, mild gore

Authors Note:

Enjoy ;)

26 BBY. Master Tali sent me on my first solo assignment. Tatooine, what a dreary planet. Anakin wasn’t exaggerating when he talked about his home. He asked me to check on his mother for him. Of course I agreed. His Master may drive me up a wall, but Anakin is a friend.

I stepped through the door first, lightsaber ignited and emitting a faint blue glow in the darkness of the room. Tech and Crosshair filed in behind me as I stepped further into the pitch black. My skin crawled with each step deeper into a room that felt too still. When the door closed behind us the only light left was my lightsaber.

“My sensors aren’t picking anything up.” Tech’s voice cut through the inky silence. “There is no one else in here, droid or organic.

Bump

There was that prickling sensation on my skin again. “You sure about that?” Crosshair’s doubts earned a scoff from his brother. Their movement behind me sent a shiver down my neck- but what was causing this constriction in my chest? Our steps slowed.

Bump

“Hmm, this is strange. My night vision will not respond. What about yours, Crosshair?” A grunt answered him, but Tech had already changed his focus. “Annie, why have you stopped? We need to find a control panel to light the room.” Words passed through my ears but I did not pick up their meaning. It was stronger now.

Bump

“We are not alone.”

Immediately searing white burned my vision and several blasters fired off. Plastoid armor clanked and then I felt a strong grip yank me to the ground. When I reached out my fingers felt cold metal. We were behind some kind of wall, and Crosshair’s rifle blasts had joined the noise of battle. While keeping my head low, I looked down at my hands. Or better, where my hands should be. Instead I only saw white. A warmth in my left hand told me I still had my lightsaber.

“Tech, check on her.” Blaster fire accompanied the sniper’s words.

Then Tech moved on my other side. We were sitting slouched against something solid. “Annie,” His voice made my head turn. Only white. “Can you see me?” Something fluttered near my helmet.

“I- No, everything is white.” Once again, Tech shuffled beside me and I felt Crosshair duck behind our cover. Then whatever was above our heads shattered and rained down on us. The sharp pieces stung my exposed skin. “Vekek knew we were coming.” I hissed as I pulled out a shard of glass from my forearm. “Tech needs to upload the virus while Crosshair and I go after her.”

“I believe you experienced the worst of the flash, which means you could be blinded at maximum an hour.” Tech fired off his blasters, followed by two thuds as the droids he hit collapsed. Then his shoulder bumped mine again. “How do you expect to chase down Vekek while still blinded, Annie?”

“We can’t wait an hour.” I hissed. Suddenly, alarm shot up my back and spurred me up with it. Without hesitation, I activated my lightsaber and impaled whatever caused the panic. Crackling fizz confirmed a droid was down, due to my hand. “It’ll be like training as a youngling.” My words were more for myself than the others as I began reflecting bolts I could not see.

“What kind of training makes you blind?” Crosshair’s voice came from my side, he must have stood up.

“Lightsaber training.” Before either clone could further object I stepped through the shattered screen and closed my eyes. Everything was white anyways. I had hesitations using the force after leaving the order. But some skills were impossible to drop. They became second nature, and occasionally, I even forgot the force was behind them.

Bolts bounced off my saber as I stepped forward. Plastoid footsteps and shifts in the room’s stale air alerted me to Crosshair and Tech’s movements. Metal clanks and droid vocalizations gave me a clear picture of the obstacles we needed to remove. As a unit we moved, droid after droid fell easily to the clones’ blaster fire and my lightsaber strikes. I sliced my lightsaber forward, cutting horizontally through an enemy in my path. Then I plunged my saber overhead into more metal that fizzed. Blaster fire slowed, eventually ending with Crosshair’s Firepuncher ringing out as the final shot.

Immediately Tech rushed. “Uploading the virus now, looks like the system still has all of the research, but she could have made copies. ..What is..” He grumbled to himself until a spark and pop announced wires were pulled from their sockets. "..Kriffing interference..."

A presence approached my side. Quietly, while Tech went on about Vekek’s security system, Crosshair asked, “Vision back yet?”

Hesitantly, I opened my eyes and blinked rapidly at the change in my sight. Crosshair became a fuzzy outline I could barely squint at. Not to mention all the spots covering my eyes. “Ugh- if you can call this vision..” A throbbing headache slammed against my skull.

He nodded his head before turning to look Tech’s way. “Room’s empty. She slipped out, but not through the door we came through.” Crosshair scanned the room while holding his rifle near his chest.

“That’s impossible, the schematics showed that door was the only entrance to the laboratory.” Now on his knees, Tech studied the underside of the terminal.

A fuzzy arm pointed towards something on the back wall. “Schematics include any of those?”

Tech hissed as a spark of electricity popped at his hands. Then, he turned his gaze to follow Crosshair’s hand. “Vekek has the advantage in tight spaces. Perhaps we should attempt to cut her off at the escape pods?”

“No.” I spoke sharply. We were close. She was close. “That leaves too much up to chance. Finish here, then meet up with Hunter and Wrecker.” If Tech had any objections, he didn’t air them. Then I turned towards the sniper. “Come on Cross, we can’t let her get away.” My legs moved before my words were finished.

Behind me, Crosshair remained unmoving, helmet trained slightly down as if he were in deep thought. Right before I called out to him again, his head snapped up at the sound of me prying off the grate covering the access port. In seconds he was at my side. Another steadying breath and I stepped through the threshold.

Exposed wires and tubes snaked the low ceiling, forcing me to duck down occasionally. Crosshair didn’t have that luxury. Instead, the tall clone was forced to stay hunched over to avoid hitting the mess above us. Rows and rows of hallways stretched on what felt like kilometers.

By now my vision was much less blurry but still full of spots. We kept close together, silent, and listened for the sounds of movement. This was a horrible place to get caught in a fight, especially against an Ardennian.

Clatter drew my gaze to the left, down another thin shaft. That was a mistake. With a thud, our target dropped down from the pipes and swung something heavy into the back of my helmet. Immediately those spots turned into stars. Searing pain rolled my head and I hissed. When I regained sense of location, I whipped around only to meet air. Crosshair backed up to me, watching the tubes above us with this rifle scope.

Taunting laughter echoed down the shafts. Crosshair tilted his helmet down a path, then urged me towards another. Too many horor-holos told me splitting up in an environment like this was a bad move. But I trusted his judgment.

Every time the Ardennian moved through the pipes lining the ceiling I could hear rustling that was softer than the clatter that led me to this growing headache. My lightsaber hummed and a blue glow mixed with the red lights dotting the tight corridors.

Then, clatter. I followed it down an eastern path, but this time I was prepared. As the small scientist jumped down behind me I stepped around her, leaving the metal pipe aimed for my head to clang against the floor.

"Oh, this one is clever." She shot me a toothy grin as I gripped my lightsaber tightly. "But not clever enough."

Red shot from a blaster I hadn't seen. Searing heat forced my lightsaber to the ground. With a clunk the laser sword closed and rolled down the corridor. I glanced back to see the pipe raised and aimed at my shins.

If I dodged in here I'd land on my side.

Any other quick movement might get me tangled in low hanging wires.

Instead I threw out my arm towards the rolling lightsaber and braced myself.

Time was out.

A blast echoed through the halls and ended in a thump. Crosshair stood where my lightsaber- now back in my outstretched hand- had rolled to. Vekek was unconscious from the stun blast and slumped on the ground. I stood, using the thick wires as support against my back.

“Thanks.” Relief slowed my breath as Crosshair stepped into the hallway. Horror-holos be damned, splitting up was the right idea.

“No problem.” He grunted in reply, focused on binding the four arms behind Vekek’s back. “Hit her with a low stun, but it’ll be a few minutes before she wakes up.”

I nodded my head once and tapped the com on my helmet to let Hunter know of our progress. “Alright,” He huffed, breathing heavily. “Meet us in the main corridor, then we’re gone.” I picked up the unconscious Ardennian and nodded towards Cross.

We sprinted through the ship, coming across no droids as we met up with the others. An eerie tightness squeezed my chest as we started running towards the Marauder’s location. Everything was going well. Even in my bar I knew that was a bad sign.

That’s when the ship started to shake. Blasts, likely from another cruiser, caused the floor beneath us to tremble. I stumbled, nearly falling on my face.

“Woah, who’s shooting at us?” Wrecker questioned.

“Didn’t think Kenobi would be here already.” I answered.

“Didn’t think he’d fire while we’re still on board.” Crosshair pointed out.

I hadn’t thought of that.

“No, actually,” Tech fiddled with his datapad as he ran up to be beside me, showing me the information on it’s screen. It meant nothing to me. “That is Admiral Trench, firing on his own command ship.”

“What? Why’s-”

And then a blast.

Loud.

Ringing.

And pain.

Where was the pain? Haze clouded my eyes and a crack ran down my right eye. Barely, I could make out one of the brothers across from me. Something hot was digging into my neck. Yells joined the noise of creaking metal. Something of a conversation, though I couldn’t tell if it was one sided. I tried to turn, to look towards those voices but gray metal met my eyes instead. Moving hurt. And I was so tired. I just needed…

A gasp tore through my body and I felt death’s door knocking against my skull. But a garbled voice forced my feet up. Cackling turned my head. Through the crack in my vision I saw Vekek’s small body atop Tech, his helmet thrown off and blood staining his armor.

Her hands were around his neck.

That garble quieted.

Her hands were killing Tech.

Killing.

Tech.

Another scream joined the clatter and I was closer, somehow. Rage and terror filled my pounding head as I stumbled towards the pair.

My lightsaber activated.

/ activated my lightsaber.

And that buzzing blue light, somehow, slid through the small Ardennian’s chest. All grip in her hands lost. She slumped forward.

I fell on my ass.

Tech coughed, sitting up too quickly for someone who nearly died, and checked on me. “Annie, oh my maker..” His voice was miles away, yet still clear. “You’ve lost a lot of blood.”

That made sense.

I sat up, also too quick, my head spun but I grit my teeth and stumbled anyway. “We gotta go, this ship is falling apart.” Some semblance of awareness returned to me as I looked around us, noticing the straining metal and thuds of ion blasts growing as whatever was left of the shields was failing.

Either my words or the rapid blaring alarm convinced Tech. He slid under my arm and stood fully, helping me like a crutch as we ran towards the nearest escape pod. Droids, functioning and not, were everywhere. But they didn’t pay much attention to us. Their high pitched voices cried out about death and their circuits. We slipped into one of the few remaining pods and launched, being hurtled into space away from the action.

“Do you think they made it?” I hissed at the return of pain pounding against my skull. They had to have made it… All of this was-

“Yes, I believe so.” Tech sighed, pushing his goggles up to rub the skin under. His helmet had been left behind. “Now,” He said after a pause. “I need to stop that bleeding.” Then, he reached for my helmet.

“Woah!” I blocked him, throwing my arms up, but searing pain forced them down with a yelp. Tech's eyes widened but he made no move for me. His gaze pushed me against the back of the tight pod as much as I could. “Don’t. Touch my helmet.” Knifes plunged behind my skull. Another groan escaped me.

Irritation crossed Tech’s face. “We do not know how long it will take the others to find us. As I said before, you have lost a lot of blood and will continue to do so if I do not patch you up.”

My cheeks flexed as I grit down my molars. Now that the adrenaline was dying, I was paying for my injuries. And yet. “You can’t.” My lips trembled as the voice modulator died, leaving only my real, human, voice to speak. Tears threatened at the edges of my eyes, but a tightness in my throat threatened more. “I can’t.”

