#on posts like these I always have to point out that I love Qui-Gon I am not even trying to bash this character

[charmwasjess]

I actually love the characterization that while Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan truly do love each other very much and end up having a successful working partnership, they are SUCH different people, and actually, really find each other fucking annoying when you get right down to it, while still caring deeply about each other. Qui-Gon is having a stratosphere-level theoretical philosophical conversation in his head while Obi-Wan is so present and practical and funny, and then Qui-Gon's reply when he snaps out of it is like "....stay in the moment, Obi-Wan." Live Obi-Wan Reaction Face: >:o

I think about two scenes I love in Phantom Menace where the film is establishing Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan's dynamic. Obi-Wan's great moment after the, uh, first attempt on their lives "you were right about one thing, Master - the negotiations were short" which is like, actually a genuinely funny observation? Qui-Gon's reaction to this? Nonexistent. We do not get a shot of Qui-Gon's expression, not even an off-camera Liam Neeson dry reluctant chuckle. NOTHING. Cut scene. Sure, this could be the fault of the scene transition, but I don't think anyone watching the scene was under the impression that Qui-Gon bellylaughed and said "good one, Padawan!" The mood is much more of Qui-Gon shaking his head, not dignifying the line with a response.

The other is Qui-Gon's "there's always a bigger fish" line after they've nearly died in another horrific way under the Naboo planet core, a scene that gives me a powerful new kind of combination of fatal levels of thalassophobia-claustrophobia. It could have easily been a "business on Cato Neimoidia" callback reference to some offscreen history together, but no. Qui-Gon just says it, incomprehensibly, while Obi-Wan scowls silently at the controls. And yet, Qui-Gon sounds contentedly amused. It's so fucking hilarious to me. He said that line for the benefit of one person in that ship: him, and he likes it.

They don't get each other's jokes, and yet, I think it's telling that they're both still making them after what, 12 years of Master Padawan partnership. They are both constantly thinking like “what are you TALKING about?” about the other one's core qualities. They both think their miscommunications are the other’s fault. It's incredibly good characterization to me, and it makes them so realistic.

[ladysarai]

10 Star Wars Fic Recs for Fanworks Day!

So, today is International Fanworks Day! I saw this post for Feedback Fest 2025, asking for comments "recommending 10 fanworks. Tell everyone why you love these works and why they should check them out." And because I am ~EXTRA~, I decided to make a Tumblr post for this.

But then I realized I could not keep it to 10 recs total and decided to do two posts--one for Inception, and one for Star Wars. There is NO rhyme or reason to the fics recommended here, other than "this is a story I linked to @nutterzoi and told her to go read RIGHT NOW and then when I saw the link I thought 'oh I should read that again'."

Here be my Star Wars fic recs! They are all prequel era, because I have a problem and that problem is named Obi-Wan Kenobi. Recs under the cut!

Trail Markers by @ooboowoonkoonooboo: A modern AU, which I was super hesitant at first, because to be honest? I have been taking my fandom faves and shoving them into Star Wars AUs for the last, oh, almost 30 years. But this was about high altitude climbing! And Codywan! And a special interest of mine is absolutely high altitude climbing and Everest, and here they are climbing Annapurna. (What's even more impressive is that the author ACTUALLY DID THEIR TREK, which. Is probably why it's just so amazingly excellent.) But the writing is fantastic and emotional and the backstory of Cody and his brothers kept me reading when I should have been doing other things. I have not been able to stop thinking about this story since I read it.

New Growth by @outpastthemoat: I was a Jedi Apprentice fan back in The Day, and have a new fixation with Melida/Daan (because look. As an adult, thinking about Qui-Gon abandoning a 13 year old Obi-Wan on a wartorn planet where adults are fighting and killing their own children is really fucked up, and I like the exploration of that). ANYWAY, I have read a BUNCH of post-Melida/Daan fics, but this is my favorite, and from Qui-Gon's POV. He is such a complicated character with a lot of flaws and I love that about him, but he's also a Good Man. Having a Padawan is like having a plant, and the fic includes this line: “No child is ever low-maintenance,” Tahl returns. “You just weren’t paying attention.” I absolutely adore Qui-Gon needing to think of Obi-Wan as a plant in order to realize what he needs to do to help him.

The More I Live the More I See this Life is Not About Me by K_R_Closson: A fic in which Clone Wars General Obi-Wan Kenobi touches a Sith artifact and turns into his 13 year old post Melida/Daan self. (I mentioned the fixation, right?) It's so good, with excellent clone POV (hi Cody ilu), and the tension that comes with knowing they need Obi-Wan to be his adult self again but seeing the boy who doesn't want to be General Kenobi. The conflict that Cody and the clones have regarding forcing someone to do a thing they don't want to and the parallel with their own lives is just. Chef's kiss.

After the War by antheiasilva: It is Qui-Gon/Obi-Wan, so if that's not your jam, be warned. But it's not generally mine either and I love this story to pieces. It's set after the war, in a world where Qui-Gon lived, and it has a really amazing concept for how they defeated Palpatine. It also really does not shy away from showing the PTSD Obi-Wan would and should have after the war. But like: Qui-Gon, Obi-Wan, Anakin, Padme, Ahsoka and the baby twins all living together in Naboo's Lake District. Come on now. Bonus points for the complicated relationship they all have with the Jedi Order, too. It's just full of found family feels.

Patron Saint by @andthepeople: SO FREAKING GOOD. It's an always-female Obi-Wan AU, and I am obsessed with how being female does and does not change who Obi-Wan is and how she manages her role as a Jedi Master and council member and General. The relationship between Obi-Wan and her troops is the heart of the story and the love they all have for each other is just. GUH. Please read this story. The ending is fabulous and has Obi-Wan pulling a Jean Grey Phoenix X2 move that just. I can see it. Everything about this is perfect. (Also it's Codywan.)

And I Fear Nothing by @fox-trot: Unfinished, and that is heartbreaking, because this story is so good. I literally read it all in one six hour sitting, and it's another fic that won't leave my brain alone now. Obi-Wan is on Tatooine with Luke, Leia, Cody and Rex (and later, perhaps a few others). It's all Found Family and PTSD and how they all heal and hurt each other. I love it unconditionally.

The Legend of Liob by killbothtwins: Honestly one of the most entertaining and hilarious stories I have read in a LONG time. A photojournalist is posted to the 212th to help with PR for the war. Someone (Boil) impulsively creates an imaginary trooper, and things spiral out of control from there. But this imaginary trooper does save the day! In just about every single way. It's got great humor, amazing clone and Obi-Wan characterization, and a fabulous plot. Do yourself a favor and read it.

Silent (and So Near) by @tessiete: Another story I have not been able to stop thinking about since reading it. It does say Chapter 1/6, but idk if more will be written or not. I personally do hope so! It's SO well written, and full of emotions. Qui-Gon lived through Naboo, and now the Clone Wars have come and he is NOT interested in being a General. Just. Qui-Gon's feelings and thoughts are so fascinating to me, and his relationship with Obi-Wan and Anakin, guh. The lengths that Obi-Wan goes to to keep Qui-Gon safe from himself. The river stone. Anakin's attitude. I am obsessed with this version of Qui-Gon, tbh.

[to speak of precious evenings] by @cillyscribbles: OH I love this story. First of all, the way with words is just. Beautiful. But taking the "Cody and Obi-Wan get drunk together and talk" plot and turning it into this is a talent. It's beautiful.

Every Shadow by @kenobster: SO. VERY. GOOD. Unfinished, and I hope that it won't stay that way, but just as an FYI. I swear, this is the post Zygerria fic I need. Everyone's trauma after that arc is here and they are all hot messes having terrible times. But it's done well, and the writing is amazing. Do heed the warnings, but nothing explicit is in the fic. This is another story I can't stop thinking about.

[thatgreyjedi]

So I saw this template somewhere (I forgot who made it but kudos to them!!) and I thought it was a good thing to reflect on this year’s highlights of AO3!

Turns out, I wrote a lot more than I realized. So in addition, I’d like to draw some special attention to some of the accomplishments my fics achieved in my eyes this year!!

I Bet My Life-

After almost two years (including a 6 month hiatus in 2023, oops) I finally concluded my largest fic to date. I think my favorite moments that I wrote in this story was the interaction between Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan. When I first started writing the story, I knew I wanted a moment between Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon that would leave an impact on the narrative of the story and I think the master and apprentice duo meeting in a sort of between-life-and-death world (Kind of like the World between Worlds). I really enjoyed writing this scene because it allowed Obi-Wan to finally overcome his past and move forward on his path of training the future Jedi that will defeat the Sith. I also enjoyed writing the scenes with Reva and Cody because it highlighted their special father-daughter bond that wouldn’t have happened if they never met in the aftermath of Order 66. This fic will always hold a special place in my heart for several reasons, and I am so grateful that I had the opportunity to bring this emotionally heart-wrenching story with a heartwarming ending to so many people!!!

Dennis and Mac Have a Secret-

So my introduction to this fandom was kind of funny, meaning that I started watching this in order to ease my nerves about my upcoming AP tests (and it paid off because I ended up doing pretty well on them). Well, I ended up loving the show so much that I wrote a fic about it. Although it’s not one of my more successful fics I’ve written, this one holds a special place in my heart. I love how the direction of this story went and it truly showed that even some of the most vulgar, self-centered characters can be changed by one person in their life. For me, it’s a beautiful story of love coming in several different forms all tied together to create a bittersweet ending that is how Mac and Dennis finally get together (I won’t spoil too much, but it gets kind of sad at some points).

Lights Will Guide Us Home-

Similarly to IASIP, I fell head first into the 9-1-1 fandom and immediately became infatuated with it. However, this show has quickly became one of my favorite shows of all time and Buddie has became one of my favorite ships of all time! So, when I was waiting for S8 to drop, I decided to write my own sort of post-S7 fix-it story (let’s just say there were certain things about the end of S7 that made me mad and confused). So I combined my favorite trope of trapping characters in a cave together (if I had a nickel for every time I wrote about two characters trapped in a cave in life-threatening circumstances and they confess their feelings to each other, I’d have two nickels, which is really weird that it happened twice…) Regardless, I loved writing this one because it was something new, and I really enjoyed writing for these characters and all their dynamics and small little details. For me, 9-1-1 not only really inspired me in more than just the writing aspect as it gave me a fresh canvas for art pieces (which I’d been struggling to make for a while until now), but it also created memories with some of the most important people in my life (my family would sit down every night to binge episodes and we’d all share our theories/predictions together. Also, my best friend started watching at the same time and we’d talk about everything, including the Buddie moments). This show will hold a permanent spot in my heart for years to come.

Love Like This-

Oh boy, where do I even begin with this one? So, one of the most common questions I had while watching this show is “Why doesn’t Buck have a kid of his own yet?” Sure, he basically co-parents Christopher with Eddie at this point, but like, I want to see Buck actually take care of a baby-baby. Hence, Ellowynn “Elly” Buckley(-Diaz) was born. But, I didn’t just stop at giving Buck his own kid, no no, obviously Eddie would baby trap himself the same way Buck did when he first met Chris about 7 years ago. Either way, I have so many ideas for this fic that I want to turn it into a series, but I needed to lay down the basic groundwork for it before I started adding one shots to it. Also, it has been SO MUCH FUN drawing this family dynamic!!! I’m excited to continue with this series and hopefully you guys will enjoy it too!

I think that my main takeaway from 2024 is to not be afraid to explore outside your comfort zone. If you would have asked me two years ago if I would have written outside the Star Wars fandom, I probably would have said never. However, I’ve learned that the most meaningful pieces that you create, whether it be a drawing or a written work, is something that holds value to what you love. It’s okay to expand out of what you’re known for because you can be defined more that just someone that writes for a specific fandom.

So, my advice to anyone who is new to Tumblr/AO3 going into 2024 and to those who maybe have been members for a while:

Create art that makes you happy.

