#(obi-wan would go slower)

[tennessoui]

Hello. I have serious business to discuss. I just went through your regency au and SHEIWISNDNEOEK wow what a fantastic ride amazing. I am particularly inclined though to your mob aus.

And I know we got a kind of Pbatmb abo thing but could you IMAGINE Playmaker as abo

Like that one thing where Obi-wan killed that guy, but now’s he’s like having to explain why he tore someone’s throat out.

lmaooo would the city survive an a/b/o playmaker verse tho i honestly dont think so & they're feral enough about each other without anything biological to blame baby 😎 its just good old fashioned manipulation and mental illness there

but ok ok i'll play

a playmaker au where anakin is an alpha and obi-wan is an omega probably follows the exact same beats, except when obi-wan volunteers/his father voluntells him this is his undercover mission, a bunch of the other cops are like what the fuck are you doing sending your omega son into a situation where you're asking him to basically seduce and maybe even mate a low-level mobster for the sake of bringing down anakin skywalker. and qui-gon is like. yeah. and so of course obi-wan is like yeah!! i'm willing to do this >:( i want to.

and he's still a waiter at the club anakin's mob frequents for a singular night that ends with him flat out on his back on anakin skywalker's couch (not in a sexy way)

(cause rex finds some guy with a lot of fight in him and thinks that his boss likes them plucky and then, hey, it's a bonus that the boy's an omega but he's not thinking anything at all about the kids taking a shine to him.)

(the kids take a shine to him)

anakin would probably on principle not honor refuse to actually bite and mate ben/obi-wan while he's pretending to be someone else - obi-wan is at first incredibly relieved about this because he doesn't want to have any sort of bond with the mob boss, but steadily it becomes something he obsesses over. why won't he bite me. why am i allowed to watch over his children and attend his meetings and sit in his lap and i even ripped a fellow officer's throat out with my teeth because of pure instinct but he still won't mate me. why am i not enough and what am i doing wrong, etc etc

culminating in obi-wan seducing maul to keep him quiet about obi-wan being a rat and offering up his own neck to entice him & then running when anakin catches him at it - in this version, obi-wan wouldn't make it back to his apartment after so thoroughly stepping all over anakin's instincts like that

fuck he wouldn't even make it down the stairs to the door leading to the restaurant. maul can be dealt with later. anakin has an omega to finally claim, if only to save him from his own stupidity

[tossawary]

Thinking about the SW prequels versus the original trilogy again and I was trying to come up with a "Binary Sunset" equivalent moment within "The Phantom Menace". You know that moment where Luke stands alone on Tatooine before his adventure begins, looking off into the darkening horizon, and the music swells with all of these unspoken emotions?

Watching "A New Hope" after watching the prequel trilogy is interesting, because the original film is a lot slower in many ways. It allows the viewer to really sit in this fantasy world, appreciate its unfamiliar details, and think about what the characters must be feeling without being directly told. While I don't think that TPM should try to copy ANH beat for beat by any means, I do think that the prequel trilogy, especially TPM, could have used more scenes that let the actors and the music work to impress upon us that kind of emotional interiority.

For example, Obi-Wan is given a stunning lack of emotional focus throughout TPM, up UNTIL his solo battle against Darth Maul and his grief urging him to take on Anakin as an apprentice afterwards. It's good that we have those moments, and yet I don't think the battle hits as hard as it could have if we'd been offered scenes beforehand that told and showed us more about who young Obi-Wan was and how he felt about what was going on, so that we cared a little more about his deep personal loss, especially given that the Obi-Wan and Anakin later relationship is an emotional core of the trilogy's tragedy. Obi-Wan spends a lot of TPM as just "that guy standing next to Qui-Gon", leaving fans to turn to novelizations and their own assumptions for a little more depth, which I think is poor filmmaking.

Padmé receives perhaps even worse treatment than Obi-Wan in regards to her emotional interiority early on. (Especially in "Attack of the Clones", which is so focused on how Anakin feels about everything that it's hard to know from the films alone why Padmé as a specifically flawed person might find him appealing, making what could be a deliciously ill-advised affair of passion and need for comfort much more one-sided and flatter (and creepier and sexist) than it could have been.) You could even argue that TPM really ought to be "Padmé's" movie, in that it's her homeworld under attack, for which she (despite being a child) has been made responsible. Her desperation, her fear, her anger, is manipulated to put a future Sith Emperor in a position of power. The Jedi are helping her, yes, but it's Padmé relentlessly driving the plot forward.

Instead of being relegated to more of a supporting character position, I think Padmé should have been given some of those slow "protagonist" moments in TPM to showcase her emotional state, specifically a scene that would have been the rough equivalent of Luke returning to the destroyed farm after the stormtroopers attacked. Padmé's party manages to escape Naboo without the film ever really dwelling on the violence, which is yet another missed opportunity. TPM ends up treating war a lot more comedically than the shootouts and climatic dogfights of ANH.

I think it would have kicked ass if the fight to get the queen on an escape ship had been even harder. The queen is hustled onboard, the ship takes off, and then we see one of the handmaidens (Padmé) rush to the window to watch as another wave of attack rushes over her city, her people. The prequel trilogy is tonally all over the place, so it's nice to imagine another version of TPM setting the tone with its own version of the "Binary Sunset" moment in which a devastated Padmé silently looks out over a horizon that's falling to pieces. Fire reflected in her eyes and everything. With the music swelling grandly with the unforgettable, life-ruining horror of war already begun.

If I had to put a "Binary Sunset" moment in the prequels, that's where I'd put it and who I'd give it to. Young Luke still has an entire heroic future ahead of him, but young Padmé is going to helplessly watch everything she cares about be destroyed by powers far greater than her.

[shywhitemoose]

Fic Stats game!

Thanks for coaxing me out from under my rock @temple-mistress, if only temporarily❤️

I may not be a prolific enough writer for this game, but I’ll give it a go.

rules: give us the links to your fics with the most hits, second most kudos, third most comments, fourth most bookmarks, fifth most words, and fic with the fewest words.

most hits: Adrift & Entangled (85,483 hits). My first ever stab at writing fanfic, first chapters published in 2019. This story is so very, very dear to me, as it has literally been my refuge through the hardest years of my life. Chapter 27 was posted last March, and I am still chipping away at the epilogue. I will never abandon this story, but I am slower and more scattered than I have ever been. If you’ve enjoyed this story so far, please don’t give up on me. You don’t see me around, but my heart hasn’t left the fandom.

After the Hardeen operation, emotions are raw. But before anything can be fully sorted out, the boys are sent to Christophsis for their next mission. Things don’t go as planned, and they find themselves alone in an unknown system with no hyperspace capabilities and no effective means of communication.

2nd most kudos: A Plea from the Lost to the Found (561 kudos). Started prior to OBK series, completed nearly a year later. Brought to you by the world’s slowest fanfic writer. Wanted to explore how Ben would have handled a regretful Anakin showing up at his Tatooine abode (before we learned he lived in a goddamn CAVE for 10 years, good lord).

Two knocks.

Both inexplicably timid, but sharp against the silence. Enough to make Ben feel dislodged from his own being. Disoriented in his own home.

Darth Vader had come for him, and yet…

The Force said Do not fear.

3rd most comments: Lullaby (77 comment threads). Very short piece that apparently made everyone cry lol.

“Do you have a favorite memory?” Even softly spoken, Anakin’s words seem jarring in this dark, cramped air pocket.

[In which the Force takes our heroes as they always thought (hoped) they would go: together. Also, Anakin sings.]

4th most bookmarks: Out of Place (19 bookmarks). I starting writing this because I needed to laugh. Only one chapter written here, but I’m SO NOT DONE WITH THIS IDEA. I really wanted to explore the comedic potential of an in-universe Obi-Wan Kenobi meeting up with an out-of-universe Anakin Skywalker. I had so much fun writing that first chapter, and I loved stretching my creative muscles to develop this setting.

A crack au in which Jedi-Master Obi-Wan Kenobi has managed to get himself pulled from hyperspace and yeeted into an entirely different galaxy. He crash-lands on planet Earth and is taken in by Anakin Skywalker, an airplane mechanic who’s made his home in the hangar of an old airstrip in southern Nevada.   

5th most words: Not applicable, only 4 fics to choose from ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

fic with the fewest words:  Lullaby (1,412 words) See above.

I’m sorry, I don’t know who’s already done this... Tagging... anyone who stumbles upon this and wants to have a go 😊

[bellarkeselection]

Our Little Kenobi part 2

Part 1

Part 3

Request from @starvingbrokestudent Can you do a super sweet pregnancy fic with Obi Wan? Like the reader finds out she’s pregnant after fertility issues and Obi Wan is just so excited?! And how they try to keep it a secret from the council and eventually she has a baby boy?

Sitting down in my chair in the council room I was currently the only person in the room. The meeting didn't start for another few minutes and I was getting slower with the pregnancy. My reflexes weren't as sharp and sooner or later others would notice too. I heard footsteps coming around the corner but my shoulders loosened seeing Obi-Wan. He sits down next to me sending me a look. “How are you feeling today, Y/n?”

“I have been throwing up all morning to be honest. I barely made it to this.” I responded to him rubbing my eyes trying to wake myself up.

Obi wan sent me a sad smile. “I'm sorry for causing you discomfort.”

“I don’t regret the night we spent together. I just wish it didn't make me sick every morning.” I reassured my fellow jedi master.

He nodded, clasping his hands together staring at me until we heard more footsteps coming towards the large and open room. I saw Yoda and Windu come inside and the other Jedi master members followed their heels. They sat down in their chairs where I began feeling nervous and twiddled my fingers together in my lap. “Looking at the war effort we have. Need someone to rescue Jabas son we do.”

“Master L/n, we have considered you since you are the most fluent in his language.” Windu explained looking in my direction.

Yoda pointed his finger at me. “Most useful you will be on this you will be.”

“Oh masters, I am not sure I can go.” I stuttered running a hand through my hair feeling my face turning red trying to not make it obvious of the reason why.

Obi wan kept his cool, sitting more upright on his chair. It had been a few months since I had told him I was pregnant with his soon to be child. We knew the rules that we had vowed to the council and the laws that were in place. “Do you care to tell us why that is exactly?”

“Oh uh…I have been feeling sick the last couple of weeks. I suppose it must be a stomach bug.” I clasped my hands together in my lap.

Yoda tapped his fingers on his chin. “Understand it is. Rest and get better you should. Send Kenobi in your place we shall.”

“Forgive me, Master Yoda. But I must back out as well. I have sworn to train some of the younglings months before the war started.” He held his hands up placing his hands on his knees praying that they couldn’t sense his nervousness.

Master Windu rose to his feet but he doesn’t seem angry or suspicious of the responses we had given him. “We understand you’re commitment, Master Kenobi. We will decide someone else to begin the search for Jabba's son to prevent a war with his army against the Republic.”

“Thank you for understanding, Masters.” I bowed my head rising to my feet before leaving the room.

Obi wan had got to his feet too doing the same but he would go in the opposite direction of where I had and wait a few minutes for them to clear the room. Then he would follow me back to my quarters like we had talked about the night before. I sat down on the edge of my bed burying my face in my hands. “We can’t possibly keep this up forever…it’s just not possible.”

“I wish that you weren’t right about that.” Whipping my head towards the voice I saw Obi Wan had slipped his way into my room without me knowing.

Slumping my shoulders I signed laying down on my back counting the lines on the ceiling till he came over and the bed dipped at his new weight. “Obi wan…I didn’t hear you come in.”

“That’s not a bad thing when we have something to hide from the council. I am just glad that they don’t seem to suspect anything.” He responded by running his hands through his locks.

