#whats also interesting to me is the way obi-wan reacts

[tennessoui]

In your new fic, how dark is Anakin really? I know he Falls when Obi-Wan goes missing/runs off to Melida/Daan, but even the flashbacks before that make him sound pretty dark for a Jedi even if Obi-Wan doesn't see it

good question!

i think anakin is pretty not ok even before he Falls - he's twenty years older than obi-wan in this fic so that's twenty whole years to fuck around, be manipulated by palpatine, train ahsoka and then have her leave the Order anyway, etc etc

in one of the first iterations of this fic, i wanted anakin to be dark/Fallen the very first time he meets Obi-Wan and I think a lot of that is still present in the final fic, in that first flashback when obi-wan is sparring with chun and it gets out of hand. anakin is watching and anakin is appreciative that it got so out of hand, that obi-wan bit and drew blood from another padawan, that he fell so easily into his darker instincts.

so what if obi-wan had had a master by then?? anakin wanted him as his apprentice the moment he saw him fighting, some scrappy feral initiate whose mind relented so easily to anakin's Force touch.

if obi-wan had already been chosen by a different master, i'm like 90/10 certain that master would very suddenly and unexpectedly die. it's war after all. tragedies happen.

[cluescorner]

Long Post about Savage Opress because I am Normal

Savage Opress, you are everything.

You are at your strongest when you are fighting to protect the people you love. You had to participate in a battle royale and subjected yourself to a fate worse than death in order to protect your brother. You were forced to kill the brother you fought so hard to protect, your last words to him as he begged for his life were 'You make (me) weak'.

You are Frankenstein's monster, a kinslayer. You just have to live with that. Your mistress isn't giving you a choice in the matter.

You were placed under the control of a cruel master/mistress twice in the span of like a week. You were forced to betray your master and (under your mistress's orders) you killed two jedi, making you an enemy of the two most powerful entities in the galaxy. You made these enemies against your own will. You were lightning spammed and abused to the point that you were able to break free of your mistress's control.

You are then attacked by these two random jedi you have never met. They seem intent on bringing you in. They stand besides each other and fight to protect each other. You are reminded of how you did the same for your own brother. You killed that brother.

You run to the only home you've ever known, the same home that treated you as lesser-than and transformed you into what you are now. Your home is destroyed, all of your sisters are dead. You are upset by this. They were the cause of your suffering, but they were still kin.

You are told that you have a remaining brother, one who can make you strong enough to protect yourself. You decide to travel across the galaxy to find him. You killed your last brother, you will do anything for this one.

You seem to create trouble everywhere you are now. You are now incapable of solving problems without violence, so violence is what you become. You become hatred. You had love once, but everything that you loved is dead. Except for your remaining brother. You do whatever you must to find him.

You find your brother. Your brother is delirious and half-dead, but he is your brother and you found him. You can fix this. Your brother sees you too, or at least he sometimes does. You are a reflection of him, of what he was meant to be. You are strong and powerful. Your brother is not anymore, but he will be soon.

Your mother, the same woman who took you and warped you into a monster (that is what everybody calls you now), fixes your brother. Your brother grabs your face and twists it, painfully examining your every pore. You don't begrudge him this. You have done the same to it. Your face isn't yours, but it is the only face you have.

Your brother screams for vengeance against Kenobi, he must have revenge. You must stand by your brother, he is all that is left. You embark on a quest of vengeance against a man you only briefly met.

You become everything your brother needs you to be. You are his protector, his sword, his second-in-command. You have love again and you will do anything to keep it this time.

Your brother is a terrible person. Your brother will massacre a village for the sake of getting Kenobi's attention. Your living brother is nothing like the one you killed. You aren't sure this is a good thing.

Your brother lures Kenobi to the village and you both capture him. Your mistress shows up and immediately sets about belittling you. You are the monster she and your mother created. You are not her thrall anymore, you can fight her now. You do exactly that.

Your mistress and Kenobi retreat, your brother chooses to bide his time. You will wait with him.

Your brother and you infiltrate a ship, finding a fortune of credits. You are happy with this, you have never seen this much money in your life. Your brother's only fortune is the downfall of Kenobi.

Your brother calls you apprentice, decides that is what your relationship is now. You don't see the need for dominance, you are brothers after all. Your brother disagrees and you will subject yourself to this for your brother's sake. You are a reflection of him, of all his past flaws. You are devoted to those you love and able to feel things other than vindictive glee or hatred. Your brother is not anymore, he might never be again.

You think your brother is incapable of love. You love him all the same.

You and your brother next run into Kenobi with another Jedi Master. You do not know her name nor anything about her. You kill her, goring her with your (far larger than they should be) horns and running her through with your lightsaber. Your master is not forcing your hand this time, you can finally choose to make an enemy of the Jedi. You would have been their enemy either way, but the false choice is comforting regardless.

You and your brother corner Kenobi. You think for a moment that you have gotten the upper-hand, then Kenobi cuts your arm off. Your body leaks green magic. Your mother's magic still holds power over you even after everything. You wish it didn't.

Your brother shoves Kenobi away from you and decides to retreat. You aren't sure if this is a sign of affection towards you or if this is a strategic move. Your brother speaks as if it's the latter. You see no reason to believe otherwise.

You manage to escape, but are left adrift in space. You are freezing and slowly running out of oxygen. Your home was warm and full of breatheable air. You are alone with only a brother who calls you 'apprentice' for company. Your home was filled with brothers who called you by your name or by 'brother'. You are alive. Your home and brothers are dead.

You next wake up in an unfamiliar place. You smash all the equipment around you. You are now incapable of solving problems without violence, so violence is what you have become. Your brother informs you that his plans have changed, and now you two will be working with Deathwatch. You have no idea what Deathwatch is or who your brother just made a deal with. You will follow him regardless.

You stand up and hit your head on the lamp above you. You were supposed to be shorter than you are now. Your body is wrong. You look in the mirror and you are not yourself. Your body isn't yours, but it is the only body you have.

Your brother takes over Mandalore. You watch as your brother marches Kenobi into the throne room and prepares to execute the Duchess of this planet.

Kenobi offers sympathy. Kenobi recognizes that your brother never had a choice in joining the dark side. Kenobi had gone to your village and seen what it is like for the nightbrothers. Kenobi, despite everything, is trying to be kind.

You hear your story in Kenobi's words. You never had a choice in any of this. You never stood a chance. Your body isn't yours, your mind has been warped and twisted into serving the goals of another. You only wanted to protect your brother.

Your brother kills the love of Kenobi's life. Your brother has stripped himself and you of any possible chance to take the olive branch Kenobi was extending. You ask if you should kill Kenobi now. You know that stewing in grief and guilt can be a terrible fate. Your brother decides to keep him imprisoned. Your brother is counting on the Kenobi stewing in his grief and guilt. Your brother wants to drag out his suffering for as long as possible.

Your brother is in charge for less than a rotation. Your brother panics and bows before a withered old man, calling him 'master'. Your brother lies and fawns to his master. Your brother's master does not care.

You have never met this man before. You have no reason to fight him. Your brother is terrified of him. Your brother grovels before nobody, but he bows before this man. You don't have to do this.

Your brother needs you. You draw your weapon.

You manage to get a hit in on your brother's master. You are one of very few in the galaxy who can say that. You are at your strongest when you are fighting to protect the people you love.

You are stabbed in both your hearts. Your efforts to protect your brother, your pain and suffering, your love and affection, you, Savage Opress, you don't matter. You didn't know it, but you were fighting the most powerful being in the galaxy.

You never had a choice. You never stood a chance.

You die thinking you were unworthy of your brother. Your brother never said or did anything to make you think otherwise. You die calling yourself apprentice, that is the relationship your brother wanted. Your brother holds your hand as you die, it is trembling. You aren't sure if it is from grief or hatred. You decide it must be the latter. Your brother is only capable of hatred.

You knew your brother was incapable of love. You loved him all the same.

You don't know that you might have been the only thing your brother cared about besides his vengeance. You don't know that when you are unconcious he calls you by your name, he calls you brother. You don't know that he nearly killed the Death Watch soldiers, but stopped when they threatened you. You couldn't know. Your brother never told you.

You don't know that he uses his grief as fuel for his duel with Sidious. You don't know that he switches his ire away from Kenobi and decides that his former master is a more pressing target of his hatred You don't know that he spends the rest of his days trying to find a new apprentice to fill the hole you left and that it never works. You will never know. You are dead.

You died realizing you were nothing like your brother. You never were. Your body shrinks down, you finally look like yourself again. You can't be happy about this. You can't take relief in the fact that all the magic which ruined your life has been dispelled. You can't feel anything. You are dead.

You are right. You are nothing like Darth Maul. Your brother is motivated by hatred, you are motivated by love. Your brother will die having found peace, you died having found nothing but pain and grief and yet more pain.

You are my favorite magical girl and you have suffered so much more than Jesus.

[antianakin]

hey! i'm a star wars newbie who finally watched the first 6 movies + kenobi show after years of absorbing the sw fandom via friends. i'd become so familiar with the popular fanon takes/characterizations that i was really confused because so much of it seemed contradictory...especially regarding the obi wan & anakin relationship. i was wondering if my take was somewhat similar to yours, as i was immensely relieved to read some of yours and know that i haven't somehow misunderstood the entire series... i realize after writing this all out that it's absolutely a gigantic ask and i totally understand if you don't want to post it! so sorry!

my big thing was that i'd become used to the idea that anakin + obi wan are...obsessed with each other? both platonically and in the ship dynamic itself, especially from anakin's end. obi wan would do anything for anakin, and anakin would do anything for obi wan.

i didn't get that at all. obi wan stands by his jedi ideals, but loves anakin, feels guilt and blames himself for darth vader. but anakin?? somewhat reasonable if it was that he'd do anything for padme - her potential death is what torments him in rots - but...for obi wan? the guy that anakin didn't care enough about to warn/save from order 66? padme brought him up first, going "what about obi-wan" and anakin's response is "uh no idea. a lot of people died. let's hope that he's loyal if he's still around!" i was blown awayyy by the nonchalance. even though he just said farewell to obi wan in a heartwarming encounter where his old master explicitly gave him the trust that anakin is complaining that he doesn't receive, going "i'm proud of you", etc. etc., that's his response. i don't think he tried to help obi wan, or felt any specific turmoil about his likely death. yes he's focused on padme and everything's going so fast, but if anything, it shows that between padme and obi wan, obi wan loses. he doesn't mean as much to anakin, or at least, he's not worth that effort, if that makes sense. or maybe i missed something, since this is my first watch?

my immediate reaction was that anakin 100% fucking knew that obi wan would never approve of the things he's doing and plan to do - and unwilling to face that disappointment, because he does care about obi wan's opinion, he takes the coward's way out and lets palpatine do his thing, probably justifying it through his passivity. he's not directly harming obi wan! he's not responsible! and if obi wan does die and doesn't get to learn or react to the fact that his padawan committed these crimes then it's sad and terrible, but also...more convenient for anakin's own state of mind. and if he's alive - well he better be loyal to the chancellor! everything is about anakin. that's why he turns on padme: because in the end, she mattered more to him than obi wan, but still not more to him than himself.

i have no idea if this is an extremely morbid, bad-faith take since it's so different from what i've seen even amongst non-shipping fans. the assumption seems to be "they loved each other more than anyone, more than themselves!" and in my head after watching rots i'm just confused.

and don't get me wrong: this is not me trying to hate!! the relationship is pivotal to the story, but it's interesting to me because of the huge contradictions in anakin's image of obi wan. how he tries to build him up as larger than life, puts him on a jedi pedestal, and blames everything wrong with his life on him. but also how he undermines obi wan's efforts, has this one-sided rivalry thing going on and thinks he's better than obi wan. and of course, all that mixed with the genuine affection and love he does have for obi wan as a father-figure and master.

and i get the appeal of the absolutely-obsessed-with-each-other trope as well! i just don't think it fits these two. unless you think of it as "obi wan loved anakin, but anakin only became obsessed with him (in a homicidal, resentful, you stand for everything i lost and i can't stand leaving you alone kind of way) later". and i don't think obi wan thinking of/dreaming of anakin years later should be treated as a similar "obsession" because yeahh it seems extremely reasonable for him to be haunted by his own padawan's horrific crimes. i guess if anything it's a twisted one-sided unhealthy obsession? anyways wanted your thoughts on their relationship, if you have any!

I will say that a lot of Star Wars fans pull a lot of their chosen interpretations of these characters from lore beyond the first six films. There's obviously the more recent Disney shows, but there's also plenty of novels/comics that were written both before and after the Disney takeover that people have read, as well as (perhaps most notably) the animated TV show The Clone Wars (2008, not to be confused with the animated webseries Clone Wars from 2001-2002).

I'm not afraid of a long post, but I know it can be frustrating to scroll past for some people, so I'm going to give a short TL;DR before the cut and if you would like to read the extended version, please feel free to keep going, but I'd like to note that this response got unreasonably long.

TL;DR: I think Obi-Wan cares for Anakin a lot and that his arc in the Prequels is about learning to have faith that Anakin will do the right thing and when that faith is betrayed, he has to let go of it in order to do what’s best for the galaxy. Having faith is not the same as obsession. I also think that Obi-Wan loves Anakin selflessly, the way all Jedi learn to love, and this means that sometimes Obi-Wan cannot prioritize Anakin above everyone and everything else, but that this is not an indication of Obi-Wan loving Anakin LESS. I think Anakin does care about Obi-Wan, but that love is always wrapped up in his desire for a different kind of relationship than the one Obi-Wan can provide and that creates a lot of friction in their dynamic and is what allows Padme to eclipse Obi-Wan in Anakin’s affections and priorities. I also think Anakin is absolutely obsessed with gaining Obi-Wan’s approval and while this can lean in a toxic direction, I think that it also manages to sometimes push him to be a better person and creates a healthier relationship between Anakin and Obi-Wan than Anakin has with anybody else in his life. I think that the intended reading of their relationship is intended to be positive right up until it isn’t, but that ultimately the writing in the Prequels didn’t always succeed at getting that across and their attempts at fixing it didn’t feel like enough despite the actors’ chemistry with each other.