Slowly, carefully, Tech shuffled over to me. The clone made sure to broadcast all of his movements before making them, it was like I was some wild animal. Maybe I was. Eventually he was sitting right beside me. Our thigh armor clanked against the other. With that same intense care, he twisted so as to face me. I had never seen such a look from him before. Those dark eyes were heavy with concern and knowledge, the kind of look that reminded me of Qui-Gon. My eyebrows furrowed. One of his hands raised to cup the side of my helmet, my cheek if it were bare.

“Anya.”

My name, my real name.

“I know.”

[marveltaughtmetoread]

It's weird, and alarming, how willing fans are to overlook the clones as being slaves

Yeah we recognise the Stormtroopers as bad, maybe even, as slaves but not the clones

And the clones are arguably worse

Their one job, their one purpose in life is to be soldiers, they were created for that purpose, trained from a young age and artificially aged up to better serve that purpose

They are the result of eugenics made possible with Sci-fi tech

They are already a clear problem for morality before you get to the way they are treated as an army

They aren't given names, their individuality is something they themselves make and yeah the Jedi don't stop them doing this but that doesn't make the Jedi's compliance with the clones situation any better

The Jedi are using genetically engineered people who have been created to be compliant with their overlords and are treated as expendable and the Jedi are happy to do this, happy to have soldiers to fight their war for them

Already pretty problematic but it gets worse

In at least one episode of the Clone Wars, we see a deserter, he is living a life on a farm, in secret and in hiding, Rex and co accidentally discover him when they crash land on the planet and Rex is injured forcing them to look for help

The revelation of a clone deserter is seen as a betrayal of his brothers, the show allows the deserter to argue that he left for his brothers, but his desertion is still seen as something punishable in canon, Rex's decision to not mention him in his report is a conscious one to protect him from punishment by the army and it is implied that it would have gone very differently had there been a Jedi present, maybe not Anakin because he would have likely understood but any other Jedi may have punished the Clone for this

Now, you may be thinking why is that so bad, in real life we also treat people a similar way for desertion from the army so what makes the Republic doing it wrong

Well, first of all, it is a pretty horrendous way to treat people who are no doubt suffering from emotional trauma from war and all that entails, especially when many of them may have been conscripted so not even consented to fighting in the first place. It is done to discourage desertion which could endanger the lives of their fellow soldiers but that doesn't make it right

Second of all, the clones aren't normal soldiers. They have never experienced a life away from war before, their only family is their fellow clones and their only purpose is to fight, their desertion is therefore significantly less likely but being punished for trying to leave is worse, it draws a parallel between them and slaves, they do not own their own lives, they are not allowed to walk away and they have to follow orders

The Jedi, in using them and enforcing this system, consented to the use of slaves, they consented and took part in a slave system

And the defence that Jedi treated the clones well falls on deaf ears, do you really think all slave owners were openly cruel and inhumane or do you think many would have treated them well in an attempt to encourage loyalty, the way they are treated is up to the individual, it makes that individual worse or marginally better than their peers, it does not negate the guilt and part all of the Jedi played in this system of oppression, the Jedi are still guilty and still responsible for owning and enforcing slaves and the slave system

And yeah it was the Senate who voted on this but the Jedi could have refused, it was their choice to use them, the Jedi were not powerless figureheads but actual leaders, with a degree of separation from the Senate which would have allowed them to refuse the Clone troopers

Yet they didn't, they actively choose to use clone troopers and actively made the Senate aware of their existence rather than shutting down Kamino, they choose to place a Jedi as an overseer of the operation making themselves firmly part of the system, and the way they justified this, was it was for the greater good

They were fighting a war the clones had no part in but the Jedi had decided to get involved in, they wanted to lead armies against the droids to oppose the Separatists and the clone troopers, innocents, were recruited and forced to fight as expendable soldiers

The clones had more personality and individuality than droid soldiers but they were treated no better, they were just as expendable

[phoenixyfriend]

The Family Tree is... a Disaster

Takes place in the TCW Leverage AU. It does contain a few deviations, namely that the narrative ended up shifting Plo's role in Ahsoka's life, and Ventress's role overall.

This is mostly just dialogue where I outline the fuckery that is the disaster lineage family tree, not actual fic. It stemmed from my incessant need to justify "25yo Obi-Wan somehow got custody of 9yo Anakin without Shmi dying."

Warnings for: canon character death (modernized), canon violence (modernized), and references to Nazis and white supremacists (Palpatine collects WWII weaponry as a parallel to his canon display of Sith artifacts in his office as chancellor, and Ahsoka thinks it's sketchy)

----

"Okay," Cody says, setting down a glass of whiskey as he drops into the seat across the table. "What the hell is your family tree like?"

Obi-Wan raises an eyebrow, and continues cleaning off the definitely-not-stolen crystal komodo dragon he'd won in today's job. "I beg your pardon?"

"You and Skywalker," Cody says, gesturing between Obi-Wan, who is just sitting there minding his own business, and Anakin, who is across the closed-for-tonight bar and doing something inadvisable on the pool table. "You've said he was your brother, and mentioned raising him, which, sure, I'm over twenty years older than my youngest brother, people take over parenting roles all the time. But you have different last names, have mentioned stepfamilies that the other doesn't have, reference things as 'your aunt, not mine,' and I am just getting... very confused. I figured it was personal and I could leave well enough alone, but considering your older brother almost shot us today--"

"Okay, Xanatos is not my brother," Obi-Wan immediately says. "Just. I just have to stop you right there. Xanatos was a student of my father's for a time, but I promise he's not family. Nobody except maybe Komari would consider him even close, and she doesn't count since she's in prison for life and the farthest thing from stable."

Cody gestures. "That, Obi-Wan. That's what I'm talking about. I don't even know who Komari is."

Obi-Wan purses his lips in a failed attempt to not smile. "Do you actually want the explanation? It's long and unnecessarily complicated."

"So's mine," Cody snorts. Obi-Wan waits, patient and pleasant, and is rewarded when Cody sighs. "Please."

"Of course, my dear. To answer your first question, though, Anakin is my half-brother." With a smile, Obi-Wan digs a piece of paper and a pen from his briefcase. "So, center of the chain: me, my father Qui-Gon, my grandfather Yan, and my great-grandfather Yoda. With me so far?"

"Easy enough. Do you have to go back that far?"

"Great-grandfather Yoda is still alive and regularly escaping the old folks' home to terrorize younger relatives, so yes," Obi-Wan says. "Given that you may just meet a tiny, meddling relative of mine when he's bored, we do in fact have to go back that far."

"...how old is he?"

"We don't know for sure. A hundred and eight-ish is the best guess." Obi-Wan shrugs. "It's not a huge deal, mostly he likes bothering Anakin these days. Anyway, grandfather. Yan Dooku. Inherited a minory duchy from his maternal grandfather decades back. Mostly hangs around there because he's on terrorist watchlists in the States."

"Oh, lovely."

Obi-Wan grins. "Trust me, it gets worse. Anyway, grandfather never actually married, but spent most of his time with his 'best friend' Sifo Dyas, who died about a decade back."

"Gay?"

"Well, we know that now, but they got together in the seventies, and this was back when they were both working government jobs, so, you know. It happens."

"Good to know," Cody says. "So, Yoda's kid is Yan, who inherited a title and land from a maternal relative, and had a life partner but never married. With you so far."

"All of Yan's kids were adopted," Obi-Wan continues, sketching out the first branch away from the Yan/Sifo partnership. "Rael was actually grandfather's cousin, maternally, and ended up in his custody after getting orphaned at five. These days, he does most of the stewardship duties at the Serenno Duchy. His daughter Nim is teaching military history at a university in Germany."

Cody nods. "Uncle number one is named Rael, technically your dad's cousin, has a daughter. Got it."

"About a decade after Rael, they adopted my father, Qui-Gon. He and grandfather fought, frequently, but they did care for each other. My father was a botanist, did bio-engineering. We'll get back to him later, because he's where things get complicated." Obi-Wan made sure to leave room around the name. "Just a few years older than me was--is--Komari Vosa. She is... serving a life sentence. I think she fought Jango once."

"She fought my father?"

"To the best of my knowledge, they both almost died, yes," Obi-Wan says. "She's in maximum security these days. She was an assassin. I'll get a call if she breaks out, and I'll let you know along with everyone else."

"Bad news auntie, got it."

"Last adoption, sort of, is Ventress," Obi-Wan finishes off. "A few years younger than me, is technically grandfather's personal assistant and does secretarial work and the like, but we all know he's planning to leave as much of the inheritance to her as he is to the rest of us. She's aggressive and unpleasant, but she takes care of him and hasn't actually threatened to kill any of us yet, so that's fine."

"How'd she join?" Cody asks.

"Ky Narec was a friend of Qui-Gon's; Ventress was his daughter. Ky died a few years after Qui-Gon did, and Ventress was a mess, after." Obi-Wan shrugs and scratches that connection into the little sketch of a family tree as well. "Grandfather offered her a job until she got herself back together, and then she just kind of... stuck around."

"Youngest aunt, more of a cousin." Cody summarizes. "Now we go back to your father?"

"Qui-Gon Jinn was a man of many skills," Obi-Wan says drily. "Adequate birth control was not one of them."

It's almost a pity that Cody wasn't drinking anything, because going by the way he chokes, Obi-Wan's pretty sure the spit take would have been spectacular.

"I'm sorry," Cody says. "Can you repeat that?"

"I was an accident," Obi-Wan says, not even bothering to hide his smile. "So was Anakin."

"So that sounds like... a story."

"It is," Obi-Wan confirms. "My biological mother has never been in the picture. They had a fling, she wasn't sure if she'd want to abort or give me up, just that she wasn't ready to be a parent, and Qui-Gon volunteered to take full custody so she could go back to her life after the birth. I've never met her, but I kept her family name. You can consider her irrelevant beyond that."

Cody nods.

"So, when I was about a year old, Qui-Gon reconnects with an old flame, they get married two years later. Step-mother number one is Tahl. Lovely woman, I absolutely adored her, and she had a daughter, my stepsister, Bant Eerin."

"I met her, right?" Cody asks.

"Yes, she was the doctor who patched up my bullet wound a few months ago," Obi-Wan says. "With the giant glasses that make her look a little fish-eyed."

"She was nice."

"She is," Obi-Wan agrees. "At any rate, that was our family for a while, and then Tahl died when I was fourteen. Bant wanted to go to a magnet school for medical studies, and Qui-Gon's grief was... not optimal for taking care of multiple teenagers, shall we say, so Bant moved in with her paternal uncle, Kit Fisto, and Kit's son Nahdar. He's a marine biologist, incredibly friendly, and has no idea of any of the rest of my side of the family's questionable activities. If you ever meet him, you will pretend that we are a legal firm with a team of security consultants."

Cody raises a brow. Obi-Wan despairs. "Best you could do?"

"We're not that likely to run into him." Obi-Wan draws out a new line. "So, Qui-Gon deals poorly with grief. This is also around the time that Xanatos came around to ruin our lives a little. He was a very rich and unpleasant man, but he's dead as of four hours ago, so you don't have to worry about him. Or his son."

"His son?"

"Anakin handled that," Obi-Wan says. "Thoroughly. Granta Omega is no longer an issue. He's not dead, but... well. Anakin has his ways. Er--I should probably mention Feemor; he was my father's assistant at the university for a long time. Anakin and I still call him our uncle."

"Also a person to avoid mentioning criminal activity to?" Cody prompts.

"Well... no, but only because I don't think he'd care. The man is, forgive me, more of a 'walking sweatervest' than I am. He's a very bland and unassuming man. He once described himself as the background character of the soap opera that is my family's existence."

"Sounds like a charmer."