And:

Don’t be afraid to be yourself.

Have a Happy and Safe Holiday Season (Whether you celebrate Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, or an entirely different celebration!!!) and I hope you all have an awesome New Year!!!

With Love,

ThatGreyJedi

[liam-neesons-best-girl]

The Orange Peel Test with him . . .

Summary: How different Liam Neeson characters would respond to the orange peel test with their partner.

ICYMI: The orange peel test is a trend circulating that poses the scenario for one partner to present the other with an orange and no context or instructions. If they peel it, their love is "for real" lol

Pairings: Qui-Gon Jinn x reader, Bryan Mills x reader, Hannibal x reader

Warnings: f!reader, drabble, they all pass the test, light kissing

Bryan Mills (Taken)

he is always happy when you want to cook with him or vise versa

the orange in your hand doesn't really pair well with the lasagna he is making but he brushes it off, just focusing on the task at hand to not cut his fingers

you take off your shoes, coat, and purse, placing the orange on the counter with your belongs before you scoot off to the restroom to change out of your work clothes and get washed up to help prep dinner

he thinks for a minute and decides to stop his work and peel the orange for you, also getting you a glass of water and a small bowl of mixed nuts, the perfect post-work pre-dinner snack

he also sneaks some nuts for himself (he loves almonds)

when you return to the kitchen he smiles and starts asking about your day

you sit on the bar stool in front of him and notice the snack and water that wasn't there 5 minutes ago

"for me?" you question

"for you" he says with a slight grin, thinking nothing of it

you can't believe how lucky you are to have a man who doesn't need step by step instructions to be thoughtful or affectionate

"can you put down the knife" you ask, rounding the counter to be by his side

he does so and you give him the tightest hug

you stay like that for a while because he is never the one to pull back from a hug first

Hannibal (A-Team)

you meet up with him in his make shift barracks, which is really a tent on desert terrain but at least it is some privacy for the two of you, away from his team

he greets you with a hug and a cocked brow when he sees the picnic basket you've placed on his bed

"what did you pack?" he asks, placing the basket on his lap to make room for the two of you to sit and go through the contents of the basket

he pulls out some meaty sandwiches you made for him, since you aren't too big a fan of deli products, miscellaneous fruits including oranges, and two cans of sparkling water to quench the thirst

ever the show off he declares a challenge

"you know I can peel these in one piece" he says pointing to the orange you just picked up to eat

"I'll believe it when I see it" you egg him on

you know this is just a rouse for him to peel it for you and not get any juices on your pretty dress or have to lift a single finger when around your strong boyfriend

he also feels indebt to you for making him such a lovely, impromptu lunch date

you were impressed to see he wasn't just blowing smoke and was actually able to peel it in one piece

watching his skilled hands be so delicate to such a fragile fruit was relaxing, and (not going to lie) a bit of a turn on

he hands you back the orange ready to eat and you, so cheeky, squeeze one of the wedges at him to splash him with the citrus's juice

with a mouth full of his sandwich he retorts, "I'll get you back when you least expect it, doll"

Qui-Gon (Star Wars)

he found you under and orange tree reading your book of poetry, enjoying the chirping birds and soft wind dancing on your hair

laying down by your side you extended your legs, an open invitation for him to rest his head on your lap as you read aloud to him

after a short time your belly began to growl, alerting him to your hunger

You lean up and say, "I'll just grab a ripe orange"

but he stops you, gently laying you back down against the tree and reaches up to grab the juiciest looking one

"let me feed you, my love" he'll say, not only peeling the orange for you but then ripping a part the wedges to feed you piece by piece

he kisses you in between bites, tasting the sweet citrus on your tongue

[gffa]

going off of the last ask about Anakin’s portrayal in TCW… could you expand more on your take on the Mortis arc? that’s always been an arc i’m conflicted about bc i love the Force visions and the little friendship between Obi-Wan and the Sister and how it does challenge Anakin, BUT i always saw it as kinda taking the stance that “balance in the Force” means there must be both light and dark, which i always thought weird considering Mortis did occur during a Lucas-involved season… so i’m curious about how you interpret everything that’s said and done during that arc. do you see it as like what Yoda goes through in season 6, or like Luke on Dagobah? thanks!! (and sorry if this doesn’t make much sense)

I can't say with 100% certainty that I'm right, but I really like the lens I view the Mortis arc through: That it was a reflection of the Force trying to play out the conflict within Anakin to get him to face himself. I go into further detail in this post, but the heart of it is centered on how the Force works, the way we see so many examples of Force-strong places playing out visions to young Jedi who need to face something. That's the whole point of taking younglings to Ilum, so they can face the issues that are in their heart, they can acknowledge and overcome the darkness inside them. It's the whole point of the Jedi Temple scenes on Lothal, where Ezra has to ask a lot of pointed questions about himself and his motivations, Kanan has to face his fear of being a bad teacher, even Ahsoka is smacked in the face with her fears and guilt about her part in the rise of Darth Vader. Hell, all the way back to the cave on Dagobah, where the Force throws a vision of Luke in Vader's helmet at him, trying to get him to confront his fears and anger and recklessness, showing him that this is what he's afraid of becoming. Then you have Mortis. A planet that's impossible, it is the Force, as Obi-Wan says. And it's showing Anakin a vision of his future, it's playing out both sides of him--the Son is his darker impulses, the daughter is his lighter impulses, she even says the Son is feeding off Anakin being there. The Father explains their existence as, “We can take many forms. The shapes we embody are merely a reflection of the life force around us.” The big confrontation is the Father saying, "It is time to face your guilt and know the truth. You must release the guilt and free yourself by choosing." This is Anakin's Force vision quest, he's just in denial about what it is. Even Qui-Gon comes to him and Anakin asks, does he leave the planet? Stay to kill the Son? And Qui-Gon says, "Neither." and directs him to the dark side-laden place where he'll see his future, the decisions he'll choose in the future. Qui-Gon says he "must face his demons and save the universe". "Know yourself!" the Son cries at him, "Know what you will become!" “A great weight has been placed on Anakin’s shoulders, for it is now that he must face who he really is,” says the opening narration. "Remember your training," Qui-Gon advises. The planet is the Force and the Force is doing what it does with every Jedi ever--it's showing them what's in their heart in an attempt to get them to let it go. Mortis is a unique place, so the level of vision here is stronger than you would get on Ilum or Dagobah or Lothal, but the themes and motivation behind it at the same--playing out the things that are going on inside Anakin Skywalker, trying to make him face his guilt and fear, so that he can let them go, because that's how the Force works. You need to let that shit go because your connection to the Force is your emotions, they're the same thing. And that's what the Jedi teach, you have to acknowledge that stuff and work through it, which is why Anakin needs to remember his training.

[literatureloverx]

Chère Mlle Blanche-Neige,

We are continuing the letter format and doing so in French, as you said you learned it. Your alias also sounds rather lyrical in the language. I know I am getting a little out of order with responding to the previous points, but I find it admirable that you still put in the effort of trying to learning different languages to begin with. I wish you the best of luck in your Russian learning endeavors. What other languages are you learning or already know?

In regard to the way I think, I don't really know any other way of thinking. This is essentially me: https://www.tumblr.com/tazmiilly/699773430419030016/me-does-it-always-have-to-be-that-serious-the?source=share

I definitely think emotional difficulties are harder to handle, seeing as they are, by definition, not ruled by rationality. My reluctance in seeking aid from others primarily stems from struggles with trust and vulnerability, for the most part. That being said, I greatly appreciate your offer of support.

Yes, I enjoy Obi-Wan's wit and sarcasm immensely. Qui-Gon is certainly more free-spirited, and he's a good choice, in my biased opinion. I recently went on a rant about how Obi-Wan and Anakin would have likely fared better with more of Qui-Gon's guidance.

The matriculation issue sounds like a pain, although art history is a fascinating subject. I would love to hear about your favourite topics or anything else you wish to share. I actually study psychology, but I hope to branch out into something more forensics/pathology related. Are you thinking of becoming a psychologist more in the clinical/counseling sense or focus on research? Although marrying rich and not having to deal with financial concerns would be relieving. I am sure any wealthy husband would find you to be a gorgeous and engaging conversationalist and would be happy to spoil you to your heart's content.

Looking at your other asks and posts now, you truly have such refined tastes; this time I am referring to your choice in perfume. Even the bottle looks classy, and the blood red is on theme with poisoned apples. I would not know how it smells like, but the descriptions of it sound decadent. It's not just sweet with cherry, but also has a bit of delicateness in the floral notes (Turkish rose, jasmine) and a darker, fleshiness (bitter almond- which can be poisonous with cyanide). I daresay it suits you, but that is also just me infusing metaphor in the mundane. Are you knowledgeable in fragrances and the like? I really ought to look into it more. If you have any recommendations for me in regard to particular notes or anything along those lines, I am open to suggestions of any kind.

Somehow you gushing about scarred men even though it is primarily in reference to Fyodor makes me feel a little better about myself. I have many and wear a mask most of the time. Also, I feel a strange sense of pride in being your second-tied-with-first favourite astrological sign (Aquarius). As I have said above, you have excellent taste.

You are free to ask questions about me, of course. I enjoy answering, and I could always choose not to answer if you are worried about making me uncomfortable. If they are of a more personal nature or if there are many, you know where my inbox is. I would not want to intrude on your space on here too much. My letters are long enough as is haha.

— 🫀 Cœur anon

(An aside: I still wonder about this favourite anon you mentioned having. Shall we conduct a witch hunt to identify him? I will respect your wishes in not trying to guess, but I really am curious.)

Cher monsieur 🫀Cœr anon,

I do like being called “dear,” so the French opening fits rather perfectly. Knowing you’re reading French literature, it is also quite flattering. ♥️

It’s actually quite sweet of you to acknowledge my efforts. Personally, my mindset tends to be more along the lines of “if there are no results, then it’s meaningless” when it comes to myself, and when it comes to others, I share your thoughts. I’m curious whether you see things the same way for yourself as you do for others.

I don’t actually know too many languages, or at least I don’t think I do, since I tend to be inconsistent with learning them at times. However, the languages I speak, from most to least fluent, are Turkish (my mother tongue), German (I moved to Germany when I was 8, so it’s essentially a second mother tongue for me), English (I have to thank Germany’s school system for pushing us to be very proficient in English; otherwise, we wouldn’t be able to attend university, haha), French (I could probably be a mediocre speaker if I picked it up again, since I can still understand some conversations and haven’t completely forgotten it. I was doing fine with it, as it was our second foreign language in high school. Maybe one day I’ll pick it up again), Russian (I can hold basic conversations, and I learned to write in cursive since it’s written differently from block letters. I also have a Russian friend who says I have a good accent when pronouncing words, but I think she’s just being sweet and boosting my confidence, haha), and I can speak “tourist-level” Japanese, but I wouldn’t even consider it a language I can speak due to my limited ability. (As an aside, I’m also curious whether you speak any other languages besides English.)

I also relate very much to this link you shared, and I think it’s a great way of showcasing your way of thinking, very much what I would’ve expected, haha.

I completely understand where you’re coming from. Trusting others and being vulnerable can be incredibly difficult. But you don’t have to go through anything alone if you don’t want to. I won’t dwell on this unless you want me to, because I can sense the same “discomfort” that you feel when I open up myself.

Perhaps I could make it easier overall by taking myself as an example: It could definitely be the fear of being abandoned if you say too much or reveal too much, because not everyone has the same “no matter what happens, I’ll be there” mindset that I maintain. I’m wondering if that might be the case for you too? *carefully, without wanting to project any issues I have onto you* Also, for the supporting part, I completely mean everything I say.