Turning my head in his direction I said what we were both trying not to think about. The fact that we may have to abandon our entire lives here because of the infant. “Obi-Wan, we'll have to leave here won't we?”

“If anyone on the council suspects us. Yes we will have too. I'll have to break my promise to Qui Gon to train Anakin…to honor my promise to remain by your side now and for however long our lives may last.” He interviewed his hands together in his lap.

I paused just watching him take in a few breaths. Obi-Wan and I had been friends for years so it was almost impossible for us to not fall in love with each other. We knew the other inside and out. We were bonded together, possibly even for life. But not yet in marriage. Over the past few weeks I had been deciding I wanted to be given his last name. I wanted my child to be able to address as a full born Kenobi. Reaching up I touched his shoulder making him look at me. “Obi, there's something I wanna do.”

“What is it, my darling?” He asked softly.

Leaning forward I kissed him quietly for a moment and he leaned into the kiss smiling till I drew back. “I know you already asked me to marry you so let’s do it this evening. I wish to become your wife tonight.”

“Who would we get to perform the ceremony?”

“Padme, she and Anakin had R2D2 and C3po do their wedding.” I replied.

Obi wan paused before rising to his feet and he held his hands out to me helping me stand up with him. I squeezed his hands before he leaned down kissing my forehead leaving the room going to find the members that we needed. “I’ll get everything set and ready. I’ll see you in your dress later, Y/n.” As soon as I had told Padme she was over the moon even giving me one of her very first princess dresses to wear as my wedding gown. Obi wan decided that we should get married on the temple roof at sunset which I found very romantic in my opinion.

Padme and Anakin were standing in the center of the roof with Obi wan by his padawan. C-3PO was standing in the center of the group. R2D2 was rolling in front of me, throwing some flowers until he reached the others. Obi wan lifted his head and immediately was at a loss for words seeing me before him. The dress I had on had long sleeves that were made of lace and I had a short heel on with my hair loose except for two strands tired back. Padme wiped away some tears. “I don’t think much needs to be said here. All of us who are here right now know that these two wouldn’t be doing this if they didn’t really love one another. So the vows if you would.”

“Y/n, I love you more than I thought I could anyone. And I have to say I am so grateful that I now join my life with yours.” Obi wan intertwined my hands with his, slipping the wedding band on my ring finger.

Squeezing my hands that were holding mine I chuckled, slipping the band on his finger trying to not cry too much on the borrowed dress from my best friend. “I love you to the stars, Obi. I know we didn’t plan the baby. But we have always been a good pair together so I am so excited to be your wife after today.”

“It is my great pleasure to now pronounce you husband and wife.” Padme declares looking at Anakin.

He smiled between the two of us. “Obi-wan and Y/n Kenobi sounds rather good to me.”

@notsentimentalll

[gaily-daily-musings]

More anti-christ Anakin snippets (first drabble here)

-

Anakin cannot call the horsemen to him without calling all of them at once. They'd be overwhelmed and the Apocalypse would jump start. So for now they have to track them down one by one the hard way. Except they don't really know where to start.

While in Paris they meet a psychic who claims to have connections with a low level demon. Anakin thinks there may be a chance the demon may know something about where the horsemen are currently stationed. Which parts of the world. Anything at this point would be helpful.

They arrange a meeting with it. They turn up in some shithole back end bar. The demon is wearing a Glamour and they recognize Anakin. They panic and try to flee. They run into the back but Anakin gives chase and uses his powers to capture it. (He's been practicing. He's getting very good and very powerful.)

It's then they notice all the bodies withering in the room where they've chased the demon into. The sounds of pleasure fill the air. This was a succubus. These were its victims. It lured them back here for an orgy of a feast.

The people moan loudly, grinding against each other. Their naked limbs flail like ants. Oily skin and engorged cocks pump into various holes. Anakin crinkles his nose. A woman crawls over to him and paws at his ankle.

“Don't touch me!” Anakin hisses and kicks her away.

Obi-Wan is entirely red at the entrance to the room. He's trying very hard not to look at anyone.

The succubus laughs. “You're such a pretty thing, my Prince. He doesn't treat you right does he? Keeps you at arms length.” It gestures to Obi-Wan. “I can help you find release. I'd have you out of your mind with pleasure.”

Anakin crushes their throat in his palm. It screams and struggles. How dare they imply he'd cheat on Obi-Wan!

“Anakin,” Obi-Wan calls. “We need them alive!”

He loosens his grip letting them breath. The Succubus scrambles for air.

“You will tell us what we need to know.” Anakin snarls.

“Alright! Alright! Can't blame a demon for trying!”

They don't know much in the end but they do know of another nearby demon. It was a solider in the army that had been summoned from hell a couple decades ago. It had taken on a form to integrate into society. The Succubus is pretty sure they worked with Pollution.

Anakin thanks the demon then snaps it's neck. At once the people on the floor stop wiggling in pleasure. Clarity returns to their eyes. Someone screams.

-

The lead is a dead end and they have to return to the states.

While having lunch outside a cafe back in the states, a little girl tries to steal something from Anakin's bag. He turns mid conversation and snatches her wrist. It startles both Obi-Wan and the girl.

“Let go!”

“How about you let go of my shit first?”

“Fuck you!”

Anakin grins with all of his teeth. “I'll eat you, you little gremlin!”

“Not if I eat you first!” she growls back and then bites him.

Anakin howls and lets her go. She runs. Anakin gives chase.

Obi-Wan nearly trips over the chair gathering their stuff and going after them. He's slower than either of them and almost loses them.

The girl turns into the nearby park disappearing past the bushes. Anakin vanishes after her. Not long after that Obi-Wan hears a scream. His heart leaps into his throat. Was he actually eating her?!?

He bursts through the bushes onto the scene. Anakin has pinned the thief to the ground pressing her face into the grass. She shrieks and kicks him in the shin. Anakin lets out a pained grunt and she wiggles free. Instead of running she turns to tackle him. They roll around on the grass.

It takes a moment to process the sound coming from Anakin's mouth. He was laughing.

They finally break and Anakin lets her up. “What's your name pipsqueak?”

“Ahsoka! And I'm not a pipsqueak you jerk!”

-

They learn Ahsoka's parents passed away and she'd gone to live with her uncle who was a neglectful alcoholic. He never had any food in the house so she'd taken to finding her own. She'd gotten a knack for it too. She was good.

Anakin liked to pick on her. From the outside perspective it appeared mean spirited but in truth it was just his way of teasing her.

Anakin flings a french fry at her. “Why are you such a brat?”

They were currently by the poolside of the hotel they were staying at. Ahsoka often spent time with them there. She never asked why they didn't live in a house or an apartment.

“I dunno. Why are you such an asshole?”

She flings a french fry back at him.

Obi-Wan, who is sunbathing, sincerely hopes this doesn't dissolve into another food fight. They'd already gotten kicked out of the ice cream parlor when Anakin and Ahsoka had started smashing their cones into each other's faces.

Still, it warmed his heart to know Anakin had finally, after all this time, made a friend.

-

When they leave Nebraska, Ahsoka follows them. They don't have the heart to make her go back to her Uncle. So she stays and travels with them.

Because they're “on the run” Ahsoka thinks it would be cool to dye her hair like in the movies. She asks Anakin to help her. They have to bleach it first. It's a whole ordeal. By the time they're done the bathroom looks like a smurf was brutally murdered.

Anakin ends up missing a lot of chunks of hair. It's a swirl of blue and bleach white. Ahsoka looks at herself in the mirror. She's silent. Obi-Wan holds his breath.

She squeals in delight. “I love it!”

-

There's a sudden lurch in Anakin's gut. It feels unfamiliar and weird. Anakin looks at Obi-Wan wide eyed.

“Obi-Wan…” He stretches out a hand and then disappears.

There's an awful screech. Anakin thinks it's coming from himself, traveling through the ether of wherever it is he is being taken.

He comes to in the middle of a forest. He's surrounded by people in black robes. They look kinda like cultists.

“Lord Morningstar!” They praise.

They are cultists.

“Where the fuck am I?” He growls.

“My Lord, we have called you here in service to you!”

They reveal themselves as a doomsday cult. They wanted to help jumpstart the Apocalypse in his name. The date for the impending end of the world had come and gone and they'd taken it upon themselves to find him and deliver him to the Horseman.

“Do you know where they are?” well, where the rest of them were anyway. One of them was destroyed already.

“We can find out, my lord!”

They conjure a book and bring it to him. The book of the dead. It contained ramblings of a madman with visions of the Apocalypse and prophecies of the antichrist. It also held enchantments and incantations for summoning demons and devils alike. Interesting.

Anakin kills them all and steals the book. He makes the long trek back to Obi-Wan and Ahsoka. It takes several days as he has to catch a few flights. It's easy to manipulate minds now. He can come and go as he pleases. No one can resist. No one can disobey. Obi-Wan hates it when he uses this ability but he thinks he'll forgive him this time. It was an emergency.

Ah hell, Obi-Wan would forgive him either way. Who's he kidding?

By the time they reunite several days later Obi-Wan is out of his mind with worry. They embrace.

“I thought you'd been dragged to hell!”

Anakin kisses him. Obi-Wan kisses back ardently. Buoyed by distance and affection, Anakin dips the man in his arms. He takes as much as he knows Obi-Wan will allow before the other man pulls away. He was still only 19 after all. Obi-Wan didn't initiate touching very often and he never undressed.

At times, waiting for him annoys Anakin. But he would not love Obi-Wan if he weren't so stubborn. So he's resolved to wait until the older man was ready.

“Where's my hug jerk?!”

Ahsoka pops up and hugs him. Anakin hugs back. She hadn't seen him disappear. She'd been out doing whatever it was pre-teen girls did.

“Obi-Wan said he lost you! Where'd you go?”

“I got summoned by some cultists who worshiped me.”

Ahsoka flattens her face. “Sure. Right.”

Anakin had shown her his powers before and she believed in the Supernatural. But she didn't buy the whole son-of-the-devil schtick. Anakin? No way.

Anakin turns to Obi-Wan. “Here. They had this.”

He hands him the book of the dead. Obi-Wan is predictably fascinated. He'd loved studying those old religious books back when they'd lived in the convent.

They figure out how to summon a hellhound one night to do their bidding. Two actually. Anakin lovingly names them Artoo and Chopper.

They're able to cast a Glamour so they appear like regular dogs. Anakin takes them on walkies. Ahsoka starts a TikTok page for them.

-

In hindsight perhaps the TikTok was a bad idea.

They're captured five months later in England by a group of rogue priests. They'd hunted Anakin down from his internet trail. They'd seen through the Glamour and knew they had to take action.

They're taken by surprise and knocked out. They wake in what looks like a basement. A large one. They're surrounded by dark figures.

“Where the fuck are my dogs?”

“Back in hell where they belong. Soon you will join them.”

A man steps out of the shadows. They are priests wearing strange robes that Obi-Wan has never seen before.

“The Order of Jedi.” Anakin greets them with a savage grin.

“I see you know of us.” The dark skinned man says.

Anakin shrugs. “Qui-Gon may have mentioned you a few times.”

“I am Mace Windu. Grand Master of the Order. Id say it's a pleasure but it's not.”

“The feelings mutual.”

Obi-Wan is completely lost. “What?”

Anakin turns as much as he can while tied to the chair. They were sitting across from each other side by side.

“His old Order, dedicated to translating the prophecies and locating the antichrist. Whenever I misbehaved, Qui-Gon would threaten to turn me over to them and kill me.” He shrugs. “I knew he was bluffing.”

You've frowns. “He'd cut all contact with us years ago. When we heard about his death we sent someone to investigate. Imagine our surprise when we found out he'd been harboring you all along.”

