#love all of them from the tcw set

[forgetfulmachineart]

[ID: A digital drawing of Grian looking upset. He’s holding a purple sword, a pizza banner, tnt, and a bouquet or poppies and lilacs. The background is the Monopoly Mountain Mansion and the edges of the drawing are burned. /End ID]

@cherrifire’s dtiys! This was so much fun to do :D

[purplemoonfox]

On and in defense of Commander Fox and the Corries, and why I think they were set up to fail

Summary at the bottom because I like to go on.

Things we know for sure about clones and Fox and the Corries in the strictest canon sense (which ain't a lot):

1. They are stationed on Coruscant.

That is definitional, now remember what Coruscant is.

2. They have no Jedi in charge of the Guard, they report directly to Palpatine.

Although I adore the fanon that Quinlan Vos is their Jedi, it’s not canon.

3. Clones love their brothers dearly.

That is almost without exception, even the clones we see acting against the Republic (hi Slick) at least believe they were acting in their brother’s interests.

4. They seem to accrue extra responsibilities as the war goes on, up to the point of being the ones we see Palpatine with in ROTS.

Even if they don’t, the idea of a law enforcement/military unit answerable only to Palpatine is a shit idea. There’s reasons people worry about accountability in real life, and sneaky little shits who act all nice and innocent at first but eventually show their true colors once they have power in the bag is one of them.

These are all very obvious.

In very short terms, it's very likely Palpatine uses the Coruscant Guard to sow public dissatisfaction.

And all those that hate Fox fall for it by proxy, because I think you're essentially seeing of him (and the Guard, and by extension the clones) what Palpatine wants the public to see and think of clones.

The Coruscant Guard are probably the most consistently accessible and visible of the clones in the galaxy to its biggest cultural and political hub. Most of the time the 501st or 212th or any other seems to drop in, fights a battle, and apparently fucks off afterwards? Obviously, planets like Ryloth have a stronger personal connection--some GAR contingent seem to have been there practically the whole damn war and Howzer was obviously very familiar with the Syndullas, and they with him (and look how personable Howzer is, and how quickly and somehow easily he extricates himself from the rationale clones held about their orders; maybe it makes sense to think of it like how leaving your little hometown where everybody thinks the same affects a person)--but otherwise I feel like the clones, to the rest of the galaxy, are (expensive) theoretical constructs.

The vast majority of the public aren't likely to have any personal experience with a clone, let alone a develop personal rapport with one, unless they happen to go to specific places like 79s where they can be found, and that still doesn't necessarily lend itself to extended relationships since most of the clone patrons would only be on Coruscant temporarily. Some fics portray clones as being refused entrance to establishments (especially later in the war when people were protesting clones themselves) or restricted in where they can go (like grocery stores, etc.). I think that's plausible, even realistic--but it doesn't seem to be a focus of canon aside from showing some protests so I'll let it alone.

What we know of that IS canon is that clones aren't allowed to even think about having families or doing anything with their lives besides being soldiers (even though all of them have thought about it, even just secretly; I'd wager that all of them have secret dreams they don't share); it's against regulations as we see with Cut Lawquane in season one of TCW. So to effect this, clones are probably actively or passively discouraged from forming close friendly relationships with anyone who isn't a clone and who they have no reason to be speaking with—aka most people besides Jedi (and if the fanon can be believed, if decommissioning/euthanization is a concern, they would have the motivation to avoid even the perception of such a relationship). Obviously there are going to be exceptions, but you can scrutinize a stable population a lot better than an itinerant one.

The point is, if your only tangible frame of reference is a rigid hall monitor that doesn't demonstrate much of a personality (even though clones have real, complex personal lives beneath that surface) and is behind a faceless mask--and we see so little of the Guard that what exists of their personalities is, let's be real, nearly all fanon--then you never really have a chance to acquire a sense of their humanity, and a strict enforcement of regulations tends to breed resentment in a population for whom strict adherence to regulations isn’t normalized. There will be cultural differences in play.

This is not the clones' fault, they neither asked to be created nor put into this position, they’re only doing what they’ve been asked to do, but it plays directly into Palpatine's goals.

Moving on.

Sure, the Guard answers to Palpatine in the chain of command, and we see them actively serving him in ROTS, but Palpatine definitely isn't doing shit for fuck for the Guard's administration in a daily sense, so Fox basically runs that whole bitch by himself in every practical sense--a clone, with no rights of his own, considered property, in a situation increasingly hostile to him and his.

Now let's think about the clones we see: as far as we can tell, clones' social lives are largely insular. They mostly see and talk to each other, and that's not necessarily by nefarious design (as discussed above), that's just what happens (military people tend to hang out with other military people, that’s just how it is; you’ll spend most of your day around other military people, most likely stationed in a place you’re not so familiar with that it’s easy to do anything else). Remember: we as viewers get access and insight that people in-universe don't.

And, significantly:

The Corries do not have a Jedi. The Jedi see value in their lives beyond their merely being expendable, faceless, and unthinkingly obedient droids wearing flesh, this point was made multiple times--and the Jedi are able to walk the line between orders and the bigger picture, which rubs off on the men they lead. Go watch Nala Se’s (bitch can catch these hands) comments about the Jedi’s influence on the clones when she’s speaking to Dooku.

I can see leaving the Corries without a Jedi being another saccharine, oh-so-magnanimous moment from Palpatine (he has so many of these) in the vein of expressing confidence in the clones' capability and in being very undemanding of the Jedi, in order to “free up” Jedi (whom he so totally trusts) to fight the war…but in effect leaving the Guard without anyone familiar with Coruscant and equipped to play referee with the environment and peoples they're bound to serve, and with no one batting in their corner or showing them any other way to exist and think.

On a side note:

Fox is an interesting clone commander anyway, not least because he doesn't have a Jedi to bounce off of. In a sense, whether or not Fox had his chip activated, we’re probably seeing how a clone commander was originally going to behave on their own initiative: see problem, address problem, think no more deeply than that. The Kaminoans did not want creative thinking in the clones. The clones were trained to fight the enemy they’re pointed at with singleminded intent, it stands to reason that that straightforward directness would transfer to other instances which might have been more kindly served by a different mindset. Their mindset isn’t even like a real life military where you’re still obligated to think about the nature of what you’re ordered to do—just following orders hasn’t been a valid defense since 1945.

TBH I've got a lot to say about fandom, the fetishization of actual violence through the lionization of fictional violence (although I don't think that fictional violence breeds actual violence; rather, I think people who were already interested in it go looking for things they think reflect their beliefs), and why we even have war crimes as a concept (and the absolute ignorance perpetrated by an increasingly illiterate populace), but...

I digress.

You cannot claim to have sympathy for clones without acknowledging their humanity and that includes for the ones who didn’t have the chance to grow beyond the limitations built around them. It was awful that Fox killed Fives, but it’s a tragedy like so much else in this franchise, not proof that Fox is awful. Part of the horror of what we see everyone go through in clone wars is how many times Palpatine’s plans almost derail but it never happens.

If your complaint is that Fox didn’t think any more deeply than what was right in front of him in the moment, remember that that’s exactly what’s been expected of Fox and all other clones: obey orders, and it’s not their role to determine what those orders are. Abstractions are for those who are not expendable, made to die. Orders are orders, and good soldiers do what again? He quite literally all but says “my opinion doesn’t matter” when he tells Ahsoka that he doesn’t blame her for (apparently) killing Letta, but she’s under arrest anyway.

Fox is put in a position of having to wield authority in a very different way than any other clone commander, has no direct support from or evident collaboration with the one group of people who generally see clones as living beings worthy of compassion, and deals with the public while having been trained to lead a war campaign. His is a war of attrition, not dropping in on a planet and fighting a battle, and he’s responsible specifically to Palpatine, who is literally the big bad. Fanon tends to think that Palpatine either activated his chip early or tortured him; honestly either one tracks, it's Palpatine after all--and in two major instances, we don't see what Palpatine says, to Fives or to Fox--but the fucker is a masterful manipulator so anything and everything is still on the table.

But in the midst of all this, because clones aren’t unthinking or unfeeling, and the dissonance is tragic but not absent:

Clones do give a shit about their brothers. Fox is no exception; he's audibly upset when he asserts that Ahsoka killed three troopers. And the immediate order to shoot to kill is pragmatic--he only issues it after he believes she was willing to kill clones to escape. That’s a fair order; if she’s willing to kill clones as he believes she did, then his men should at least be able to defend themselves as well as they can. See issue, address issue.

I mean. Shit, he doesn’t stick around after he shot Fives; we see his face once and that is not a triumphant posture. If he wanted to gloat or be an asshole about it he had the chance. Rex probably would've gone for the throat, but he had the chance.

The way he dies also suggests this. He could have thrown somebody else under the bus--called the men who fired on Vader defective, shifted blame somewhere else, somehow. He did not. There was one thing Fox ever had control over in his life, and that was how much he let anyone else take the fall. Hell, his answer wasn't even that bad, but Anakin (who is on my permanent shit list for not putting two and two together from the Sifo-Dyas reveal and what Fives told him earlier) probably did have it out for him, because Vader is an asshole. He's a Sith, it comes with the territory.

So, to summarize:

Clones are trained from decanting to do as they're told regardless of their personal feelings, and Fox in nearly so many words states that he acts regardless of his personal feelings. He is not likely to be in a position where he's shown a different way to behave, or interact with anyone that does anything but reinforce that expectation.