I think, for Anakin, Qui-Gon was the only one who truly saw his potential and believed in his destiny as the Chosen One (and I think Obi-Wan believed in this too, but only because Qui-Gon did?). His death created a gap in Anakin’s guidance, and without that steady influence, Anakin became more vulnerable to the Dark Side (and, of course, to manipulation). For Obi-Wan, Qui-Gon was both a mentor and a father figure, shaping his approach to the Force. If Qui-Gon hadn’t died, he might have been the one to guide Anakin in a way that could’ve kept him on the right path, possibly altering the entire fate of the Jedi Order (or maybe I’m overthinking this, haha).

I really enjoyed studying medieval art because it has so many facets. It focuses on the development of architectural styles, sculpture, and painting from the early Middle Ages to the Gothic period, while also highlighting the cultural, social, and religious contexts that shaped artistic expression during that time. And, if you couldn’t tell, I love uncovering things. Haha. Speaking of which, I also have an immense love for any painting that depicts Shakespeare’s Ophelia—she was frequently portrayed during the Victorian era, especially in paintings.

As for psychology, yes, that’s exactly what I’d like to do because, well, I’m quite the listener, aren’t I? (Apologies for the cheekiness, haha). Though I’d also find research fascinating. I just think the world needs more therapists who genuinely care, especially since I’ve seen/heard of too many who pretend to care without actually doing so.

I also think your pursuits are amazing, and I’m sure you would truly shine in that field. By the way, how did you come to the conclusion to pursue psychology? I remember you mentioning that you could’ve (or kind of wanted to) study medicine. I’d love to hear more about that if you’re comfortable sharing, of course.

I’m glad you agree with the whole ‘marrying rich’ idea, because whenever I joke about it with people, they’re always so flabbergasted, haha. It’s also really sweet of you to say that, but I’m honestly not sure a rich husband (and willing to spoil? Must be an angel on earth haha) would be interested in me. Besides… I’d have to find him first. Considering how introverted I am and how little I go out, I’ll probably stick to my original plan. But it’s always nice to dream, right? Maybe it’s not so impossible after all.

You’re really pampering me with so much appreciation, thank you very much. 🥺 I’m glad you think my perfume suits me, especially since I spent such a long time searching for one that truly captures my taste. I would also like to thank you again for genuinely putting so much effort into understanding me. I find your ability to dissect the fragrance of my perfume to understand me better to be very delightful.

I would’ve loved to give you a better insight into the fragrances, but I’m unfortunately not really knowledgeable about them, and sadly even less knowledgeable in male fragrances. But when I’m going by your personality, I think sandalwood and/or cedar-based perfumes might suit you. Though, I think it’s a completely different matter how the scent harmonises with your own scent. I’ve realised, for example, that my perfume smells a tad bit sweeter on me than my friends who have tried it — this is why I would say that a perfume is truly a signature because it’s never only the perfume itself.

About my scarred men post, you could imagine me as this emoji here: 😍

I hope this makes you feel even better because personally, I don’t think that scars are something to feel bad about at all. In fact, I think that this is something that sets you apart and makes you unique, and I don’t think that this uniqueness is in any way something to be considered negative. I do have a love for scars for a reason. I also find them aesthetically pleasing (I hope this doesn’t sound weird of me, haha).

If you feel more comfortable wearing a mask, I think that’s alright as well because the most important thing is you feeling good about yourself. Though it would break my heart if you’re wearing it because you think you look undesirable.

In my opinion, your personality alone is enough to have people at your feet (and this time, I’m not being dramatic). Yes, I may be someone who occasionally gives motivational speeches to cheer people up, but I always mean what I say. I’m not sure if I should ask questions about this here, in your inbox, or at all, since I don’t know how sensitive this topic is for you, so I might need a bit of guidance here (though, since you brought it up, you’re probably okay with discussing it? As you can see, I’m rather overthinking).

Also… I have excellent taste because I like Aquarians, if I’m understanding this correctly? I would have to agree with you. This must be one of the reasons why I liked interacting with you from the start. Though, I must say, you seem to hold me in such high regard… which is rather flattering and sweet but also a bit intimidating because I’d hate to disappoint you.

I should probably make a list of everything I’m curious about you, and I might start by using the ask game you posted. Also, as you can probably tell, some people aren’t really concerned about intruding on my blog, so you, of all people, don’t need to worry about that. I actually enjoy reading your letters and eagerly await them, so there’s no need to worry at all. I must admit, I feel a sense of pride as well, knowing that you are taking the time to engage with me on my blog, especially since you have mentioned before that you feel out of your element.

This may be a bit random, but I simply adored the music video you shared on your blog. It left such an impression on me when I first saw it, and I’ve been listening to it ever since. If you have any other recommendations in that style, I’d be delighted to hear them.

(I’m sure conducting a witch hunt might be entertaining, but won’t hunting yourself down be rather boring for you? It’s you, of course! ♥️)

[multi-fan-dom-madness]

*crashes in like the kool-aid man*

hi ya! would you be interested in sharing some HCs of Ilani x CodyWan 👀?

Looking forward to hearing your ideas! 💙💙

Sev, you're a genius. A genius, I tell you. I'm unwell for these three together, and it's all your fault <3

all HCs below the cut

Ilani x CodyWan

How they met:

Ilani and Obi-Wan were practically creche mates; she’s only a few years older than him, at most, and so they spent a lot of their childhoods together. She was there after Qui-Gon abandoned Obi-Wan on a wartorn planet for a year, being the first one to welcome him home and make sure he was okay. As a youngling, she harbored a crush on Obi-Wan (a mutual attraction); as Padawans, they never did more than kiss, but that was enough at the time. And when the time came, she couldn’t have been prouder of her best friend’s appointment to the Council.

When the war broke out, and they were assigned to separate clone units, they still stayed in touch via comms at least once a week. On joint missions, especially the ones that required a subtler touch, Ilani was often assigned to keep Obi-Wan in check—Obi-Wan, and his clone commander, Cody. 

Ilani could tell instantly that there was something between the two of them from the get-go, even before either man was willing to admit it to themselves or each other.

General HCs

At first, she was a little jealous—but one night, a year or more into the war, Cody approached her, his Force signature absolutely shot through with nerves, to ask how best to ask his General about his feelings. He even went so far as to request that she be present for that conversation, since “you know him so well. Better than I do. I want...no, I need your expertise, General.”

She obliged; during that encounter, Obi-Wan looked at her with wide, fearful eyes—fearful not because he was taken aback by Cody’s forwardness, but fearful that his attachment to them both would tear them all apart. Ilani assured him, as did Cody, that he didn’t have to choose between them. He could have them both. It surprised all three of them; but in the end, it was the best decision all three of them could have made. 

Cody and Obi-Wan have the stronger bond of the three, but Ilani’s history with Obi keeps them grounded. Her dry wit is a perfect mirror of Cody’s, and they both drive Obi-Wan crazy with their senses of humor. 

Often meet under the guise of discussing battle tactics or reviewing the most recent skirmishes for ways to improve. (They fool most people, but their former padawans know better. Not like Anakin can say shit anyways.) 

She sometimes forgets that Obi-Wan is a Jedi Master in his own right, and Cody gently reminds her when she attempts to tell her creche mate when he should be more careful, or not put himself in harm’s way, or do anything rash.

NSFW HCs: 

Tentative at first. For both Obi-Wan and Ilani, there’s a lot of guilt and repressed desires to work through; Cody is endlessly patient with both of them, even when they aren’t patient with themselves. It’s because of this that Cody often takes the lead in the bedroom. He implements a check-in system, though at some point he realizes he can just tell by looking at them how they are.

Ilani doesn’t always need or want to be involved. She’s perfectly content to lay back and watch Cody and Obi-Wan make love, bringing herself to climax with just her fingers, satisfied enough with experiencing the afterglow in their Force signatures. She also always reaps the benefits of post-sex cuddles. 

Her favorite, and Obi-Wan’s too she suspects, is when she sits on Obi-Wan’s face while Cody fucks him. It lets her play with both of her boys: sloppy kisses traded with Cody before she sucks them both off and/or jerks them off simultaneously, both of her hands just big enough to fit around their cocks together. 

For their parts, Cody and Obi-Wan both love watching the other pick Ilani apart and put her back together. Cody’s favorite is to bury his face between her legs for hours, just tasting her, making her cum again and again. Obi-Wan, by contrast, discovers early on that he immensely enjoys cockwarming, and Ilani is more than happy to lie there and simply flex around him until he breaks and gives her what she wants.

Ye Olde Ragu Liste: @the-hexfiles @thorsterstrudle @dystopicjumpsuit @clonemedickix @freesia-writes @littlemissmanga @wolffegirlsunite @anxiouspineapple99 @wings-and-beskar @sinfulsalutations @523rdrebel @sunshinesdaydream @moonlightwarriorqueen @sev-on-kamino @starrylothcat @deejadabbles @starqueensthings @mandos-mind-trick @idontgetanysleep @eyeluvmusic21 @wizardofrozz @mythical-illustrator @sleepycreativewriter @dreamie411 @bobaprint @imarvelatthestars @originalcollectionartistry @droids-you-are-looking-for @goblininawig @lune-de-miel-au-paradis @9902sgirl if your name has a strikethrough, I can't tag you so check your settings! (if you'd like to be added or removed, click here!)

[rancidjuno]

1,2,4,5,7, 34, and 50 from the barrissoka ask but for kenduli 😍

Ty for asking !!(I’d never shut up about them if I could) – for anyone curious this is based on Bailey’s barrissoka ask game! I will try my best to answer these well without too much word vomit <3

How did they fall in love?

I think for Kenduli that’s an interesting one because, as childhood friends there’s always beenlove there—it’s just it manifesting as romantic that’s more tricky. I go between ideas on this, but keeping things mostly canon compliant I would say Luminara would only allow herself to think of Obi-Wan like that post Barriss’ betrayal. At that point she’s facing the reality that if you want someone to know you care about them sometimes you have to tell them that – and after Barriss, Obi-Wan is probably the person she cares for the most.

That’s not to say they haven’t been together in other forms prior to that, I am very pro the Luminara and Obi-Wan friends-with-benefits arrangement that could have existed from when they are much younger. For Obi-Wan I think it’s more of a steady build than a sudden realisation—he’s got terrible luck (RIP Satine and Qui-Gon) when it comes to the people he loves so I think he’d keep a distance, wait for her to initiate that if she ever wants to. He loves her, and she him, and they always have—but taking that next step is something he’d leave in her hands.

Who fell first?

It’s a similar thing here where there is no strict falling as much as it’s this steady incline of affection and familiarity. That said, I think maybe it manifests more in Luminara first in unconscious ways. For teenaged Luminara, I think my favourite hc is that she has an underlying envy that manifests in ways she wouldn’t understand—for example, when it comes to Satine, she is not jealous of Satine or the relationship that she and Obi-Wan have but potentially of the bond, the closeness that she wouldn’t ever allow herself to have that young. So I guess that could count as falling first? Not that she would know it lol

Obi-Wan knows this, and so he would never push. But hey, maybe if Luminara had been more open before he met Satine they could have gotten together much sooner? So, in conclusion, I think they’ve both been that way all along.

Who would confess first and how?

I’ve written a few versions of this and I think my favourite is when it’s not a confession of love, it’s a confession of possession. And in that case, it would have to be Luminara. She loves her friends, maybe she won’t use that word but Obi-Wan knows that, Quinlan knows that—what the real confession is, the thing that plagues her, is the desire for fidelity, and in turn possession. Friends-with-benefits is fine but it’s when she wants him to herself that confession comes in.

To be clear, I don't mean possession in a: oh my god he's so possessive (Anakin) way! I just mean it in the claiming of something, the claiming of Obi-Wan's fidelity.

Obi-Wan’s played that game before, he felt it for Satine but that didn’t work out—these are feelings he’s been through and understands. And he can’t force Luminara to be okay with those feelings, there are many Jedi who would never be, so it would be his kindness to not say anything until she does.