"Oh, he's very kind and clever, and witty as well. I adore him, and he really is family. He's just also very, very normal. Not boring, but..." Obi-Wan trails off and shrugs helplessly. "He's an editor for an agricultural research journal. Also not someone I anticipate us running into."

"Noted."

"Right, so, Qui-Gon dealing poorly with his grief didn't involve much drinking, but there were a few months of him trying to... lose himself in the pleasures of the flesh?" Obi-Wan tries, and then deflates at the look on Cody's face. "He was slagging around. Shmi got pregnant with Anakin, who was born when I was sixteen. Shared custody at first, Qui-Gon got him weekends and every other holiday, that sort of thing, and then they got married because they actually did like each other well enough, and it was easier on the taxes."

"So Shmi is stepmother number two."

"Shmi is stepmother number two, yes." Obi-Wan sketches in Anakin and Shmi. "About nine and a half years after Anakin was born, Shmi and Qui-Gon were in a car accident with... well, it later turned out it wasn't an accident, there was a hitman called Maul involved, he's actually Ventress's second cousin or something, I don't know. Grandfather handled most of that problem. Qui-Gon died, Shmi was in intensive care, and I got custody of Anakin as his nearest adult relative. We weren't very close before that, because I was off at university by the time he was old enough to form memories, but that changed once he started living with me. I more or less raised him as a single parent from that point."

"This is why he jokes that you're like a father to him."

"Precisely," Obi-Wan says. "Shmi took about a year to recover enough to move again, and grandfather covered the costs. She still had to live with a dedicated carer and attend daily physical therapy. At that physical therapy, she met Cliegg Lars, whose son Owen was also a patient there. They hit it off, and three years later, they married. When Anakin refers to his stepfamily he's talking about the Lars out in Nevada."

"Nevada?"

"They have a farm. A very, very normal one. We don't drag them into our activities, unless we have an at-risk person who needs a safe house." Obi-Wan pauses, and then decides this really needs to be stressed. "This is important to me and Anakin, that we don't get them involved unless there's absolutely no other choice. Shmi's been through a lot, and the Lars are busy enough running the farm."

"Works for me," Cody says. "We've got enough safe houses that it shouldn't be an issue. I'm guessing this story doesn't end there, though."

Obi-Wan grimaces. "My own love life has been... a bit of a mess."

"I already know about Kryze, at least."

There's that. "I was temporarily engaged to a friend, Siri Tachi, shortly after high school. We were in a relationship, but this was mostly something done to appease a relative of hers that was getting overbearing to the point of absurdity, and she couldn't just cut them off. We broke off the engagement after the relative passed, and we're still friends."

He notes that down, then adds the other embarrassment of his early years. "First marriage was actually a drunken joke between myself and my best friend when we were in college. We got it annulled a few months later because we just didn't have time to drop by the courthouse before then, and he's actually engaged to Asajj now."

"Asajj?" Cody asks, watching in fascination as Obi-Wan tries to mark in both his own short marriage and the newer, long-term engagement without crossing any lines. He settles for just writing the name twice and including an asterisk with 'this is the same person.'

"Ventress," Obi-Wan clarifies. "Yeah, Quinlan's a fun guy. His little sister, Aayla, treats Anakin like a beloved younger cousin."

"Are they also off-limits for criminal activity?"

"No, Aayla's the one that taught Ahsoka how to vent-crawl," Obi-Wan says. "And I'm pretty sure Quinlan has contacts in every major government branch, criminal organization, and Fortune 500 company on the planet. I reach out to them regularly."

"Resources, then."

Obi-Wan nods. "Some time later, I married Satine. We had a son; you've met Korkie. We split due to incompatibility a year and change before Qui-Gon's death. Satine doesn't engage in criminal activity, but Bo-Katan is..."

"I've met Bo-Katan. I know what she's like, Obi. You don't have to explain."

"She works with Maul sometimes."

"...the man who killed your father?"

"Yes. It's all very stupid and convoluted." Obi-Wan still writes her in. "So, that's them. Korkie goes to boarding school, and I try not to involve him in anything. Anakin and Ahsoka like to teach him self-defense and the like, but Satine is adamant that he stay unaware of my less legal dealings until he's an adult."

Cody shrugs. "Makes sense. Is that every--wait, no, Skywalker's married."

Obi-Wan grins. "Yes, and Padme's got twins on the way."

"I was there when he told us," Cody says drily. "He was very loud about it. Okay, how does Ahsoka fit in?"

"Hold on, I forgot Beru," Obi-Wan mutters. "Owen's fiancee. Same rules as the Lars. Okay, you asked about Ahsoka. Right. So. Um."

He dithers. Cody waits for him, and then Obi-Wan just gives up. "Ahsoka, dear, would you like to explain how you joined the family, so to speak?"

Ahsoka looks up from whatever she and the boys are doing--there are multiple beer glasses and straws and duct tape involved, and Obi-Wan doesn't really want to know--and then flips off the table and over to Obi-Wan and Cody. She looks over the family tree chart, and then says, "Oooh, did you tell him about the cult?"

"You were in a cult?" Cody demands.

"No, Komari was. She was head priestess or something. I dunno, it's why she's in prison and stuff."

"I did not tell him about the cult," Obi-Wan mutters, already regretting this. "The Bando Gora aren't a problem anymore. I've already gotten to explaining how you and Anakin know each other."

Ahsoka rolls her eyes, steals his pen, and starts sketching in around Quinlan's name, over by Asajj since Obi-Wan's section is too crowded. "Okay, so, Quinlan's adopted. His dad is Tholme, and Tholme's dad is Plo Koon. Plo Koon is good friends with my Auntie, Shaak Ti, who raised me. They live next door to each other, out in the country, and I'd play in his yard a lot, because he had puppies, and he took me to visit his bees. Whenever Auntie needed a babysitter, she asked Quinlan or Aayla to do it since she knew and trusted them, and Aayla needed pocket money."

"This is so unnecessarily complicated," Cody mutters.

"It is!" Ahsoka chirps. Her grin is far too sharp. "So, this one time, Aayla was watching me when I was fourteen, and she was just helping me with my physics homework. BAM, the door slams open, and in stumbled Skyguy with his arm missing. I've never met him before, and my first introduction is him shortly after he's gotten an unplanned amputation."

Anakin, on the other side of the room, giggles. Obi-Wan just sighs. The Fett brothers appear to be in the land of 'horrified fascination.'

Ahsoka revels in it. "There's blood everywhere, I'm screaming, Aayla's panicking, Anakin's halfway to unconscious and insisting we can't call the hospital, and nobody can get Obi-Wan on the phone. Quinlan's in another country, and Auntie Shaak and Uncle Plo are at a movie, so they've both got their cellphones off. Tholme was faking his death at that point to get away from an incident with the Irish Mob, so we didn't even try him."

"What the actual fuck," Rex breathes.

Ahsoka continues with relish. "We get Bant to pick up, and she's there an hour later with Padme, because Padme knows how to drive the way Skyguy does, and the entire drive there is just Auntie Bant on speakerphone telling Aayla how to stop the bleeding and get him stabilized while Padme's screaming at traffic at the top of her lungs."

"I owe Aayla a fruit basket," Anakin muses aloud. "The anniversary of her saving my life is coming up, it's warranted."

"Five years, baby!" Ahsoka crows. She fist-pumps.

Obi-Wan just drops his head into his hands. "You're killing me, children."

Anakin shrugs, grinning. "You know, I think Fett Senior might have been involved in that fight."

"My shitty dad cut off your arm?" Rex demands.

"No, I think he was busy fighting the Interpol guy," Anakin says. "But he was definitely there. I think. Blood loss kinda got to me after a bit, but I'm pretty sure Jango Fett was there, and also Boba might've been hiding in the getaway car?"

"I need another glass," Cody mutters. He doesn't stand up, though.

"Wait," Rex says. "So who cut off your arm?"

Anakin shrugs with an unsure noise. "Someone tried to convince me it was Grandpa Yan, but he was in the middle of a court case in Italy for some kind of parole violation when it happened, so he had an alibi."

"...did he actually violate parole?" Cody asks, and Obi-Wan thinks he looks like he doesn't know if he actually wants an answer.

Ahsoka shrugs. So does Anakin. Obi-Wan carefully looks at a spot behind Cody, and doesn't explain anything about wine tastings used as covers for illicit arms deals.

"The arm?" Rex prompts, sounding a little desperate to get back to the question he likely thinks is the most important.

"I still say it was Skeevy Sheev," Ahsoka chimes in.

"It wasn't Palpatine," Anakin snaps.

"Your creepy older friend who took you to operas and gives you fancy gifts and knows way too much about swords who was conveniently there to talk to the police and cover for you so you didn't get arrested for getting in the middle of a gang war in the first place, yes," Ahsoka says, dropping into a chair and sighing dramatically. "The guy who definitely hasn't been trying to convince you for a year and change that your wife is cheating on you with your older brother."

"Ahsoka!"

"What? He is."

"Anakin," Rex says, "your life sounds like a trainwreck."

"I'm not going to assume a frail, elderly man cut my arm off!" Anakin protests. "Even if he wanted to, he doesn't exactly have the muscle for it!"

"Grandfather's older," Obi-Wan points out, even though he knows it won't help. "And he definitely still could."

"Ha!" Ahsoka shouts.

"He could have hired someone?" Cody suggests. "Doesn't need to do it himself, if he has enough money."

Obi-Wan has a sneaking suspicion that Cody is deliberately stirring the pot as revenge for Anakin sending him eighty-seven cat memes inside an hour during last night's dinner.

"You all suck," Anakin declares. "Also, what the hell do you mean 'knows way too much about swords,' Ahsoka? You know way too much about swords!"

"Yeah, but I'm like ninety-percent sure that his antiques are Prussian and mid-century German military officer dress uniform relics, and pairing that with the Nazi pistols he's got on display--"

"He's just a history buff! And his family's German, of course he prioritizes that region, it's not like he doesn't have Russian or French or English antiques in there too, it's all sides of the war and--"

"I'm just saying he's almost definitely sending me sketchy glances like he thinks I'm planning to steal the silver on the three occasions you've had me with you when you stop by, and I'm pretty sure it's got less to do with my criminal record and more to do with me being, you know, not white."

Anakin looks ready to blow, so Obi-Wan interrupts. "Ahsoka, you were explaining how Anakin passing out on Aayla and scaring us all half to death led to your friendship?"

Ahsoka blinks at him, and then sticks her tongue out at Anakin and turns back to the chart. "So basically, Skyguy had to recuperate in Uncle Plo's living room for a week or two, and I kept showing up to bother him because he was bored and nobody would give him a laptop for 'security reasons,' because he had to lay low and stuff. He made me help him sketch out designs for a prosthesis and do all the writing for the math he had to do for the 3D printer, and we got to chatting."

Ahsoka hops up and back onto a table, legs swinging below her. "I decided he was cool and started following him around while he was getting used to only having one hand, mostly because I was bored. He showed me how to hotwire a car, and explained the best places to put a bug if you were looking to make it sneaky, and he picked my pocket to show off so many times when he was walking around Uncle Plo's house that I made him teach me that, too. And, uh, then Aayla found out and they got into a shouting match about it and decided they both needed to teach me parkour so I could get out of any mess I got myself into, since I was obviously going to follow them into a life of crime."

"And you did," Anakin says, far too proudly. "You're the best thief in this half of the country."

"Only because Aayla moved out east."

Anakin rolls his eyes and pulls Ahsoka into his side, digging his knuckles into her skull. "Best thief! You are the best thief! Be proud of yourself!"

"Let go!"

"Never!"