Obi-Wan looks between them. “I don't understand. Why didn't he turn Anakin over?”

“we discovered his journals during our search. He meant to end the child the night he came into the world. But then he saw him with you.” He addresses Obi-Wan directly. “he wrote of how Anakin settled on your arms as if at peace. He wrote many passages over the years of the boy's progress and the way he interacted with his chosen guardian. He believed there was hope for the devil's child.”

Obi-Wan stills. He never knew…

Mace scoffs. “He was a fool. You cannot change evil.”

Anakin snarls.

The priests gather in a circle. Obi-Wan grows nervous.

“What's happening? What are you doing?”

“What Qui-Gon should have done years ago. Don't worry. You won't be hurt. The holy fire only vanquishes demons. To a human it will simply cleanse your soul of any darkness. Once you are pure again we will free you.”

Anakin struggles in his restraints. But the binding must be enchanted. He cannot get free. He cannot use his powers. He yells obscenities at them.

“Wait!” Obi-Wan says trying to keep his rising panic at a manageable level. “Your Order's purpose is to stop the Apocalypse right? That's what we're doing! We've already killed the Horseman of Pollution! Maybe we can help each other! Join forces!”

Mace gives him a leveled stare. “We do not make deals with Devil's. Satan's spawn has you in his grip. We will free you from his influence.”

“Good fucking luck getting rid of me assholes! I'm goddamn indestructible!”

Mace's stare finally breaks into a smirk. “Normally yes. Holy fire will only hurt you, not kill you the way it would a simple demon. But we have the weapon built by Revan himself. It will kill any evil being. Including you. Not even Death itself can hide from its blade.”

Obi-Wan pales.

The ritual begins. The priests chant ominously.

The fire lights around them. Anakin starts screaming. He cannot stop. It wasn't burning his clothes but his face and hair were peeling away. The sight horrifies Obi-Wan. He yells and cries but he can do nothing but watch.

The door to the basement bursts open.

“Anakin!”

It was Ahsoka. She'd seen them get captured and dragged away. The dogs are with her. They pounce on the men and viciously tear them apart.

She rushes over to Obi-Wan and unties him.

“How did you find us?”

“I got the book and summoned Artoo and Chopper back! I had them track you down!”

The second he's free he turns to Anakin's charred body. The fire had gone out when the chanting stopped. Ahsoka hesitates.

“Should…should we touch him?”

Obi-Wan's body buzzes with adrenaline. Anakin was hurt. He was in pain. He needed him.

Around them, the priests that were still alive were fighting off the hounds. Obi-Wan is torn between joining the fight and getting Anakin out of here.

Suddenly everything slows. Anakin's head snaps up. Golden eyes shimmer brightly. He bursts free of his restraints. He stands and stands forward. He whistles low, calling off the dogs. They obey.

Obi-Wan feels his early breakfast lurch in his stomach. Anakin looked like a third degree burn victim. It was grotesque. It looked painful.

Anakin lifts his hand and two of the men lift with it. They spin on the air like toy tops. Anakin makes a fist and crushes them. Their bones snap and they go limp. Now only Mace was left.

Anakin snaps his fingers and Mace drops to his knees with a cry. Anakin places his hands upon the man's face. Almost immediately Mace screams. Obi-Wan sees his skin ripple like a wave. It looked like Anakin was absorbing it. While Anakin’s skin was getting healthier and less burned looking, Mace was growing weaker and more thin. Mace tries to fight but he wasn't strong enough. He reaches weakly for Obi-Wan.

“please…help me…”

Anakin vibrates with violent delight at the man's agony. Although it is not a sight Obi-Wan enjoys, he cannot feel all too sorry for him. Mace had tried to take Anakin away from him.

Once dead, Anakin backs away rolls his neck to pop the joints. “God that sucked. I hate fire.”

From the corner Ahsoka speaks. “You really are the anti-christ aren't you?”

“I literally told you I was!”

“Why would I have ever believed you?? You lie all the time!”

“I do not!” Anakin snaps.

“Do too!”

Obi-Wan starts laughing. It startles the pair.

“hey are you okay?” Anakin reaches for him. “Did they hurt you?”

Still, chuckling, Obi-Wan shakes his head. “I'm fine. Just relieved we're all okay.”

Once they get back home Anakin complains about those stupid priests and whines about feeling weird in his skin now.

Obi-Wan kisses him and Anakin shuts up.

“Would you like some help resettling into your new skin?”

Anakin mods vehemently. Eager like a puppy. Obi-Wan chuckles. Ahsoka gags.

-

Obi-Wan dreams on occasion. Nothing so special or vivid. They were normal.

But this seemed real. Very real.

He sits before Qui-Gon at a table. There's a chess board in front of them. They used to play and drink tea together often.

“You're doing very well, Obi-Wan.” Qui-Gon smiles at him.

“Am I? It looks like I'm losing from where I'm sitting.”

“With Anakin. Teaching him humility and compassion and how to be good.”

Obi-Wan pauses, feeling warm. Can you blush in a dream?

“But be careful of your soul, my friend. It is easy to fall when one walks the line of temptation.”

-

They come for Death last. He is the strongest of the four. The entity reveals that when Obi-Wan and Anakin die one day, their souls will be separated. Ankain belonged in hell. But Obi-Wan would go to heaven.

Anakin rages. He decides he wants to start the Apocalypse. They could be together in the ruins of the Earth.

“We won't.” Obi-Wan half promises half threatens. “If you bring destruction you'll never have me willingly again!”

That makes him pause.

Death goads Anakin. What will it be? Let Obi-Wan go one day? Or fulfill his destiny?

Obi-Wan takes his head gently in his hands. “We'll make a place for ourselves. Just for us. A place that's neither heaven nor hell. I won't let you go either Anakin.”

Anakin nuzzles his hands. His angry tears turn hopeful. They'll live in the stars. In the void of space as their souls explore the universe.

Anakin reaches for the weapon and slices Death's head off.

[grapenehifics]

WIP Wednesday

I'm back to working on PIck Up the Pieces (slower than I'd like, but ain't that the story of my life) and @underacalicosky expressed particular interest in this scene:

It had been a good dream. Anakin didn’t get a lot of good dreams, even before the war, and certainly not during. But this one had been a good one. Obi-Wan had been in it, and he’d been smiling at Anakin, and Anakin had smiled back, and then the details had gone sort of fuzzy for a while but it ended with the two of them touching, Anakin’s hips pressed flush with Obi-Wan’s, and Obi-Wan had reached down and brushed his fingertips over Anakin’s cock through his pants, still smiling all the while…

Anakin didn’t open his eyes but he couldn’t help the corner of his mouth twitching up at just the memory. He’d felt pleasant heat burning low in his gut and had circled his hips, looking to stretch the moment out and enjoy the sensation, phantom as it was. He’d known it wasn’t real, even while dreaming, but it was very enjoyable to pretend.

Anakin shifted his hips again, now, wondering if maybe he could snatch even a little of that pleasure back again before anyone else woke up, and then he froze. His cock caught on a wet spot in his leggings.

Oh, fark. In his sleep, Anakin had done what his body nearly always did – gravitated toward the warmest thing in the room. As usual, at least lately, that thing was Obi-Wan’s body. Anakin was currently plastered to Obi-Wan’s side, one leg tangled in the bedsheets and thrown over Obi-Wan’s bad knee, effectively trapping him in place – and giving Obi-Wan’s thigh a front-row ticket to the party going on in Anakin’s sleep pants.

He hurriedly squeezed his eyes shut, took a shallow breath – inhaling too much of Obi-Wan’s scent was probably a bad idea, just now, and would produce an opposite effect to what he was trying to achieve – and thought about the least-sexy things he could think of. It was a list he’d started assembling just after starting puberty. For some unfathomable reason Obi-Wan had taken one look at Anakin’s gangly, smelly, pockmarked, sweaty, fourteen-year-old body and decided, ‘now is the perfect time to start full-contact sparring’. Anakin had not only had to deal with his voice cracking, but also regularly found himself pinned to a training mat by an absurdly attractive, well-muscled twenty-four-year-old who he also shared an apartment with and was somehow expected to not get a raging boner about it, at which he’d failed probably fully at least three-quarters of the time. Obi-Wan had ignored it, of course – had ignored pretty much everything weird that Anakin’s teenaged hormones were making his body do – but he’d also let go of Anakin’s wrists and jump back as if he were scalded, turning his back and mumbling, ‘yes, of course, anytime’ when Anakin asked if he could be excused to go to the ‘fresher. They both knew what he was going to do in there, but Obi-Wan kept up the charade and teased Anakin about having a small bladder for years.

[snowywinterevenings]

How about a slightly spicy Several Sentence Sunday?

A bit from the mage/magical creature AU beneath the cut:

When they broke for air, Cody’s lungs were burning, and Obi-Wan looked half dazed and half ravenous, color sitting high on his cheeks and eyes half lidded. “Is this okay?”

“Very.”

“And you’ll tell me if you want to stop or take things slower?” When Obi-Wan hesitated, Cody gave him a pointed look, realizing that he was getting a feel for what Cody wanted and possibly not considering his own needs. “We’re both party to this, and both of our wants matter. I don’t want you to go along with anything you don’t want just as much. If you want to slow down or stop or anything at all, it won’t change how I feel about you, and I won’t be upset.”

Obi-Wan contemplated his words for a moment and then nodded. “Perhaps a bit slower. Feeling another’s pleasure can lead to things ending far too soon, and in the past it has been cause for upset.”

Cody brushed his fingertips slowly down Obi-Wan’s neck and smiled as Obi-Wan closed his eyes and shivered, lips parting on a sharp inhale. “Seems silly, getting upset over your partner experiencing pleasure.”

Cody pulled Obi-Wan down into another, slower kiss, quite set on taking Obi-Wan apart with pleasure just to show him how foolish his past lovers had been to fail in communicating their wants and needs with their partner. Perhaps Cody was an oddity, or perhaps he had learned a great deal in having to raise most of his siblings, but he knew selfishness would get him nowhere in life. His fingers wandered to the buttons on Obi-Wan’s vest, and he broke away to look at him, asking silent permission to keep going. Obi-Wan nodded, his own hands tugging Cody’s shirt free of his trousers and sneaking over the warm skin underneath, making Cody groan. He felt his own reaction in the way Obi-Wan whined into their kiss and the bite of nails against his skin, and he grinned and drew back ever so slightly, his own cheeks aflame with heat.

“Careful with the nails. For now.” He choked when Obi-Wan raised an eyebrow and ghosted the claws over his back and closed his own eyes at the sensation.

“Noted.” Obi-Wan settled his hands on Cody’s jaw and his shoulder with a smirk. “And filed away for later.”

[queenofwolvesworld]

Obikin Modern Equestrian AU

The Walking Ring (Installment 1)

Not in Use Anymore- Rewrite Posted

Obi-Wan did not know why he was here. Here being the stands of the cross country phase of one of Ocala’s many eventing horse trials. He was a dressage rider, for god’s sake. All he knew was that Bail had asked him, seemingly out of the blue, to make the five hour trip down to Ocala, giving him no reason as to why- just that he had something that he would be interested in seeing. And he had been intrigued enough to make the drive down, as a favor to a friend. Not even a year of living in the States had gotten him used to how vast the country was. Five hours to cross one state, when the same amount of time was what it took to cross nearly the whole of England.

And yet, the first rider of the competition was scheduled to go soon, and Bail was nowhere to be seen. And just as the thought crossed his mind, Bail Organa appeared in the stands, and started heading straight for him. 