First kiss, and how would it go?

This one’s fun because it’s another I’ve written a few different ways, but I would say it’s probably when they’re quite young—like the 15-17 age range. It’s pretty harmless, a bit awkward like most first kisses are but it’s not only their first kiss with each other it’s also their first kiss ever so that’s to be expected lol. The safety of having those experiences with each other, who they trust so implicitly, leaves an affection between them that’ll never disappear.

How would their first date go?

I mean, these fools have been going on dates all their lives—their first date was probably a toddler play date lmao. But if we’re talking a proper date date then I think they’d keep it simple. He cooks for her, they just talk for a while, maybe go out for a long walk after. Their daily lives are full of such chaos that the calm of their relationship is incredibly important.

It wouldn’t have been an official date because Luminara’s emotionally constipated and Quinlan probably tagged along but when they’re in their twenties I think they had a bit more of an outgoing taste, like bars and clubs. Maybe that’s me projecting, but the experience of barely being able to think with the music blasting and being surrounded by so many people would probably be something they’d both enjoy at that time. They’ll grow out of that one, though, lol

Who’s more likely to get jealous if someone makes a pass at their partner?

Neither Luminara nor Obi-Wan strike me as particularly jealous people. I mentioned that Luminara has an unconscious jealousy of Obi-Wan’s ability to be open when they’re young but that’s not really targeted at any person other than disappointment in herself. The core of their relationship is an unshakable trust, and because of that neither of them have any concern about the other betraying them in any way.

That said, it definitely depends on how the pass is made. If it’s just a little harmless flirting then I think they’d just find it amusing, maybe even encourage it a little, but if it’s like a physical grabbing or something that clearly makes them uncomfortable then the other would step in. So maybe Obi-Wan, just because Star Wars has lots of sexism (really cool move I hate it), and if anyone ever made an inappropriate pass at Luminara he would shut it down pretty quickly even though she’s very capable of doing it herself. But it’s more concern for her safety than it is jealousy, if that makes sense?

What are some songs/quotes/poems/stories/movies that make you think of Kenduli? I always write and draw to music so there’s a lot of stuff I associate with them even though there’s no real connection. I have Star Wars playlist that is just like by default kenduli songs in my head. Beyond that though, not really! They’re very unique as a pairing to me, and that’s why I like them so much.

[tessiete]

HI TESS🥹🫶 3,7,13,35,57 for the ask pls?

HI @lightasthesun THANK YOU FOR ALL THESE! They're so interesting! I love pulling things apart and looking at all the mechanics, so thank you for inviting me to do so! SO MUCH LOVE TO YOU, AND I HOPE YOU'RE ENJOYING THE LAST RAYS OF AUGUST!

3. Describe the creative process of writing a chapter/fic

Okay! See, these questions get me so excited because I *love* process. It's taken me absolutely forever to figure out what mine is, and honestly, it's not always consistent, but in general:

If I'm writing a one-shot, I decide on the theme. The idea that I want to explore in the chapter. For example, I had to write a story based on the prompt "I wonder what's inside your butthole" (the song. It was the Spotify Top 100 challenge. Yes, that song was in my top 100. #69, I think. Of course)

So, early on, I decided that the closest thing to a butthole in SW was the sarlacc pit. It also has a bunch of stuff inside it. And what do we know about the sarlacc? You will be digested over the course of a thousand years.

So, I thought this fic should be about the passage of time, immortality, and the things you miss.

Then, I go to someone's inbox (usually @treescape or @pomiardve) and spam them with a summary of what I intend to write with all the important beats.

Then, a couple days later, I go to the Google docs and I write it out as I remember it. Generally, I don't refer to my summary. That just helps me mark it out to make sure it makes sense.

For longer fics, I do generally the same thing, but I'll refer back to the larger skeleton so that I can keep the events trekking in sort of the same direction.

Whatever I'm writing, I think "What am I trying to say with this story? What is my perspective?"

7. How do you choose which POV to write from?

I choose the perspective of the character who learns the most. Whose growth is the story focused on?

If it's a multi-chapter story, I consider who learns The Thing in each chapter, and who I specifically do not want to let the reader in the head of.

For example, so much of Only Hope relies on the fact that Obi-Wan cannot, for the life of him, be objective about Qui-Gon. This actively influences the way I frame Qui-Gon's actions in Obi-Wan chapters (ex. Obi-Wan tends to only notice physical affection in passing, and never in explicit interior thoughts, and gives absolutely no weight to mentions of care -- I can think of one instance where Satine mentions Qui-Gon was tired because he stayed up all night waiting for Obi-Wan. Obi-Wan assumes it's because he inconvenienced his master, whereas the reader is meant to see between the lines that Qui-Gon was worried).

It would have given the whole of the game, and much of Obi-Wan's growth away if I'd ever given Qui-Gon a POV chapter.

13. What’s a common writing tip that you almost always follow?

I think, actually, in these past couple years I've thrown out all the common advice I've been told. It just clogs things up for me.

But the one thing I *really* do try to do, which is very common screenwriting advice is to make each scene accomplish at least two things at a time.

IE. A scene should advance the plot AND explore character. Or create conflict AND interrogate theme.

This, I find, is super helpful in allowing you to do a lot of interior work while keeping the pace up. Makes everything more likely to be integral to the story.

35. What is one essential thing to remember when writing a villain?

Ohh, the same thing I remember when playing one: The villain is the hero of their own story. They think they're justified. Why? Whatever it is, they want it just as much as the hero does. 

Even if it's something as simple as them wanting to cause chaos -- they are DEEPLY convinced they deserve to cause that chaos. It is justified to them.

57. Do you prefer editing as you write, or waiting until it’s finished? 

Um, lol I do not edit at any point. I generally post it as it comes out of my head. Occasionally, I will go back into posted works and change a couple things here and there. More rarely, I'll change significant things.

Typos I usually catch (if I *do* catch them) as soon as I hit post on AO3!

[grandmaster-paradox]

I would go so far as to say Obi-Wan was significantly closer to Cody than either Padmé or (especially) Satine?

I’m not saying he didn’t love both women as well. However, Satine always felt like she came out of left field to me - more a teen romance that remained on a pedestal and didn’t mature with age rather than his greatest love interest. And there was definitely love and respect between him and Padmé but from what I’ve seen/read I’m not sure how close they actually were? Between how short a time they actually knew each other (it’s implied in the second movie that they hadn’t seen each other in ten years and then the war happened) and their respective jobs keeping them focused on other things, they didn’t seem to have that much time to actually get to know one another, personally. Plus, Padmé a was always with Anakin when she was with a Jedi.

(Related, I’d assume there were Jedi he was closer to than either of those two (in fact, why wasn’t Ashoka on that list? He never got confirmation that she survived, did he?) so why wasn’t anyone else on that list?).

Compare that to OnI-Wan’s relationship with the clones - Commander Cody in particular but not exclusively. They lived together, they worked together, they fought and bled and died together. They learned to rely on each other and trust each other. Whether you want to look at things with ship goggles on or not, there is a bond there that would be so much stronger than anything Obi-Wan would have with either Padmé or Satine.

In fact, given the hierarchical and parental/guardian nature of his relationships with both Anakin and Qui-Gon, there’s a good argument Cody in particular was the closest Obi-Wan ever had to a long-term work partner who was his equal. Yes, he out ranked Cody as a High General, but he also out ranked very nearly everyone he worked with during the war as well (ever seen one of those scales that showed just how hilariously much Obi-Wan outranked Anakin as General of a Systems Army compared to Anakin’s single battalion?). As Marshall Commander, Cody was at the highest ranking a clone could get - so far as I can tell - and it’s obvious in the show that he has a lot of freedom and authority to work with. And also that Obi-Wan trusts and relies on him to use that authority as needed.

There’s no chance they weren’t extremely close - friends, lovers, brothers, however you want to look at it, it doesn’t really matter. The point is the bond between them, not the nature of that bond.

Clone erasure - Cody erasure - by Star Wars authors is incredibly meta in a weird way that I’m not sure how to articulate but it both depresses me and pisses me off. In-story, most of the Galaxy sees the clones as little more than a single monolith made up of millions of interchangeable parts - no single one of which is of any particular value. We, the audience, get to know individual clones as the singular entities they are - with their unique personalities, relationships, hopes, dreams, and more - so we know better. We love the clones individually. Yet somehow, many official SW authors fall into the same trap as the in-universe characters who dismiss the clones’ importance as people effecting the story rather than objects being effected and ignore their relationships to the main characters* entirely. I’m not sure what that says about these authors - I’m not sure it says anything at all - but given how the SW fandom has long cottoned on to the slave-army implications inherent with the clones very existence, being so quick to dismiss or ignore them to highlight more “important” or “unique” characters is rather disturbing.

I’m not sure where I’m going with this. This whole post is a rambling mess. I’m sorry.

* I asterisk because I see Satine more as an object affecting things than many of the clones. Even in the episode she’s in, she’s a plot device more than a person - though she was somewhat better in the ya novel. Yet somehow Satine gets to be a named character in Obi-Wan’s list of lost loved ones while no clones - better fleshed out characters within the story - are named. It’s baffling.

I've been seeing this quote from the Claudia Gray line from "Master and Apprentice" go around:

Every person Obi-Wan ever truly loved—Anakin, Satine, Padmé, and Qui-Gon himself—came to a terrible end.

And, like, okay, maybe unreliable narrator, but. Tell me you don't know any combat veterans without telling me you don't know any combat veterans.

Because after three years of war, Obi-Wan is going to truly love at least some of his men to the same level as he loves those four.

Christopher Cantwell's Obi-Wan comic gets it. Three of the five issues — which cover more than just the Clone War — show how deeply Obi-Wan cares about the clone troopers he led and served with. And, ahem, how he misses Cody to this day, to be precise.

And, if I'm allowed to get a little "conspiracy Charlie" meme, if "so it goes with my friends, it seems" refers to Anakin also trying to kill him, then Obi-Wan puts his relationship with Cody on the same level as his relationship to Anakin, ergo canonically Obi-Wan also loved Cody in his own way. QED.

[phoenixyfriend]

God I want a time-travel fic of the variety where two characters that are like. Estranged marriage. Stuck in the past together. Reconnect as the only real touchpoint the other has to their old lives.

(I was watching the first episode of Outlander, for context.)

I kicked off with "well, obviously HanLeia from like a year before episode VII" because what says 'estranged but we still love each other' like HanLeia? I did consider like. Post-Empire Anidala but anything involving Vader turns into a war crimes discussion instead of estrangement so nah.

Next step: pick a drop point far enough back that they only have a vague idea of what's going on galactically, partly because so much of the information was scorched and burned, and also they've gotten old enough that some of the details weren't important. (The name of that bill that Palpatine got passed doesn't matter when discussing how he rose to power so much as the content, right?) This is Melida/Daan, where they both desperately want to help because dying children and also that's bb Obi-Wan but like. Absolutely none of the kids trust them.

And then my brain went "hey you know who would be fun to add? 23yo Padme who's already a Senator and seeing the Separatist crisis brewing but hasn't been targeted by Jango Fett yet." This detracts from the original intended plot but I got sucked in.

"Just tell people I'm an aunt you rarely got to see but always came home with stories about fighting pirates and liberating slaves with a smuggler and a loose sorta-Jedi, and you don't know if even a quarter of the stories are true, but it didn't matter when you were younger because all you cared about was that they were entertaining and came with souvenirs, like any eight-year-old"

Takes a lot of talking, bb!Obi and Padme are horrified by the future. (Most of the Young are just like 'okay cool let's get back to keeping US alive and you can talk about your weird Jedi things LATER')

Padme has no idea how to relate to Leia because Leia's just. A very odd person, but they're family, yes?

(Han is just like. Whelp. I do as Leia says. No, no, it doesn't get more complicated than that. She says jump and I don't even ask how high before I do it.)