So I'll start with Obi-Wan and why I agree with you that his feelings for Anakin aren't anywhere NEAR as obsessed or attached as people seem to think. 

Within the Prequels, Obi-Wan’s primary arc as a character is about learning to have faith, both in the will of the Force (TPM) and in Anakin (AOTC). By ROTS, he’s reached the end of that arc and we see the difference in how he reacts to things as a result. He’s a lot more willing to just trust that things will turn out okay, more willing to trust that Anakin will figure himself out and do the right thing if given enough time and encouragement. People have interpreted this as Obi-Wan being too soft on Anakin or blind to Anakin’s faults or being too attached to Anakin (and therefore perhaps being willing to OVERLOOK faults that he knows Anakin has because he’d rather protect Anakin from the Council’s condemnation). 

But I don’t personally see it that way and I don’t honestly believe it’s what we’re supposed to take from his behavior. Obi-Wan is quite critical of Qui-Gon’s faith in TPM and then critical of Anakin himself in AOTC, so it’s not like he’s just always been willing to overlook Anakin’s flaws and mistakes. Obi-Wan’s LACK of faith earlier on is clearly positioned as a flaw for him to overcome. Just because that faith is misplaced and his trust goes unrewarded in the end doesn’t necessarily mean that he was wrong to have it in the first place. Obi-Wan’s faith allows him to accept that Anakin has faults and will make mistakes and trust that Anakin’s compassion and Jedi training will allow him to overcome those faults and learn from his mistakes. This is, in fact, the OPPOSITE of attachment. This is Obi-Wan choosing to let go of all of his worries about the future and living in the “here and now” as he is told to do by Qui-Gon in his very first scene. He accepts that there is only so much he can do to control Anakin’s fate and the rest of it is up to Anakin. 

In The Clone Wars 2008 (TCW), the problem with analyzing their relationship is that the structure of this show is so episodic and disconnected that there’s generally no set-up and no aftermath to the things that happen to these characters in individual episodes or arcs (which are anywhere from 2-4 episodes long out of a 22 episode season). So instead of trying to analyze an arc across the whole show, I will look at one specific arc that is really the only one that focuses on Anakin and Obi-Wan’s relationship (and perhaps one of the more controversial storylines in the entire show): the Deception arc.  

In this arc, Obi-Wan chooses to fake his death as a part of the Jedi Council's plan to discover an enemy plot that would be particularly disastrous for the Republic if it succeeded and possibly cost them the war. Obi-Wan chooses NOT to read Anakin in on this plan and part of the plan actually hinges on Anakin reacting to Obi-Wan's death as though it were real in order to make it convincing to their enemies, so Obi-Wan dies right in front of Anakin and Anakin has no idea that it isn't real until some time later and he is, understandably, fairly upset about it.

I think that this arc shows a lot about how Obi-Wan approaches their relationship. Obi-Wan doesn't necessarily WANT to cause Anakin pain, but he is also perfectly willing to do exactly that if it's in the name of protecting the needs of the many. In this case, Obi-Wan believes that he is protecting the whole Republic from losing a war. Anakin's temporary pain cannot be prioritized above the very real consequences of the Republic losing the war to the Separatists. Obi-Wan is capable of making the hard decision when it comes down to it, even if it means hurting someone he loves, even if it might cost him that relationship. And I also think that the emphasis on Obi-Wan’s choice to deceive Anakin (something that Yoda and even Mace Windu seem a little uncertain about) gives some interesting insight. Obi-Wan and the Jedi basically had to look at Anakin and wonder if his inability to keep secrets well (they’re all aware of Anakin’s relationship with Padme despite his attempts to deny it) was a bigger problem than his unpredictability in the face of strong emotions like grief. There is a very obvious acknowledgement of Anakin's flaws here, and the difference between Obi-Wan and Yoda/Mace in this instance isn't that one of them can see Anakin's flaws and the other can't, but that they disagree on which flaw is going to be a bigger issue for the mission in the long term. Obi-Wan chooses to have faith that Anakin will manage his emotions but doesn't really believe in Anakin's acting abilities and OpSec sensibilities.

Because of the way TCW is structured, we have no real aftermath to this particular arc, there's no further discussion or exploration of how it impacts Anakin and Obi-Wan once the four episode arc is over, so all we can really do is analyze what happens DURING the arc, and I do think that it showcases the same theme of faith and a willingness to do his duty while acknowledging Anakin's flaws that we have seen in Obi-Wan through the Prequel trilogy. Obi-Wan prioritizes his duty over anything else, because to do otherwise is to fail as a Jedi and potentially to condemn millions if not trillions of people to death and torture and slavery. (Which doesn't mean he doesn't love Anakin, but simply that his feelings for Anakin do not eclipse that particular duty. Not everyone would make the same choice, and that doesn't necessarily mean that their love is automatically toxic or more selfish than Obi-Wan’s, but Obi-Wan's choice to place his duty over Anakin's feelings also doesn't automatically mean that he doesn't care about Anakin at all or that he cares less about Anakin than Anakin cares for him.)

The last thing I will say about this arc in this section is that fandom often misinterprets this arc as the Council FORCING Obi-Wan to lie to Anakin. This is explicitly contradicted IN THE DIALOGUE, Obi-Wan point blank tells Anakin that it was his choice and not the Council's and Yoda questions the decision early on and claims it to be have been a mistake later, so anyone claiming that the Council forced this on Obi-Wan is just wrong.

There's a lot of comics and novels that look more at this relationship that I have never actually read, so just know that some fans' interpretations of their relationship could be coming from having consumed these comics and novels as kids. The one novel I'll discuss a little is Matthew Stover's Revenge of the Sith novelization. I will fully admit I haven't read it myself, I've only read snippets of it, but it comes really highly regarded and well reviewed. The line in question here comes from an extended version of the conversation between Obi-Wan, Yoda, and Mace Windu where they're talking about Anakin as Yoda heads off to Kashyyyk.

“I think," Obi-Wan said carefully, "that abstractions like peace don't mean much to him. He's loyal to people, not to principles. And he expects loyalty in return. He will stop at nothing to save me, for example, because he thinks I would do the same for him." Mace and Yoda gazed at him steadily, and Obi-Wan had to lower his head. "Because," he admitted reluctantly, "he knows I would do the same for him.”

Now, the bit about Anakin at the top I think is completely accurate. But I do not buy that Obi-Wan would ever do the same for Anakin. We actually see so many moments that explicitly seem to prove this wrong, that Obi-Wan would NOT “stop at nothing” to save him. Obi-Wan seems to very explicitly prioritize doing his duty above Anakin when push comes to shove. Most obviously, Obi-Wan does actually go fight Anakin after Order 66 and tries more than once to kill him and ultimately leaves him to die on Mustafar. Obi-Wan does his duty when Anakin doesn't give him another choice. He's unable to land a final killing blow, yes, and this does seem to be a direct payoff to his claim to Yoda that he can't kill Anakin because of how much he cares about Anakin, but Anakin is pretty badly injured and ON FIRE by the time Obi-Wan walks away, so there's really no reason to believe that Anakin won't just die here (especially since Yoda is supposed to be handling Palpatine). He's willing to let Anakin die to spare the galaxy.

It doesn't even make any SENSE for it to be true, especially with the implication that Mace and Yoda both also believe it to be true. Obi-Wan is on the Jedi High Council and has the rank of Master, something that isn't just handed out lightly (as seen by the refusal to give it to Anakin when he hasn’t earned it), and the rest of this book goes out of its way to have the Council point out how much they love and trust Obi-Wan, Obi-Wan is THEIR DUDE, they think he's the best at everything ever and trust only him with the most dangerous missions because of how great he is. But somehow the two highest ranked members of this Jedi Council also simultaneously believe that Obi-Wan would "stop at nothing" (which encompasses so many things from just abandoning his duty to literally destroying democracy and committing genocides) to save one person. I don't see how these two things can both be true at once. If Mace and Yoda genuinely believed this about Obi-Wan, they never should've given him this position of leadership and I don't buy that they'd think as highly of him as they clearly do in this book. It's ridiculous. I'm sure the book is great, the prose in the snippets I've read of it do seem to be really pretty and there's plenty I've read that I've actually quite enjoyed, but this line just pisses me off. So it's possible you will see people try to use this line to argue that Obi-Wan was obsessed with/attached to Anakin, but I think that's kind-of bullshit and I don't think it even makes sense within the book it exists in.

And that leaves us with the Disney era, and the one thing we can really look at here is the Obi-Wan Kenobi show. 

Obi-Wan is obviously struggling a lot for the majority of the show and the core of it is what happened with Anakin, but it goes so far beyond that. He's lost his entire family, his community, his culture, his home, and both he and his people are being hunted down. The one person he feels he has left is being raised by people who won't even let them speak to each other. The only other possible connection he can make is with someone who died decades earlier and he's not succeeding at making that connection. Those failures eat away at him just as much as anything else does. It's not just about Anakin and it never is.

I’m also going to go back to that initial theme of FAITH for Obi-Wan. In the Prequels, his arc is about learning to have faith in the will of the Force and in Anakin. That faith was betrayed in the end, and so his faith is pretty minimal during this show at the beginning. But each time he’s proven wrong by a new person he meets, he gains it back a little more. He starts to trust that people ARE inherently good, that there’s a reason to keep fighting, and that he can believe in a better world. And he does try to bring that newfound faith into his confrontation with Anakin in the end, he apologizes to Anakin “for everything” and doesn’t take the opportunity to kill him when Anakin is defeated. But he does have to let go of his faith in Anakin, he has to accept that this is a faith that is never again going to be rewarded. He has to accept that he wasn’t wrong to have faith in general and that he SHOULD be more trusting of people in general, and Anakin made his own choices and will CONTINUE to make his own choices regardless of what Obi-Wan does or does not do. Just because Anakin chose to betray him doesn’t mean that Obi-Wan was wrong to trust him. Again, the end of this entire story for Obi-Wan is about recognizing Anakin’s inherent flaws and accepting them before choosing to WALK AWAY. 

The Obi-Wan Kenobi show is not a perfect show by any means, and I will never try to claim that it is. One of the issues with it is that there are some logistical issues in it that are a little confusing if taken literally. So one of the ways that I am able to make my peace with those little logistical problems is to see the show as more of a long visual metaphor for Obi-Wan's journey towards mental health rather than taking it literally. Maybe all of it happened exactly as we saw it, maybe it didn't.

The visions that Obi-Wan seems to have of Anakin could be taken literally as actual visions Obi-Wan is having, but it could also be interpreted as just a metaphor for Obi-Wan's guilt and pain and fear. 

The flashback sequence where Obi-Wan and Anakin are sparring together could be taken literally as a regular flashback, it could be interpreted as a shared Force vision between the two of them, or it could be interpreted as just a representation of Obi-Wan and Anakin’s state of mind in the present day as they engage in a battle of wits. It also reinforces that idea of a shared history and how Obi-Wan's strength has never been in pure power but in cleverness and resourcefulness..

And that final confrontation could have happened. Maybe it did. But maybe it didn't. Anakin is a representation of Obi-Wan’s faith and trust being betrayed, but he’s been re-learning that trust and faith in people IS rewarded more often than it isn’t, so his faith in Anakin wasn’t the issue. And even if it were, it doesn't really matter anymore. Even if Obi-Wan did make mistakes with Anakin, he was never controlling Anakin's choices. Anakin made these choices himself and is STILL making them himself and the responsibility for them should be placed squarely on Anakin's shoulders. Obi-Wan has to let go of his need to understand Anakin's choices in order to forgive himself for whatever part he may have played in them and learn to have hope for the future again. The confrontation between Obi-Wan and Anakin is, to me, just as much a confrontation between Obi-Wan and his own fears as it is a confrontation between Obi-Wan and Anakin. It's not dissimilar from the Dagobah cave sequence with Luke.

So, personally, I see this entire scene as just one giant metaphor rather than something more literal. Which is why I can accept Obi-Wan walking away from Anakin a second time, knowing that Anakin will continue to live and torment the galaxy as a result, rather than finishing the job when he has the opportunity and doing his duty. Because if it’s not really happening, then Obi-Wan walking away is just a visual representation of him choosing to let go of his guilt and his doubts and his fears, and not a complete failure on Obi-Wan’s part that condemns the galaxy to another decade under Vader’s thumb. I don’t see this show as proof that Obi-Wan is obsessed with Anakin so much as I see it as the show choosing to use Anakin’s visage as a representation of Obi-Wan’s feelings weighing him down. 

So, in conclusion, my interpretation is that Obi-Wan has FAITH in Anakin (and the will of the Force) in the Prequels, which constitutes acknowledging and accepting Anakin’s flaws while simultaneously choosing to believe that Anakin will be able to overcome them. This is the definition of balance in Star Wars, and something every Jedi is striving to achieve. That faith is severely damaged after Order 66 and Obi-Wan does flounder as a result, but is able to ultimately regain his faith in people and in the will of the Force by accepting that he can no longer have faith in Anakin and that Anakin made his own choices despite the support and training he received from Obi-Wan. 

Which brings us to Anakin.

I don’t find your take to be particularly morbid at all. It’s a little bad faith, but I will say that the thing with bad faith takes is that sometimes that interpretation comes from a problem in the writing creating a dissonance with the intended message. So while it sometimes doesn’t appear as though Anakin cares very much about Obi-Wan, the dialogue and vibes of the films are trying to let us know that he DOES care about Obi-Wan quite a lot and that it’s a pretty central relationship in Anakin’s life that he relies on (and, to some degree, takes for granted). I’m not sure that this always comes across super well, especially in the films (and most especially in AOTC), and that lends itself to more bad faith takes on their relationship. So despite my love for bad faith takes about Anakin, I will attempt to be as balanced as I can here.