(Side note, I feel like Palpatine would have a great time tormenting Fox by sending him off to do shit he personally disagrees with but is technically correct according to the letter of the law..................)

Fox essentially is on his own in an environment unlike what most clone commanders deal with that he probably wasn't trained to understand much of (cultural understanding is important); it's rather likely the Guard hews very close to their training because of that. They'll stick to what's familiar and what's expected of them as they understand it. That is a very normal human response.

Leaving the Corries without a Jedi means that, as well as lacking anyone who sees them as individuals worth more the money it cost to make them and who treats them as such, they lack a go-between and likely familiarity with the population they're policing but are subordinate to, legally speaking, as clones are seen as government property, not people. This is going to breed resentment; somebody is going to bitch that no clone has the right to do bla bla bla.

The vast majority of the galaxy is going to take cues from Coruscant whether they like admitting it or not. If Coruscant has a bad impression of clones, then the vast majority of the galaxy—for whom the clones are (expensive) theoretical constructs—will have a bad impression of clones. Clones may not be in a position to pursue close relationships with someone not in their near orbit, and may be likely to actually avoid them because of regulations.

The vast majority of the galaxy would likely see them as unthinking, rigid hall monitors (whereas non-clone troopers, stormtroopers, think for ourselves and we wouldn’t act that way..........).

Which all gives Palpatine an excuse to give in soooo magnanimously to the public's demands to stop using clones as troops.

[lieutenant-teach]

I find it almost impossible to read Dinluke fics without witnessing ‘fandom osmosis’ idiocy. Esp those ones that are set in-universe, after ‘The Mandalorian’ s2.

‘The Jedi are not baby-snatchers anymore thanks to Luke!’ – you confused Jedi and Sith. Rewatch TCW.

‘Jedi despised stupid familiar bonds, but Luke doesn’t anymore, he loves his sister more!’ – Jedi never ‘despised’ families. Also, probably, if Luke wants to commit to his family – then he shouldn’t become a monk? The Jedi are monks, you know? And anyway, canonically Luke is very capable of Jedi-y letting go, he doesn’t have any problems with loving his family and being a Jedi.

Often it goes hand by hand with Luke coming to Din and them creating a nuclear family ‘because Grogu needs his dad!’. Canonically, Grogu is raised as a Jedi (fuck s3 retcon, because Disney wanted money from DinGrogu brand). In the end of s2 he lets Din go, he’s capable of living without his foster father.

It’s not uncommon that Luke eventually joins Mandalorian culture, throwing Jedi-ing out of the window. I won’t even comment on it – obviously a warmongering culture is preferable over a peacekeeping one. Because the latter doesn’t encourage having spouses and kids in a common sense. /s

As a cherry on the top – ‘poor Anakin never was given a chance to love his son properly, because Jedi never allowed him. He’d be such a good dad!’ – yeah, sure. The same guy who choked his pregnant wife. Even in the sweetest fix-it I cannot imagine Anakin becoming even a decent father without tons of therapy before.

I love Dinluke, but are there any fics that are NOT shitting all over Luke’s culture? (Btw, Luke’s a Jedi, less of a Tatooinian, his Tatooine heritage is not important to the canonical story at all, he seems quite happy to leave the planet behind and commit to Jedi).

[kcrabb88]

QuinObi Fic Rec List

QuinObi week isn't until October, but like I did last year, I wanted to drop some of my favorite QuinObi fics to get y'all excited! This list is not exhaustive, just a starter, but I hope you'll enjoy!

Hush by @violentcheese: a gorgeous Padawan first kiss fic! Made me a bit teary, tbh.

Don't Waste Your Treat by @ninjigma: Obi-Wan and Quinlan are on a diplomatic mission. They bicker over a popsicle and are very into each other. This fic had me sweating. <3

Flu Season by @coruscantrhapsody: Padawan Obi-Wan has a huge crush on Quin (which is definitely returned). A QuinObi Week 2023 fic by my bestie

Reach For My Hand by jelucan: Quinlan was presumed dead but it turns out he wasn't. He and Obi-Wan wander through Coruscant and have feelings. This is one of my personal fave fics for these two.

With a Little Help From My Friends by @palfriendpatine66: Quin, Obi-Wan, and Siri are best-friends-with-benefits. A piece from last year's QuinObi week that I adored!

On Your Best Behavior by wanderingjedihistorian: Obi-Wan and Quinlan accidentally get married on a mission. Why not have a wedding night?

To Our Halcyon Days by @lothcatthree and @krispyscreams: Obi-Wan and Quin reunite during the empire when Quin finds out their son Cal is alive. A great and super romantic multi-chapter!!

Shaking From Holding You Back by @ashinaburrito: Obi-Wan rips Tarkin a new one when he's rude to Cody, and Quinlan thinks that's hot. Smut ensues in a closet.

Counting to Coruscant by @fanfic-phoenix. This whole series is WONDERFUL and has everything from Padawan Obi-Wan and Quinlan to their lives during the war (and the moments of romance they're able to snag) to the aftermath of Rako Hardeen. Super super recommend!

Red and Orange Beacons Go Forth by @ashinaburrito: Quinlan gets caught in a psychometric vision and Aayla calls Obi-Wan for help.

Betrayal by @brachiosaurus-on: Obi-Wan and Quinlan reunite in the OWK show era. Beautiful, Beatiful fic.

Ride Around the Moon for a Velvet Kiss by blackkat: Snarky and wonderfully in character smut set during the Clone Wars.

Stumbling on the Way Home by CapGirlCanuck: a comics based one-shot that pays homage to Obi-Wan and Quinlan's long friendship. Lovely.

The Beach by @lilywhoisapotato: Stranded on an uninhabited planet, Obi-Wan blames himself for their predicament. Luckily, Quinlan knows how to cheer him up.

Liability by KCKenobi: Quinlan takes care of Obi-Wan after Qui-Gon's death.

Everything They Shouldn't Be by @noncanonship: After Obi-Wan's Starfighter suffers an unplanned fall out of hyperspace, he finds himself stranded near Karfeddion, exactly where Quinlan Vos is on a longterm undercover mission. Obi-Wan intends to avoid Quinlan in order to protect his cover, but the Force has other plans.

I'm going to be annoying and include a few of my own QuinObi fics (there are many because I love these two but I won't list them all):

Kill the Lights: Fix-it that centers on changing the Fives incident in TCW. Quinlan searches for a captive Obi-Wan with Anakin, Padme, and the Jedi's help. Featuring huge amounts of QuinObi (with lore I created based lightly off the Orpheus and Eurydice myth, but happier in the end).

Blood Makes Noise: My QuinObi-centric AIDS Crisis AU set in 80s/90s New York.

After the War (Part the First): It's Quinlan who goes on the Rako Hardeen mission.

After the War (Part the Second): Obi-Wan and Quin reunite via the Hidden Path

Always a Little in Love: Post-Geonosis. Quinlan bursts into Obi-Wan's room to yell at him for almost getting killed. Obi-Wan wants to forget about the war in it's infancy. Feelsy smut ensues.

Forty Years of Knowing: Obi-Wan and Quin commit to each other and extremely tender smut happens. Set in my RoTS fix-it verse but can be read on it's own.

Shoulder the Sky Verse: My RoTS Fix-It verse, including the initial RoTS AU of the same name, and it's sequel, Whispers from the Dead, as well as several one-shots. STS features QuinObi friends-with-benefits-to-exclusivity and WFTD has them in a committed relationship (and said relationship is a big part of the fic).

[gffa]

I want to be optimistic about Skeleton Crew, but after all the bullshit from The Acolyte, I’m afraid they’ll use the series too to bash the Jedi some more.

Honestly, I'll give the same advice that I gave about The Acolyte: Whatever it ends up doing, if you're not in the headspace for it, set your filters to blacklist it and, by and large, you will not see anything about it on your dash! If you blacklist "the acolyte" in your filters, how much do you really even see? You can do the same for Skeleton Crew and avoid the majority of it, too! Ultimately, we have what we need--we have the first six movies, we have the animated series, we have the books and comics we like, and we have a nicely sized corner here in fandom. Yeah, sometimes people will try to cram their way into our spaces and be assholes to us, but you can block them for their shitty behavior and vent with friends about how people don't know how to act towards real people over fictional stories. Because this is a fictional story. And it's not even a story from the guy who created Star Wars! It'll be nice if it's a fun series, but we don't actually need it, and we can't live or die based on how the wider fandom treats the Jedi if it creates a new wave of bashing, we might as well leave Star Wars fandom right now if we're going to let them dictate our moods about it, you know?

Blacklist if if you're not in the headspace for it and refocus on the things you do love! Pour some of that energy into talking about a scene from the movies or TCW or a book you liked instead, create something that other Jedi fans will see in the tag and go, yeah, this makes me happy to see! Because at the end of the day, isn't that the fandom we want? A fun place to reblog things that make us feel warm and happy?