Obi-Wan sighed heavily and rubbed at his forehead. "Children, please."

"You're not my dad," Ahsoka growls out at him. "Skyguy, I'm going to bite you!"

"Good luck, the only arm you can access is the one that's going to break your teeth."

Ahsoka shrieks in outrage and stomps on Anakin's instep.

It's almost funny, for all that Obi-Wan's seen it play out a million times before, but the really interesting part is seeing Rex's look of fond dismay.

Obi-Wan thinks he might be adding a branch out to the Fetts soon. He's not actually sure if Rex is interested in Anakin or Ahsoka, and he's smack dab between them in age, so that's not a help either, but... well. The expression is familiar enough.

"Please tell me you don't match-make," Cody mutters to him.

"No, I plan to let the pieces fall where they will," Obi-Wan responds, just as low, and far more amused. "I'm simply trying to predict where those landings are to be."

Cody looks at him, and then back at the roughhousing trio, and sighs heavily. "You know, I really didn't think that you technically being minor royalty was going to be the least convoluted thing in your story, Obi-Wan."

He laughs, because it's true. "I'm first in line to inherit the title, since Rael denounced his claim. Nim isn't interested, and Qui-Gon's dead, so... I'm next."

Cody makes a face. "Delightful. I'm guessing that's not a connection we can safely make use of."

"No more than the Kryze or Naberries, I'm afraid." Obi-Wan claps him on the shoulder. "Chin up, I've plenty others in the metaphorical rolodex, all far less legitimate and far more amenable to work with our little outfit."

"Rolodex, really?" Cody snorts. "You're not that old."

Obi-Wan smiles winningly. "You don't know how old I am, Cody. All my IDs are fake."

"Anakin's twenty-four, and you're sixteen years older than him, going by the story you just told me," Cody points out. "I do know how to do basic math, Obi-Wan."

"I had to try," Obi-Wan admits. "I threw a lot of information at you all at once; I'd hoped you missed some of the ages in there."

"I have eight brothers," Cody scoffs. "And literally dozens of cousins, plus niblings, uncles, aunts, and so on. I have experience on this."

"If I asked you to list of the age of every single relative you have, you'd be able to do it?"

"Do you want me to draw a chart? I can draw a chart."

Obi-Wan can't help but laugh. "I'd be delighted, my dear."

Cody rolls his eyes, but Obi-Wan thinks--it's hard to tell in the dimmed lights of the closed bar--that there's a hint of a blush on the man's face. Obi-Wan lets himself slouch to the side, drops his head to rest on one fist, indolent debauchery in every line of his body. Cody does his best to ignore him, but Obi-Wan knows how to smile lazily and blink slowly and draw a man in.

(The whole 'indolent debauchery in every line of his body' phrasing is Anakin's, from back when he was a teenager trying to read highbrow literature to impress a cute girl... and to come up with new insults for his older brother.)

"So," Cody says, with a cough meant to somehow distract Obi-Wan from whatever's showing on the man's face. "Why, uh, why is your grandfather on terrorist watchlists?"

"Well, he didn't initially do anything," Obi-Wan says. "He was just a gay man who didn't hide it quite well enough, and had too much money and too white a face for someone to just call the cops on a faulty report. The Red Scare was technically over by that point, I think, but if a few people made suggestions that he was more loyal to the country that gave him a noble title than to the United States... he received a few warnings, of course, and it could have all blown over..."

"But?"

"But my grandfather is not a man to do things by halves, and instead decided that if the government was to list him as a threat, then he would oblige and make himself a threat," Obi-Wan finishes. "Living up to their labels, rolling with the assumptions, whatever you'd like to call it. It all irked him, and so he made some incredibly questionable decisions to make the government's lives harder. Some weren't bad, like donating to anti-war foundations that were protesting the Gulf War and the interventions in Yugoslavia, that sort of thing, and some were... nobody really looks well on gunrunning, you know."

"For fuck's sake..."

"Indeed," Obi-Wan chuckles. "Ironically, he has minimal opinion on the optimal form of economics, for all that virulent xenophobia and the remnants of anti-communism were involved in the whole mess. He just wanted to create problems for the people that were causing him problems."

Cody shakes his head. "I want to judge that, but you've met my father."

"Jango Fett is, indeed, also not a man to do things by halves," Obi-Wan agrees, attempting to nod gravely but breaking into a smile at the end. "That man is absurd."

"At least he's not dragging Boba into it anymore," Cody mutters. He drags over the fresh sheet of paper and pen that Obi-Wan offers him. "Okay, right, let's start with Jaster..."

[smallandangry24]

A Not-So-Brief Character Analysis of one Anakin Skywalker

TW for discussion of Imperialism, Nazis, and events paralleling sh00tings, brief mention of domestic violence and slavery.

Hello there, everyone. Welcome back to another episode of ranting about fascism on the internet (I know, you’re waiting with baited breath): Star Wars Edition, featuring a very beloved character -- Anakin Skywalker, Darth Vader.

Star Wars is many things -- found families. Hope. Rebellion. Democracy. The importance of standing up for what is right, and for those who do not have a voice, even if the world is against you. Holding others and yourself accountable. Corruption. Accidental baby acquisition. And the first space western among them. But at its conception, Star Wars drew a very hard line in the sand (I know, we don’t like sand, but bare with me) regarding a subject that was very relevant at the time, and I would argue still is: Imperialism, Fascism, Slavery, and Nazism.  

“But Mads”, you might ask “why would you get on the internet to rant about such things, probably bringing a very angry toxic fanbase out of the woodworks against you?” For a few reasons, one of them possibly being that I’m a fool. One of those reasons definitely being that sometimes, something needs to be said, regardless of opposition, and you need to be the one to say it, especially if no one else will (and what’s more Star Wars than that?). I hope you’ll find it in yourself to stay with me, but that’s beyond my control. So here it is:

Anakin is a tragedy, in many ways. 1. He could be anyone -- someone’s boyfriend, a brother, a best friend, a son, the guy sitting two tables down in a chili’s in the middle of nowhere Iowa (idk if y’all have Chili’s but roll with it). 2. He cared about his family. 3. He WAS manipulated in fear and put in a situation no child (yes, CHILD) should have ever been put in on the battlefield, nevermind his status as a slave. It is an ESSENTIAL part of his story, but not in the way I see interpreted by so many fans. There is a MESSAGE in his character... a great many!! Sure, he is a type of prodigal son, falling from grace but returning eventually for -- here’s where we disagree. Redemption. Can we call it that? Is he really redeemed? The Prodigal Son, at least in my interpretation, is not about redemption, but forgiveness and mercy -- given because the father, who I think the story is really about, is good -- not because that kindness is deserved (because in it’s context, the story is not about what is deserved, but I digress). Anakin, Vader, can be a story about how people cannot be summed up by good and evil, and instead are made by their choices, and that we have the power to change our choices every day, and that there can be redemption for some. 

But that’s not all there is, or even the biggest part of his character.

There are more messages. Monsters can be anyone, and if we don’t hold people accountable and learn from our past, history will come back to haunt us. My problem is that very few hold him accountable. Let’s go back to the roots. Star Wars isn’t exactly subtle. “The Empire,” “Storm troopers” (the name of Hitler’s private army), the concept of a nationalistic regime taking over under the power of a charming dictator bent on expansion by force, using propaganda to unite his people against a common enemy of a peaceful people who share a religion, etc. It’s about Nazis, and more than their well known atrocities -- about the importance of accountability, uniting in rebellion, how they can come to be, and, most importantly, punching them. 

Back to Anakin. He’s young, under the influence of the man who’s a parallel of Hitler, very stressed because he’s leading an army and just got put in charge of a child, probably needed more talking to regarding healthy levels of attachment and relationships, and he’s been put in a position of power. He’s also played by Hayden Christensen (who did a remarkable job -- this is not a criticism of his performance but an applause. The problem lies in how some interpret it), who, I’ve been reliably informed, is very cute. An increasingly common reaction is “oh it’s not his fault, poor baby,” or  WORSE, “It’s Obi-Wan’s/Padme’s/Ahsoka’s fault -- he/she should have paid more attention/proclaimed his/her love more.” 

*Is violently unimpressed*

Let’s also look at what he did!! *drumroll* He betrays all of his loved ones -- strangling his pregnant wife Padme, who tries to appeal to him numerous times while also stating her love, trying to kill his brother/father figure Obi-Wan, who’s last words prior were about how proud he is of Anakin, and proceeded to tell him he loved him and also tried to bring him to his senses multiple times while Anakin is ACTIVELY TRYING TO MURDER HIM, enslaves the clones, his friends, who fought for him, were willing to die for him, were already struggling with a lack of human rights, further betrayed by Anakin forcing them to turn on their family the Jedi and help him commit mass genocide, made worse by the fact that Anakin used to be a slave, and not only participates and initiates said genocide against his own people (but let’s also not forget the genocide and coverup of the one he committed against the native Tusken people), but cuts down the children who trust him and run to him for help. He his not only a parallel of naziim, but also domestic abusers, imperialists and, currently, school shooters. AND IT’S NOT JUST THESE CHOICES!!! There are more I’m probably forgetting, but it’s the fact that it’s not just ONE time. He makes the choice to be this person over. and over. AND OVER. AND OVER AGAIN. And for what?? To save Padme?? He just choked her out! And after she DIES, he KEEPS GOING. “He was too scared to return, the canonically thought about it,” WELL?? First of all, Obi-Wan was literally begging him to come back and secondly, even if he didn’t “return” he could have stopped, idk, actively hunting down and murdering people and supporting the Empire. Just throwing that out there. 

Yes, Palpatine chose him to manipulate. FOR A REASON: He knew Anakin was powerful enough to turn the tide of the war-- which would have just ended with the death of General Grievous -- in his favor, AND because such power would have been a threat to him. Anakin had the power to threaten Palpatine and the Empire at any time.... but instead, he repeatedly chose to use that power to undo everything he had sworn to protect, everything his friends had fought and died for. And for what purpose? Last time I checked, you don’t strangle people to say “I love you.”

That’s the tragedy of Anakin for me -- the repeated choice to fall, and that he could be any one of us if we allow it. Too often, we let him hide behind a mask and a new name. I get it -- I, too, am a sucker for transformation and cinematic symbolism. But Anakin’s transformation marks the solidification of his choices and the nature being revealed in him -- the corruption of hate and anger and obsession -- but it DOESN’T MAKE HIM A DIFFERENT PERSON. He can’t escape accountability for his actions by hiding behind a fancy new title. Are you a simp, or an apologist? I get it, he’s cute, and there’s an appeal to knowing someone would burn the world for you, but be careful of the line you tread -- with this character, it’s pretty thin.... and quite frankly, my ace ass doesn’t care how hot a Nazi is.

Today, I encountered a new perspective I’ve never seen before, regarding the line, “there’s still good in him.” Iconic, I know. And despite the above... ooops paragraphs, know that I AM A MASSIVE VADER FAN. His character is incredible and complex and (I knooooow) cool. Horribly so, but yes, you can’t deny the dramatics. And I’m an even bigger fan of redemption, hope, the idea that no matter what you’ve done, you can work to be better. I’ve struggled with Anakin -- I’ve wanted to say “YES, in the end, when he choses to overthrow Sidious, he is Redeemed!” .... but it never quite felt right. Today, I encountered the phrase “so what?” Okay, not literally, but someone might as well have written it on a brick and slapped it across my face. There was good in him. So what? He still chose to do those things. And he chose to do them over and over again. Does the fact that he was capable of good excuse the genocide? the slavery? the murder? Does it not make it worse? Do we owe forgiveness to someone who could have been a good man? Are we obligated to -- RESPONSIBLE for bending over backwards to convince someone to be good again? Even at the price of more innocent blood? Or is it HIS responsibility not to spill it in the first place?