I do think that almost all of Anakin’s canon relationships have an element of attachment to them, even the nicer ones, which means that there’s always some element of obsession and possessiveness to it, and Obi-Wan is not an exception.

Part of why I think he has this relationship with Obi-Wan is due to Anakin’s desperate need to have someone whose life revolves around him, replicating the relationship he had with Shmi. Despite the fact that Shmi was not attached to Anakin, their relationship was defined by the environment in which he was raised. Shmi’s entire world revolved around Anakin and doing what was best for him and making him happy to try to make up for the fact that they were enslaved as much as she was capable of providing. And, on some level, Anakin NEEDS that, but Obi-Wan never actually provides it (because Obi-Wan is a Jedi and cannot let his life revolve around one person and is attempting to teach Anakin those same values, not because Obi-Wan doesn’t care about Anakin or cares about him less than Shmi did). Obi-Wan is, for ten years, the primary relationship in Anakin’s life, but the frustration of not getting precisely what he wants out of it leads to resentment and obsession. 

Ironically, I also think that this also leads to Anakin’s relationship with Obi-Wan being one of the healthiest Anakin ever has. Anakin wants Obi-Wan’s approval and in order to get it, Anakin has to actually act MORE LIKE A JEDI, which generally involves a lack of attachment. So there’s actually multiple moments in both the films and TCW where we see Obi-Wan’s relationship with Anakin sort-of inspire an ability to act more rationally and selflessly than he does with other people he’s attached to (Shmi, Padme, Ahsoka, even Palpatine sometimes). 

My favorite example of this is actually in TCW. The basic premise is that Obi-Wan and Anakin (and Ahsoka and their troops) are on a mission that goes south quickly and they end up separated. Towards the beginning, Anakin learns that Obi-Wan’s ship crashed and so he’s probably pretty injured if he’s still alive at all, but Anakin and his troops are still pretty far away from where Obi-Wan is. It’s actually Ahsoka who protests when Anakin decides to ignore the information and just keep moving forward, and while Anakin initially snaps at her about it, he then immediately centers himself and turns back to explain that while they COULD run ahead to help Obi-Wan, it would mean abandoning their troops in enemy territory to do it, and they have to prioritize protecting their men and trust that Obi-Wan will be okay on his own. This moment shows not only that Anakin can actually make the right decision on his own despite how emotional he is about Obi-Wan’s situation, but also that when he DOES let his emotions control him a little, he is also able to center himself enough to explain all of this to his student rather than just shut her down. Being a better Jedi has the ripple effect of helping Anakin’s men and his student (as well as potentially ensuring the success of the mission in the long term by making sure that his men survive to bolster their forces later). 

So, I do think there’s an obsession on Anakin’s end of things, but this obsession doesn’t necessarily mean that he can’t be obsessed with someone else MORE or that the obsession can’t turn into something healthier and more mature with some effort. 

As far as Anakin's nonchalance towards Obi-Wan in the films goes, one of my biggest criticisms of AOTC is that the relationship between Anakin and Obi-Wan was not handled particularly gracefully. This is something that they did recognize in post production and tried to fix by adding in that elevator scene towards the beginning, but it definitely gets overwhelmed by the more negative vibes of their relationship in the rest of the movie. They spend most of their time arguing with each other or critiquing each other in conversations with other people. 

I do wish we’d gotten more of a positive dynamic between them in AOTC to help sell that these two characters cared about each other despite their disagreements, but we didn’t. But the fact that they chose to film an extra scene specifically to help make their relationship more positive tells me that the intended reading of their relationship is supposed to be positive even if they’re going through a rough patch within the context of that one movie.The other thing to keep in mind is that Anakin is supposed to be 19 years old in AOTC and this kind of… rejection of the parental figure’s authority at the same time as they are desperate for the parent’s approval seems fairly normal for teenagers, and we know that Lucas was trying to make Anakin a relatively authentic “whiny teenager” (I think Hayden Christensen said something to Lucas during filming about how the character came off as a whiny teenager and Lucas’s response was “but he IS a whiny teenager”). So while that bratty behavior tends to read as a lack of care, it probably wasn’t intended that way.

They do seem a lot closer during the Invisible Hand sequence at the beginning of ROTS where their banter feels less mean-spirited and they’re able to figure out compromises when they disagree. They feel more like equals with a greater confidence and comfort in their relationship. The problem for me here is that AOTC’s failure to really make it seem like Anakin and Obi-Wan cared about each other makes this sudden change to their dynamic in ROTS feel a little jarring to me. There is a three year time gap, obviously, but it doesn’t feel like quite enough, especially since his betrayal of Obi-Wan happens halfway through the film and that emotional ending is only earned if we bought into their relationship as a positive thing that mattered to both of them. 

This is where TCW steps in. I have… issues with TCW and the way Obi-Wan and Anakin are written in the show sometimes, but one of the things it did try to do was help bridge that gap between their rockier relationship dynamic in AOTC and the much more positive one they have in ROTS. In the earlier seasons, there’s still some of that rebelliousness from Anakin, that need he feels to one-up Obi-Wan by refusing to do what he asks and butting heads with him at every opportunity. By the later seasons, we see their dynamic shift more towards what we saw in ROTS, where their interactions feel more like friendly teasing and banter than butting heads. Some of the reason for this is just time passing, some of it is Anakin being Knighted and he and Obi-Wan able to be equals in a way that wasn’t as possible in their Master/Padawan dynamic, but the biggest explanation TCW provides for why their relationship shifted was Anakin being given a Padawan of his own which allowed him to mature and connect with Obi-Wan in a way he never would have otherwise. 

However, while Obi-Wan and Anakin’s relationship is intended to have stabilized and improved over those three years between AOTC and ROTS, he also betrays Obi-Wan four days later and then proceeds to try to kill him personally, so TCW also tried to provide an explanation for that. This is where we come back to the Deception arc and look at Anakin’s side of things. 

First off, the Deception arc does actually provide some solid evidence of how much Anakin truly cares about Obi-Wan and how he reacts to Obi-Wan being in danger when Padme isn’t a part of the equation. During the time period where Anakin thinks Obi-Wan is dead, he becomes very disoriented and fractured. Anakin has a tendency to mask his grief with anger (something we see pretty clearly when his mother dies in AOTC) and that is exactly what happens after Obi-Wan's "death." He is able to mostly control himself at the beginning of the arc (including stating out loud that he WANTS to kill the assassin who “killed” Obi-Wan and the only reason he doesn’t is out of respect for Obi-Wan’s memory), but he isn't really opening up to anybody and seems to be pushing away everyone who cares about him.

When Anakin learns the truth about Obi-Wan’s deception, he seems to mostly hold it together until the mission is actually complete, but his true feelings come to light when he speaks to Obi-Wan afterwards and they aren't pretty. He's angry with Obi-Wan for the deception, angry at the seeming lack of trust. But despite Obi-Wan telling him point blank that it was HIS choice to deceive Anakin rather than something the Council forced him to do, Anakin refuses to see this as anything other than a flaw in the Council, wondering aloud how often they've lied to both himself AND Obi-Wan. This clearly is intended to show a wedge being shoved into the relationship Anakin has with Obi-Wan and the Council, a breach of trust in the name of the greater good (something Anakin doesn’t truly believe in or respect much), and this adds to the resentment and frustration that Palpatine is encouraging in Anakin so that by the time they reach the events of ROTS, Anakin can convince himself to turn on Obi-Wan and the Jedi because they were “traitors to the Republic” and “trying to take over.” He knows it isn’t true, but the things that he knows were true in the past allow him to pretend that what he’s doing now is right. They were willing to lie to him and betray him once, why couldn’t it be true a second time?

This arc is interesting in how it sort-of portrays both the worst and best of their relationship. Anakin does manage to control himself at the beginning, specifically because he wants to respect Obi-Wan’s values even if Obi-Wan himself is dead. He wants to live up to the person Obi-Wan believed him to be, despite how much pain he’s currently in and how much he WANTS to hurt the assassin he thinks caused it. Keep in mind just how quickly he turned on the Tuskens and how little thought he put into killing them all until it was over, and then compare that to Anakin making the choice to hold himself back when it’s Obi-Wan’s death he’s faced with instead of his mother’s. But by the end, when it’s not regular grief he’s faced with but broken trust, we see Anakin find it difficult to see things from Obi-Wan’s point of view, we see his respect for Obi-Wan’s values disappear. But because he cares about Obi-Wan, he also then refuses to believe something that Obi-Wan is telling him very plainly because he’d actually rather blame the Council and aim his pain at the Council than face the truth that Obi-Wan lied to him and perhaps didn’t trust him the way Anakin thought he did. Anakin has a tendency to paint over uncomfortable truths with pretty lies instead of facing them and that’s exactly what he does here, perhaps to the ultimate detriment of his relationship with both Obi-Wan and the Council. 

Unfortunately, due to the way TCW is structured, there is exactly no further exploration of these events and how they impact Anakin and Obi-Wan going forward. We have no idea when or how Anakin chose to forgive Obi-Wan, and since this arc is pretty close to the end of the season, I don’t think we even see them in a scene together again until the following season when they seem totally fine around each other and there’s no lingering resentment or bitterness at all. I don’t know if this would make Anakin’s unwillingness to really try to save Obi-Wan from Order 66 at all make more sense or not, but I do think that’s part of the intent behind this particular arc. 

I often feel the way you do in my more bitter moments, like Anakin didn’t really care for Obi-Wan at all if he was able to betray him like that in the end, like Obi-Wan was always playing second fiddle to Padme and that should’ve been a bigger issue in their relationship than it was presented as, and like Obi-Wan deserved a better friend and student than he got in Anakin. I understand the appeal the relationship has for people, especially given how central it is to their characters, and I have enjoyed it myself in the past, but I’m just less into it these days. Even when I did like them, though, I don’t think I viewed them as equally obsessed with each other, and even if I did, that wasn’t why it appealed to me. To each their own, obviously, but the nice thing about the Star Wars fandom is that it’s large enough that there’s generally something for everyone to enjoy even if you don’t like all of it. If you’re interested in exploring more of Star Wars, I really hope that you go for it and find the parts of it that really speak to you! 

[toska-writes]

helloo! i love your writing so much and i wonder would you like to write commander cody with padawan reader, it's after order 66. and as we know in bad batch s2 he's gone to AWOL right? so what if he go to other planets anywhere and meet reader again (let's pretend he already removed his chip lol) imagine how he feels guilt meeting his little padawan after trying to kill her and her master (obi-wan) and how the reader react meeting him again especially looking at her cody sun armor become gray like shadow unlike him.

(sorry if my english kinda messed up, and have a great day!! <3)

Wow, just wow

“Sunshine”

Summary: after order 66 Cody jumps at only the chance to get at least one person from his old life back- no matter the cost

Paring: Cody x GN padawan Reader (it’s platonic!)

Warning: hurt/comfort nightmares ptsd let me know if I missed anything

Word count: 1822

Notes: I’m very proud of this one and I hope you enjoy! It’s also not proofread because I need some sleep

Cody’s head hurt again.

But it wasn’t like last time, he was in control now and always will be.

“How are you feeling Kotes?” Rex came around the tables and laid a hand on Cody’s shoulder.

To be honest Cody wasn’t sure what he was feeling, if anything. Nausea sat in the pit of his stomach but he feared that it wasn’t just from the procedure he went through.

A hand reached up to the side of his head, the fresh bandage felt course under his hand- the all to familiar feeling of before.

“I’m fine.” Cody’s voice was raspy and burned his throat- Rex picked up on this and quickly went to get him a drink of water.

There he sat alone.

He was alone for a while now, but nothing like this. If you went back a few week you would see the small spark of hope illuminating in his eyes.

Cody wasn’t sure of a lot of things since the war ended but maybe it was the illusion of hope that he and Crosshair could escape together.

“Good soldiers follow orders.”

Then Cody went AWOL. Finally it seemed that he got his mind right- the headaches and the dreams that plagued him however said otherwise.

Rex walked back in. Cody’s eyes were clouded in thought as he sat unmoving on the table.

Placing a ginger hand on his knee Rex has never seen is brother in such a state. But the way he felt in this moment- finally getting his free will totally returned to him was something he would never forget.

“Hey Kotes,” Rex helped him to his feet and lend him out into the halls. “We found something you might need to take a look at.”

Cody almost instantly snapped back to attention as the pair of brothers made their way back to the ship they arrived on.

“A few radars picked up on some chatter from the bounty hunters guild.” Rex returned to the Captain Cody knows and loves, things were going back to how they use to be.

“Why would your crew have any interest in the guilds?” Cody questioned, a little slow to connect the dots. “Your fighting an empire here.”

Rex stared at him for a moment, his try at a sarcastic tone clearly flew over Rex’s head.

It was one of the only times Cody has ever seen Rex so unsure about what he was about to say. “We picked up Y/N’s location. The bounty for Jedi are unbelievably high and I’m worried if one of us doesn’t get there in time it might go sour.”

Cody froze in his seat, the end of Rex’s sentence seemed to go blurry. The moment replayed every hour of the day, awake or asleep. He memorized the moment when he watched Obi-wan fall from that terrible hight.

He remembered the look you gave him as he turned to you, your lightsaber coming up in your shaky hands staring at him.

“Cody what’s going on?”

“I- they made it?” Cody looked at Rex, the dark thought that he was playing a terrible joke on him.

Rex only nodded his confirmation. Waiting for Cody to see just want he would do.

You wouldn’t want to see him. Cody didn’t even want to see himself. The terrors he’s created would never wash off no matter how hard he scrubbed.

The armor that surrounded him all his life was striped away, just like everything he has ever known. His sunshine was stripped away as well.

Taking a shaky breath in Cody whispered. “Take me to them.”

•••

Your head hurt again.

It was just like the last time, the moment you realized nobody was on your side anymore.

The purge left you stranded by yourself, unsure of what to do you fled as far as you could.

The outer rim served its purpose for now but the empire was expanding, and the hunters became bolder with their search.