[gizkalord]

I've noticed newer media about tcw era anakin and ahsoka is generally more angsty and has touched more upon anakin's tough love teaching style (aka tales of the jedi ep), and this episode in particular portrays... idk, a degree of emotional unavailability on anakin's end? which is kind of fascinating because it's somewhat incongruent with their actual tcw portrayal which tended to put a lighthearted spin on things—i think it's partly because newer content is made knowing that the main fanbase has aged up, partly because the deep ins and outs of their dynamic was never the main focus, and partly because filoni's own opinions have developed over the years.

at the same time, this is also something that i've kind of suspected for a while?? anakin's whole deal is chronically bottling up his extremely strong internal emotions, so i don't think it's unrealistic that he seems distant/closed off and then sublimates those feelings into extremely overprotective actions and harsh training. which then also doubly explains why ahsoka was always so frustrated by that in earlier tcw arcs, because from her perspective, it's like he's wanting her to be super independent but then is also simultaneously overbearing.

i've always felt they've never had a "talking" kind of relationship (see: old friends not forgotten), and all of this fits with that idea. that being said, both the totj ep and the ryloth vision are set earlier in their relationship, which tracks with how i believe things improved with time as they got to know each other better, with ahsoka in particular getting a better grasp on the more unsaid things between them.

anyways, it's all very interesting and i'm glad their relationship is being shown as complex and messy, because it was!! they both cared SO deeply about each other, but their respective inability to properly communicate and open up when it mattered doomed them, especially in the setting of such a high stress/trauma situation.

[leapingbadger]

Back from the Dead (A CodyWan Story)

I feel the need to apologize for how frequently I'm posting about these two! I just love them so much. Just in time for Valentines Day, a little fluff and love for my favorite ship! Hope you enjoy!

Summary: Obi Wan is dealing with the ramifications after faking his death and going undercover as bounty Hunter, Rako Hardeen (TCW S4E15-18). While relationships are strained with Anakin and Ahsoka, Obi Wan desperately wants to make things right with Commander Cody. Through these unusual circumstances both men have learned how important the other is to them

Obi Wan sighed as he took in his reflection in the mirror. He ran his hand over his short, buzzed hair. It hadn’t been this short since he was a padawan. The stubble of his beard was also short and scratchy as he ran his hand over that too. He struggled to see himself looking back at him and hoped more than anything those important to him wouldn’t struggle in the same way.

He had been back in Coruscant for a couple of days since his undercover ordeal as Rako Hardeen. Impersonating the bounty hunter had been a means to an end but he had underestimated the quake of grief and disruption he would leave behind.

Anakin was still struggling to be in the same room with him without scowling or outward aggression. Even Ahsoka, who had been much more understanding, didn’t look at him the same way as before.

Today was the first day he would be rejoining his battalion after some much needed rest and Obi Wan took a deep breath to try and steady the nerves that fluttered in his stomach. He hadn’t seen his men in weeks. It had been longer still since he’d seen Cody.

Things had been good between them, before all of this. Stollen kisses after battle briefings, dinner dates in Coruscant’s underbelly, warm evenings in Obi Wan’s quarters in the Jedi temple. He felt a pain in his chest at the thought that it could all be lost at this point. The trust broken, never to be repaired.

He sighed as he adjusted his robes, clipped his lightsaber to his belt and stood back. He pulled a face in the mirror; he couldn’t wait for his hair to grow back.

The news of Obi Wan’s survival had spread as quickly as the news of his premature death. By the time he set foot on the Venator, the clones of his battalion were already smiling widely at his return. Those wearing their helmets waved happily.

“Good to have you back, Sir.” One said as he passed.

“Glad you’re still with us, Sir.” An officer said with a salute.

Obi Wan felt another pang of guilt for his deception. No matter how many times he told himself he did what he had to do, the regret persisted.

The Jedi breathed deeply as he made his way to the bridge. The flutters in his stomach only grew with the knowledge that Cody would be there. Obi Wan’s stomach flipped as he pressed the door release and entered the dimly lit room. His eyes searched for the familiar white and orange armor. He deflated slightly upon realizing it wasn’t there. He wasn’t there.

“Ah, General Kenobi,” Admiral Yularen said as he crossed the room, “welcome back.”

“Thank you, Admiral.” Kenobi responded pleasantly, trying his best to keep his eyes from searching the room further.

“We will be jumping to hyperspace momentarily.” Yularen said, turning his attention to one of the consoles.

“Understood. You wouldn’t know where my Commander is, per chance?”

Yularen looked around distractedly, “I can’t say I’ve seen Commander Cody yet today.”

Obi Wan nodded his understanding “I should ready my men,” he said, leaving the bridge and continuing down the hallway towards the barracks in his search of his Commander.

***

Cody stopped abruptly at the site of swishing Jedi robes at the end of the corridor. The hood lowered to reveal a Jedi knight he only recognized by site. He knew Obi Wan was on the ship somewhere. He had been stopped numerous times by his brothers celebrating the return of their General.

Cody, of course, wanted to celebrate too. His desperate desire to find Obi Wan and throw his arms around him, bury his face in his neck, and kiss him deeply and in front of everyone was stemmed by his complicated feelings.

There was frustration and even anger. He had wanted nothing more than to murder the man who had taken Obi Wan from him. To watch as the light faded from his eyes. He hadn’t been sure where to redirect those feelings since he’d discovered the truth. The Jedi Council? The Republic? Obi Wan himself?

He was a soldier. If anyone understood Obi Wan needing to disappear, to fake his own death for a mission, it should have been Cody. And still he struggled, not only with the supposed death itself, but how it had made him feel.

Cody had mourned his General, his Jedi, deeply and privately. He hadn’t been able to show the outward grief of Ahsoka or Anakin, had only been able to nod mournfully as the Jedi discussed his untimely death as the “will of the Force”. He hadn’t even been able to attend the funeral.

The reality of the pain he had felt, the physical pain, in thinking Obi Wan was lost from the Galaxy was something no blaster bolt of vibroblade could ever cause. The alarming thing about Obi Wan’s death had been how starkly it had shown Cody the depth of his feelings for him. And how he couldn’t possibly be without him. It was frightening to love someone so much and know you could never truly have them.

“A credit for your thoughts?” a smooth voice sounded behind him.

Cody swung around and pulled his helmet off so he could look at Obi Wan with his own eyes. The Jedi stood with his hands clasped around his back.  His hair was shorter than Cody had ever seen, his ginger beard shaved close to his skin. Cody’s fingers itched to reach for it, but the constant movement in the corridor made him think better of it.

“Hello, Sir,” Cody said as last, breathlessly. He felt his heart pounding in his chest. Obi Wan may not look like himself, but he was still a sight for sore eyes. The Jedi’s smile could still make his knees weak.

“It’s good to see you, Commander.” Obi Wan said, the smile on his face made the corners of his eyes crinkle pleasantly. He stood a step too close for a casual conversation with his Commander and Obi Wan knew it. It was deliberate and he didn’t seem to care.

“You too, Sir. I’m…I’m glad you’re…here.” Cody finished lamely. It wasn’t what he wanted to say, what he’d planned to say since he’d been informed of Obi Wan’s survival, but he supposed it would have to do.

“As am I, Cody.” Obi Wan said. “Shall we?” he asked.

They made their way to the bridge and spent most of the day camped in front of the holotable with other clones, looking through battle plans and coordinating with other ships.

Cody found himself looking at Obi wan out of the corner of his eye, as though making sure he was still there. The blue swirls of hyperspace gave the Jedi a pale pallor of death and Cody couldn’t help but shudder.

“Are you alright, Commander?” Obi Wan whispered to him.

“I’m fine.” Cody said dismissively. He continued to feel Obi Wan’s eyes on him.

By the time shift change rolled around, Cody was ready to escape. Every feeling was bubbling inside him and making it impossible for him to keep them straight.

“Would you care for a nightcap, Commander?” Obi Wan asked as they made their way through the quiet corridors.

Cody paused. He wanted nothing more than some alone time with Obi Wan, but for some reason he hesitated.

“I…um…I think I need to get some rest, Sir.” He said formerly. He tapped his fingers on the edge of his helmet that was tucked under his arm nervously.

“I understand, Cody. But I have something I would like to say, and I would be most advantageous if it were said in private.”

Cody nodded and wordlessly followed as the Jedi led him down the corridor to his quarters. He watched as he punched in the code and followed him into the dark room.

Obi Wan turned on a low light, took off his outer robe and threw it casually onto his bed. Cody stayed just inside the door, unsure where to stand in a room he had once been so familiar with.

“Would you like a drink?” Obi Wan asked, pouring himself a glass of amber liquid.

Cody shook his head, “I don’t think that would be a good idea, Sir.”

Obi Wan raised his eyebrows, “Sir?” he asked questioningly.

“Obi Wan,” Cody corrected.

Obi Wan sank onto the edge of the bed and sighed, “I feel I have done greater damage than I could have ever anticipated with my deception, Cody. I am sorry for any pain I may have caused you. I would try to justify it. But if my recent experience is anything to go by, it won’t do much good.”

“You don’t need to apologize to me, Sir. You were doing your job.”

“I am not apologizing to you as your General, Cody. I’m apologizing to you because you’re…”

Obi Wan paused and Cody let the silence hang in the air. What was he to Obi Wan? He’d never really asked. He knew the Jedi cared for him, wanted him, but he wasn’t sure what any of it meant. Could Jedi love? Was that even allowed?

“What? What am I, Obi Wan?” Cody prompted softly as the silence continued to linger.