The tragedy is in that he was good, once, if a person can be good, but he made those choices anyway. The tragedy is in that he could be anyone. The tragedy is that he is MANY someones today. The tragedy -- what makes a tragedy -- is that anywhere, in all of this mess, it could have been over. It could have been prevented. He could have stopped. The tragedy is that it didn’t need to happen, but it happened anyway.

Today I encountered “It was his choice.” Today, I saw written, “Don’t take that away from him.” 

[superhusbands4ever]

I don’t want Crosshair to have an Anakin Skywalker redemption arc.

I want Crosshair to have a Bucky Barnes recovery arc.

I don’t want Crosshair to do a bunch of dark, evil things, get the chip out or have a change of heart or realize what he’s doing is wrong, do one good thing or save someone’s life, and then die for it.

I want Crosshair to do a bunch of dark, evil things, get the chip out or break through the chip and realize what he’s doing it wrong, do something good and/or save someone’s life, and then survive to have to deal with the repercussions and face the consequences.

Not legal consequences. Crosshair is, at the end of the day, a victim of the Empire. He’s being mind controlled. He’s been brainwashed. He’s been Winter Soldier-ed.

Yes, he’s killing civilians. He’s hunting his brothers. He’s hurting people. He’s ruining lives. He’s killing people. But his actions are not his fault. He’s just the puppet, the Empire is pulling his strings. He has no control. He’s being forced to commit these crimes. However… he’s still the one doing them. And he has to face the emotional repercussions of doing that. He has to redeem himself to the people he hurt in able to recover from that trauma.

I could go on and on about the parallels between Crosshair in just the first 3 episodes alone, and the Winter Soldier. There are direct, scene for scene parallels between the two characters. I want so desperately for them to continue that trend.

To talk about Bucky Barnes/The Winter Soldier for a second: obviously, Bucky is not to blame for what he did during his time as the Winter Soldier. Hydra was the one in control - they tortured him, they hooked him up machines and wiped his mind, they took away his free will, they made him fight and kill and torture strangers, friends, foes, the guilty, the innocent, civilians, criminals, politicians, etc. As an audience we know this, we understand it and we sympathize with him.

But… he still did all those things.

One of my favorite Bucky scenes (and honestly probably the scene that really made me fall in love with him) was in Captain America Civil War when Bucky and Steve are on the quinjet to Siberia to fight the other Winter Soldiers.

Bucky: I don't know if I'm worth all this, Steve.

Steve: What you did all those years... it wasn't you. You didn't have a choice.

Bucky: I know. But I did it.

Bucky is able to acknowledge that while he didn't have any control over his actions and what he did, he still did bad things to innocent people. And those innocent people are still going to look at Bucky and see the man who caused them pain, hurt, and suffering. Sure, they might understand logically that he wasn't in control, that he wasn't the one who did those things. But we don't always think rationally when we are angry and scared and hurt.

We can see this later in Siberia when Tony attacks Bucky. Immediately after watching the video he turns to Bucky. We can see the resigned look on Bucky's face. Bucky understands. He understands that in that moment, Tony isn't thinking rationally. He is thinking with his emotions. And his emotions are blinding him, in that moment, to the fact that it wasn't Bucky who did those things, but Hydra using Bucky's body as a puppet. "It wasn't him, Tony." "I don't care. He killed my mom." Was Tony right to attack Bucky? No. Did Bucky deserve it? No. But we can see on Bucky's face right before the fight starts that he understands why Tony is doing it and honestly? Probably doesn't blame him. He understands that even though he wasn't in control when he killed Tony's parents, he still did it. He still caused Tony real pain that doesn't pay attention to things like fairness or blame. All Tony can see is Bucky's hands killing his mom, and they both have to face the emotional repercussions of that.

Another great (and less discourse-y) example of this is in Falcon and the Winter Soldier. We see Bucky continue to have to face the emotional repercussions of his time as the Winter Soldier. He's making amends for his actions and working through the psychological pain of it. He may not have been in control when he killed Yori's son, but it was still his hands that pulled the trigger. That is why he's so afraid to tell Yori the truth through the whole series. He thinks he's protecting Yori from the pain of knowing what happened to his son by not telling him, when in actuality he is protecting himself from that pain of what Yori might think of him after Bucky tells him. He's aware enough to know that Yori might hate him, never speak to him again, that he might lose a friend. Because while he wasn't in control when he shot Yori's son, at the end of the day, he died by Bucky's hands. Yori's son is still dead because of Bucky. It's not fair, but sometimes life isn't always rainbows and butterflies with a fairy tale ending.

Back to the Bad Batch: I want Crosshair to get his chip out and go back to the Batch and have to face the repercussions of what he did with the Empire. I want the Bad Batch to be distrustful of Crosshair at first. I want Crosshair to be afraid to be left alone with Omega. I want Crosshair to not trust his own mind. I want Crosshair to be hurt or get frustrated after the 15th time he moves too suddenly and Tech flinches. I want Crosshair to have nightmares. I want Crosshair to have to recover from his own trauma while also redeeming himself after the trauma he caused the Batch. Not just... die. Sometimes recovery and redemption is messy and ugly. But it's necessary and it's more interesting narratively than killing him off.

Do I think the show is going to do this? No. It's a children's show and they've already shown they aren't going that deep into the emotionality of everything. I just think this would be a much more interesting and complex way to carry on Crosshair and the Bad Batch's storyline while also providing opportunity for character development in the Batch outside of Hunter and Omega. They've already shown they know how to write a redemption arc - they managed to write a redemption arc for Kallus successfully and, while I love Kallus, he did work for the Empire and commit war crimes and participate in genocide of his own volition without a chip in his brain. If they can do it for Kallus, they can do it for Crosshair.

If they kill Crosshair off I'm going to be genuinely angry because it seems like such a waste of character and also a waste of good content and character development for the entire Bad Batch going forward. With the confirmation of season 2, I don't think they're going to kill him (yet). Right now my worst fear is that they'll get the chip out and he'll stay with the Empire or he'll reveal the chip has been kaput for months and he's doing all this because he wants to, which would make no sense based on what we've seen of him in season 7 of tcw and throughout this show. But that's for a different post. I guess we'll see with tomorrow's episode.

[kyberphilosopher]

Atonement

Requested: yes. 

Word Count: 4193 Cal must deal with the consequences of his comrades deception and injuries, while they must deal with what this means for their relationship. 

Atonement is the concept of a person taking action to correct previous wrongdoing on their part, either through direct action to undo the consequences of that act, equivalent action to do good for others, or some other expression of feelings of remorse.

.✫*ﾟ･ﾟ｡.★.*｡･ﾟ✫*. 

Once upon a time, Anakin wasn’t all bad. But maybe that was why he died. After that, there wouldn’t have been competition for someone that was all bad, or at least somewhat worse than Anakin was alone. 

Not that Anakin was a complete and utter angel. You knew, not better than anyone but still enough, that Anakin wasn’t all good either. And sure, most people aren’t, but your Master wasn’t most people. Far more talented and powerful was he than the other Jedi Knights, but far more unhinged was he who could not control himself. Anakin was the latter. 

The other Jedi seemed to pity you. It wasn’t as if Anakin Skywalker was always inherently kind on you. You weren’t funny like Ahsoka, or respectable like Obi-Wan. In fact, Anakin had a suspicion that there was something inside of you that reminded him of his mother. Thus, he was cold. And he rarely bothered to teach in the way that people deserved to be taught. 

He doesn’t like me, you remember thinking. He never will. 

You had been the perfect padawan. You were certain you had done everything right. And yet, Anakin’s stare was icy, when he bothered to look your way at all. Where had your Master gone after the Purge anyway?

Your eyes open slowly. 

Light peels across your vision, smeared from the art of being tired. Once your lids are widened, the back of your right hand lays across your forehead lazily. You had been dreaming, hadn’t you? But what had it been about? And why did it seem so hard to remember?

Maybe it was about your Master again, you realize as you exhale. No- ex Master now. But maybe it had been about him. It wouldn’t have been the first time. 

You’re a Clone Killer. 

Eyebrows crease with a twitch. You’ve laid in bed with too much comfort now. It’s time to get up. Stars, but the bed is warm and your legs are tangled in your comforter just right. When’s the next time you’ll get to feel this relaxed and sleepy?

Must’ve been the worst Padawan in history. 

“Shit,” you whisper with closed eyes. Yes, now you’re more than certain that it’s time to get up. Comfort doesn’t matter today. 

.✫*ﾟ･ﾟ｡.★.*｡･ﾟ✫*.

The restroom door hisses to a close behind you. Rubbing the back of your neck, you begin your sluggish march to the ships deck. You can already smell Greez’s cooking wafting from around the corner. What is that? Sausage and... is that eggs?

Your pants scuff against each other, sweatshirt twisting with the reach of your arm. As the floor transitions from metal to stiff rug, you pull your chair out. 

“Ah, good morning sleepyhead,” you hear Greez’s voice call out to you. Your eyes remain sleepy, gazing down at the table. Doesn’t even look present, Cal observes as his eyes flick over your face. 

“Well, aren’t you a ray of sun today,” Dritus continues from the stove. One of his four hands flick the pan over the stove up with an explosive sizzle. “Be careful you don’t make me feel bad, so I don’t feel inclined to give you more of my food.”

“I slept in too late,” you mutter, half to yourself. 

At the other side of the table, Cal’s stocky form is hunched over. One of his hands is wrapped around a cup on the table, which is covered in cold perspiration. Soft ginger hair falls back as he looks over you. You could feel his pretty, kaleidoscope eyes from the other side of the universe. He doesn’t say anything, though, and you’re too tired to play the “What’s He Thinking About?” game right now. 

“You’re damn right you did,” the Latero says. “Cal here was just about to go and check in on you.”

You swallow quickly, glancing up at the man parallel to you. Cal is looking over at Greez, given you a clear view of his jaw and the scar that stretches over his neck. He’s beautiful. He always has been. You can feel your ears start to burn, and you look away almost immediately. 

“Thanks,” you say instead, finally pulling your hand away from your neck. Without even realizing it, your intelligent orbs look to Cal again. This time, however, your eyes meet. Electric pulses run through you, tickling from your neck to your pelvis. And, true to your nature, you brake gazes immediately. “I think I’ll skip out on breakfast today.”

“Seriously?” Greez whirls around, dumbfounded. “But... breakfast is the most important meal of the day!”

That’s true. Ever since you gained the privilege of having Greez Dritus the wanted Latero to cook for you, breakfast had been far more likeable. He always knows how to add the perfect amount of spice and flavor without coming off as overbearing. But there’s something in the back of your throat, crawling up to the tip of your tongue. A name of an old master, and the dream that you can’t remember. 

“I’m just not hungry,” you push yourself out of your stool and slide it back under the table. Cal watches your form jog down the steps and disappear into the cockpit, his lips parted and near pulling into a frown. 

“Wonder what her problem is,” Greez’s raspy voice calls into the air. 

“Let her be,” a mature female voice breaks as it rounds the corner. Cere emerges from the hallway by the stares, her watchful eyes also glued on the cockpit archway. “She’ll come around.”

Will you? Cal wonders. You’ve always been a bit tight lipped in the grand scheme of things, but today the anguish is peeling off of you like steam. You seem pale in the way that conveys sickness. The dark circles under your eyes are wise, but tired. Maybe you’re just ill. 

It’s not that far off. As you flip switches around on the console pointlessly, all you have to think about are these hands that disappointed your Master. Calloused, rough fingers. Raw palms from holding your saber. Clever, but never enough. 