Against your better judgment you tried to reach Ahsoka, Hunter even but it was no use.

Maybe now you were by yourself. Cutoff.

You sat up straight in your makeshift bed. The sheets bawled into your fist as your chest heaved and sweet ran down your back.

You weren’t safe even in your own mind.

You watched him fall. The scream you let out as you lost him over the edge. Everyone around you went off.

Cody. Your Cody turned to you next- all around you heard the all too familiar sound of blasters raising. Cody aimed for you as you brought your weapon up, the thought of hurting any of them never crossed your mind before.

“Cody.” You had tried. “Cody what’s going on?”

The blaster that was shot at you was the moment you woke this time. Other times you weren’t as lucky to be spared with the memory.

The sky was masked with the darkness of the night, your clock told you at you barely sleep 2 hours since you tried to go to sleep.

You gathered yourself as practically dragged yourself to the only window in your “home”

This wasn’t home. Nothing would come close to what the word use to mean to you, but it was soemthing keeping you mildly safe.

The sky above never really changed, it was the only constant you found after the end of the war. The only thing you could depend on that would never harm you.

Your head buzzed again, for a split second you turned to your hidden saber, the weapon you couldn’t pick up since you arrived on this rock. The crystal within buzzed constantly in your ear, begging to be picked up once again.

It use to be a background noise that grounded you, but things have changed.

You stared into the darkness for a moment, the lightsaber wasn’t it. Turning your attention back to the outside world the familiar feeling felt crooked in your chest.

It wasn’t really right, but it was something you recognized none the less.

A cloak that you threw around yourself countless times before made its way to your shoulders- masking you from others and you left closing your door silently behind you.

For a moment you thought maybe, just maybe it was your master heat to tell you everything would be ok, to help you just as he had countless times before.

But you couldn’t think like that, like you use too. Hope burned within you as you followed the force you tried desperately to get rid of.

•••

Cody tried the comm channel he used countless times before, he could practically put it in with his eyes closed.

But of course no answer.

He did try once before- the first night he ran from the empire, alone in the back of a transport ship he tried to reach the Jedi he grew fond of.

It was one of the only instants the commanders eyes watered slightly and his nose ran.

Rex was waiting near by with the ship as he walked the streets of this planet alone. His armor was covered with a poncho Rex lent him and frankly it was the best he could do.

He hoped that you weren’t here, the disgusting streets and inhabitants made him sick. But what if this was better than see him again?

Cody shook that last thought. His hand shook slightly at his side which was a nervous habit he picked up a long time ago.

His eyes scanned the dark scenery for any sign that you might have been here, a sign Cody hoped nobody else could pick up on.

On instinct he turned down an alley to his left, this was definitely not the place to be at this time.

His eyes squinted trying to pin point a figure towards the end. This was the only time he wished for his helmet that didn’t seem his own.

Something ate at the inside of him again. His breath was sparse wondering if his eyes were playing tricks on him. If his mind was no longer his own.

The figure took a few steps from the shadows that engulfed them. The moon illuminated someone that haunted every minute of his life.

You held a blaster out in front of you, but this time you didn’t shake.

Cody didn’t dare take another step. His eyes were firmly planted on the ground as he kneeled down dropping his blaster in front of him.

“Cody?”

He could only nod, afraid that his voice would highlight just how vulnerable he felt in this very moment.

But he had to say something, he couldn’t leave you again.

“I’m- I’m so sorry kid.” His voice broke through his words. This uncertain feeling engulfed him like a flame showing no mercy. “Sorry, I’m sorry.”

You stared at him for a moment. Taking in the sight- clearly things were different. The sunshine was stripped from him. His eyes, though they tried to avoid you, seemed hollow.

You thought of two things in this moment.

You wanted to run, run from someone that could hurt you all over again, someone that you weren’t even sure you could trust.

Or

You could try to hang onto one of the only things that you so desperately needed. You needed someone.

The blaster clanked to the ground as you walked to Cody. Your guard was up but the tears betrayed what you were really hoping for.

You hoped that Cody was himself again.

Cody looked up, your familiar eyes caught his own. The tears that he dried so many times fell across your cheeks, and he only wished to dry them one more time.

“I’m sorry.” He didn’t know what else to say, his mind left him and he could only mutter the only words that went through his head, as if they could make everything better.

You kneeled down with him. For a second Cody thought this might be a dream of his own and this was the moment that he would loose you once again.

But you stayed.

Quickly you wrapped your arms around his neck, pulling him flushed against you.

Cody wasted no time crushing you into him. You cling to him as he continued to whisper small apologies into your hair.

Through the muffled sniffles you voiced. “I liked your other armor kot’ika.”

For the first time in a while Cody found himself giving an actual laugh.

He nodded as he griped you even tighter as if he was afraid that if he let go you would leave.

“I think I could use some help painting it again.” He spoke a little louder. The emotions still sounded in his voice.

It was your turn to nod into his chest. For the first time in a while You found yourself crying tears of relief that finally someone was here for you again.

This time you weren’t going to let him go again.

_____________________________________

Taglist: @arctrooper69 @thereforepizza @padawancat97

[radiosummons]

Time-travel/fix it AUs with Cal Kestis as the main protag will always be funny to me, especially when authors pair him up with the Disaster Lineage (usually as Obi-Wan's new padawan since Ahsoka ended up apprenticing under Anakin).

Mostly because:

1) I will always fuck with AUs where Obi-Wan gets a new padawan, regardless of whoever said padawan is.

2) The sheer comedic and potential angst/anxiety of everyone trying to navigate having an actual tiny, baby Jedi on the battlefield with them.

3) Cal just mentally trying to process the whole time-travel thing on top of being a padawan to HIGH GENERAL, JEDI MASTER, COUNCIL MEMBER OBI-WAN FUCKING KENOBI!!!!!!!

4) The opportunity for Anakin to struggle with possible feelings of jealousy over Obi-Wan having a new padawan and maybe slowly coming to accept Cal as a Jedi sibling (with helpful, or not so helpful input from Ahsoka-lol).

5) Obi-Wan having to wrangle yet another droid loving padawan with very obvious mental and trust issues and OH GOD HE'S JUST AS TINY AS ANAKIN WAS AND HOW COULD THE COUNCIL HAVE EVER APPROVED THIS-

But, most of all, what I love about this particular AU is the additional, optional layer of Cal somehow knowing (usually through psychometry) that Anakin is Darth Vader and just having to struggle to interact with his new Master's former padawan without letting anyone else know, that he knows--

--which then leads to baby Cal Kestis meeting Anakin the Skywalker for the first time and just sort of blurting out something to the equivlaent of "... don't fucking talk to me" and then screaming internally when everyone inevitably reacts to Obi-Wan's new padawan clearly hating/not taking a liking to Anakin at all.

Obviously, Ahsoka would think this is hilarious, Anakin would take it super personally and Obi-Wan would just feel exasperated/delighted/resigned at the fact that he has yet another rude padawan to take care of.

*fics recs under the cut*

For anyone who might be interested in reading fics with this particular AU, I can't help but recommend these two in particular:

a distant fire is burning by e_va (AO3)/@e-vasong (blog)

(I Promise) This Time Will Be Different by Nation_Ustria

Make sure to give these authors lots of love. They've done an excellent job with their writing :3

Update: Since this post has started to sorta blow up (at least way more than I expected WOW), I just wanted to take the opportunity to shout out another fave Time-travel/Fix-It fic that I also adore called:

Lost Property Box by Young_and_spitefilled/@constantlymisspelled

It's not a Cal joins the Disaster Lineage fic, but instead sees an older Cal Kestis return to a timeline way before the events of Phantom Menace. And what do you know, he gets to interact with baby Obi-Wan and other child versions of the Jedi he looked up to as a baby Jedi himself. It's pretty great. Definitely check it out :3

[blazingstar24]

And if I say that both Anakin and Thrawn suffered the same childhood trauma and it manifests in completely different ways that makes their dynamic very interesting, what then? The loss of a family member and how they reacted to it is crucial in their characters. It is the loss of Shmi that turns Anakin’s love into a possessive, obsessive, abandonment fearing mess. It is the loss of Vurika/Borika, that informs Thrawn’s view of himself and others as just assets to a larger cause.

Regardless if Anakin could or couldn’t have saved his mother if the council listened, Shmi’s death in his mind is framed as an event in that Anakin was too late, he wasn’t there. It is a loss that turns into this idea that if he doesn’t protect what he loves, someone or something will take it from him. We see this in the Rush Clovis arc, we see it in the way he immediately jumps to jealousy at Obi Wan in ROTS despite Obi Wan never having such a relation with Padme. For Anakin, loss is always framed as someone took something from me. Even platonically, we see this in the Rako Hardeen arc. And it is evident that this started after Shmi’s death because Anakin does not have the same sort of hatred for Maul who killed Quigon.

For Anakin, it will always be that someone took something from me, so I have to do something about that. And it’s why Palpatine can manipulate him so easily, because all Palps has to do is point at someone, give him a target to blame and say kill.

For Thrawn, yes it is slightly different as Borika isn’t dead. But it is a loss nevertheless. Thrawn on the flip side of Anakin, registers loss as something inevitable and thus why harbor deep attachments? Not to say he doesn’t care because we know he does. Thrass, Ar’alani, and Eli all speak to the fact that he does very much care and love. But in every instance, he does keep them at a distance, he pushes them away just as they get close. And it stems from Borika because the reason why he loses her is so she could serve the Ascendancy. It is not a choice she made and he knows this. And that informs why everything he does is for this goal, because all he knows is that everything, even things that caused him pain is supposed to be for this goal.

Where Anakin sought to justify the loss in blaming himself and then others, Thrawn justifies the loss by trying to give the pain purpose. If it meant something then he shouldn’t be upset. It is what it is. Yet, just like how Anakin’s possessiveness leads to his downfall by Palpatine, by pushing all his friends away instead of keeping them close, Thrawn leaves himself vulnerable and surrounded by his enemies instead. All those friends will serve the larger goal, the Ascendancy, but who is left looking to him?

Idk what I’m really trying to say other than yeah that’s some interesting character dynamics. The idea that both these characters are defined by loss as much as they are also defined by hope as their shining moments of good.

[jessepinwheel]

With your Para au, how do the Jedi react when they find out why Obi-Wan agreed to make the clones? Is it unethical? Yes. But also it was a shit situation and he's TRYING to help the Jedi?! Like I just picture them being like o.o. This is technically better than him betraying us but wtffff.

What was Jaster like in this AU? I know fabdom has him being a great guy but can ANY political leader of Mandalore be truly good in this AU lolllll

after boga gets rescued by the jedi, he ends up killing quinlan (the mandalorian jedi spy) to make sure the mandalorian empire doesn't find out that there is an escaped obi-clone with the rebels. of course, because he stabbed quinlan in the neck, he gets put in jedi jail

anyways, this is the point where the jedi find out that a) boga and all his obi-clone brothers are all in a psychic hive mind and b) obi-wan has the ability to possess his clone sons and c) obi-wan is still alive and in jango's torture basement. which to be fair, is a lot of things to have to come to terms with at once

mace (and friends) is of course extremely conflicted about this, not least because he's thought that obi-wan was dead these last ten years, and also because making all these obi-clones is definitely against the principles of the jedi, and also also because the whole situation with a hive mind of 2000 obi-clones is extremely fucked up as a concept. later on when obi-wan is able to have an actual conversation (through boga) with mace, it's helpful for them to understand just how dire obi-wan's circumstances have been for the last fifteen years since he was captured. like yes, obi-wan is doing a lot of really dubious stuff, but also he's been unable to contact any outside jedi for all that time and he had no other options. also, it helps that the obi-clones are very conveniently positioned to help the jedi and the rebellion

jaster, at least from the standpoint of the mandalorians, was a good ruler. as emperor, jaster moved the mandalorian center (and imperial palace) from sundari to keldabe, and also made a lot of changes which shifted power towards the working class mandalorian instead of having it all sequestered by the noble class. obviously the traditionalists hated him for that, which was why he was assassinated, which led to jango taking the throne quite young and putting his legitimacy into question. jaster had a strong interest in mandalorian history and also warrior's pride, so maybe he had more honor than jango does, but whether that translates to being less shit to the people of the empire is inconclusive. we can safely say that jaster did not hate the jedi nearly as much as jango does, though, because jango's hatred towards the jedi is obsessive and very directly tied up with his relationship with obi-wan

on a personal level, jaster was really busy being emperor so he didn't have all the time to spend raising jango--jango was primarily raised by other members of jaster's clan, the same way that jango has not had very much time to raise cody and rex, who ended up being primarily raised by myles (and also to some extent by obi-wan, who they talked to a lot in prison). I do think cody and rex remember grandpa jaster and remember him fondly, but that has more to do with the fact that jango used to spend more time with them when jaster was alive than jaster himself. like, even though jango's the one who's kept obi-wan in the torture basement for eleven years, jaster is the one who built that prison in the keldabe palace in the first place, so what does that say about him?

which is to say, jaster is definitely less shit than jango, but that's more because jango is especially shit than because jaster is a good person

ask me questions about parasitic extraction, the role reversal mandalorian empire au that I have

[a-k-a-l-i]

The Skywalker Invasion

Family Revelations

The Jedi Council Chambers was filled with Jedi Knights, masters, and senators. Yoda’s eyes were closed, focusing on the Force.

The newcomers were occupying different rooms at the temple, as the Jedi Masters believed they shouldn’t have the time travelers interact.

“We need the names of the people you met,” Mace Windu asked, a frown forming on his lips.

“I met two men, both claiming their name to be Skywalker,” Plo Koon said slowly, turning to look at a certain Jedi Knight who was surprised.

“That’s impossible, I mean no disrespect, Master, but I too have met someone claiming to be a Skywalker,” Aayla was quick to inform them.

Anakin crossed his arms, “I would also like to join this confusing conversation, my padawan and I met this boy, going by the name ‘Ben Skywalker’ I’m now curious to know who these others are.”

Ahsoka nodded her head in agreement.