Obi Wan took a deep gulp of his drink and set it aside. He got up and crossed to the Commander, taking his helmet out of his hand and tracing the scar on the left side of his face ever so lightly with his fingertips.

“My lover. My dear. My everything.” He said quietly, punctuating every word with a kiss, first on the forehead, then on each cheek. His lips lingered above Cody’s as though waiting for permission.

Cody let out a shuddering breath and pulled the Jedi to him. The heat radiating from the kiss could have turned a star supernova. The Jedi’s lips pulled all of Cody’s anger, hurt, grief, and loss out of his body. He was reborn as Obi Wan had been reborn.

Cody’s hands reached for Obi Wan’s hair, hoping the rake his fingers through it as he had done so many times, he felt the stubble of his buzz cut and paused, pulling his lips away just enough to say, “I hate the haircut.”

He heard a chuckle rumble in Obi Wan’s throat, “So do I.” He said before pressing his lips back on Cody’s hungrily. Cody held Obi Wan’s face in his hands, “but the stubble, I like,” he said with a grin.

“Do you now?” Obi Wan purred.

Cody chuckled and nodded.

“I will take that under advisement, Commander.” The Jedi said.

***

Obi Wan shifted in bed and felt Cody’s strong arms close tighter around him. He was sure this was not what the Jedi council intended when they supplied larger beds for the Jedi. But what they didn’t know couldn’t hurt them he supposed.

“I promise, I’m not going anywhere, Cody.” He whispered quietly, unsure if he was awake or not.

“I’ll take that under advisement,” Cody murmured in return, wrapping both arms around his Jedi.

“I feel the need to point out that I did not invite you here for…this.” Obi Wan said, his cheeks blushing slightly, “I merely meant to apologize.”

“Apology accepted,” Cody said, kissing his cheek and nuzzling into the side of his neck.

Obi Wan turned to face him, his fingers again finding the scar on the side of his face. For some reason he gravitated towards it. It wasn’t the only thing that differentiated Cody from his brothers, his soul radiated in the Force like an independent star system, but it was the most outwardly obvious distinguisher and something Obi Wan had come to love in the same way he loved his chestnut eyes or the way his lips fell into a line when he was angry.

Love. He did love Cody. He shouldn’t, he knew that, in the same way he shouldn’t have loved Satine. He had trod the thin line as a Padawan, keeping his feelings at bay just enough to continue the relationship with the Duchess.

He was stronger in the force now, stronger in himself. Obi Wan was able to play the line between love and attachment like a musical instrument, at least he thought he could, until Cody.

Obi Wan had never felt a pull so strong to any other being in the galaxy before. He would have been scared of it, perhaps should have been, but he trusted in the force to guide him. And if the force was telling him that Cody was the one with whom he should share himself, his soul, then who was he to argue.

“What are you thinking about?” Cody asked, his eyes fluttering as he drifted in and out of sleep.

Obi Wan sighed and kissed the Commander’s nose. “Just you, my love. Only you.” He said quietly.

Cody’s eyes shot open, a smile spreading onto his lips.

“Love?” he said, questioningly.

“Oh, come now, that can’t be a surprise, can it?” the Jedi said, patches of pink climbing to his ears as the realization of his comment took hold.

Cody pulled him into a kiss, his hand softly tracing the stubble on Obi Wan’s face. The Commander pulled away, his eyebrows knitted together questioningly, “Can Jedi love?” Cody asked.

“Yes,” Obi Wan responded with a smile. “Attachment is what is forbidden.”

“I’m…I’m not sure I understand.” Cody said.

“There is a thin line between the positive side of love, and the negative aspects. It is those things, grief, fear, that can lead to the dark side and could be dangerous for a Jedi.”

Cody was quiet for a minute; Obi Wan studied his face as his brow furrowed and eyes flicked this was and that.

“Does that mean…could our relationship, our love, lead you to the dark side?” he asked, the concern obvious in his voice.

Obi Wan smiled and brushed his cheek. “Our love?” he asked, unable to keep the smugness as bay.

“That shouldn’t be a surprise, either,” The Commander said, his dark skin flushing. Obi Wan couldn’t help but pull him close and kiss him deeply.

“Cody, if there is anyone who can keep me in the light, it is and will always be you.” Obi Wan said.

Cody’s arms tightened around him as his lips found him again. And Obi Wan once again found himself drowning in the light of his very own star system.

[the-far-bright-center]

Re: Obitine and Anidala

I originally wrote this in response to @marvelstars' excellent post on the subject, but I wanted to share it again because it's one of many topics in which I have a differing view from the prevailing fandom perspective.

Above all, it truly drives me nuts how the fandom pits these two relationships against each other. I'm a die-hard Anidala shipper and when I first watched TCW, I was DELIGHTED by the Obitine ship. I saw nothing about it that made me think it was supposed to be viewed as somehow 'better' or more 'ideal' than Anidala. I only ever saw it as a relationship that was more suited to Obi-Wan's character and personality. Not to mention that Padme and Satine are presented as friends who get along well and go on adventures together to right political wrongs, much in the same vein that Anakin and Obi-Wan go on their many military exploits together. The story sets them up as two couples who, in an a more ideal timeline, would be besties who go on double dates together. In my opinion, fandom's insistence on viewing them through the lens of 'which one is a 'morally better couple' is completely missing the point. Personally, I see them as two sides of the same coin.

Since @marvelstars' post was specifically about these two couples as they relate to the idea of commitment to the Jedi Order, I also focused on that angle. Imo, the way Obitine's relationship panned out made sense for their characters and context. Just like Anidala's makes sense for theirs. Obi-Wan and Satine met each other as young adults and had a whole year 'on the run' together before having to say their farewells, whereas Anakin and Padme first meet as children, then re-meet and fall in love over a short span of time, and then suddenly their world is at war and they are facing imminent, possibly indefinite, separation. That's why they marry while still remaining in their respective Jedi and Senator roles, because they feel it might be their only chance to have anything resembling the family they both long for. They understand that they might not survive the war. Whereas Obi-Wan and Satine had first met when Satine's world was already enmeshed in civil war, and then they parted once peace was reestablished and their lives were no longer in immediate danger. And when they meet again during the Clone Wars, it's a wholly different scenario and things have drastically changed (she is the head of a neutral system, he is already established as a general in a war she is opposed to). They are also older, in their 30s, while Anakin and Padme embody the headstrong impetuosity and passion of young love. So it's not as though Obi-Wan and Satine are going to drop everything and enter a committed relationship/marriage in that context in the same way Anakin and Padme do in theirs (when, notably, Anakin is still a padawan and about to be sent to the frontlines to fight in a war for the first time).

As mentioned above, when I was watching TCW I never thought that the purpose of showing both of these relationships in contrasting-parallel to one another was somehow to demonstrate that one was more 'sacrificial' for remaining in the Order and giving up the relationship while the other was more 'selfish' for trying to have both at the same time. Rather, what I feel the story is actually saying is something completely different. It's important to remember that both of these relationships involve a Jedi and the political leader to whom he had originally been assigned as a bodyguard. What is the significance of that? Well, I would argue it's more than just a romantic trope. When I watch Lucas-era Star Wars, I'm always aware that the characters have both an immediate role in-story as well as a symbolic function. Satine, a pacifist, can be seen to represent Peace. Padme, as a Senator, stands for Justice and the rights of the people. And what is it that Obi-Wan says to Luke all those years later? That the Jedi were 'the guardians of Peace and Justice in the old Republic'. This strikes me as hugely significant. Especially if we understand that the Jedi Order had lost its way as of the Prequels-era. While the fandom focuses on which couple is 'better' because of how their relationship affects each Jedi's respective commitment to the Order, I see it from a completely different angle. My understanding is that the Jedi's TRUE purpose (in relation to their role within the Republic) was actually to dedicate their lives to protecting Peace and Justice and those who truly upheld these ideals in the galaxy. Obi-Wan and Anakin's actual callings in life should have been to protect Satine and Padme, whom they loved. Whether this manifested in a more chivalric, courtly love scenario or an outright marriage is immaterial. Rather, what matters is that being a Jedi and dedicating their lives to these women due to their love for them was not incompatible with their role as protectors and defenders of the galaxy, but was in fact the truest expression of it. The so-called 'commitment' to the Order itself was never truly the point, and that's the tragedy of the Prequels-era. Because it was the Order that had by this point forbidden love and family, and which had embroiled Obi-Wan and Anakin and the rest of the Jedi in a war that went against their own principles. A war that, it could be argued, ultimately lead to the deaths of both Satine and Padme, and with them Peace and Justice—the very values that the Jedi were supposed to protect and serve.

[aroacebaggins]

Everything is alright, tonight, 'cause I got you next to me

Hi, I wrote a thing.

This was inspired by some of the prompts for Cozy Cuddle Week, put on by @rivendellwatch (lovely event, thanks for all your work!) though I'm not actually sure if this technically fits the challenge, and I'm not posting on AO3 yet. But it's been far too long since I've finished anything I write. I'm also pretty new to fanfic in general and this is the first piece I'm sharing online so... again huge thanks for the prompts <3!! Also thanks to @varda-star-queen for tagging me on the event, that's how I found it! I've still been recovering from a rough flare-up so this was a great way to relax :)

This kinda fits into a larger concept I've been working on, sort of an AU. Inspired by the theorizing around Mirdania in tRoP, though not otherwise based on the show much, Celebrían is a member of the Gwaith-i-Mírdain and an apprentice of Celebrimbor (Art of Mírdain Celebrían). I made several Mírdain OCs as side characters in the overarching plot. This however, has no plot and is just an excuse for Celebrían and my OC gang to exist mostly free of impending doom for a while. Featuring a guest appearance by Celebrimbor's First Age wine. Also, all characters become queer when I get my gay little hands on them, and Celebrían is no exception.