“Obi-Wan!” the other man greeted him effusively, “Thank you so much for coming! I know that it was very short notice, but frankly, I didn’t know myself if this meeting was going to take place at all.”

He smiled as he rose and shook the outstretched hand, even as he wondered what could make a politician like Bail so uncertain about getting a meeting with someone. “No worries, Senator. Though I must admit that I’m curious as to why I’m here. Eventing is not exactly my forte, after all.”

“Ah, that.” Bail gestured for him to take a seat, and he obliged. “I’m sponsoring a new rider, and I was hoping that you would consider taking her on as a student.”

Well. That wasn’t what he was expecting. “Bail. I ride dressage. We are at an eventing trial. What do I have to offer an eventer? Wouldn’t she be better off with someone who actually knows the discipline?”

Bail only grinned in response. “She’s pretty new to eventing, actually. She’s a showjumper who’s transitioning disciplines, so she needs a dressage coach. She’s already got the cross-country and jumping phases down, as you’ll see. Actually, she’s about to ride right now.”

He cut his eyes back towards the starting box. Inside it, waiting for the starting bell to ring, was a rider on a tall black horse, wearing a navy blue shirt under the black protective vest. He wouldn’t have been able to determine their gender, if Bail hadn’t already informed him that she was a woman. She looked tall, but it was hard to tell, and he couldn’t make out any other details from where he was. She had a confident seat, sitting tall and relaxed. “That’s her?”

Bail nodded. “That’s her. Her name’s Anakin.” The starting bell rang, and the horse took off like a bolt of black lightning. The woman- Anakin- kept up with her mount easily, and they were quickly beyond easy view as they headed for the first obstacle of the course. 

“Tell me more about her. The name sounds familiar, actually. Have I heard it somewhere?”

Bail nodded again, slower. “I don’t know how well she’s known in wider equestrian circles, but she’s made a name for herself in showjumping. She’s competed in the highest national levels, and some of the international competitions as well, throughout high school and college. She wants to transition fully to eventing, and she’s been doing pretty good at it, since she’s qualified up to Modified so far, but her scores in dressage could be- better.”

He frowned, rubbing a hand over his beard in thought. “Anakin. You mean Anakin Ekkreth?” He definitely knew the name from somewhere. But he couldn’t put his finger on it. At Bail’s answering nod, he continued, “How exactly did you end up sponsoring her? And why is she switching disciplines now? Especially if she’s been as successful as a jumper as you say she has…”

A shrug was his only response. “Padme mentioned her to me, and said that she was looking for a sponsor. Thought that I’d be interested. I think she has some real talent, and she’s skilled. She’s already proven herself multiple times. As for why she wants to change events now… she never told me her reasons.”

He considered that for a moment. “Padme told you about her? I wasn’t aware that she was so invested in the horse world. Always seemed much too focused on her career to have the time to keep tabs on this sort of thing.”

“I didn’t know, either, and I’ve known her a lot longer. But she’s apparently invested, since she’s the one who asked me to ask you about coaching Anakin, actually. As a personal favor.”

He elected not to reply to that- not that he knew what to say, in any case- instead, he turned to focus once again on Anakin’s run of the course. She appeared to be making excellent time, and her horse took every obstacle in stride, no hesitation at all. She was clearly a good jumper, and it was evident that her horse trusted her. But what would she be like as a dressage rider? And who was she that Congresswoman Padme Amidala knew her?

Bail interrupted his musing with a slight nudge. “Will you meet with her, at least? Before you make a decision?”

Well, now that was a given, wasn’t it? Even if… “Bail, you know that I’m not taking any students right now. I have enough on my plate, training and showing all the horses in the barn. But I’ll give her a chance, and if she’s as good as you say, then I’ll consider it.” Bail’s inordinately pleased look at his acquiescence, reluctant as it had been, made him immediately suspicious. And the next words out of his mouth only confirmed it. 

“Thanks for agreeing. It would have been really awkward if you’d said no, considering that I already took the liberty of making a reservation for us at the VIP dining area.”

His eyebrows shot up. Well. That was nothing if not presumptuous. But that was Bail, a little too used to getting his way. A side effect of the job, he supposed. Either way, this time at least, it wasn’t any trouble. And he’d be getting fed for his time. Turning back to the track, he was surprised to see that Anakin was well out of view. Surprising, since the starting stands were meant to cover the first ten jumps of the course. Interesting… “Bail, how many jumps are on the course? And what’s the optimum time?”

Bail looked puzzled at the question. But he pulled out his phone and checked, as if humoring him. “22 jumps, with a course length of 3000 meters, so the optimum time is 6 minutes and 15 seconds, why?”

“Because it’s been just a little under three minutes, and she’s probably taken over half the jumps. Does she have a death wish? For herself, or her horse?” He kept his tone as neutral as possible, but he knew he hadn’t succeeded. If she was this reckless all the time, then there was no chance that he would take her on as a student. He didn’t want a student who put winning over their horse’s wellbeing. Even if it got them results. A rider who didn’t care for their horse was no rider at all.

Bail’s side eye could have been a lethal weapon. “She’s on track for the optimum time, Obi-Wan. She’s not being irresponsible, if that’s what you’re worrying about. She cares about her horses more than she cares about herself, from what I’ve seen of her riding. She’s got a reckless streak, from what I’ve heard of her, but only for herself.”

Huh. Okay. Maybe he didn’t know as much about jumping as he thought he did. “Fine. Do we have enough time to make it to the finish line?” Less than three minutes to cover 3 kilometers… It was impossible, unless one was on horseback or in a vehicle.

“No, we don’t. They’ll announce her time, though, and the number of penalties she gets. You can see her more during her horse check.”

“Horse check?” God, he really needed to know more about eventing. Especially if he was going to take the woman as a student.

Bail seemed to sense his thoughts, and elaborated. “Horse checks, actually. She’s done one before the competition, there’s one after Phase one, and one more after Phase three, which is showjumping. Most FEI events have only two of them, but this one has three, for some reason. Probably because it’s national.”

Before he could reply, the stands erupted into cheers, and the announcement could barely be heard over the din. “Anakin Ekkreth, on Time for Twilight, with a time of six minutes, and zero faults, in first place.”

A full fifteen seconds before the optimum time. And no faults. That would be so very hard to beat, as long as the dressage and jumping phases went well. And her horse’s name was Time for Twilight. It seemed like such an inconsequential detail for him to get hung up on, but it was something about Anakin that he didn’t know before. Bail grinned widely as he stood, and offered him a hand, obviously pleased. “She’s got dressage next. Are you coming?”

Of course he was coming. That was the whole point of this endeavor, wasn’t it? He accepted Bail’s hand up, brushing the wrinkles out of his shirt as he stood. “I thought that we were going to see Anakin through her horse check first, before she’s going to do her dressage test?”

Bail titled his head, considering. “We could. But it’s more likely that it’s over by now. It’s probably a simple trot up, since the more comprehensive checks are saved for before and after the competition. If you want to meet her now, though, she’s probably tacking up for the dressage test.”

He considered that for a moment. He hated being interrupted in the middle of a show, so it was probably fair to assume that Anakin wouldn’t appreciate it, either. “No, that’s fine. I don’t want to impose on her. I’ll talk to her after she’s finished all the phases. I’ll get a better idea for her riding, too.”

“If that’s what you want. Should we head over, then?”

“By all means, lead the way, Senator.” As they walked, he ran the logistics through his head, wondering if the woman truly was worth taking on as a student. He was so busy already, training and showing in preparation for the next Olympics, alongside his day job. And did he really want to take on a student whose sole focus wasn’t dressage? It seemed like a waste of his time if she would be more focused on jumping instead. 

He shook his head, breaking off that train of thought. Here he was, making judgements about the woman before he’d even met her. He could basically hear his father’s voice in head, telling him to quit being biased and keep an open mind. Qui-Gon had always chided him for thinking too much about the future and not living in the present enough. It seemed that not even all these years were enough to change that particular trait of his.

XXX

Obi-Wan took a moment to survey the arena from the stands. Standard size of 20 by 60 feet. The stands were empty, and the judges were just settling into their positions. Made sense, considering that they were still waiting on the first rider of the day, who also happened to be the same woman that he and Bail were waiting on to make her entrance. But speaking of dressage and judging… “Bail, do you happen to have a copy of the test for this event?” 

“No, I don’t really get involved in the minutiae of the shows, Anakin doesn’t really appreciate it very much,” Bail replied, shaking his head. “But the tests should be on the USEF website, though there are multiple tests for every level, and I don’t know which one is being used for this show.”

“Right.” He should have known that, really. That was the standard in England, too, or he thought so, anyway. It turned out that he didn’t have to wait long. He saw a horse and rider pair approach, and a closer look revealed that it was Anakin and her… he suddenly realized that he didn’t know whether she rode a mare, gelding or a stallion. Oh, well. It was something to ask her about later, when they were having lunch. The distance made it hard to pick out details, but he could see that her seat was still as easy as it was in the cross country phase, though she wasn’t sitting deep enough in the saddle for dressage. A common problem for those more used to jumping, unfortunately. But fixable, with time. He still couldn’t judge how tall she was since she was still mounted.

Suddenly, he realized that he was being watched. He’d been so engrossed in scrutinizing Anakin that he hadn’t realized that she was watching him back. He met the piercing blue gaze with his own, and the moment ended as she turned away to focus on her riding. 

And ride she did. For a jumper, she was remarkably good at dressage. Her transitions could have been cleaner, and her circles were a little uneven, but those were minor faults that could be corrected with practice. And she was fairly new to eventing, so she probably hadn’t had too much practice. He could work with that. Wait, where had that thought come from? He hadn’t even talked to her yet, and now he was already thinking about training plans? When had that happened, and what had changed?

After a final half circle back to the centerline, Anakin halted and performed the final salute. The moment her horse moved forward, and ended the test, the woman dropped the reins and patted her horse’s neck, a wide grin on her face as she waited for her score. 

“Anakin Ekkreth, with 40 penalties.” The woman seemed to frown, but then seemed to accept the score. Then, unexpectedly, she turned to him. He had the unsettling feeling that he was being appraised, though what for, he didn’t know. Again, the moment ended as soon as it began, and Anakin once again rode off, no doubt to get ready for the last phase of the competition.

40 penalties. If this was pure dressage, a 40 was an abysmal score. What that meant in eventing, sadly, he didn’t know. “Well,” Bail sighed, “that could have gone better.” 

“Better?! Senator, getting a 40 in dressage is doable for anyone who can walk, trot and canter!  It’s absolutely abysmal. It’s definitely not worth the time I would have to invest in training her!” Harsh words, maybe, but so very true, and despite his diplomatic nature, this was one of the times he would not hold back on the truth.

“It’s why I’d like for you to train her,” Bail replied calmly. “And you’re a little mistaken. A rider as good as she is can and should score higher than a 60 percent in dressage. This is why I asked you to consider coaching her- to maybe get her score into the 65-70 range, prepare her to move up a level. And maybe make it a little easier for her to make the MERs for it.”

“60 percent?” he questioned. That explained why Bail was so unmoved. And it kept highlighting how little he knew about this sport. Time to rectify that a little. “How exactly is dressage scored in eventing?”

“The way Anakin explained it to me, they take the percentage score and then subtract it from 100 to get the penalty conversion. Those are added to any faults she gets in the jumping phases,” Bail explained. “So, dressage, in a way, is the most important phase, penalty wise, even if cross-country is the most important with regards to setting the tone of the show.”