Obi-wan stroked his beard.

Padmé came forward, “Jedi Masters, I have met two women, a young girl, and a young man, one of the women says she is the empress of the Fel Empire, which just happens to be our galaxy.”

Yoda now hummed, “the last names, I need, yes, to uncover the truth. Your hand you must raise, if you met one, going by the name Skywalker, you must.”

Four people raise their hands.

Aayla Secura.

Anakin Skywalker.

Plo Koon.

Master Yoda.

“Going by the name Solo,” Yoda continued.

Padmé Amidala.

Bail Organa.

Adi Gallia.

Mon Mothma.

Obi-wan Kenobi.

Each raised their hand.

“By the name Fel.”

Padmé Amidala and Bail Organa were the only ones.

“And do not forget the young one who goes by the name ‘Jade’, she was in the company of one ‘Luke Skywalker’.” Mace Windu reminded. Yoda nodded.

Anakin’s brows furrowed, more Skywalkers?

“Something on your mind, young Skywalker?” Yoda prompted, his face softening.

“The…other Skywalkers, I’m curious,” Anakin sighed.

The old green Jedi Master chuckled, “revealed, everything will be, with time.”

“I believe we should gather everyone and question them all at once, they must be very powerful if the Force reacted this way,” Ki-Adi Mundi proposed.

“Agree, I do, talk with them, gain their trust, we will.”

~S~

Gathering the newcomers, the Jedi Council led them all to a large room where privacy can be assured.

Luke and Leia found each other and crashed into each other’s arms, happy to know that the other was safe. Mara and Han only laughed quietly at the sight.

Ania looked around, noticing that she shared certain features with other people in the room. Her eyes stopped on a woman.

“Marasiah!”

Marasiah turned, her face broke out into a grin. The two girls ran forward and brought each other into a hug.

“It has been so long, cousin, I am delighted to know that I will have a familiar face with me here,” Marasiah exclaimed. Someone cleared their throat behind them, and Ania saw her other cousin.

“Why, Cade, this is turning out to be a family reunion.”

Cade chuckled, “a very weird one, the Force is a tricky one.”

Now confused, the Jedi Council watched as Ania, Marasiah, and Cade all chatted together.

“You’re…related?” Adi Gallia wondered, her eyes wide. Ania nodded. 

Now this just got more interesting.

“But, how?” Obi-wan asked, his face scrunched.

“We have the same ancestor,” Cade crossed his arms.

“And who would that be?” Mace narrowed his eyes.

“Anakin Skywalker.”

Said man faltered, “w-what.”

Luke, was just as confused, they too were related to his father?

“Anakin Skywalker? Here?” Han groaned.

Jedi Knight Anakin Skywalker came forward, his arms crossed against his chest. The time travelers’ eyes widened comically, gasps were heard, and disbelief rang throughout the Force.

“Impossible.”

Bail Organa coughed softly, “maybe you can tell us what Knight Skywalker means to you.”

Luke casted his gaze over to the man who claims to be Anakin Skywalker, and there he is, standing in all his glory. Anakin Skywalker.

“He…well…Anakin Skywalker is my father.”

Ahsoka’s eyes grew, oh dear, how is Master going to get out of this one?

Leia nodded, “He is…my biological father, Luke and I are twins,” her face soured slightly as she admitted the fact. She had not forgiven him yet, but in the light of things, she believed it was best to just go along with it.

Jacen, Jaina, and Anakin giggled, “we’re his grandchildren!”

“Jacen is the eldest, then it’s me, Jaina, and our younger brother, Anakin!”

The elder Skywalker felt his face grow hot, his heart racing a mile a minute. He caught the gaze of his wife, who sent him a reassuring smile, she too, was having a difficult time handling this.

“Your last names?” Kit Fisto asked politely.

“Solo.”

Han sputtered, “what!? How do you kids have my last name!?”

Jacen looked unimpressed, “it’s cause we’re your kids.”

Anakin Jr. put his hands on his hips, “and Leia is our mother.”

Leia and Han paled at the thought, scooting away from each other.

Mon Mothma could only sigh. A red headed boy stepped up, blue eyes twinkled when he saw his grandfather pale.

“The name’s Ben Skywalker, I’m Luke Skywalker’s son.”

Luke turned sharply to stare at the red headed boy. But, who is the mother? The only woman who popped in his head was the one who was standing next to him. Mara Jade.

Ki-Adi Mundi put his hand under his chin in thought, strange.

Nat and Kol also stepped up, introducing themselves, garnering another round of surprise coming from the Jedi of the Old Republic.

Allana quietly said her name, stating who her father was, making Jacen go red and Jaina to laugh quite loudly, teasing him relentlessly. Ania had a small on her face, watching the smaller versions of the first Skywalker-Solo lineages goof off. 

“What about Marasiah Fel then? If I remember correctly, you said Ania was your cousin,” Mon spoke, trying hard to ignore the fact that the people of the future are Jedi Skywalker’s descendants. Does he ever follow the rules?

“My great great grandmother is Jaina Solo. Ania is Jacen’s descendant, and I, Jaina’s. Making us cousins,” explained the future empress, her hands folded neatly across her stomach.

Ahsoka now only had one question remaining on her mind and she was sure it was on everyone else’s.

“Who’s the mother of Master Skywalker’s children then?”

Several pairs of eyes snapped to her direction making her fix her posture, not wanting everyone to see her as only a child padawan.

The senators and Jedi Masters looked at the future Skywalkers who looked anywhere but at the front of the room where the people of the Old Republic stood.

“W-we don’t know,” Leia finally spoke up, “we thought…well, we thought that our father had a one night stand.”

The people of old looked highly skeptical of this theory.

The other time travelers muttered their own theories, some stating that they thought she was also a Jedi, possibly a smuggler, and other crazy stories.

“We just know she would have to look like Leia, since I look like my father, at least according to Be–I mean Obi-wan Kenobi,” Luke explained.

The auburn haired master coughed as he was now put in the spotlight.

“I’ve noticed that Miss Leia Skywalker,” Shaak Ti started, making Leia sour instantly, “young Allana Solo, young Jacen Solo and Miss Ania Solo all share close resemblances to Senator Amidala.”

The young female senator was now under scrutiny of her colleagues, the Masters of the Jedi Council, and the people of the future.

“Master Ti is right,” Aayla said in her heavy accent.

“Skywalker, do you have anything to say about this?” the face of Mace Windu was clouded, as his anger seeped through. The ones bearing the last name Skywalker all turned to the Korun master.

“What did I do?” The Skywalkers exclaimed in unison, making Mace quickly back track his words.

Anakin wisely kept quiet, his own thoughts getting to the better of him. I have a family…Padmé  and I made a legacy oh how I wish we could talk in private.

Padmé, feeling a headache coming on, could not help the joy that spread through her. She and Anakin made a family, their family made a family and so forth. She was excited and words could not describe the feeling. Oh no, the Jedi Council, she forgot about them in the heat of the moment.

She took a glance to her husband, giving him an unnoticeable nod.

The blonde Jedi Knight coughed, making the attention come his way. 

“Contrary to your…beliefs, I’m married.”

The entire room was not prepared, as a matter in fact, those weren’t the words that they expected to come out of the patriarch of the Skywalker clan’s mouth.

“To who?”

“Me,” Padmé stepped up, her head held high, this wasn’t how she imagined she would reveal their marriage, but no time like the present, right?

Bail and Mon were extremely surprised, their colleague, who had no interest in romantic relationships, was married? They had told her to pursue such things, saying that it was a wonderful thing to be connected to a person, who would love and cherish you. Yet, here she was, steps ahead of them.

“Hm, how many months, were you?” Yoda asked, his glimmer stick thumping softly. 

“Two and a half years, just after the Battle of Geonosis,” Anakin answered, his voice firm, Obi-wan pinched the bridge of his nose.

Force, help me.

“This is going against the Code–”

“What code?” Luke was now confused, while he was thrilled to know that he was a product of his parents’ love, at least he hoped so, he wondered about the code they seem to obsess and worship.

“The Jedi Code states that one should not hold romantic attachments,” Anakin explained to his son.

Kol was now laughing, “that wasn’t in the Code, as a Jedi Master myself and knowing history, Luke Skywalker made the Code after he rebuilt the Order and it never stated that.”

“How can one person, especially a Skywalker, change a code that existed well over two thousand years?” An angered Agen Kolar grit out.

“Rebuilt the Order?” Anakin had a bad feeling about this. Mara rolled her eyes, this was becoming too much, they’ve been here for hours and she needed some rest.

“The Jedi Order was destroyed, Jedi were killed and an empire, under the rule of the sith,  rose the day Luke and I were born, allegedly,” coughed Leia.

There was nothing but silence.

Pure unadulterated silence.

“Take a break we will, come back later, we must, to your rooms, the padawans will take you,” Yoda finally decided, he needed the Force to show him the way.

There were no signs or sounds of disagreement, they moved out of the room, leaving only a few Jedi left in the room.

“Skywalker,” Yoda called out to Anakin, “expel you, I will not, need you here, the Force demands. Until the agenda of the Force is finished, your status of your knighthood, you may keep,” he hobbled away with Mace Windu, Obi-wan Kenobi, and Shaak Ti.

 Anakin slumped against the wall in relief.

~S~

Obi-wan was disappointed. That much was obvious.

But he couldn’t place it.

Was he disappointed at his padawan? At himself? At the Code?

What had happened?

When Yoda had called a recess break, he inwardly refused, he wanted answers.

What happened to him? Anakin? The padawans?

Sitting in a meditation position, he searched the Force for guidance.

Though a small part of him was happy, happy that Anakin had a family, though the Code absolutely refuses such a thing. Spending the small amount of time with the Solo children, he could already feel fondness growing, and knowing it was his padawan’s great offspring, made his fondness grow.

Somewhere in his mind, he was proud that the Skywalker lineage were accomplished Jedi Masters, or politicians.

At least he found the answers to that, knowing how much Anakin hated politics.

Padmé was–is–good for him, no doubt about that, she grounded Anakin when he could not, she gave him peace, peace that the Jedi Knight so often searched for, looked for, meditated for.

He only hoped that it did not end in disaster.

Opening his eyes, he left his room and went to the cafeteria. Already there was talk about the strange occurrence of the strange beings who appeared out of nowhere.

Force help him.

Force help Anakin.

Force help the galaxy.

The appearance of the Skywalkers could either mean two things.

Creation.

Or.

Destruction.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Tag List:

@freddykicksasses

[cinnabun-faerie]

My Top 10 Characters Ranking (November 2024)

A/N: The last time I did one was two years ago apparently. Are the years going by too fast? For me, everything just seems to be muddling together.

Disclaimer: This is my opinion/preference. If you don't have the same top characters, that's okay! We can have different ones! :) Also, please do not start telling me that Raphael can't be romanced for this and this reason. Like any other fan, I will like who I like, and imagine what it would be like to romance him. That and the more I hear stuff like that, the less I want to interact with anything bg3.

Honorable Mention:

Anthony Bridgerton (Bridgerton)

This mother fluffer...I did not like him in the first season of the show, but season 2 really got me to look at him differently. Smitten? Maybe. Envious? Most definitely since Kate is so attractive! He's a lucky man.

Rafayel (Love & Deep Space)

I have such a love-hate thing for him. His mouth annoys me but he's also kinda funny. And he's kinda pretty charming.

Obi-Wan Kenobi (Star Wars)

Watched Star Wars for the first time a few months ago. Kinda hated him/was annoyed by him. Now I'm down so bad for him.

10 Shadowheart (Baldur's Gate 3)

She's cute. If not for Minthara, she would have been my main girl in Bg3. A great companion and I've still yet to romance her.

9 Koana (FFXIV)

As soon as I saw his reveal I knew I was gonna love him. And with playing Dawntrail, I definitely do. He has my heart right behind G'raha. Seriously though, I love the way he cares for his sister. My WoL (Cinna) & her family definitely relate to him. And it was a breath of fresh air to see him react the way he did at a certain moment.

8 Halsin (Baldur's Gate 3)

There's something about nurturing men that I absolutely adore. I would seriously feel 100% safe around Halsin. He's so caring and wise.

7 Aymeric de Borel (FFXIV)

My main FFXIV love of my life. I want to put him so much higher but LADS & Baldur's Gate 3 have me in a chokehold right now.

6 G'raha Tia (FFXIV)

The cat of my dreams ^-^ Need I say more? I adore G'raha Tia! Though I haven't been focusing on FFXIV lately, he's still my very best boy.

5 Zayne (Love & Deep Space)

I knew I was gonna fall for him. I mean, Hatori to Jumin to Zayne pipeline. I like how he interacts with MC. And his voice is so soothing.

4 Raphael (Baldur's Gate 3)

I just wanna smooch him and love him and smooch him some more. I mean, with the way he interacts with Tav sometimes, I need a romance option. That and it would be interesting to see a Devil of his stature being a romancable option. The storylines it could bring to the game~

3 Sylus (Love & Deep Space)

I didn't expect to fall for him but I did. I love him. And his voice is just so...gets me every time. I was expecting a typical bad boy but he's so soft for MC. I'm here for it.

2 Minthara (Baldur's Gate 3)

My wife. She's my wife. I fell for her the moment I first saw her in the game. And I save her every time. She is surprisingly kind, soft-hearted and thoughtful towards the other companions. But she is also stern. But these are traits of hers that I adore. I loved experiencing her in the game. I'm sad that I can't date her while dating Gale so I need to start a new playthrough for her.

1 Gale (Baldur's Gate 3)

Gosh, I have come to love Gale so much more on a deeper level. In the beginning, I was attracted to his love for books and his humor. However, is the sweetest lover (in my opinion) and there is no greater love for my TAV than him (I'm sorry Minthy/Halsin). His romance story is both romantic and heartbreaking. I would do his path over and over again if there wasn't more I wanted to romance in other playthroughs.