I used the prompt "Sleepy Pile™", and added the soft prompt and cute word wheels for extra fun, I got "mug sharing" and "home" I think.

The title is from an unreleased song by The Crane Wives called This is Home. Fluff is not usually what I write so I do find it funny I had to go into unreleased songs to find a TCW lyric that was sufficiently wholesome.

Also if any of the elvish names are horrendously assembled, uhhh no they're not, ignore that (I'm clueless and tips on names are actually greatly appreciated).

Thanks to my wonderful partner as well, who is not on here and knows practically nothing about the Silm, for proofreading. You rock, melesellë.

Um yeah, as usual I'm incapable of not rambling. Story below.

The bustle of Eregion's streets had mostly died down by the time stars began to peek through the clouds above. A crisp breeze played through a set of chimes somewhere, and a moment later a matching peal of laughter rang out quietly. The door to one of the houses lining the street was ajar; warm light spilling out onto the mosaic-cobbled ground. Bits of conversation floated through the evening air.

Inside the house, the atmosphere was lively. "Mallos, close the door!" someone shouted over the chatter and laughter. "The wind is getting in!"

An elf with short, blond hair and a lanky build balancing entirely too many mugs in his hands turned around. "We're still waiting for people!" he pouted.

"Well they can open the door!" A broad-shouldered elf woman with long, rich brown hair spilling down her back gave him an exasperated look as she took some of the mugs. "Everyone knows you don't lock it."

"Yes, but-"

The brown-haired elf looked up suddenly. "You!" she exclaimed. Another elf woman, silver-haired and struggling under a heavy satchel, had just stepped inside. "You're late, Brí!"

The woman at the door flashed up a bright grin as she leaned down to unlace her boots. "I wouldn't have been if you'd helped me with this." She heaved the bag up on her shoulder as she stood, leaving her boots on the doormat.

"Hmph. Here, give me that." The first woman shifted the drinks she carried into one hand and grabbed the bag from the other, pushing a mug towards her instead. "Trade you. And close the door behind you, will you?"

The satchel's owner took the drink but made to protest, still blinking in surprise, when a hand landed on her shoulder.

"Celebrían." A tall elf with light in their eyes stood smiling behind her. They took their hand from her shoulder and made a graceful sign while pushing the wooden door shut with the other.

"Thúllindë!" Celebrían beamed and carefully transferred her drink to one hand to mimic the traditional Vanyarin greeting she'd been lucky to learn from her mother. "I'll be honest, I didn't think you would come."

"Ah, I wasn't planning on it. But Dinuial wanted to." Thúllindë shrugged and flicked a golden braid over their shoulder.

"Wonderful, I've been wanting to talk to her about some new projects," Celebrían said. She glanced across the room. "Sirhith, be careful with that!"

The woman who had taken her bag looked up. "What in Eru's name is in here, Brí?" She lifted it heavily onto a tall table.

"A contribution to the party!" Celebrían spread her arms. "You didn't think I'd come empty-handed, did you?" In truth, Celebrían had long gotten over the need to make a good impression, but the old habits were hard to break. She supposed this one did no harm. She enjoyed giving gifts.

Sirhith smiled and shook her head. "Mallos! Here!" She loosened the strap of the bag to pull it open and whistled.

Mallos leaned over the table. "Oh good, just what we needed." He lifted out two large bottles of wine. "Where did you get this? I don't recognize it."

"From Tyelpë," Celebrían said, coming up and placing a hand on Sirhith's shoulder, who reached up to clasp her own hand over it. "It's First Age, apparently."

"From Celebrimbor, willingly?" Mallos asked suspiciously.

Celebrían laughed. "Yes, I didn't steal it. It is a consolation gift though, he can't make it tonight."

"To be expected," Thúllindë said. "What now?"

"I don't know, I think he and Annatar are working on something new." Celebrían shrugged, trying not to show her disquiet.

Sirhith wrinkled her nose. "Of course."

"At least that means Annatar won't be here either," Thúllindë added. Dinuial, the short elf woman who had appeared next to them, shook her dark curls and made a series of signs with her hands.

"Good thing, too. I'll tell you what I think of him," she ended with a familiar and very rude sign.

Typically well-mannered Thúllindë snorted. Then they frowned and shook their head. "It's been too tense lately. I don't like it, and I'm not sure I like him."

Sirhith sighed. "Yes, well, tonight's not about Annatar, for once. So let's enjoy it. Now that wine sounds excellent, love, but I may have to stick with Mallos' tea, I am hearing it's worthy of a song or two. In fact I should finish passing these mugs out. I'll meet you in the main room."

"Suit yourself." A dark-haired elf coming from the other room shouldered his way past her and unceremoniously uncorked a bottle, pouring himself a tall glass. "I, for one, will appreciate our lord's generosity."

Celebrían rolled her eyes. "Because you definitely need alcohol to make bad decisions, Menel."

"I'm offended," Menelmirë said dryly, tipping back his glass and then pouring several more to give away.

"Anyway," Thúllindë said, guiding the others towards the main room. Celebrían took a sip of her tea. It was good.

There were maybe 20 people crammed into Mallos' main room, standing and talking or lounging on furniture, cushions, or the plush rug on the floor. Mostly apprentices, but there was no distinction tonight. Sirhith stood near the middle of the room, hands on her hips, seeming to have just realized she had given away the last mug she was holding. Celebrían walked up behind her and wrapped an arm around her. "No worries, you can share mine."

Sirhith turned her head and smiled into Celebrían's embrace before slipping out to pull her by the hand through the crowd. "Come on, let's sit." She soon squeezed into a spot at the corner of Mallos’ velvet sofa. Celebrían perched on the armrest beside her and pressed a kiss into her hair, breathing in Sirhith's familiar scent: metal and wood shavings and lavender, with a hint of the steeped herbs from Mallos' tea, the fragrance that had filled the house. Sirhith looked up with a twinkle in her eye and wrapped her arm around Celebrían's waist, pulling her onto her lap. Celebrían shrieked, grinning, as she worked to keep the mug in her hand from spilling.

"All right, that's enough from you two," Menelmirë drawled, plopping down onto the floor by their feet and stretching out his legs. He tapped a nail, meticulously maintained despite his work, against another dangerously full wine glass and raised it above his head. The room quieted. He looked briefly across the room at Mallos, who nodded. "To the Gwaith-i-Mírdain," he said.

Wine glasses and mugs of tea raised around the room, the light from Fëanorian lamps hitting laughing faces. Celebrían leaned into Sirhith, feeling her smile against her own face.

"To the Mírdain!"

It was nearly midnight by the time the house had quieted. Most of the guests had departed; even Menelmirë had reluctantly said farewell to Celebrimbor's First Age wine. "I'm presenting my study on the geologic composition of the Hithaeglir in the morning," he'd said. "You did all say you'd be there, you'll remember.”

Sirhith was leaning drowsily on the arm of the couch, an empty mug on the side table next to her, holding up a creased piece of paper full of sketches and diagrams. Celebrían had stretched out with her head in Sirhith's lap while Thúllindë sat cross-legged at the other end. Dinuial was curled up next to them, nursing a last glass of wine. Thúllindë's eyes were closed serenely, but from the flickering movement of Dinuial's, Celebrían could guess they were still conversing through osanwë.

"And so the fountain will move it?" Mallos asked, returning from the kitchen. He playfully shoved Celebrían's legs out of the way and sprawled out on the sofa between her and Dinuial.

"Yes, I've worked with wind in my sculptures before, but water is a more natural choice for the subject matter" Sirhith said. "I've always wanted to portray Lady Uinen. But her hair, you see, that level of kinetics is difficult to achieve with metals. I'm picturing… filigree segments, but free to rotate in the spray."

Celebrían floated a finger over the charcoal sketches in Sirhith's hand. "Your skills can meet the challenge, melissenya, I'm sure of it."

"You'll have to tell Falmawen," signed Dinuial, setting aside her glass. "She'll be ecstatic."

Muffled scratching noises came from behind the sofa, and Thúllindë opened their eyes as a long-haired cat climbed out beside their head.

"Oh good," Mallos said. "She doesn't like all the guests. Glindú!" He raised a hand and smiled as the cat walked along the back of the couch and pressed her head into his hand.

"But she likes us," Celebrían added smugly with a yawn, throwing a leg back over Mallos, who gave a long-suffering sigh.

"She's fine with a limited number of guests."

"Smart cat," Thúllindë said. Mallos yelped as the creature jumped heavily onto his chest, and quiet laughter filled the room again as Glindú set to kneading his robes.

"Contrary to popular belief," he grumbled, "I am not actually a piece of the furniture."

Dinuial grinned mischievously. "I think you're outvoted," she signed, making a point to lean an arm on him as she stretched out. She twirled one of Thúllindë's long braids in her other hand as they shifted to lean on her shoulder.