That was good to know. He was also inordinately pleased that dressage held such weight in eventing, when so many riders seemed to focus on the jumping portions of competitions. So few riders ever appreciated how much time and effort it took to truly shine in dressage, and actually dance with their horse, to perform the movements as they were meant to be performed. He hoped that Anakin would be one of the rare exceptions. “Should we head over to the jumping ring?” he asked, getting up from the stands. “I have to say, seeing that performance, I really do want to meet her now.”

“That’s one of the most ominous things I have ever heard you say, Obi-Wan,” Bail teased, “Should I be worried for my rider now?”

“No, not at all. I just really want to see exactly what kind of a rider she is.”

So, uh, this could be the potential end of chapter one, and we get Obi-Wan and Anakin meeting in the next chapter, or we could get just the initial first impression of Anakin as a person in this chapter as well. IDK. Let me know what you think in the comments! Constructive criticism is welcomed! Oh, and @icsek thank you for the wonderful work that inspired this one. This one's for you.

[numerousbees1106]

Might Be Stepping Out Of Line

Angstpril 2024 Day 15 - Confrontation

Read on Ao3 here! https://archiveofourown.org/works/55238785

Anakin Skywalker was no stranger to grief. It haunted him, stalking him from a distance, looming over him as he slept, a persistence predator with eyes that mirrored his and teeth made of his own bones. It walked side-by-side with him, or perhaps just a step behind, a faithful friend, a loyal companion, a comforting shadowy constant always just beyond his reach, something familiar, something poisonous. Something he both yearned for and loathed in equal parts.

Anger, he had found, was far simpler. Less complicated. Easier to process. Anger was fast, and easy, and far less bittersweet, and far more painless. Fury, rage, vitriol - it burned and bubbled and broiled and boiled inside him, a venom coursing through his veins, toxic and dangerous, threatening to overflow, threatening to take him down with it.

But grief? Grief did the same thing, just much slower. It left gaps where a million other emotions could seep through like cracks in a ship’s hull, hollowing him out just the same as anger, but more analogous to how insects and bacteria decomposed a corpse from the inside out, unlike how anger burned like a star’s core going supernova.

All of that was to say that, at the end of it all, Anakin had chosen and would continue to choose anger over grief every time.

He didn’t care how bad a Jedi that made him - he had stopped caring about that the instant he had sensed his Master’s presence, but had seen it in the mask of one Rako Hardeen.

Anakin had gone into the confrontation with Obi-Wan expecting to be angry. And he had been angry, at the start, and that fury only grew with each feeble excuse that Obi-Wan gave, seething into something venomous at the man’s complete and utter lack of remorse.

“I don’t know what to tell you, Anakin!” Obi-Wan snapped, crossing his arms with an expression that was somehow both irritated and emotionless in that way only Obi-Wan could manage. “I did this for you!”

“For me?!” Anakin hissed, baring his teeth. “Because from where I stand, you used me for your own benefit!”

“The Chancellor is your friend, Anakin; I was simply saving him.” An eye-roll - was he seriously acting like Anakin was some tantruming toddler?!

“And what do you mean, my own benefit?” The Jedi Master added, almost as if it were a secondary thought.

“You sold us out, didn’t you?!” Anakin snarled. “Use Ahsoka and I to further your own goals? Save the Chancellor, push everyone around you under so you can rise above, cementing your place as the golden child of the Jedi Order?”

“Anakin, what-”

“Was being their favorite not enough for you?!” Anakin continued, ignoring his former best-friend’s interruption.

Former.

Best friends didn’t do what Obi-Wan had done.

“You simply had to prove yourself further, didn’t you! Simply couldn’t resist reminding everyone how fucking perfect you are! ‘See, I can take everything the child I practically raised and I went through, and I can shove it to the side, and spit on it like it all meant nothing to me, and I can bury it in the ground like how he will have to bury me, and I can utilize his greatest fears against him! See what a good Jedi I am?! See?!’”

Obi-Wan stood there, eyes wide but still unseeing, mouth agape but soon to spill more meaningless excuses.

He looked every bit the way Anakin would expect a dying man to look.

But Obi-Wan never died. Was never dying.

And that was the root of the problem, wasn’t it? Because Anakin wanted so desperately to be angry - and he was, for a moment, but he wasn’t, because his inferno of rage was flooded over the moment he had learned the truth, and the anger he held now was nothing but an façade he desperately fought to keep alive, a pale imitation, a sparking farce he had tried in vain to keep alive.

Now, with the spillage of his words, the small flicker of fury he had been kindling was washed away, too, replaced by the vestiges of the tsunami that had overwhelmed him.

Because the truth was, Anakin had felt mostly relief - relief that Obi-Wan was alive, relief that he wasn’t alone after all, relief that maybe everything had been a vivid nightmare, that maybe everything could go back to how it was before.

But relief was a hurricane that soothed the wildfires of his soul, but it left behind a damp and humid environment perfect for mildew and mold, for an aching grief that settled like an infestation and never left, that chewed on his bones and heart and soul until he was hollowed out, until there was nothing left, until he was empty and cavernous and numb. He wanted so desperately to be angry at Obi-Wan, to be furious with him, but he didn’t have it in him.

Spinning on his heel, Anakin made a hasty retreat, ignoring Obi-Wan’s calls and pleas to come back.

He was sinking under waves of grief and death-feasting organisms, his flesh and muscle turned gelatinous with decay, his joints and ligaments dissolving as he stalked back into his room, his cartilage and tissues liquifying as he locked the door behind him, his bones turning to dust as he sank down to the floor, his back against the door, tears streaming down his face.

Anger was far easier than grief.

But grief was a far older friend.

[shootingstarpilot]

Last Line Challenge

Rules: In a new post, show the last line you wrote (or drew) and tag as many people as there are words (or however many you like).

Thanks for the tag, @merlyn-bane! I've written so much during this last week because there was one scene in particular that I really wanted to share for this 😅

So this next chapter will be mostly a flashback one from Qui-Gon's POV, looking back over the past month, and that means that certain characters are making appearances...

Later, after all cups have been emptied and Obi-Wan’s blinks are growing ever-slower, Dooku rises to his feet.  “I am glad,” he says, his voice gentling, “that my fool of a Padawan has come to his senses at last.” A slow, sleepy smile crawls across Obi-Wan’s face, and Dooku’s expression softens. “Qui-Gon. A moment, if you would?” When the door slides shut behind them, Qui-Gon braces himself for a tongue-lashing. What he gets instead is Dooku’s steady gaze, and, eventually, a sigh.  “I’m leaving again tomorrow,” he says quietly.  “So soon?” “Mm. I should return in a month or so, should all go according to plan.” For a moment, silence falls. “I’d expected… something else from you,” Qui-Gon ventures. All things considered, the last time they’d spoken– Dooku sighs. “And what good would that do? Your guilt will not absolve you. Perhaps that’s what I’ll allow for my anger, then– I will not let you find relief in it.” He reaches out, drops a hand onto Qui-Gon’s shoulder– “I meant what I said,” he says quietly. “I am glad to see you find yourself again. I have missed you.” Qui-Gon ducks his head, aching like a bruise. Nothing like a conversation with his old master to make him feel like a padawan again. The hand on his shoulder squeezes before dropping away. “Do take care of yourself, Padawan.”

No-pressure tags for, hmm... @jedi-enthusiast, @aquamarin-sky, @foreverchangingfandomsao3, @wanderingjedihistorian, @drauthor, @aquaticflames, and whoever else wants to participate!

[hesthermay]

𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐆𝐑𝐄𝐀𝐓 𝐅𝐈𝐆𝐇𝐓 (𝐏𝐓 𝟓)

PAIRING: sergeant hunter x fem!oc reader

SUMMARY: the next mission for the bad batch causes some reflection on miri and echo’s parts, and a long overdue conversation is had. hunter and miri finally divulge their true feelings for one another.

WORD COUNT: 4.2k

RATINGS + WARNINGS: general audiences, mature themes, some angst, fluffy ending. female oc, jedi oc, use of she/her, canon typical violence, found family trope. the bad batch time period, follows the timeline of the show.

NOTES: told you i had more on the way. here it is! i wrote the ending for this chapter when i wrote like part 3 but it kept getting pushed bad but HERE WE ARE. enjoy it, take it in, i again have one more on the way

STAR WARS MASTERLIST THE GREAT FIGHT MASTERLIST

Regret had begun to settle in the pit of Miri’s stomach as she sensed the presence of someone just as they rounded the corner into Cid’s bar, narrowly avoiding the shot from Omega’s bow. 

Regret, for she was the one that okayed the decision. Now she was beginning to wonder what could have possibly compelled her to do such a thing, she could practically hear Obi-Wan in her ear nagging about how this was a bad idea as Omega called out an apology to the patron before pulling the bright purple string back once again. The bow was neat, she would give her that; a weapon commonly used by the Zygerrians but one the girl had procured herself on their mission, she would need to learn to use it sooner rather than later. 

Times are different, she thought to herself as she shooed Obi-Wan away. And I’m not you, she snarked, letting her focus land on Omega once again. 

“Steady,” Echo urged as he stood crouched behind her, the one taking point in this lesson. He was an ARC Trooper before he ended up in their Bad Batch, and he had earned that title for a reason so Miri felt it was only fitting and the others soon agreed. “Arms level…and keep your eye on the target.”

Miri couldn’t help but glare slightly at the two regulars that never seemed to do anything but sit in Cid’s bar and spend whatever money they scraped up when they weren’t there. Their cheering and heckling was less than helpful, but alas, she knew when the time came for Omega to really use that bow she would not have the luxury of a quiet background. But, despite their noise her shot landed on the target and she gave Hunter a silent smirk in spite of them. 

But when she was ordered to go again, her excitement shifted to childlike defiance. “But I’ve already hit the target three times,” she argued, looking up at her brother. 

“Out of twelve,” he countered bluntly but not harshly. Her boys were all rough around the edges, but they were never mean. “That’s luck, Omega, not skill.” 

She looked over at Miri for help, but the woman held her hands up. “Hey, don’t look at me,” she grinned, shaking her head slightly. “I spent years doing the same thing, over and over, every single day just to become a Padawan. It’s part of the gig, kid.” 

Omega sighed, knowing they were right and she wasn’t going to get out of it. Her first shot was clumsy and rushed and echoed by more heckling. She groaned in frustration as one of them cackled and collected their bet as Echo leaned down to speak with her again. Her next shot was slower, but still missed as she lacked the strength and control needed for the weapon. It wasn’t her fault, though, out of all of them she was the only one who wasn’t trained from the time they could walk to operate weaponry. 

Still, Wrecker leaned forward to whisper, “not exactly a natural, is she?” While Hunter only cocked his head in response, Miri shoved an elbow into his side. 

“Cut her some slack; different starting lines, remember?” She whispered as she thought of, for the millionth time it seemed, little Ani joining the Order after everyone else in their age group and becoming a prodigy before their eyes. Her old life plagued her thoughts no matter how hard she tried to keep them at bay, but more often than not a whisper of Obi-wan would break through, a flash of a young Anakin appeared, or her Master, and everything there was to him, would come to her whether she needed it or not. 

Miri was broken out of her thoughts by Cid hitting Wrecker as well, his outburst causing all attention to shift to them. “Okay, playtime’s over. We need to talk.” She harshly shooed the other patrons out of the bar, much to her appreciation, before turning back to the group. “I assume you lot know what a tactical droid is? They were the op—” she was cut off by Tech shooting forward from the back of their group, launching into his own explanation of what a tactical droid was. 

It hardly phased them anymore, as Tech couldn’t sit still when someone else explained something he most likely knew far better, but Cid held her hands up in protest. “Ba-ba-ba-ba-ba,” she rattled to shut him up. “This is my briefing, Goggles.” Miri chuckled to herself as she shoved Wrecker from where he was perched before pressing some buttons on the computer base. The purpose of this briefing, another mission Cid wanted them to pull so she could collect. 