Obi-Wan is almost crying because Leia is just. Taking charge and powerful and she recognizes "end the war with as few dead as possible" as a goal and she then does it with things like sabotaging weapons depots instead of hospitals and whatnot. Padme is horrified to find that all her political and academic expertise are less useful than her ability to grab a gun and Shoot Things, because she's not a General.

They get off-planet eventually, meet with the Jedi, etc.

Han gets sent off by Leia at one point to Tatooine, and she refuses to explain why to anyone until he comes back with a young lady by the name of Shmi who is just confused as fuck but Leia tells her "my father was a Skywalker, and I dreamed of where to find you because I have the Force" and Shmi is just like. Okay stranger lady. You took out my chip and offered to give me some cash and set me up wherever so I'll play along. Family, sure.

Han is probably bothering Qui-Gon because he is incredibly reminded of Future Old Ben, except Qui-Gon is somewhat younger, and looks much younger, on account of not spending twenty years on Planet That Hates You. (Han, you're almost seventy. Calm down.)

Padme thought she was a take-charge kind of gal but now she's met her future daughter and uh. Uh.

[charmwasjess]

Okay, I finally finished The Living Force, and as promised, I have thoughts. These are just my musings as a fan and a reader - if you enjoyed the book more than I did, I'm really glad! If you hated it, good for you too! Let people like things, let people not like things. <3 My feelings with this book were somewhat down the middle. I'm interested in reading it again in a couple months and seeing how I feel.

Overall: a fun, engaging read, genuinely hard to put down once the action starts going. The book isn’t afraid to be funny. SO MUCH GOOD JEDI CONTENT! Miller takes on a huge task trying to write perspectives for all twelve Council member characters and does a pretty good job bringing them to life. Mace and Depa steal the show. I had a hard time with some of the meta plot and overriding messages about the Jedi Order.

Andddddd the long version:

The entire conceit of the book comes about when Qui-Gon goes head to head with the Council, who are bogged down in committee red tape Senate paperwork disconnection, and challenges them to “help one person.” So inspired, the Jedi Council in its entirety goes to the planet Kwenn to help close down a hundreds-year-old Jedi Outpost. 

Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan serve as the book’s inciting incident, our quest giver NPCs, who hang around close enough to the action to keep the readers who bought the book only for them engaged. It reminds me a little bit of a spin-off TV show where the fan favorite character from the original series shows up to boost ratings, saying their classic catch phrase while the live studio audience goes crazy. Look, Qui-Gon is Being Kind to Pathetic Lifeforms! Obi-Wan drops a “hello there” in the first scene! Oh, them!

Lest you think I’m being shitty, let me say that it was actually great to see Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan on the eve of TPM working together well and having a blast. Both in Padawan and Master & Apprentice, they are still very much figuring out their relationship, and now it’s clearly evolved to its final magnificent form. They’re utterly corny together - I love that for them. This is the same pair that gave us “the negotiations were short” and the baffling “there’s always a bigger fish!”

I’ll talk a little bit about Sifo-Dyas because of course I will. He appears only in mentions, but so many of them, he's a huge part of the subtext of the book as he's recently left (been fired) from the Council and been killed - he's apparently on everyone's mind. I’ve posted about this before - I love the Seeker Sifo addition, and further, letting him be a rightful problem, a true pain in the Council’s ass and who ultimately got himself fired for not following the rules. Of course I have sympathy for him: this is a person who is beyond desperate to save his world and willing to try anything at this point in his life. And I think it’s worth mentioning that this is well within Cavan Scott’s characterization of him as a natural born troublemaker. I mean, he’s on screen for about two pages in Dooku: Jedi Lost before he just fucking literally steps on Yoda. Apparently, he never stopped. 

The book is oddly complimentary of him in weird places. Canon is inconsistent about Sifo-Dyas and how much his visions were impacting his judgment or even his simple ability to function. The last we heard of him in the Yoda comics, Sifo-Dyas was so routinely incapacitated by them that he was traveling with Lene full time. So it was cool to see that he had apparently gotten in control of them enough to be a super crucial member of the Council. Mace complains about Sifo’s absence and how that has directly impacted their entire ability to perceive the future, an acknowledged blind spot that comes up quite a lot in the prequel films and Clone Wars. Yoda goes on and on about how what a powerful Jedi he was.

...I don’t think the scene where the ENTIRE FUCKING Council round robin style takes potshots at Sifo-Dyas for *checks notes* rescuing some orphans was particularly successful. Of course, accuse me of bias, he’s a favorite character of mine, and it’s rough to see his colleagues - who are also his only friends and family - sitting around talking shit about him (to a bad guy no less!) for a page and a half, when he literally just got violently killed. (And they know he’s dead, at least, if not the circumstances. Killed on Felucia was the official story reported to the Council per wookiepedia.) Just tonally weird.

But really, I think what actually bothers me about that scene is the treatment of the baddie, Zalestra’s motivation as in any way legitimate, credible, or worth an apology by the narrative. Wow, the villain had a good point! To be clear, her issue with Sifo-Dyas taking her friends away to be Jedi is not that it changed her situation in any meaningful way in terms of care provided. It was a crime of omission. And these friends were so dear to her that she goes around indiscriminately killing Jedi of their exact generation? I suspect Miller liked his cool Nautolan Pirate Joker OC and wanted to give her a sympathetic excuse for why she was going around torturing and murdering Jedi (and just random people, including children) for fun, and “I got separated from my friends as a kid because of a Jedi” was the best he could do. Of course, it sets up Depa for a really beautiful line about not using other people as a canvas to paint grief on. 

The question of Attachment is a strong theme. Depa seems to be Going Through It - about attachment in particular, but also generally in the book. She’s shown relying a little too firmly on the no attachment cause in the wake of grief for a lost student. For example, she is quick to volunteer that Zalestra’s friends who were brought into the Temple together would be immediately separated so as to not form attachments - without pointing out the rest of that, that this separation would be specifically into Creche clans so they could bond with other Jedi kids and grow up in a community. Mace’s reaction to Depa’s attitudes make me suspect this is a Depa character growth thing, not something we’re supposed to take as a face value fact about the Jedi Order. Indeed, she ultimately overcomes her fears about this and decides to take a Padawan. And the final lines of the book include Qui-Gon defining for us that it isn’t attachment that’s a problem for Jedi – it’s indifference. 

Mace and Depa are the clear stars of the book. The Shatterpoint lineage vibes are immaculate. I’d read that the Living Force is supposed to set up an upcoming novel about Mace, and I am legitimately thrilled for it after reading this. Anyway, their dynamic is fantastic. Mace treats her 100% like a respected colleague, no cute Padawan infantilization tropes, even when he is put in situations like rescuing her after weeks of prolonged torture. Instead, he gives her his lightsaber to use, since hers has been taken. A really powerful and beautiful moment of support, while still recognizing her strength and agency. 

That said, if you’re looking for a deep dive into more obscure members of the Council or an EU/Legends junkie looking to see your favorite backstory pulled from the fire, this book might not be it.  With his five wives and seven daughters in old EU, Ki-Adi-Mundi might be the least likely Council Member to be the comedic butt of a bit revolving around awkwardness around women, but Miller goes for it, and there’s no mention of his family situation. 

Another odd reference, this time to current canon: the civilians the Council are working to help are mentioned as being the relocated survivors of the Protobranch disaster. It’s an ironic choice to frame the narrative of “the Jedi have been too focused on the big picture/the future at the expense of their duty to ordinary people” and then set the story in a community of people that the Jedi literally saved after getting a vision of the future disaster. The fact that it was our problem child Sifo-Dyas’s vision, and the rescue only happened after he and Lene outright defied the Council to get the gears moving is never mentioned or addressed, despite its seeming supreme relevance to the other themes in the story. 

For a time, I thought the narrative tension there between those two truths - that the Jedi should be concerned about ordinary people and living in the moment, but that this doom future is truly about to be a huge problem for the Jedi Order and the galaxy - was intentional. Having now finished the book, it doesn't seem to have actually been. Maybe someone else has a different perspective.

In truth, I didn’t understand what I kept reacting negatively to about with some of the meta themes of the book until the literal last page, John Jackson Miller’s author’s note where he says it outright. He talked about the other Star Wars books he has written over the last decade - how they all have depicted (Jedi) characters who are off on their own, away from the Order, “loners like Luke Skywalker,” and how his depiction of the Jedi Order from that perspective has been very critical. With this book, he decided that ALL Jedi couldn’t be bad, and that “Qui-Gon Jinn was the greatest symbol (of diversity of thought in the Order)” so he wanted to explore that. 

I closed the book and gently placed it in the trash can.

No, I’m kidding. Kind of. You know that I love Qui-Gon Jinn, he is my first favorite character, but this take exhausts me. That he is the magical exception to all of Jedi’s problems leading up to the prequels, and that if he were somehow not a direct product of that same Jedi Order, which encouraged him in his particular way of thinking almost to a fault, starting with Dooku.

In the final scene, with a magical twinkle in his eyes, Qui-Gon explains his own “defiance”of the Council: “I’m not insubordinate. I’m unorthodox. The insubordinate are ignored. The unorthodox are heard - grudgingly.” So the book finally resolves for us the narrative confusion in the difference between Sifo-Dyas’s bad future-fixated rulebreaking, which is shown to create villains and piss off his colleagues alike, and Qui-Gon’s good Living Force-serving unorthodoxy, which creates friends for the Order and moments of spiritual understanding for the Council. 

...Smashcut to six months later when Qui-Gon himself is outright defying the Council’s decision on Anakin and sidelining Obi-Wan because he’s convinced the Chosen One prophecy is just that important. 

Star Wars: The Living Force by John Jackson Miller, 6.5/10 stars, would have been 7 if I hadn’t read that asinine author’s note and gotten all mad again. 

[captainsway]

Hi, I'm a newer fan of Star Wars, and I came across your blog. I'm also an Asian, but I never really liked connecting the Jedi with South Asian religions like Buddhism and Hinduism. Maybe my distaste comes from that fact that George Lucas butchered Hinduism offensively in the Indian Jones franchise, and Star Wars reeks of appropriation.

I read through your Star Wars posts, and it was nice to see someone try to respectfully portray the Asian-ness of Star Wars.