"We love you, Mal," Celebrían murmured as her eyes drifted shut, untangling an arm to clumsily pat his head. He snorted. She reached up, twining her fingers with Sirhith's, who folded her sketches and tucked them away to comb her other hand through Celebrían's hair as she leaned down to place a kiss on each of her eyelids.

"I assume we're all staying then?" Sirhith asked sleepily.

"If any of you get up I will be personally offended," Mallos said.

Celebrían heard Thúllindë ask, "How did I let you drag me into this?", followed by a gentle chuckle at Dinuial's response.

“Ah, nonsense, you're better off with us,” yawned Sirhith. “You should sing us something, Lindë.”

“And what would our gracious host request I sing?”

“Some of Din’s verses. I know you've set them to music.” Mallos suggested.

Thúllindë laughed. “I have. Well…”

They started to sing quietly as Celebrían dozed off, and she could swear she could feel Dinuial glowing beside them. She held Sirhith's hand tighter in her own, and in that moment, nothing else mattered.

Celebrían had spent too long uncertain. Legacy and memory had filled her head until she no longer knew who she was. But when the Mírdain, when Celebrimbor, had offered her a chance to forge her own path, she had seized it, her mother's opinion be damned. And that night, with the Mírdain around her, Celebrían knew she was home.

[velocitross]

Multi-Fandom Fic Masterlist!

Currently up to date! Yay!

First of all, find my ao3 profile here!

Below you will find all my fics from Baldur’s Gate 3, Star Wars (TCW + TBB), and Dragon Age (2 + Inquisition) ✨ All multi chapter fics are written to completion and posted weekly. I've included some tags where I think they're helpful.

Plenty of smut here (🔞) but also T romance and gen fics! I love to dig in and explore character, world build, etc.

I am generally open to requests but do prefer writing within ships or characters already represented here! But, feel free to ask 😌

Continue below!

Baldur’s Gate 3

Vigil (durge OC) x Dammon

Imperceptible Progression of the Stars - Vigil finds Dammon outside the tiefling party. (T)

Last Light - Vigil opens up to Dammon about their violent urges. (T)

A Sunrise Worth Seeing - Dammon and Vigil grow closer following Vigil’s triumph at Moonrise Towers. (T)

Oaths Broken & Bonds Reforged - Dammon and Vigil meet each other again in Baldur’s Gate. (G)

In the Clarity of Dawn - Vigil is redeemed. (T)

Epilogue - in a quiet moment at the epilogue party, Vigil expresses how much Dammon means to them. (T)

Always Forever - Dammon knows just how to finally reveal his feelings for Vigil. (E)

Made Yours - bottom Dammon, pegging, pillow talk - Vigil and Dammon celebrate the Elturian holiday of love (E)

Respite - Vigil gives Dammon a full body massage. (E)

From the Dark - canon typical durge stuff, non-graphic vomit, brief gore, non-graphic surgery mention - With Dammon’s help, Vigil grapples with some long forgotten consequences of the urge. (M)

By the Light of the Moon - Western AU; town blacksmith Dammon wants more with his partner, Vigil the carriage guard. Complete at 15k-ish words. (E)

Symmetrical - An amethyst Dammon gave to Vigil early on in their friendship causes both Vigil and Dammon to reflect on their relationship. (T)

Rolan x Dammon

Working Steel - Rolan, frustrated by his work, seeks out Dammon for some… stress relief (E)

Up in the Tower - Dammon tries to get Rolan to take care of himself, with limited success. (M)

Within the Storm - Rolan is a mess after losing Cal and Lia to the cultists. Dammon helps. (T)

Nighthawks - Modern AU! Long distance relationship woes. Webcam sex. Cyberpunk 2077 (E)

Infernal Arcana - multi chapter and complete (35k). An interesting project steeped in the infernal brings Dammon and Rolan very close. (E)

Candlelight and Wine - Rolan is grumpy, Dammon cheers him up with a dance. (T)

First Impressions - Some scenes from Rolan and Dammon's history together in Elturel, Avernus, and the Emerald Grove (T)

Rolan's Blacksmith - Rolan stumbles upon Dammon's interaction with a customer and gets jealous. (T)

Auld Lang Syne - Rolan takes Dammon to a fancy New Year's party in the upper city. (E)

A Fortress Together - On a cozy snowy winter night nine months into their relationship, Rolan reflects on how his feelings for Dammon have grown. (M)

Comfort in Hiding - Dammon, stressed about his business in the city, finds comfort in Rolan. (T)

Break Point - breeding, potion mishap, biting, scent kink - On vacation, Rolan's surprise for Dammon gets a bit out of hand. (E)

Date Night - inappropriate use of mage hand - Rolan finds one of Dammon's books; bondage ensues. (E)

Vigil (OC durge) with Rolan

Gratitude - Vigil helps a very drunk and very bitter Rolan at Last Light Inn. (Gen; T)

Vigil's Promise - bottom Rolan, pegging - On the eve of the final battle, Rolan invites Vigil to Ramazith's Tower for some last minute confessions. (E)

Dammon x gn!Tav

A Little Light Reading - Dammon thinks about Tav whilst enjoying some spicy reading material (E)

Needful Evenings - Dammon gets caught in the act while once again thinking of Tav. (E)

For Services Rendered - light bondage, edging - Dammon gets tied up and teased. (E)

Dammon x gn!Reader

Melting Point - you and Dammon share your first night together. (E)

Gen fics/misc pairings

Sun Will Set - Halsin helps a dying snake along his journey. (G)

The Ring of a Hammer in the Hells - Dammon is haunted and inspired by his tutelage beneath Carixim. (T)

To Endure - Rolan finds his resolve to endure his abuse at Lorroakan’s hands. (T)

The Exiled - Dammon comforts Silfy over their exile and situation in the grove. (G)

Cat Nap - A cat helps soothe Dammon’s worries over his future in the city. (G)

Penance - Rolan struggles with guilt following his siblings' rescue from Moonrise Towers. (T)

Things Change and Stay the Same - Rolan and his siblings reflect on a notable moment from their childhood. (G)

Alive Again - (Aylin x Isobel) Isobel struggles to cope with her resurrection. (T)

Seed of Oak - (Halsin x gn!Tav) It’s breeding season, you get the idea (E)

Star Wars

Captain Rex x gn!reader

Rainy Day Refuge - A perfect rainy morning for cuddling back up with Rex. (T)

Golden Dreams - You dream of a quieter life with Rex. (T)

Midnight Souls - Rex doesn’t know how to dance, so you resolve to teach him. (T)

Heart of the Universe - After a long day, Rex is there for you. (T)

Summer’s King - On vacation with Rex, you (flower) crown him king. (T)

Killing Heat - You, traitor to a guild of listeners and spies, are sent on a covert mission for the republic with Rex. Intrigue, action, slow burn romance. Multi chapter and complete (105k) (E)

Briefings and Reunions - after the events of Killing Heat, you have a secret tryst with Rex. (E)

Rex on the Beach - beach trip with Rex goes exactly the way you imagine. (E)

Yadrinovo’s Rings - Following Rex’s loss and assumed death in battle, Kix finds him on a remote frontier planet. It’s your job to bring him back, but… do you really want to? Angst, domesticity. Multi chapter and complete (45k) (E)

Captain Rex x Riyo Chuchi

Rendezvous - Rex and Riyo find some comfort in one another in an unexpected way. (E)

The Way to Be Together - Rex and Riyo discuss what’s between them and resolve how to go forward. (E)

Gen fics/misc

Concessions - death troopers Pik and Waffle spar, and then, you know, spar. (M)

With Honor - Multi chapter and complete (160k). Post order 66 exploration of Rex’s grief, trauma, and agency. (T pushing M)

Waves - Exploration of grief and “what comes after.” Feat Rex and two OCs from With Honor (T)

Dragon Age

Note!! These fics were written a long time ago, 10 years in some cases. They’re not well formatted, written in first person pov, I was shaky on how to tag, etc. Please show some grace for early 20s xan 🙏

Gen fics only!

How I Saved Weisshaupt and Also the World - 50k, Hawke discovers a cult that lives in the Fade and drives their followers mad. Varric, as always, is there to ride to her rescue. (T)

People Need Stories - Varric helps Hawke cope with the loss of his mother. (T)

They Forget So Easily - Cole struggles to be remembered. (G)

[serpnets]

no because anakin was never dealt with a winning anything, my dude spent years as a slave’s kid working in the junk shop building droids as a form of fun.

i always enjoy the whole “Anakin just expected Obi-wan and Padmé to trust and listen to him?? Asshole” discourse because like… yeah??

not trying to self insert here but as a mentally I’ll individual 🫡 who in a fit of mania sometimes believes they are absolutely, 100% right and has the irrational thinking of; “im right, and you love me, you’re the person I love most, you should get it” & is totally irrationally emotional when they DONT, yeah… I GET THAT SIR!!