“We haven’t decided if we’re gonna work for you or not,” Hunter responded after sharing a look with Miri and the rest of the boys. It was true, they hadn’t decided; there were factors of the job that were conflicting to their morals and values, to the standards they had held themselves to their whole lives, but keeping Omega safe was their top priority at the moment and that backed them into a corner with few options. 

“Allow me to decide for you,” Cid offered. “You’re in! I’m talking a mutually beneficial arrangement,” she continued, trying to persuade them and Miri had a suspicion that she had a valid point. “You make money, I make money, and I watch your back,” she pointed at them. “With the heat on you, it’s the best option you’ve got.” 

The corner they were backed into offered few options indeed, but one of them sounded better than all the others and Cid served it up on a dingy platter. They had no choice but to accept it. 

“I know you’re in, I just told you you’re in,” she sassed before turning to Omega. “And you, you’re releasing too soon because of those weak noodle arms,” her large hands wiggled the girls little arms in emphasis before she took the bow and, advising her to build up her strength, landed three shots in the middle of the target.

Miri knew Cid had it in her, couldn’t do what she did or be who she was if she didn’t, but it left the others more than a little stunned. The sizzling marks on the wall stared right back at Omega as she looked from them to her bow and back, a new determination settling in her bones. 

-: ✧

The retrieval of the tactical droid head had been, as almost all things were nowadays, rockier than anticipated. Details were left out, unexpected competition appeared, and Omega found herself in quite a scary situation, though they all made it out alive. Still, on the way back to Cid’s Miri couldn’t help but replay some of the events that stuck with her, because for whatever reason this mission had been different. 

The way there was a trace of something familiar around the girls that showed up at the factory. Rafa and Trace, two sisters running jobs to make in the galaxy they all shared, a common occurrence. It wasn’t necessarily them, she had never seen them before, but it was something in the air that lingered ever so slightly, a disturbance in the Force around them that was akin to something she had held close at one point. 

Who had they been around, and had they known it was a Jedi? Had they known she was one?

Or the way Wrecker had gone unresponsive for a bit. Odd, and they hadn’t gotten an explanation afterwards, which was even more odd. All that time had passed, all those things had happened to them and he was nowhere to be found? Ignoring their calls? Something had happened to him, Miri knew it, but she was still figuring out what it was. 

And the way that Omega had gotten stuck so easily on the belt. Everything was happening so fast, so much was going on that she had been on her own and when she had become trapped Miri couldn’t help but feel so incredibly stupid. She was a little girl, and she could have suffered the unforgiving fate of discarded mechanics and damaged parts, and it was their fault she was there to begin with. Fear, a monster stronger than most, and guilt, an anchor only pulling you down, sat heavy in her chest as she once again contemplated pulling her saber out. 

Oh, how the stakes seemed so much higher when her girl was involved. It was almost a warning, a wakeup call that she was falling out of balance and when the scales tipped they never went the right way. 

Then there was how she had felt seeing the battle droids again. They were made to swarm, and that was exactly what she had seen them do almost every battle during the war. It had felt like an eternity, now that she was thinking back on it; the Clone Wars had taken so much from so many throughout the entire galaxy, and it had taken just as much from the Jedi. Politics had skewed their way of life even if they wouldn’t admit it, and the war conflicts had taken the forefront of all training and duties. Young Jedi stepping out on their own for the first time only to be thrown into travesty. Padawans, children, raised to fight in a war and knowing nothing else. 

The Clone Wars had shaped her more than she had wanted, more than she had seen until then, because for just a second her throat closed up and her nerves buzzed at the sight of them all blending together, following an order they weren’t programmed to question. 

But then there was the way she felt when Rafa had called them out on not knowing where the information they were collecting was even going, and the way it almost worsened when Hunter shot back that they were paid to retrieve and deliver, not ask questions. 

That was not who they were. That…was not who she wanted them to be. They had never been like others, and now they were even more different. They wouldn’t let the Empire strong arm them into following them, into giving up. Rafa hadn’t believed her when she said it, and her shoulders hung low as she remembered how she had shook her head as she turned away from her and her words that came up short. 

She felt good about giving the girls the intel, however. It didn’t make things easier for them, but it was the right thing to do. All this time, she had been thinking of them fighting the great fight, but everyone was fighting it. Whatever the great fight meant varied from person to person, but everyone was in it now, and Rafa and Trace were fighting it on the right side. Of course Cid wouldn’t be too happy about them returning empty handed, but the worlds would keep spinning and she would live to gripe another day. 

Miri could tell that what Rafa and Trace were doing had stuck with Echo as he sat in silence as well; he had never wanted to do jobs like these, had never felt right about shifting his focus from fighting for the cause. Noble as ever, her one remaining domino, only ever wanted to do what was right, what was good, what he felt he was supposed to do; and she knew she couldn’t fault him for it for it was in his very genetics. But everything was so much bigger now. So much harder. They often couldn’t afford the luxury of not facing the consequences for being heroes any longer, couldn’t rely on ‘all means necessary’ when they weren’t the ones given the means. 

They had all walked away from Order 66 and the fall of the Republic, but had no choice but to walk away different than before. Miri had been struggling with it the entire time, going from living under the thumb of the Order to the thumb of the Empire, shifting the parameters of what was allowed and what wasn’t. 

Her head felt as if it were swimming in her thoughts when Hunter’s deep voice shattered the harsh push and pull of the tides with just a few words. “What’s got you lot so quiet?” When she looked up at him, something holy in a galaxy full of blasphemy, his eyes shifted between her and Echo. 

For a moment it felt like they were waiting to see if the other would answer first, but after a few beats Echo’s voice filtered throughout the ship. “We shouldn’t be doing this.” 

“Doing what?” Hunter questioned taking a few steps forward to the seat nearest Miri. 

“This, Hunter,” he stressed, brows furrowed tightly. “These jobs for Cid, her clients, they’re bad news. We knew how dangerous the intel on that droid head could be and we were just going to let her hand it over to anybody. That’s not what we do.” 

“Echo—”

“Those girls are running jobs, same as us, but they’re actually trying to make a difference. What are we doing?”

“We’re keeping Omega safe,” Miri interjected, finally speaking up as the attention of everyone else shifted to them. “We’re trying to keep ourselves safe. What good are we fighting the Empire if we’re dead? Captured? Because I know they’d kill me as soon as they got me, and I’m sure they’d think up something pleasant for rogue clones,” her brows raised and Echo didn’t respond. She wasn’t angry with him, but if she had to do the work to find the answers then so did he. 

“The age of the Jedi Order has come to an end. The war is over,” she shook her head, “and the Republic has fallen. The very things we were all meant for are no longer paths we can take, and while it will never be easy, Echo, I fear we may not have all the time to mourn the loss of it.” She looked to the others as she spoke now, her words meant for all of them. She had spent time reflecting, shuffling through the files in her mind to compile the thoughts because when faced with the question of what do we do, they needed an answer. “What we can do, what we must do, is trust in ourselves and trust in the Force; we have little choice in taking what we have all been through and coming out different from who we once were. So we better make it count, yes?” 

Wrecker was the first to say anything, cheering at her words as they sparked the motivation she had been reaching for, but her eyes found themselves on Echo once again. His face said he knew she was right, but he didn’t like it. She hoped hers said that she knew, and that she just needed him to hold out for her. For Omega. For them all. 

When she rose from her seat, feet carrying her towards the bunks as they all carried on, she paused as she passed the man still stuck to his seat. His expression was stoney, as if he was guarding what he was thinking from them. He didn’t look at her until she began speaking, his face pointed up at her now with a look of not knowing where to go next. “Nothing lasts forever, Echo,” she offered, voice soft as she placed a hand on his shoulder. He needn’t be lost, because what the Force willed would be so, and he wouldn't be alone for any of it. “This Empire will fall. One day.” 

-: ✧

She had been right about Cid, she had all but chewed them a new one though she hadn’t cut them loose. They didn;t see anybody else doing her business for her so perhaps she needed them just a bit more than she let on when she moaned and groaned and complained. Yes, the worlds would continue spinning and they would work for her another day. 

But Miri didn’t know if she could go another day keeping what she had for Hunter a secret. The love, the admiration, all of it could no longer stay hidden away, much like Echo’s frustration, and the glaring fact that things were different and so were they. And so, as they all made their way out of Cid’s parlor one behind the other, she wiped her palms on her pant legs and took a few deep breaths. She was at the back of their group, which gave her an extra moment to think things through, run through the list of pros and cons, and create a plan of action. This was one of those situations where Obi-Wan and Anakin would offer very differing advice, one would say to sit back and seek counsel and the other would say it’s now or never. You’ll never know if you don’t try, something she’d said to Anakin herself at one point.  

“I have to tell you something,” Miri rushed out before Hunter could get any closer to the ship, her friend's voice echoing softly in her ears as her feet planted themselves firmly on the ground. The others had already boarded, and she knew that privacy was hard to come by and this needed to happen then and there. 

He stopped in his tracks, looking over his shoulder at her before taking in how serious she was and turning around fully. “Everything okay?” That was one of the great things about Hunter, he never hesitated to listen to them. 

In her chest her heart beat faster than she would have liked, nerves causing her stomach to churn, and she knew he was aware of all of this though fighting it was futile. He’d learn to use his skills to read her like a holofile long ago. Instead, she pushed through, knowing what she wanted to say but not really how she was going to say it. “I meant what I said earlier, about things being different now. About us being different now,” she gave him a pointed look to which he furrowed his brows. 

After a pause she continued on, knowing if she stopped it would be harder to keep going. “The Order was flawed. No matter how hard you try, no being is perfect. Total enlightenment doesn’t necessarily mean total perfection, and that’s a hard truth I think a lot of Jedi did not want to face. With balance, comes turbulence; that’s what my master used to say. It is up to oneself to maintain  their balance, to make the choice. With—with you,” she faltered slightly, shy under his gaze all of the sudden. “I could see how it would have its appeal, the Dark Side; to go to lengths that great and—and grave for someone you love. But…” she shook her head, beginning to move her hands about as she spoke. He knew this as a sign of passion in her, and it was evident in the way her words began spewing out of her. “But it’s up to me to keep that away, to keep myself on the path of Light.” 

“I,” she breathed out, “I could never think of straying, because I truly do believe in the Force, in the light, in the balance. But perhaps the reason I never quite fit the mold of the Order is because I believe in something outside of what was traditional? Something venturing away from what we had become and closer to what a Jedi used to be? Should be?” She questioned, face going red slightly as she took a few steps closer. “I—I still feel like a Jedi, and I still feel like a good one, but I also feel like…” she panted, face dropping as she let go of whatever held her back. “I feel like I’m in love with you.” 

Tears had begun to line her eyes, and her voice had the slightest tremble despite holding her head so high. “I feel like you are synonymous with the light that is in everything, that you are the freshest breath of air when I have been suffocating,” her words were thick with emotion, face scrunching up as she pushed through, “that I could not possibly keep the balance if I went another rotation without telling you that you are everything, Hunter. If it had come down to it, I would have walked away from it,” she admitted, looking him in his eyes. Unabashedly, she declared the magnitude of her love for him without a shadow of guilt present, lighter than ever as tears fell from her eyes. 

“The Order, the Jedi, everything. I would have left,” she whispered the last word, shaking her head. “And that is how I know I love you so deeply in my bones, in the purest and most selfish way; because they are all I have ever known, and that is all that I have ever been, but you are everything, Hunter,” she sobbed, closing the gap between them a little more. Her chest heaved with every heavy breath, vision blurry as everything poured from her as if a dam had broken and the flood was free, and she reached out for him. 