[rexismycopilot]

Hi! Firstly, huge huge HUGE fan of your fifty shades series, it is absolutely one of my all time favorites

So this isn’t a prompt at all or a request for you to write this into any fic because I wouldn’t change a thing about your work, it’s a masterpiece. I’ve just been asking myself this question for months and thinking about it all the time and there is no answer in sight because you can’t replicate genius ig

Anyway all this to say

How do you think your Anakin would react if he was so scared about a punishment that he got sick? And how would your Obi-Wan respond to it? Obviously this is purely hypothetical because they have a very healthy relationship and it’s beautiful, so the question itself is a huge stretch (which is maybe part of why I couldn’t even begin to imagine how they’d handle this).

Again. Huge fan. Thank you for your fics! ❤️❤️❤️

Oooh this is a really interesting question!! Also, friend, you have impeccable timing because I got this ask literally just after Adalia and I were recording an episode for Sips & Smacks about punishment and we talked about how we're not afraid to be punished! Truly incredible timing on your part.

And also, thank you soooo much for your very kind words! It genuinely means so much to me 💗

Okay, onto your question...

Let's say Anakin really fucks up. Like he maybe gets into another bar fight (which: spoiler alert, may or may not come up again in FS). Obviously, this is something he can't hide from Obi-Wan and Obi-Wan has already threatened that Anakin would be in big trouble if this were to happen again.

So Anakin has two things going through his head:

He knows exactly what Obi-Wan has already threatened

He knows exactly how mad Obi-Wan is going to be

I think both of those things combined could make Anakin potentially physically ill about being punished. Especially if Obi-Wan is so angry, he makes Anakin wait in the corner for a long time while Obi-Wan calms down enough to deal with him.

So Anakin waiting in the corner for his fate, thinking about how awful he feels, how much he fucked up, and how much he made Obi-Wan worry too... Combined, Anakin suddenly feels the need to run to the bathroom and throw up. He doesn't even think to call 'red', he just runs into the bathroom and leans over the toilet.

I think Obi-Wan's initial reaction over Anakin just leaving his time out would be anger until he sees why Anakin left. Once he sees Anakin bent over a toilet, however, he'd try to comfort him. Maybe if Anakin had been drinking, Obi-Wan would think it's from that, but when he finds out that it's because Anakin was overthinking things, he'd probably feel really guilty.

He obviously never wants Anakin to feel scared and if that were to happen, I think Obi-Wan would have to take a step back and evaluate how he approached the initial conversation. But... that would also take time to get to that point. So his initial reaction would probably be blaming himself, honestly.

The thing that Obi-Wan (and Anakin) likes about this type of relationship is ultimately the intimacy of it and the trust that they build together. Anakin trusts Obi-Wan to know what's best and Obi-Wan trusts that Anakin is benefitting from this and that Anakin actually wants this.

If Anakin were that afraid of of the punishment, Obi-Wan would definitely take that personally. Especially because I think Obi-Wan would translate that to Anakin being afraid of Obi-Wan himself.

The aftermath of this might be Obi-Wan having to learn to trust himself again too. (I know, it's something that's come up time and time again in FS, but I think that's a valid feeling for Doms because we can't forget that they have feelings too!)

So to sum this all up because I don't actually know if I've answered your question lol... I think they'd probably handle this the way that they've handled things in the past and try to find out exactly why Anakin was afraid. I think Obi-Wan's gut feeling would be to take a break from the DD aspect of their relationship too. Maybe to reevaluate why they do what they do and to make them both less afraid of trying again. In this instance, maybe it's Obi-Wan that gets a lot of comfort and understanding from Anakin.

Once they do reevaluate though, I don't think Anakin would be getting off scot-free from his punishment, however. In fact, I think Anakin would eventually realize that he wants that feeling of guilt release for doing something he knew was very wrong. But to get to that point, Obi-Wan would need to know that Anakin was not doing this just because Obi-Wan wanted him to or that Anakin was still afraid.

[queen-of-mandalore]

Em’s Star Wars Rewatch part 27

The Clone Wars #25 - Mortis

3x15: Overlords

This is such an interesting concept.

Rewatching this after watching the Ahsoka series has made me so hyped.

I love the character design of the daughter and the son.

Ahsoka’s older self in the vision is such a good design, it’s a shame they didn’t go with it for Rebels and live action.

Ahsoka is so loyal to Anakin. The way she defends him and believes in him. The way she reacted to the vision warning her of Anakin’s dark side reminded me of how she reacted to Maul talking about Anakin in season 7.

Bless Obi-Wan for telling Anakin to save Ahsoka over him. We need more Ahsoka and Obi-Wan moments.

The visuals are so good. I love how it changes from day to night when Anakin fights the daughter and son.

3x16: Altar of Mortis

The animators managed to perfectly capture the look of pure terror Ewan gives Hayden in AotC. Obi-Wan suffering through Anakin’s flying will never not be funny.

‘I thought you didn’t see it!’

Dark side Ahsoka is so cool and actually pretty terrifying. Also the idea of making Anakin kill her is super dark.

Anakin has no brain cells. He just runs into action with no plan.

Obi-Wan awkwardly walking into a family argument.

I don’t know what’s going on half the time during these episodes but I’m having a great time.

3x17: Ghosts of Mortis

I love mechanic Ahsoka. It makes sense that she knows how to fix a ship- it’s a useful skill to know and with Anakin as her master she was always going to be taught how to fix things.

I do love the three of them together, they have such a great dynamic.

Qui-Gon giving cryptic unhelpful advice

The scene where the Son shows Anakin the future and the Darth Vader mask appears and the imperial march plays - poetic cinema. It’s iconic and I get chills seeing it.

The foreshadowing of Mustafar with him surrounded by lava.

Unlike other dark side users we come across, Anakin never joins the dark side out of greed. It’s always to prevent suffering (either to save Padme or in this case to prevent the awful things he would later do) and bring peace. I think part of the tragedy of Anakin is that he always had good intentions but followed the wrong path.

I find it funny how the Father is like: go to this super dark place to find out who you are, and then when Alain finds out who he really is and what he’ll do, he’s like ‘oh shit oops’ and makes him forget the whole thing.

It’s interesting to me that when Anakin joins the Son, Obi-Wan immediately says they need to ‘save’ him. Whereas when he joins Sidious in RotS he has more of a mind set to stop him, believing Anakin is gone.

Obi-Wan: ‘I need you to disable the ship!’ Ahsoka: ‘but I have just finished putting it back together!!!’ 😂

These three have had a wild few days.

This was such an interesting arc and shows how George and the creators were not afraid to do something different. I’m sure a lot of it went over kids’ (the main target audience) heads but they did it anyway because it was the story they wanted to tell.

[myrskytuuli]

I stumbled upon one of those characters react to their own books/movies/series fics again, and was lead on journey of contemplation about metanarratives so let me guide you to the same journey.

So, I’m genuinely fascinated with the concept, even if (as anyone who has ever bit the bullet and gonw to read these fics knows) they are almost all garbage. I think I can remember one or two fics in my history of fic reading that did anything interesting with the premise and the other was a fic that circulated as a torrentable pdf and nothing else, but I digress. Usually these stories start with the avatar author being some kind of meta-god and kidnapping the characters to show them their future and I always think what a huge shame it is that the most interesting part of the idea is never utilised, which is that the characters could find out about a parallel universe where their world is fictional and get to experience the media about them as...you know...media. In a way that they could complain about bad directors, why somebody gets the bad-ass theme song and others don’t, whether the bad cgi resembles the real thing at all or why the author decided to include this thing in the book but not something else. Just...the media they are interacting with being actual media that has been created in our world to tell the story of those characters, sometimes more or less succesfully.

But. Then I got hit with another thought that derailed me completely, and made me fell down a unhinged idea rabbit hole. If for example star wars characters found our parallel universe where they are fictional, what if this world was fictional in the star wars universe?

Just, you know. Everyone complaining how convoluted the WW1 prequel series was compared to the original WW2 series. Half of the runtime is spent on politics, almost all the action happens in one trench, and even the director doesn’t seem to understand why the war even started. Compared to the clear-cut heroes and villains of the WW2 series, it’s no wonder the original fans were frustrated. Even though the World War series has always been very anti-war and the original series wasn’t as simplistic as everyone makes it out to be, the allies were shown stooping to worse and worse war-crimes near the end, and that was the point, to show that there can be no good sides in war, Padmé rants angrily after seeing some dudebros miss the entire point of the series on message boards again.

Obi-Wan thinks the franchise has its moments, but on the whole relies way too much on the shock value of mass slaughter and sensless deaths. Ahsoka is always trying to rope people into reading the tie-in novel series the Cold War, which actually deviates from the open battlefield format and tries to engage with the loose plot threads and the implications that the original WW2 series and especially the divisive decision of pulling out deus ex nuclear weapons at the last minute left behind.

There’s a lot of back-and-forth about how uninclusive the series is, with only human characters, but it has also been pointed out that there is a valid metaphor being made about how irrational speciesim is, because even in a world that human-supremacists are always harping about, their utopia of a world with only humans existing, people would find other arbitary ways to be prejudiced against each other.

On the whole, there’s a shiton of complicated lore about how all these nations were formed and some of the ideas are really good and some really stupid, but what everybody agrees is that when the galaxy+ bought the franchise and started churning out soulless mini-series about the future of the World Wars universe, nobody was impressed. The Cold War novels at least tried to tell a story about grey morals and paranoia, the New Millenium sequels are just stupid. Suddenly people just want to be nazis? again? Every villain is simply the dumbest character you’ve ever met? Most of the conflicts rely on the leaders making the dumbest decisions possible? There’s plague and environmental catastrophies and new nazis? At the same time? What a cash-grab.

[antianakin]

I find it so interesting to look at Anakin's "apology" to Obi-Wan in Revenge of the Sith right before Obi-Wan goes to Utapau and compare it with the scene he has after Obi-Wan defeats him in the Obi-Wan Kenobi series. The ways Anakin sort-of skirts around actually apologizing for ANYTHING he's actually done wrong, the way he uses that apology to continue to argue that he thinks he's right about everything, seem to kind-of lead to the way he tries to emotionally manipulate Obi-Wan in the show 10 years later.

In Revenge of the Sith, Anakin comes to Obi-Wan and says that he hasn't been grateful to Obi-Wan for his training, sure, but he also then says that he's "just so frustrated with the Council." At best, this apology amounts to "I'm sorry for snapping at you PERSONALLY, but I still think I should be on the Council, I still think I should be made a Master, I see nothing wrong with accepting Palpatine's nepotistic offer to put me on the Council, I don't see Palpatine's actions as asking me to spy on the Council, I don't believe the Council has any reason to suspect Palpatine of wrongdoing, and I still don't think anyone should be asking me to spy on Palpatine." He's apologizing I guess, but for the SMALLEST infraction of them all. And he's apologizing to Obi-Wan his friend, not Obi-Wan the Council Member. Even though Obi-Wan specifically makes it clear in that last conversation they had about this that he was speaking to Anakin AS A COUNCIL MEMBER.

It's a mostly meaningless apology, because it really apologizes for none of the things he's actually truly done wrong. Snapping at Obi-Wan isn't really that big of a deal in comparison to accepting Palpatine's offer to put him on the Council, his temper tantrum about not being made a Master, and his near refusal to look into Palpatine's actions for the Council in return.

Anakin's apology shows no recognition of why the Council might be upset with him, no real development or growth in terms of respecting the Council itself as a ruling body or development in his relationship to Palpatine. There's no acknowledgment that he recognizes even if he likes Palpatine that his political actions may be suspect and so using his relationship to Palpatine to help the Jedi investigate that is necessary. Nothing. Literally nothing.

But he says a lot of pretty things to Obi-Wan PERSONALLY, about how he believes Obi-Wan was a good Master, how he should be more grateful for Obi-Wan's training, etc etc. And it fucking works. Obi-Wan tells him that he was a wise and strong Jedi, better than Obi-Wan himself. Even though Anakin's apology was complete bunk, he manipulates Obi-Wan's feelings of uncertainty about having trained Anakin and whether he was truly good enough to be Anakin's Master to net himself the reaction he wants from Obi-Wan. Anakin does the SMALLEST amount of work possible in this apology and then dresses it up to make it seem like he's doing a lot more. And Obi-Wan falls for it because he loves Anakin, because he wants to believe that this teeny tiny itsy bitsy apology could be the beginning of Anakin recognizing the wrong he's done in the rest of his behavior towards the Council itself, towards Anakin being better as a person and a Jedi. Obi-Wan hears what he wants to hear because Anakin knows exactly how to manipulate Obi-Wan into doing so.

I don't know that Anakin was necessarily manipulating Obi-Wan super consciously, but I do think he was doing so at least subconsciously in order to get Obi-Wan to react a certain way. He understands Obi-Wan well enough to know how to present himself and speak to make Obi-Wan happy with him and clearly does so, even as he does really very little actual emotional labor. He wants Obi-Wan to not be upset with him, he wants Obi-Wan to not be disappointed in him and agree with him about his own frustrations, so he says and does what he feels like he has to in order to get it. And he does.

Fast forward 10 years later, and that manipulation is quite a bit more blatant and works way less well on an Obi-Wan who can now see Anakin more clearly.

I've seen people calling this Anakin "absolving" Obi-Wan of any responsibility for Anakin's fall. While you could argue that this is kind-of the end result of what Anakin says, I don't personally think it's that in character for it to be an intentional effect on Anakin's part. Obi-Wan chooses to absolve HIMSELF because of what Anakin says, but Anakin's intended goal, as stated by Anakin himself in the show, is to BREAK Obi-Wan. And Anakin believes he knows Obi-Wan pretty well, better than Obi-Wan even knows himself perhaps, and thinks he can just use his words to manipulate Obi-Wan's emotions the way he wants. Last time, he was trying to ensure Obi-Wan's approval. This time, he's trying to ensure Obi-Wan's ultimate devastation.

Unfortunately for Anakin, Obi-Wan isn't precisely who he used to be anymore, and he's a lot more aware of Anakin's true darkness. This makes him a lot more aware of when Anakin is manipulating him and capable of fighting back against it.