You exhale through your nose, your shoulders sinking. 

Oh, that’s right. That’s what happened to your Master.

How could you have forgotten that?

“Rough night?”

You perk up at the sound of his voice, but don’t turn around. It’s not that you don’t want to look at Cal, it’s that you feel to ashamed of yourself to even try it. You don’t deserve to look upon him. 

“Just feeling sick,” you mutter so hoarse he can barely hear. 

“Is that the truth?”

Your eyes widen stiffly. One heel at a time, your feet turn around until you are facing your companion. 

Time slows as you look at Cal. His soft orange hair billows in the air conditioning, kaleidoscope eyes twinkling with wonder. The freckles, the jaw, the chapped pink lips. He is beautiful. The way he looks at you now makes you feel guiltier than usual. 

Why don’t you just tell him? Tell him you know the person who’s responsible for that scar on his stomach. Tell him you were trained by him. Tell him about your nightmare last night, how you woke up in cold sweats. But you can’t. You just can’t. 

“Yeah,” you say hoarsely, eyes glued to his. 

Cal steps forward suddenly, almost losing his balance. His soft, pink lips come dangerously close to yours. You can smell his scent, turning your jaw to meet him instinctively. But it was just an accident. 

He steps away to regain his balance. The only sound in the room is that of the air vents. 

He wasn’t going to kiss you. 

Cal stays still, firm. “I hope you feel better,” he says in the same tone as before, though far more sincere. 

And he turns away and walks out of the room, leaving you alone with only the air to comfort you.

.✫*ﾟ･ﾟ｡.★.*｡･ﾟ✫*.

The leaves crunch under boots as they do. Twigs snap, pebbles crumble. Dirt scuffs against each shoe. 

Above you, the Kashyyyk trees whisper in the wind, allowing pools of sunlight to fall in between the loose spaces of green. The breeze tickles at the skin on your arms. It’s a nice day. But this is still not enough to improve the sick feeling in your stomach. 

Maybe you really were just a failure of a padawan after all. 

“Hey,” the boy beside you calls. “Look up there.”

You raise your head, squinting through the thin, rainbow rays of sun. Up ahead of you, over a steep drop that could be anything from a river to an abyss, is a great mechanical building. It’s sleek and gray, standing out against the natural beauty. This itself is enough proof of Imperial presence. 

“I thought they would’ve left by now,” you mutter, slightly in awe. Birds fly over the fort as if it didn’t bother them for a second, and the waterfall nearby doesn’t cease its babbling. “Why haven’t they left by now?”

“Only one way to find out,” Cal tells you after some seconds of silence. 

Something rushes through the air then- a gust of wind that only you seem to feel. It’s haunting and low, like it has it’s own voice or musical theme of doom. It’s almost impossible to tell whether it’s a warning, a promise, or some kind of mockery, but it feels dark. More importantly, it feels like a message. But Cal doesn’t move a muscle. Only his orange locks billow in time with his lashes, which close slowly. 

“Wait,” you break the quiet. “Maybe we shouldn’t.”

The boys eyes are furrowed when his head turns to you. His pale green eyes flash briefly in the sunlight, but the twinkle of confusion and curiosity remain after the flash disappears. “Why not?”

The rush of wind slows until you can barely feel it anymore. The words are on the tip of your dried up tongue, but you’re not even sure what they are. What can you say to explain your... your fear? It’s more than just intuition or a gut feeling. It’s something you know for a fact, and you have the evidence, but you can’t even hold it. 

“It’s dangerous,” you decide, your bottom lip shaking too quick to notice. You say it almost casually, almost as if it were obvious. And of course, it is. Thus the flaw in your attempt. 

“Most things are,” Cal replies. 

Just then, the pitter pattering of little metal feet tap against the dirt and mulch comes to life. It completely cuts away what little presence the ominous air had left, only allowing BD-1′s happy little whirs to clearly ring through. 

Cal’s hands rest on his hips as he turns his head to look at his partner. He squats to the ground with his little calm smile. “Would it make you feel better if I sent BD to scout ahead?”

It wouldn’t at all. All you can think about instead is your little scrapped friend getting his sliced clean off with a long, red blade. Cal wouldn’t even be able to fix him. 

“BD, go on ahead,” Cal tells the machine. He scratches along BD’s head for encouragement, and the creature doesn’t even seemed miffed before hopping off into the leaves and trees until he’s completely out of sight. 

“I don’t- I don’t think-” your hands ball to fists at your sides. A lump forms in your throat like an invisible bubble, or a heavy ball clogging your airway. 

“Y/N?” Cal’s brows furrow once more as he twists and stands again. “You look pale.”

Another wave of wind flows through. It’s the same as before- cold, threatening, filled with something angry and sad and warning you to never have to feel it for real. However, your partner feels it this time too. 

His eyes leave yours and drop to the ground behind him as he twists in concern, looking around for whatever could be the cause. Subconsciously, his right hand lifts from his side to the right side of his ribs. Your eyes widen in understanding, but you wish so badly it was anything but that. 

“Do you feel that?” Cal calls out to you, still trying to locate the presence that doesn’t even exist. 

Yes, you think as you watch the boys other hand slip over his saber. I feel it. 

.✫*ﾟ･ﾟ｡.★.*｡･ﾟ✫*.

Anakin wasn’t always evil. Whether or not he’s even evil now is up for debate. But for as long as you knew him, in your eyes at least, he was your hero. Not because he helped you, which he didn’t, or because he wanted the best for you, which he didn’t care about. But because he was strong, and someone to look up to. He’s the knight in shining armor that every little boy wants to be like when they grow up, and the warrior every feminist wants to be equal to. Anakin Skywalker was, by all means, a dream. 

So then why is this the worst you’ve ever felt?

“Master?” your voice wheezes out. There’s a storm all around you, a personal tornado for the three of you that makes everything but roaring hard to hear. Rapid blinking helps to keep the dust from your eyes every few seconds, but not enough. It’s starting to sting.

“Stop,” you hear another voice say, but it’s muffled with chokes. “Stop...”

This isn’t Anakin. This is a man of metal- obsidian and iron and cooled magma. There’s not a single inch of flesh showing. The cape, whipping wildly in the wind, is the closest thing to organic. It’s tattered, and the wind gives the illusion of it bleeding away like inky smoke.

“Join me,” False Anakin calls. His fist clenched with determination, a red glow brightening up the area. “Serve your master.”

.✫*ﾟ･ﾟ｡.★.*｡･ﾟ✫*.

And from Cal’s position, you just look plain pretty. Kind of distraught, with faded eyes and slightly knitted brows paired with a frown. Your hair is sort of billowing in time with the storm around you, along side that weapon on your belt. Really, you look sad. 

Cal’s fingers dig into the dirt and sand beneath his body. His whole form feels like it’s going to rip away into dust, like Vader doesn’t want him there. And of course, he doesn’t. He hasn’t even given Cal a glance. That being said, his whole stomach feels entirely enflamed. Especially that one special place where he’d felt Vader’s touch before. Now Cal knows that you must’ve been touched by him as well. It’s the worst feeling in the world. 

“Don’t,” he chokes. Cal gets a mouthful of dirt in the process, but he doesn’t even register it. “Y/N-”

.✫*ﾟ･ﾟ｡.★.*｡･ﾟ✫*.

“-will come back from this.”

Your eyes open. They feel stiff and dry, like how you imagine a mummy’s would. The light over head is blinding and white, with flecks of rainbow bouncing off it at the sharper edges. You do not react in any way. 

Internal bleeding of the stomach, one impalement scar on your right side. There is a long, long series of blisters and torn skin across your shoulder from being tossed and dragged across the ground. Then there’s the slit over your left eye which makes it impossible to open. You might as well have lost it. 

Some people would’ve been happy to just be alive. Fighting Darth Vader? Fighting Anakin Skywalker? And surviving it? Well, not everyone gets that privilege. But for some reason the appreciation isn’t coming to you. Maybe you should’ve died back then as some kind of last apology. 

“I know they will.”

You hear footsteps from beyond the doorway become more and more faint, until you can’t even hear them at all. The metal door hisses open. There’s a few footsteps against the floor, then a sharp pause. 

Your head rolls to your right lazily. A young man stands before you. A cute redhead with a broad chest and wide, shocked pale green eyes. Underneath them are mauve rings- dark circles and bags- and chapped pink lips. 

Cal opens his mouth to speak, and then spins around. With the flick of your wounded fingers, the entrance to the room closes and seals itself shut with a click. The cute redhead is still, his back away from you. 

Maybe because of the loss of some other senses, your Jedi one’s have heightened. The intuition inside of you is reading his color- his entire aura- something you could’ve sworn you weren’t able to do before. There’s so much anxiety from him. Enough to make up from the lack of anxiety you have right about now. 

“You’re awake,” he speaks. You can sense his voice about to crack. “I should tell the others.”

“Don’t be stupid, Cal,” your raspy voice croaks. “Don’t be fucking stupid.”

He turns around to look at you, one foot at a time. His eyes are downturned tiredly, but mostly from sadness. The corners of his lips are annoyed from your words. “You’ve been asleep for two weeks,” Cal says. “Didn’t know if you were coming back.”

You don’t say anything.

His use of the words ‘coming back’ sting. Just two simple words, which to you feel like they mean something far more deep and sinister. Almost as sinister as yourself. 

“Are you okay?” he proceeds to question, though you both know it’s just out of politeness. 

“I can’t see out of my eye.”

“Do you know why?”

You don’t move. You’re quiet yet again. 

Cal’s voice raises frustratingly. “Do you know why? You let someone put a lightsaber to your face just so you could smash in their helmet!”

“I don’t remember that.”

“He stabbed you in your stomach!”

Cal’s never raised his voice at you before. You wish you were more upset about it. His tone alone is enough to make a sinking weight appear in the pit of your stomach. But you can’t cry. You can barely feel anything but both relief and emptiness. Not once in those two weeks did you dream about either Anakin, or Vader. 

“I watched him pick you up and slam you on the ground! I watched you die about a million times out there!”

“I’m just glad you’re okay,” you mutter hoarsely. And you mean that, too. 

“I thought that...”

Don’t. Don’t tell him. 

“I thought that I was going to hurt you.”

Silence fills the room from corner to corner. Even whatever air that once came from the vents has come to a complete halt. Maybe every system in the galaxy has stopped its turn. 

“What?” Cal asks, now much softer. He takes a gentle step towards you, his eyes desperately locked to your own.

You glance down before back to him. “I was his apprentice before the purge. Don’t ask Cere about it- he never talked about me. I doubt there was even paperwork to confirm it. I thought this was coming but... I wasn’t sure.”

Cal takes another step forward. 

“He never liked me. And then on Kashyyyk... he...” You swallow down the shame for a moment. “He told me he wanted me to be his apprentice again. For real this time.”

“So you fought him,” Cal partially pieces together. 

You swallow again and look down to your hands. 

“Cal, I fought him because I wanted to go with him. I saw my- I saw the future he was talking about. It was good for me. I was happy... sort of.”

He’s finally close enough to sit on the end of the bench that you didn’t even process lying on. There’s concern in his eyes as he listens, and he doesn’t dare take them off your face. It makes you feel like even more of a coward. 

“But I didn’t see you there, too. I didn’t see anyone there. I thought maybe I... I thought maybe I had killed you.”

Cal opens his parched lips slightly, and then closes them. 

“And I really don’t want to kill you.”