That was all it took for Hunter to snap out of his daze and put his body in motion. His hand met hers, gloved fingers wrapping around gloved fingers before he pulled her into him once again. He had struggled so long with these feelings, the weight of them and how much it had been drilled into him that he did not get to have them. The urge to push them down was ever present yet wholly unsuccessful every time. He had caved, ever so slightly, and been almost crushed by the loss of her. To know, to hear, that she had felt the same things reassured him that it had not been for nothing. 

“Miri,” he whispered, attempting to hide the tremble in his voice. “You are unshakable, cyare, and I have known that from the very beginning. I had no choice but to love you, Miri,” he admitted, hands holding her just a little more desperately. “No matter how much I believe I don’t deserve to, I haven’t gone a day without loving you.” Hunter’s admission was quieter than Miri’s, but it held just as much weight as hers did. His emotions, that he kept so well locked away, had gotten the better of him and he had bore his heart in the midst of the great fight for a life they could just live. Scary, that was, but among the list of regrets he had, telling the only woman he had ever loved what she meant to him was not there. 

He repeated her name, hands going to her shoulders so he could look at her. Her eyes were glassy and red rimmed, and her cheeks were tear stained under his palms as he moved to hold her gently. “I will not lose you again, I promise you that, and you will not lose me. I—” he cut himself off, signing deeply before, too, shaking off whatever was holding him back. “I will give you and Omega the lives you deserve.”

Hunter’s resolve, always unyielding, was intense as he gazed at her. The truth, evident on his face, in his heart, and in his Force signature, lifted a weight she didn’t know how to live without. She loved him, and he loved her. Before her mind could register the thought, her body reacted to the impulse, and her hands shot up to grasp at his face as well; pulling him down into a kiss that was long overdue and much anticipated.

His lips moved against hers in a silent confession of love and longing, one hand going to the back of her head while the other slid down to her lower back. They couldn’t get any closer, bodies pressed against one other closely as their relationship forever changed. Neither one of them knew what they were doing, treading uncharted waters to be together; but it did not matter in the slightest because they had fought the great fight to find one another, and they weren’t going to let go any time soon.

Nothing could have been strong enough to break them apart, not even oxygen, had ot not been so imperative. The burn in Miri’s lungs had reluctantly pulled her lips off of his, panting as she looked up at him in a daze. “Hunter,” she breathed out his name, a song she would forever sing, and his eyes softened impossibly more. 

“You know they’re watching?” He questioned, a small smirk on his face as he brushed a finger gently over her cheek. 

And peeking out from the entrance to the ship, the four other members of CF99 certainly were watching. They had not cared for the trouble they may get in, with Hunter or Miri, for this moment had been a long time coming. The Jedi didn’t even need to look over, for she had felt them the entire time, but she did give him a quiet laugh. “Yeah,” she nodded, more fondly than anything, and leaned forward to peck his lips once again. “What are we gonna do with them, huh?” 

all works on this blog belong to hesthermay.tumblr.com: do not copy, repost onto other sites, or claim my contents as your own.

[exonerin]

[KICKS THE DOOR DOWN] ❆ ͙͛ ˚₊ฅ՞•ﻌ•՞ฅ⋆꙳•̩̩͙❅̩̩͙‧͙⋆✩ haiiii.

I closed my eyes and allowed my hear to choose, and so!

6!

10!

18!

Thank you! I will be putting the door back, though I may leave it open. Questions are from this nice little list, which I actually reblogged from you. So, that's a double thank you.

6. What characters captured your heart?

Anakin has taken up permanent residence in my heart, but I suppose that doesn't count? It's a 2024 list, after all.

Someone (I'm not sure which mutual it was. Perhaps there were several) kept reblogging Our Flag Means Death stuff. And so, as it happened, I decided to give the show a shot this year.

Of course, the gentleman pirate captured my heart. He's very endearing. Stede's crew, too, is absolutely brilliant. I suppose they have all captured my heart (I'm still in S1 and proceeding at a snail's pace, but I'll get there).

I love kind and silly characters. They are my absolute favorite, and I suppose it's easy, in a sense, to always love lovable characters.

Actually, I also finally watched the first 2 seasons of the Mandalorian before I got stuck in the middle of the third this year. Absolutely, Din Djarin and Grogu are also on the list. Really enjoyed Fennec Shand, too.

10. What fic was most satisfying to finish writing?

Unconditional Surrender. That fic wrote itself. Admittedly, I removed 20k I had written and gave it a very different ending, but as a result, I'm truly happy with it. So, I'm actually super content with the ending.

Next year, I want to go back to writing at a slower pace (but I had my 2024 New Year's Resolution to fulfill: 12 completed and posted fics in 12 months (spoiler alert: I think I'll only manage 11 this year, but I'm hopeful!!)), and I think that will help.

For Obikin, it would be Eight of Cups. Also written at the start of the year. That fic just worked, for some reason. I suppose because a lot of editing went into it, too.

I suppose the more I rewrite and rework a fic, the happier I am. Or the better I remember it. That could be true as well.

18. Share your favorite ending line.

Easy. It's from SATELLITES:

Obi-Wan loved him, but Anakin loved Obi-Wan more.

This fic hasn't been posted yet, but I did finish writing it already. I'll post all 6 chapters on December 25th. It's a fic in which Anakin is Qui-Gon's Padawan and at the end of the Clone Wars, Anakin Falls. Qui-Gon is in the Outer Rim, so dealing with Anakin falls on Obi-Wan's shoulders (I mean, Obi-Wan volunteers to rehabilitate Anakin).

They really do go from enemies to friends to lovers in this one, though enemies is a big word. Anakin mostly considers Obi-Wan part-of-the-Council-who-gave-him-a-seat-but-refused-to-make-him-a-master. And Obi-Wan is the usual mix of guilty and envious of the Master-stealer.

So, the ending was particularly fun to write. Especially because Anakin never verbally confesses his love.

[enigmaticexplorer]

Mace Windu: A brief character analysis

I’ve always been surprised by the claim that Mace Windu is heartless. That he doesn’t care about other people. I’m assuming those who believe this haven’t actually watched Season 1 of TCW.

Mace Windu is more serious, dogmatic, and aloof than most other Jedi. He’s sarcastic at times. Obstinate in other moments. 

But he’s not heartless. And he’s certainly not uncaring.

There are three moments in TCW 1:21: “Liberty on Ryloth” that contradict the ‘heartless/uncaring’ claims. 

1. The Rescue

In the opening sequence of “Liberty on Ryloth,” Mace’s transport is destroyed. As he escapes, he rescues the driver of the transport. 

It may seem like a “bare minimum” moment, but it’s not. Mace is being shot at by long-range cannons. He needs to join his men behind the protection of another transport. He needs to get to a semblance of safety.

Instead, he orders the men with him to “Take cover.” He doesn’t ask for their help. And then he takes time—that is precious in a life-or-death situation—to rescue the clone pilot. A man he doesn’t even know is alive. And he rescues this clone trooper without hesitation or regard for his own life. 

Again, this seems like such an inconsequential moment but it’s important to Mace’s character. We have seen countless times throughout TCW when other Jedi and clone troopers have left clones who are presumed dead. 

From a battle strategy standpoint, it makes sense. When you’re in the heat of battle, your job is to stay alive and protect those who are alive. You’re not given the opportunity to check on every soldier who could potentially be alive.

But in this moment, Mace risks his own life to rescue a clone trooper who’s not even guaranteed to be alive. 

2. The Bridge

Toward the end of the episode, Mace and two clone troopers are trying to cross the bridge into the capital city of Ryloth. The bridge can be turned on and off. And since the Separatist droids command the bridge’s operation tower, they turn it off. 

Rather than get himself to safety first, Mace Force throws/pushes his two men to solid land. Without hesitation, he saves them first. 

This might seem like another “bare minimum” moment, but it’s significant. Mace is a general. Per military hierarchy, you want to keep your top-military leaders alive. Their lives are more important than those of regular troopers. (Whether you agree with this sentiment or not isn’t the point of this post.) 

“But Mace has the Force, so he could save himself.”

Sure. He does have the Force, and in an impressive display of his skillset, he saves himself. But it was still a risk. He didn’t save the two troopers under the assumption he would survive the bridge’s collapse. There wasn’t a guarantee he would survive. 

He did save those two troopers, and he put them first, because he’s a good leader who values the lives of his troopers.

It's also important to note that Mace is more restrictive with his battle strategies—modest and less inclined to brazen maneuvers. (Obviously, when necessary, he will rise to the occasion, but usually when it's necessary.) Unlike Anakin who, in "Storm of Ryloth" admits his strategies are risky and endanger more lives, Mace is slower to act, contemplating his strategies so that they're effective and minimize risk. It's not outright stated he does this because he values his troopers' lives. But I believe it shows his care for the men under his command.

3. The Politicking 

Returning to the beginning of the episode, Mace is discussing his battle plan to take back the capital city of Ryloth. He’s discussing his plan with Chancellor Palpatine, Senator Taa, Yoda, Obi-Wan, and Admiral Yularen.

Palpatine and Taa immediately dismiss Mace’s plan to engage Cham Syndulla’s Freedom Fighters on the claim Cham is a radical and political rival to Taa. Mace replies, “I’ll leave the politics to you, Senator. I’m going to do whatever I can to help these people.”

Whether you like or dislike Mace Windu is beside the point. He may be dogmatic, obstinate, and aloof. He may be easily irritated by Skywalker, and a self-righteous voice amongst the Jedi Order. But he’s not heartless. And he does care for people. 

As we can see from this scene, Mace is willing to bat against both the Chancellor—the head of the Republic government—as well as a senator in order to help the people of Ryloth. He doesn’t care about politics. He doesn’t care that Palpatine and Taa feel threatened by Cham Syndulla. He doesn’t care because all that matters is saving the victims of Separatist occupation, and he will do whatever is necessary to protect these people.

“But he was mean to Anakin and referred to Ahsoka as ‘Citizen Tano’.”

Okay? Sorry you can’t appreciate the hilarity of his dogmatic pettiness.

All that to say, Mace can be an absolute dick. But he’s not a heartless dick.

[valeriansunset]

The Training Facility

Luke Skywalker x Ezra Bridger

SUMMARY: Luke Skywalker has never been good at making friends. Until he meets Ezra Bridger.

WORD COUNT: 1.07k

Luke swung his padawan braid behind him, still getting used to the odd feeling of the tail-like braid against his neck. Today was finally the day that his parents let him and his sister take the next step in force training. Not that Anakin needed as much convincing then Padme, forever concerned about the well-being of her reckless children - and husband. In Luke’s defence, Leia was more the type to go ahead and do something rash, but his sister had the impressive ability to manage to drag Luke into trouble.

Speaking of Leia, she was striving ahead, ready to meet up with her new Master and the twin's toygrota Aunt, Ahsoka Tano, for her first taste of training. Ahsoka was the perfect master for Leia, both similar in personality and lightsaber formations. The council was wary, at first, of having people close to the twins become their mentors. The idea that the Jedi were now allowed to have attachments - healthy attachments - was still new, only changing once Luke’s father managed to get the upper hand on the hidden Sith Lord, Palpatine, and revealed his secret relationship with Luke’s mother, Senator Padme Amidala. However, the council eventually caved, not allowing Anakin to train his children but the two Jedi closest to him. Aunt Ahsoka and Uncle Obi-Wan. The latter decided to take things slower with Luke than Ahsoka is with Leia, tasking him with the difficulty of getting to know the other Padawans in the order.