I was reading one of your rebuttals regarding the jedi practicing therapy, and I was curious. I've only really seen the movies, Clone Wars and Rebels; no books or comics. Where exactly do the Jedi canonly practice or have therapeutic services? Like, I kind of saw it in ROTS with the Yoda/Anakin scene, but that felt less like therapy and more like just seeking advice from an older person you know. Both are beneficial, but they aren't the same. Is it in the books?

i don't read the books or comics or whatever. the therapy bit is about what is said in the movies (primarily by yoda, but also obi-wan and qui-gon) and what was said in actual therapy, both individual and group practices. it is Established History that 1) western therapy is based on buddhist practices and 2) lucas himself practiced buddhism and wrote it into star wars. the jedi constantly use mantras such 'may the force be with you', 'luminous beings are we, not this crude matter', or even the jedi code (which is not in the movies but it resonates with buddhism:

There is no emotion, there is peace. There is no ignorance, there is knowledge. There is no passion, there is serenity. There is no chaos, there is harmony. There is no death, there is the Force.

people always misinterpret it as 'oh noooo emotions are baaaad' but it's always about *mindfulness*. if you let your emotions rule you, then you're not peaceful. if you do not take the time to understand why you're feeling what you're feeling and let your emotions rule you, then your emotions will let you lose everything. lashing out in anger, letting opportunities pass you by bc of being too scared, being happy about other people's misfortunes, etc etc. people also liken the jedi to a cult but cults suppress knowledge. the jedi have repeatedly taught their students to seek out knowledge and make mistakes, but learn from them. that's even in the movies when yoda teased obi-wan about 'losing a planet' in front of the kids and told obi-wan to look at it a different way. the last line is about how when you die, you're not really dead - your spirit becomes one with the force and you'll be reunited again there, so while you can mourn for someone's death, also celebrate their life and the fact that you will inevitably see them again. if you focus only on their death, you'll fall into despair and hopelessness and even fear of losing more people. death *is* inevitable and you cannot let the rest of your life pass you by from fear of it.

this is also the belief of attachment - which is directly from eastern beliefs. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nonattachment_(philosophy) it's literally about not being greedy, being open to your fellow humans, giving yourself to a greater purpose, etc. it's even in christianity where 'it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God'. you cannot be attached to worldly possessions if it hinders your own humanity or the people around you. that's exactly what the jedi preach and why anakin failed when it came to padme. he even explicitly said this to her in aotc about how the jedi work: 'Attachment is forbidden. Possession is forbidden. Compassion, which I would define as unconditional love, is essential to a Jedi's life. So you might say, that we are encouraged to love.' they love *everyone* because that is their enlightenment and their belief in the force, so focusing on just one person and clinging to that one person to the point where no one else matters is antithetical to being a jedi.

in regards to the whole being asian and cultural appropriation: yeah i get it. but the fact of the matter is that lucas himself was *actively* buddhist and was trying to create a story that would show buddhism to western audiences. was lucas racist? yes, undoubtedly. that's not up for debate. was he actually pretty accurate in displaying buddhism in his space fantasy movies? yeah actually and it's been repeatedly documented over and over and over again. people whine about how the movies were all about white men, but yoda himself was actually a pretty??? clear stereotype of the wise asian master??? obi-wan was too in a sense, but because he wasn't played by lucas' original actor (toshiro mifune), it's not as obvious. but yoda, with his speech patterns, his methods of training, hell, even his appearance (if you discount the fact he's an alien), is all along the lines of the mr miyagi archetype (or is mr miyagi a yoda archetype hMMM).

i guess the question is: would you rather dismiss all asian aspects in star wars even though lucas was directly inspired by both buddhism and samurai movies and has actually been pretty accurate in regards to the former, or would you rather embrace the jedi as being asian inspired and 'reclaim' them? to be honest i find it rather frustrating seeing all the asian beliefs that lucas tried really hard to bring to western audiences be bastardised and dismissed by white people in the fandom, including writers and certain show runners who purposefully misinterpret the jedi because they don't understand buddhism. it's like, why am i told i'm 'wrong' when people who ARE asian/buddhist/etc find kinship in the jedi and have constantly found evidence that they are more similar to east and south asian beliefs than anything and having people dismiss that is actually problematic and pretty racist in itself?

regardless of what i say here, here's more articles i've found from a quick google:

6 Similarities Between Star Wars And Zen Buddhism

The spiritual message hidden in 'Star Wars'

The Buddhist and Taoist influences that underpin the Star Wars universe

Jedis, Buddhism and the translational power of film

may the force be with you!

[tremendouskoalachild]

What we know about Leslye Headland's perspective on the prequels

We've heard a lot about the showrunner of The Acolyte and her opinions on the prequel films, especially recently after star wars celebration 2023. I'd like to summarize what we've learned so far.

It seems every artist new to the franchise gets asked the same question in interviews about their first star wars project: their personal relationship to the IP. Leslye Headland consistently responds that she's been a fan since childhood (the 80s), loved to read expanded universe books, and enjoys star wars RPGs. She goes into her history with the fandom around 25 minutes into this youtube interview, explaining among other things that she got back into the fandom around the time of the disney buyout (early 2010s).

She shares a similar sentiment in an interview (archived link) with The A. V. Club in June 2021:

"I enjoyed the prequels but didn’t feel the same kind of kinship to them as I did the original trilogy. I was older. I was moving into college and getting into theater. I was moving in this different direction. But with the advent of YouTube videos and their discourse around Star Wars, I started to get back into it, whether it was critiques of the prequels or recaps of things, or just kind of this digestible fandom that I didn’t realize existed."

So, Leslye was an OT baby, grew up by the time the PT came out and wasn't all that into it, and got sucked back into star wars by interacting with the community on youtube and other sites, around the time the fandom was revitalized post-disney purchase.

She elaborates further on her reaction to episode I in another interview from June 2021, for TheWrap:

“What I can say is the reason it did appeal to me personally is that I was 18 when ‘Phantom Menace’ came out and I was a very, very big ‘Star Wars’ fan. I remain a big ‘Star Wars’ fan, but at that particular time, right after the re-releases and the fact that I was in high school, it just kind of all coincided at a time where I was discovering who I was sexually, I was discovering who I was artistically, I was kind of realizing what I wanted to do with my life. And then this big, huge movie event, cultural event happened that was ‘The Phantom Menace.'”

“And I know there were varying reactions to it. And certainly there were a lot of people that had grown up with the original trilogy who were disappointed by it. But I actually was very intrigued by why George Lucas had started us at that particular point. I kind of wondered, but what happened to lead up to this? That’s kind of where my ‘Star Wars’ fan brain went was like, ‘How did we get here?’ And why are the Jedi like this? When they are in power, why are they acting this way and how is it that they’re not having the reaction that you would think they would to Anakin’s presence and what Qui-Gon Jinn is saying about how passionately he feels about training him and bringing him into the fold. It’s like, even the discovery of Darth Maul is kind of met with this like, ‘Hm, interesting’ kind of feeling. So I just think for me, my brain has always buzzed around that area and wondered what’s going on here — or what has been going on here.”

In her interview (archived link) with Vanity Fair from 24 May 2022 she introduces her approach to Jedi and the Force in The Acolyte:

“In the prequels, Mace Windu says: ‘There's no way that the Sith could have reemerged without us knowing about it.’ And Yoda says, ‘Hard to see the dark side is,’” Headland points out. “He acknowledges that this is a part of the Force that has been dormant, or at least hidden from them, for so long. What I immediately wondered about this particular period was: who is practicing it?”

Vanity Fair: How do you explain the High Republic to a Star Wars fan who may not yet be familiar with the stories the books have been telling?

The way I would explain the High Republic, and specifically where my show takes place, is that I'm about 100 years before The Phantom Menace. So, a lot of those characters haven't even been born yet. My question in watching The Phantom Menace was always like, "Well, how did things get to this point?" Do you know what I mean? How did we get to where a Sith lord can infiltrate the Senate and none of the Jedi pick up on it? What went wrong? What are the scenarios that led us to this moment? So that's what I would say. That's how I would describe it to my friends, especially my non-Star Wars friends.

One hundred years in our own world is a huge leap. There are unthinkable changes in the span of century. Is that true of the Star Wars world, too? Obviously there are starships, there are lightsabers, but is it a different era technologically in the High Republic?

Absolutely. I mean, I love the fact that George Lucas, when he originally made Episodes 4 through 6 [a.k.a. the original trilogy], you can see that he wants everything to feel like it has this particular type of decay. This is a lived-in sci-fi fantasy world, not a sleek, well-put-together aesthetic. He was really going for something that I think was a bit revolutionary at the time.

When he tasked himself with making the prequels, the way that he decided to address technology and all of those types of things was to make it a much sleeker, better-looking, almost more advanced time. That's what's kind of weird about Star Wars. The further you go back, the better things are. “A long time ago” actually becomes more futuristic. So while we are creating this type of world, we're trying to carry George's concept that the further you go back, the more exciting and new and sleek and interesting things look.

The way you're describing it reminds me of the Roman era, a time where that empire was very powerful and fairly technologically advanced. Then that region of the world falls into a period of barbarism, and the Dark Ages follow. Is that similar to what you're talking about here? Is the High Republic an era of education and advancement and glory, while the Star Wars movies and shows that we know best are from a time of collapse and decay?

Yes. We actually use the term the Renaissance, or the Age Of Enlightenment. There doesn't necessarily need to be an uprising among people in the expanded regions or in the inner worlds, because everybody's doing so well. For what I'm exploring, another good analogy might be post World War I in the United States, where we very much got into this isolationist concept of: we're not helping anybody. We want to protect this particular vibe that we have going. [Laughs.] ‘Vibe’ is definitely not the word they use.

So the leaders of this galactic era would rather ignore conflict or suffering than resolve it?

The High Republic is so golden in so many ways. The Jedi uniforms are gold and white and it's almost like they would never get dirty. They would never be out and about. The idea is that they could have these types of uniforms because that's how little they're getting into skirmishes. So of course my question is like, ‘Well, what else is going on?’ You can't just end up with George’s Phantom Menace situation if everything is going well.

It has to be going well at the expense of what? What is not being attended to? What are we turning a blind eye to that could lead to the rise of somebody like Palpatine about a century later? Yes, it's one bad guy, but it's one bad guy that completely undermines the entire system of government. A lot of other things must have been going on beneath the surface.

And we know the Jedi completely miss this.

[They’re] constantly talking about balance. If the light side is proliferating everywhere, what's going on with the dark side? How is it manifesting itself? What is it doing to survive? Because it very clearly does later on in the world.

From a more recent IGN article (published 7 April 2023, first day of star wars celebration):

Speaking to IGN at Star Wars Celebration, Headland explained that she started brainstorming The Acolyte by challenging the status quo.

"You just go, 'Well, where's the part that nobody's going, what about that?' And so to me, the institution of the Jedi was that," Headland said. "So they trained children and that seems super complicated of a thing. It's not criticism. It's just like, 'well, that seemed strange.'

"And then it's like, 'Well, we're in this era of peace and nothing's wrong because we are in charge,' which is also a strange thing to say. And again, they might be correct, but I would assume that in the very, very vast galaxy, people would go, 'I don't agree with that'."

Challenging things that are just accepted in the Star Wars universe, and even things that fans have criticised looking in from the outside, was therefore her approach to The Acolyte.

"Why would this happen this way? Why did Qui-Gon make the decision that he made? How [did] Darth Sidious become chancellor without Yoda, one of the most powerful Jedi who ever lived, knowing about it? I think that those are questions that were just all still hanging out there. So that's where I think you start.

"I think plenty of people are taking swings at the Skywalker Saga and the time periods between George's original trilogy and the Disney trilogy and beyond. Plenty of people are taking cracks at that. So to me, I was like, 'Well, I'd like to try to take a crack at just asking some of the questions that maybe other people wouldn't necessarily think to ask or people have asked, but maybe not on a level where they were lucky enough to get the opportunity to make it actually happen like myself'."

Headland said during the panel, and further with IGN, that she’s taking inspiration from various Star Wars media as well. Speaking specifically, she said she was “very, very struck” by The Clone Wars episode The Wrong Jedi, where Ashoka is put on trial by the Jedi Council for crimes she did not commit, and Anakin must find a way to prove her innocence.

And finally, we have the interview with Collider, published 14 April 2023 (but probably recorded on 7 April 2023 as well):

“What I'm really interested in is Star Wars for the perspective of the bad guys. Therefore, if we set something earlier in the timeline, something before the prequels but a little bit after the end of the high Republic - because Star Wars is always about Rebels versus institutional threat, underdogs versus huge Empire, so if we set it then then the Jedi become the antagonists. Not the bad guys, but they become the bad guys to the bad guys. And I gotta say, Kathy really responded to that. She really felt like that was a pocket of the universe that we had not seen, that nobody else had pitched her.“

"I think it’s difficult to do a show that is critical in any way of the Jedi. And I think that you saw that with [Rian Johnson’s] film. Do you know what I mean? Like, I think that, especially in that moment, people were very nervous about saying this particular institution may not be the light and perfect, stunning group of heroes that are totally nobly intentioned. And one thing that I think Dave would say is that they are fallible. That's really the story that George told with the prequels, right? The fall of this particular group."

“So I went, well, then what happened right before that? He sort of starts in medias res in Phantom, so I went, well, if you went back further, where are the cracks in the system… how can evil start to rise in the way that it does, to the point where literally one of the strongest Sith that ever lived can infiltrate the Senate and none of the Jedi know about it? So I think once you can kind of get people into that place then they're more supportive.”