Cal looks away. From here, sitting up slightly so you didn’t choke in your sleep, you can make out freckles on his neck. They stretch over his tendons, across his jawline. They’ll no doubt stretch over that scar from his jaw down on the other side. His long lashes move as he blinks. His hair looks softer than ever. 

“After the battle I carried you away. After it was done you just... looked at me. And then you collapsed, and I had to carry you.”

Silence. 

Cal gets up. 

“Cal?” you call, louder than you meant. 

The boy turns back to look at you. 

“I...”

Is he prettier than before?

“Do you hate me?”

Cal creases his brows. 

“Do you... are you going to talk to me again?”

He opens his mouth, but you don’t let him speak. 

“Don’t say it, if you don’t mean it. I was trained by the most dangerous person in the galaxy. By your biggest enemy. I... lied to you about it. I almost killed you, Cal. You can hate me.”

“Do you think I hate you?”

Your eye squints, and finally it glosses over as it wells with tears. “Yeah.”

Cal Kestis. Man of your dreams. Hero of everything. Angel of infinity. Please, don’t hate me. You have every right to, I know. But please- please don’t. 

“I don’t think I could ever hate you,” he finally whispers, looking down at the floor. “Maybe you should’ve told me, but... I think deep down I already knew.”

A questioning look appears over your features, but Cal answers before you can ask. “You’d been acting off for weeks, Y/N. Those nightmares were about Vader, weren’t they.”

“Yeah. They were... Do you... think of me any differently?”

Please. 

“...No. I don’t know if I could ever do that to you.”

“I couldn’t think of you differently either,” you say after a moment. You throat is getting scratchy, but it’s hard to care. 

“I care about you, Y/N,” he tells you, sincere but calm. “You know that don’t you?”

“You wouldn’t have carried me if you didn’t care, Cal.”

“Y/N on the morning of this whole thing I wanted to kiss you,” he snaps, his hands limply swinging with urgency. “I should’ve kissed you.”

So many emotions in one conversation. 

“You can still kiss me now that I’m clean with you.”

Cal looks at you for a long time, his tired, bright eyes searching for something in your stillness. Then he looks down. 

“It’s okay, Cal. It’s part of my atonement.”

He looks at you for a long time again. The corner of his lips twitch upwards for just a second. It puts you at ease somewhat, with a warm feeling spreading in your stomach finally. 

“You’ve got nothing to atone for,” Cal says. “I won’t let anything happen to you, Y/N.”

You have nothing to say. No words come to your dry tongue, although your lips hang open like something will come out. Nothing does. You just look at your redhead, who’s tired and distraught, but has more clarity and love than he ever has in his entire life. He won’t raise his voice to you again. 

Your palm dances again as you look to away. The door finally opens again, and Cal forgot that you had initially even caged him in here. 

“You can go now.”

It’s quiet. You can hear shuffling, slow footsteps like maybe he doesn’t want to leave. “Can I kiss you when I get back?”

Even while looking at the wall right next to you, your face goes hot and pink. 

“Maybe,” your husky voice answers. And when you turn to look back at him, he’s already looking at you with a genuine smile like a little boy getting a big present that they can’t believe. That’s how he sees it, anyway. 

“I don’t hate you, Y/N,” he suddenly says. “I could never hate you.”

.✫*ﾟ･ﾟ｡.★.*｡･ﾟ✫*.

Idk if I’m happy with this or not? I ran into a bunch of writers block with this I don’t know why. Sorry it took so long to put out anyway. I also might change it to better fit the request because that’s really the most important thing to me and with finishing it after literal months I might’ve lost sight of the whole point. Idk though. Cal is a cutie. 

TAGLIST: @omg-we-really-doo @chokemeanakin @anakinswhore @haztory @fanficsforheartandsoul @kit-jpg @ahsokatano-thetogruta

[gffa]

IF YOU STRIP CONTEXT OF THE REST OF THE SHOW--HELL, EVEN OF THE REST OF THIS EPISODE--FROM THIS SCENE, I can see how we should be siding entirely with Ahsoka, especially on the heels of the walkabout arc and her conflict with being drawn back towards the Jedi and the Jedi Order. Her points aren’t wrong, in the sense that she’s right that Obi-Wan is playing politics with this, but she’s stripping context and consequence out from the choice he faces and that’s specifically why he says, “That’s not fair.” and even Ahsoka herself says, “I’m not trying to be.” Her accusation is not fair. Because, let’s say that Obi-Wan did exactly what Ahsoka said--that he prioritized the people of Mandalore over saving the Chancellor.  We’re setting aside that this was a manipulation on Palpatine’s part and that Mandalore is a trap, only what we can see from Obi-Wan’s point of view and his motivations, his good faith assumptions on why rescuing the Chancellor is important. If they chose Mandalore over Coruscant, what would happen is: - They would be drawn into yet another war because they had broken a treaty, when they’re already stretched to the breaking point for this first war. - The Chancellor may be the one in trouble, but what does Ahsoka think will happen if the Chancellor dies or is ransomed back?  The Republic would be in chaos, the war effort is already balanced precariously, and none of them know that the Separatists aren’t the real threat.  Whatever good reasons many of the Separatists may have, they murder, enslave, and oppress the worlds they attack.  If the Republic loses the war, that’s what happens to every world in the Republic. - The Jedi might be more popular with people if they saved Mandalore, but would it really benefit the galaxy as a whole, given a good faith assumption on what these characters would know?  (There is no right answer to this question, of course.) Ahsoka is very nearly arguing for popularity over doing the more important thing, because this isn’t a situation where there aren’t consequences.  Mandalore needs their help, but so too does Coruscant and it’s not just about the Chancellor, it’s about the Republic as a whole.  And it even comes down to--why are politics bad?  I get that Ahsoka means that choosing your actions based on politics is a calculated sort of thing, but why is that bad?  Because Star Wars: Propaganda basically posited that that was the problem, that the Jedi didn’t play enough politics, that’s why their image was so bad. Ahsoka’s case for Mandalore could be argued to be the same thing--you want to win back the public’s faith, then you have to take this path.  That right there is politics, too. EVERYTHING IN THIS WAR IS POLITICS.  NOTHING CAN ESCAPE IT.  BECAUSE POLITICS IS EVERYTHING LIKE WE ARE LIVING IN A WORLD THAT HAS DEMONSTRATED THAT TO US VERY CLEARLY.  AND WE SHOULD ALL LEAN INTO POLITICS, RATHER THAN SEPARATING OURSELVES FROM THEM. If politics were inherently bad, we wouldn’t see characters like Padme Amidala, Bail Organa, and Mon Mothma--or, hell, even Leia Organa herself--as heroes.  Because politics are important!  You don’t have to be (and shouldn’t be) a full-time politician for politics to still be important.  That working within a system to help better it and be able to reach more people is a good thing. Further, this doesn’t come without context of earlier in the episode, Obi-Wan is specifically shown to be incredibly desiring of helping people--he basically caves to Anakin’s strategy based on Anakin’s argument that they can help people sooner:

That is right there in this very same episode.  Obi-Wan agrees to a reckless strategy specifically when Anakin points out that it can help people sooner. Obi-Wan Kenobi is not someone who doesn’t want to help people, that’s his whole thing! Further context, which isn’t specifically related to this particular issue, but does give context to Obi-Wan Kenobi as a character is everything with Bo-Katan seething over whether Satine even meant anything to him.  She did.  And she still does.  But he cannot allow his feelings to cloud his judgement--and that is something that is key to being a Jedi.

It reminds me of George Lucas’ commentary on attachment: “But [Anakin] has become attached to his mother and he will become attached to Padme and these things are, for a Jedi, who needs to have a clear mind and not be influenced by threats to their attachments, a dangerous situation. And it feeds into fear of losing things, which feeds into greed, wanting to keep things, wanting to keep his possessions and things that he should be letting go of. His fear of losing her turns to anger at losing her, which ultimately turns to revenge in wiping out the village.“  –George Lucas, Attack of the Clones commentary “He turns into Darth Vader because he gets attached to things. He can’t let go of his mother; he can’t let go of his girlfriend. He can’t let go of things.”  –George Lucas, Time Magazine interview (2002) The thing about Obi-Wan/Satine is that it was pretty clearly created to be a foil to Anakin/Padme (and, boyyyyyyyyy, is that abundantly clear in the scene with Bo-Katan where Anakin is STARING at Obi-Wan as he says this, as we all know Revenge of the Sith is looming riiiiiiiiight over our heads), where Obi-Wan and Satine do make the right choices about the vows they’ve taken to other aspects of their lives.  That they are balanced in a way that Anakin and Padme are not. Dave Filoni says it himself in the commentary for the Bad Batch arc, in this very season: “I mean, even Obi-Wan was in love with someone.  That’s not abnormal.  It’s very normal.  What you choose to do and how you choose to have a relationship, what you sacrifice, then that becomes a bigger deal when he’s made an oath to the Jedi Order to be selfless, to put everyone else ahead of himself.”  --Dave Filoni Obi-Wan’s feelings for Satine are very much a parallel and contrast for Anakin’s feelings for Padme, and we know exactly how that’s going to turn out for Anakin, because Revenge of the Sith looms incredibly large over this entire episode and this entire arc. ”He’s made an oath to put everyone else ahead of himself.” is something Obi-Wan has done and continues to uphold, so accusing him of politics is like--what does Obi-Wan gain by playing politics then?  He’s putting other people ahead of himself, so playing politics must be for that reason, too. Furthering this context, especially in tying it to what it means to be a Jedi, is commentary from “The Lawless”:

”And in that moment, that critical moment, he cannot seize on his anger and his hatred for Maul.  Though that’s probably there, deep within, he can’t seize on it or Maul will win, he knows that.  I think we learned a lot about Obi-Wan and what it means to be a true Jedi, which is what I see Obi-Wan as.“ –Dave Filoni, on “The Lawless” All of this is important to understand that, when Obi-Wan Kenobi talks about the choices one makes, about not letting his feelings cloud his judgement, he’s coming from a place of established narrative reliability. We want to side with Ahsoka, because her hurt is so genuine and valid.  Because she sees a problem with the way the galaxy views the Jedi and we know that the Jedi’s doom is soon upon them.  (And this is where I get wary of the show’s narrative potentially trying to say, “Well, they’re kind of responsible for their own genocide because they just weren’t nice enough to people and only helped so many people, that they should have done more and more and more.” because, no, fuck that idea for real, the Jedi are not responsible for their own genocide, certainly not based on anything in the canon!)  She wants to fix this problem and she’s coming at it with a choice that she thinks would restore faith in them. The problem is that the Jedi are being asked to make choices between what’s popular and what they see as doing more good for more people.  And there’s a great line from the Age of Republic - Padme Amidala comic that ties into these themes as well:

“But trying to serve the greater good doesn’t exactly make you popular.”  (Oh, hey, look!  More politics!) On first blush, the idea of helping the people of Mandalore over saving the Chancellor seems like the right thing to do because we know Palpatine is Sidious, we know that it leads to ROTS, we know that ROTS leads to the Empire, especially when Ahsoka ties it to the Jedi Order becoming unpopular with the galaxy.  But Obi-Wan points out that she’s not being fair.  He points out that the Republic is on the line.  I’m pointing out that everything is politics, one decision over the other isn’t less political just because it’s more intimate.  And it doesn’t come without context.  It’s not just the Chancellor, it’s bigger than that. And serving that greater good--as Obi-Wan genuinely sees it--doesn’t always make them popular. And still even further, this isn’t entirely about the Jedi Order’s politics, but it’s about Ahsoka’s own hurt at how the Jedi had to play politics with her, too.  She’s still hurt that they expelled her--though, as always, context shows that she gave them absolutely nothing to work with, she immediately distrusted them before they even heard anything, she refused to even send them a message, she attacked clones on her way out, she was seen colluding with a known Separatist war criminal, she was found with incredibly damning evidence, and still wouldn’t actually talk to them or ask them directly to trust her, and ultimately none of her own actions saved her, it was a Jedi who saved her--that this doesn’t negate that they made mistakes as well, they should have visited her in the jail, they were playing politics and it doesn’t matter to Ahsoka that their hands were forced--and that’s driving her conversation with Obi-Wan, especially as someone who is part of the Council that she feels betrayed her. And Obi-Wan’s coming at this from the point of view that she let her emotions cloud her judgement over what happened, that she reacted blindly rather than trusting them in the critical moment (and the theme of trust was allll over that arc), and she’s still coming from this from a place of emotion, but that he respects her choices in the end and he obviously still cares very much about her.