Anakin's words in the show seem pretty enough, he says that he is not Obi-Wan's failure and that HE killed "Anakin Skywalker" but this is not an apology. There is no acknowledgment of anything he's truly done wrong, and he's honestly absolving HIMSELF of any true crime because if he killed Anakin Skywalker, then Anakin Skywalker presumably did nothing wrong. Anakin Skywalker was just a victim in the whole thing, not the perpetrator of a double genocide and the betrayer of everyone he once loved. This allows Anakin to tell himself that he was still a real hero, a good person who was simply "killed" by Darth Vader, "killed" by the Dark Side.

But while his words are sweet, aimed right at the exact same fears and insecurities of Obi-Wan's that were being manipulated in Revenge of the Sith, they're also intended to remove any kernel of hope that might still exist in Obi-Wan. They're intended to pull him into despair along WITH Anakin. He's trying to hit at Obi-Wan's weak spot, himself and his insecurities as to his responsibility in what's happened to Anakin.

There's no acknowledgment of the actual harm he's done, the actual crimes committed against Obi-Wan, or the Jedi, or the Republic, or the clones, or even Padme. The only victim mentioned here, is Anakin himself, and it's a flat out lie because Anakin's quite obviously not dead and wasn't a victim of his own choices but the intended benefactor. He's choosing not to take the blame or responsibility for his own actions, but to take CREDIT for his victory. He flaunts that victory in Obi-Wan's face by seemingly "absolving" Obi-Wan of Anakin's own "death."

This is not an apology. It's not even anywhere in the VICINITY of an apology. At least the one in Revenge of the Sith has a half-assed attempt at apologizing for snapping at Obi-Wan, even as it refuses to actually acknowledge the most harmful and offensive things he's done to everyone else. At least that one is halfway genuine because in the moment he does want Obi-Wan's approval.

Anakin in the Obi-Wan Kenobi show no longer wants Obi-Wan's approval because he's too caught up and embroiled in hating Obi-Wan and blaming Obi-Wan for everything that's happened to him that all he wants is to make Obi-Wan as miserable as possible, to have victory OVER Obi-Wan by breaking him. So there's not even the attempt at an apology, just the manipulation.

But Obi-Wan sees Anakin for who and what he is now. The manipulation doesn't work. Instead of breaking Obi-Wan, all Anakin's words do is allow Obi-Wan to move on and let go, to fully grieve for what he's lost and begin to heal. The recognition of this manipulation, the SAME manipulation he used 10 years ago successfully, is the last thing Obi-Wan needs.

Anakin hasn't grown or developed at all, he's using the exact same tactics and manipulations on Obi-Wan as he always has. But Obi-Wan HAS grown, he's learned how to see beyond his own faith in Anakin, and it allows him to resist Anakin's manipulations of his insecurities. It really goes to show just how close to darkness Anakin already was, how consumed by it he already was even before he chose to become a Sith, because even his nicer moments are tainted and mired in selfishness and cruelty.

[holdingonforheaven]

20 Questions For Fic Writers

Thanks for tagging me, @just-here-with-my-thoughts!

1. How many works do you have on Ao3?

18!

2. What’s your total Ao3 word count?

49,105

3. What fandoms do you write for?

Mostly Star Wars; recently I've been ping-ponging between The Bad Batch and the Clone Wars, although there's some Rebels in there, too

4. What are your top five fics by kudos?

Not Alone (269), Red Sky At Morning (196), Braids (136), I'll Stand In Front, I'll Take the Blow (120), and Breathless (118)

5. Do you respond to comments?

Yes, but I can be inconsistent 🙈 I tend to hoard comments like a dragon while I'm working on the next installment and then I'll spam reply when the next chapter is posted. So for example, right now, I'm working on chapter 4 of Not Alone. When it's done, I'll go back and reply to all the comments on chapter 3. But by and large, yes, I reply to comments! I love it!

6. What is the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

Either Fallout (Cody and Obi-Wan post-Kadavo) or May Your Spirit Never Leave Me (Ahsoka's POV during the Rako Hardeen arc). It's interesting that they're both other characters reacting to Obi-Wan being hurt! That man doesn't realize the havoc he wreaks on others

7. What’s the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

Breathless, easy. Who doesn't love a CodyWan first kiss?

8. Do you get hate on fics?

No, fortunately I'm too small for that

9. Do you write smut? If so, what kind?

I haven't yet, but I have some ideas percolating

10. Do you write crossovers? What’s the craziest one you’ve written?

I have not

11. (Stealing @just-here-with-my-thoughts 11th question!) Which fic are you proud of but wish had gotten a bigger response from your readers?

Breathless. Granted, the CodyWan fandom is pretty large and active, and it was my first attempt writing them, so maybe it just got lost in the shuffle, but I think it's underrated personally

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

Nope

13. Have you ever co-written a fic before?

Similar to @just-here-with-my-thoughts, I had a notebook in high school that my friend and I used to take turns writing self-insert White Collar/Celtic Thunder fanfiction (don't ask). So actually, wait, I guess my answer to number 10 is wrong. I have written one crossover

14. What’s your all-time favourite ship?

Obi-Wan/Reader *coughs* I mean, Greg Lestrade/Mycroft Holmes. And Crowley/Aziraphale. And Eddie Brock/Venom

15. What’s a WIP you want to finish but doubt you ever will?

I have a non-fanfiction related WIP that has been collecting dust on my hard drive for like four years. It's a queer retelling of Hades and Persephone that I'm not sure I'll ever get back to

16. What are your writing strengths?

I've always been told I'm good at dialogue, and I do find that to be the easiest and usually the first thing I write in a scene

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

Descriptions. I find it super challenging to work in settings/colors/flavors/textures/etc in a natural way that doesn't interrupt the flow of the scene

18. Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language in fic?

I've never done it, but I also don't speak another language

19. First fandom you wrote for?

Harry Potter, as was the case for many Zillenial fanfic writers

20. Favourite fic you’ve written?

I love all my children equally! Although Not Alone has been giving me lots of dopamine lately. And I'm very excited about the things I'm working on for CodyWan Week ☺️

I'm tagging @here-be-bec, @stardustloki, @split-spectrum, @cyarbika, and everyone else who wants to play!

[marierg]

Of Light and Darkness: Phantom in the Dark 3

Pairing: Obi Wan Kenobi X Reader

WARNINGS!:  Grief, Delayed grieving reactions, funerals, Stress, instant parenthood (of sorts), self loathing, self doubt, if I missed any Lemme Know!  On the Opposite side of that there’s of comfort and fluff too.

A/N: I don’t own any rights to the story or characters in Cannon Star Wars.  There are a few portions of the dialogue within this chapter.  This is a Loving tribute and work of Fan fiction, with a few tweaks and twists of my own!  I felt that Palpatine’s dialogue needed just a tweek, probably be more so in the future.  I mean the man hid in plain sight for years and I feel that he would have played a few situations differently.  It always seemed a great shame to me that we never saw Obi Wan get knighted.  I mean it’s a very big deal and his ceremony was probably rushed and his master couldn’t be there.  The man seriously needs the cuddles, Anakin too…   Anyway enjoy! 

PS- This will probabily be the last chapter for a little bit.  Unfortunately I’m dealing with some health stuff and need to get a few ducks in a row.  BUT!! I am still working on the writing while I’m out of commission.  Thank You all for supporting this lil fic writer, you mean the galaxy to me!

Picture Credit: Lucasfilm And Pinterest

Word Count:4050

Masterlist Next Part

The three of you escorted Queen Padme and the greeting committee to the newly landed diplomatic cruiser.  The Trade Federation prisoners had been annoying at best and argumentatively belligerent at worst, handing over custody would be a relief.  You had been keeping a keen eye on Anakin and occasionally reminding him to ignore the prisoners while walking to the vessel.  You could feel his anger as clearly as you could see it.  You couldn’t blame the boy for how he felt, your own emotions very near the surface. 

Turning to him again you gave an imploring look, “Please Anakin, I know you’re upset, but we all need to stay calm.  Can you help me by doing that?”

“They’re the reason for all of this.” He kept his eyes forward in an effort to ignore the prisoners.

“Then they are also the reason you are here, one of the dominos in a long chain of events that led to this point.  We don’t always get to choose what happens to us Anakin.  We do have a choice of how we react, don’t give them the satisfaction of your anger.”  Obi Wan replied calmly.  The young man took a deep breath and tried to compose himself.  You squeezed his shoulder and tried to remain centered.  Obi Wan was reaching out to you, his signature sad but much steadier than before.

“You’re shaking,” Obi Wan looked at you, his concern only half hidden, “are you alright wee one?

“Not really, but now is not the time,” your throat was sore and you felt tired to your very bones, “How are you holding up?”

“I think I’d rather face a firing squad.”  His eyes dropped to his toes.  “Too late to run now though.”

“I know.”  You wrapped his signature in your own, hoping to give what comfort you could.  “You’re not alone Obi Boy, I’m right here.”

Queen Padme looked to Gunray and the other prisoners with distain.  “Now Viceroy, you’re going to have to go back to the Senate and explain all of this.”

Captain Panaka fell out of rank taking a step toward the Viceroy.  “I think you can kiss your little trade franchise goodbye.”

The prisoners were taken on board the ship and the new Chancellor exited the ramp beaming at you all.  You bowed in respect to the man’s rank even if he waived to stop you from doing so.  “We are indebted to you for your bravery Obi Wan Kenobi and Y/n L/n.  And you, young Skywalker, we will watch your career with great interest.”

The Queen of Naboo stepped forward, extending her hand to Chancellor Palpatine, the white makeup and dark, bulky gown hid the few injuries she had well enough.  She was no longer the warrior and friend from earlier, instead the visage of a planetary ruler, though the young woman did glance Anakin’s way frequently. “Congratulations on your election Chancellor.”

“No, my dear, it is you who should be congratulated,” Palpatine bowed humbly, touching her hand to his head then coming back to stand, “Your bold actions have saved our people… all of our people.  The children of Naboo shall always remember this day and all who fought.  Together we shall bring peace and prosperity to the galaxy.”

The two politicians walked towards the Palace and the Jedi Council then proceeded down the ramp towards you.  Many familiar faces were there including Yoda, Ki Adi Mundi, Plo Koon, Yaddle, Even Piel, and Deppa Bilba. 

You got along with your Masters former apprentice, enjoyed her company even, but you always felt imperfect by comparison.  She had become a knight a few years before you had been reassigned and now sat on the Council the same as her Master before.  As Deppa came toward you with the others her eyes conveyed empathy and perhaps worse pity, you dare not glance at any of the others. 

  Mace had observed you and Obi Wan as he had exited the ramp, giving that stoic look of concern that had become habitual by now.  There was a deep sadness within both of you, one he felt as well.  Losing a friend and fellow Jedi was never something he got used to.  He had also noticed how you placed a protective arm around the Skywalker boy. 

Both you and Kenobi then privately plead Anakin’s case to Master Yoda and himself.  It was yet another time that he would feel both frustration and pride.  As so often before you’d argued on the young man’s behalf, not only from the perspective of the Jedi Oath, but as an advocate for his welfare.  Obi Wan was staunch in his position that Anakin be accepted into the order showing the slightest hint of his former youthful brashness.  While it would take time to consider the decision it was also abundantly clear that both Padawans had yet to even take respite from the days events.  Mace dismissed the two until the afternoon briefing, hoping to at least evade the decision for the time being, more pressing matters needing to be addressed.  Looking at your face he cursed himself yet again for assigning this mission to both of you. 

Yoda gazed at his colleague sensing his thoughts, “Always protect your Padawan, you cannot.  Taught her well to protect herself you have.”

“Perhaps.”

Obi Wan was exhausted mentally and physically.  As there was no time for sleep, meditation would have to suffice.  You had been given rooms in the far wing of the palace overlooking the falls.  His emotions still swirled and churned much like the water below.  Try though he may to find the calm within Obi Wan was thwarted at every turn, tortured instead by images of the Sith standing over Qui Gon.  The anger and sadness circled within him still, barely contained, and that frightened Obi Wan more.  Remembering the fear he had seen within your eyes, he could tell that you had felt the darkness as well. 

You returned from your walk, having changed back into your familiar robes, injuries hidden beneath the protective layers.  Anakin was asleep on the settee having come to be with someone he was at least familiar with, new tear streaks staining his face.  He had been through so much and you were relieved he had found the comfort of sleep, even if it currently eluded you.  Moving to place a blanket over him you then strode to the balcony.  Any other day you’d have snuck up on Obi Wan and tickled him till his stony expression changed, but this day had robbed even that small joy away.  You chose instead to perch silently on the padded bench and wait for him. 

Obi Wan rose and joined you on the bench, pausing momentarily before laying down to place his head in your lap.  Wrapping an arm around your waist he clung on, afraid that you would be ripped away from him next.  You started to hum an old tune, stroking his head and back.  Obi Wan wasn’t a child in need of coddling and he should be able to deal with these feelings on his own, but he couldn’t stop the tears.  Adjusting position you pulled him closer, rubbing circles on his back. 

“I’m here, you’re safe now…I have you Obi Boy…I love you.”    

The briefing before the Jedi Council was not a pleasant task.  Obi Wan had gone first having to relive the duel against the Sith and Master Qui Gon’s Death.  Master Ki Ada Mundi had scoffed stating it wasn’t possible, the being had to have been a skilled assassin and nothing more.  There had been voices of doubt and denial, while others had seen the look in both Padawans eyes that this was no exaggeration nor falsehood.

“What more proof do you require?”  Obi Wan’s patience was wearing thin.  Feeling the tap of your boot on the floor though he took a steadying breath.  Why would the council not see what was plainly in front of their noses.

“I’m trying love, I’m Trying.”

“I know Obi Boy, steady on.”

It was your turn to narrow your eyes at the council members still protesting.  As your late Master was apt to say on many a mission, “Some beings are like chem sticks, they need a good shake for the light to go on.”