"But I think when you think you're going to tell the story about bad guys, and the Jedi’s might be the antagonist to those Jedi’s, I think that makes people nervous. But it didn't make Kathy nervous. And I will say that in that room, when I pitched her, it was probably one of the most exciting things because it felt like a conversation, and less like I was up for a job. It felt much more like, 'Okay, but what are you going to do about this? And what are you going to do about that?' And so I was able to fold in what I know about Star Wars, and what I love about Star Wars, into what she's always pushing for, which is, 'What's the emotional throughline?'"

[bego447]

❤Post Explaning Maul's Death🖤

⚠❗SPOILERS Episode I, TCW and Rebels.

✨ HAPPY MAY 4 (May 4th), STAR WARS DAY TO EVERYONE! ✨

With the premiere of the 'Obi-Wan Kenobi' series getting closer, I decided to make this post to explaion the death of Darth Maul, as I have seen many people upset with the end of this character, precisely for not understanding it well or not realizing everything involved in this remarkable scene of 'Rebels'.

It's more than it seems: references and details that make it one of the most perfect Star Wars moments. Pure poetry. It is the culmination of Maul, mythical character and with one of the best arcs after his return in 'The Clone Wars', the end of the journey that began in 'Episode I: The Phantom Menace'.

I will not deepen the history of Obi-Wan and Maul as it is very long, but I will make a brief reminder:

The enmity between these 2 goes back to the mentioned Phantom Menace, when the still young Padawan cuts the Sith in half after he killed his Master Qui-Gon Jinn.

Paths of revenge, hatred and enmity continue throughout The Clone Wars until 30 years later it comes to an end in Rebels season 3, episode 20: Twin Suns.

And after this context, I'll get to the point of what I want to explain here: their last confrontation.

We see that Obi-Wan really doesn't want to fight Maul and doesn't turn on his lightsaber until he mentions Luke (in an indirect way).

At first, Kenobi takes on his typical stance that we see many times (arm forward with two fingers stretched out and the one holding the sword further back).

But later, he switches to the pose of his Master Qui-Gon just before he dies (lightsaber gripped with both hands and held close to his body).

The look on Maul's face at that moment says that he knows what he has to do to defeat him, because he already killed Qui-Gon once in that same way.

Obi-Wan knows this and knows exactly what Maul is going to do, because that's how he killed his Master and Kenobi has it stuck in his mind.

The change of stance is a trap to tempt Maul, that's why Kenobi defeats him in only 3 moves, which if we look at Qui-Gon's death, they match.

His story is long. There was no need for a super long fight, we've already seen them both fight on several occasions.

They've both had years to think about that moment.

Maul wanted to kill Obi-Wan the same way he killed his master, and it cost him so much.

By his expression, Obi-Wan didn't want to kill him, but it was what he had to do to protect Luke: he is the Chosen One or at least the key to access him (Vader/Anakin).

That's why he turns on the lightsaber when Maul references that he's protecting someone (Luke). He has no other choice.

However history is repeated….

In Episode I, Obi-Wan holds Qui-Gon in his arms, his Master killed by Maul.

In The Clone Wars, he holds Satine, the love of his life, killed by Maul.

And at the end, in Rebels, we have Kenobi holding Maul in the same way.

Obi-Wan is one of the characters who suffers the most, and even though he has lost everything (his master, love, brother, his order, his lifestyle, the Republic…), he never changes and always remains true to himself and his ideals, preserving the nobility of this character.

Both Obi-Wan and Maul are characters who have suffered a lot and have lost everything throughout their lives, but their relationship, even if it was enmity, has always been present and when it finally ends after so many years, Obi-Wan closes Maul's eyes with sorrow and pain.

It is even likely that that small token of affection and compassion in his death was the kindest and most unintentional thing Maul ever had in his life, at the hands of the one who was his enemy for so long. You could almost say that Kenobi was the closest thing he had to a friend.

It also seems that Maul's obsession with Obi-Wan was more than just hatred. That enmity was a constant in his life for many, many years and the only thing that seems to give some meaning to his life in all that time. It's partially because of that that he's alive.

That's why when Maul goes to Tatooine (precisely the planet where his journey began), looking for Obi-Wan, he's ready for a confrontation. He doesn't care if he lives or dies. Anyway, if he killed Obi-Wan, what other purpose was his life going to have with the years-long struggle finished?

So that showdown between the two Force users was going to be the definitive end for Maul. Win or lose, it was the end of his journey.

Finally I have made a short video in which is more visual everything I explain in this post.

As an extra curiosity: the 1st and last time Maul and Obi-Wan face each other, Maul has a double-bladed sword, but not in between.

And that would be all. Sorry if I've gone on too long somewhere. 😅 And thank you very much for reading. 😊

Comment if you found it helpful, liked it, or if it made you think and change your mind at all. And also let me know if you want more posts like this one. 🤗

Thank you for your time! Happy May 4th Star Wars Day! And May the Force be with you, always! 💛🖤

[gffa]