Even if it’s completely understandable, deep down I know they’re not at fault for not getting my own emotions, I’m in control of those — not others. I know this. Still, when my partner says something that goes against me it’s like nails against chalkboards sometimes

Again, when looking at Anakin he had nothing. He was a slave all his life, just to a different master each time. on Tatooine, to the Jedi/code, Palpatine and even to the Darth vader suit, he is never of his own free will. It was Qui-gon’s choice to win Anakin, to take him from his mother and home to what he thought would be a better life. granted it is, but he also finds himself isolated from what is imo what is supposed to be his “placeholder family”

MORE IMPORTANTLY Padmé is the love of his life, telling him that what he thinks they need, what he’s done for her and their family etc to be at peace/alive was actually WRONG!! BAD!! All meanwhile he doesn’t have any of his support at his side; Rex is off with ahsoka, obi-wan is fighting grievous on utpau meanwhile Palpatine has puppy Anakin at his every whim and call ((lets not forget that Palpatine had to have been grooming Anakin from a relatively young age)) They don’t get it, they didn’t see Padmé die before their very eyes, they don’t know what’s waiting them. Anakin is trying to save his family. Obi-Wan going against him is salt in the wound, even if Anakin himself knows it’s wrong and against the code and just completely evil.

I mean, Padmé FORGAVE him for the whole tusken massacre smh is it such a stretch to believe she would stand by his side as he waged war against the galaxy? i mean… isn’t that what love is…..? selfish, passionate, narcissistic, messy? she herself is a politician who often prioritized Anakin over her own duties I bet my man expected some “if you have a body in your trunk I’ll bring the shovel” type beat which also, i reiterate, WHY WOULDN’T HE when his wife forgave him for mass genocide, children included?,

he is emotionally/mentally fragile, he just recently slew younglings and killed Mace — you think this mf is thinking logically? Stop giving him the benefit of the doubt; he was a mess throughout the series, not once did he ever have his feet on the ground. He isn’t suddenly going to make the “right” decision, especially if it means sacrificing his loved ones. He’s an extremely flawed character, stop expecting him to make the right call.

The blocks of Anakin’s character have been set up to fall, Obi-Wan and Padmé are two of his most beloved relationships aside from his MOTHER that are completely dogging on his only hope of SAVING THEM. Anakin was never simply, “you have to do what I say or else I’ll get upset!” that’s a disrespect to his character — he can think logically. He isn’t a child. He is strategic, effective, in tcw he is the most efficient victorious warrior making Palpatine’s efforts look even better as leader of the republic. He builds droids from the time he is a young child all throughout his formative - adult years to the extent where knows how to understand their bleep bloops.

Anakin is flawed deeply, he was doomed from the get-go, never had a chance. His feelings are complex and deep and he questions the faith he swore to follow/protect. His character is so interesting to me and I have such a difficult time depicting the raw duality of man he wears on his shoulders everyday. Our desire to do good, yet to be evil; our desire to be unselfish, yet we are selfish.

This beautiful, scarred, monstrous mosaic of a man who from the very beginning, had a huge amount of pressure on him was meant to be so horribly dismantled. What other choice did he have? He is the chosen one, how could he be wrong? How could his idea of saving his family be any less honourable than the Jedi of the Galaxy?

He isn’t simply angry at them for not agreeing with him/falling with him, he feels betrayed. Personally. Obi-Wan and Padmé are pieces of Anakin, people that he loved so fiercely he labeled them as his enemies once they hurt him, he is too far gone to give them any semblance of second chances

anyways yep happy Thursday guys

[gffa]

I saw your post defending the way Jedi adopt the children/accept them into their culture, and I absolutely loved it! It was so well-informed, and you are right: It is all there in the original content!

I find it very ironic that many people spew these lies about the Jedi when that’s exactly what the Empire did. Iirc, this argument of Jedi being “kidnappers” was actually fueled by Emperor Palpatine and the Empire in their campaign against the Jedi. They wanted to discredit them and make the people turn against them so that they could erase them all more easily. So I find it very ironic that these lies are now being upheld by some people as the truth. (Really, have people forgotten the Empire was created bases on the Nazi’s and their own racist strategies?)

You are not inmune to the Empire’s propaganda.

Please correct me if I’m wrong. I’m not as good at pulling examples and proof from all the SW content as you are.

Hi! Thank you for the very sweet ask! Navigating stuff in fandom like this can be difficult at times, because there has to be room for compassion and tolerance for disagreement, like it's fine if people disagree with my views, I'm not your mom, I'm not telling you want to do or say, especially since this is fiction, these are made up space stories. But there also has to be room to understand that sometimes our commentary on fictional stories are echoes of reflection of real world attitudes--we can't just go around spewing racist, sexist, homophobic commentary and be like, "It's just fiction, you can't get upset!" There's no easy line for any of this, no single hard set in stone rule for when it's truly just fiction and when it's an echo of a real world attitude, especially in Star Wars, which often draws influence from a lot of non-Western sources and traditional Western sources. (My general rule of thumb is: I think it's fair to criticize those things through the influences they have, but if your criticism is then ended with, "So that's why we shouldn't have or acknowledge any Buddhism/Black people/queer people/women in Star Wars!" then fuck right on off with that.) And I also understand a lot of the anti-Jedi attitudes (or at least what I've personally experienced of them) because I've talked a bunch of times about how I started out as pretty Jedi-critical myself! I did the whole, "They had grown stagnant and refused to evolve with the galaxy, so they needed to be wiped out." thing because nobody had framed it explicitly as what it was: a genocide. It wasn't until a friend and I were talking and they mentioned that lens of it that it just sort of crashed down on me, oh, that's literally what it was and genocide is never justifiable. I did the whole, "The Jedi failed Anakin and taught him to repress his emotions." thing as well, because I saw it all over the place in fandom and just automatically folded it into my view, until I went back and actually watched Lucas' movies and Lucas' animation (first six movies + first six seasons of TCW) and read his interviews, which blew me onto my ass when I saw Obi-Wan being supportive of Anakin, when I saw Anakin not listening to the advice he was given, when I saw that Jedi were expressing emotion all over the place, when I saw they were respecting other Force traditions in the galaxy. I can't speak to why so many people think badly of the Jedi, there's probably a thousand reasons and I'm only vaguely aware of like half of them, but I do think that it's often unpopular to promote the idea of emotional regulation already being achieved, instead of something to be struggled with. I think we're all primed by a lot of mainstream media saying that an explosion of anger is what will save the day. I think there's so much anger in the world today that we're all angry and being told to let go of it feels really insulting at times. (But, as someone who has lost years of my life when I was younger to anger, I gotta say, I am so much better off having let go of as much of that shit as I can. It was poison in my veins, carrying that anger around. I lost so many friendships and opportunities and just time to being miserably mad about stuff.)

I'm getting off topic of the kidnapping aspect about the Jedi, but a lot of it starts to swirl together in what I've experienced (especially people who try to put this stuff on my posts--thankfully, that's died down/I block the people who won't respect boundaries) and so I kind of bounce from one aspect of it to another.

I do think it's good to talk about these things--both from "it's fun to analyze the content of the story on a meta level" perspective and "here's how this echoes into and from the real world" perspective, like I enjoy saying, okay, here's what's actually said in the movies/TCW, but also I think talking about how the Jedi are Buddhist influenced is important because that means they're going to have values that are meant to be reflected in that and Western fandom has a really big problem of being derisive about non-Western influences or automatically saying they're wrong. (I come from anime/manga fandoms, let me tell you, it's a big problem.)

And, yeah, in a way where it's really awful, but I think one of the most well-done things Disney's Star Wars has done is that it's really focused on showing that the Empire was a fascist one and the propaganda they used about the Jedi are ones that are super relevant to the conversation.

[timetodiverge]

TL:DR: a brief treatise on learning to love Ahsoka for the gifts it gave us, rather than its shortcomings

Reasons why I struggled to like Ahsoka on first watch:

-my Rebels-fan brain constantly chanting WHERE IS EZRA WHERE IS EZRA WHERE IS EZRA; every episode that ended without him had me screaming

-the portrayal of Ezra as some noble war hero/wise Jedi instead of the little shit devious street urchin thief who, after four seasons of growth, pain, and temptation to turn darkside, turned into an IGnoble war hero with the potential to become a wise Jedi

-the show's habit of far-too-casually dropping facts that emotionally wrecked Rebels fans (ALL the Wrens died on Mandalore?? Could we maybe explore that a bit?? Dave do you remember when you had Sabine collapse into what she thought were her mother's ashes, and the depth of her relief when she realised her family was still alive and she still had a chance to make things right with them?? DO YOU???)

-the show's refusal to recap/reference insanely important events from Rebels and The Clone Wars (Mortis Gods, Trials of the Darksaber, Vader v Ahsoka and Ezra rescuing her via the World Between Worlds, Ahsoka's entire existence, etc) that would have made Ahsoka, Sabine, & Hera's importance in the larger Star Wars universe much more comprehendible for non-Rebels & TCW fans

-watching Sabine, who only ever wanted to be a valued, equal member of a family & team, and who was already incredibly skilled (art/warfare/mechanics), belittling and limiting herself trying to play the part of Jedi Padawan

-the wasted potential of show that could have truly explored how non-Jedi&Sith engage with the whole spectrum of the Force (e.g. other force users such as Nightsisters, loth wolves, purrgil, and non-force-sensative people such as Sabine), instead ultimately championing the light-dark binary and the traditions of the Jedi order (which many of us have little respect for) such as the Master-Apprentice relationship

Reasons why I now adore Ahsoka and would defend it to the death:

-the breath-taking care, love, and attention the production team put into every tiny detail (the sets, the costumes, props, the MUSIC, the background art, the ships and weapons, my god the detail!!)