Stepping forward you pulled out a wrapped item from your robes.  Even Obi Wan was surprised by this.  “I had hoped that the wise members of the Council would hear the truth of our statements.  I suppose sometimes seeing is believing though.”

You didn’t unwrap the package directly, instead suspended it with the Force not wanting to directly touch whatever was inside.  “I went back down into the power station to see once more where this creature fell, to confirm for myself what I had seen with my own two eyes.  I understand that it doesn’t seem possible.  However, I found this on the ground by the pit.”

Floating it over Master Mundi manipulated it apart, revealing the blood red kyber within.  Master Windu kept watching you, assessing you or your actions.  You well understood that this would rankle his sensibilities and land you in a world of trouble, if you weren’t already there.  In your mind though there was simply no refuting the evidence before them. 

Master Windu cocked his eyebrow, “I’d say that there’s no longer room for doubt.  It was a Sith that killed Qui Gon Jinn.”

Obi Wan bowed his head heavily, both from relief and residual guilt. 

“Agreed and also troubling...Very troubling.  How came this to pass without our knowledge?”  the master shook his head sighing.  “Young Y/n your testimony now, tell us you will.” 

Yoda saw your head dip and take several deep breaths.  You had obviously performed your duties well, but the question remained as to what plagued you so?  You told the Council of the intense fire fight and being caught.  Told them about the fight with Haako and how you were responsible for his death.  Master Windu heard how your voice cracked, your fingers were clenched tightly into fists.  “I’m sorry Master I’ve failed you.”  

“In what way have you failed my apprentice?  Did you not see that the Queen remained safe? Did you fail to protect yourself?”  his tone was even.

“No Master, but I have taken a life.  A healer is a protector of the living and the mark of a good Jedi is to show mercy.  I didn’t intent that my actions should kill him, but none the less that Nemoidian’s blood is on my hands.  I must hold myself accountable for my actions and will abide by your judgement in this matter.”  You kept your chin and eyes level though your jaw was clenched tightly enough to break.

The Council of course had seen both security holograms and knew what each of you had faced.  There had been interviews with The Queen, Captain Panaka, Sabe and others. The decision in both cases had already been made, and so Mace rose to deliver the Councils verdict.  “Obi Wan Kenobi and Y/n L/n, Padawan learners, kneel.”

Obi Wan glanced at you seeing equal confusion in your eyes.  As the two of you knelt the rest of the council gathered in a circle around you.  Your Master looked to the both of you. “It has been many years since such an unusual trial was faced by our Padawan learners.  Obi Wan Kenobi, you were once almost lost to the order, but returned and grew wiser from your experiences.  You are now unique amongst our ranks having fought what has not been faced in a millennium.  By your bravery and might an enemy of the Republic and of the Jedi was vanquished.  I know that Qui Gon would be very proud of you.”

Obi Wan’s eyebrows raised infinitesimally, glancing to you then back to having his eyes forward.  Master Windu then turned to you and in a rare occurrence his face softened a little.  “Y/n L/n the path of a Jedi Knight is both of the warrior and of the peacekeeper.  It is unavoidable at times to fight, injure, or kill; It is never done lightly.  It is the wisdom to know that when you draw your blade though the one before you may fall, all who stand under your protection shall endure, that life may continue.”

Master Windu lowered his blade to Obi Wans shoulder, then sharply raised it freeing his braid.  “By the right of the Council, By the will of the force.”

He then lowered his blade to your shoulder and sharply cut your braid free as well.  “I dub thee Knights of the Republic.”

Raising his blade, he saluted you both, “Rise and be recognized.”

There were solemn congratulations, each of you shaking the hands of the council members and of each other.  When Deppa had stepped forward you were still uncertain if she would greet you with disapproval.  Deppa hesitated a moment then wrapped you in a hug offering you sincere congratulations, it was possibly the second most surprising thing of the day.  Master Plo had patted the both of you on the shoulder in the familial way that he had treated you since you were younglings in the Creche.  Yaddle had sidelined Obi Wan to speak privately, wanting to offer her condolences and to explain how painful it was for Qui Gon’s Master when he had heard the news and why he had not come. 

After all was done Master Windu and Master Yoda requested to speak with you further.  Obi Wan was still nervous that the petition on Anakin’s behalf would be denied.  He though back to a few short hours before when the two of you had argued the case, it seemed an eternity ago now.  Kneeling once more to be at eye level with Master Yoda, Obi Wan noticed that your posture was ramrod straight and braced.  Master Windu was also tense, from the petition or from the decision though was the question.

Yoda paced back and forth on the polished marble floor, uncertainty was not something he was use to feeling in his many years of existence.  “Confer on you the rank of Jedi Knight, the Council does.  But agree on you taking this young boy as your Padawan learner, I do not.”

“Qui Gon believed in him, and I believe in Qui Gon.” Obi Wan was keeping a calm tone.

“The chosen one the boy may be; never the less grave danger I fear in his training.”  The old master clacked his staff for emphasis.

“Then it’s even more important that he be taught well and that both his education and developmental needs be appropriately met.”  You used the same clinical tone that was reserved for talking with senior resident physicians at the hospital.  It took everything in you to remain calm and focused.    

“Your petition was well made earlier my Pa…Y/n.”  Mace might not ever get used to that, a part of him always seeing you as that fourteen-year-old apprentice he trained. 

“I’m sorry my Master I meant no disrespect to you or to Master Yoda, but there is a grave concern here that I have not yet mentioned.”  You peered briefly at Obi Wan and back to the two council members.  “Where there is one Sith there is bound to be another, this cannot simply be an anomaly.  If this young man is not taught and taught well how to protect himself then there is a real possibility he could fall into malevolent hands.”

Master Yoda bowed his head, “If correct your presumption is, still in danger young Skywalker may be.  With or without training.”

“Master Yoda, I gave Qui Gon my word.  I will train Anakin, without the approval of the council if I must.”  Again it was said in an even tone, but there was an edge to Obi Wans voice when he said it.  Even your eyebrow raised, it was unlike him to let his emotions run in front of the Senior members.

“And I gave my word to Anakin.”  You nodded, though you still didn’t want to talk about your other promise.    

“Qui Gons defiance I sense in you.”  Yoda replied to Obi Wan, then motioned his staff in your direction.  “Stubbornness from Melri too.  Need that you do not.”

The old Master began to walk a pace to stand before the window.  There was still a funeral to attend and his heart was heavy.  It was times like these that he felt every day of his almost 900 years of life.  So many souls had he seen brought into the Temple and then lost to old age or battles.  That Qui Gon should have had more time in the living world only to be cut short by a sinister force hidden to even him.  Sighing heavily he faced the two young Knights.  “Agree with you the Council does.  Your apprentice young Skywalker will be.” 

“Thank you for your faith, Masters.”  You smiled relieved at the decision.  Both of you stood and bowed your respects. 

Master Yoda and Master Windu watched the two young people as they left.  “How they have grown… and we become old.  When came she to be so mature?”

“She was always that way, one only had to look hard enough.”  Mace sighed, not for the last time thinking of another wise, stubborn woman. 

“Kenobi too, no longer the boy we judged so harshly.”

“I think Skywalker might just surprise us yet.  If he’s anything like those two.”  There was a hint of amusement in Mace Windu’s voice.

“Revealed through the Force and time, we shall see.”

The funeral for Qui Gon was a quiet affair, very formal and sorrowful.  Obi Wan took Anakin back to your temporary billeting, caring for the young man kept him distracted from the grief.  You had asked if he had wished to join you, Obi Wan had only shook his head, thanking you for going on his behalf.  After everyone had left you had taken some of the cremains to the woods overlooking the city.  It was home to many creatures, flowers and trees, the living Force that Master Qui Gon had followed in life. It was something you both had in common, not wanting to be laid in the dark or in stone.  No life begets life as the old tales held and death was only a transition to another plane of existence.  The stars shone brightly overhead.  “I hope you like this spot Master Qui Gon.”

Bowing your head, you hoped he could hear you, somewhere out there.  You had to believe that he had somehow rejoined Tahls spirit within the Force and that he was happy, Maker knew he’d more than earned it.  Taking a deep breath you released the ashes into the air, watching them swirl and fly off.  Tears that you dare not shed till now broke free.  “I’ll miss you Master Qui Gon, more than you’ll know.  You were my family when I was so very lost, you were the reason I met Obi Wan.  Thank you for all you taught and did for me.  Tell my Master hello and don’t worry about the boys, I got them from here.”          

“There is absolutely no hope of getting the boy ready in time,” Obi Wan rolled his eyes at you.

Knowing what a crunch you were under to make the festivities you glared at him.  Really this whole victory parade thing was something you could take or leave, preferably leave.  However as you, Anakin, and Obi Wan were guests of honor there was no avoiding it. “I’m quite aware of the time.”   

“Anakin hold still I’m almost done!”  you snapped a little in exasperation; it was like trying to braid a bowl of gelatin.  Looking at Obi Wan you raised an eyebrow.  “You could help.” 

“I still can’t believe I get to be a Jedi!”  Anakin wiggled to the side, still kicking his feet that dangled from the tall chair. 

Obi Wan extended his hand steadying the chair with the Force.  “A Padawan learner.  Then if you pass the trials and only then you will be a knight.”

“Thank you.”  Sighing in relief you were almost through the final braid wrap.

Anakin was undeterred, “And I get two Masters!”

“Well yeah Ani-man, you need the extra help to catch up.  DONE!”  Throwing up your hands you stepped back to examine your work.  At this point you were happy the braid was neat and looked uniform.

Obi Wan watched as you did a final inspection of Anakin’s robes, seeming satisfied.  The padawan braid thread was color twined of blue and gold, a gift from the Queen and her handmaidens.  He couldn’t help shaking his head again, still not quite believing that the two of you had somehow pulled this off.  The boy hopped down and excitedly skipped about the room.  “Can I go show Padme?”

“Yes.  She’s probably already at the staging area, just meet us there.”  Your terse tone belaying your exhaustion.   

You went to the mirror to check your own hair, yet again found to be falling out of place.  Sighing you pulled out the tie and finger combed the strands.  You were cursing under your breath to the reflection that didn’t look how you wanted it too.  “Sith Farking Hells… Damned stupid hair… should just chop it off.”

Obi Wan smirked as you tried yet again to put your hair up in a semi-symmetrical manner.  Anakin had dashed off to see his friend, finally leaving the two of you alone.  Taking the tie out of your hands he gathered the hair sifting out the knots.  “Here Darling let me.”

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to be short with either of you.”  The dark circles under your eyes matched the bruising on your face.  He had begged you to treat the injuries, but you had insisted that you bear them as penance.  Looking to him in the mirror as he pulled your hair back to braid it.  Obi Wan continued to stroke his fingers along your head and neck soothingly, taking his time.  When he was done you brought his arm around you, needing an anchor.  “Obi Boy are you… are you sure about this?  It wasn’t a very… I mean the timing…If you’d rather teach him on your own…”

“Ssshh.”  He turned you around to face him.  Neither of you had been given a moment to absorb all that had happened.  Obi Wan’s own feelings were a torrent waiting to be let loose, but for now he had other things to care for.  Cupping your face he brought his forehead to yours, “Y/n, I wouldn’t want to do this alone or with anyone else.”

Obi Wan held you close, burying his nose in your hair.  Your soft cries were muffled against his chest and it broke his heart again.  Raising your chin, he began kissing the tears away.  You held tightly to his arms, taking a steadying breath.  “There wee warrior, right as rain.”

“You’re too good to me.  I should be the one comforting you.”  You kissed the inside of his palm. 

“When there’s time love, when there’s time.”  Obi Wan gave your forehead another kiss.

“I’ll hold you to that Obi Boy.  Alright let’s get this show on the road.”  You pulled him to follow you, pausing when you felt resistance you were pulled back to him.

“We probably won’t get much time with each other alone, when we return.  So, I just wanted to do this.”  Obi Wan kissed you then, trying to encapsulate all that he felt.  It left you breathless, blinking up at him.  “I love you Y/n L/n.  Thank you for saving me.”

“Love you too Obi Wan Kenobi, and you never need to thank me for that.  You’ve saved me more times than you know.”  Pressing your forehead to his you tugged his arm again.  “Come on we gotta go get our kid.”

“Our Padawan, Master L/n.” 

“Oh I like that, Master Kenobi.”  Snorting you left hand in hand.

@meshlasolus @a-rose-of-amber @just-dreaming-marvel @nurseytypechick @stanny-uwu @aquaamethyst96 @songoficecreamandfireworks @obiknights @pickleprickle @purplepandora666 @acatalystrising @in-a-mellow-tone @lovelyxmaggs @iambored24601

[tennessoui]

Omg the Vowbreaker ficlet. I can't resist and imagine an AU for your AU. What would happen if Cody wouldn't know that Obi-Wan is still alive and slowly his feelings for Anakins change. It isn't love but something else because he doms him and sleeps next to him and cares for him and somehow something develops. How would Obi-Wan react? He destroyed Anakin and he made Cody into the pseudo Dom for his beloved. Cody is his 'brother'. Would he kill Cody?

ooo idk if i can really weigh in on this in that i'm obikin-only in like. the most extremely extreme ways that i can't imagine cody and anakin ever together even though the lines of their relationship are blurring in vowbreaker--it just doesn't work with my brain

but at the same time when i knew that i wanted the cody&anakin relationship to be explored in vowbreaker (if only to make the betrayal hurt all the more after), i also figured there'd be a lot of moments i wrote that toe the platonic/sexual line so much that people who do and can ship stuff other than obikin would think well....maybe that could work....

and i thought about if i was ok with that, and tbh i really am!! but i also don't think i can really entertain the idea cause it's just not for me. i can't see anything really developing between them because this anakin is always going to be only obi-wan's, and honestly i can't see cody softening that much

but i admit it would definitely be an interesting dynamic and crisis of faith and it would feel like a betrayal in obi-wan's eyes which would be interesting as well......but i can't really i really can't