Last time I went about five months between doing a set of STAR WARS fic recs, this time it’s only been three months! Hurrah! It helps that, as always, this fandom puts out an incredible amount of excellent fic, so I feel like I’m never hurting for fics I want to yell about and shove at people, which is something I continue to appreciate as it often feels like so much of the world is such a huge tire fire. It helps to be able to find fics to retreat into, to have fun with, to express joy and creativity with, and so many of the authors in this fandom are just so good at this! To the point that these sets sometimes take awhile because there are always more fics I want to add, until the post starts threatening to be overly long instead of a decent length–in my defense, no seriously, you guys are just too good! Also, I forced myself to stop at 69 fic recs, because yes I do think it’s funny. (Nice.) STAR WARS FIC RECS: PREQUELS RECS: ✦ a comedy in four acts by jesuisdeux, obi-wan & dooku & yoda & qui-gon & cast, time travel, 4k    This was what time-travel is: staring at the dark sockets of skulls everywhere your gaze lands on. Being haunted by ghosts long gone. The apprehension of the slow yet sure approach of the inevitable which is sending chills down your spine. ✦ No Rest for the Weary by Peach_Bitters (peachybitters), obi-wan & anakin & jedi & ocs, 61k    Needing a break from life at the Jedi Temple, Obi-Wan Kenobi and his apprentice, Anakin Skywalker, visit a Jedi AgriCorps settlement on the Midrim planet of Helia. There they encounter new friends, new enemies and have new adventures, all while attempting to navigate their sometimes turbulent relationship as Master and Padawan. ✦ Stars of Tatooine by Be_Right_Back, ahsoka & kanan & mace & rex & obi-wan & cast, 10.5k    After the end of the world, Ahsoka more or less kidnaps a child, has to air some old grievances, and tries to find whatever peace the universe can still offer. All paths in the Force lead home, eventually. ✦ Festival of Light by dendral, obi-wan & anakin & ahsoka & rex & cast, 8.7k    During his first year at the Jedi Temple, Anakin learns that even the Jedi celebrate holidays. ✦ the master, the padawan, the Force by skatzaa, depa & caleb, 1.4k    Caleb expects things to be different after Master Depa takes him as her padawan, but really, it feels like nothing really changes. ✦ desecrate my lungs by loosingletters, obi-wan & anakin & ahsoka & padme & cast, 16k wip    Time-travel fix-it in which Mustafar haunts Anakin decades after it happened and years before it would. ✦ Grace by dismantlingsummer, obi-wan & anakin, 2.3k    Shortly after Mustafar, Anakin realizes what he has done. He finds Obi-Wan to beg for death. ✦ Fifth Migration by wrennette, yoda & mace & obi-wan & ki-adi & yarael & coleman & plo & palpatine & cast, 2k    How about an AU where the Sith’s Grand Plan accounted for everything -everything that is, except the fact that the Jedi temple is actually an very ancient spacecraft and the second word got to the Jedi about there being clones on Kamino, all Jedi are called back inside and they take off immediately? Just imagine the dear chancellor’s face… ✦ fill pages with scribbled ink by magneticwave, obi-wan/padme & sabe & mace & quinlan & cast, 9.8k    A year after the Invasion of Naboo, Jedi Knight Obi-Wan Kenobi is invited by Queen Amidala to return to Naboo and participate in a rite known as the Night of Fireflies. Things kind of snowball from there. ✦ Mind Your Words by Peach_Bitters (peachybitters), obi-wan & anakin, spanking, 7k    Obi-Wan reminds Anakin that there are consequences for careless behavior for young Jedi on missions. ✦ (you taught me) the courage of stars by grumpyhedgehogs, obi-wan & anakin & ahsoka & cast, 5.1k wip    Ahsoka Tano flees after a warrant for her arrest is issued, but not before receiving aid from an unexpected ally. (Ahsoka proceeds to go on a road trip filled with a bunch of strangers who all say the same thing: Obi-Wan Kenobi is much more than he has ever appeared to be.) ✦ they faked it (guess everything’s complicated) by katierosefun, obi-wan & anakin & ahsoka, 4.5k    Ahsoka temporarily loses memories of the events of Obi-Wan’s fake death. To help with the healing process, Anakin and Obi-Wan have to pretend that they’re okay. ✦ programed to dream by ghostwriterofthemachine, obi-wan & anakin & ahsoka, body horror, 1.3k    The spaceship Comet-rider is the fastest, most efficient vessel in the galaxy, and is crewed by Separatist-funded pirates. Anakin Skywalker is missing. Unfortunately, these two things are connected. ✦ Unpleasant Truths by hellowkatey, obi-wan & anakin, 2.1k    Obi-Wan and Anakin are stuck in a room with one another while waiting for truth serum to wear off. ✦ moment’s silence by skatzaa, obi-wan & owen & beru & luke & leia (pre-obi-wan/beru-owen), 2k    Owen had long since resigned himself to trouble, whenever Beru got that particularly stubborn set to her jaw. ✦ hold gently and let go by shatou, obi-wan & anakin (pre-slash?), 1.7k    A troubled Anakin comes to Obi-Wan to discuss attachments. ✦ sun child by Ro29, obi-wan & anakin, 2.1k    (or; sometimes being so tied to the Force causes problems, Obi-Wan helps his Padawan as best he can) ✦ A Dinner Out by Peach_Bitters (peachybitters), obi-wan & anakin & cast, 1.6k    Obi-Wan can’t get his young Padawan to eat much, so he tries something new. But trying something different has unintended consequences. ✦ Shades in the Desert by loosingletters, obi-wan & anakin & luke & owen/beru, 10.8k    Not even from a certain point of view did Darth Vader kill Anakin Skywalker. He wished he did, but the specter of the Jedi’s light escaped before he could finalize his fall to the dark. Meanwhile, Anakin is raising his son on Tatooine. ✦ somewhere along in the bitterness by CallToMuster, obi-wan & anakin, major character death, 3.8k    It was probably the twelfth day floating alone in space that Obi-Wan and Anakin realized no one was coming for them. ✦ Songs for Little Jedi by soft_but_gremlin, mace & younglings, ~1k    The initiates are having nightmares, so Mace sings a lullaby to comfort them. ✦ atmosphere level by softredscrunchie, obi-wan/satine & qui-gon, 1k    As a joke, Satine tells Obi-Wan she thinks Mandalore is flat. He doesn’t take it well. ✦ on sith holocrons and misunderstandings by billowypants, obi-wan & anakin & mace & yoda & cast, de-aged!obi-wan, 7.2k    or, de-aged!Obi-Wan has the same Force bonds as adult Obi-Wan, and he does not react well. ✦ Perseverance & Resilience by loosingletters, obi-wan & anakin, 1.1k    In the aftermath of Naboo, Obi-Wan realizes he needs strength to protect his new Padawan. Growing up, Anakin needs peace. ✦ A Delicate Balance by Peach_Bitters (peachybitters), obi-wan & anakin & yoda & jedi, spanking, 9.6k    As Anakin’s skills grow, so too does his penchant for getting into trouble. After a training mishap, Obi-Wan struggles with his role as Anakin’s master. ✦ mirror, mirror by CallToMuster, obi-wan & anakin, 5.4k    Obi-Wan has been rescued by Anakin after being rather embarrassingly kidnapped on the remote planet of Ilnuria during his investigation of rumored kyber crystals deep beneath the planet’s surface. …But is all as it seems? ✦ Mace Windu Appreciation Week by Redminibike1, mace & obi-wan & anakin & ponds & cody & jedi & cast, 12.5k    Set of unconnected ficlets for Mace Windu Appreciation Week, because he deserves it :) ✦ begin again as a quiet thought by skatzaa, obi-wan/quinlan, d/s, ~1k    Cool, smooth leather touched his jaw—gloves. Because of course Obi-Wan had thought of that as well. ✦ Drunken Lullabies by Siri_Kenobi12, obi-wan & anakin & siri & quinlan & aayla & garen & bant & ferus, 6.5k    “Do I really have to go to this thing?” Fourteen year old Anakin Skywalker dramatically sighed. “It’s sooo boring!” ✦ heaven knows how I love you by the_13th_battalion, obi-wan & anakin & ahsoka, 1.2k    Anakin, Obi-Wan, and Ahsoka are stranded on an unfamiliar planet overnight. They spend their time exploring the community- and maybe they get a little closer to each other along the way. ✦ A Reckless Padawan by Peach_Bitters (peachybitters), obi-wan & anakin & ahsoka, spanking, 3.9k    When Ahsoka upsets Anakin with an act of reckless disobedience, it falls to her grandmaster to help her see the error of her ways. OBI-WAN/ANAKIN RECS: ✦ Too Hot by secretsolarsystem, obi-wan/anakin, NSFW, 4.8k    Too Hot: A game where two players kiss without stopping and without touching each other. If one player touches the other, that player loses. The winner gets to do whatever they want to the loser. ✦ Nostos by intermundia, obi-wan/anakin & padme, NSFW, 17k    Or, how Obi-Wan and Anakin discover that there are many ways to come home. ✦ to touch the light, darkest by treescape, obi-wan/anakin, NSFW, 1.9k    Obi-Wan begins to fuck Vader back to the light ✦ encode by loosingletters, obi-wan/anakin & padme & handmaidens & cast, 26.3k wip    Instead of being accepted into the Jedi Order at the age of 9, Anakin Skywalker became a ward of Naboo. ✦ Hunting the Homeward Light by GreenQueenofClubs, obi-wan/anakin & mace & ahsoka & shmi & padme & cast, 31.9k wip    When Anakin Skywalker was nine, he left his whole life and mother behind to follow Qui-Gon Jinn to Coruscant and the Jedi Temple. When Anakin Skywalker was twelve, he left his whole life and Master behind to follow Mace Windu to the Outer Rim and away from the Jedi Order. When Anakin Skywalker was twenty… ✦ use my body to break your fall by tennessoui, obi-wan/anakin & cast, NSFW, sith!obi-wan, 44.7k wip    Obi-Wan Kenobi is too good at being a Sith Lord general of the Separatist army. The Jedi Council approaches Anakin with an offer he can’t refuse. These things are, actually, related. ✦ Over and Over by obiwanobi, obi-wan/anakin, 1.4k    “I love you,” he blurts out, loud and impossible to miss. Obi-Wan blinks once, twice. And freezes. The first time Anakin tells him is a mortifying experience. ✦ Exceptions by rinverse, obi-wan/anakin & ahsoka & mace & quinlan & cast, NSFW, modern au, 23.4k    Young and brilliant, Anakin is the mind behind JEDI Tech’s latest innovation. Obi-Wan is the company’s perfectly composed Director of PR & Marketing. And last night, they were just two strangers at a bar, looking for something quick and easy. But life had other plans when it crossed their paths again the very next day. ✦ Here There Be Dragons by Ghost_Owl, obi-wan/anakin & ahsoka, 10.1k    Anakin knows why he can’t shift into his animal form like every other Jedi. It’s because he doesn’t want to, it’s because he’s had a vision of what he would become, and he doesn’t want it. ✦ Waiting in a Sea of Stars by Peach_Bitters (peachybitters), obi-wan/anakin, ~1k    Stranded in deep space, Obi-Wan and Anakin wait for rescue. ✦ Tristitia by JSwander, obi-wan/anakin & cast, NSFW, sith!obi-wan, 5k    An alternate timeline where Palpatine focuses his attentions on Obi-Wan Kenobi instead of Anakin Skywalker after the attack on Naboo. ✦ Prompted - Chapter 11: Communication, What Communication? by intermundia, obi-wan/anakin, NSFW, modern au, mobster au, 7k    a 7k obikin PWP that is somehow a prompt mashup of a mobster au, an accidental sugar daddy au, with a soupçon of an anakin never left tatooine au, and a pinch of qui-gon was anakin’s dad au ✦ who a person truly is cannot be seen with the eye by RexIsMyCopilot, obi-wan/anakin, NSFW, d/s, spanking, 3.6k    Anakin purposely avoids doing what Obi-Wan tells him to do. ✦ Prompted - Chapter 12: Potidaea, 432BC, obi-wan/anakin, NSFW, historical au, 4.3k    Here is a short smutty scene inspired by all those classics asks, Alcibiades praising Socrates in Plato’s Symposium, and this vase c.490-480 B.C. depicting standing, face-to-face intercrural intercourse between a bearded man and a youth, which as far as we can tell was the most common and accepted position for it in Ancient Greece. ✦ Prompted - Chapter 13: Minikin and Tiny-Wan by intermundia, obi-wan/anakin, NSFW, 5.4k    Happy May the Fourth! In honor of this happy day, I have written the fluffiest, crackiest, vanilla-flavored smut imaginable. Based on long discussions on discord with tomicaleto about her adorable Tiny AU. ✦ to hold until brightness by treescape, obi-wan/anakin, NSFW, 1.4k    Obi-Wan feared that it drew out the darkest in him, to bring Vader to these flashes of light, but it was a trade he would make again and again without hesitation. ✦ May Be Found, If Sought by ghostwriterofthemachine, obi-wan/anakin & mace & quinlan, magical academy au, 2.3k    In which Quinlan, Mace, and Obi-Wan teach Non-Traditional Magical Philosophy in an institution rampant with academic snobbery and discrimination, something dark is stirring in the nearby forest, and no one is ever prepared for Anakin Skywalker. A small story about first meetings in magical academia. ✦ infinitely varied by loosingletters, obi-wan/anakin & ahsoka, modern au, 2.2k    Also known as Obi-Wan and Anakin teach a tiny program called A.H.S.O.K.A. how to be something more than lines of code via the power of linguistics. ✦ recipe for disaster by tennessoui, obi-wan/anakin & ahsoka, modern au, 9.8k    When Ahsoka tells Anakin she doesn’t want to learn piano anymore, Anakin is heartbroken. He doesn’t care about the instrument, obviously, but he’s practically in love with her teacher. Obi-Wan offers up a solution to their impending separation, and it’s not dating like any normal person would suggest. Instead, he’s gonna teach Anakin how to cook. Except Anakin’s a pretty well-known chef, and Obi-Wan is absolutely awful in the kitchen. ✦ Pretty Kitty by GayCheerios, obi-wan/anakin, NSFW, 2.2k    “Master, you always take such good care of me,” Anakin says, a little chirp coming after his sentence, as his thumb rests on Anakin’s plump bottom lip. ✦ As One, Into Eternity by Pseudonymoose, obi-wan/anakin, force ghosts, 3.1k    Death comes, but the man who was, and is, and will be Anakin Skywalker is not gone. And in the Force, he will never be alone again. ✦ does he make you laugh? by y0u_idjits, obi-wan/anakin & ahsoka & cast, fusion fic, 3.6k    “Tell me it’s not about screwing the guy who’s screwing your husband.” ✦ Rotten Work by secretsolarsystem, obi-wan/anakin, 2.8k    Obi-Wan: I’ll take care of you. Anakin, with bloodshot eyes and a broken back from hours of terrible posture: It’s rotten work. Obi-Wan, who needs to bathe this man for his own sanity and health: Not to me. Not if it’s you. ✦ afterimages by shatou, obi-wan/anakin, 1.3k    Mustafar is nothing but a bad dream. ✦ understanding is honoring the truth beneath the surface by RexIsMyCopilot, obi-wan/anakin, NSFW, d/s, 7.3k    Anakin asks Obi-Wan to take control. ✦ The strongest stars… by Tomicaleto, obi-wan/anakin & beru & cast, NSFW, 7.4k    The war’s end seems to be close, with everyone looking forward to it. And when Anakin is doubting himself the most, an unexpected visit arrives at the Temple. ✦ home has a heartbeat by izazov, obi-wan/anakin, 5.6k    Or: Anakin and Obi-Wan are together, but there are still some things left unsaid between them. ✦ turn back now (i’m haunted) by tennessoui, obi-wan/anakin & padme & quinlan & ahsoka & cast, modern au, ghosts au, 25k wip    Anakin Skywalker’s house is haunted. Luckily for him, Padmé knows a ghost hunter. Unluckily for him, it’s the hottest, most english-professor ghost hunter he’s ever seen. And extremely unluckily for him, he’s starting to get the feeling he understands maybe ten percent of what’s actually going on here, not to mention what’s at stake. ✦ game plan by treescape, obi-wan/anakin, NSFW, 11.2k    Or, Vader keeps capturing Obi-Wan during the Wars. Obi-Wan keeps escaping. It’s kind of a thing. ✦ Provocation by ToolMusicLover, obi-wan/anakin, NSFW, 4.9k    Or: Obi-Wan and Anakin attempt to navigate their complicated relationship with barbed words and wilful ignorance. It wasn’t going well. ✦ Languages by Crowgirl, obi-wan/anakin, NSFW, 6.5k    So Anakin pulls out a map and makes a list. REBELS RECS: ✦ The Scent of You by ambiguously, kanan/hera & cast, a smidge of nsfw, 2.9k    Everything changes after Malachor, and Kanan has trouble finding his balance. ✦ Heard It in a Love Song (Can’t Be Wrong) by ambiguously, zeb/kallus, 2.7k    Kallus can’t quite figure out what makes Zeb tick, but he keeps trying. ORIGINAL TRILOGY/MANDALORIAN RECS: ✦ A Discussion of Choices by Peppermint_Shamrock, luke & mace, 2k    Mace Windu has traveled the galaxy since the fall of the Republic, keeping out of the Empire’s sight and teaching where he can. Upon the request of a ghost of an old friend, Mace finds himself instructing Luke Skywalker, who is still reeling from the truth of Vader’s identity. ✦ staring down the barrel of the hot sun by magneticwave, luke/din & obi-wan & grogu & mace & cast, 25.7k    “Gone to a Child of the Watch, the Darksaber has,” Grand Master Yoda announces in his creaky little voice. “Peace, there is not, and yet peace, there must be.” ✦ Released by Peppermint_Shamrock, cody & rex & luke & cast, 6k    Nearly two and a half decades late, Cody’s chip is finally removed. Adjusting to having his mind returned to him after so long takes time, and Cody struggles with questions of his purpose of the past, present, and future. Fortunately, he does not have to struggle alone. ✦ A Tatooine Rainstorm by skatzaa, leia & luke & shmi, 1.7k    Leia meets a ghost. ✦ Dealing with the Darksaber by Peppermint_Shamrock, din & bo-katan & cara, 1.3k    After her recovery, Bo-Katan contacts Din to challenge him for the darksaber. Din is still very much not interested in the whole affair. FULL DETAILS + RECS HERE