-the shameless centring of diverse, layered female characters and the exquisite, subtle performances of Mary Elizabeth Winstead & Genevieve O'Reilly

-a mature exploration of how traumatic events e.g. wars may technically "end", but don't end for everyone: Ahsoka and Sabine are still traumatised ex-child soldiers mourning people they desperately loved but had complex & unresolved issues with; Hera still has zero boundaries between being a soldier and her personal life. And this PTSD has very real consequences to the narrative

-the show ultimately resisting the urge to choose a plot-twist Ezra reveal (e.g. turns out Thrawn and Ezra are now buddies/Ezra is the new big bad/Ezra was Marrok), which may have been more interesting but would have deprived us of the wholesome Ezra reveal we actually wanted

-Eman Esfandi giving us the most successful animation-to-live-action transition since Katee Sackhoff's Bo-Katan, and being so perfect in his mannerisms and behaviour that it was almost worth the wait (and looking so much like Ezra's father in Rebels!!)

(...unless you include Chopper, whose transition was actually 120% perfect)

-ultimately refreshing and levelling-up the potential for mature and diverse Star Wars narratives, like Andor did, but instead of leaning away from SW tropes and traditions like Andor, digging deeper into SW tropes and history, and linking non-mainstream-SW-elements such as the Nightsisters of Dathomir, the Mortis Gods, the World Between Worlds, and the existence of other galaxies

[mcaelius]

Hi!! Do you have any obimaul fic recs/your favourites? Especially ones set in clone wars >:)

HI!! i absolutely do- i tend to read more post-rots/twin suns than tcw unfortunately, but overall i'd probably recommend these the most:

i'm a stitch away from making it (it's a pretty short oneshot but i reread it religiously, i love their dynamic in it)

i've got my teeth in you by the same author (role reversal :])

sleeping with the enemy is another good one- that's an arranged marriage au, but again, dynamics n banter is peak

my favourite of all time in the world ever is mos nowhere by withercrown. stinky desert husbands. this one kickstarted my obsession with them i can't recommend it highly enough.

desertification by kuraiummei and thereisnomercy for more desert husbands (and anything kuraiummei tbh)

and the casual series by youcantkeepmedown

i hope you enjoy >:)

[warsamongthestars]

There's several reasons I separate TBB and TCWs Bad Batch. Quite a few of them are micro, cos I'm analytical as hell and the little details set me off.

How bout two big things? Two, in your face, things.

First one isn't so bad. "There's two different shows by two different writing and two different broadcasters, they're going to have obvious canonical differences based on the paperwork and contracts alone, but because it still irrevocably alters the story and characters, no matter where that alteration came from, it is still two different canons that aren't going to fit nicely if at all."

Okay maybe it is complicated, but that's real world shit for you. Clone Wars was a Cartoon Network production, the recent stuff has been Disney--and frankly, Cartoon Network has better quality and taste (HELL YEAH STEVEN UNIVERSE!)

THe second one goes into the show. Some proper in-story analysis, to tell you were the break is at.

The Bad Batch arrived on Anaxes after dealing with an Insurrection on Yalbec Prime. They brag about it, they talk about it, its important to their introduction. Its important enough that a lot of fanfics and fanstuff talk about how it happened.

It was an insurrection. Insurrections are defined as "An uprising against an authority or government".

And they didn't describe just any group conducting an insurrection--they describe Yalbecs, so the inhabitants of Yalbec Prime. And then they describing killing the Queen of the Yalbecs, so the primary ruler of Yalbec Prime, planet of Yalbecs. Of which Tech comes in to say, that hte stinger of the queen is a Delicacy on some planets.

... Do you know how nasty of a picture that paints?

Based only on the simplest information given and what we know; because they're Republic Troopers--we can assume that Yalbec Prime was a Republic world. (We weren't told otherwise, so the assumption must be the most correct answer at this time.)

So, the Yalbecs were rebelling. (Because why would they attack the inhabitants unless they were the insurrection being put down?)

Using this minimum information.

THe Yalbecs and their queen, were rebelling against Republic Authority (we don't know if it was in favor of the Seppratists, it could be that they wanted Neutrality too).

If we can assume the reason, its probably because folks eat their damn Queen (a very good reason to rebel if you rely on a ant or bee like hierarchy and the queen is also your mother--given the implications that yalbecs are insectoids and that there were queen pheromones).

The Bad Batch are called in to put down the Insurrection, which we can assume they did, based on the fact that they're alive and intact.

... So.

The TBB Show wants to tell me that... The Bad Batch don't want to follow orders to eliminate insurrectionists and that's why they left the Empire?

Based on the above, they absolutely would follow those orders. Enthusiastically, with bragging rights.

One could make the argument that ECho set them straight, and that'd be a good story and start. TBBshow didn't do that, and regulated Echo to the bitching corner and then just kicked him out entirely--so you might have that idea, but the Show certainly didn't.

The darker argument is that the TBB would put down a society of insectoids, but not humanoids--and that... leaves a rather nasty set of implications, given the multi-sentient species of the Galaxy. I'd love to think that's not the case, but if TBBshow insists it, then we have to take it as the case for the Batch on the TBBshow.

When you're writing, what you show or say to or for the audience will be taken as fact by the audience for the show played. While we can give interpretation and imagination for things you don't say, it will always come down to what you've Shown and what've you Told, and what the conflict between the two is.

If you don't show it, or don't talk about it, and don't leave room for interpretation, then it didn't happen.

( One can argue that the TBB show does leave room... Via the holes its poked in itself. I've never seen so many pockets filled with absolutely nothing. )

And when you show contradiction without just cause, you risk breaking the flow of the story, and thus breaking the suspension of disbelief... And that's when the Audience enmass starts leaving and cursing.

While you cannot predict who's suspension is broken at any given time, what you can control is the flow of the story and its beats.

What is said and what is shown, are important, because Theatre / TV show stories are entirely made by what is Said and what is Shown.

Lastly, as for "What is canon".

... The TBB Show has different writers to the Clone Wars, which in turn had different writers from the Star Wars Prequel Films, which in turn had different writers for the Original Star Wars.

Of course none of it but the OG is canon.

Its all just an Argument about what enhances the story of your personal Canon and who is telling the story.

[virtualtyrant69]

The bad batch as people in theater!!

I'm a theater major and I love the bad batch so I thought why not combine the two lol. Most of this is personal experience working in some of these positions but some I have never worked as and it's just based on my own observations of these people that I have while working with them. Sadly, none of the bad batch are costumers, which is my area of focus but I have done other stuff like lighting and set building. Also, she/her pronouns for hunter because she's a woman to me. Anyways, onto the list!

Hunter- She would be a stage manager. She has the spirit to be one. She's the kind of stage manager that takes absolutely no bullshit at all from anyone but would also be very nice and carry around a fanny pack full of snacks. She would also have first aid essentials, gaff tape, and pins in that thing. Maybe a multi tool too. She is prepared for anything to happen even if she isn’t an assistant stage manager and is only calling cues. She would also be so on top of cues and would run that theater like the navy. Her timing is absolutely impeccable.

Tech- I know in my heart of hearts that Tech is a sound guy. ((respect to people who do sound in theater, I could never)) Like, in TCW episodes, they mention that Tech is always recording sounds??? And they never bring it up again??? Wish they would since that’s so interesting but whatever. Anyways, he’s sound because he likes sounds and I think he would have a genuinely good time making audioscapes and sound effects for plays. I feel like he would get annoyed at having to help actors with putting mics on but I don’t really think he’d be audio crew, just the board operator and the sound designer. ((this also kinda goes along with my hc that Tech makes beats/EDM))

Wrecker- I had a bit of a tough time with Wrecker but I think I’ve settled on him being in set building/carpentry. I feel like this is a bit obvious and uninspired but I really do think it fits him. He would have a fun time doing tasks like welding and painting and carving. I feel like this field really works with his ADHD in that he has a lot of different tasks he can do and the way he would need to build something changes every time. It's a constantly changing puzzle that he needs to solve with his brain and strength and I think he would get a kick out of it.

Crosshair- Another obvious choice to me but Crosshair does lighting. I’m not sure if he enjoys the programming or design aspects of lighting but I’m sure he would love the electrician parts of lighting. He would have such a good time doing lighting focusing. I can also imagine him yelling at an actor to stay in their light lol. Also from what I’ve experienced in college, many people who do lighting do stage management and Crosshair feels like the kind of guy who would also want to be a stage manager so he’s probably an assistant stage manager to like, Hunter. I bet he’s so intimidating backstage lol. The deck and costume crew are shaking in their boots.

Echo- They’re a props guy. I don’t think they work props in a show but instead they design and build them. All the props people I know are pretty chill but really weird and I think that fits Echo pretty well lol. I think they have loads of fun making realistic food out of inedible things. Whenever an actor breaks a prop Echo does the whole “I’m not mad, just disappointed” thing and that shames the actors more than being angry would. They just have a fun time building and finding objects that would fit whatever play they are working on.

Omega- She’s an actor :). And she would be an absolute darling of an actor too. She would have some trouble trying not to talk too loud backstage but she would be able to learn before the performance. I also feel like she gets kinda nervous about her entrances so she’s always really early in places just to make sure she isn’t late. She also does a bunch of weird things to help her memorize her lines like singing them or saying them in funny accents. She can cry on demand and sometimes uses this power off stage and for evil lol