All of that is underlining the conversation and one of the things that makes it such a hellishly complicated scene here in “Old Friends Not Forgotten” is that both of them are pretty narratively reliable. They’re both coming from a place of deep care and a desire to help people. They’re both coming from a place wanting to do what’s best for people. Which is why I love that I think Ahsoka genuinely loves the Jedi Order and why she says, “people who truly need us”.  It furthers my feeling of how I think, had Order 66 not happened, she may have come back to the Jedi eventually, if this difference could be resolved, but at the very least she certainly never hated them.  This is all coming from a place of love for the Jedi, for her family.  Even if she’s on a different path, even if ultimately she’ll say, “I’m no Jedi.” in Rebels, that’s about what she’s willing to do, what lines she's willing to cross, that a Jedi wouldn’t, and that it doesn’t mean they’re not still her family and that she wants good things for and with them. And why I love that she may not be being fair here, she may be stripping context and consequence out of the choice she wants to make, she may be letting emotion cloud her judgement, but she’s still so incredibly valuable and I do think they should have listened to her more.  The Jedi’s genocide is not on them, the murder of an entire people can never be on the victims, but I do think Obi-Wan has so much weight on his shoulders that he has trouble seeing the forest for the trees.  And that’s not a horrible thing, especially because Ahsoka’s shoving the trees aside here. But that there was no right answer here.  Mandalore is a trap.  Mandalore is going to fall to the Empire anyway.   Coruscant is a trap.  Coruscant is going to fall to the Empire anyway.   It doesn’t matter if they choose Mandalore or Coruscant.  Order 66 is already set to be triggered any minute now, nothing can stop that.  Them being more popular wouldn’t have saved them from it, not in a galaxy where the Republic general public was apathetic enough to not stand up against the Separatist themselves, instead allowed a clone army to be commissioned and the Jedi to be drafted into the war.  They wouldn’t stand up for themselves against the Separatists, they weren’t going to stand up for the genocide of a tiny religious culture, either.  It doesn’t even matter if the Jedi fought in the war or not--fight and be killed.  Don’t fight and they’ll be like Mandalore and be forced into it anyway or killed. That the Jedi were forced to make shitty choices in situations where there weren’t any right answers and get blamed for not having magical answers to problems that they cannot possible solve. What really brought that home to me was the way the scene ended--when Anakin offered an actual reasonable, viable solution (something that most people don’t offer the Jedi when saying what they should or shouldn’t do, they’re rarely given actual, workable options) where they could do both, Obi-Wan pretty readily jumped on it.

This shows that of course the Jedi want to help, whenever and wherever they can.  Not going to Mandalore isn’t that they don’t care or that they don’t want to help, but that there are two tire fires put in front of them and they didn’t see a reasonable way to do both, and Coruscant, as the capital of the Republic, which is the only body that can possibly stand between the Separatists and the enslavement/oppression/murder of thousands of worlds, must be protected. (Just look what happens when the Republic and the Jedi fall--the Empire inflicted atrocity after atrocity on the galaxy, which says to me that the Jedi were right in that the Republic had to be defended because it was all that stood between the galaxy and a lot of really evil things happening.) Ultimately, the only thing that the Jedi could really do that mattered is that they helped save people--people like Hera Syndulla--and they did do that.  And the accusation that they’re not trying to help people is not a fair one.  Even when it comes from a place of deep care.  And that’s why this scene was ouchy in such a good way, it really was an amazing episode to watch!

[sepublic]

Barrel’s Warhammer!

           YYYYOOOOOO SASHA!!!!

           She really is the epitome, the pinnacle, of gaslight, gatekeep, girlboss! I love Sasha, she’s such an utter mess, morally ambiguous and then downright terrible in so many ways, and genuinely unhinged in just as many! She’s a freaking riot and SUCH an amazing character, y’all!

           In general, I adore how Toads are handled in this show! Yeah, they’re big and brutish and used as thugs… But the show still clearly portrays them as people, and some of them are terrible like Bog, but others are just trying to live their lives, like Percy and Braddock! And how they’re all clearly working with this ascribed role as Andrias’ enforcers and iron fist across Amphibia, how they’re encouraged to be cruel brutes… But they’re still people and they’re still oppressed, which is why Grime is leading his rebellion! Good for him, good for THEM!

           Also… GRIMMITY?!?! Beatrix?! Grime LORE! I like how Beatrix and Grime have blind eyes on opposite sides, and Sasha roasting Bufo by naturally connecting his name to Buffoon, WONDERFUL! Aldo’s also a legendary, killer design, he reminds me of VLD Zarkon, old and decrepit and fanged and clearly has seen a LOT of stuff, a real warrior of his time… Honestly, getting a look into the Toads and THEIR complicated role in this story, as the ‘bad guys’ but not really, there’s more to them; It’s such a fit to Sasha’s character, and I LOVE how she’s such an utter brute for someone who normally seems accustomed to using honey over vinegar to attract flies (to feed her Toads)! She’s nuts, she’s great.

           I love the explanation for the eye symbol, I love Sasha really getting to appreciate Percy and Braddock, and for a moment I thought she really was learning her lesson… When she gave them an out, I thought maybe she took what happened with Anne to heart, but now…! Maybe this is what she’s always done; Made empty promises. God, I love this little arc for her character, how she wants to be a good friend, but she keeps valuing power and control over all else…

           AND HER RAGE! HER JEALOUSY! At Anne and Marcy being with each other, leaving her out, Sasha’s mind jumping to all of the worst conclusions, and how THAT anger is what unlocks her gem power, not heroism or anything else! Sasha’s such a complex and messed-up character but you can’t help but root for her, she really IS a Problematic Fave! God, with how she’s going to meet Anne in a volcano, and the whole “Sasha is Anakin and Anne is Obi-Wan” just WRITES itself, with Sasha angrily accusing Anne of turning Marcy against her, Anne retorting that Sasha did that herself, etc.!

           God Sasha’s such a complicated mess and ball of unresolved emotions and contradictions, denial that’s insisting everything’s fine when it’s really not… She’s a manipulator who prefers to be hands-off, yet is also somehow the raw brute with unthinking, unyielding strength! She’s utterly terrifying, no wonder all of the Toads are in awe of her ferocity and power!

           Also, I like how Barrel’s Warhammer was included; At first I wondered WHY the Narwhal Worm would guard the weapon used by the Toad who fought it, but as we can clearly see… Barrel must’ve conked it out BADLY with his Warhammer, knocking it out, and the hammer has been stuck since! And once more, the hammer has been slammed into the worm… And in general, I love seeing the Toads just ROOT around Sasha and Grime, I love seeing villainous characters get to go feral and unhinged as you root for them, as THEY rise up and fight against all odds as the underdogs!

           Percy and Braddock and the gag with the kawaii poses was great, but it’s also sad to see them go! They’re definitely a wake-up call for Sasha and I like it, I wonder if you could parallel them, one-by-one, to Anne and Marcy respectively? Perhaps Anne and Marcy were initially not taken seriously by Sasha at first, but ultimately she DID grow to care for them and not just as ‘tools’, who knows? With Anne and Percy and Braddock, I think Sasha’s going to have to reconsider things… And GRIME, how he just sort of accepts that, yeah, you gotta lose people to achieve a goal! I could see him being a bad influence to Sasha, unintentionally- Like her, he means well, they’re really great parallels to one another!

           Like, Sasha and Grime are both brutes, power-hungry, and wanting control, but Sasha prefers subtlety and manipulation, appeals to both her and others’ emotions, while Grime prefers to be raw and unthinking strength, he’s a seasoned veteran from combat, while Sasha is likely a rich kid, young and learning… They’re such a dynamic duo with a lot to teach one another! Maybe Grime sees himself in Sasha; Himself when HE was a kid… Maybe when he was a gladiator, he had friends but left them behind to be promoted to Captain? I wonder if Beatrix has anything to say on this, too…

           Could Beatrix provide insight to Grimmity? Did Grime leave her behind in a sense…? Does SASHA have a sibling, and that leads to her weird power complex, as another parallel to Grime! Either way it’s sweet, I adore the dynamic of two horrible people who are good friends and bad, enabling influences to each other… Being problematic faves, you can’t help but cringe at their mistakes but also cheer as they win as underdogs and turn the tables on their enemies! I like how Sasha is still supportive of Grime and vice-versa, Grime’s guiding this kid, but Sasha’s fully supporting Grime as the de-facto leader and backing him up, not trying to seize control!

           I think it really parallels Anne, how she just wanted to get back home… But somewhere along the way, she realizes how much she loves and enjoys this, and values her friend! And maybe it could lead to Sasha not wanting to head back home after all, especially if there’s nothing there for her; Which could play into her keeping all of her gem powers as she opposes Andrias openly, while Anne has some of her power because again, she’s more neutral, and then Marcy has none because she’s fully bought into the Newt King’s schtick!

           Also, it’s funny that Sasha is no doubt feeling betrayed, like her trust has been jeopardized by Anne and Marcy, considering she did the same to Anne in Reunion! Lying to her about what she intended to do with the Frogs… It’s wonderfully hypocritical and this kid does NOT want self-awareness, she’ll toy with it for a bit, but then immediately backpedal! Get better and well Sasha, for everyone’s sake… The confrontation and paranoia as she loses her friends and only has Grime, who means well but isn’t so great himself, is also nice!

           Honestly, there’s even a parallel to the idea of Sasha meaning well, only to be ruined by her own toxicity… And Grime wanting a better life for Toads in his revolution, but still allowing a hierarchy to exist by the end of the day, instead of abolishing it for all! They both have good ideas and initiative, but it’s ruined by Sasha and Grime not backing down on certain things and not listening to others, being SO sure they’re right… Very compelling stuff. Now I’m starting to wonder if Sasha will be open to Anne about her suspicions, if they WILL get along for the Third Temple…

           …Or if she’ll try to manipulate and fool her again, thinking that SHE’s been betrayed herself! And maybe Sasha will realize her faults in the battle of Newtopia, only for it to be too late, Anne has been too betrayed, Sasha has only herself (and, well, Andrias) to blame! In the meantime, as Sasha no doubt embraces her role as a rebel, but also unknowingly as a hero against Andrias and his master… I can see her tapping more into her gem powers and actually using them as part of her rage, hence the shots we see from the Third Temple! She’s going to be terrifying, y’all, and even more of a match for Yunnan at this point… And Anne, poor Anne’s going to be caught between TWO toxic friends!

           Both mean well, but both have other bad points… And it just means Anne’s gonna have to forge her own path, make her own decisions and group and faction, be her own person and take initiative once more! But it’s also gonna be lonely and could contribute to more trust issues along the way… And maybe she’ll think she can only trust herself, only do things on her own, and how this might pair badly with her selfless martyr-complex. We’ll have to wait and see, though… We’ll have to wait and see.