It’s not that Luke didn’t necessarily know the other Jedi his age. He often prefered to spend his time in the library or fixing droids with his father or shadowing his mother as newly-elected Chancellor. It was much easier than making new friends for himself - most people he knew were through his sister, always the opposite. Thus here he was, in the midst of the training room. No library, no father, no mother, no master, no sister to help him break the ice.

Fifteen years old and absolutely no socialising skills. Luke was sure that Jedi needed to know how to talk to the general public during missions.

Luckily for Luke, he didn’t have to make much of an effort. The slow buzz of the safety-first training lightsabers provided a nice amount of background noise that Luke didn't have to zone in on any particular conversation. Luke settled on watching a battle between two Padawans he was sure he vaguely recognized.

The fight didn’t last long, one of the two boys clearly had the upper hand, his blueberry-like hair matching those from the planet Lothal. Luke remembered a trip there he had taken with his mother a few years ago - a diplomatic mission that the council had approved the twins to go on. A learning experience, as Padme so kindly put it. Luke was lucky his mother was so skilled at debate.

The boy had a green lightsaber, the same colour as Luke’s own weapon. He used a skilled strategy to gain the upper hand, tripping the other boy over, lightsaber discarded. Luke couldn’t help but wonder which Jedi Knight was this Padawan’s master. If anyone, Luke assumed they would be friends with Luke’s father - the strategy displayed seemed like something that would appeal to Anakin Skywalker. It was especially similar to Luke and Leia’s secret sessions with him - yet another secret from the council, of course.

‘’Like what you see?’’

Luke looked up, startled at being interrupted from his thoughts. It was the boy with the blueberry hair, who sat facing him. A small smirk was building on his face.

‘’I was only trying to figure out where I’ve seen that fighting style before. I can’t place it’’ Luke replied, trying not to make eye contact. He almost wished he spent more time around his peers. He couldn’t imagine Leia ever slipping up on a face. She had this uncanny ability to remember obscure details about people. However annoying it seemed to Luke over the years, it felt very useful now.

‘’Probably from my master. Caleb Dume.’’ The boy said, spinning his deactivated lightsaber around his fingers and tossing it in the air. Luke was glad for something to focus on other than the boys piercing eyes. ‘’I know you.’’

‘’Everyone seems to, unfortunately’’. Being the son of the famed star-crossed lovers of the republic came with a lot of unprecedented recognition. It’s not that Luke hated it, but it always seemed to be the case that a lot more people knew Luke than Luke knew them. He was always afraid of accidentally forgetting the name of some senator who knew his mother and making a fool of himself. ‘’Caleb Dume? I know him, he is friends with my Aunt- well, my sister's master, Ahsoka Tano. You know, that makes a lot of sense. I think I remember Leia mentioning you, you're-’

‘Ezra Bridger’

‘‘Right.’’ Luke didn’t think he should mention that Leia had once gone on a rant to him about Ezra’s fighting style - ‘unpredictable and absolutely no formation’. Luke also didn’t think he should tell Ezra that he had defended him to his sister - ‘But isn’t that a smart move, enemies can pick up the Jedi moves. Somehow, Luke didn’t think that was a good conversation starter.

‘’Your sister? Leia Skywalker right?’’ Ezra continued. ‘’How come I never see you around? I almost thought Leia was completely making up this twin brother of hers.’’

Luke smiled at the idea of Leia telling stories about her and Luke. Hopefully, it’ll make it easier to bridge the gap between himself and the other kids here.

‘’I guess I don’t get out too much.’’ Luke chuckled. ‘’I am not very good at making friends without Leia around.’’

Ezra raised his eyebrows, standing up with another spin of his lightsaber. ‘’Oh really, what do you think just happened? Come on, lets duel.’’ He held out his hand expectantly.

Luke frowned. That was… surprisingly easy? Ezra seemed to easy going, ready to talk to anyone. It was almost comical, the way he was the exact opposite of Luke. Then, the feeling of relief washed over him. Luke could tell Uncle Obi-Wan all about this encounter. His careful Uncle may let him take further steps in his training now. Well, what was even better than pleasing Obi-Wan was having someone to talk to in the training room. Luke may even end up enjoying going down to the recreational Padawan areas.

Luke took Ezra’s hand.

[burnwater13]

Grogu holding his hand up to direct the Force to defend his dad against the Scorpenek Annihilator Droid (out of frame) on the streets of Mos Espa on Tatooine. Image from The Book of Boba Fett, Season 1, Episode 7, In the Name of Honor. Calendar by DataWorks.

“Hello there!” 

Grogu was being as serious as he knew how to be. Obi-Wan told him that you couldn’t just say ‘Hello there’ and break out in laughter. It wasn’t ‘seemly’, whatever that meant. Grogu remembered giggling at the Jedi Master when he said that. Just the day before they had discussed selecting commonly used words when speaking with people you just met to put them at their ease. Wouldn’t the same rule apply if you were speaking with someone who’s first language wasn’t Gal Basic?

He thought it should apply. But then he thought a lot of things that other people kind of glossed over. Like the lesson they had with Master Drallig, the Jedi Battle Master, and most capable lightsaber wielder at the Jedi Temple. 

Master Drallig had advised them that when they were squaring up to fight an adversary they should look as fierce as possible. It would impress upon your opponent that you meant business and did not intend to lose the skirmish. Then he had looked at Grogu and muttered, ‘Do the best you can, youngling’. 

That had annoyed Grogu. Of course he was going to do his best. When didn’t he give his all to whatever lesson they were working on? Okay, there was that one time when they were working on Battle Meditation in order to move a line in the sand. Half the younglings were on one side of the outside exercise area and the other half were with Grogu. There was a line of sand bisecting the space and Master Drallig was explaining to both groups what they needed to do and how to achieve it with the Battle Meditation. 

Grogu pitched right in but quickly noticed that the younglings were pretty evenly matched and the sand line just looked like a worm twitching on a Coruscant sidewalk. So, rather than watch that all class long, he broke concentration just long enough for the other side to appear to make a sudden gain and then scooped up the sand and placed the line behind his group. The exercise was over. It seemed like a good resolution to him. 

But as things would go, those kids yelled and complained at Master Drallig that someone hadn’t followed the rules. Master Drallig, as anyone would expect, called Ian out, but Grogu trotted over to the tall human as fast as he could and began to explain that it wasn’t Ian’s fault at all. 

“I wasn’t going to scold Ian. I was going to congratulate him on breaking the stalemate. I should have realized that you would have found this too challenging to maintain concentration, Grogu.”

That had made Grogu very sad. At the same time he was scolded for not following the lesson and had stolen praise from his friend, who for once, was actually doing the work required. He hadn’t meant to do that, but he really hadn’t seen he point in just sitting around and waiting for something to change. He wanted to be the change. 

“I understand that Master Drallig had some words with you today, Grogu.”

Master Beq was speaking to him in a soft tone of voice. 

Grogu remembered just nodding his head. He didn’t really have words that he wanted to use.

“It isn’t easy being unique. You are the only you here. You should be able to remain true to yourself without feeling bad about how that works out in the end. But as a Jedi you must also follow instruction and learn to trust your masters and your fellow Jedi to do the right thing. I know you were trying to resolve a problem that had a solution that seemed to be failing. It was a test. The other younglings are not as open to the Force as you are. They must walk the slower path, the harder path, in order to learn the value of persistence, because that is their best tool. They cannot simply change all the rules in an instant and then ask what’s next. Do you understand me?”

Grogu nodded his head. He hadn’t realized, until Master Beq explained things with those words, that he was taking a shortcut that didn’t really benefit him, but disadvantaged his fellow younglings. He hadn’t meant to do that. 

“Just remember this lesson, Grogu. Sometimes you must use every ability you have to solve a problem and sometimes you must wait for other people to have a chance to solve it for themselves. It is how you will both grow.”

After that lesson they had gone off and walked in the Arboretum and had some snacks. It was a good way to end what had been a frustrating day. 

Now, here he was, on Tatooine, squared up to a Scorpenek Annihilator Droid. He’d given his dad a chance to deal with the awful mechanical spiderish thing and realized that he had to step up, step forward, make the change. 

He greeted his adversary with a fierce grimace and a neutral ‘Hello there’ and then held up his hand. He was channeling the Force. Asking it to aid him. Explaining how he needed to protect his friends and family. Focusing on the weaknesses his adversary displayed and remembering all the lessons of every Jedi Master who he’d ever trained with. Master Beq. Master Drallig. Master Kenobi. 

Then he did as Master Yoda had once exhorted him to do when his floating chair was malfunctioning and bouncing the Jedi Grand Master around the Arboretum like a rathtar.

“Apart take it, Now!”

The next thing Grogu knew he had a connector from the droid's leg thwacking him and causing the thing to fall down. That saved his dad and gave Boba Fett and Ranky enough time to come charging in and save the day.  Peli handed him off to his dad, who seemed pretty impressed by Grogu’s actions. Grogu didn’t even have a chance to say ‘Hello There’ to his dad before he was being squeezed in a tight hug.  He had to admit that sometimes actions were much better than words.

[figgiforever]

Ok Ok tiggi and Quinlan, we've all heard about it (and the high council daily ) but what about Anakin and Tiggi (if you haven't already talked about it. My bad) - do they get along well? Are missions a competition of who gets in trouble the most? Do their clones get along? How many headache pills does Obi Wan have to swallow per mission????

Sorry for being so slow in answering asks. I almost forgot about this one 😭😭😭

I think I might have mentioned something about how they get along or maybe I didn’t… Anyway let’s sum it up here! :)

So she met Anakin through Obi-wan when he became his padawan. Tiggi and Obi-wan were good friends at this point (as padawans they were rivals at first, then Tiggi developed a crush on him but at the end he became one of her closest friends I need to write down their story someday). Not long after the battle of Naboo (precisely after Dooku left the Jedi Order) Tiggi was knighted too and got her own padawan – Ksulia Ildalé (I-L-D-A-L-É). The four of them hanged out together quite often. Sometimes they were sent on the mission together. Tiggi treated Anakin like a younger brother though he teased her that she looks younger! (due to her slower aging). And yes, they were seeking troubles and adventures since the first day they met. While Obi-wan and Ksulia tried to be the responsible ones.

With time Anakin started to admire Tiggi's experience and resilience. Yet it didn’t stop him from showing off in front of her which was causing her to try to show him who’s the most reckless and badass here. On the other side Tiggi was one of the people Anakin trusts the most. At the end of the war he would even ask her to cover him while he meets/calls Padmé like Rex did in season 7 of the Clone Wars series.

(You may think that Obi-wan only got more headaches because of the two of them but in fact Tiggi and Obi-wan have their own share of crazy adventures. No matter where or with whom Tiggi shows up – the troubles are certain to show up too XD)

When the Clone Wars began Tiggi discarded the rank of general but decided to try to be helpful in other way. For three months she served under Obi-wan as squadron commander. But it didn’t end well… *cough* After few weeks of recovering and meeting Omegas on Quiilura the Jedi Council sends her to 501. Legion to serve as a their medic/Jedi healer.

So she spends half of the war with Anakin, Ahsoka, Rex, Fives, Echo, Hardcase, Jesse, Lio and the rest of the clones from 501. Legion. This time Rex is the one getting headaches while Lio experiences heart attacks each time the two (later three) Jedi show off.

I don’t want to spoil too much but somewhere in the middle of the war Tiggi and Anakin argue so badly that he asks the Jedi Council to give her another mission because he doesn’t want her in 501. Legion anymore…

But don’t worry, she took a few clones with her and they became known as Ramikadyc squad and served in Special Operations Brigade from that point.

I’m not going to share more for now to not spoil too much about what happens in Figgiverse at the end of the Clone Wars… unless I mentioned it already?